Rob's ongoing slow restoration process of his 69 charger R/T SE

[1969chargerrtse]

that blows, about your engine blowing, but it wont be too hard to find a new block

Thanks, but that stuff is a year behind me.  The car is up and running, and looking gooooooooooooooood.

[PocketThunder]

that blows, about your engine blowing, but it wont be too hard to find a new block

Thanks, but that stuff is a year behind me.  The car is up and running, and looking gooooooooooooooood.

Looking gooooood with the Y2 color on the floors... 

[1969chargerrtse]

Winter update for me.
Well, I got the dash back from Mike " lilwendal " .  He did a great job at a great ( member ) price.  He added an original tach, and updated it to a quartz clock.  He also updated the the gauge regulator.
I stopped over my sisters to drop off my son, and while I was there I asked her if she had any blankets I could use for a car cover?  She had this car cover someone gave her, and the thing actually fit my car, kinda.    My dash is completely apart so I took a jumper wire and jumped the two wires for the alt gauge and fired the baby up.  I let it run for 15 minutes to warm up, then packed it away until warmer days are here to fiddle with it.

[tan top]

Gauges look awesome  ..he done a real nice job

[Back N Black]

Looks Good! i have Mike's cluster also. I thought you bought your car totally restored?

[1969chargerrtse]

Looks Good! i have Mike's cluster also. I thought you bought your car totally restored?

So did I  . The interior was nice, seats, headliner,door panels etc were new.  Even some of the real nice complete restorations don't have the dash gauges restored. Before it was nice, but now it'll be real real nice. 

[1969chargerrtse]

My update is, I have the rugs installed after getting a lumpy around the hump set.  I put in the seats and new door sills.  I also added the extending sill piece that goes against the rear 1/4 panels.  They were missing.  I got the rear seat belts and clips to snap the belts also done.  Next plans are to install the missing reverse lamp wiring harness and trani switch, and then the tach harness.  Then check all the front windshield clips, and install the painted steering wheel shaft when I get that back from my brother in law this week.  First week on march I will order the wood trim and install the dash and radio and then have the windshield installed.  I really miss driving the thing.  It was down on me last year over the winter also after only owning it for a few weeks.  That was truly painful, and expensive.  The body is nice, the engine compartment is done, now the interior, so spring will bring a redo of the trunk as it's all primer and I'm thrilled to say there should be no more long shutdowns, unless of course I get real bored next winter and drop a 4 speed in it.

Below is Logan helping Dad on the Charger.  Really what he is doing is playing " Star wars " with 2 T handle allen wrenches.

                                                                                                           

[1969chargerrtse]

Well today I worked on the center dash piece.  It had 2 problems.  One was that the metal backing plate had come un glued on the top section.  The other was the left corner vinyl was pulling away from that area and "puffing" out against the left vent, and I hated the look.  What I did was remove the vents, cut a slice from behind, and with a small screwdriver, slide in the 3M window weld I used for gluing the backing plate to the whole assy, and then clamped it in place.  I then installed the re chromed vents, and she be looking good.  She gonna be looking even better when I slime it up with armor all.

[hemi68charger]

Rob,,
Haven't visited in a while........... Man, she's looking great !!!!     Those dash pieces are a pain sometimes. One of the reason's the '70's are better in that area, no padding to pull away........... Good job..........

Troy

[tan top]

  nice  repair job on the dash pieces   

[1969chargerrtse]

Hey guys thanks for the compliments.  Tan Top you crack me up because no matter what I post, your there.  Threads I look at, you've already been there.  You must have some serious computer time. 

[tan top]

Hey guys thanks for the compliments.  Tan Top you crack me up because no matter what I post, your there.  Threads I look at, you've already been there.  You must have some serious computer time. 

  always got time for Charger stuff & spend time with my fellow mopar/ charger  buddys  on this awesome site of Troys   

     ............ ..... ...... ........ 

[1969chargerrtse]

Well, I'm bumming.    You try so hard to do things right, and something always tries to pull you backwards.  I sent out my original dash pod black and chrome bezel to have re chromed.  I waited a month for that, and it cost me bucks.  I sent out the dash pod and had it restored and that was big bucks.  I just got the wood trim in and that was really big bucks.  I take my time slowly putting it all together, and what happens?  The dash bezel cracks.   dead center on the top lip I now have a split.  I know it's not big, but after all the time and money I spent to do everything correct, something breaks.  I'm not spending 225.00 for another bezel.  I'll just have to see it everytime I drive.  It's a small split, but it's like having a zit on your nose tip.     I know it's not major but if you just spent all that money, and waited all that time, and were getting ready to install everything, you'd be bumming to.

[Charger-Bodie]

How did you manage that? The crack that is.

[tan top]

   sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

[1969chargerrtse]

  sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

I think about as close as your gonna get.  Really nice stuff.  Another thing to consider is you'd be comparing to something 40 years old.  New stuff, just looks newer.  I gave my wood away to help someone out.

