I need some help you guys!

[DREDILSKI]

Finally have a update for this post.

So I got it back to my house and out of the hands of the nut who found ever reason in the book not to work on it. Weather permitting, my next step is to strip it down and get it ready for the body shop. Currently the fenders are off, front bumper off, I got the gas tank out, cleaned out most off the trash that can be seen in the pics and next is the engine, dash, and non-essential mechanical parts. I will hold off on pulling the engine and trans until the it warms up. Now I'm just saving up the cash to get it media blasted and patched back up. I have been thinking about purchasing another charger that is in Md not to far from me and use it for parts but I would have no where to put it. What do you guys think, Parts Car VS. Buying them offline, for the bodywork. I'll be able to take more pics and give more progress updates once I unwrap her when the weather stays warm for a solid week.

[404NOTFOUND]

I gotta say I like the Holley valve covers too. Of course it has an Edelbrock carb. Usually, it's the other way around.

[NHCharger]

Still plan on using the JC Witney quarter skins??
Looks like you'll need floor pans.Check out http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home.

[HOTROD]

  Just say no to J.C.W. I learned the hard way , metal too thin and i had to add an inch to it to work !!

[RTDaddy]

Dred,
Go over to "Cars wanted" thread and look at the thread "73 Charger wanted."  The 73 Rally option car pictured there is in Central Va.  74 Rally also has a 73 or 4 SE parts car which would have at least the quarter window inserts that your car is supposed to have, (maybe you have them-did not see in pics).  PM him, he has some parts too.  Good luck.

[ACUDANUT]

J.C.W. ? Really..You must be joking. AMD has the only "good" Panels out there.
What does the frame on this 73/74 Charger look like ?

[djcarguy]

 maybe you could ask and find a member local to you or body man ,to come look car over and idea on cost to fix all that rust and bad body work...


 so is it a long time family heirloom with lots of personal attachment?? it will cost alot to fix rust and paint. do ya have a garage to workin and protect car?  is it running?   with most of rust in back i would not pull eng,trans or dash out of it,,,,,,work around them,unless it has rust in windshield and cowl area?    good luck.dj oregon

[PocketThunder]

maybe you could ask and find a member local to you or body man ,to come look car over and idea on cost to fix all that rust and bad body work...


 so is it a long time family heirloom with lots of personal attachment?? it will cost alot to fix rust and paint. do ya have a garage to workin and protect car?  is it running?   with most of rust in back i would not pull eng,trans or dash out of it,,,,,,work around them,unless it has rust in windshield and cowl area?    good luck.dj oregon

I would first spend money to build a garage to keep it in, then start working on the Charger.   

[HDCharger]

Time and patience, you will get there!  You will have some setbacks along the way but you WILL learn a great deal.  Theren is tons of knowledge right here on this board and most are more than willing to help.  Don't get discouraged, create a plan and go to work.  Dave

[DREDILSKI]

To the untrained eyes of me and my brother, the J C W skin looks pretty good. The nutcase I had doing the body work started to work on the driver's. I don't know what the proper thickness or gauge of metal should be but it looks like it would work.

We are in the process of pulling the engine and tranny today and I will post more pics of the process tonight.

I wish I could build a garage in my yard but we are a little short on space. I have thought about keeping it in a storage unit once I have it blasted and primed but I am still working on the most cost effective way to store the car.

More pics coming soon..........

[DREDILSKI]

@ RTDaddy, Thanks, I have the window inserts. I took them off with the trim and old vinyl top. I couldn't find the 73 Rally car you mentioned but I PM'ed 74Rally.

Has anybody ordered from Auto Body Specialties, Inc.? I notice that they have quarters for my car (AMD does not).

