Alan's 1970 Charger Restoration

[rklewis1005]

Hi all, I'm starting my restoration thread - I know you like pictures. It's still 700 miles away, but planning to relocate it in mid-May so the fun can start. I have another post around front frame rails rust and ideas on avoiding more damage during the move.

It's a 1970 Charger 500 SE (383 Magnum with 727 Auto). It's my late brother's car (recently passed away) and I want to restore it to a driveable / good condition - not necessarily showroom condition. I've been lurking and reading lots of posts and learning as much as I can while I'm waiting to get it here. Started collecting tools (bought a host and stand - used for a good price) and printing out plans for a K-Frame dolly, etc.

I'll track my progress here - a lot more progress once I move it here.

 

[Doorkicker]

Looks great.. you'll have that on the road in no time! Don't over think it. Get it running and stopping and go have fun. You got a little frame repair there, but that's not a big deal. I have a 72 and it's in the same shape. Just finished building the engine and 727... now on to popping a rear in it and rebuilding (replacing) the front suspension. I'm shooting to take for a road tip by fall.

 

[ct71rr]

Looks like a nice project. Sorry to hear about your brother.

 

[mbc0724]

Great-looking front end on that car--one of the best!

 

[davek]

I an sorry for your loss and that will be a great tribute to your brother. Will be watching your thread. 70 charger is a 1 year only on some parts. I wish the best for you. Finally starting metal work on my 70 charger. Hope your front fenders are good.

 

[CarolinaCharger]

Thats a good one.

 

[rklewis1005]

I an sorry for your loss and that will be a great tribute to your brother. Will be watching your thread. 70 charger is a 1 year only on some parts. I wish the best for you. Finally starting metal work on my 70 charger. Hope your front fenders are good.

Thanks. The front fenders aren't in great shape - they have some filler from backing the early 80s. I'm planning on stripping it down to a roller and taking it to a shop to have the chassis/body/paint done as I want the foundation to be good. I'm in Spartanburg SC so if you know of any reputable shops let me know. I've been checking out ones in my area.

Ross

 

[F4R/T]

Awesome project and what away to keep the memory alive... !

 

[Chargerjase]

Condolences for your brother. Very cool car and looking forward to seeing it come back to life.

 

[71airgrabberRR]

First thing that I thought should be said is that I’m sorry to hear about your loss. It’s never easy losing a loved one.

Your Charger looks like it is a very nice car to start with. I owned a 70 RT Charger and I had to sell it in order to go to school. It was a hard decision to make but it was worth it in the end.

I have restored quite a few of these Mopar muscle cars. I even went so far as to build a frame rail jig that keeps everything in perfect alignment as I spot weld the new panels in place.

You can see the jig in one photo and it has my 73 Challenger on it.

Since I took the picture I have built up several different sets of stands that will allow me to fit other cars on the frame jig. I can now build 70-74 E body Cuda / Challenger cars, and also 68-70 B body cars like yours.

The frame rail jig is now at my friends body shop in Deland FL. He’s a dedicated Mopar guy who has since built up 5 more cars using the jig.

He has been in business for many years and has won numerous awards for his work. The one that he is most proud of is when he won 1st place at the Mopar Nationals with a beautiful Red 68 Hemi Charger which was a number matching car.

He has a Facebook page under the name of Todd’s Body Shop in Deland.

I highly recommend him as he has a lot of experience and knowledge about these cars. He also has a lot of references so you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off.

It’s not too far away from you and may be worth a little trip.

Hope this helps.

 

[rklewis1005]

First thing that I thought should be said is that I’m sorry to hear about your loss. It’s never easy losing a loved one.

Your Charger looks like it is a very nice car to start with. I owned a 70 RT Charger and I had to sell it in order to go to school. It was a hard decision to make but it was worth it in the end.

I have restored quite a few of these Mopar muscle cars. I even went so far as to build a frame rail jig that keeps everything in perfect alignment as I spot weld the new panels in place.

You can see the jig in one photo and it has my 73 Challenger on it.

Since I took the picture I have built up several different sets of stands that will allow me to fit other cars on the frame jig. I can now build 70-74 E body Cuda / Challenger cars, and also 68-70 B body cars like yours.

The frame rail jig is now at my friends body shop in Deland FL. He’s a dedicated Mopar guy who has since built up 5 more cars using the jig.

He has been in business for many years and has won numerous awards for his work. The one that he is most proud of is when he won 1st place at the Mopar Nationals with a beautiful Red 68 Hemi Charger which was a number matching car.

