Chevy guy needs to build a 68 Charger

[2002TransAm]

By the way mopar guys and gals you will be happy to know that my TransAm will have to sit outside the entire time this project goes on

[Dino]

By the way mopar guys and gals you will be happy to know that my TransAm will have to sit outside the entire time this project goes on

That sucks!

We're getting my wife's Trans Am out of winter storage tomorrow. She's been itching to let it loose. 

2002 WS6 with ram air and T56 transmission. Really nice car.   

[2002TransAm]

By the way mopar guys and gals you will be happy to know that my TransAm will have to sit outside the entire time this project goes on

That sucks!

We're getting my wife's Trans Am out of winter storage tomorrow. She's been itching to let it loose. 

2002 WS6 with ram air and T56 transmission. Really nice car.   

Awesome Dino  got the same options as mine does

[Daytona R/T SE]

Thanks for the support guys here are the first pics I have of the car it is supposed to be delivered to me tomorrow.

When you start taking the original parts off that you aren't going to use...

Be careful not to damage them in the removal process...


And then...

Sell them to me !  

[Homerr]

The 68 does look like a good starting point.

Make sure the rear axle is an 8.75" unit and not some 7.25" garbage.  The 8.75" is common and has a pumpkin removable to the front of the car like a Ford 9".  The units were available with and without Sure-Grip (posi to you  ).  Take a look at the slideshow in this article to see all the differences and best case castings to get.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/transmission-drivetrain/ccrp-1210-sure-grip-chrysler-differential-swap/

Disregard the 8.25" and 9.25" ones on this chart, they won't be on the car.

[Dino]

By the way mopar guys and gals you will be happy to know that my TransAm will have to sit outside the entire time this project goes on

That sucks!

We're getting my wife's Trans Am out of winter storage tomorrow. She's been itching to let it loose. 

2002 WS6 with ram air and T56 transmission. Really nice car.   

Awesome Dino  got the same options as mine does

And in white! I like white. 

It's a blast to drive. Once I'm done ith grad school I'll be dropping a T56 in my Charger.   

[myk]

By the way mopar guys and gals you will be happy to know that my TransAm will have to sit outside the entire time this project goes on

That sucks!

We're getting my wife's Trans Am out of winter storage tomorrow. She's been itching to let it loose. 

2002 WS6 with ram air and T56 transmission. Really nice car.   

Awesome Dino  got the same options as mine does

I've got a '99 that I've cloned a WS6 with; it's got everything including the crappy power steering cooler and with the later Speedline wheels.  Truly fantastic cars that I'm amazed that GM built...

[Mike DC]

  

Disregard the 8.25" and 9.25" ones on this chart, they won't be on the car.

In theory that's true.  But there is no telling what might be under a car after 45 years.  

The 8.25 came on a lot of 1969 cars.  It wouldn't take a very big stretch to find one under a '68.  Perhaps even a dealer warranty replacement.  Stranger things have happened.  
 

[2002TransAm]

Ok guys I got the car in my possession  it's a travesty of redneckness it is a massively bondoed car it has a newer floor pan on driver side and trunk repaired it runs and stops kinda it has rust hiding under all the paint and it has some quarters welded in the guy who did the repairs didn't even bother to weld the floor or trunk back to the torque tube frame assembly it's all loose. So I'm going to get it home and strip out the interior and see if the owner want to mess with this one or punt it. He was planning on changing all 4 quarters to the 69 so that fixes the horrible body problems the frame and structure actually looks good it has a solid structure that doesn't look butchered.

[Dino]

Ouch!

If it doesn't have any rare option on the fender tag or build sheet then I don't think many will mind a custom job, but still going from a 68 to a 69 is a bit sad. You'll have to change out a whole lot more than quarters and fenders to accomplish that job though.

If it's in that bad a shape maybe it's not a bad idea to let it go and look for a 69.

[2002TransAm]

The fender tag is 3/4 gone from rust and unreadable.

[Troy]

I must have been typing when you posted the pictures. Looks can be deceiving (especially small pictures). That's why you always look at a car in person before you buy (or have someone else do it). I still wouldn't try to make it a 69 - if you don't go all the way it will look half-assed. If you do go all the way people will wonder why you just didn't start with a 69 because it won't be worth 68 or 69 money. Not a problem if the owner never intends to sell. The biggest expense in making a 69 will be the grill - although some of the pieces will interchange.

