71 Charger Superbee Tribute/Restomod Build

[70chall440]

Normally I would agree about the Tuff Wheel but it is so over done and there are so many versions out there in a wide variety of qualities. I made a matrix last night and located 5 different manufacturers offering 13 different versions (some were color but most were different takes on the design). This is why I chose the wheel I just did, it is close enough to the Tuff Wheel to fit in but different enough to be different.

Yes, the tilt columns are GM manufactured. I am going to attempt to make one work in the Charger which should not be a big deal since one of them in out of a Charger, however I want to remove all of the column shift stuff.

 

[64fury74charger]

For what it’s worth my Charger has a decent Grant GT wheel that’s sized more like my Camry. It has the thicker grip which I like and I also have a spacer which moves the wheel out away from the dash. It’s black and the frame is matte black so no sun glare.
That wheel has been on there over 15 years and still looks good.
I don’t have any specific pictures on this I pad. Smaller diameter also makes the steering a little quicker..lol..

 

[70chall440]

I know the wheel you are talking about and in fact I think I have one hanging on the wall of my shop. If I am going to use a Tuff wheel I want either an original or one that is very close, most of the Grant wheels have very thin spokes in comparison to the originals.

 

[blue69runner]

Grate looking car a good one to restore. Good luck with the project. Can't go wrong with Cragar mags.

 

[70chall440]

Grate looking car a good one to restore. Good luck with the project. Can't go wrong with Cragar mags.

Thanks but I will be running steel wheels front and back, 15-10's in the rear and 15-8's in the front.

 

[sy440m]

This brings me to the aftermarket, I just ordered one of these which is essentially a tuff wheel style wheel but with a slight more modern center (didn't say better). I have something like this in my Cuda which I like, but as I said I have one already in a vehicle so I am not sure I want to put one in the Charger as well.

View attachment 1422324

Who make's that wheel?

 

[70chall440]

Who make's that wheel?

Scott Drake, they deal a lot with Mustangs and such but this wheel looks pretty decent. There are others out there as well. The one I bought (from Holley) is a 9 bolt, they have a 6 bolt version as well.

 

[sy440m]

Scott Drake, they deal a lot with Mustangs and such but this wheel looks pretty decent. There are others out there as well. The one I bought (from Holley) is a 9 bolt, they have a 6 bolt version as well.

thanks for the information

 

[70chall440]

Not too much to update, things have been moving pretty slow.

I purchased a MC adapter that mounts a master cylinder to a Hydroboost unit at 90 deg which is perfect, however the adapter is very generic and very loose on the MC and does not center index on the HB. So I decided to draw up a new one and try and get my neighbor who has a CNC to make one for me. In order to do this I had to learn CAD somewhat (I am definitely NOT good at it, about good enough to be dangerous) but after a week or so of watching YT videos I was able to cobble something together that I think will work.

 

[70chall440]

I have also been working on the fuel system, I cut a big hole in my new SS tank and did some mock ups which resulted in some good patterns for the fuel pump and the sending unit. I am going to be using a "float less" sending unit (which actually has an internal float). Unfortunately I ordered the wrong one to start with and had to reorder ($100 a pop...) but now I think I am good.

When I was ordering the float less sending unit from Tanks I looked on their clearance section and found this 3/8 fuel line in red and black which I intend to use. I am going to be making a anti slosh pan/try/bucket in which the pump and pick up will reside, it will be attached to the top panel that I am going to weld into the tank.

I think I am also going to get some Hydramat from Holley just for good measure.

 

[70chall440]

Speaking of welding, I am going to be making the filler plate out of 20g stainless which I will then weld to the stainless tank. For those who weld, I am sure you can attest to the difficulty in welding thin stainless, I have been making coupons and test welding a bunch to develop the technique and to figure out the right settings. This effort has illuminated the fact that I need a magnifier in my welding helmet and I want a better gas lens set up, so I ordered both.

This is some of the test welds, this is 24g SS so its pretty thin and as you can see not very easy to weld. I have tried all sorts of things but mainly playing with the amperage.

I have read and watched videos where they are saying to use 1 amp per 1000 thickness for steel and slightly less for SS, so in this case it would be like 15-18 amp, however that doesn't seem to work. Then I have seen other information that says crank up the heat and move fast which will get it done but usually ends with a blow through.

I just need to find the right technique and get it figured out.

 

[70chall440]

I bought another steering wheel which I am going to try and use.

