New Project Ideas

[CornDogsCharger]

OK Guys, you all have rubbed off on me.... good?.... bad?... I dunno.     My '69 Charger was originally a green car with green interior 318 car (weren't they all?).  I have had all intentions of building it into a very accurate General Lee.  A few months back, I aquired what is left of an original General Lee.... so why do I need two of them?  I then changed my plans and decided to make my car a nice mild/stock appearing Charger but now I think I would like to build it as a '69 Charger 500 clone.  Over the last couple years I have read up on doing the Vega hatch conversion.  I still need a hatch so if anyone has one they would like to part with, I might be interested.  I have tried to search for it on the site but have come up emptyhanded but I know I saw a post once on the steps to modify the decklid.  Can someone steer me in the right direction.  I also need to look into what all is involved on installing the '68 Coronet grille onto the front of the car.  Thank you in advance for everyone's help.  The 45th Anniv in 'dega is right around the corner.... okay, maybe not but it would be nice to have it there.

Justin
"CornDog"

[MoparManJim]

I didn't rub off on you, and I don't belive I am hearing what I am from you either man     

[CornDogsCharger]

No Jim.  It isn't anything against the Dukes hobby, I just don't need two General Lees, even though one is real and the other is a replica... I just dont really see the point in it.  I would rather have a real GL and a nice street Charger.  

Justin
"CornDog"

[moparstuart]

OK Guys, you all have rubbed off on me.... good?.... bad?... I dunno.     My '69 Charger was originally a green car with green interior 318 car (weren't they all?).  I have had all intentions of building it into a very accurate General Lee.  A few months back, I aquired what is left of an original General Lee.... so why do I need two of them?  I then changed my plans and decided to make my car a nice mild/stock appearing Charger but now I think I would like to build it as a '69 Charger 500 clone.  Over the last couple years I have read up on doing the Vega hatch conversion.  I still need a hatch so if anyone has one they would like to part with, I might be interested.  I have tried to search for it on the site but have come up emptyhanded but I know I saw a post once on the steps to modify the decklid.  Can someone steer me in the right direction.  I also need to look into what all is involved on installing the '68 Coronet grille onto the front of the car.  Thank you in advance for everyone's help.  The 45th Anniv in 'dega is right around the corner.... okay, maybe not but it would be nice to have it there.

Justin
"CornDog"

dayclona makes the brackets and convertion kit for the grille . He slso makes the filler flap that goes between the outer edge of the hlp door and the fender . 

[Mike DC]

                
If you're gonna have the restored GL then doing the other one as a non-GL makes sense.  Nobody loves having that 01 on the doors 100% of the time.  



Honestly I'm not much for the street 500s though.  That window plug has just not grown on me with time.  Just my opinion.  

The only aero-variant Charger that I want is a NASCAR-style Daytona.  I'd love to build a street legal one that really looks like a racecar from 30 feet away.  The rollcage, the body lowered down on the chassis, huge wheels/tires, etc.  (But that project seems more suited to a ground-up fabricated chassis deal.  Not really a stock Charger unibody resto.)



Doing a 500 replica probably puts you in a pretty small elite club.  That's definitely a rare thing to see done with a Charger.  And it would be a totally streetable/cruisable way to get some racecar cred. 

       

[pettybird]

you have the talent to really modify the body to look accurate for a race clone, or at least a really wild street interpretation of what could have been if NASCAR had been really stingy about body mods. 

cut down the fenders at the wheelwells, drop the chassis, etc.  hood pins, thunderbolt screens over the inner headlights, stock car wheels, a stub spoiler, and then paint it a really understated color like B7 or even the original F8...

I like it.

[BigBlockSam]

why not do a daytona replica, or a general lee daytona 

[tan top]

what about a raod going  replica of a grandnational  C500     

[CornDogsCharger]

Thanks for all of the comments and ideas.  I haven't completely made up my mind... so nothing is in stone yet.  I love the idea of a Charger 500 Nascar replica... but, I have another 69 Charger that is pretty rough but would serve as an awesome candidate for that project.  On it I plan to completely gut the car and do a correct appearing frame and roll cage, including the firewall and engine bay. 



