How does your underside look?

[jefferson]

Got mine up on the hoist yesterday, shes not too bad, nothing needs replacement, a lot of stuff looks original, just shows signs of 50 years of wear and tear, dings, dongs, bit of overspray, all the usual muck.

Look online and see a lot of beautiful chargers then underneath dont look to great just the usual signs of wear, tear, use, scratches and ding dongs, then i see some that look brand new. Sort of wish mine was all brand new and shiny underneath but oh well shes clean and beautiful inside., going to try and do some cleaning today, buff and shine her up underneath. At the end of the day, does it really matter if all the parts underneath arent shiny, brand new, but dont have holes, or any issues? Been told who cares, as long as its not rusted and coroded and about to fall out then nothing to worry about. Could also spot one tiny tiny bit of rust under the left fender, which i will take care of.

[Kern Dog]

I like a clean underbody. I drive mine so there is some oil, some grime but it looks okay to me. Mine has always been in Northern CA and is not an undercoated car so I painted the underbody before the outer body and paint was even started. This was done in a 2 car garage on jackstands. I now have a shop with a 2 post lift....It sure would be easier if I had to do it again!

[jefferson]

Looks good mate
What do u use to keep it all clean? soapy sponge and warm water in between every nook and cranny?

[Kern Dog]

Thank you !
I have used gasoline in a spray bottle, Simple Green, Formula 409.....whatever is nearby. Gas cuts the oil or ATF streaks the easiest.

I would post more pictures  but this site is terrible for posting pictures....Many times It tells you that you have already submitted a picture with the same name, yet I sometimes change the name before I post them. You change the name again and it tells you "You have already submitted this post". 
It really is a shitty program.  This site is the only one that has this strange quirk. The Mods defend this as if it is a good thing. It is not, it sucks ass and thankfully, NO OTHER SITE I HAVE EVER USED HAS THIS PROBLEM. 

Good luck to you.

[jefferson]

Yep. Been trying to post pics of mine but give up after 200000x. Gotta link to imgur etc lol.

[jefferson]

In your opinion tho. Even if a charger isnt say as clean as yours underneath. Does it matter much? What do people think.

[JB400]

Whatever floats your boat.  It's garage art regardless if you drive them or not.  It just depends on whether you want a museum for a garage or not. I'd rather be driving with a few chips here and there.

[jefferson]

Agree mate cheers hey quick question without starting a new thread re wiring.all the lights up atm. Are the 2 lights on the hood(bonnet? Supposed to only flash when i hit my indicator switch and not be a.constant light . Or stay on when the headlights are on and.also flash in sync with the indicators? Im trying to work out if they come on when i flick on the head lights. Or only flash when i hit the indicators in sync with the indicators and once indicators.turn off. They go back to no lights.

[70 sublime]

Agree mate cheers hey quick question without starting a new thread re wiring.all the lights up atm. Are the 2 lights on the hood(bonnet? Supposed to only flash when i hit my indicator switch and not be a.constant light . Or stay on when the headlights are on and.also flash in sync with the indicators? Im trying to work out if they come on when i flick on the head lights. Or only flash when i hit the indicators in sync with the indicators and once indicators.turn off. They go back to no lights.

Lights on the hood only come on when you use the turn signals

[taxspeaker]

Kerndog

What is the O2 oxygen bung in the headers for? Are you using EFI?
Thanks

[Mytur Binsdirti]

Nothing like a great underside.

[Charger_Fan]

I would post more pictures  but this site is terrible for posting pictures....Many times It tells you that you have already submitted a picture with the same name, yet I sometimes change the name before I post them. You change the name again and it tells you "You have already submitted this post". 
It really is a shitty program.  This site is the only one that has this strange quirk. The Mods defend this as if it is a good thing. It is not, it sucks ass and thankfully, NO OTHER SITE I HAVE EVER USED HAS THIS PROBLEM. 

It's probably because your photo names are pretty short. Go look at the photo names that Tan Top uses, for example...I'm sure he rarely has the "already submitted" problem.  When renaming your photos, just let your cat run across your keyboard, for an easy new name. 

[jefferson]

Agree mate cheers hey quick question without starting a new thread re wiring.all the lights up atm. Are the 2 lights on the hood(bonnet? Supposed to only flash when i hit my indicator switch and not be a.constant light . Or stay on when the headlights are on and.also flash in sync with the indicators? Im trying to work out if they come on when i flick on the head lights. Or only flash when i hit the indicators in sync with the indicators and once indicators.turn off. They go back to no lights.

