Poor 1968 Charger victimized by an AWD Pro Tour hack job......

[VegasCharger]

Sorry if this has been posted before, but I don't recall seeing it in here. This dates back to 3-14-2011 (page 1).

First off, credit goes to DC.com member "Lennard" as he sent me this link to this '68 Charger thread on Pro-Touring.com (I'm not a member over there). The link takes you to page #27 of 28 total pages (currently). Just go to reply #532 (page 27) if you want the quick result lol.

Link:
https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/78094-Project-Rat%C3%B3n-68-Charger-Hemi-6-Speed-AWD/page27


So who's on board saying "I can't wait to see the end result, you're doing a great job, ignore the nay sayers" on this one??

Reading back to page 1, this '68 was a solid candidate when this guy first bought it which appears to be back in 2009.


Lennard, thanks for sharing.  

[birdsandbees]

There's a guy that needs to buy an English wheel and learn how to use it! 

[JB400]

Forgot all about this guys' build.  Not something I myself would do.

[Kern Dog]

Holy shit, that is a complete abortion. WTF ??

[Bronzedodge]

Nice welds on the A arm tabs.    It might be a parts car when they let go.

Is there an emoji of a smiley with bubble gum?  Might get some use in some of these weld pictures...

[billssuperbird]

 

[timmycharger]

Not sure I understand the mesh tail light panel idea right above 4 exhaust tips? I spent a lot of time and money to get rid of the swiss cheese in the back of my Charger so I wouldn't have to inhale fumes while driving..

That is the least of this car's problems. 

[wingcar]

Would be interesting to see a current picture of this "project".  I like the artist rendering (post #544) which actually appears to be the Custom Charger from this years SEMA show (?)
.  
As for the flares...it seems as if he was using "old school" customizing techniques.....While the front has possibility's, I do not care for the rears at all...of course that's just my opinion.

When I front saw the 500 grille I thought he was using a real Charger 500...fortunately it was not.......

Each to his own I guess...........

[Mytur Binsdirti]

This explains everything......

[alfaitalia]

Much as I like highly modded classic cars....one of the few on here I suspect......I cant find anything positive to say about that at all. As said above....the wide arch car rendering is cool as you like.......but his?....well just plain nasty.

[chargervert]

The front of the car looks like it is made out of plywood!  My Dodge van is more aerodynamic!  The rear flares are hack, and the welds throughout the car are the worst snotty welds I have  seen in years. The first real bump,and parts that were welded will be snapping off. No penetration in those welds.

[b5blue]

  I'll defend anyone who's attempting to build their own ride the way they want. 4WD is no small feat to add to any car! Looks to me like he's working when he can with what he's got to work with. These "hey lets pile up and rag on someone" topics creep me out. You want me to build my car your way to your standard, sell it for your price listed the way you accept. Really? Steve is a good young man who will help you in a heartbeat. He was here a few years back but I can see why he would avoid you guys now.

[timmycharger]

  I'll defend anyone who's attempting to build their own ride the way they want. 4WD is no small feat to add to any car! Looks to me like he's working when he can with what he's got to work with. These "hey lets pile up and rag on someone" topics creep me out. You want me to build my car your way to your standard, sell it for your price listed the way you accept. Really? Steve is a good young man who will help you in a heartbeat. He was here a few years back but I can see why he would avoid you guys now.

So you are good with the safety aspect of this build? I wouldn't be comfortable driving in or near this car at any speed. 

70 mph down the highway with those welds holding the front end on?  No thank you, hopefully if he drives it, it will be on a track with controlled conditions. 

[chargervert]

Anyone can do what they want to their own car, but not everyone has to like the build.  I  remember seeing the original thread on this car,and I  thought it was pretty creative going with the all wheel drive system.  Unfortunately due to the Fast and Furious movies, the trend is to take second generation Chargers and make them look rediculous! Each builder of these monstrosities is trying to raise the bar on how far they can go to accomplish this task. Believe me I get my share of complaints and complements on my convertible Charger. Personally I have already seen enough Chargers with rediculous fender flares,goofy front end treatments and rear spoilers. That said, the welding on this car looks unsafe,and someone could end up getting injured or worse,when this car is driven. My current Daytona stock car project may not be built to everyone's liking, but it will be built safe.