The car I originally spoke of is my better Charger.  I really don't want to cut it up too much (cutting and flaring wheel openings).  It's a pretty solid car only needing a trunk pan, lower qtrs, and a rear valance.



Justin
"CornDog"

[Aero426]

what about a raod going  replica of a grandnational  C500     

I like that idea.   Don White's car would be a good one too.

[Mike DC]

 
Did you see the "Hot Rod" article on this '69 Talladega NASCAR replica last year? 

It's fully street legal.  It's made from a real street unibody (not a fixed-up vintage racecar chassis.)  I love this thing. 






 

[472 R/T SE]

I talked about that a good many years ago, a 500 tribute.  It's not some thing that's done a whole lot.

Sounds like a logical idea.     There's no doubt you got the skills'.

[69bronzeT5]

Thanks for all of the comments and ideas.  I haven't completely made up my mind... so nothing is in stone yet.  I love the idea of a Charger 500 Nascar replica... but, I have another 69 Charger that is pretty rough but would serve as an awesome candidate for that project.  On it I plan to completely gut the car and do a correct appearing frame and roll cage, including the firewall and engine bay. 

Everytime I see that Charger Justin it reminds me of what mine looked like when we got it. Minus the passenger door and fender. Oh and the front bumper was through the windshield.

[CornDogsCharger]

So does anyone have a spare Vega hatch.  I've been searching high and low around here.  Even when I ask my GM buds here in town they all have this deer in the headlights look and say "No, I haven't seen one of those in years!"


Justin
"CornDog"

[Mike DC]

 
You sure you wanna do the vega hatch?  Seems like it's becoming more and more like you're just trading one set of rare parts for another.  At least the stock mopar stuff looks exactly right and stands a chance at getting repro parts. 

       

[CornDogsCharger]

I'm confused... what rare parts am I trading?  The only thing I can think of is the grille assembly... which is not original to this car anyways.  Plus, the grille will be used on my General Lee... it doesn't even have one.

Justin
"CornDog"

[hotrod98]

The Pontiac Astre's have the same hatchback.
Howie has a few of them stored here at my shop but I don't know if any of them are available. I know at least one has been promised out and I was thinking about keeping one in case I somehow went completely insane and decided to build another Daytona clone. 

[Howie]

Yes one belongs to stuart and the other 2 are not spoken for. I found a guy who had em on cars in his salvage yard so what the heck. get parts while you can. I already have one on my car.

[jaak]

CornDog,
I think its a cool idea. I have always wanted to build a C500 replica, I know most like the Daytona better, but I have always loved the 500. There is a member on here who has a 70 Charger with a 69 front clip, fiberglass plug, coronet grille and other parts. I have been keeping my eye on it the last couple of months, even thought about selling the Rallye to buy it.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Jason

[moparstuart]

Yes one belongs to stuart and the other 2 are not spoken for. I found a guy who had em on cars in his salvage yard so what the heck. get parts while you can. I already have one on my car.

larry is always trying to give my stuff away

[CornDogsCharger]

There is a guy about 2 hours away from here that has a complete '76 Cosworth that has been sitting up for some time.  He is asking 1500 obo but I really hate to spend that kind of money for a hatch.  I know I could keep the hatch and unload the rest of the car but I'm really looking for just the hatch or a junk car that is fairly cheap.

I love the idea of a street version a nascar.... but not with this particular car... it's just too nice.  Actually, the T5 copper car pictured above... I was already really leaning towards b uilding it as a Don White car.  I just lov the way that car looks.

Justin
"CornDog"

[Mike DC]

  
BTW, when I was questioning the hatch idea and parts rarity, I was just talking about the Vega hatch as opposed to recreating the stock Creative Industries stuff with what's available.  I wasn't meaning to attack the C500 replica idea as a whole. 

These days it seems like the vega hatch is becoming less & less easier than just trying to recreate the Mopar plug.  The Vega is now classic-car aged too.  And probably nobody is ever gonna repro anything for that Vega hatch no matter how rare the glass or trim might get. 



As for the whole car, I agree the niceness of the car might limit how far you wanna take the NASCAR replica ideas.  

