Daytona clone or leave it be?

[moparstuart]

By the way , here is a link to my "easy" Daytona clone .......

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59899.0.html

  you made it look easy anyway

[Indygenerallee]

Looks great 1hotdaytona!

[Charger-Bodie]

When I said it was a challenging project,I was just trying to help prepare you for what you are up against. These cars have there own set of challenges , which include hand made repop parts, initial quality that wasnt that great to start with. I have never seen a project that has gotten people to give up like a wing car clone. Its not easy. Its not cheap,but if you take it on and follow all the way thru you will be very proud whan you finish it.

[hotrod98]

I don't remember a single part actually fitting when I built Allen's or Howie's clones. Lots of tedious hand fitting. I will tell you that the more you build, the more you learn and the easier it gets. I was the first guy to realize that the 3rd gen dutchman had a similar curvature to the original Daytonas. I had a steel closeout panel and I laid it on the deck lid of a 74 Charger that I had. I was surprised at how similar the curvature was. The downside is that the deck lid has to be altered slightly different in order for the gasket to sit properly on the channels and seal to the deck lid. You cannot use an original 500 or Daytona deck lid or a deck lid that was altered to fit any other dutchman panel. Your deck lid will have to be altered with a slightly longer front lip. But, it's worth it. The 3rd gen panel works great.

Also, I found that an english wheel was very helpful in reshaping the lower portion of the vega plug so that it would actually lie down and fit.  Like Dane, Mike G. and some of the others on this forum I could write a book on building a Daytona or a Superbird. But I think I'll leave that to the guys that have built many more than I have.

People always say that they aren't building their cars to impress anyone but themselves.  Come on. We all have egos bigger than Dallas.

When I drive into a local cruise night or car show with the Superbird, people talk about it for days. There are several GL's around here and when they drive in no one even gives them a second look.

I do have a different opinion about your selection of the supplier of Daytona parts though.  Been there...done that.

You will not regret the extra cost and build time to build the Daytona clone.

[Indygenerallee]

Thanks for all the input I really appreciate it! I have spent quite a bit of time today looking through old posts (way back past 2005) on most of your guy's builds
I tried getting ahold of Daytonalo but it seems as he has not been on the site since last year (on the trunk hinges) I found Gene Gregorys number for the closeout panel (hopefully he still makes them) found all the measurements for the decklid. I plan on making the wing braces and the wing washers myself as well as making the Z brackets out of steel using the glass ones as templates. I understand the project is a lot of fab work but I am no stranger to that and I am the kind of guy that is confident in my abilities or I would never attempt such a task!  I really enjoy seeing all your clones and seeing how you incorporated what where and how it worked out! I live for this stuff!! 

[Indygenerallee]

The wheels and stance on this Daytona are right about what I am looking for!! Looks great imo!

[Daytona Guy]

When I said it was a challenging project,I was just trying to help prepare you for what you are up against. These cars have there own set of challenges , which include hand made repop parts, initial quality that wasnt that great to start with. I have never seen a project that has gotten people to give up like a wing car clone. Its not easy. Its not cheap,but if you take it on and follow all the way thru you will be very proud whan you finish it.

This is also one of the most amazing Daytona clones ever - Hat's off to you 1Hotdaytona!!!

Dane

[Daytona R/T SE]

Trying to dig up some of my old threads...

Please stand by...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,10669.0.html


http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,21596.msg234719/topicseen.html#msg234719


http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,56803.0.html



And... be sure to check the DC.com parts for sale section often

[Charger-Bodie]

When I said it was a challenging project,I was just trying to help prepare you for what you are up against. These cars have there own set of challenges , which include hand made repop parts, initial quality that wasnt that great to start with. I have never seen a project that has gotten people to give up like a wing car clone. Its not easy. Its not cheap,but if you take it on and follow all the way thru you will be very proud whan you finish it.

This is also one of the most amazing Daytona clones ever - Hat's off to you 1Hotdaytona!!!

Dane

Thanks Dane!

By the way Indy generar Dane has the best wing for a clone hands down.

