dutchman panel question

[Nwcharger]

I'm about to start a daytona clone because i cant afford a real one. i have the Vega plug and am doing some research on the conversion and have a question. does the dutchman panel need to be 71-74 charger only? my charger came with almost another complete charger shell cut into pieces , so i was wondering if i could just use the dutchman panel from my 69 parts Pyle. 

[C500]

I'm about to start a daytona clone because i cant afford a real one. i have the Vega plug and am doing some research on the conversion and have a question. does the dutchman panel need to be 71-74 charger only? my charger came with almost another complete charger shell cut into pieces , so i was wondering if i could just use the dutchman panel from my 69 parts Pyle. 

I don't know why you would think you need a 71-74 panel? Your 69 would be the right one to use.

[Nwcharger]

That's what I was thinking. I was reading older posts on this site that talk about using the 71-74 dutchman panel and thought whynot use the 69 Dutchman panel. Thats what dodge used right?

[62 Max]

That's what I was thinking. I was reading older posts on this site that talk about using the 71-74 dutchman panel and thought whynot use the 69 Dutchman panel. Thats what dodge used right?

Doubt they could have used a 71-74 panel in 1969 !!

[DAY CLONA]

I'm about to start a daytona clone because i cant afford a real one. i have the Vega plug and am doing some research on the conversion and have a question. does the dutchman panel need to be 71-74 charger only? my charger came with almost another complete charger shell cut into pieces , so i was wondering if i could just use the dutchman panel from my 69 parts Pyle. 

Uhhhh,.........what your missing is when the trunk gets cut down, the width is now wider, because of the trunks taper from the "front" down to the tail end, the 71-4 B body dutchman panel lends itself to the conversion, because the trunk curve needed up front matches the 71-4 profile, it wider so you have more "meat" to work, plus the 68-70 Charger dutchman lip is flat/straight across, no curve!, leave your exsisting duttchman panel intact, get either the proper plug, or use the 71-4 dutchman panel in your conversion, new from AMD for about $125.....




FYI the factory Daytona dutchman lip is unique to the Daytona/C500

Mike

[Troy]

Umm, he's building a Daytona clone. If you check out some previous posts I believe the lower edge of the "plug" matches the later trunk lip (say, if you're using a Vega hatch for the window and trim). Technically, there are two dutchman panels on a Daytona - one inside (the original 69 Charger) and one in the plug. Because of the short trunk lid the curve at the front isn't the same as stock.

Troy

[Old Moparz]

The reason to use the panel isn't for the entire panel, it's for the rain gutter & the curvature it has. When using a Vega hatch as a plug, there is no rain gutter at the bottom edge since it's a rear hatch. The part used stretches under the forward edge of the deck lid from one side to the other in the trunk opening. This piece wasn't available as a replacement, & the people who have converted cars using this piece said it was very close to the Daytona part.

[BigBlockSam]

this kinda shows what you need 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,26905.0.html

[Nwcharger]

OK so I was wandering the local junkyards for a Dutchman panel. I found one from a 73 charger but they want 150 for it. I can buy a new one for about the same price but the Reproduction Dutchman panels I've found say there for plymouth cars (roadrunner, gtx, satellite) but not charger. Is there a difference? Would I be better off buying the used one from the 73 charger or would the amd one work fine.

[DAY CLONA]

OK so I was wandering the local junkyards for a Dutchman panel. I found one from a 73 charger but they want 150 for it. I can buy a new one for about the same price but the Reproduction Dutchman panels I've found say there for plymouth cars (roadrunner, gtx, satellite) but not charger. Is there a difference? Would I be better off buying the used one from the 73 charger or would the amd one work fine.

71-4 Charger and Plymouth RR/SAT/GTX use the same dutchman panel

[hotrod98]

The curvature of the trough area on a 3rd gen dutchman is almost the same as a daytona. Theres only a slight difference. Just make the curvature of the front edge of the decklid match the 3rd gen dutchman when you alter it. Don't forget to allow enough material to make the lip. I overlap the vega hatch over the dutchman and make a lip on the plug that extends down into the opening of the trough on the the third gen dutchman. Makes a very nice install. You have to take all of this into account before making your final alteration on the deck lid.

