- Dodge Charger 1973 by Pekka -

[Charger-73]

Hello!

I have been reading topics for some time. Also I have been able to buy some parts for my project through this forum so thank you all! And now I decided to share my project with all of you.

I will shortly tell story behind this Charger. I bought this Charger from Georgia USA. I live in Finland so next step was shipping Charger to Finland. Everything went smooth and Charger was exactly what I was expecting. And once more thanks to Scott and the rest of the folk who was helping me with this!

Scott send me big pack of papers, photos and info about the Charger. So I know quite exact history behind the Charger. Also Scott has been helping me a lot since I started to restore/custom the Charger. He had collected spare parts and send those to Finland. So along with the Charger I was also able to get really really good friend!

I will tell you guys everything what you want to know or if you would like detailed photos of something just ask. At the moment I already have a huge amount of photos from Charger.

Here is one of the first photos what I took in Finland. ( Attachment )


Then I was thinking to repaint it... but somehow project started to grow... and grow more... until game was lost... 

And later many friends have been helping me along this project. This is first time I'm working with the cars this much so everything is new to me and that is one reason why many things take so much time to do... because most of the time I'm walking around and thinking what I can do wrong... =)
And I have been so lucky to get so good body workers to fix Chargers body and painting. Big thanks to them also!

I know that there is no better looking car than Charger, but still I think there is some details what I want to change. Plan is to make this Charger to look as good as it is possible in my opinion. In my opinion I'm not doing nothing radical but I will be happy to hear comments no matter are those negative or positive, everything is welcome... 


- BLOG -
I have a blog for Charger but that is only in Finnish at the moment and I think I don't have time to translate it to English and not sure how it could be done easily. But anyway here is the address and maybe you guys can try google translate, but I think it won't help that much because my written Finnish is almost as bad as my English, so translater might not understand my words... =)

http://charger-73.blogspot.com/


- PHOTOS -
If you just want to see photos, you can find those from public folder in picasa. Below you can find the address.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dodge.Charger73/DodgeCharger1973ByPekka#


Best regards,
PP

[jb666]

Welcome! That's a great looking car you have there!

Great color 

You'll meet an excellent group of people here.. You definitely can't go wrong!!

[41husk]

Congrats! car looks good!

[Charger-73]

Thanks. Color will change but in better way in my opinion and yes it was great color... =)

Soon we will be able to start painting bottom. First we will add subframe connectors.

[mauve66]

welcome

[Charger-73]

Update!

Kalle has welded some reinforcements to the Chargers body. He was already started draw and cut cardboard subframe connector models when I arrived to his garage. I continue drawing/cuting until we had models for both side.

Next step was draw models to metal sheets and cut them out. Then Kalle welded small edge with holes to side parts, that way he could point weld it to the floor. He also welded side parts inside the bar. When both sides were welded to the floor we painted box from inside. After the paint was dry Kalle welded last part and subframe connector was finished.

It ended up to look really nice. We will drill three holes to box so that water and moisture can come out. And then we can spray rust resistance inside the bar.

We started to do other side but we run out of time. Still there is something what needs to be fixed, but less then year ago... =) and after that we can start the paint job from the floor...

Here is some subframe connector photos.


   


   

Bigger versions of photos can be found from picasa or blog.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dodge.Charger73/DodgeCharger1973ByPekka#

http://charger-73.blogspot.com/

[Charger74]

Very nice work on those.  Can you tell us what gauge metal your are using??

[Nacho-RT74]

Nice job!

I like a lot this view




you will be welcomed at www.1971-1974dodgecharger.com too

[FlatbackFanatic]

Welcome!!Doing a great job. Good luck!!

[Charger-73]

Very nice work on those.  Can you tell us what gauge metal your are using??

Thank you! Sides and top are made from 14 gauge and edge/lip are made of 16 gauge.


Nacho-RT74 thanks, I tried to paint it as well as I could to make sure that I don't have to worry about rust. =) I have now created topic to dodgecharger71-74 forums also.


FlatbackFanatic thanks, trying to do my best and when that ain't enough I will ask help. =)

[FLG]

Looks great!

Maybe it just me, but i REALLY would not have welded those frame connectors in just yet!

Heres the thing...

When you do sub frame connectors you always want it so the suspension is loaded. Lets say you had the car on a lift but NOT like a roll on lift, and you weld in the connectors....the car is flexing in ways it does NOT flex when in the floor. So you have now welded in the connectors when the car was slightly tweaked (they move alot when you jack them up or put em on a lift with no connectors)

Since its on a rotisserie it is now flexing in a ways it would not flex when on the ground.

Just my 

[Charger-73]

Update!

Today we finalized subframe connector to the other side also.

Same time Kalle re-welded some welds from rear axle. We also cleaned rear axle surface just for look. Installed some "plugs" to rear axle holes so now it can be easily sand blasted without damaging seal surfaces and it will also prevent powder coating going to seal surfaces.

Also front spindles are now ready for coating. All parts are together in spindles so coating will cover everything. Don't know is that the best way to go, but I think so. Of course ball joints ain't there yet but everything else.

Here is two photo todays achievements. Spindle photo is missing, forgot that one.
   

Bigger versions of photos can be found from picasa or blog.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dodge.Charger73/DodgeCharger1973ByPekka#

http://charger-73.blogspot.com/

[Charger-73]

Looks great!

Maybe it just me, but i REALLY would not have welded those frame connectors in just yet!

Heres the thing...

