Chop Cut Rebuild is doing a 69 charger this season.......

[moparstuart]

Dan,

Just one thing (aside from what has been mentioned already) that popped out at me..... the wiper blades!!!!  Why did you use black wiper blades instead of the correct brushed look original Trico ones?  Trico makes replacement classic style wiper blades.  I think I got mine at Rockauto.com if I remember right.

Napa also has them

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Shouldn't the lower part of the inner door (below the door panel) be painted to match the doorpanel color? It appears to be the copper exterior color.

That is a major Mopar faux pax......Thats usually a GM/Ford restoration shop mistake...

[Ghoste]

Second only to black underhood and floor pans (and no, I'm not implying this car has that, it quite obviously is correct in those areas). 
It needs the antenna as mentioned and models (hey it looks like all the other displays had girls so why not?).

[Brock Samson]

   it's suprising how many second gens. skip that obvious detail,..

 

I think that XP car screams out for stock deep dish hubcaps and wheel well trim... i ain't feelin' the valve covers or air cleaner either..

wouldn't it be sweet if they could find the original model and have her leaning on it!?..

[Brock Lee]

Shouldn't the lower part of the inner door (below the door panel) be painted to match the doorpanel color? It appears to be the copper exterior color.

That is a major Mopar faux pax......Thats usually a GM/Ford restoration shop mistake...

On most colors with tan interior, the door is painted T3 light bronze metallic on the area about 2 inches behind the door panels up to behind the weather strip. The exceptions I have seen has been on T3/Tan cars where it is one color.

Not sure about all tan interiors, but the factory remnants I have found of the factory carpets is darker.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Shouldn't the lower part of the inner door (below the door panel) be painted to match the doorpanel color? It appears to be the copper exterior color.

That is a major Mopar faux pax......Thats usually a GM/Ford restoration shop mistake...

On most colors with tan interior, the door is painted T3 light bronze metallic on the area about 2 inches behind the door panels up to behind the weather strip. The exceptions I have seen has been on T3/Tan cars where it is one color.

Not sure about all tan interiors, but the factory remnants I have found of the factory carpets is darker.

Yup...

None the less its a very cool car ....fresh T5 is always yummy!  

PS---please tell me the rear bumper isnt fully bolted up in that shot....  

[BrianShaughnessy]

wouldn't it be sweet if they could find the original model and have her leaning on it!?..

No...   

[PocketThunder]

wouldn't it be sweet if they could find the original model and have her leaning on it!?..

No...   

         that was funny.

More like maybe they can find that original models daughter and have her leaning on it.     Or wait, that model was probably what 20 years old in '68, so that puts here daughter at lets say 20 years old in '88, wait, we better search for the gran-daughter then to find a 22 year old in 2010.  Holy crap i'm getting old. 

[69bronzeT5]

Looks like Cody's car...will be!!!
(+ $$$$$)

I never get tired of seeing that colour! The car looks GREAT!

[ccr-host]

Shouldn't the lower part of the inner door (below the door panel) be painted to match the doorpanel color? It appears to be the copper exterior color.

That is a major Mopar faux pax......Thats usually a GM/Ford restoration shop mistake...

On most colors with tan interior, the door is painted T3 light bronze metallic on the area about 2 inches behind the door panels up to behind the weather strip. The exceptions I have seen has been on T3/Tan cars where it is one color.

Not sure about all tan interiors, but the factory remnants I have found of the factory carpets is darker.

Your probably right about the paint on the door. Jimenez Brothers don't get a lot of Mopars in their shop and those they have done were not meant to be factory original.

The carpet is the stock replacement carpet from Legendary Interiors. The color of the photo may be a little off.

[DC_1]

Dan

Start to finish, how many weeks and or man hours into this project?

[Tilar]

 wouldn't it be sweet if they could find the original model and have her leaning on it!?..

And take a chance on her scratching the paint with her walker? No way. 

[Magnumcharger]

I just watched two back-to-back episodes of Chop Cut Rebuild.
I must say its been pretty great seeing this project come together as well as it did! I certainly would LOVE to have had access to the yellow frame jig when I was restoring MY Charger!

As the credits were rolling, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the font used was "Hemi-head". A neat touch!

Now the question begs to be asked: Where will I be able to see this car in all of it's glory?
As I'm up here in Canada, I'm afraid my work schedule precludes me getting to Los Angeles, and to the SEMA show.
Is there any chance that the XP Hemi Charger might find it's way to Moparfest in New Hamburg Ontario next summer? (Hint-hint)!