Im not sure im clear about the challemging part of the project. Its not that it so nuch cjhallenges your ability. I was more challenged by the cost of the really good parts. Having to buy some stuff twice because the first one just wasnt good enuf,etc. It is also a test for patiance too for those same reasons. Im am by no means trying to talk you out of doing this project,its the coolest ever built ! I do wish sometimes that people would have warned be better about this stuff, but then again I still would have built it so whatever. Ask lots of question and have fun with the build!!

[Indygenerallee]

I called Rick at Stinger fiberglass today and asked him if they have had any complaints of the wing bowing, he told me he has not had any complaints he gave me the name of a guy in North Carolina a Buddy Cram? He said he builds Daytonas and Superbirds with their kit, The guy told me exactly what they had done to their "Joe Dirt" Daytona telling me how they used the 74-78 Vega hatch and that he had templates where it needs to go in at and had templates for the wing position, (etc. etc.) he sounded like he knew what he was talking about and said they had built several I asked about the Z brackets and he said they make them differently from the Daytona and Superbird kits for the 69 Valiant turn signals like originals had. He is going to give me this "Buddy Cram's" phone number and I am going to ask him what he thinks of the kits, anything is possible. Might be utter shit and it might be nice but from the looks of my AMD full quarters I am not going to get my hopes up too high on anything anymore on this car  Granted if I had the extra outlay of cash I would probably buy a wing from Dane they look super nice but I am a cheap son of a gun and have made a lot of stuff work and look great over the years! 

[Daytona Guy]

I called Rick at Stinger fiberglass today and asked him if they have had any complaints of the wing bowing, he told me he has not had any complaints he gave me the name of a guy in North Carolina a Buddy Cram? He said he builds Daytonas and Superbirds with their kit, The guy told me exactly what they had done to their "Joe Dirt" Daytona telling me how they used the 74-78 Vega hatch and that he had templates where it needs to go in at and had templates for the wing position, (etc. etc.) he sounded like he knew what he was talking about and said they had built several I asked about the Z brackets and he said they make them differently from the Daytona and Superbird kits for the 69 Valiant turn signals like originals had. He is going to give me this "Buddy Cram's" phone number and I am going to ask him what he thinks of the kits, anything is possible. Might be utter shit and it might be nice but from the looks of my AMD full quarters I am not going to get my hopes up too high on anything anymore on this car  Granted if I had the extra outlay of cash I would probably buy a wing from Dane they look super nice but I am a cheap son of a gun and have made a lot of stuff work and look great over the years! 

if you get the stinger wing, and they look good, but you will have over time flexing or sagging of the wing. When you get it slice a long gap the length of the center piece at the thickest point and slide a tempered flat piece of steel .1" in and then glass it in.

Dane

[Indygenerallee]

Dane, I was thinking along that route in case it is bowed. Thanks

[moparstuart]

Dane, I was thinking along that route in case it is bowed. Thanks

save your self the time  , buy danes (AWESOME) aluminum wing and they you can do cool stuff like this

[Indygenerallee]

Well I pulled the trigger today and ordered the complete Stinger Daytona kit, $2500 including shipping. I bought a nice 70 passenger side fender off Ebay last night for $325.00 shipped. I have been doing searches on all your builds and I have learned a ton! Looks like in 3 weeks I should be getting my Daytona kit!! I did have a couple quick questions can I use the 69 Charger hood latch? or do I need a 70? for some reason a 70 B-body hood latch looks identical to a 70 E-body hood latch!? and is there anything else 70 specific I would need that pertains to the front clip (my 69 was complete so I have everything 69) Just trying to pin down the small stuff, I have a ad up over on A-bodies only for the 69 Valiant turn signals. Anybody have pics of a Daytona with 17x8 Chrome Torque thrusts?? I happened to see a nice set and thought Hmmmm!! my cousin has a set on his 70 440 Cuda and they look NICE!!!

