I need some daytona measurements , Please

[BigBlockSam]

hay 69_500

Dane's car was done with a vega hatchback. it looks real good too

[Old Moparz]

I had exchanged emails with the foundry that originally cast the wings from 1969 called "Hackett Brass" & I know I posted the name on D-C.com, but we all know where those posts went. I initially emailed someone on Moparts.com ("wingcars69/70" named Dave) about Ted Janak's wings & the conversation led to who made the originals. The person at Hackett Brass told me they don't have the molds, but if they had another wing they can do it again. I never persued it because I didn't have an original one, & Dane hooked me up with one when he was having his made.

Here's their site:

http://hackettbrass.com/specitem.htm

Bob

[69_500]

I had the 500 out yesterday and this morning for a few hours of driving pleasure and got to thinking about the rear deck lid. So I got out a tape and measured it, on the corners it is 21 1/2 inches from front to back. As well as 21 1/2 inches in the center of the trunk. However at the 1/4 and 3/4 marks from left to right the trunk lid is 3/4 inches shorter. Then I got to measuring the window plug. From the bottom of the window to the trunk lip it is was 12 1/2 inches in the center and edges, but 11 3/4 at the 1/4 and 3/4 marks from left to right. So it is a pretty significant bend going acrross there.

[hemigeno]

Here's a couple of pics I posted shortly before D-C.com flatlined...

You can clearly see the curvature that the decklid has.

[hotrod98]

I'm assuming that the trunk reinforcement finisher is only available as a fiberglass component. That bothers me because it really seems that it would be critical for that part to be steel so that it can be welded in as the originals were. Otherwise it seems that it would seperate. Things like this make me almost think about leaving the back glass alone altogether. You don't know how much I wish that Dodge had left that back glass stock. lol

bigblocksam
I say go for it. Get out in the country and build that dream garage. We're not getting any younger and the cost of land and construction just keeps getting higher.

[Old Moparz]

Things like this make me almost think about leaving the back glass alone altogether. You don't know how much I wish that Dodge had left that back glass stock. lol

I'll second that. I don't like the rear window on the Daytona & will leave it alone so it's the standard recessed window which looks a lot better to me. I would like to have an authentic looking car, but I don't want to go through all that work to achieve something I don't really care for. The car won't be anywhere near stock anyway, so I'm going to enjoy it.

[hotrod98]

It's funny how you can go back and forth on something like this back glass issue. I'm still trying to buy a superbird so I might just want to convert this car back some day. I guess if it wasn't an R/T SE car, I'd just go ahead and do it. It's not just the back glass thing though, it's doing the deck lid where it will fit right and getting the hinges to work right. Then you have to worry about the interior trim pieces. It's not really the cost, but it's the amount of time that it will take away from working on my customer's cars. This is not my final answer though.

[BigBlockSam]

hi  guys
did you hear my printer going. snag those 2 piics. see that trunk lid in that pic. mine will not look like that. it will be straight across.same as the stock 69 charger trunk lid.  if you look at all the clones there straight across. the radius that i'm talking about is at the bottom and sides of the plug. it has to be rounded into the top of the quarters.
  hey hotrod that charger of yours is a money car. worth alot . its a real rt. you can find a plane jane roller cheap and go to town on it. bringing back history, even clones eduacate younger people about mopar history .
  your rite most people see the wing and nose and have no idea about the rear window 
plug.  we don't need no stinking plug. i'm building it to have fun. burn the tires off of it.  i think that little guy has a gas problem 
  the window plug makes it for me. makes it real.  for me. it's your car do what you want as long as your happy.
i find it fun to figure things out and then see them come alive.
i emailed Chris from the 70's board. he has a friend with a killer daytona. there's a place near here called the whiskey. i like that name.     he said there's been acouple of daytona's there every weekend. so i'm gonna clean the 39 and go there next sat. i'll get some good pics.
  here is a picture of the plug done wrong.  see the square lines. should be rounded smooth. Peace-Rene
 

[Daytona Guy]

Not all clones have a straight trunk. My Red one had a very small radius, but my Yellow one has an accurate radius if you can tell from this pic. It is interesting reading all this. As you can tell, adding that rear window is a job that will take the life out of you. I have only done about half my clones with the plug. Those I did not do, I still had a ball driving them. The back plug does add value, but not everyone is after that.

I do not want to advertise this to much, but I am looking at making another wing for myself, I try to stay one step ahead on my parts, and if someone is wanting a cast wing, I can see how many this foundry will do. Any takers email me. DGjesdal@aol.com

[hotrod98]

bigblocksam,
I see what you mean. When I brought my vega plug home, I set it on the back aprrox where it would fit. I was more than a little surprised at how wide the plug is. It's going to be real tricky getting that roundness in there. I realize now that you weren't talking about the radius of the front edge of the deck lid.
Last year at the Monster Mopar Weekend was the first time that I really paid attention to the Daytonas. I learn a little every time I look at one.
I'm really not worried about the body work, it's just the time factor for me. I spent the entire day today in the paint booth painting the inside and the underside of the 67 gtx hemi car that I'm restoring now. I still have many hours of blocking before the rest of the car is ready to shoot.
I want to finish painting the fenders and valances for my own chal convert but can't find the time. I'm not taking on any more customer work until my convert is together and I hear that hemi come to life.

