During your build,anything you would have done different?

[Back N Black]

When I started my build all I could see was the big picture, a really nice looking charger sitting in my driveway.
Now its every little piece that has to be restored or rebuild at what level do I take it,for example paint items or powercoat,brake and suspension upgrades?,engine build? The more detail the longer it sits before completion.
My question as stated above is as you look back on your restoration is there anything you would have done different?

[TNT300]

I would have never took it apart. Restorations are a snowball that get bigger and bigger as they go, as the  bank account gets smaller and smaller.

[BlueSS454]

I would have gotten rid of this one and bought a better one.  The 69 I have was one nightmare after another while I was doing the sheetmetal work.  Now that the metal work is done, I'm at the easy part comparitively of doinf bodywork then reassembly.

[Daytona R/T SE]

I would leave the piece of shit in Kentucky where I found it...

[DrHemi]

Wow I thought I was going to be the only one that said not touch it.

[71charger_fan]

I would have bought my bulge hood in the '80s for about a third of what I paid in 2000. I would have put more compression in the engine and gone with steeper gears. I would have kept more parts off the parts cars I bought. I would have definitely bought R/T taillights in the '80s when they were still widely found. Other than that, I think I'm happy with it as it is.

http://www.moparmuscle69.com/1971chargerterry.htm

[Ghoste]

Got the car I wanted.  Barring that, restore this one before driving it (it was not my intention to fix it up at all originally, I was just going to drive it until I found what I wanted)

[charger490]

buy one completly done and drive it every day so no one else can get the pleaure of driving it untill i die charger490

[68 Black Betty]

I would leave the piece of shit in Kentucky where I found it...

Ha ha, that will be me in five years only I'll be saying Mississippi.

[Jon Smith]

less compression on the motor, if only because I got a deal on a procharger just after and I cant use it
I'll rebuild with less compression sometime soon.....and probably a stronger block

[Brock Samson]

 i would have alot done more to replace the electrical when the car was down for paint,..
i also would have done most of my own masking to protect from overspray (especially in the firewall) but i didn't realize the otherwise great painter would screw that up...
their was abit of sand still evident from the blasting after paint too...
but who knew?.. 

[dodgecharger-fan]

I would have bought a better car to start with - or waited until I could afford one that was done.

As for the project that I did get into.

I would have talked to DodgeDon about managing the process and followed his advice about breaking it all into projects and assigning project numbers etc...

For specific things that I did that I would like to change:
I wish I had gotten used frame rails instead of using the ART repair pieces. The ART stuff is super strong, but butt ugly. I ordered mine with the top tabs and they came without it. So the shop doing the work had to fab those in. That added time and cost to the project - far more than the cost of ordering the tabbed version of the repair pieces. Luckily, my guy worked things out with me on that. He did a great job shining up those things, though. Once I get some undercoat on the car, it will be hard to tell the difference. I'm not the least bit worried about the strength and the alignment. That was done perfectly - we pushed the car with no steering wheel and it rolled straight and true.

That's the one thing that did do right and am glad that I found someone good enough to do the work - as I was disassembling the car, I realized that the frame work needed was way beyond my skill set. I was lucky enough to find 69X9X9 and brought the car up to him for all of the major metalwork. Damn good work and a hell of a nice guy, to boot!

[Steve P.]

I would have bought one ALL DONE............



The thing is, they are NEVER ALL DONE...

[400/6/PAC]

Dont buy any part untill it is ready for installation, ( unless you find a hard to get part).
They just get lost or damaged.
Do all your firewall work before you drop the motor. wire harness brake lines fuel lines ect.
keep a good log of all parts removed with lots of pics.

[resq302]

One thing I would do is either win the lottery or rob a bank to finance the resto.

[mally69]

The thing is, they are NEVER ALL DONE...

[Charger1973]

Just ask yourself what you will do with the car.  Will it be a show car or a driver?  Mine will be a driver but a nice one.  I may show it in local shows but nothing major, I wont be trailering it there if I do either.  I am still tearing it all down and starting from the bottom up though because I want to make sure I wont have to do it ever again.  I want a car that will last as long as im alive.  I can see it needing some replacement parts or a repaint but I never want to have to restore it again.

Id like to build another one when im done with this one too.  Only I would be building a true daily driver.  Small block and nowhere near perfect. 

[70 Charger RT]

After sinking $45G into my 70 (it was in rough shape), I realized my next one would have to be in better condition when I bought it.  The 69 I have now is in a lot better condition and will not cost me nearly as much as I sunk into the 70.  Even though I got my $45G back out of the 70, it is a LOT of work.

[Mike DC]

"Will I spend hundreds of dollars on getting trim or something re-polished?"

If the piece in question is totally wrecked?  Yes.   
But I STILL won't hesitate to gravel-road the car once in a while when the urge strikes. 

And if the freshly-done trim gets dinged?  Oh, well.  I'll let it get scarred up for a while, and maybe in a few years when it really looks terrible I'll pay to have it cleaned up again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've learned to be willing to spend "perfect car" money, and still have an imperfect car.  I can live with that.  Because that way you still end up with a reasonably decent car, and it's one that you can drive & treat like you really want to.  (Isn't that what we all got into this hobby for?)

 

[Mean 318]

part it out and get a SOLID 69 Bee/68 Charger

[andy74]

More cam and compression from the get go,would have saved some money in the long run

[Lord Warlock]

If i could go back and do it all over.... I would have bought that complete 426 Hemi motor (all new, in pieces) for 600.00 back when I put a 200.00 383 magnum in the charger, and I would have kept the original numbers matching block and had the main journal crack repaired, then stored it in the garage with the charger till i was ready to restore it.  2nd I would have skipped buying that piece of crap 70 camaro and put the money into the charger....3rd  would have sold the stealth turbo at 100k miles and put the 25k I spent on it into a full bore restoration by a reputable shop. 

[my69]

One thing I would do is either win the lottery or rob a bank to finance the resto.

And probably this     

I would have never took it apart. Restorations are a snowball that get bigger and bigger as they go, as the  bank account gets smaller and smaller.

[kamkuda]

I was lucky enough to find 69X9X9 and brought the car up to him for all of the major metalwork. Damn good work and a hell of a nice guy, to boot!

I am anxious to have my car to him soon.  He is a Good man

[Mefirst]

I do wonder every single time as I open up the garage doors -Why the Hell I didint buy myself a brand new Mercedes Benz instead of a, now, 37 year old car... Then again that thought disappears just as soon as I lay my eyes on the Hemi engine block I got bolted to the engine stand and the rest of the Hemi parts placed on the shelf next to the engine block... Cant wait until I have the engine bolted back together and take the Charger out for her first spin around the block... then get her through the car inspection to get her a street legal tag and begin my mission "Search and Destroy" Fords, Chevy's and Ricers at the 1/4mile track...

/Tom