'69 Charger Build - It moves!

[Dodgecharger74]

Is Jacks Bar still there?   I am in FL  since 81 

[chaos52]

Is Jacks Bar still there?   I am in FL  since 81 

Not that I know of, though I'm not really connected to the bar scene in this area.

[lilredexpress1]

 
AWESOME BUILD! 

[nvrbdn]

Love the work on this. Great job.

[chaos52]

AWESOME BUILD! 

Love the work on this. Great job.

Thanks! I've made progress on lots of little things - radiator, hoses, fan, water pump, fuel tank, etc. The biggest project was moving the spring perches (for tire clearance) and installing 2" lowering blocks. It definitely improved the stance - looks mean!

I'll upload photos soon.

[BLK 68 R/T]

Very nice, you have done a fantastic job 

[Finn]

Damnnnnnnnn!!!! 

[sixty8charger]

any new running and driving videos over the years?  Beautiful build!  I wish I had help and a barn to build mine in.  Its been a long time....

[chaos52]

any new running and driving videos over the years?  Beautiful build!  I wish I had help and a barn to build mine in.  Its been a long time....

Wow, resurrecting the thread! 

It's still in the shop waiting to be fired. I've been living overseas for the past 1.5 years so it hasn't been touched. For better or worse. 

[timmycharger]

any new running and driving videos over the years?  Beautiful build!  I wish I had help and a barn to build mine in.  Its been a long time....

Wow, resurrecting the thread! 

It’s still in the shop waiting to be fired. I’ve been living overseas for the past 1.5 years so it hasn’t been touched. For better or worse. 

Glad it was resurrected! Great work! Hopefully you will be back at it again in the future.  My build took almost 20 years to complete so anything is possible!

[Ghoste]

20 years is dedication.  So many get tired after a couple and throw in the towel.

[timmycharger]

20 years is dedication.  So many get tired after a couple and throw in the towel.

Some call it dedication, others call it insanity LOL

reading all of the builds on this site the last 5 years certainly kept me focused!

[vita]

Amazing!

[billssuperbird]

 

[chaos52]

Wow, I can't believe it has been almost 3 years since the last progress update. 

Long story short, I was traveling and living abroad during that time, but now I'm back in the US and looking forward to wrenching a bit 

Here's some progress from today. I tore apart the dash, sanded, primed and started painting. I need to buy another can of paint to finish. Also made good progress with general cleaning and neatening in the shop. Definitely excited to get back out there ASAP! We'll see how much time I can squeeze in between work and sleep 

Also attached are photos of dad's latest purchase which we picked up today. A 1970 Challenger.

[chaos52]

Wow, lots of progress this weekend. The biggest of which is that it's running!! Finally after buying the car 9 years ago, this is the first time that it has run and the first time that engine has ever been fired. (It's a NOS 1978 400)

On Saturday I finished painting the dash and got it into place. Then the next 8 hours or so was fabricating connections between the exhaust system and the collectors. The exhaust is stainless from Pypes and the headers are ceramic coated from Flowtech. Both were cheap solutions. The flanges on the collectors bent which I'm not too thrilled about, but they don't seem to be leaking so it's all good.

On Sunday Dad helped get the wiring sorted out as that was a bit overwhelming. I went to town and bought misc parts to get it running including a voltage regulator, grommets for the valve covers and an oil pressure gauge.

On first crank there was no oil pressure whatsoever. We discovered that the distributor drive gear was missing Thankfully there was a spare 440 on a stand in the shop that was willing to be a donor.

After priming everything, making sure the timing was right and checking for spark; it immediately fired and 15 minutes later was at temperature and running smooth. Later on in the day I pushed it outside and we ran it again to continue breaking everything in. No problems so far apart from a small coolant leakage around 2 of the header bolts. A bit of Teflon tape fixed that.

Here's a video of the first break-in period and idling outside: https://youtu.be/XJSfiGiQHWc

[bkd]

NICE Looking, Great chaos52, Keep up the awesome work! Can't wait for more PICS and VIDEOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chaos52]

NICE Looking, Great chaos52, Keep up the awesome work! Can't wait for more PICS and VIDEOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks bkd 

[Charger-Bodie]

Awesome to see you gaining momentum again. How are things?

[chaos52]

Awesome to see you gaining momentum again. How are things?

Thanks ChargerBodie! Things are going well. I'm really enjoying being back in the USA, around family and back in the shop after 2 years in foreign countries.
Also, the brake booster just arrived today, so it could be driving this weekend!

How have things been around the forum? It seems a bit quieter these days and a couple of the regulars are missing.

[bkd]

Anything else going on? just hear listening to all the crickets 

[chaos52]

Anything else going on? just hear listening to all the crickets 

The new brake booster and master cylinder are on the bench waiting to be installed. Other than that I've just been busy with work 

[chaos52]

I put in 12+ hour days this Saturday and Sunday and got the MC and booster installed. Also, rebuilt the rear brakes and ran all the lines for front and back. The only thing needed to drive it are the front hoses and a U-joint! ...and a gas pedal.

The booster from Pirate Jack did require routing out the holes in the firewall and stiffening plate. I wasn't too thrilled at grinding away at my freshly painted firewall, but it's all hidden. So, not the end of the world.

Also, I had a fun lesson about using the proper proportioning valve on a disk/drum setup. Turns out the drum valve I had sitting on the shelf wasn't correct and on Chargers there's a secondary proportioning valve to keep the rear wheels from locking up. Thankfully, there was a valve from a Valiant upstairs in the shop. (thanks Dad) That car had a disk setup, so it should be ok.

(pardon the dust)  

[chaos52]

This past weekend I got to take it for a drive for the first time 

There were some problems with leaky brake lines, but other than that the final steps to getting it moving went well. Just wrapping up lots of miscellaneous things like gas pedal, rear endplay adjustment, gear oil and whatnot.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT3z_e8JJgA

[timmycharger]

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing, great work, love this car!