'66 Charger New Interior Thread

[bobs66440]

I have been slowly been working on my Charger since I got it last February. One of my favorite parts of the 1st gen cars is the very unique interior. Mine was in desperate need of a re-do so I figured it was time now. I started this thread on the 66-67 Charger site but figured maybe some others may be able to get something out of it since there are some 1st gen fans here too. I thought it might be a fun project since I can take the seats out and put them up on a bench where they would be at a comfortable working height. This is what I started with...








Well, as Murphy would have it, after I got the seats and carpet removed there was some rust (of course) in the floors that I didn't count on. Fortunately it was just mainly perforations here and there and generally grouped in common areas so I could fix each area by removing a bigger section...


First I cut a cardboard template to fit...


The electric shears make quick work of what would be agonizing hours of cutting with tin snips..

[bobs66440]

I don't own a bead roller but I was able to make a factory(ish) looking patch panel using a method inspired by a thread on the H.A.M.B., but changed it up a bit. I cut a piece of square tubing to use as sort of a die to bend around a piece of 1/4" rod taped on the metal...





After much trimming and fitting I tacked it in...


Then filled the weld all around...


I continued on with the rest of the patches and hope to finish this part of it by this weekend. Then I can get back to square-one and start on the original plan. Gibber thoughtfully located a new dash pad for me from PG Classic Restoration so I hope to get that soon (apparently currently held up at Customs...)

In the meantime, this is what my nice organized shop looks like now... 

[bobs66440]

My new dash pad finally came in, but it was black, so I used some of Herb's interior paint to change the color.

Here's the old one


...and the new


I also painted the front and rear console arm rests. Here's the front


...and the completed dash. That paint works really well.


Also the floor is finished & painted. It's a little glossier than I would have liked but it will work...


Now I can start with the new carpet, seat covers and re-doing the console.

[bobs66440]

Well, I got lucky and picked up these rear and quarter sail panels locally very cheap and in great condition (both driver and passenger side).

[bobs66440]

One had a mounting ear partially broken off so I grafted a piece from the old one.

[bobs66440]

After I fiberglassed it in and smoothed it out, I painted it (and the rest too). From a distance it's hard to see the repair. The color in the photo is a little off, but it matches everything else pretty well.

[bobs66440]

I also painted the console and the black part on the plates and cleaned up the chrome as best I could. There's still some pitting showing but it will have to do.

I purchased some brushed aluminum from work and made new inserts. They don't match the grain of the originals exactly but it still looks better than it did. The big hole on the driver's side of the front console gets covered by the 4 speed hump.

[bobs66440]

I got the carpet installed on the interior panels and I made a new interior divider trunk door as the old one was in real bad shape. My buddy gave me a sheet of 5/8" PVC sheet. It made a perfect alternative to plywood for the new divider. I transferred the latches and the threaded inserts from the old door and intalled the carpet and trim, and painted the trunk side flat black. Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of it finished out of the car but it turned out nice.

[bobs66440]

The fit of some of the carpet pieces weren't too good. An example is the door panel. The piece was about 3/8" too long and I had to wrap the finished vinyl edging of the front end around the back of the panel with the rear end lined up properly. I'm not doing a concours restoration and I'm not that picky, but for a nice resto, I would remove the trim, cut down the piece and sew it back on in the correct location.

[bobs66440]

The fit of the ones for the rear passenger panels is pretty good. No complaints there. But the ones for the very rear wing panels was fair. There is a finished sewn edge that's supposed to match up along the top and front edge where it meets the rear passenger panel. The shape was way off so I had to move it forward and tuck it under the rear part of the passenger panel. Fortunately they left enough material length so I could do it. Again, I'm not too picky and I was able to make it look good enough for me.

[bobs66440]

The carpet, console and rear panels are in. I'm happy with the way the panels and console turned out, but the carpet did not lay down like I had hoped. There are a few stubborn wrinkles and spots that don't conform well. I used spray adhesive in some places and it helped but...hopefully it will flatten out with time.

The worst spot is under the vinyl pad below the pedals. The factory didn't put enough adhesive between the jute and vinyl pad and it's separated, causing raised bubbles. I took the jute off and tried to re-adhere it but it won't stay. It shouldn't really show because I use floor mats, but still.

[bobs66440]

More. I plan on starting to re-cover the seats this weekend. I'll post pics as I go along. I expect it to take a few weekends as this will be my first stab at it. All helpful suggestions welcome!

[Brock Samson]

  I very much like the interiors of the first gens, we don't ever see enough of them, i guess the 1st. Gen. site syphons them off over there.. I appreciate the work you did and the extra work needed to properly do a 1st as they really are quite complex. Thanks for sharing and putting such good pics up..  Looks Great so far, love to see it all together!

[bobs66440]

Thanks! I really enjoy doing this type of work, though it can be frustrating at times because the interior parts are scarce and VERY expensive.  It will all be worth it when it's done though...

[BIGBLCK11]

  Great Job!  I love those interiors too.  Nice looking 1st gen.

(I like the steering wheel too, I have the same one to put in my 70)

[Brock Samson]

  charger Steve has one too.. i kept thinking they were corvette wheels... 

[bobs66440]

It's a pretty nice quality Grant wheel, sort of like a generic nostalgia look. I got it on ebay...really not too expensive, aroung 100 bucks. The original wheels for these cars are nice but crazy money.  

I had the same style in my '70 Mustang but with holes in the spokes instead of slots. It looked perfect for that but wrong for a Mopar. These are a good fit. 

[ODZKing]

Really nice.  You're doing well!   

[Nacho-RT74]

DAMN A GREAT JOB!

[A383Wing]

Uh...yer "go" pedal is still missing....probably under all that carpet 

Bryan

[bobs66440]

Really nice.  You're doing well!   

DAMN A GREAT JOB!

Thanks!

[bobs66440]

Uh...yer "go" pedal is still missing....probably under all that carpet 

Bryan

[jaak]

Looks great! 

Keep up the good work,
Jason

[tan top]

 nice job on the interior      looks real good 

[Ghoste]

Very nice, I agree on the unique interior thing.  I redid the seats on my 67 a few years ago and I still can't get over what a difference it makes.  Seeing as I only did afraction of what you are doing your results should be stellar.