[ccr-host]

Dan

Start to finish, how many weeks and or man hours into this project?

Sydmoe, we started the car in May. There were many things being done simultaneously like grill assembly, engine build, dash restoration, parts re-furbushing, etc. We lost at least 3 weeks waiting for it to transport and the original bodyshop got slammed in late July so nothing much happened to it until the Jimenez Brothers took it over in mid-August. I'd estimate well over a thousand hours. Maybe as much as 1.500 hours went into assembly.

[Ghoste]

Now the question begs to be asked: Where will I be able to see this car in all of it's glory?
As I'm up here in Canada, I'm afraid my schedule precludes me getting to Los Angeles, and to the SEMA show.
Is there any chance that the XP Hemi Charger might find it's way to Moparfest in New Hamburg Ontario next summer? (Hint-hint)!

That would be up to Shafi Keisler since it's his car but I would bet that since it is meant to a rolling billboard for a number of suppliers not least his own company that it will be well shown this next season at any event where Keisler set up their display.
Only a guess though.

[DC_1]

I agree, I'm sure Kiesler and AMD make sure it's at the big events they typically go to. No point sponsoring the car with all those free panels and not get as much promotion as possible outta the project.

[Ghoste]

Likely it's part of AMD's deal with them that it MUST appear at a minimum number but who knows.  For that CCR likely wants a little shout out for their part too (and all the other suppliers).

[miller]

Hello,

I know if I read the entire thread I would know the answer, but is this the actual charger from the advertisments?

Thank you,
Miller

[Ghoste]

Not known for certain.  My opinion, and that of some others is that it appears there may have been two very similar XP Hemi chargers in 69 and that this car may not be the brochure car but was likely used for other press functions.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

A little something for my new friends at dc.com

Enjoy! 

...wish now, I had gone to SEMA 

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Nice job getting the car into the new Auto Enthusiast:

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,75029.0.html

[KEISLER]

Hi All,

Here a few pics from SEMA: (click on thumbnail)
"XP HEMI under construction as of Nov 1"
"AMD Booth shows project Road Runner in the background - this car will get built out in 2011"


"Keisler new product - not a Tremec"

[Ghoste]

Are you going to tell us more about the "new product"?

[tan top]

Are you going to tell us more about the "new product"?

  6 speed manual trans   ?

[KEISLER]

Great reading through this thread. A little bit more about the XP HEMI Charger from Shafi Keisler (me).

1) '68 parts were indeed on the car: door handles from the original door, inner headlamp bezel, fuel filler cap (smooth, not raised)

2) rebody vs reskinned vs whatever - the only way I could see XP Hemi Charger keeping its original body would be to dip the body to expose clean metal, then plasma spray metal over the entire car. Problem is, the base metal was likely too thin for this spray plasma metal process, and I think the spray metal would have blown through, and certainly warping would be an issue.  The original door was salvageable and we still have it, as we do the other original parts.  The pass side original door is still on another 69 Charger where it was installed back in the 80s (at the barn find scene, where XP laid at the spot the blue '69 Charger SE car sits).  Galen and I looked at it, and it's in beautiful shape, as was most of XP Hemi back in the early 80s.  Because the pass side door was missing, the car decayed badly and we are lucky to have anything left.  The pictures shown from my garage (where wood is stacked), show the torque boxes rotted out.  The rear frame rails were rotted out.  In fact, I put a piece of 2x6 board between the frame rail and the trunk pan.  You may have seen Dan pull it out and say, "this was not factory, definitely aftermarket."  The front frame rails looked decent when I cut the rotten floor away to expose them.  The front frame rails, along with firewall, front lower a-pillars and some other pieces are original; certainly more than I thought was salvageable.  The radiator yoke I thought was salvageable, but it was tweaked from a light front end collision, along with other rust problems as the pictures show, and was ultimately removed and replaced at the end of the build at the Craig Hopkins AMD Installation Center.  The trunk rail had to be junk, but I can't remember.  Even if it could have been cut out as a whole, and grafted back in, I don't think it would change the fact that the surrounding metal was in poor shape.  Whether you bring the trunk rail lip to the body, or vice versa, it is the same thing really.  At the end of the day, the right decisions were made on the whole to bring back XP Hemi.  Plus there are original parts still intact as mentioned; not only the body but a number of other parts including glass, regulators, and various odds and ends.  We did salvage the headlamp actuators among other things, and the grille support structure was actually blasted and powercoated (but not used as AMD's piece was far nicer). For the sake of time and cost, it was not practical to restore every used part, but the usable stuff including the original drivers door was kept for another day perhaps.  We also saved the tail panel section that Dan shows during the forensic segment of episode 3. 

