Bumbed New Charger owner; over before it started

[Wojo]

Good evening,

I've been lurking on the site for a few months once I learned I would be acquiring my grandfather's 1974 Charger. I've learned a lot from many of you in my short time and for that I thank you al.

The charger is a 1974 hardtop, 318 auto with A/C, Eggshell white (originally) with a black halo vinyl top, and blue (I believe lagoon blue) interior. The plan was to do just a little body work and a paint job and address some medium/easy body issues. The trunk floor, both fenders, driver and passenger side front floor boards and a few small areas near the rear glass corners all needed to be replaced due to rust. I was cool with all that until I got the interior stripped out and inspected the cowl area today. Mice must have taken refuge there for the last decade or so and all of their activity and home building has basically made the cowl into swiss cheese.

Now I am thinking that I am better off finding another project. It sucks though because the car runs and drives (I drove it home 50+ miles a couple months back) and my grandfather was the only owner (65,000 orig miles). Pretty much every piece is there but the rust is more than I bargained for. If this were a 71 Super Bee or another higher end Mopar piece I may be more willing to take the next steps. At this point though  just don't think it's going to be worth it.

Am I being a baby? Should I just get a big cup of man up and do the cowl work too? Or is it smarter to walk away now. I think the emotional attachment knowing this was my grandfathers car is the only thing making me even think about it at this point.

Opinions?

[Mopar Nut]

First off, welcome aboard!

Second, fix that baby if the purchase price was in reason. That car fixed up would be priceless coming from your grandfather/original owner.

[72Charger-SE]

I will admit I almost did the same thing.  I was overwhelmed for a few months about the amount of rust on my 'rust free' Charger.  But I spent time researching and purchasing the right 'tools'.  60 Gal 2 stage air compressor, new welder, and adding a new 400A circuit to the back garage for electrical.  This all took some time but I am glad I just kept my head down and kept moving forward.  I now know how to weld, not perfectly, but I can hold my own.  I have been able to fabricate sheet metal and 'build' parts of my car.  Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint.  Take your time and do it right.

In my opinion it is all part of your 'Charger Journey'.   I say dive in and go for it.  You have nothing to lose everything to gain.    When you are done the satisfaction will be that much greater!  

GOD Bless!

[b5blue]

Dear Woe-Joe,
 You have to ask yourself are the mice gonna win? What about a donor car? Good Luck to ya no matter what you decide Wojo! Welcome to the forum!  

[JB400]

 

Sad to hear you acquired a lemon.  Considering I don't have pix to go by, I say if you have to replace more the 25% of the cowl, along with the other issues, I'd pick another car unless you have a lot of sentimental value to the car and the skills to fix it.  I don't really consider floor boards that big of an issue being that the aftermarket has those covered.  Front fenders aren't being reproduced either, so used ones are the only way to go.  You could find a donor car to cut up to fix yours.

At least you have a 74 and should be able to acquire another car or even just a donor car to fix yours for a reasonable price.

[Troy]

I would have first recommended that you just drive the heck out of it but I'm assuming that you already have the car fairly stripped down.

How much money (and time) do you have? Replacing a lot of sheet metal on a not-so-rare car is going to be a labor of love ONLY. You'll have many times more into it than the car will ever be worth. Not to mention, a lot of the sheet metal isn't available except through the used parts market. It might not be terribly hard to find a solid roller that needs a drive train and interior to start with. It would be much cheaper - and less work - to bolt your nice parts onto a nicer shell. However, if you're going to do all that, you're going to end up replacing a lot of "soft" parts and probably paint. Might as well upgrade the engine, trans, rear axle, wheel and tires! At that point, buy a finished one, go out driving and enjoy it!

I don't know your relationship with your grandfather but would he want you to dig a giant financial hole just to remember/honor him? That's probably your answer.

PS. even if it were a rare piece of history, are you in the position to "do it justice"?

Troy

[dyslexic teddybear]

Welcome!!


There's only one Charger purchased by your grandfather........to me that family connection is worth much.


Only you can decide if this car makes any sense.

[cavemanno1]

We tend to forget these are "just" cars not pets!Although we love them just as much sometimes!
I'm sure this is not the ONLY way he can remember his grandfather.If this build would put a financial burden on you don't do it,spend it on your family!If that 20-30k whatever won't be a huge problem for you then do it!Would be cool to have a car that your grandfather and probably your dad drove !Never know,maybe this is where the "magic" happened!but it all depends on your relationship with your grandfather.I'm sure he wouldn't want you to get into something that you want just because of him!I know i wouldn't want my kid to stein himself over some metal just because it reminds him of me!

Our loved ones live in our heart and not the material they used!    

[tan top]

 hello & welcome     sorry to hear that

[myk]

Let's see some pictures.  Maybe it isn't as bad as you think?

[Tilar]

Quityerbitchin, Someone had to do it.     Oh and Welcome, Wojo. You'll be just fine, and I would fix that old car.

[polywideblock]

welcome to the site       

                  I say fix it, your grandad is only going to give you a car once .no other car will have that attachment   

[Ghoste]

Project discouragement is pretty common in this hobby but I canpromise you that if you fix it, you'll acheive a sense of pride you can't imagine.