Lights on the hood only come on when you use the turn signals

Ohhh so they don't come on when u flick on the headlights?

[Kern Dog]

Kerndog

What is the O2 oxygen bung in the headers for? Are you using EFI?
Thanks

No sir, I still run a 4 barrel. Demon 850 vacuum secondary. The O2 sensor is for a Air/Fuel gauge. I have bungs in both collectors but only one sensor.   They REALLY help for tuning! If I have not touched the carburetor since Summer, by the time Winter rolls in the car runs super lean....I have to back out the idle mixture screws to get the numbers within target range.
Odd thing though....I have chased the "optimal" A/F numbers and come close to having them but when it is there, the car runs slower. THis engine seems to run stronger with a richer mixture. The 14.7 ratio is the "magic" number that I hear frequently. I've jetted it down to get there at idle and cruise but throttle response and wide open throttle suffer.

[Kern Dog]

One of those pictures is reversed! I just noticed when looking at the O2 sensor. I have it in the RH header but in the picture it is in the left side...It also shows the idler arm and Pitman arm reversed!

[ws23rt]

One of those pictures is reversed! I just noticed when looking at the O2 sensor. I have it in the RH header but in the picture it is in the left side...It also shows the idler arm and Pitman arm reversed!

You have a good sense of where you are in space.

[Kern Dog]

Thanks! I do reverse some pictures just for fun but forgot that that was one of them.
These should be correct:

[nvrbdn]

Not too worried about the underside of my car.  Its a driver. Not a show car. A bit of hammerite paint for protection.

[timmycharger]

Kerndog

What is the O2 oxygen bung in the headers for? Are you using EFI?
Thanks

No sir, I still run a 4 barrel. Demon 850 vacuum secondary. The O2 sensor is for a Air/Fuel gauge. I have bungs in both collectors but only one sensor.   They REALLY help for tuning! If I have not touched the carburetor since Summer, by the time Winter rolls in the car runs super lean....I have to back out the idle mixture screws to get the numbers within target range.
Odd thing though....I have chased the "optimal" A/F numbers and come close to having them but when it is there, the car runs slower. THis engine seems to run stronger with a richer mixture. The 14.7 ratio is the "magic" number that I hear frequently. I've jetted it down to get there at idle and cruise but throttle response and wide open throttle suffer.

Is the Air/Fuel gauge fixed in the car or is it a hand held deal? This is something I would love to do in the future. I have been fooling around with jets in my six pack all summer and can't get to the drag strip to properly test what I am doing.

[jefferson]

So, i assume, if somebody was that anal, they wanted there charger to look like showroom condition, it would have to undergo a full rotisserie restoration? Every part brand new and a whole underbody paint job.

Because looking at all 68-70 chargers for sale online, there in awesome condition inside and out IMO, then underneath look all quite original. Scratches, dings, dongs, flaky paint all the usual wear and tear of a 50yr old car basically.

Seems to be the only ones that look showroom, state, full rotisserie restoration. All that state restoration dont INCLUDE every single thing underneath the car.

I guess, i just got a bit dis heartened seeing how gorgeous my charger was inside and out, then putting up on the hoist, underneath didnt look like the top lol. All solid, no rust, just not as beautiful. Had me down a fair bit. But after examining pictures of various chargers online, seems its the norm. So feel a tad better.

[nvrbdn]

I look at it this way.  I buy a new car. That car is perfect underneath. Show quality you might say. If I happen to look at it, it will probably be the only time. In the winter I will run it through the car wash that gets underneath. But never concern myself with what it looks like down there. I wash and wax and vacuum and detail etc....  but never care about the under side. My Charger stays in a garage. It sees rain, but will never see salt. (or SEA SALT} ha ha. It lives a life of comfort. but, it goes down farm roads with tar and rocks and all that garbage on a regular basis. I am all about my car and how it looks cruising by. 10 footer. you can go after the perfect undercarriage. But then you will worry every time you drive down the wrong road. Its a personal preference thing.

[INTMD8]

you can go after the perfect undercarriage. But then you will worry every time you drive down the wrong road. Its a personal preference thing.

Agreed it's personal preference but here's another way to look at it. 

I prefer a "show quality" undercarriage.  Did one of my previous cars like that and took it on a 2000 mile road trip. 