The other reason that you want to use the 3rd gen dutchman is because the trough ledge is wider allowing the deck lid to seal. Otherwise, the ribs on the underside of the deck lid will hit the trough ledges.

Also, I use an english wheel to relax the lower portion of the vega plug so that it blends into the dutchman nicely.
It works. You will still need to make a couple of slits at the corners of the lower glass opening in the plug to relieve the metal properly for a good fit.

If you're in Indy for the Monster Mopar weekend in September, check out Allen's black Daytona clone.
Have fun.

[BigBlockSam]

 

[hotrod98]

Hey Rene,
Im still alive. Just busy taking care of Sandra these days. She's doing pretty good but no longer travels so I'll be staying close to home for a while.

[Daytona Guy]

The curvature of the trough area on a 3rd gen dutchman is almost the same as a daytona. Theres only a slight difference. Just make the curvature of the front edge of the decklid match the 3rd gen dutchman when you alter it. Don't forget to allow enough material to make the lip. I overlap the vega hatch over the dutchman and make a lip on the plug that extends down into the opening of the trough on the the third gen dutchman. Makes a very nice install. You have to take all of this into account before making your final alteration on the deck lid.

The other reason that you want to use the 3rd gen dutchman is because the trough ledge is wider allowing the deck lid to seal. Otherwise, the ribs on the underside of the deck lid will hit the trough ledges.

Also, I use an english wheel to relax the lower portion of the vega plug so that it blends into the dutchman nicely.
It works. You will still need to make a couple of slits at the corners of the lower glass opening in the plug to relieve the metal properly for a good fit.

If you're in Indy for the Monster Mopar weekend in September, check out Allen's black Daytona clone.
Have fun.

These are great words of instruction.

[Nwcharger]

OK so i got an amd dutchman panel and trunk lid closeout panel from gene and started the trunk lid and i have a couple questions. how much of the dutchman panel will i need to use? i know the sides need to be trimmed obviously but should i cut it thinner too? the closeout panel seems to have more of a bow than the dutchman panel so do i need to bend the dutchman panel to have the same bow as the trunk will have or do i just make the trunk lid a little straighter to match the dutchman panel? also does anybody have good pics of the trunk lid at the seam? should i fold the edge before installing the closeout panel or install it first and fold the lip over the closeout panel?  

[Daytona Guy]

Take your pick - I would use the curve of the D panel.

[hotrod98]

You will need to bow the dutchman to match the closeout or more accurately, the deck lid. You can heat the dutchman up carefully and bow it without kinking it.
Also, you will notice that when you cut out the slots in the original side trunk drip troughs to install the new dutchman that the steps don't align exactly. Just make small cuts and massage them together and fill in with weld. When you're finished it will look factory.
The main thing is to not do any more welding than just tacking things into place until you're satisfied with all of the panels.
As for the placement of the vega plug, I set the plug into place and move it up and down until it aligns so that the drop off of the roof is aesthetically pleasing. Seems like it always ends up about two inches from the top of the window opening. I always take the leftover piece of the vega plug and lay it across the opening at the top and mark it from the inside to make the filler piece.
As for the dutchman, I use as much of it as possible. The more the plug overlaps it the stronger it all is. Before welding it together I add some panel bonding adhesive between the two pieces for additional strength and to keep it from vibrating.
After you have the dutchman tacked into place and the vega plug in place on top of the dutchman, mark the underside of the plug where it overlaps the first dutchman step and mark it. Allow extra material and then break it to overlap down into the trunk opening. I use 3/4 angle iron that I cut numerous slots into and then bow them to match the curvature of the opening. Once you have the correct curvature, lightly tack the slots back to keep the curvature. I make one for the underside and one for the top side. After clamping them in place, this gives me a fixture to make a nice clean lip. Take your time and bend it a little at a time working your way back and forth and it will look great. Then trim the edge of the lip it to fit down into the opening to the edge of the first step.
I also make templates like this to make the lip on the front edge of the deck lid. The curvatures wont be the same even though it seems like they would.
After everything is in place, you need to make a seperate piece to fit under the back glass opening to use as a ledge for the package tray. It serves to close out the opening into the trunk and as the ledge.