Restoration Advice - 68 Charger RT

[jdiesel33]

All,
I posted about this a car a couple of weeks back. The car has been sitting for about 15 years. All parts are there and I dont think anything major was wrong when my dad stopped driving it, he just stopped driving it due to health reasons.  Anyway, I dont know much about working on cars ......yet....so my uncle who has many connections with folks who can work on and fix and restore pretty much every part of this vehicle is going to assist. I will probably look to him and his connections for most of the restoration. However, he will not have the time or resources to get this underway until probably October of this year. He is currently working on getting my dad's 69 Coronet RT Convertible restored. Well, being very impatient and also wanting to get started on this, I asked if there was anything I could be doing in the meantime until October that would be helpful and speed up the overall process. He suggested changing out oil, transmission fluid, replacing brakes, and something about wheel cylinders. I was wanting to get advice from all of you guys as to what I could be doing. I certainly dont know hwo to do a lot of the things that need to be done, but I am willing and wanting to learn. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Rolling_Thunder]

are you giving it a full resto ?   if so - just start taking the thing apart and make an inventory of parts missing/broken...     and take lots of pictures

[jdiesel33]

Pretty much a full resto. It wont be Barrett-Jackson auction quality or anything, but something you could enter in a local car show or the like.

[BLAM]

I have an Excel Spread Sheet I created for my 68 R/T restoration.  It has the part numbers, quantities, and factory colors identified as well as the quality of the part identified.  I used it to track my inventory of of things I needed to purchase, restore, or just re-use.  If you want it a copy send me your home email and I will send it out.  I put a crap load of work into it and be nice to see some one else get to take advantage of it.

Andy

[1969chargerrtse]

All,
I posted about this a car a couple of weeks back. The car has been sitting for about 15 years. All parts are there and I don't think anything major was wrong when my dad stopped driving it, he just stopped driving it due to health reasons.  Anyway, I dint know much about working on cars ......yet....so my uncle who has many connections with folks who can work on and fix and restore pretty much every part of this vehicle is going to assist. I will probably look to him and his connections for most of the restoration. However, he will not have the time or resources to get this underway until probably October of this year. He is currently working on getting my dad's 69 Coronet RT Convertible restored. Well, being very impatient and also wanting to get started on this, I asked if there was anything I could be doing in the meantime until October that would be helpful and speed up the overall process. He suggested changing out oil, transmission fluid, replacing brakes, and something about wheel cylinders. I was wanting to get advice from all of you guys as to what I could be doing. I certainly don't know hwo to do a lot of the things that need to be done, but I am willing and wanting to learn. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

I wouldn't advise someone not that familiar with car mechanics to take a car apart and rebuild it.  I've been working on cars for over 30 years and know them well.  I have restored cars that have been in magazines, but when I changed my rear end out of my charger I pulled the axles like on the Gm's I worked on for years and put them right back in when I was done.  I had no idea the little clip laying on my garage floor held in the adjusting nut for the axles!!  I was lucky enough to see a thread about someone asking about adjusting the axles, and how the lock tab needed to be removed.  When I looked it up in my service book and saw that tab was the same one sitting on my shelf as I didn't know at the time where it went, I was shocked.  Leave the rebuilding to people that know what they are doing.  Even people that know what they are doing do things wrong.  69 R/T conv.  Wow, good luck and enjoy. 

[Finn]

when I changed my rear end out of my charger I pulled the axles like on the Gm's I worked on for years and put them right back in when I was done.  I had no idea the little clip laying on my garage floor held in the adjusting nut for the axles!!  I was lucky enough to see a thread about someone asking about adjusting the axles, and how the lock tab needed to be removed. 

Clip? What clip?

[1970RT]

when I changed my rear end out of my charger I pulled the axles like on the Gm's I worked on for years and put them right back in when I was done.  I had no idea the little clip laying on my garage floor held in the adjusting nut for the axles!!  I was lucky enough to see a thread about someone asking about adjusting the axles, and how the lock tab needed to be removed. 

Clip? What clip?

I  think he is refering to the locking tab on the passenger side of the 8 3/4" rear end that locks the adjustment ring in place.  If you have converted to green bearings you probably wont have one but if you have the stock taper type bearings you should otherwise the adjustment COULD move.