Undercarriage looked horrible.   

30 minutes on the lift with some soap and a pressure washer and it looked perfect again.

So, nice painted undercarriage is pretty easy to keep that way and not much to worry about, IMO.

[krops cars]

I agree with Mytur.

[Kern Dog]

I have the Air/fuel gauge  mounted below the ash tray. I prefer to see all gauges within the dash but this is my one exception.

Regarding the underside....Yeah, it gets dirty but since the car has always been a California car, it originally just had F8 Green overspray about a foot in from the rockers and unfinished primer on the rest. I know that a fully painted underside is not factory correct in any of these cars but I like the look. For the first 15 years that I owned the car, all work was done on jackstands. It has only been the last 3 years that I have had a car lift. My next one will be painted while on the lift though!

[Charger-Bodie]

Is there gaps in the weld where the pipe meets the collector adapter? Looks like a poor weld? Or is it an illusion?

[Kern Dog]

Poor weld? Yeah....The X pipe is stainless, the collectors are mild steel. I did the welding....

[Back N Black]

So, i assume, if somebody was that anal, they wanted there charger to look like showroom condition, it would have to undergo a full rotisserie restoration? Every part brand new and a whole underbody paint job.

Because looking at all 68-70 chargers for sale online, there in awesome condition inside and out IMO, then underneath look all quite original. Scratches, dings, dongs, flaky paint all the usual wear and tear of a 50yr old car basically.

Seems to be the only ones that look showroom, state, full rotisserie restoration. All that state restoration dont INCLUDE every single thing underneath the car.

I guess, i just got a bit dis heartened seeing how gorgeous my charger was inside and out, then putting up on the hoist, underneath didnt look like the top lol. All solid, no rust, just not as beautiful. Had me down a fair bit. But after examining pictures of various chargers online, seems its the norm. So feel a tad better.

Did you look underneath the car before you bought it? That should dictate the price of the car.

[jefferson]

So, i assume, if somebody was that anal, they wanted there charger to look like showroom condition, it would have to undergo a full rotisserie restoration? Every part brand new and a whole underbody paint job.

Because looking at all 68-70 chargers for sale online, there in awesome condition inside and out IMO, then underneath look all quite original. Scratches, dings, dongs, flaky paint all the usual wear and tear of a 50yr old car basically.

Seems to be the only ones that look showroom, state, full rotisserie restoration. All that state restoration dont INCLUDE every single thing underneath the car.

I guess, i just got a bit dis heartened seeing how gorgeous my charger was inside and out, then putting up on the hoist, underneath didnt look like the top lol. All solid, no rust, just not as beautiful. Had me down a fair bit. But after examining pictures of various chargers online, seems its the norm. So feel a tad better.

Did you look underneath the car before you bought it? That should dictate the price of the car.

First time ive heard the underneath dictating the price of a car. always been, originality, options, visable rust, numbers matching, parts original etc. Not once have i even heard the word underside. But while i agree somewhat, ive come to the conclusion that as long as underneath has no major issues, its not really a drama, no holes, bends, leaks, spills, rust or corosion that can cause major or even minor issues. If you go online, you will still see chargers fetching 50-90k asking price for what seems to be the underneath originality. Metal, frame rails, exhaust system, brakes and you can see paint flakyness, bit of corrosion or whatever, muck, grime, filler, overspray if the car has been painted touch up paint etc etc etc, basically overall wear and tear over 50 years. The ones asking 100k plus state full rotisserie restoration that have underneath looking like the top of the car.

But ive come to accept the fact that, srsly, as long as its as clean as can be, enjoy it, and not worry about trying to have underneath look like a darn museum piece. The underneath side is pretty darn tough, especially if chargers 50 years old havent had anything replaced underneath and still drive nicely.

[bill440rt]

Here's a shot of my '70 underside.
The car gets driven occasionally, and the undercarriage gets cleaned once a year. I will attest it's much easier to keep clean when it's painted and detailed. A few hours with some cleaner, degreaser, and detailer and it's done. Car was done 18 years ago, and this pic was taken last year after installing a new exhaust system.