Generally these things need some floor pan work. Usually lower quarters and some repair work around the rear window. When you start getting into rockers, frame rails, cowls, roof structure, etc. the costs add up fast.

Troy

[E86/A47]

can you let us know what the owner paid for it and post more pics? Maybe you can punt it to someone here.

[Mike DC]

                  
Bear in mind that the average Mopar guy restores a body that Chevy guys would pass up all day long.  "Severe rust" is a relative term.  
   

As for the 68/69 year conversion -  A lot depends on how keen the owner is on the details.  If he wants it to look like a 69 at a glance, that is do-able.  It only takes some exterior parts and seat covers.  Half the Chargers used on "Dukes of Hazzard" back in the day were 1968s with only the grilles & taillights changed over.  

If the owner wants the year conversion to look 100% correct to other Mopar guys?  Forget it.  You'd be swapping 2/3rds of the pieces on the car, mostly for stupid little differences like the grain patterns on the vinyl or the door lock levers moving a few inches.  It is absolutely not worth the trouble.  

 

[charger chris]

                 
Bear in mind that the average Mopar guy restores a body that Chevy guys would pass up all day long.  "Severe rust" is a relative term.  
   

As for the 68/69 year conversion -  A lot depends on how keen the owner is on the details.  If he wants it to look like a 69 at a glance, that is do-able.  It only takes some exterior parts and seat covers.  Half the Chargers used on "Dukes of Hazzard" back in the day were 1968s with only the grilles & taillights changed over.  

If the owner wants the year conversion to look 100% correct to other Mopar guys?  Forget it.  You'd be swapping 2/3rds of the pieces on the car, mostly for stupid little differences like the grain patterns on the vinyl or the door lock levers moving a few inches.  It is absolutely not worth the trouble.  

 

most of the part for 68-70 are the same. Just have little differences that most wouldn't care about. The things that would catch the eye is tail lights,side marker lights,grills and for 70 Front clip is different. The inside is same for the most part.

[charger chris]

If this 68 under side is good and solid he is in good shape. He's doing better then me. He has all the parts to for the most part to keep it kinda cheap. All you have to do is get the metal that is needed and reuse the other parts. Sell the parts to bring down the cost some. That's what I would do. As long as he is happy with it that's all that matters.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Ok guys I got the car in my possession   it's a travesty of redneckness it is a massively bondoed car

Dump it and run.  

[2002TransAm]

Ok Im going to photo bomb this the interior is useless it even has the optional white door panel on one side and black interior on some of the rest all metal repair is little pieces of whatever crap steel they had lying around the rear taillights have like thirty little pieces tack welded to help hold them in place. hood is trash I'm surprised it didn't fold in half from the cracks and damage in it. The rock guards under the front and rear bumpers are welded on and then they used a dotco to cut a groove to make it look more right.

[2002TransAm]

driverside

[2002TransAm]

vin and fender tag

[2002TransAm]

body lines and the taillight repair

[2002TransAm]

broad shot of the interior all that I removed is a useless bench seat out of a bus I think the front half of the carpet gas pedal and the two side trim pieces

[2002TransAm]

interior

[2002TransAm]

The owner of the car is wondering what this car is worth as it sits and how much making it safe to run and drive would make it worth. I realize and he realizes that you guys can't give the exact number but he kind of wants to know where he is at. He does know that if he restores it he will never get out what he puts into it and he doesn't plan on selling it if he does rebuild it but he is a realistic to in that he doesn't want to burying good money in a car he should cut and run from. Remember Im doing the labor for mechanical I'm doing it cheap but not free, but Im not doing the body work all the fenders and rust repair and paint I can do it but I can't take that much time off from my family. So figure all body work done in a body shop and you can see where dumping this one and picking a different one might be a better plan.

[Dino]

There are very few Chargers that are worth the cost of restoration, that's a given. I haven't seen enough of the car to put a real world value on it. Rolling bodies go for lots of money but you're always better of buying a car that's complete and in good shape.

This car will cost many tens of thousands to fix, no doubt there. I would try to recuperate the investment and let it go for something better. And if it's a 69 that he wants the look only for a 69, they're out there. It'll be a whole let less cost and headache to deal with.