[1969chargerrtse]

How did you manage that? The crack that is.

Flippin got me?  I had the unit on a nice soft towel.  I put the screws in, and snugged them up. I rolled it over,and there she was? 
And I thought you were gonna say " yeah that always happens "  Guess not. 

[Charger-Bodie]

How did you manage that? The crack that is.

Flippin got me?  I had the unit on a nice soft towel.  I put the screws in, and snugged them up. I rolled it over,and there she was? 
And I thought you were gonna say " yeah that always happens "  Guess not. 

That sucks! Maybe it was already cracked (shipping maybe) and when you tightens=d it al up it showed up more?

[1969chargerrtse]

How did you manage that? The crack that is.

Flippin got me?  I had the unit on a nice soft towel.  I put the screws in, and snugged them up. I rolled it over,and there she was? 
And I thought you were gonna say " yeah that always happens "  Guess not. 

That sucks! Maybe it was already cracked (shipping maybe) and when you tightens=d it al up it showed up more?

I know how.  See the large circled areas.  Mike put new foam gaskets there.  Those are for the round turn signals.  So the chrome bezel must of been out a good 1/4 " because of the foam.  When I tightened the screw circled it pull the bezel in but it was fighting the compression of the foam, and snap.
I guess I'm really lucky that it's on the highest lip area on the smallest thickness of trim.  It's just the point, bla bla bla.

[tan top]

  sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

I think about as close as your gonna get.  Really nice stuff.  Another thing to consider is you'd be comparing to something 40 years old.  New stuff, just looks newer.  I gave my wood away to help someone out.

 yeah ..thats true 40 years old !!  ..mine looks a little light , but that could be due to being a texas car  for 20 years & sun bleached the color  
 well seeing  yours has made my mind up ... going to order them  soon  

[1969chargerrtse]

  sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

I think about as close as your gonna get.  Really nice stuff.  Another thing to consider is you'd be comparing to something 40 years old.  New stuff, just looks newer.  I gave my wood away to help someone out.

 yeah ..thats true 40 years old !!  ..mine looks a little light , but that could be due to being a texas car  for 20 years & sun bleached the color  
 well seeing  yours has made my mind up ... going to order them  soon  

Probably lighter than you think as I had no lights on because it was reflecting when I took the shot.  You can see the lighter color on the close up of the two main gauges.

[TUFCAT]

It doesn't look that bad to me...but of course its not my car!  I know exactly how you feel....#1 I'm very anal, #2 its a lot of dough.   But, consider cheering up dude, the truth is very few will notice the cracks (unless its you behind the wheel). 

[tan top]

  sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

I think about as close as your gonna get.  Really nice stuff.  Another thing to consider is you'd be comparing to something 40 years old.  New stuff, just looks newer.  I gave my wood away to help someone out.

 yeah ..thats true 40 years old !!  ..mine looks a little light , but that could be due to being a texas car  for 20 years & sun bleached the color  
 well seeing  yours has made my mind up ... going to order them  soon  

Probably lighter than you think as I had no lights on because it was reflecting when I took the shot.  You can see the lighter color on the close up of the two main gauges.

oh yeah i see what your saying    it is lighter in that picture , thanks Rob

[1969chargerrtse]

  sorry to hear that cracked  ..... it don't really notice , but  yeah those parts are not   cheap        looks awesome though  ...wan't to get the new wood grain my self ,  just out of intrest ...how close is the new to original woodgrain color  any pictures of the two side by side 

I think about as close as your gonna get.  Really nice stuff.  Another thing to consider is you'd be comparing to something 40 years old.  New stuff, just looks newer.  I gave my wood away to help someone out.

 yeah ..thats true 40 years old !!  ..mine looks a little light , but that could be due to being a texas car  for 20 years & sun bleached the color  
 well seeing  yours has made my mind up ... going to order them  soon  

Probably lighter than you think as I had no lights on because it was reflecting when I took the shot.  You can see the lighter color on the close up of the two main gauges.

oh yeah i see what your saying    it is lighter in that picture , thanks Rob

You're welcome my Y2 friend. 
I'm just going to press in a thin tin foil piece, or glue it and touch it up in silver.  No way will anyone notice that happens to peak in for a view.  Just all the members on this site I run into in PA this summer.  " Hey what's that a split on your chrome! " I'll hear.  Right Brian?

[1969chargerrtse]

Forget it. I'm gonna replace the stupid thing.  I ain't looking at that forever. Restoring things sucks at times.  I waited 3 weeks for my brother in law to paint my steering shaft.  He did, right over the chipped area I wanted smoothed and painted.  So after I paid him I asked to borrow his gun so I can do it over (correct).  Now this.  And there are problems with the wood, but Let me see if I can get that resolved before I mention it.