out of bodyshop hell, now it's back yard fun, update, july15

[BigBlockSam]

hey guys
  here's a link to the bodyshop hell thread. they had my car for 20 months.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,5376.msg63238.html#msg63238

  backyard body shop is open again. got my car back, 68 charger r/t   
it came back in parts but at least my friends  ex partner took  the time to weld in the tank strap holders and he installed the  new tank and sender for me . nice job undercoated the top of tank then put the trunk pad on. he felt bad how it ended. my so called friend walked away and never looked back. Karma will get him back one day.
  man! its good to have one of  my chargers back. all the plugs are fouled so its running like crap. i 'm changing the oil tomorrow. i think there's gas it it from starting up and pulling it in and out of his shop. looks like it's been in a war. i test fitted the fenders, hood, doors and trunk lid  today she looks good. although all that stuff has to come off again. i just wanted to see it together again. looks pretty good, very straight. i put the new gas cap and ring on. since now it's outside in my yard. I've been keeping it inside my outdoor car capsule but to do the body work I'm just using a regular cover with plastic taped over the openings. i want to get it done in 6 weeks painted and all.
this is whats been done so far.

new quarters
trunk center and extensions
outer wheel wheels
new rear valance and corners, although the corners have to be cut out , cause they bondo'ed them in.
doors had a big hole in them for a sport mirror. welded shut
hood was a mess looks great now
fenders needed alot of help. there pretty good now.  still alittle rough. nothing a big hammer won't fix.
all the metal work was done by his partner . excellent work.
here are some pics. i will share the rest of the restoration with you guy's as i go along . all work will be done by me and my friend Emilio. i want to take it to the whiskey Cafe in september. wish me luck with the weather it hasn't stopped raining since  i got here back. can't do bodywork in the rain. Rene

[BigBlockSam]

some more

[BigBlockSam]

all the vent frame hardware is at the chromer, thats why i have plastic on the windows.

[hotrod98]

Looks like it's coming together. Can't wait to see it finished.

[Blown70]

Keep plugging away you are getting there.  Good to hear you have it back in your hands.

Tom

[Brock Samson]

MAN THOSE SOME BIG ASSED PIPES STICKIN OUT THERE... i LIKE! 

[hemi-hampton]

Can you open trunk lid & show a Picture of the new trunk floor, I want to see if they did it right? LEON.

[Silver R/T]

good progress

[Rack]

MAN THOSE SOME BIG ASSED PIPES STICKIN OUT THERE... i LIKE! 

[tan top]

 
looks good , lets hope you have good weather to make some more  progress . 

[BigBlockSam]

MAN THOSE SOME BIG ASSED PIPES STICKIN OUT THERE... i LIKE!   

there going, i bought original looking one's .

the weather broke and we got some more work done. the under coating behind the front wheels looks great , like the day it came from the factory. I'm gonna power wash it today and apply a new coat on top. as you can tell I'm not building a show car just a killer driver. that i can be proud of and maybe win some local shows. I've owned show vehicles in the past and there to much work to maintain but I'm not cutting any corners on the work. using the least amount of bondo that we can.
  the trunk was done correctly. he drilled  out all the welds. then removed the panels. then installed the new ones as close to factory as he could. i also replace the tank brace or trunk support I'm not sure of the name.  i still have to weld in the spare tire holder and the two jack holding piece's, no big deal. the trunk needs to be cleaned up. alot of the weld needs grinding down and it all has to be d-a'ed. so it looks right. it's coming along. Rene

[hemi-hampton]

Looks like trunk still needs work, 9 out of 10 they never cut the drain plug holes ? 9 out of 10 that big line that crosses both halves does not line up & a pain in the butt to get it to line up most of the time so it usually dont, Could'nt see yours though, was hidden under some stuff. If done right a continuous welded bead will run the entire lenght instead of a few spot welds. If new Trunk Extensions put in dont forget to make your own (or reuse the old ones if possible) Tailight wiring harness holders. Dont forget to slap in that messy seam sealer around edges as factory did? Do all this & then your Trunk is right. LEON.