[hotrod98]

Yes one belongs to stuart and the other 2 are not spoken for. I found a guy who had em on cars in his salvage yard so what the heck. get parts while you can. I already have one on my car.

larry is always trying to give my stuff away

I don't see anyone restoring many vegas nowadays so you probably won't have a problem finding something eventually.

Stuart, Your stuff is safe and sound. I moved yours and Lonnie's parts into my front shop where I keep my personal cars.  That way your stuff didn't get mixed up with other customer's parts.

[CornDogsCharger]

 
BTW, when I was questioning the hatch idea and parts rarity, I was just talking about the Vega hatch as opposed to recreating the stock Creative Industries stuff with what's available.  I wasn't meaning to attack the C500 replica idea as a whole. 

These days it seems like the vega hatch is becoming less & less easier than just trying to recreate the Mopar plug.  The Vega is now classic-car aged too.  And probably nobody is ever gonna repro anything for that Vega hatch no matter how rare the glass or trim might get. 



As for the whole car, I agree the niceness of the car might limit how far you wanna take the NASCAR replica ideas.  

oh, I gotcha.  Tell me about it.  I never thought Vega hatches were as hard to find as they are.  And to think, I passed up on a Vega a year or so ago on ebay that ended at $500.  It was a hatchback shell with a narrowed Dana rearend.  It was an old worn out racer.  And to think it was only a couple hours from here.  I kick myself for not getting it now!!

Justin
"CornDog"

[jonw29]

Justin.Just my  but with your talent that is wayyyy beyond your years.There is no doubt that you can do the deal with a Vega plug.But to save my self the time involved in the repair end of it.I would go the Wingcar fab route.I DO NOT have the talent to repair the body like you do.Question is do you buy a part on the cheap and repair it to fit your needs or buy something that is ready to go for the most part and install it.Going with the wingcar fab route you keep gawdy Chevrolet parts off of your car.JW

[hotrod98]

I guess you've priced the correct parts. Last I checked the steel plug was $2400 and the glass was over a grand. Then you have to fab up the moldings. Vega hatches usually run less than $500 and include the plug, glass and moldings. I can alter a vega hatch and install it in about a day.
I'll bet there's a good chance that the steel that was used to make the vega hatch came from the same place that Mopar bought their steel from. 
I guess it depends on just how correct you want your clone to look. Remember...it's still a clone. Usually only knowledgeable Daytona guys can tell the difference.
I say use a vega plug and spend the dollars on something more important.  

Can you easily tell that this car has a vega hatch?

[jonw29]

I did not know that they were that affordable.

[hotrod98]

I'm a cheap b*st*rd. 

[Daytona R/T SE]

There ought to be a bunch of them things out there somwhere 

[Mike DC]

             
Wow, I didn't know anyone was making a steel repro of the window plug itself.  I knew the glass existed but I thought the plug would have to be a fiberglass copy. 

I didn't know the factory option was gonna add up to that kind of coin, either.  That helps make the Vega option start looking better again.



Has anyone ever put together a comparison photo of the two windows? 
 

[Daytona R/T SE]

           




Has anyone ever put together a comparison photo of the two windows?  
 

I don't know where I swiped these pics, but here goes:

[jaak]

           




Has anyone ever put together a comparison photo of the two windows?  
 

I don't know where I swiped these pics, but here goes:

Ive never seen a vega-hatch and a plug side by side....almost looks like the glass is up side down on the vega hatch....Daytona has bigger radius at top corners, smaller radius at bottom, and the Vega is vise-versa. Still close though.

Jason

[CornDogsCharger]

Thanks to everyone on the comments on my tallents.  It really means a lot to me. 

If I was on a budget where money was not an option, then I would have bought the $2K piece.... but as many of you here are, I too am on a shoestring budget.  I knew the wingcarfab piece was a high dollar piece.  That is why I didn't even think about going down that road. 

Justin
"CornDog"

[Charger-Bodie]

           




Has anyone ever put together a comparison photo of the two windows?  
 