@djcarguy, That's a great idea but one thing I've noticed about this board is that there are only about five members that live anywhere near me. I will be going to a local shop that does resto work and seeing exactly which arm and leg he wants, if not both. The car was given to me by my dad around 2006. Since then it was with a so called body guy who could do the bodywork but it was going to be patch work that I would need to fix later. Instead of patch work, all I got was one excuse after another on why he could not fix the car. Got tired of it and brought it to my house before it got cold last year. Now the county is giving me trouble on having a "dismantled/inoperable" vehicle in my yard. So now my plan of action has been put into fast-forward. I want to get the car down to a rolling chassis so that I can get it media blasted and start working on putting the body back together. Based on what I am seeing while taking everything off of the car, there will be a lot of small area welding needed in random place. (This is where knowing how to weld would come in handy) I got the drivetrain off this weekend and I'll be taking out the dash, cleaning off the firewall, and any other small tasks needing to be done. I'll update with more pics from next week too.......

[DREDILSKI]

How the day started (The before shot)



After the necessary disconnections



The engine and tranny's temporary resting place



The after shot



Where the engine will be until I have it broken down to the block



How can I tell what type of transmission I have?



I'm sure it's not the original but would this match the VIN or something to know if it was?



More Pics to come. All suggestions and pointers are welcome. Thanks in advance guys.   

[DREDILSKI]

 

[Aussie R/T]

lots of work to do there but you are getting there slowly.Hope my kid is as fond of my R/T when he's old enough.lol

[ACUDANUT]

What does the frame look like. Any holes in it ?

[71_Charger_R/T]

I'm sure it's not the original but would this match the VIN or something to know if it was?



More Pics to come. All suggestions and pointers are welcome. Thanks in advance guys.   
[/quote]

Dre,
that picture is a casting I.D.. To find the VIN or partial VIN, look on the other side of the engine (passenger side) about the middle  of the pan rail..... you will see a "stamped" number not "cast" this will be the VIN. Like this................


I'm not as well versed in the small blocks, but I think the casting number you have pictured is for a 1975-1980 block. (not sure about that so don't take that for fact.)

[NHCharger]

Has anybody ordered from Auto Body Specialties, Inc.? I notice that they have quarters for my car (AMD does not).

Yes. I have ordered sheetmetal for two Chargers and a few other cars. They have great customer service. They carry a lot of other parts besides sheetmetal.

[DREDILSKI]

Thanks for the info folks. 

Hopefully I will be able to use it in the near future. I spoke to the county and faxed them a letter to request a extension, waiting for a reply. While removing all of the wiring, dash, and other items off of the firewall, I realized something. I started a full resto and didn't even know it. Although my plan is to cut as many corners as possible, to save a buck,  I want the car done right. One reason is I don't want to have to deal with BS coming up in the future that I could have fixed during this process and I want it to be able to make the trip to GA so my pops can check it out and spin some tires.

I have had numerous conversation with a coworker regarding "media-blast or not to media-blast". I was under the impression that if I blast the entire car now and fix the holes, outside and inside, seal it and prime it, then I won't have to worry about any rust for maybe ten years. He is telling me that I don't need to blast the entire car but cut out what needs to be cut and put some rust-stop on whatever rust we find. What do you guys think would work best? Achieve the results I'm looking for?

More pics and questions to come.............

[snagm z]

I live 15 minutes north of baltimore. I think I know alot about 71-74 chargers or is it I  know alot about shit and I buy alot of 71-74 chargers. I can never remember which.

[DREDILSKI]

More body pics.......












 

[DREDILSKI]

Is this how the rear windows are suppose to look? Looks like the piece was patched in.     

[ACUDANUT]

Yep and then the Factory hides it with a vinyl roof.

[AirborneSilva]

Looks like you are doing a good job, keep the pics coming 

[terrible one]

Glad to see you are making progress. That "patch" on the door is NASTY

[AirborneSilva]

Glad to see you are making progress. That "patch" on the door is NASTY

Not ranking on the car but the body panel is not right either.  I would ditch that panel, get one from AMD and have a real pro put it on......   Just a thought