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