[RallyeMike]

The initial rendering was very promissing. Now  

[DAY CLONA]

Guy could have cut to the chase and just rebodied a LX AWD platform with 68 Charger AMD/used/NOS sheetmetal...

[Bayareacharger]

That is the WORST thing I have ever seen with the worst execution.  It is as if a kids drawing came to life.

[Kern Dog]

Regarding the reference to piling on....
I resist MOST efforts to modify the body on these cars. I am not a purist in most cases. There are LOTS of cars that can benefit from changes. The 68-70 Charger body is just one that begs to be left as is.

[chargervert]

Guy could have cut to the chase and just rebodied a LX AWD platform with 68 Charger AMD/used/NOS sheetmetal...

I  couldn't have said it better!

[Challenger340]

I'm speechless, just dunno what to say     There must have been some kind of plan intially ? 

[INTMD8]

Wow, just horrible 

[Polygon]

It certainly is a bit much in my opinion. But he does have a knack for pushing the metal doesn't he?

[tan top]

     



Guy certainly had a vision what his dream charger should look like.  

hope it weren't  a rare optioned / color combo or 383 four speed  used    

Guy could have cut to the chase and just rebodied a LX AWD platform with 68 Charger AMD/used/NOS sheetmetal...

I  couldn't have said it better!

  what these guys said  

still Good luck to him , each to their own  

[Dano 1]

I'm really torn on builds like this. First off it's his car and he can do with it what he wants. Would I have done this to a '68 charger of mine? No probably not. I think I'd start with another chassis/platform and build from there with used or repop metal but the fact remains it's his car and he can do whatever he wants with it just like anyone here who does a resto-mod.

I'm also torn about criticizing this build from a design/fabrication perspective. On one hand good for him for jumping in with both feet, doing everything himself and executing a really complex concept without high level resources. Straight up dumping on him for destroying a car or doing low quality work doesn't seem to be productive. On the other hand, as an engineer with a fair amount of fabrication/motorsports design experience I see a LOT of things that scare me to death. It's really hard to provide constructive feedback without being demoralizing but I really hope this car is properly vetted out and tested off the road in a safe environment because I see a lot of weak links. Compare this car to the Willomet build thread on here and you can see the gap pretty clearly. I wish this guy the best of luck and commend him for his all-in approach.

[chargervert]

There is something to be said for doing all the work yourself, but if you cannot perform the work safely or correctly then that work needs to be outsourced to someone who can.  Aside from the fact that I personally don't like the direction of either one of those Charger builds you mentioned.  These days these is no need to hack up a restorable Charger to build a car that is modified to that level. Just break out the AMD catalog and build the car from reproduction sheet metal. There is another company that makes Charger bodies out of carbon fiber. Just my opinion.

[Stevearino]

I'm really torn on builds like this. First off it's his car and he can do with it what he wants. Would I have done this to a '68 charger of mine? No probably not. I think I'd start with another chassis/platform and build from there with used or repop metal but the fact remains it's his car and he can do whatever he wants with it just like anyone here who does a resto-mod.

I'm also torn about criticizing this build from a design/fabrication perspective. On one hand good for him for jumping in with both feet, doing everything himself and executing a really complex concept without high level resources. Straight up dumping on him for destroying a car or doing low quality work doesn't seem to be productive. On the other hand, as an engineer with a fair amount of fabrication/motorsports design experience I see a LOT of things that scare me to death. It's really hard to provide constructive feedback without being demoralizing but I really hope this car is properly vetted out and tested off the road in a safe environment because I see a lot of weak links. Compare this car to the Willomet build thread on here and you can see the gap pretty clearly. I wish this guy the best of luck and commend him for his all-in approach.

I would have to agree here. It is too bad all the energy put into this project could not have been better focused by some mentoring individual .  I am hoping this is being built somewhere there are strict safety inspections so that at least those things will have to be addressed before putting it on the road.

[Aero426]

The whole car is now ready for the art bin.   

[Daytona R/T SE]

"Charger in a tent"

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59466.0.html

[Willomet_Motor_and_Fab]

Can't say I'm in tune with his suspension build or design aesthetic. Well considered body mods are only supposed to "take out the ugly."

David

[Homerr]

[Troy]

Wouldn't it be something if the owner was a member here...

Troy

[67440chrg]

 I am glad he did not start with a first gen. Not enough of them left around. Maybe he should have started with a mid 70s 4 door Impala or something.