Daytona conversion

[70 sublime]

Hello
I am mostly on 1970 Charger board but I see a few of the same names here
My name is David
I am 48 years old and live on a dairy farm about an hour east of Toronto Ontario

The story behind my question
About ten years ago I was just getting home in the dark and parked my 69 Charger beside the garage
Just turned the lights off and had the keys in my hand
Looked out the windshield and could not believe what I just saw
There was 5 B bodies (all 68 69 70) going by the front of my house in a group
Looked so cool with the lights lighting up the car in front
First 2 were Chargers a couple more b bodies and the last one had a wing
So sitting in my car Do I or don't I
Did not take me long to catch up
Luck would have it they stopped at the gas station 2 miles up the road
The station was closed and every thing was dark
I had to stop and say hello
Sure enough the guy with the wing car was looking for a Charger and I had another 69 in the garage
A couple days later he came back to the house and I HAD to get a few pictures

[70 sublime]

Well it took me 3 times to type this out to get it to work
Now I will try the pictures

[70 sublime]

The picture was too big to add more than one at a time

[70 sublime]

Last one

[70 sublime]

So after having a real one in my driveway I think I want one of my own
No I do not have $100,000 to spend on one (just yet)
Now the question this was leading up to

What is worth more a good 69 Charger or one that has the nose and wing added to it
Not sure if I want to change the back window as it is or never will be a real Daytona

Would the clone be worth more than the cost of the convesion and what the 69 would have been worth ??
I have a 69 now and a 70 with an extra hood

[1970Moparmann]

About 6 months ago I looked at doing a clone and the parts alone in the way I wanted to do it was $10k.  This was above and beyond all of the parts that you need to do a good restoration on a car.   Depending on how much work you do yourself, and how the outcome is, you might be able to get your money out of it, and potentially a few dollars.  It all depends on the level of restoration you do, plus, what your starting out with. 

To put it in perspective, a few nicely done clones have been for sale, and they reached no more than $40k.  If your doing majority of the labor, you should be fine.  If your giving it to someone then your talking a good 300 - 500 hours of labor depending on how far your going. 

[Ghoste]

Of course there is also the strong argument to be made that as a hobby, you should do what excites you and not what you think will bring better money later.

[Daytona R/T SE]

If getting your money back later is a concern...

Stop now.

If you really want a Daytona clone and are willing to take on a BIG project...

Continue...


To build a Daytona clone you need to be a skilled fabricator,

Or have lots of money to pay someone to do it.

Preferably both.

If I were to do it all over again...

My car would still be an R/T SE and would have been done and on the road YEARS ago.

[BigBlockSam]

Of course there is also the strong argument to be made that as a hobby, you should do what excites you and not what you think will bring better money later.

[Old Moparz]

If getting your money back later is a concern...

Stop now.

If you really want a Daytona clone and are willing to take on a BIG project...

Continue...


To build a Daytona clone you need to be a skilled fabricator,

Or have lots of money to pay someone to do it.

Preferably both.

If I were to do it all over again...

My car would still be an R/T SE and would have been done and on the road YEARS ago.

This is good advice, especially if you've never taken on any kind of restoration project in the past. I've wanted a Daytona or a Superbird since I started driving in 1980, but these cars have always been just out of financial reach. I'm very patient & have inexpensively gathered just about all of what I need to convert my Charger into a Daytona. It was more luck by being in the right place at the right time, but if you rush to find parts you will end up paying more.

For example, there was a guy just a few hours from me who bought most of the Ted Janak parts to build a Daytona. He ended up bailing on the project for various reasons & sold everything as a discounted package to me that included the nose, wing, rear plug, headight doors, brackets, spoiler, etc. The car I have is a rust free shell that was bought by someone restoring a Hemi car who needed everything but the shell.

Be patient.  

[BigBlockSam]

Be patient.  Twocents

:yesnod:but take the time to learn and gather parts when they come up at a reasonable price .

[Bob T]

hi David and Welcome, yes, worthwhile and catching up to the other Charger guys to talk cars, look where its got you now.
I guess Im in a similar camp wanting to eventually do a Wing car conversion, but not on my 68, it will be a 69 Charger or a Runner.

Good and wise advice from those above, they've been there and done or are doing it.

Hey Old Moparz - I never knew you had that stashed, cool mate, looking forward to hearing more 

[moparstuart]

Be patient.  Twocents

:yesnod:but take the time to learn and gather parts when they come up at a reasonable price .

  yup still doing that  slowly   

[70 sublime]

If getting your money back later is a concern...

Stop now.

If you really want a Daytona clone and are willing to take on a BIG project...

Continue...


To build a Daytona clone you need to be a skilled fabricator,

Or have lots of money to pay someone to do it.

Preferably both.

If I were to do it all over again...

My car would still be an R/T SE and would have been done and on the road YEARS ago.

