Here is what $5000 buys you.

[ACUDANUT]

Funny...For the record, that is NOT my place there....

Looks like it's in Cali 

[Kern Dog]

I guess it is a matter of what you get used to. His place is a cluttered mess. I'm used to seeing his place like that. My stuff is usually tucked away.

[Kern Dog]

Great score. Save the bad fender at any cost. I didn't on my 68 and bought AMD replacements.  THEY DO NOT FIT!! I am in fender HELL. I so wish I would been able to save the originals. But they were just too far gone. Good luck and great score.

The black fender is pretty straight except at the door edge where it looks like the fender was pushed back enough to close the gap and then the door was opened by The Hulk or Arnold Scwarzenegger. I have another '70 fender up the hill that is bashed BUT is solid back at the support brace at the rear. I get to do some more intense work on this car in terms of metal replacement.

[Kern Dog]

It is weird to think that these cars used to be daily transportation. People drove them in all weather conditions, set stuff on them, Parked them on busy city streets....

[chargervert]

My parents bought this one new when I was six years old,it was our everyday family car until 1982. it was driven in all kinds of New England weather including the blizzard of 78.

[cdr]

It is weird to think that these cars used to be daily transportation. People drove them in all weather conditions, set stuff on them, Parked them on busy city streets....

I still do

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, well YOU are an inspiration to others!   

[Kern Dog]

I just stumbled upon a video featuring another XH Charger in the same color and same vinyl top as mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYO0dMf4LAM

[mel t]

Great score. Save the bad fender at any cost. I didn't on my 68 and bought AMD replacements.  THEY DO NOT FIT!! I am in fender HELL. I so wish I would been able to save the originals. But they were just too far gone. Good luck and great score.

The black fender is pretty straight except at the door edge where it looks like the fender was pushed back enough to close the gap and then the door was opened by The Hulk or Arnold Scwarzenegger. I have another '70 fender up the hill that is bashed BUT is solid back at the support brace at the rear. I get to do some more intense work on this car in terms of metal replacement.

Schwarzenegger

[mel t]

Congrats on the car. Good price for a fixer.
Can't wait to see what you do with it.

[Kern Dog]

Thanks!
I plan to start on it next month.

[6pkrtse]

5 grand barely gets you a front clip these days....

[Kern Dog]

I am tempted to fix what is structurally damaged and see if I can get $10,000 on ebay.
Might do it...might not.

[chargervert]

You can do that,but you probably won't find another one for what you paid for this one.

[Kern Dog]

True.

[kent]

Decisions decisions ??

[Daytona R/T SE]

If you're going to sell it, don't fix anything...recent repairs, no matter how well done, are always a red flag to me...

Don't even clean it.

[Kern Dog]

I decided to move ahead and repair the crash damage. I started a couple of weeks ago. First up, I knew that the right side frame rail and fender apron needed to be replaced. The rail was separated near the core support and it was bent and twisted. The apron was wrinkled bad too. I brought down stuff I saved from a '68 Satellite station wagon. Left and right rails and a core support. The rails were still attached to the torsion bar crossmember.
The rails were chiselled off first.

[Kern Dog]

Don't let the pictures fool you, The metal on these is actually nice.

[Kern Dog]

I had forgotten that when I parted the Plymouth wagon out in 2013, I had to cut off one of the K member bolts. Now I had to find a way to get it the rest of the way out. It was sticking up only a little bit but not enough to grab onto.

I welded a nut to it....

[Kern Dog]

Then just backed it out after rocking it back and forth a bit. My guess: The heat of welding the nut probably helped a LOT.

[Kern Dog]

I had to clear away the old sections of fender apron using a spotweld cutter.

[Kern Dog]

The Plymouth core support and the Charger were similar but the top bar on the Plymouth only has a single oval hole to mount the fender. The Dodge has 2. This meant I was going to have to replace the top bar in the replacement core support.
First picture is of a top bar section from a '70 B body.
The middle picture of the  green core is from the '68 Plymouth.

[Kern Dog]

It was at this point that I started thinking of how I was faced with piecing this structural section together with parts from 3 or 4 cars. I wondered if I was going to be able to make it all fit, be square and level. I mean, when NEW, they had this stuff assembled using tabs, jigs and patterns. I'm just a guy learning this as I go. I have never taken on such a big project like this. Up to now, I have done panel replacement, quarter panel skins, trunk floors, interior floors, taillight panels, lower quarters, bodywork and paint. I had no experience with replacement of structural stuff.
I tried setting a left fender and the hood on to see if the left rail was within spec.
With the hood to cowl gap even, I looked at the gap at the hood to fender. It was not good. The fender was adjusted as far to the right as possible and it wasn't enough. It showed me that the left frame rail was 5/8" pushed to the left.

[Kern Dog]

The left fender apron did show some damage near the core support.