He has a Facebook page under the name of Todd’s Body Shop in Deland.

I highly recommend him as he has a lot of experience and knowledge about these cars. He also has a lot of references so you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off.

It’s not too far away from you and may be worth a little trip.

Hope this helps.

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View attachment 1645438

Very nice! I'll keep it in mind!

 

[71airgrabberRR]

Todd's Body Shop | DeLand FL

Here is Todd's FB page. Check it out when you can. You can see several restorations of different Chargers on his FB page. In some photos you can see how my jig is being used to keep things squared up and properly aligned as new metal is being spot welded in place. This is critical when replacing or repairing frame rails.... and the main reason why I decided to build the jig.

and a picture of my 73 Challenger on the frame jig as I was headed to Todd's shop. He helped me take the Challenger off the frame rail jig and place it on my rotisserie. Todd is an awesome dude.

Here the Challenger is on the way to his shop.....

This is a close up showing the finished spot welds.

Here I am spot welding the trunk floor pan in place. The jig kept the frame rails lined up during the welding process.

In this photo I have my 73 Challenger back on my rotisserie and have just came back from Todd's shop.

This last photo shows my Miller spot welder. It has several different sets of tongs and a timer to keep the welds consistent.

This is very similar as to what Todd does. It would definitely be worth looking into talking with Todd about your Charger when you are ready to do the repairs on the frame rails.

This last picture shows how the spot welds look under a coat of paint. They look as if it was a factory installed part. Here I have installed new trunk gutters and both rear quarter panels as well.

 

[71airgrabberRR]

These are some pictures that Todd posted on his FB page. You can see my frame rail jig in use on this car too. It is a 68 Charger RT that was also a numbers matching car. If you want yours done correctly this is the best way to go.

 

[rklewis1005]

I an sorry for your loss and that will be a great tribute to your brother. Will be watching your thread. 70 charger is a 1 year only on some parts. I wish the best for you. Finally starting metal work on my 70 charger. Hope your front fenders are good.

@davek I'm learning that '70 Charger front fenders are hard to come by. For a newbie, I'm trying to understand if the 68/69 fenders simply do not fit or it's a purist thing (some unique look).

 

[chargervert]

68/69 fenders will physically bolt onto a 70 Charger, but the hood,bumper,grille,valance pan and bumper brackets are all different. The 68/69 headlight doors are operated by engine vacuum, but the 70 Charger headlight doors are operated by an electric motor. All the pieces to a 70 Charger nose are one year only parts,everything but the front valance pan is not reproduced. I had to twist their arm to get them to make the front valance pans.

 

[rklewis1005]

68/69 fenders will physically bolt onto a 70 Charger, but the hood,bumper,grille,valance pan and bumper brackets are all different. The 68/69 headlight doors are operated by engine vacuum, but the 70 Charger headlight doors are operated by an electric motor.

Thanks - appreciate the info!

 

[chargervert]

No problem. I am looking forward to following your 70 Charger build.

 

[davek]

68/69 fenders will physically bolt onto a 70 Charger, but the hood,bumper,grille,valance pan and bumper brackets are all different. The 68/69 headlight doors are operated by engine vacuum, but the 70 Charger headlight doors are operated by an electric motor. All the pieces to a 70 Charger nose are one year only parts,everything but the front valance pan is not reproduced. I had to twist their arm to get them to make the front valance pans.

Hope AMD got it right I bought one. I still have my original .

 

[davek]

Texas had a dr fender for sale but It was gone when I called. I think I missed it by 3 hours.

 

[Kern Dog]

@davek I'm learning that '70 Charger front fenders are hard to come by. For a newbie, I'm trying to understand if the 68/69 fenders simply do not fit or it's a purist thing (some unique look).

68/69 fenders will physically bolt onto a 70 Charger, but the hood,bumper,grille,valance pan and bumper brackets are all different. The 68/69 headlight doors are operated by engine vacuum, but the 70 Charger headlight doors are operated by an electric motor. All the pieces to a 70 Charger nose are one year only parts,everything but the front valance pan is not reproduced. I had to twist their arm to get them to make the front valance pans.

It would be interesting to take '68 or '69 model fenders and see about modifying them to resemble the 1970 models.
From the middle to the rear, they appear to be the same. It would be a matter of modifying the very front and then the lower front where the valance attaches.
A $500 used 68-69 fender + a bit or work OR Search and search for an expensive original 1970 fender.
At what price point would it be worth it for the aftermarket to step in with reproductions?