Foreman72's 1972 Charger Resto Thread (UPDATE: WORK ON SAT 3/20)

[Foreman72]

Now is a good time to start a photo log if you have a camera, reference shots early in the 1st stages can help "down the road" when memory fails.(I still strongly recommend getting that E brake to function)

well like i said, the goal is to get it to roll...i don't plan on driving it any time soon...i'd like to but don't plan to

[oldrock]

+1 on that ebrake. Even rolling chasis can be pretty scary when it is rolling towards something important such as a garage wall, support beam, another vehicle, etc. If that can't be done, then next best thing is to only move with a bunch of guys to help control it.

[b5blue]

I have seen coke machines, water heaters, block walls and feet all damaged for want of a working E brake, I've watched 3 stooges style as cars have rolled down driveways across roads and into someones yard, a roller has a ton of momentum with no engine or tranny in it, that ton is multiplied by speed even at very low rates.....I'm not even highlighting the potential for auto body damage...just human body damage. Ever slam a car in "Park" going 5 miles an hour? It's not pretty! 

[Finn]

Brakes of some sort would be a plus...Had the challenger RT pin me against a gate when it rolled off the trailer. A few inches over and it would have crushed the twins!

[Foreman72]

yeah i hear ya...its a good idea...i'll certainly look into it...

[TUFCAT]

I agree with the guy who said hire a good tow truck. These guys are experts in recovery situations....and it might be worth the money in the long run when you consider the time/expense involved.... and hopefully, if you hire a good service no damage will be done to the car or barn.  Just a thought.  

[Foreman72]

well gents...tomoro morning, me and a guy from this site, NHCharger will be tearing into this project again...see if we can't get it in the garage with round 2...wish us luck...pics/words to come..


STATUS: o the anticipation   

[oldrock]

good luck Eric, just don't get in a hurry. Remember safety first 

[b5blue]

We are all "pulling" for you Eric! 

[Foreman72]

We are all "pulling" for you Eric! 

o that was hilarious neal

[b5blue]

Nice of you to take a "BRAKE" to reply....did it move yet?

[Foreman72]

so today, bright and early (10:00 ) my family and brian (NHCharger, real good guy, top notch guy, couldn't have done it without him and i mean that as literally as i can )
went down to the barn to take another swing at this here charger extraction project...as you know, we started on tuesday but didn't get terribly far due to stuck wheels...

we began "unstucking" the wheels this morning, and after using everything from a hammer and a prybar to a impact wrench and a torch, we were able to get all four wheels to spin free, all with new (well, old) rims/rubber.  from there we pushed and comealonged and back and forthed until the car was at the exit of the barn...thats when it started to hit me that this was actually gonna happen...

after waiting for the rain to slow, we backed up the van and hitched her up...i never thought i'd get to be in that thing while it was moving...at least not for a long time
but we muscled it out, leaving ye old barn behind to do whatever the heck it wants in there, i don't care anymore

the rain acted as a natural hose and we scrubbed it down as best we could...we also removed the rear seat and got the broadcast sheet (in more pieces than i would like ) at this point we found a significant amount of floor rust, more than i would like yet again...but i mean, its all fixable i guess...all in time...

so covered in a garaged sits my 72...as we were cleaning it, i almost couldn't even process it...like i've seen people on here with 72s and i mean i know i have one, but like, now, the work is really moving, i mean i know i'll be at school and all, but still, i don't know...its just pretty cool to have my own piece of history...

well thats the story and here are the pictures...thanks again brian, thank you family...

STATUS: extracted

[Foreman72]

STATUS: car and driver resting easy 

[Finn]

Awesome man, congrats! I must say it looks way in way better shape than I thought it would. Whats the next step?

[Foreman72]

Awesome man, congrats! I must say it looks way in way better shape than I thought it would. Whats the next step?

the body is decent...its the frame rails and the floors that i need to thoroughly examine...when its not raining..

the next step, ha...go to college

i'll work on it during breaks and stuff but there isn't too much i can do in one day 3 every months or so...but the next project is taking out the carpet/front seat and then vacuuming out as much crap as i can...then i want to get the trunk open/get a key for it...i don't have one which is a drag...

from there, i don't know...the bumpers/taillights/grille is the first big project...then its disassemble and i can't really do that in the current location

[b5blue]

There you go! Congratulations Eric! 

[Finn]

I hear ya on the college bit, fall semesters starts Monday for me. Calculus ftl.

If you can fit through the rear seat opening you can pop the trunk from the inside without drilling your lock.

[Foreman72]

I hear yeah on the college bit, fall semesters starts Monday for me. Calculus ftl.

If you can fit through the rear seat opening you can pop the trunk from the inside without drilling your lock.

if i don't fall straight thru and get tetanus yes then, i can

what after that tho...take the cylinder to get a key made for it? 

[lisiecki1]

if you get it out you can buy a new one.....easiest thing to do would be to get in there and remove the cylinder and then open the trunk with a stubby flat head screwdriver.

[TUFCAT]

Great Job extracting the Charger bro...and you look very happy! I'm glad you had such good helpers.

Good luck in college.

[oldrock]

way to go Eric! Be sure to get a few interior shots tomorrow since you know you will be spending all day working on it  Josh and I look forward to seeing another 72 come back to life!

[mopar73]

Good job Eric   Enjoy the process of the restoration and keep the faith!!

[NHCharger]

It was great to meet Eric and his family, real nice people. Eric gave you the sugar coated version of the extraction.

I beat Eric there by fifteen minutes, after entering the dungeon and scoping out the situation I was a bit dubious that we would get the Charger out that day. All tires were flat, K frame buried in the dirt, poor lighting (none actually), one outlet above the car that worked. Front passenger caliper refused to come off but in the process of beating it, it loosened up and we got the rotor to spin. Ended up removing the drum on the back drivers side. We couldn't get to the front driver wheel until we moved the car back five feet. I was able the get the caliper off however half the rotor fell off in pieces . Both torsion bars were broken so we jammed some wood blocks between the suspension and the frame to keep the k frame from dragging in the dirt. Every time we had to jack the car up it required digging out dirt in order to get the jack under the car. I cannot remember the last time I was so dirty and sweaty. I know you guys harped on Eric about some form of brakes but after four hours of complete thrashing and playing in the dirt and mud we were happy just to see it move, plus the emergency brake cable was broken and I had brought some wood blocking for wheel caulks.

It's now drying out in a garage with a concrete floor up on jack stands so Eric will be able to assess the amount of work he has ahead of him. Which looks like quite a bit.

I had a great time helping you get your project rolling.

[mikesbbody]

Great job Guy's    nice to see she's finally out of that old barn 

[mikepmcs]