 

[64fury74charger]

I have also been working on the fuel system, I cut a big hole in my new SS tank and did some mock ups which resulted in some good patterns for the fuel pump and the sending unit. I am going to be using a "float less" sending unit (which actually has an internal float). Unfortunately I ordered the wrong one to start with and had to reorder ($100 a pop...) but now I think I am good.

When I was ordering the float less sending unit from Tanks I looked on their clearance section and found this 3/8 fuel line in red and black which I intend to use. I am going to be making a anti slosh pan/try/bucket in which the pump and pick up will reside, it will be attached to the top panel that I am going to weld into the tank.

I think I am also going to get some Hydramat from Holley just for good measure.

View attachment 1428460View attachment 1428461View attachment 1428462View attachment 1428463View attachment 1428464View attachment 1428465

I’m following your fuel pump modifications and looking at the pictures here I have a question. Is the fuel pump going to be recessed in the cut out section below the top of the tank? The template for the pump looks like it will sit down inside. I’m just trying to get an accurate idea and I am thinking the float would be right beside the pump. Am I seeing that right? Just curious and it’s interesting to see how you think outside the box. That’s part of the challenge sometimes. Thank you for sharing your talents.

 

[70chall440]

Yes the pump will be sitting beside the float less sending unit in that recess area. I cut that area out to provide 2" of clearance from the plate I am adding to the top of the tank which looks a bit excessive but when the pump is mounted its not bad. I wanted room to allow me to connect/disconnect lines and such as needed plus I did not want anything beating on the trunk floor. I am also cutting an access panel into the trunk floor directly above the pump and sending unit because I hate dropping tanks because you never get all the fuel out and it always turns into a mess. Once that tank is in I want to leave it in.

 

[64fury74charger]

Yes the pump will be sitting beside the float less sending unit in that recess area. I cut that area out to provide 2" of clearance from the plate I am adding to the top of the tank which looks a bit excessive but when the pump is mounted it’s kknot bad. I wanted room to allow me to connect/disconnect lines and such as needed plus I did not want anything beating on the trunk floor. I am also cutting an access panel into the trunk floor directly above the pump and sending unit because I hate dropping tanks because you never get all the fuel out and it always turns into a mess. Once that tank is in I want to leave it in

Ok, I am picturing the final fit correctly and I was thinking about cutting an access hole in my trunk floor but it would not serve the purpose because all the wiring and fuel lines run out of the factory side sending unit location anyway. Plus being a 74 mine has that huge hump for the bulge on the factory tank. If I were a real fabricator I would put a flat panel in there to gain some trunk space lol. Looks like you are doing great and I am following along.

 

[70chall440]

I did some welding today and think I have come up with a technique that is going to work well, so I should be moving forward soon on getting that tank sorted out.

 

[ckessel]

Welding thin stuff is fun. SS is especially a challenge to not cook the stainless out. For me with the lower amperage it's harder to see the weld pool as there is less light. I did find that my Miller helmet blocked too much even on the lowest setting which caused me to cook it. I tried an older Speedglass unit from a substitute instructor so I could see if that helped. It did. I now have an Optrel E650 unit. I got it to replace the Optrel Vega View when the 650 came out. They still give the eye protection but they don't block as much light as the Miller. That helps me see the pool way better and as long as I'm not asleep at the wheel, I don't fry what I'm welding. I do have a pair of readers on when it's TIG time since I get real close in. If you have access to a different helmet, you might want to try it out and see if it helps.

 

[70chall440]

That is awesome information and advice.

I put in a 2.0 diopter into my Miller Digital Elite and set the TIG up at 50A running the gas at 30 CFH using a #12 gas lens and .023 ER316L MIG wire as filler. The results were MUCH better but I am still having a little trouble seeing the puddle. I am going to try a different helmet tomorrow along with cleaning the Miller.

I have a pretty good collection of helmets (3 MIGs and a TIG), most are not name brand per se (Amazon type) which for MIG works awesome. I was using one of these for TIG because it has True Color which is good but it does not have the provision for a cheater lens so I traded it out for my Miller.

I do have a Speedglass that is unusable now that I paid big $$ for and it lasted about 18 months before the lens delaminated, they sell new autodark lens but it is as much as a new helmet. So other than the Miller (which I got when I bought my last machine) all my helmets are of the cheaper variety but they work pretty well for the most part.

 

[ckessel]

Too bad we aren't closer geographically. I would let you test drive my Optrel.

 

[70chall440]

I have to limit the amount of filler I am using because it just piles up and given the thickness of the material I am really just fusing the 2 together. which is hard because my instinct is to add filler...