[BigBlockSam]

since i will be using the stock charger trunk opening lip, the trunk lid won't be totaly straight. it'll have alittle radius. Rene

[hotrod98]

My trunk opening lip is real solid and I planned to do the same thing. Just move it back as one piece if possible. Of course the deklid would not have much radius. Will you use the f/g deck lid reinforcement piece?
I still think that you should alter the deck lid first, move the trunk lip second (tacked in of course) and then cut the plug. Maybe that's the way you planned to do it all along.
Are you using wing washers and did you make them yourself? They look like they would be pretty easy to make and would certainly keep the top of the quarters from stress cracking. You have to allow for their thickness when making the wing supports.
BTW, as soon as I hear back on the Superbird that I'm trying to buy, I'll decide on ordering that wing. I may go ahead and order it anyway. The Superbird's a long shot and I would have to mortgage the house just to buy it.  As much as I love Daytona clones, I would still take a real bird over one. (if the costs are similar that is)

[Daytona Guy]

Hope this helps - This is a crude sketch to show how it can fit. Also, before you put the plug in - put the headliner (modified charger rear window headliner fittings) hardware on around the back window. Once it is in you will never be able to put it on, then you will have to get creative.

[hotrod98]

See, that's vital information. I didn't think about the gap at the top. I hadn't got to that line of thought yet.
I keep telling you that you should put together a book. It doesn't have to be fancy, could even be photocopied on heavy paper.  With drawings, measurments photos, etc., I bet a lot of guys would donate pics of their projects at no charge just to be a part of it. I'll buy the first copy. I think that if you could find a vendor at the nats, carlisle, etc, they could sell a bunch of them. Just a thought.

[Daytona Guy]

<<My trunk opening lip is real solid and I planned to do the same thing. Just move it back as one piece if possible. >>>

Here will be your problem. The Charger drip rail has just the opposite radius. This sounds kind of a dumb way to describe it but the drip rail on the charger is a frown   , and the Daytona is a smile    PLus by the time you move it back - it will not be wide enough.

Here is the problem with the steel plugs that Dayclona and anyone else that is making them. They look like they are just the skin. You weld those in with out any reinforcements and your drip rail all the way across will be flopping. Look under your charger and see what is there for reinforcement. The Vega is a hatch back lid and is made with three layers of steel. In fact, on a Vega, the ridge that the window sets in has two layers of steel. The steel reproduction ones are one layer, and of what kind of steel? - I do not know. Once you cut the bottom off the Vega, you will need to weld those layers back together. That will give you your strength. When that trunk lid closes, with your trunk rubber seal installed, it will not flex.

<<I still think that you should alter the deck lid first, move the trunk lip second >>>

This is a good idea. If you have Dayclona do the lid, then do this by all means.

[BigBlockSam]

so you  make your drip rail from the vega plug  metal and leave the stock one in place.  is that what your saying? how did you get those bends in the bottom of the hatch? thats hard to do that nice. did you use a brake? Rene

[BigBlockSam]

hey 69_500,  thank you for the measurements  of the trunk. 

[Daytona Guy]

Yes, leave the old drip where it is. That is exactly what the Daytona did. I have made a drip rail out of glass and metal before. My recommendation is to find another car and cut it out. I have been told that some of the four door Dodge cars are close. For that matter find any car and look for the correct radius and weld it on.

[69_500]

No problem on those measurements. If you need anymore let me know .I typically get the car out at least 2 times a week, so if you need any pictures of the rear window plug, or deck lid let me know.

[BigBlockSam]

thanks Guys
  OK, switching to plan B already. i have a feeling there will be a plan   x, y, and z before i'm done. makes sense. that will leave everything structaully stronger. Thank you Dane. i can just make the rail out of metal and add it on. cool. Dane you wanna do mine for me  
just kidding. i luv this. check out the pic, it shows the rail i need, well. Peace Rene

[Daytona Guy]

No problem on those measurements. If you need anymore let me know .I typically get the car out at least 2 times a week, so if you need any pictures of the rear window plug, or deck lid let me know.

You know the pic I would love to get is under the drip rail. Showing the back side of the plug. I have seen it but I seem to forget some of the details. I know that is an awkward picture to ask for, but it would be cool.

[hemigeno]

Ask and ye shall receive...

This is a picture of the passenger side intersection/corner where they cut out a piece of the old driprail, and welded the plug into the old driprail.

[hemigeno]

This one is a shot across the back of the driprail edge, and looking at the Driver's Side corner/intersection.

[hemigeno]

This last one is where I shoved the light and the camera up above the old driprail to get a shot of the reinforcement at the bottom edge of the Daytona Back Glass channel.  This is the Right (Passenger's) side corner.  You can see the curvature of the glass channel, and you can see the red paint left on the sail panel, plus the bend/edge of the plug where it fits against the sail panel.

I took 4 other pictures, but they didn't turn out worth a flip.  You gotta fold up like a double-bladed jacknife to get in that sorry excuse for a trunk opening.  I'm glad no one had a camera on me while I was taking these pics   

Hope this helps!!

[hotrod98]

I just keep learning new stuff.
You just changed an entire train of thought in my head. No wonder everybody scratched their head when I mentioned moving the rear trunk lip forward. It stays right where it it is. Time to regroup. Now I need a detailed pic of the trunk lip from the outside. 
If anyone can remember, someone, somewhere mentioned a set of hinges from a late model car that would work perfect. May have been a full size Phord but I can't remember for sure. They said that they were darn near a bolt in/weld in deal.Only slight mods were needed. Maybe it was one of my Daytona dreams of which there are many.