When is a Charger too far gone to restore?

[MsMopar]

I know I'm not on here much anymore, but I do pop in once in a while to read the posts. Do you mind if I start a thread? MsMopar

[67440chrg]

My answer would be when there is no one willing to restore it.There are some people on here that are good enough to restore a pretty bad shell.

[69bronzeT5]

My Charger has some rot in the left rear frame rail and the torsion bar crossmember is pretty bad....some people would consider that to be too far gone but others (like me) don't think so. I'd say if the rear frame rails are pretty much gone, I wouldn't touch it.

[MsMopar]

How did you repair your framerail? MsMopar

[Cooter]

With AMD out there selling basically, a whole Charger shell nowadays, there is no such thing as an "Unrestorable" Charger/Cuda/Challenger any longer.

It's as stated above, it's only "unrestorable" when nobody wants to restore it..Not for lack of parts. If you had seen the General Lee, Christine, and numerous others when I actually could afford them, you might have said what most have said when they see the before pics..."junk"...."too far gone"...."Your crazy"..."you are a glutton for punishment"...etc..

I had to start with someone else's "parts car" to begin my restoration...I would LOVE just once to actually have a car that I only had to do the "Fun stuff" (Build engine, trans, rear, and scuff and shoot paint) on, instead of replacing numerous pieces of sheet metal...

[PocketThunder]

Hi Vicky!!!   

You've been in my old C500.  At one time it was not too far gone to restore, but once i had 3 kids and life happened it was wayyyyy more than i could handle.  So i guess it depends on where you are in your life.. .

Paul

[twodko]

Any Charger can be restored if your wallet can go the distance.

[TruckDriver]

Well Well Well!!! Another member from a long time ago How have you been MsMopar? Last time I saw you, you were working on the 500, and if my memory serves me right, there was a fire? at the body shop? Never did get to see the car finished (I was originally WiChargerGuy on the old forum, and DodgeChargerGuy here before this name)

Anyway, I'm working on a '70 Charger (trying to clear legal issues with it) that was a parts car at one time, and needs just about EVERYTHING. But being it is a factory 4spd car, I want it. I tell you I will be called crazy for wanting to bring it back from the dead. But I want to do it cause the very first Charger I ever rode in was a Plum Crazy '70 R/T 4spd car with a white top & interiour. But what was said before me, is correct. The question now, is more like "how bad do you really want to restore the car".

[Mike DC]

                   
I agree with Cooter.  5 or 10 years ago there was a limit, but these days you can pretty much fix anything you choose to.  Just depends on when you decided it stops being the original car or not.  

[69bronzeT5]

How did you repair your framerail? MsMopar

Haven't repaired it yet but AMD makes brand new ones 

[Kern Dog]

Lot of good responses so far.
I wonder how many were crushed before AMD came along and started stamping all these parts. I'm sure there are some old timers and junkyard dogs that remember seeing them and thinking that it was such a shame to see. I have been lucky to live in CA where cars survive longer than you northeast guys. We still get rust here, just not as bad.  The last 5 A body projects that I have done have ranged from a zero rust 74 Duster to a 73 Dart Sport that required lower quarters, trunk floor and floor pan panels due to rust. The car also needed fenders, a hood, header panel, bumpers and the right door due to damage. If I didnt have the parts already here, I would've scrapped the car.

[gtx6970]

Any Charger can be restored if your wallet can go the distance.

What he said. Anthing can be saved if your capabilites (also known as savings account ) can do it

[Jake]

Hi Vicky!!!   

You've been in my old C500.  At one time it was not too far gone to restore, but once i had 3 kids and life happened it was wayyyyy more than i could handle.  So i guess it depends on where you are in your life.. .

Paul

Exactly

[Ghoste]

It's too far when what you are really going to do is rebody the VIN and matching number stamped metal portions.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Sure,anything can be saved depending how much work you want to put into it,either you or paying someone to do it.But as recently brought up in a thread where one member was advized to NOT go thru with his plans of saving a car.It was just totally blown apart with rot,and there is a point that also comes into making the decision,is it a 318,or 383 reg xp vs. an R/T 440 or Hemi car?
When it's blown apart by rot that hard,frame rails,roof,tail panel,torsion bar crossmember,floors,cowl,etc.,and its an xp,IMO,don't bother regardless of thinking you're going to do all the work yourself,you'll have mega cash just in sheetmetal,and probably less than half of those who attempt it,give up and the car never gets done anyway.For arguments sake,you'd throw $40K into a car going to be worth $20K,no rocket science there!!!!!!
My opinion,when that far gone,part it out,and send it to its grave!!!!!