I don't know where I swiped these pics, but here goes:

Funny thing about it is that the Vega opening matches up to the deck lid shape better than the original part....kinda looks at home if you ask me. The original style part is right I know , but the Vega part is a good option for the diff. in cash.

[hotrod98]

The main two things that I do to make the vega plug fit is 1.... I make a slit in both Charger sail panels so that the hatch fits down into the opening better, and 2...I use an english wheel to relax the lower part of the vega plug to make it lay down properly. You still have to make a couple of cuts at the lower glass corners to prevent it from buckling. I make the new trunk drip trough using a dutchman from a 71-74 b-body. To use this dutchman, you have to make the front lip of the altered deck lid a little wider to make the gasket fit properly to the step in the dutchman.
I will admit that the correct steel plug would make the conversion much easier but my labor is cheaper to me than the true Daytona parts. Besides it's kind of cool proving to yourself that you can do it. And, each one I do is a little easier and a little faster.
The real secret is to "not" weld anything up until everything is in place and you see that everything is going to fit.

[Mike DC]

  
These pics confirmed what I thought I had noticed about the Vega plugs in the past - the glass shape is extremely close but it looks upside-down compared to the stocker. (Hence the comments that it looks more correct against the decklid.)

I was going to suggest inverting the Vega plug, but then it occurred to me that the shape of the window at the sides would give it away.   

[hotrod98]

 
These pics confirmed what I thought I had noticed about the Vega plugs in the past - the glass shape is extremely close but it looks upside-down compared to the stocker. (Hence the comments that it looks more correct against the decklid.)

I was going to suggest inverting the Vega plug, but then it occurred to me that the shape of the window at the sides would give it away.   

That and the vega glass is couple of inches wider at the bottom. Would look kind of weird. 

[Mike DC]

Yeah, that's what I meant.  The bottom of the window is wider than the top.

   

[CornDogsCharger]

I posted an ad on craigslist looking for a complete OEM hatch.  The only reponse I got was a local guy saying that he had just a back glass and he wanted $35 for it.  I didn't jump on it right away.  Anyways, I have been getting most of my friends to keep an eye out for one.  On the Pull a Part website, I checked the local yard and surrounding areas to see if they had any Vegas on the lot.  The closest Pull a Part that had a Vega actually had two of them.  It was in East Atlanta which is over 6 hours from here.  They do not specify if it is a hatch or a wagon.  I didn't want to drive over 6 hrs one way to find two wagons sitting there.  I called and tried to talk with someone but you can not get a real person on the phone... only automated messages.  

So I contiuned calling friends to keep an eye out.  I called a friend of mine who is a Rep for Dupont.  He travels from body shop to body shop helping with any paint issues they might have.  Surely he could come across one in his travels.  Towards the end of our conversation I made the comment "I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been lately" and he said "Since the middle of last week I have been in Atlanta for a bunch of meetings and new products".  I said "Reeeeally, you would mind doing me a favor?"  

So yesterday morning he called me and said he was looking at my hatch.  Both Vegas were hatch cars but the other car was already missing it's hatch.  The only thing is, the back glass was busted out.  I told him about the $35 deal for the glass and to go ahead and get it.  Pull a Part sells everything for pretty much scrap value, plus a little.  So for the hatch without the glass was a whopping $26!!!  That pretty much made my day yesterday.  I can't wait to see it.  He said the window channel looks good but it has a little bit of rust on the rear lip, which doesn't really matter.  When I get it from him I wll post pictures.

Justin
"CornDog"

[moparstuart]

  :2thumbs:awesome 

[hotrod98]

What year is the vega? There are two different hatches. The early hatches had a vent right in the middle and makes them a little harder to use. Seems like the 71-73 hatches were the early style and the 74-77 were the late style.
All of the glasses are the same. The hardest part is finding a glass that someone hasn't scratched up using a kitchen utensil to scrape the ice off of them in the winter. Maybe that's a southern thing since we don't get much ice and people don't usually carry a regular ice scraper.

[jonw29]

Justin.Great deal.

[CornDogsCharger]

This one was remoned from a '76, so it's gonna be the smooth one.  I'm glad for that but I would have taken either just to have something to work with.

Justin
"CornDog"

[hotrod98]