James' 68 Charger Restoration

[69*F5*SE]

Hey James, I was looking at the pics in this thread on page 3 and while looking at the bottom of your car I noticed that you have the gas tank strap brackets welded to the trunk pan upside down.  I'm most certain they go the other way unless they were positioned different in 68 compared to 69.    Ted

[PocketThunder]

Hey James, I was looking at the pics in this thread on page 3 and while looking at the bottom of your car I noticed that you have the gas tank strap brackets welded to the trunk pan upside down.  I'm most certain they go the other way unless they were positioned different in 68 compared to 69.    Ted

[Charger-Bodie]

Hey James, I was looking at the pics in this thread on page 3 and while looking at the bottom of your car I noticed that you have the gas tank strap brackets welded to the trunk pan upside down.  I'm most certain they go the other way unless they were positioned different in 68 compared to 69.    Ted

Yep.....That sucks! but atleast its not painted yet.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Hey James, I was looking at the pics in this thread on page 3 and while looking at the bottom of your car I noticed that you have the gas tank strap brackets welded to the trunk pan upside down.  I'm most certain they go the other way unless they were positioned different in 68 compared to 69.    Ted

Yep.....That sucks! but atleast its not painted yet.

Thanks guys,

I received a PM from another forum member who told me this a while back and I have moved them to the correct position. It was a pain in the a$$ as I had to work upside down and ended up making a mess which needed to be cleaned up but the brackets are moved and the additional bodywork in the trunk has been completed!

Again, I cannot say  this enough, this is why I like to do things myself !! FYI  A body shop installed the trunk floor and 1/4's as well as these brackets. They did  a great job in some spots and a poor job in others but I am getting it straightened out.

Quick update:

I have been working outside my home on the yard and my new garage and took some time off of working on the car. I did order some new parts and received two AMD new fenders and a new trunk lid last week as well as a few more odds and ends. I am hoping to get back on the car in a few weeks but currently am wiring my garage and getting my gas in.

[mopar73]

Great progress

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Well it has been a bit so I thought I should post some more pics.

I spent the summer building a new garage and have finally gotten back to work on the car. I have been tidying up loose ends in preparation for paint.

I needed to replace the door latch area on the drivers door and have started to fit pieces and make adjustments to the trunk, 1/4 end caps and doors. I also sorted out all of the bolts and have glass beaded most of these as well as rebushed the door hinges.

[Scaregrabber]

Great thread James! I've known that car longer than you, I'm glad you're working it over so it will last forever. I'll call you when I get up there, I'd like to see it. We have an offer on our house and may be moving up but I'll believe it when I'm actually cruising the streets and dragstrip again.

Sheldon

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Good luck on the sale. We will need to get together once you get back. With any luck the car will be getting finished up and we can take a cruise!

Merry Xmas.

James

[68RRFlyer]

Excellent work James!   You're defenitley going to have to drive that thing down here to Houston when you're done.  Can't be that far.....32hrs maybe?  And at 12mpg....hmmmm...maybe not

Cheers  and Merry Christmas to you!!!

Dave

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I have been having some issues posting pics lately. I have been trying for three days so I will try one offs.

Steering column  and wheel restoration, followed by the clutch/brake assy.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Continued.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

More

[mopar_nut_440_6]

More

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Clutch Pedal assembly. Before, a rusty mess and after a bit better.

[tan top]

    nice work on the column & pedal assembly  James 
 

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Excellent work James!   You're defenitley going to have to drive that thing down here to Houston when you're done.  Can't be that far.....32hrs maybe?  And at 12mpg....hmmmm...maybe not

Cheers  and Merry Christmas to you!!!

Dave

Thanks Dave,

Funny thing is my first wife and I drove this car to California for our honeymoon in 1986! It was a blast, for me, she was not real impressed at times particularly when we were driving through the windy stretches along the Oregon coast, the California Redwoods, dragging the Camaro and Delorean in Seattle! Hmmm, maybe that is why she spent some time in the back seat and for the wrong reasons!

I would do that trip again though!

Merry Xmas all!

[1969chargerrtse]

   Fantastic detail work there bub. 

[lexxman]

The parts look great,was it haed to get the pedals apart?I havent started them yet.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

No, the pedal assembly came apart very easily. No broken bolts which is a first for me on this project although I hit it with a lot of penetrating fluid and let it sit for a day before disassembly. Take a lot of pics. I have been overkill on pics but it definitely helps when reassembling the pieces. 

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Hello everyone,

It has been a while since I have been on the site. Been a busy 6 months.

I am not going to go into too many details but will say my world was turned upside down and I am now in a rebuilding stage of my life, again!

Good news is, I was under the gun to get my car painted before I put it into storage. I did get this done and have some pics to post! I also had to buy a trailer and found a beauty! Now I am mobile even though the car has no wheels!

Another bonus is that I had to take a look at my life and decide what I wanted to do with the rest of it and knew I wanted a change to get away from my home town. So, I have started my own consulting business and was able to land a job in Orange County, California. I start in 2 weeks with them and am super stoaked to get there.

Enough of my Anne Landers story, time for the pics.

I will post a link shortly to my CarDomain site wheer the pics will be uploaded. Technical difficulties!

The link!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2442828/1968-dodge-charger/page-11

[mopar_nut_440_6]

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2442828/1968-dodge-charger/page-11

[Charger-Bodie]

Great job!!

[bull]

The point is obviously moot now but I would have recommended you not paint the outside of the car until it was mostly assembled... speaking from experience.

[lexxman]

I friend of mine told me the same thing.Any car he restores,he saves the the main paint for the end.

[mopar_nut_440_6]

I friend of mine told me the same thing.Any car he restores,he saves the the main paint for the end.

The only problem is I am going through a divorce and she kept the house so I needed to get paint on the car prior to putting it away and moving as it will be a while before I have a shop again. Its all good I have done this before, just need to be careful!