When you do sub frame connectors you always want it so the suspension is loaded. Lets say you had the car on a lift but NOT like a roll on lift, and you weld in the connectors....the car is flexing in ways it does NOT flex when in the floor. So you have now welded in the connectors when the car was slightly tweaked (they move alot when you jack them up or put em on a lift with no connectors)

Since its on a rotisserie it is now flexing in a ways it would not flex when on the ground.

Just my 

Thanks for comment!

Yes I know that it might work better to weld those when it on wheels with weight on, but now when it's on grill it ain't that easy thing to do. And every other part is now also without load so I believe that it will work just fine. But that is something what we will see in future. And when it was welded upside down and sideways maybe I just have to drive it on two wheels all the time...   

And now when we have welded those we can easily paint everything and also protect those with rust protect from inside also and rotate whole body during that time to make sure it goes every possible place.

But let's see how it will work.

[Nacho-RT74]

the frame rails welding job to floor pans is not the fist time made. It was an specializated shop on that kind of job what in fact made templates for those. One member cars was used to that. If I'm not wrong a 73 SE beige or gold car. It was one piece frame connector, and then welded to floor pans and ends. Dunno if structural beams cut at sides or a flat sheetmetal cut and then folded

Thread must be around

[Nacho-RT74]

this is not exactly what I was searching, but same that I meant, on a diff car

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,5388.msg68006.html#msg68006

here too
http://www.uscartool.com/Bframeconn/index.html

[Charger-73]

the frame rails welding job to floor pans is not the fist time made. It was an specializated shop on that kind of job what in fact made templates for those. One member cars was used to that. If I'm not wrong a 73 SE beige or gold car. It was one piece frame connector, and then welded to floor pans and ends. Dunno if structural beams cut at sides or a flat sheetmetal cut and then folded

Thread must be around

Yes, there is many ways to do it. I think nobody knows which one is the best. =)

I would also like to ask all of you people here what else we should reinforce and how we should do it? Torque boxes? And how it should be done correctly to '73 Charger? What else, any ideas? Or is this enough?

Best regards,
PP

[Nacho-RT74]

Damn! just saw the quote you made of my reply, and I wrotte it with couple of mistakes LOL... already edited the original post

[Charger-73]

Damn! just saw the quote you made of my reply, and I wrotte it with couple of mistakes LOL... already edited the original post

Don't worry I edited my quote so now it's okay there also, typos can be some times quite annoying thing to happen =) My English ain't best and reason for that ain't in typos, but I try to my best to be clear as possible. And can you believe they force us to learn Swedish in schools, I hope that when I have kids they can just read English, much more useful... =)

Nacho, any thoughts how we could reinforcement body and would it be wise?

[Nacho-RT74]

And can you believe they force us to learn Swedish in schools, I hope that when I have kids they can just read English, much more useful... =)

Sweeden in Finland ? I would be agree as third language due the border, but not like a second

Nacho, any thoughts how we could reinforcement body and would it be wise?

frame conectors ?

Check on 3rd gen website about a crack on inner fender I'm getting. I'm studying the posibility of home made frame conector. They are not hard to "home" build, but like the MP kind, not welding to floor board, and in fact to be bolt, not weld to frame rails... just prefferences on not touch/modify the car on a unreversible mode, and taking in mind the emergency brake wires service, gas and brakes lines etc... Being won't be a race car ever just street, bolted connectors it should be enough

[FLG]

Frame connectors help big time.

Mine made the car a completely different beast, much more "together" feeling.

Not many people will do what i had done, but they are strong as heck and i dont mind it com through the floor.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59101.0.html

If you look on the 1 and 2nd pages you will see pics of the connectors.

[THE STIG]

Holy Crap that thing is hot!!! I've got a 70 myself but I love the 3rd gens just as much as the 2nd, and I actually prefer the interiors in the 3rd's over the 2nd. Do you have any pictures of the interior?

[Charger-73]

Update!

During Tuesday I visited company what is doing powder coatings and galvanizations. All powder coated and galvanizationed parts has been there, except black galvanizationed parts has been in different company.

Anyway K-Frame, spindles, rear axle and some randoms parts went there. Today they called that I can pick up those. Not sure yet when I will have time to pick up those but when I get those I will but some photos here. Here is parts before.

   

Bigger versions of photos can be found from picasa or blog.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dodge.Charger73/DodgeCharger1973ByPekka#

http://charger-73.blogspot.com/

[Charger-73]

Holy Crap that thing is hot!!! I've got a 70 myself but I love the 3rd gens just as much as the 2nd, and I actually prefer the interiors in the 3rd's over the 2nd. Do you have any pictures of the interior?

Hello and thanks!

I should have picture of the interior, when I have time I will check my photo-album and I will post those here.

[Charger-73]

Frame connectors help big time.

Mine made the car a completely different beast, much more "together" feeling.

Not many people will do what i had done, but they are strong as heck and i dont mind it com through the floor.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59101.0.html

If you look on the 1 and 2nd pages you will see pics of the connectors.

Yes, we were thinking to do same thing to go through the floor but then we thought that it will be enough without that also. Is it?

Has anyone driven one with through the floor and without going through floor frame connectors? Because at the moment it would be quite easy thing to add...

[Charger-73]

Update!

Okay, last week I got back parts from powder coating. Also weldings are 99% done, couple holes needs some welding still.

Also I torn apart rear end and now it has been cleaned and ready to re-assembled new stuff in.

I have took many photos of body so I think I will past all to this reply, hope you like it.


 


 


 


 





 

Bigger versions of photos can be found from picasa or blog.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Dodge.Charger73/DodgeCharger1973ByPekka#

http://charger-73.blogspot.com/