Don's 69 Charger Rust Belt restoration

[mopar4don]

Here is the best pic I have of the finished ear

[JB400]

Looks pretty good

[keepat]

Very nice job!!

[nvrbdn]

Wow, How have I never seen this thread. What an amazing job of posting step by step repairs. I just spent a good bit of a morning going through this entire thread. It reads like a great restoration book. I have been glued to it.  Thanks for the time you are investing to allow others to follow so closely with how each aspect of the process is completed.

[XH29N0G]

This is really impressive.  Thank you for sharing.  I realized that I have been looking at these threads for a long time, but never added my thank you. 

[mopar4don]

Very nice job!!

Thanks Pat!

Wow, How have I never seen this thread. What an amazing job of posting step by step repairs. I just spent a good bit of a morning going through this entire thread. It reads like a great restoration book. I have been glued to it.  Thanks for the time you are investing to allow others to follow so closely with how each aspect of the process is completed.

Your comment is exactly how I felt when I 1st came across this awesome forum and the restorations I found within the site. I couldnt wait to read more.
This site (and a couple of others) is what gave me the courage to attempt to restore my Charger!

This is really impressive.  Thank you for sharing.  I realized that I have been looking at these threads for a long time, but never added my thank you. 

You are welcome my friend!

[mopar4don]

Again, Thank you all for the encouragement!

And just so everyone knows, All of the broken joints have staples.
They should add a lot of strength, and hopefully help to hold it all together.

Here is a couple of pics

[mopar4don]

Ok the next thing to fix is the drivers side headlight door stop.
Apparently this is commonly broken. Why it happens on the drivers side only? Maybe because it is a little heavier than the passenger side because of the emblems? Or possibly to much pressure from the vacuum actuators.... who knows. All I know is, I don't want it to break again. So I decided to make the stop out of steel! (another member did this, I don't recall who, but thank you)

    Here is a comparison of passenger and drivers headlight doors with the missing stop

[mopar4don]

I started out by making templates of the pass side stop. Just flip the templates over and you have the drivers side.
So I did a bit of cutting and bending then clamping and test fitting

[mopar4don]

So I needed a way to hold it on so I kind of boxed the one side in

[mopar4don]

So I realized the metal piece that I added on the back side was NOT going to work!
With it on, I would never be able to get it off!
So I removed it, and added this two pieces

[mopar4don]

Here is what I have so far. And comparing to the pass side... I am in the ballpark

[mopar4don]

So after a LOT more fitting this is what I ended up with

[mopar4don]

So I plan on panel bonding it and using a couple of rivets to secure it.
Hopefully it will hold!

[Hemidog]

Awesome fabrication 

[nvrbdn]

Nice work. 

[mopar4don]

Thanks guys.

Now it's time for some paint.
I got the brackets epoxy primed and the rest of the parts in primer.

[mopar4don]

If you look closely at the 3rd pic you can see the rivet on the metal door stop

[Fonzy]

Very nice work First time I've heard of a hot stapler to be honest but I might need one. Seems like a really handy acquisition.

[Stevearino]

Reminds me of those people who restore old paintings sitting there working one square inch at a time with various solvents and such. This is what it means to Restore something. Love it Don.

[TexasGeneral]

When I first saw I thought you were making a mold to cast new plastic ears.. Never thought to just make new ones from metal

[mopar4don]

Very nice work First time I've heard of a hot stapler to be honest but I might need one. Seems like a really handy acquisition.

It belongs to a friend... Thanks Rafael! And it worked VERY well!

Reminds me of those people who restore old paintings sitting there working one square inch at a time with various solvents and such. This is what it means to Restore something. Love it Don.

That is pretty much what I am doing, going over every square inch of this car!

When I first saw I thought you were making a mold to cast new plastic ears.. Never thought to just make new ones from metal

I just thought that a metal ear would be stronger. I just hope what it hits when the door closes can take the shock!

[mopar4don]

Next the silver/grey was put on

[mopar4don]

Here the grill has been masked off and is ready for some black

[mopar4don]

AND NOW It's FINALLY DONE!!!!