new guy 69 Charger

[duckmanreno]

New guy here so i will give some background .  My name is Joe and i live in Reno Nevada. I am 50 and work as a facility/maintenance guy for a large company. Over the years i have gone thru many hobbies but the only ones that have kept my interest are waterfowl hunting and fishing.
Now for my car story. i have a 69 Charger that i bought back in 1982. I worked on it awhile and it was a daily driver for a few years. Kind of lost interest and the car has been sitting for about 18 years, most of it outside. I know big mistake. But you cant change the past. But it is also a rough car, not like  i left a mint condition Daytona outside! Recently i have been kicking around the idea of starting to work on the car again. I am sure some of you will understand this but i dont really know if i have the drive or money for this kind of thing. One thing i do have plenty of is time. Other then duck season i am not usually busy, and the idea of a hobby i can do at home is starting to appeal to me. So i am thinking at the very minimum getting the car inside and getting to me here. Right now it is stored at my dad's in Idaho. It is about 12 hours from my house so i cant even really make a good assessment of it right now.
i appreciate any input and thoughts.
Joe

[73rallye440magnum]

Put it back in order and proceed to beating the crap out of it again.



Welcome!

Always nice to see the addition of another 4 speed car. We like pictures.

[Stegs]

yes, if you have the time to work on it, I would go get it and see what your working with

one thing is out that way, you probably don't have rust

if the paint is bad, faded or gone...that can be fixed

if the interior is ripped, stained, dried out or missing....that can be fixed

really, as long as you have a solid car, its worth it.....now get going!

post pics when you get it home!

[twodko]

Welcome and what Stegs said.

[ChargerSG]

Welcome and lets see the the 69....

[Mopar Nut]

Welcome aboard!

[Troy]

The biggest question - and also the biggest indicator of time/money to be spent - is "what are you planning to do with it"? As you've already figured, what you have to start with greatly impacts what it will cost (in time and money) to complete but the "goal" has an even bigger impact. A cool car with some personal history in decent shape is a lot more feasible to most people than a 100 point concourse restoration. If your car turns out to be solid structurally and mechanically (best scenario) then you're looking at refurbishing what you have vs tracking down and replacing parts. There's enough interest in these cars now that the prices have gone up and reproductions exist for most of the most important parts. That alone makes this more realistic than attempting the same 10 years ago. A "10 footer" paint job will cost significantly less than one that could compete in a national show. If you plan on actually driving your life will be a lot less stressful with the first option! I have no problem fixing mechanical issues and getting the car on the road. I enjoy driving more than showing off. Of course, I have more than one car so I get the best of both worlds.

If you enjoy accomplishing something on your own and have the time and willingness to learn how, building a car can be a great experience. It's much cheaper too - as long as you don't mess something up that requires a professional to fix.

Most importantly, make a decision and stick to it! It's very easy for a simple "fix" to turn into a full-blown replace everything sort of restoration and the end result is a car that's too expensive and too nice to drive. I'd say engine and paint are the two biggest areas of "scope creep". Lots of people building $15k, 600 hp motors to get ice cream on a Sunday afternoon or paying a body shop ridiculous money to perfectly straighten, align, and paint a masterpiece when Maaco would have been fine. (This usually happens right after an owner determines that the car is so nice that "it deserves it" even if they have no desire to own a "show car".)

Troy

[Ghoste]

Welcome to the group.  I'd love to add the car to the 69 registry.

[duckmanreno]

The biggest question - and also the biggest indicator of time/money to be spent - is "what are you planning to do with it"? As you've already figured, what you have to start with greatly impacts what it will cost (in time and money) to complete but the "goal" has an even bigger impact. A cool car with some personal history in decent shape is a lot more feasible to most people than a 100 point concourse restoration. If your car turns out to be solid structurally and mechanically (best scenario) then you're looking at refurbishing what you have vs tracking down and replacing parts. There's enough interest in these cars now that the prices have gone up and reproductions exist for most of the most important parts. That alone makes this more realistic than attempting the same 10 years ago. A "10 footer" paint job will cost significantly less than one that could compete in a national show. If you plan on actually driving your life will be a lot less stressful with the first option! I have no problem fixing mechanical issues and getting the car on the road. I enjoy driving more than showing off. Of course, I have more than one car so I get the best of both worlds.

If you enjoy accomplishing something on your own and have the time and willingness to learn how, building a car can be a great experience. It's much cheaper too - as long as you don't mess something up that requires a professional to fix.