[hotrod98]

Do not use the stinger wing. It is one of the worst wings I've ever seen.  If Dane can't build you an aluminum one then I highly suggest using the Janek wing. Janek's wing has aluminum inserts and it is extremely nice. Won't sag.
As far as I'm concerned, there aren't many of the stinger parts that I would put on one of my cars. I've had a couple of friends that ended up cutting their Stinger noses just to get them to fit to the fenders and the hood. They also had to move the z-brace mounts.
I would use as many of Dayclona's parts as possible. Everything he has made for me was absolutely top notch and fit perfectly.
The headlamp bucket parts have to dead on to fit and operate properly. The nose has to be the exact dimensions or it won't align to the fenders or to the z-braces.
Use as many steel parts where applicable as possible. Don't use fiberglass scoops. You need to use the Dayclona versions.
If Mike at Dayclona can't build you a nose, my second choice would be a Janek. He can make the nose to fit your fenders.


The number one reason that guys give up on their wingcar projects is beause they tried to save a few bucks and bought parts that were total junk and didn't fit properly.
I ended up buying two sets of parts myself and ended up spending more money than if I had just bit the bullet and bought the good stuff to begin with.

[moparstuart]

Do not use the stinger wing. It is one of the worst wings I've ever seen.  If Dane can't build you an aluminum one then I highly suggest using the Janek wing. Janek's wing has aluminum inserts and it is extremely nice. Won't sag.
As far as I'm concerned, there aren't many of the stinger parts that I would put on one of my cars. I've had a couple of friends that ended up cutting their Stinger noses just to get them to fit to the fenders and the hood. They also had to move the z-brace mounts.
I would use as many of Dayclona's parts as possible. Everything he has made for me was absolutely top notch and fit perfectly.
The headlamp bucket parts have to dead on to fit and operate properly. The nose has to be the exact dimensions or it won't align to the fenders or to the z-braces.
Use as many steel parts where applicable as possible. Don't use fiberglass scoops. You need to use the Dayclona versions.
If Mike at Dayclona can't build you a nose, my second choice would be a Janek. He can make the nose to fit your fenders.


The number one reason that guys give up on their wingcar projects is beause they tried to save a few bucks and bought parts that were total junk and didn't fit properly.
I ended up buying two sets of parts myself and ended up spending more money than if I had just bit the bullet and bought the good stuff to begin with.

what are mikes scoops made of  ??   

[Indygenerallee]

Hotrod, I guess you can't teach a old dog new tricks!  Im cheap I am kinda on a budget and I have seen the pics of Daytonalo modifying the Daytona nosecone, I dunno call me optomistic!?  I get where your coming from seriously and if I had loads of cash to throw at it like its a top notch Vegas call girl I would, But I don't, granted if the wing turns out to be a complete and utter turd and I can't "fix it" I will leave it on there until I can save some cash and buy a wing from Dane as his wings are top notch from what I have seen! I still have to assemble the back half of my car for cryin' out loud!! I am trying to do this as cheaply as possible without it looking like a disgrace. Maybe if the wing does not work out I can just break out the router and some plywood!? 

[BigBlockSam]

I was the first guy to realize that the 3rd gen dutchman had a similar curvature to the original Daytonas. I had a steel closeout panel and I laid it on the deck lid of a 74 Charger that I had. I was surprised at how similar the curvature was.

Hotrod your my hero 

but it does work well i had water in the daytona trunk and i figured it was the trunk lid. i was wrong that worked well. it was the gas cap and ring . no gaskets .

stinger nose works well . specially for the money . the headlight doors needed help but not to bad. the wing sucks. 1 piece and the mounting studs are totally different from the originals .

[hotrod98]

Rene, If you say that the Stinger nose works, I believe you.

I do understand keeping cost down. That's exactly how my project started. I'm just trying to keep others from repeating my mistakes. If I built another wingcar today and couldn't afford the good stuff, I wouldn't even start.  Just sayin...lol

I have one more Daytona clone to finish for Howie and then I'm going to finish my plum crazy 70 Challenger R/T SE, my 70 Cuda drag car and my 71 Cuda and then that's it. No more restos for me.   Okay, I might restore my 68 runner eventually. My guys in the shop will do all of the work from now on while I go dragracing.

