"I'm gonna fix it up some day."

[monolith]

Yup-I was that guy. I bought a 68 charger(318) about 10 years ago non-running with a bill of sale. Pretty complete-front grille was damaged, some rust around the wheel wells. Vinyl top missing, surface rust, ruined interior. Didn't have the mechanical chops to get it back on the road(yet) but was smart enough to not blow it apart.
I hauled it around for a couple of moves-always getting the door knockers asking to buy it, "nope-I'm gonna fix it up." The last few years it's been sitting in my back yard while I quietly built some rudimentary mechanical skills working on old chevy trucks(don't hate me-I had to start somewhere). More door knocks-my stock price was "10k as it sits." I got a few "I'll be back tomorrows" but noone ever made good. I went to spring fling a couple of years ago and got into
a conversation with a Charger owner-I mentioned that I had a 68 in the back yard. He said "What color?" "Green and rust" then he said"Are you the guy with the 2 black Chevy trucks out front in Ontario?" I said "Yup." He asked "Is that thing underground yet?" I told him "Im gonna fix it up." He laughed. We talked a bit more then I went off to look at other cars. I finally titled the car(wasn't gonna work on it til I did).Then had to sell the house. I have just aquired a shop space to move the Charger to and now I have the space and facility to "fix it up." Sorry for the long intro, but I wanted to provide some background. I live in an apartment in San Gabriel now, and the shop's in San Bernardino, but I'm glad my Charger finally has a place off of the dirt.

Thanks for your time.
Baz

[Ghoste]

But you've only given us a teaser pic of the car.

[PocketThunder]

But you've only given us a teaser pic of the car.

Ya geez, its kind of like watching emmanuelle in space.   

[tan top]

 hello & welcome  Baz 

.. need more pictures dude 

[monolith]

Sorry guys, not trying to be coy-I only have a couple of pics but I'll take more when I get to the shop thursday.


I blew out most of the office to make more room for actual shop space. I'm still tooling up the shop and getting organized.
By the way, none of the boxes stacked on the Charger stayed there-it's not getting buried in junk and the one on the roof only had shop towels in it.
The engine next to the car is supposedly a 383 out of a 69 Charger(any way  to check if this is true?) and I also have a rebuildable "440" and trans from
a 72 New Yorker or Imperial that found its way to me. Sorry for the crappy phone pics and post formatting-my phone is my sole connection to the internet right now.

[aussiemuscle]

Looks like it'll be a fun project

[myk]

Well keep us apprised of what's going on.  Your car doesn't look too bad from what you've shown.  Personally, I say ditch the other motors and build the 440...

[FlatbackFanatic]

Welcome!!! Great intro story. Good luck with your resto. Now that you have a place to work on it.

[Skyview69]

Welcome...good luck and post some more pics 

[UFO]

There should be a vin stamped on the side down near the oil pan.

[monolith]

Thanks for the replies! I'll check both engines for Vins and post them up.
Known problems with the car: current engine starts and runs, but needs the freeze/casting plug between the block and trans replaced. Gas tank needs to be dropped and cleaned out. There's about a 6"section of the center grille that's been broken out. The rear wheel wells have some rust through the body around the radius. The rear quarters under the tail have rust through. The seats are there but the coverings are shredded. The seatbelts are cut. The dash pad is cracked. Mismatched glove box. Dash trim has broken areas. Mismatched ignition switc is just hanging there. Brake system is dry. Front passenger fender probaby has filler. Carpet's ragged. Console's gone. Driver door hinge needs a new pin.

[monolith]

Sorry, phone locked up and posted before I was done. Good news is that the electrical seems largely in tact-original radio and dash are unmolested, the lights and dash all work fine on a new battery. I'll be doing the majority of the work myself due to budget constraints, and I'll be sure to use the search function here.
Any comments, advice or criticism is welcome. Thanks for providing a place to derive inspiration and motivation!

[nvrbdn]

welcome to the site. great space there. used to live out there. keep the pics coming on the work

[Kern Dog]

Comments? Sure.... you have come to the right place.
First up...The COLOR. It looks like F8 Green. My 70 Charger was that color, but when I got it in 2000, the paint was bad and the car needed some rust repair. I painted mine Flame Red and dont regret it, but....In the years since, i have really come to love that classic Green metallic. When done right, it is a classy color that is very representative of the times. Too many red and black cars out there started out F8 Green but because of guys like me, you don't see many of them. It is YOUR car to do as you wish, but if you are undecided about which way to go, chalk me up on the side of originality here.
Congratulations on moving forward with the car. Theres nothing as cool as a 68-70 Charger.

[71wrenchhead]

Theres nothing as cool as a 68-70 Charger.

except a third gen   

but honestly, nice car, just keep at it, even doing a little work everyday helps out a whole bunch in the long run

[monolith]

Ok-more pics as promised:









Front of the car and the sad, sad interior.

[monolith]

Full shot showing the overall "patina."
And passenger side shots showing problem areas-couldn't get around to the drivers side for photos but the front DS fender is good and the rear rust is almost identical

[monolith]

Pulled the seats and carpet, took a shop vac to the interior. Surface rust only, floors are solid.








The big rusty patch by the gas pedal is just surface rust. There was a big hole in the carpet in that spot. I jabbed it with a screwdriver and it's solid.

Any comments, observations, or suggestions are welcome and openly solicited.

[69finder]

Awesome original paint.  I would get something (Grafitti remover) to get rid of that primer on the fender and see if it's green underneath.

Please don't repaint it!  I love original colour cars.  That paintjob took decades to develop

[PocketThunder]

Awesome original paint.  I would get something (Grafitti remover) to get rid of that primer on the fender and see if it's green underneath.

Please don't repaint it!  I love original colour cars.  That paintjob took decades to develop

I agree.  I wouldnt touch the outside of that car for a couple years.  Get the car running in top notch condition and drive it as is for a couple years and have fun with it.  Then do the body work.   

[terrible one]

Wow! What a great, solid project. Looking forward to seeing progress and I agree, clean the paint up as best you can for now and focus on getting it on the road and reliable!

[monolith]

Thanks for the input guys! My initial plans are to knock the dust off and get it on the road asap(as the budget allows.) I'll be doing all of the work on the car myself. The top and hood have zero paint and the decklid has some dead rattlecan primer over surface rust, so my intent is to strip the rust on those areas, phosphate it, then some cheap satin paint to prevent further rust. I'll address the really ugly rust areas while I'm driving the car. Priority 1: get this sucker roadworthy.
I'm not a real fan of color, so the final finish will likely be black, white, grey, or silver. I plan to let my old chevy trucks bear the brunt of my paint and bodywork learning curve, and when I'm competent enough, practice what I've learned on the dodge

[Kern Dog]

Maybe by then the F8 color will GROW on you! I'd love to see a nicely restored F8 Charger. Maybe I'll se one at the Spring Fling!