[alfaitalia]

Very clean for eighteen years since build...nice. I've just finished building my exhaust...not close to being on the road yet but already the perfectionist in me has had the lose the  ugly exhaust clamps and weld it together properly! Being in the UK a painted but not coated under carriage is a no go. Two reasons. First is our climate requires a bit more protection underneath a car than just paint and second reason is that they like to resurface our roads with tar and chippings. The paint would be blasted off the car within a few years. My plan is paint, followed by a thick spray-on chassis projector like Eastwood's, followed by underseal in the high impact areas. This car is going to be fast road car/weekend warrior so I want to be able to drive it in all conditions although to be honest is unlikely to see much rain....but this is England so at best our weather is "changeable"! Apart from local cruises I'm not a show exhibitor so the only way anyone apart from me will see under my 69 is if I've just run them over!

[DAY CLONA]

I prefer the full undercoated look, but I still like it clean, I don't like my fuel/brake lines or other items buried/oversprayed in undercoat however, I usually undercoat then add the lines/cables/exhaust/suspension/etc/etc...I like to drive my cars everywhere, including cross country events/tours/rallys/etc

Mike

[moparstuart]

I prefer the full undercoated look, but I still like it clean, I don't like my fuel/brake lines or other items buried/oversprayed in undercoat however, I usually undercoat then add the lines/cables/exhaust/suspension/etc/etc...I like to drive my cars everywhere, including cross country events/tours/rallys/etc

Mike

your girl friend Dana is so Pretty

[darbgnik]

Very clean for eighteen years since build...nice. I've just finished building my exhaust...not close to being on the road yet but already the perfectionist in me has had the lose the  ugly exhaust clamps and weld it together properly! Being in the UK a painted but not coated under carriage is a no go. Two reasons. First is our climate requires a bit more protection underneath a car than just paint and second reason is that they like to resurface our roads with tar and chippings. The paint would be blasted off the car within a few years. My plan is paint, followed by a thick spray-on chassis projector like Eastwood's, followed by underseal in the high impact areas. This car is going to be fast road car/weekend warrior so I want to be able to drive it in all conditions although to be honest is unlikely to see much rain....but this is England so at best our weather is "changeable"! Apart from local cruises I'm not a show exhibitor so the only way anyone apart from me will see under my 69 is if I've just run them over!

I thought this was only an Alberta Canada thing..... I love the application theory, spray tar, cover in rock chips,then wait for every car driving on it to clear away the excess, at the expense of their paint.......

I had mine undercoated as well, no show car once it's on the lift.

[DAY CLONA]

I prefer the full undercoated look, but I still like it clean, I don't like my fuel/brake lines or other items buried/oversprayed in undercoat however, I usually undercoat then add the lines/cables/exhaust/suspension/etc/etc...I like to drive my cars everywhere, including cross country events/tours/rallys/etc

Mike

your girl friend Dana is so Pretty

Thanks! I dumped "Pumpkin" for Dana.. 

[Kern Dog]

It seems that the cars shown on Graveyard Carz are all coated underneath with some type of Lizard Skin/Bedliner treatment. I don't mind the look so much  but since mine was not undercoated, I decided to paint it. When I added frame connectors and torque boxes, I painted it all again.

[nvrbdn]

Yea, what the heck, If I don't sell mine because of this timing issue I am having, I may go ahead and paint it for the fun of it. I already have a lift so it would be pretty easy to do.

[Charger_Fan]

Here's a shot of my '70 underside.
The car gets driven occasionally, and the undercarriage gets cleaned once a year. I will attest it's much easier to keep clean when it's painted and detailed. A few hours with some cleaner, degreaser, and detailer and it's done. Car was done 18 years ago, and this pic was taken last year after installing a new exhaust system.

Damn Bill, that looks amazing! Looks like you just finished that resto last week! 

[moparstuart]

I prefer the full undercoated look, but I still like it clean, I don't like my fuel/brake lines or other items buried/oversprayed in undercoat however, I usually undercoat then add the lines/cables/exhaust/suspension/etc/etc...I like to drive my cars everywhere, including cross country events/tours/rallys/etc

Mike

your girl friend Dana is so Pretty

Thanks! I dumped "Pumpkin" for Dana.. 

Yeah me too

[HeavyFuel]

These pics are about 5 years old.  Looks pretty much the same now......I clean it up once a year.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,95015.msg1200826.html#msg1200826

[tan top]

I like a clean underbody. I drive mine so there is some oil, some grime but it looks okay to me. Mine has always been in Northern CA and is not an undercoated car so I painted the underbody before the outer body and paint was even started. This was done in a 2 car garage on jackstands. I now have a shop with a 2 post lift....It sure would be easier if I had to do it again!

  looks good under there