[BigBlockSam]

9 out of 10 they never cut the drain plug holes ? 9 out of 10 that big line that crosses both halves does not line up   

howdy Leon
the center line is there and fully welded, nice and straight, they put seam sealer on it and  on most of the seams. the trunk extensions are brand new and fully welded not spot welded. as i said before, the trunk does need more work . some of the spot welds need grinding down. (i think thats what your seeing) also needs da-ing to clean it all up. as for the drain plugs. i don't know if i am ever gonna put them in. I'll decide that later on.
should have another update later in the week with pictures. Rene

[mikepmcs]

 

[BigBlockSam]

howdy guys
  a storm came through  here on wensday, wiped out the canopy. the weight of the water ca lapsed it. knocked over some body parts and just f-ed everything up. today, Friday we got back to work. power washed the front of car. 38 yrs of crud on the front of the motor. i can see the original color of  the motor. very cool. i checked the timing chain. real bad. this is the worst chain I've ever seen and the car ran good. ya gotta luv those 440's. tough motors. they take a beating and keep on ticking. also found two small quarter size holes in the inner wheel wheels. i welded them up myself. i was kinda proud of my welding. I'm getting better at it.
  fenders are done. i used eastwoods rust encapsulater on the inside. just as a precaution. quarters are done. i hit the  inner seams of the new quarters with rust bullet. with a brush. I'm gonna cover the inside of the quarters with undercoating. got all the jams done. they look real good. here's some pics. I'll hit ya with more in a couple of days. wheather permitting.  Rene

[Rack]

Nice work, BigBlockSam. 


Any chance at a close up of your weld job?

[BigBlockSam]

you can't see the weld anymore. i grinded it down and did some bodywork on top of it. then sprayed it with black primer. Emillio did the finishing work on it. i have a little welding to do in the trunk. i'll take some pics of that one when i get there. Rene

[Silver R/T]

good job, so you spraying it right there in back yard? What compressor are you using?

[BigBlockSam]

hey silver
  i got this old compressor. it's made from parts of two other ones. it's got a good size tank. plus it's a stand up which is better for spraying but it has trouble keeping up with constant use of the d a.. Rene

[mikepmcs]

Lookin good BBS, hang in there bud, "git er dun"
can't wait to see it finished.

v/r
Mike

[Silver R/T]

looks like you know what youre doing. Might save you money in long run doing paint/work yourself. I could've helped too if I were closer. I still gotta do all the bodywork on mine but at least Ive got garage now and its not gonna spend time under 2ft of snow another winter.

[BigBlockSam]

thats one of my biggest dreams , is to have a  big garage with a lift. Rene

[AirborneSilva]

Looking good Rene, you are giving me inspiration since I will be doing my work outside as well.

[BigBlockSam]

i couldn't do it with out the help of my friends. thats something that is very important with this hobby. i'm good with motors but as a body guy, i'm still learning. Rene

[Rack]

i couldn't do it with out the help of my friends. thats something that is very important with this hobby. i'm good with motors but as a body guy, i'm still learning. Rene

It's gotten to the point where my "friends" don't even answer their phone anymore when I call. And I haven't even started working on my car yet! Bastards.

To be fair, I've only got one friend that still lives in town and compared to him I'm a world class body man, mechanic, etc... so he'd be useless anyway. The two friends that would actually be helpful and would be able to figure out what to do are both out of town.

Although another friend of mine that could help but just doesn't have the time did stop by today and hook up my air compressor for me (the electrical part). I'm doing a temp set up right now so I'm just gonna run the hose directly out of the compressor. After I move I'll do a permanant set up.

Speaking of air compressor, BigBlockSam, you sure your compressor is in a place where it can get good circulation? Looks kind of cramped in there to me. Then again, you gotta go with what you got, and mine is currently sitting under and outdoor shower.