[tsmithae]

Pictures will help us give you a more accurate idea of what you are looking at.  I highly recommend doing the work and enjoy yourself with it!  If you get frustrated, take a step back for a bit.  If you get overwhelmed, focus on one small project at a time and eventually the whole picture will be much less intimidating. I hope that you stick around here and stick with the project!

[green69rt]

Don't know much about 74's but just set back and let things percolate for a while.   Maybe look around for another 74 to use as a donor car.  Look around for someone with some experience fixing these things.   The connection with your GP is important and will get more important as you get older.   How many wish they had kept something dad or Grandpa owned.  Once it's gone it's almost impossible to get back.

[squeakfinder]

    That car might not seem to valuable or special wright now. But, 22 years ago my mother and I agreed to sell a 57 Studebaker pickup with a cracked block, had 40,000 miles on it. And a BO Lindermin John Deere crawler with a cable blade. They both belonged to my grandfather and weren't worth much at the time. Now that I'm a little smarter when it comes to mechanical things I regret not hanging on to them. It really isn't about monetary value. It would be cool to have them around.

[RallyeMike]

1) Do you have the skills, equipment, time, and cash to rebuild a rust bucket?

2) How emotionally attached are you to the car. Attached enough to overcome any areas above that are lacking?

Only you can answer these questions. If you are still not sure, maybe save for a driver and store grandpa's away until you can make the decision. Good luck.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I think you need to ask yourself how much you like the car and how much it means to you. Do you have the desire, skills, and equipment to do the work? If not, do you have the desire to purchase the equipment and learn what you need to know to perform the restoration work?
If you have what it takes I say go for it. But only you can determine whether or not it's worth it to you.

Here's a little story that you may relate to;
Several years ago I bought a T-top car and didn't check out the body as well as I should have (shame on me). One evening I just happened to pull back the T-top weather stripping and found the channel on both sides was eaten away by rust. Then when I removed the headliner I found even more rust! With a sick feeling in my gut I remember thinking this car is scrap metal! What a waste of my money!
The next day as I thought about the situation I decided I'd look for a similar car, cut off it's top and weld it onto mine. That's what I did and I'm still driving and enjoying the car.
I become very stubborn and determined when opposition comes my way. Whatever you choose to do I hope it goes well for you.

[Wojo]

Here are a couple pics that give an idea what I am working with. All of the outer sheet metal  is no big deal. I have a set of fenders that are in good shape to get rid of the holes up front in the doglegs. The cowl is what worries me the most. Maybe I am making a bigger deal out of it than I should. I restored a 66' mustang and I swore I would never do a car with a cowl issue again unless it was really something special.

I am going to think about my next steps in the next few days and decide if I should proceed or not. I have most of the skills required to restore (and fiends and family that could fill the gaps) and money is not an issue although I would feel better if I knew I was putting it toward a more desirable model. Leaning towards getting fenders and dash out of the way so I can really see what I am dealing with.

[1974dodgecharger]

Welcome!!


There's only one Charger purchased by your grandfather........to me that family connection is worth much.


Only you can decide if this car makes any sense.

I agree.....

[bill440rt]

Welcome to DC.com! 

The Charger doesn't look that bad in the pics.
I'd say, if you have a sentimental or emotional attachment to it, then roll up your sleeves & get dirty! 
If the floors & rest of the unibody are good, then grafting in a section of the cowl shouldn't be so bad.

How about some pics of that nasty cowl? 

[rt green]

lets see the rust in question. we'll call it exhibit A.

[ws23rt]

Welcome!!


There's only one Charger purchased by your grandfather........to me that family connection is worth much.


Only you can decide if this car makes any sense.

I agree.....    If your grandfather would appreciate your interest in the car than go for it. The resale value for later tends to bogg some of us down and most here would agree that that is not why we enjoy this hobby.  The real satisfaction comes from the task and the pay off is a fine looking fun to drive car with history.

[cudaken]

 Rust, what rust?   I have done rust before, my 69 Charger rusted in half.   I fixed it?  

My the way, where do you live? We don' have metal eating mice in IL.

OK,now that I got that out of my system. Do you know how to eat a Elephant? One bite at a time.

If the frame rails are solid, seats are not falling on the ground and you like the Charger, fix it. My self, I pick one section at a time and fix that section.

Cuda Ken

[jaak]

Welcome to the site Wojo!

Don't know much about 74's but just set back and let things percolate for a while.   Maybe look around for another 74 to use as a donor car.  Look around for someone with some experience fixing these things.   The connection with your GP is important and will get more important as you get older.   How many wish they had kept something dad or Grandpa owned.  Once it's gone it's almost impossible to get back.

If the car has sentimental value to it, before throwing the AMD catalog at it, you should be able to find a Donor car pretty easy, and usually at a good price. 72-74 /6 & 318 cars are usually real affordable. Especially if you look around, talk to other Mopar folks that know where cars are at, that aren't being advertised. I bought a 72 one time that the sheet metal was nearly mint except drivers side floor pan, for 750, and drove it home! I then sold it to a guy that needed it for a donor.

Jason