Most importantly, make a decision and stick to it! It's very easy for a simple "fix" to turn into a full-blown replace everything sort of restoration and the end result is a car that's too expensive and too nice to drive. I'd say engine and paint are the two biggest areas of "scope creep". Lots of people building $15k, 600 hp motors to get ice cream on a Sunday afternoon or paying a body shop ridiculous money to perfectly straighten, align, and paint a masterpiece when Maaco would have been fine. (This usually happens right after an owner determines that the car is so nice that "it deserves it" even if they have no desire to own a "show car".)

Troy

If i do it my plan is to make a decent looking car that looks stock and  that the wife and i can drive once in awhile to Tahoe for lunch. The stock 383 was more than enough for the way i drove the car. And i think you hit the nail on the head with the 10 foot paint job! We used a similar term years ago when i was really into RC airplanes. I understand what you mean by the 100 point restoration. We just had Hot August Nights here and i got to look at some great restoration mopars and even some great original cars. Even got to see some great winged cars and a Hemi Superbird. But im not expecting my car to look like that.
So here is what i know about the car. It was hit in the front. Previous owner did a decent job of replacing the parts but used 68 fenders. I knew that and i can repalce those now. The doors are good, the hood is good and the body was straight. The truck floor is rusted and needs to be replaced.  The floor in the pasenger compartment was good. Glass was good.  Dash and gauges were good. Door panels and rear seat was good. Center counsle was good. Front seats needed to be redone.  Grill was ok.  At the time it was parked the 383 ran ok, and the 4 speed shifted ok. I changed the ball joints, tie rod ends, strut rod busings. I installed the Direct Connection electronic distributor with the orange box. It appears to be the original 383, and the carb has the numbers that are correct. I put a middle of the road paint jo on it years ago.
Now the car has sat many years. My dad told me about 1/2 the paint has come off. I suspect that things like the back seat and doror panels are bad now with age. Now some rodent chewed the wireing under the hood. This is a concer if all the wireing is bad but i can replace the harness under the hood easy enough. i am guessing there are other things wrong that i dont knwo about or have gone bad since i have last looked at it.
Joe

[RallyeMike]

This isnt going to be like it was throwing it together in 1982. That you can count on. Back then it was a 14 year old driver, and now its a 45 year old derelict. It will most likely be a lot more work than you imagine no matter what you choose to do with it, however it is very rewarding when it gets on the road.

I'm the same age as you and bought my first 69 in 1979. I just put my 2nd 69 back on the road this last weekend.

Welcome to the site.

[tan top]

 hello & welcome 

[Ghoste]

We still like photos.

[myk]

Shall I....post another one of my how-to's on posting pictures in DC.com?

[duckmanreno]

I appreciate the thoughts and advice. I don't have any photos to post up since the car is still at my dads house.

RallyeMike  made a good point that it will be more work then I think.

Troy also makes a good point about more resto parts now then in the old days.


I have been looking around a bit at the resto parts they make. I am impressed but have some sticker shock at the same time.

[Mike DC]

    
Yeah, it's no secret that doing a Charger will cost a whole lot more than doing a Mustang or Camaro from that era.  Mopar had the lowest production numbers which means they have to charge way more money for a reproduction part to come out profitably.  In 1982 these things were at about their lowest point, value-wise.  Since then it has done a complete 180 and now it seems like everything on these cars is gold-plated.  

It's just like any other collectible; the highest-prized things are the stuff that nobody ever expected to be valuable.  Tons of people had them but most were thrown away decades ago.  Nobody thought they would be valuable until they were gone.



As Troy said, one of the harder parts is controlling the scope of the project. There are a lot of things on the car where you can't really half-restore it.  You have to either do it all or leave it bad.  




Another thing - once you get that car out in public again, it will get a ton of positive reactions but some people will nitpick how it's done.  They would have done it another color, it should be nicer, this problem or that one, it needs a Hemi, different wheels, etc.  These cars provoke strong opinions.  People love the car but they always want to see the perfect 69 Charger in THEIR minds, which never turns out to be quite like how you did yours.  (Their vision is also usually 3x as expensive as yours, harder to maintain & live with, etc.  They are daydreaming, after all!)  

Its okay.  Its just something to get used to.  Its a fact of life with any popular old car.  Just go into the project 100% straight in your mind - you are building this thing to please YOU and NOBODY ELSE.  It's your time, your money, and your fun.  

     

[Wicked72]

Welcome!    Get some pics up!! Get that car home and get started! Its worth working on and can be done fairly inexpencive if you do your homework. And now a days you can find damn near every parts for that car.