We're finishing a B5 blue six barrel, 4 speed Superbird right now. It's a real deal 31,000 mile car. I wonder if he would notice if I delivered him my bird instead.

[BigBlockSam]

I have one more Daytona clone to finish for Howie

what about little Stuarts back window on his daytona?

[charger_fan_4ever]

Well I pulled the trigger today and ordered the complete Stinger Daytona kit, $2500 including shipping. I bought a nice 70 passenger side fender off Ebay last night for $325.00 shipped. I have been doing searches on all your builds and I have learned a ton! Looks like in 3 weeks I should be getting my Daytona kit!! I did have a couple quick questions can I use the 69 Charger hood latch? or do I need a 70? for some reason a 70 B-body hood latch looks identical to a 70 E-body hood latch!? and is there anything else 70 specific I would need that pertains to the front clip (my 69 was complete so I have everything 69) Just trying to pin down the small stuff, I have a ad up over on A-bodies only for the 69 Valiant turn signals. Anybody have pics of a Daytona with 17x8 Chrome Torque thrusts?? I happened to see a nice set and thought Hmmmm!! my cousin has a set on his 70 440 Cuda and they look NICE!!!

I'm still amazed AMD does not make the 70 front clip. Finding a drivers fender that isn't rotten/hit,full of cheese is a challenge.

[Indygenerallee]

I know where one is just trying to get ahold of the guy $475.00 and it's a southern rust free piece, I can't understand what is it with the driver fender!? I have found a ton of passenger fenders but man that driver fender is kinda tricky!? musta been a magnet for damage!!!

[Daytona Guy]

Hotrod, I guess you can't teach a old dog new tricks!   Im cheap I am kinda on a budget and I have seen the pics of Daytonalo modifying the Daytona nosecone, I dunno call me optomistic!?   I get where your coming from seriously and if I had loads of cash to throw at it like its a top notch Vegas call girl I would, But I don't, granted if the wing turns out to be a complete and utter turd and I can't "fix it" I will leave it on there until I can save some cash and buy a wing from Dane as his wings are top notch from what I have seen! I still have to assemble the back half of my car for cryin' out loud!! I am trying to do this as cheaply as possible without it looking like a disgrace. Maybe if the wing does not work out I can just break out the router and some plywood!?  

You have the idea. Do what you can when you can. I would rather see one done than one sitting around for years – even if the headlight doors don't work, and there is a 318 under the hood One thing you will find out, and I know from experience, because my nose is stinger, but heavily modified. Do not be afraid to build it up to match your fenders and your hood – it is the foundation that you will have to build on. Throw away the grill piece. You don't need the Z brackets, in my opinion they are a joke of sloppy engendering, but were a necessity in their time.  These glass noses are light, and strong, I know because I hit a dear head on and mine survived, where a steel nose would have failed.

My wings are priced about what Janek chargers for his glass ones. I can stand on mine – and jump up and down My price is 1700.00 plus shipping. Takes me about two months (it is me mostly waiting on the foundry). It comes ready to sand and paint, with studs in the uprights, and alen head bolts for the horizontal.  Listen, do what you can and don't get discouraged.  I'm building my 11th one and having a ball – will be painting it this spring. You don't have the make the best one out there, and I can tell that you will do a great job. I was a 17 year old kid building my first Daytona (my Dad and I discovered the Vega hatch) and I worked a minimum wage job, worked under a shady tree. Never knew what a detailed engine bay was, and with color sanding could make a crappy paint job look good, after fossilizing a few bugs Keep it fun.
Dane

First one we built in 79

[1970Moparmann]

By the way , here is a link to my "easy" Daytona clone .......

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59899.0.html

  you made it look easy anyway

Dammit, I just spend 40 minutes going through this thread again.  Amazed at your work Brian!

[Charger-Bodie]

By the way , here is a link to my "easy" Daytona clone .......

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,59899.0.html

  you made it look easy anyway

Dammit, I just spend 40 minutes going through this thread again.  Amazed at your work Brian!

Thanks Guys!!