It is not so much am I going to get rich if I do this and sell the car
More like If I go through all this trouble and in the end it is not really what I want can I get out of it what I have in it  ?
With the car being a fake and never trying to tell anyone that it is real just wanted it for the cool factor
Someday I still want a real wing car (who does not)
I guess in the end it will come down to do I want 4 or 5 really neat cars to drive or sell them all and have only one

As for the toys tools and space to do one I think we have that covered
Helped dad on this one and all that is left to do is the rocker chrome
(about the only thing left from original car was firewall and windsheild frame and the X member for the frame)

[70 sublime]

I guess for now I will keep my eyes open on the wing and nose cone prices if anything comes up for sale

[dyslexic teddybear]

Main reason I joined this site was to learn as much about the winged species as I can. Still a long way from even a remote possibility, I have learned much from my short time here.

I'm not sure I even want a real one. Would be scared [expletive deleted] to drive it. While I have the greatest respect for someone who correctly restores a numbers/date code/paint mark car.....its not me. I like to drive...and I honestly do not want the anguish of killing someone who stupidly dinged my valuable original. Some things kinda get personal with me.[just kidding, I'd most likely have a heart attack/stroke and be more a danger to myself]

So that means a clone. I'm good with it. It also free's me to make.....changes. I do want to drive it.....but the idea is to look pretty much stock, perform better. Maybe MUCH better.

It is a big project, the kind of effort I would need to put into it.....it would not be for sale.

I think.

But one never knows what the future will bring, things change, sometimes you need, not want, to sell. Very much agree with several comments......it's not about the $$$. If it is, there WILL be disappointment.

Interesting.....10k for the specific parts.....I actually expected more. Around 40k for a complete car.....again I would have expected more. Very interesting.

[Old Moparz]

Hey Old Moparz - I never knew you had that stashed, cool mate, looking forward to hearing more 

Yeah, I've been gathering things for a long time & the Daytona project started almost by accident. I was collecting some Charger parts to convert my Dodge Coronet 500 convertible to a Charger convertible & decided I needed an entire car after talking to a guy at Carlisle that had done a conversion. Back around 2003 I had been looking for a couple of months for a '69 when I spotted a nice '68 that was cheap. Drove to Indiana to look at it & the guy offered to stop the auction so I bought it.

Once I got the car home & had it side by side with the Coronet I realized that it was too nice to cut up & way beyond my abilities to graft the rear Charger clip onto the Coronet. The Charger had all new sheet metal already installed & I got it for less than half of what the installed parts were worth. About a year later I ran across a guy selling a package of Daytona parts that was inexpensive so I jumped on it. I listed the Coronet for sale but when MARS Mopars was at Carlisle with a Charger convertible I yanked the ad & sold my '71 Barracuda.

Now I've been renovating my house & don't have the time for any of my cars. 

[70 sublime]

If I was to change the back window what is the junk yard part I am looking for ?
Vega ?
what years ?

[Old Moparz]

All years for the Vega will work, also the Pontiac Astre, but some years had vents which would make more work by having to block it off.

Here's a couple of threads that covered the Vega hatch pretty good......

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,10680.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,58876.0.html

[Indygenerallee]

That's why I am building a Daytona clone that way I can modify it anyway I please and I won't be afraid to drive it! If I had a original I would be scared to death to drive it!

[nascarxx29]

I miss my clone daytona drove it anywhere didnt worry where it was parked.It was my daily driver in the 80-s
built in the early 80-s 70 charger 500 W AC and Houndstooth Interior 70 RT door scoops real 500 backwindow.

1969 R4 Daytona XX29L9B410772
1970 EV2 Superbird RM23UOA174597
1970 FY1 Superbird RM23UOA166242
1970 EV2 Superbird RM23VOA179697
1968 426 Road Runner RM21J8A134509
1970 Coronet RT WS23UOA224126
1970 Daytona Clone XP29GOG178701

[moparstuart]

I miss my clone daytona drove it anywhere didnt worry where it was parked.It was my daily driver in the 80-s
built in the early 80-s 70 charger 500 W AC and Houndstooth Interior 70 RT door scoops real 500 backwindow.

do you know where it is now  ??

[nascarxx29]

The current owner is friends with Rob dirt who own the Joe dirt daytona. My old cars  owner has some kind of collector car museum in Myrtle beach.I havent seen the car recently. But talked to him few years ago to see if he still had it.I got the car from Ted Janak it was his 1st clone daytona build .I traded a rough FY1 superbird body for it

http://www.wheelsofyesteryearmb.com/

1969 R4 Daytona XX29L9B410772
1970 EV2 Superbird RM23UOA174597
1970 FY1 Superbird RM23UOA166242
1970 EV2 Superbird RM23VOA179697
1968 426 Road Runner RM21J8A134509
1970 Coronet RT WS23UOA224126
1970 Daytona Clone XP29GOG178701 This car is it

[nascarxx29]

I wanted this car back in the day of Ed L but found another

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,37735.0.html

[dyslexic teddybear]

That's why I am building a Daytona clone that way I can modify it anyway I please and I won't be afraid to drive it! If I had a original I would be scared to death to drive it!

Well said.

Actually giving some thought to......say a " as raced" influenced......tire/wheel combo would be the main thing.

Not a full cage type....just some subtle changes....dunno, still researching. I really like the uniqueness to begin with, so I want to keep that flavor, but with definitely a little bit better suspension/brakes/motor......of course motor. No such thing as too much motor.

Thinking more good driver and less showcar. Something the average person would not notice the difference, yet even the most basic of knowledge person would know. I really do not want any chance it would be passed off as an original at any time in the future.