[earthquake68]

I had every intention of saving this one, but then I went to Iraq in '07 and bunch of other stuff happened. I took it to the scrap yard and a guy there bought it for himself. Will it see the road again? Who knows?





The guy up the street builds General Lee's for a business. I've seen him bring some pretty awful stuff back to life. He doesn't short cut anything either. If it's rusty, he cuts it out and replaces it. I don't think I've ever seen him put more than a skim coat of mud on anything. Just enough to hide the welds. (which are pretty good)

[TruckDriver]

I know it is not a Mopar, but this thread might be a inspiration, and help give you an idea.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,76680.0.html

[mpdlawdog]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-dodge-charger-project-parts-car-mopar-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a64280941QQitemZ250788448577QQptZSalvageQ5fPartsQ5fCars

Too far gone?  
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-Dodge-Charger-Parts-Car-NO-RESERVE-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem4aa979aac9QQitemZ320670902985QQptZSalvageQ5fPartsQ5fCars

Sad to see them like this but I would say maybe on the 1st ....in charger heaven on the 2nd

[paironines]

I have a 69 383-2 Charger that's pretty rough but complete. I don't think it would even be a good parts car as everythings just well used or rusty. I am excited to bring it back to life someday as I have a great attachment to it and i enjoy welding. So if theres no attachment or you can't do bodywork, it should probably be passed on to another who can. You have to be pumped! to start a restoration no matter how bad it is.

[MsMopar]

The 500 had a lot of donor parts. Most people would have scrapped it, but I wanted to save it cause it was one of the few 500's left. Now I wonder if I should restore the RT/SE or pass it on. I know how tough it was to get the 500 together. Not sure if I have the time (I'm getting too old) or money for another basket case.   The pics of the 500 are in the archives under MsMopar if you missed them.  I can't rember how to post a previous thread.    MsMopar

[Kern Dog]

I think that if a man can weld and fabricate, AND never intends to make a dollar from it, then most any car can be put back together.
My 70 Charger R/T clone started off as a 500 model with a 318. I know that a REAL R/T is worth more than my fake, but that only matters if I decide to sell it, which I dont intend to. Its like real estate: who cares about values? Are you happy with it?
Alot of the stories amd magazine articles that I have read tell of people that buy and restore these classice because the car is the one that they wanted/had from their youth. That makes many of the enthusiasts in their 50s. For me, I first became aware of Chargers after watching the Dukes of Hazzard. I'm 45 now...just 5 years older than my car.

[tan top]

if you got the skills / time/  tools &  dough for parts anything can be saved ,  

 but life is too short to do too many of them or even nut & bolt restos  on a real straight car  ,  ,   especially is you do the same work as a day job for 45 hours a week   ,  & your working on your own car nearly every weekend for 18 hours &  almost every evening after work for another 2 &  a half  hours for three years   ( ask me how i know )
know where to draw the line  to take on a basket case it would have to be a rare model /color combo  etc etc  ,  

sorry i got a bit side tracked  on this but to  say if a cars too far gone to restore you really need to see  the car !    

It's too far when what you are really going to do is rebody the VIN and matching number stamped metal portions.

Ghoste has pretty much got it    

The 500 had a lot of donor parts. Most people would have scrapped it, but I wanted to save it cause it was one of the few 500's left. Now I wonder if I should restore the RT/SE or pass it on. I know how tough it was to get the 500 together. Not sure if I have the time (I'm getting too old) or money for another basket case.   The pics of the 500 are in the archives under MsMopar if you missed them.  I can't rember how to post a previous thread.    MsMopar

hey MsMopar is that a 69 R/T SE  , whats the color combo if you don't mind me asking  

[Chad L. Magee]

It really depends upon what the car was and what you want to do with it.  Of course, you do have to figure in how much $$$ you have in your wallet into the equation to make it a realistic answer.  To me, if the car has to be rebodied (ie. numbers swap of the VIN tag from dash+other numbers), then it is more than likely too far gone to restore.  If it needs a new panel or two that has numbers on it (like trunk lip edge), then it becomes debatable.  I have seen a few second gens that I simply walked away from due to their condition.  Yes, I know, hard to believe with the conditions of some of my project cars!  Two of the ones I turned down were 1969s shells both for $300, but had been in a flood years ago.   Both were 318s, autos with no special options to make them rare.  When the roof of them is almost gone from rust (could stick your head though the holes, non-vinyl top cars too), that is a very bad sign about the rest of metal panels.   They both sold for the asking price shortly after I said no to the owner....

[challenger70]

Pretty much when I buy it and get in too far restoring it to turn back

[70ChargerSE]

Speaking of too far gone.  I just went out and took a last look at mine.  Time to let her die.  What do you think?