[duckmanreno]

I apprecaite the welcome and opinions from everyone! 

I think money and space will be the biggest issues. I have a 2 1/2car garage. The car will fit but im going to have to leave room for the wife to park inside. And being a duck hunter and fisherman i have enough toys and gear!

So who has tryed those car skates/dollies that go under each wheel and how easy is it to move a B body around?  Good looking idea.

Joe

[Ghoste]

They work great but you definitely get what you pay for with them.  Buy cheap ones and you can expect things like wheels falling apart and so forth.

[Mikesmoparperformance]

Welcome and>>>

[nvrbdn]

i actually used a large steel framed furniture movers. very heavy duty. one on each end and the car moved around freely. also allowed the hubs/brakes etc.. open for access. then when i wanted to work on it, it rolled nice and easy to the center of the garage. with 8 turnable wheels it was well balanced. these things were 4 feet X 2 feet.

[xoman60]

Welcome Joe! I picked up my 69 last year from your area just a little south of Reno. Good luck with yours!

[duckmanreno]

Welcome Joe! I picked up my 69 last year from your area just a little south of Reno. Good luck with yours!

Thanks!

Nice looking car you have.

Well starting the very early stages of my project. I brought up the subject of starting to work on the car to the wife. Did not seem to object and mentioned going with red on the color!  But i dont think she understand the cost involved and the space it will take up in the garage. I am starting to figure what to get rid of in the garage, and how to store the othere stuff i am going to keep. Also mentioned it to my father. He has a nice car trailer and an F250, so maybe i will get lucky and he can haul it down here for me on one of his visits.
Joe

[hollywood1336]

I'm in agreement with what everyone has said, parts for Mopars, Charger's especially are double and even triple what the equivallent Mustangs or Camaro's are. If you are patient, make an inventory list and keep an eye on EBAY, you will find original usable parts popping up and even reproduction parts at reasonable prices. If you can do most of the work yourself you will save big dollar. Sometimes it's even cheaper to buy expensive equipment, use it during the build and then sell it after, then having someone do the repair for you. I found a guy who did paint work on the side and got a 1 foot paint job for a 20 foot price. Patience and research and DIY (do it yourself) and you can save big.
Including the original cost of my car I will be 47k into my build when complete, car, motor, suspension, and paint were the big contributers. See the post "Almost There" for pics of my car.
I will say this though, I have a friend restoring/restoroding a 70 Cuda, he started off with "this car is going to be a driver and not a show queen". As he got deeper into the build and work, his attitude has changed and when finished it will be one of the nicest Cuda's out there. You'll find with such a classic and beautiful car, as the Charger is, just okay may not be good enough. But again, patience, research and DIY will get you there a whole lot cheaper.

[duckmanreno]

Mini update

My dad says he wil haul the car down for me! Saves me a lot of effort and diesel fuel as its a 12 hour drive.

Started the process of gettign rid of stuff in the garage to make room for the car. Harder to do then it sounds. Some stuff i am throwing out and some i have to keep. My true passion in life is waterfowl hunting and i have a lot of gear for this. Probably will build a storage shed in the back yard.

Havent officially told the wife im going to do this yet. But hinted about in and got her into the car mood by going to Hot August Nights! My wife is pretty good about putting up with my hobbies. The Whaler and Jon boat in the back yard, my lab, and a ton of hunting gear and camping stuff!  I think her only concern will be the garage space, same as mine.

Joe

[wingcar]

First off welcome to the group, I think you will find there is always someone here that can answer most any question you might have down the road.   I would suggest that when you get the Charger back...inspect it and make a plan...then stick to it.   Parts are not cheap, so I would work on just getting it running so that you can enjoy it....don't get dazzled by aftermarket parts until you finish doing the basics.     If it's not broke, don't replace it...at least not at this time.   Just do...and finish small jobs and you will be surprised at how much work will get done.  On the other hand if you start out trying to do something major....you may lose motivation and not finish.  
 
Don't worry about having the nicest Charger in your area...chances are you may be the only Charger in your area anyway!  That's just my thoughts and I know since I have a Charger that's been sitting for a while in the back yard...perhaps I need to follow my own advice and start working on it.......

By the way, I will be up in your area next month for the Air Races...can't wait!  I have been going every year since 1982 and just love the area.  In my mind Northern Nevada is the best part of the state.  Good luck with your project!  

[TexasStroker]

Welcome and good luck!  Have fun building it and always look forward to driving it...that should keep you going!