3) originality - we varied from the 100% OE original restoration for several reasons.  For those of you that think it was the wrong move, it wasn't your decision to make and I will have to say that it wasn't possible - for me, the show, the sponsors.  A 100% NOS restoration would have cost several hundred thousand dollars and many years to undertake. And it still would not be the original car.  There are many many fine 100 point OE correct restoration examples of original cars, plus survivors.  IF the original drivetrain was intact, then I would have considered selling the car to a collector, but that was not original in the car either (it was a 440 warranty block, 727, and 8-3/4 in it).  In fact I did NOT offer XP HEMI for sale to the public.  I did offer it to several of the potential sponsors of the CCR project.  For financial reasons of the large undertaking to bring XP HEMI back to life, none of those folks could participate.  So it stayed with Keisler Engineering, and together with the incredible support of Chop Cut Rebuild, AMD, Craig Hopkins AMD Installation Center, Ray Barton, RMS Suspension, Legendary Interiors, House of Color, Ted Stephens & Dave/ Stephens Performance, Hot Rod Speed and Custom, Curry Rear Ends, Restorations by Julius, Ted's Rod shop and many more, we did it (or we are at lease close as of Nov 6 – still need to complete the build before Nov 20).  The changes throughout the build are bolt on, and showcase the excellent capabilities of the sponsors.  Take notice to the T5 Copper Metallic by House of Kolor – it really pops!  Look at Legendary Interior's special pleating of the seats that ties into the Pearl White vinyl top, their brand new Charger upper door pads (just superb!) and the awesome floor raised logo XP HEMI Charger floor mats.  The RMS Suspension AlterKation and Lynks takes handling, ride control and braking to a new level combined with the Currie Dana60 and Wilwood 6piston brakes.  Rushforth's wheels and BFG tread are +3 inches larger rim diameter, yet maintain pace with a modern touch on a classic.  Plus, although I had a set of 69 Charger original hubcaps, there was no way to make that work easily or guarantee to come off looking decent.

Construction of the XP HEMI Charger also showcases several new technologies/processes/product to market:
First and foremost is AMD's incredible new tooling coupled with Craig Hopkins Installation Center engineered fixture and OE build process.  I have NEVER seen better sheet metal.  And I have NEVER seen a better process to put the sheet metal together.  These two companies, hand-in-hand bring us Mopar fans something we have never had before –affordable, complete and correct sheet metal, and fixed price installation costs.  Get this, if you have a Charger in similar terrible basket case 5- condition as XP HEMI started out, you can have Craig Hopkins Installation Center provide you a turnkey reconstruction job – prospot welded and all – for around $18,500 plus the cost of any few pieces of donor car metal needed that AMD doesn't have –YET; most everything else (about a dozen or so parts) are being tooled up.
Consider this .... You can go buy a title condition '68-7-0 Charger hulk from Ted Stephens / Stephens Performance, a salvage yards or private owners. Then send that to C Hopkins Installation Center along with about $19K and you will have a complete beautiful body to work from – with doors hung, hood and decklid hung, window regulators, complete glass kit – all of the critical stuff.  And let me tell you – I have been involved in most of the new body shell muscle cars to hit the market – from '69 Camaro, '67 Mustang, etc – and none of them are as nice quality as this AMD/Hopkins reconstruction.  For Mopar restorers, this is HUGE.  And they can do Cudas, Challengers, Road Runners and many more (plus a lot of Chevys, Pontiac, Olds, Buick muscle cars).

Second, RMS Suspension provided their new LYNKS 4-link rear suspension.  And us Mopar guys and gals get more advanced ways to tune our suspension.

Third, XP HEMI gets an all new transmission offering from Keisler.  Something we have been working hard towards to reduce the tunnel mods compared to our Tremec kits.  The only modification to the tunnel was the small hole required to pass the shifter. I am planning for this new Keisler offering to replace our Tremec offerings for Mopar next year.  The advancements are major.  More to come later ...

ENJOY