Baby Come Back; '70 Charger Restoration

[eldubb440]

Just dont understand why AMD does not make the 70 fenders.

they will announce the day after you give up your left nut for one....... such is life

don't feel bad....... everyone sitting on banged up, overpriced fenders will be left holding the bag

 

[davek]

they will announce the day after you give up your left nut for one....... such is life

don't feel bad....... everyone sitting on banged up, overpriced fenders will be left holding the bag

And I will be so happy when that day comes.

 

[chargervert]

Even when you pay top dollar for a supposedly rust free Charger project,they still need metel repair. Check out Craniums build. I bought two 70 Charger R/T cars from California,and both need some rust repairs,nothing like rust belt cars,but dutch panels,trunk floors,lower quarters,and roof rust. These cars were prone to rust. They were designed to have a ten year life span.

 

[eldubb440]

don't you guys just need a clean front half of fender with a badly rotted lower to marry to something else?

surely you could score that for under 2K

 

[chargervert]

I had to twist AMDs arm to make the front valence. They have no interest in doing 70 fenders or hoods. Parts that fit one model year only are hard to justify the tooling expenses!

 

[davek]

don't you guys just need a clean front half of fender with a badly rotted lower to marry to something else?

surely you could score that for under 2K

Thats what I am doing, a member here had the upper front that I needed.

 

[chargervert]

don't you guys just need a clean front half of fender with a badly rotted lower to marry to something else?

surely you could score that for under 2K

The front of 70 fenders get beat up pretty bad . They 68/69 ones get beat up even worse,because they don't have the wrap around bumper to protect the leading edge,but atleast you can buy those.

 

[davek]

The front of 70 fenders get beat up pretty bad .

Mine rotted from the bottom up,the headlight bucket braces .

 

[Richard Cranium]

They were designed to have a ten year life span.

I don’t think it was even that long. At 80K miles, most of these cars were ready for the junk yard. 50+ years on, it’s a miracle that any survived.

 

[chargervert]

My parents 70 Charger R/T SE started getting rust at around nine years old. It was their everyday car,driven year round in New England. Every year in October,he would put the studded snow iires on it until April. My bedroom was in the basement,and I would wake up everyday to the view from the window,of a Magnum 500 wheel and the lower quarterpanel of the Charger parked in the driveway. One day in 1979 I noticed rust bubbles on the lower rear quarter.

 

[Richard Cranium]

My first car was a 1969 318 Charger that I bought in November 1975. The car has about 65,000 miles & rust was coming through on the tops, sides and bottom of the fenders, bottoms of the doors, all around the rear wheelwells & water was getting into the trunk from the rear window channel.

 

[chargervert]

My first car was a 1969 318 Charger that I bought in November 1975. The car has about 65,000 miles & rust was coming through on the tops, sides and bottom of the fenders, bottoms of the doors, all around the rear wheelwells & water was getting into the trunk from the rear window channel.

Must have been a North Shore car. Gary bought a 71 Charger R/T from Revere Beach,it was completely wasted! My mom's car only had rust bubbles before and after the wheel at the very bottom on the rear quarters at 10 years old. The fenders and doors were solid.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Most any second generstion Charger can be saved these days,thanks to AMD. I parted out about 100 of them in the eighties,because there was no sheetmetal to save rusty New England Chargers. Dave's Charger looks remarkably solid compaired to some of the basket cases you see guys rebuilding these days.

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While some may wonder how the Stephens' Daytona could ever get into a condition like that, keep in mind that it took nearly 25 years for Daytonas and other rare Musclecars to become collectible. For over a decade, cars from the musclecar era iron were just regular cars, unlike today where some of today's newer cars are instant collectibles as soon as they roll off the showroom floor. It's funny how things have changed.

 

[chargervert]

It's incredibly humid in Alabama where his junkyard is. Sitting in grass with high humidity,and Chargers return to mother earth. I have a friend who lives down there,he can't even work on his Charger in the summer. He said you are soaked,dripping sweat as soon as you try to work on a car.

 

[chargervert]

I thought you forgot and I did not want to keep bugging you about it,thanks.

Left and right door scoop templates are done, Tailpanel template is next.

 

[davek]

It's incredibly humid in Alabama where his junkyard is. Sitting in grass with high humidity,and Chargers return to mother earth. I have a friend who lives down there,he can't even work on his Charger in the summer. He said you are soaked,dripping sweat as soon as you try to work on a car.

S Carolina gets that way for about 3 months, have to work on it at night if you get lucky if its not 80 plus.

 

[chargervert]

Taillight panel template. Due to the curvature of the taillight panel it is extremely difficult to make it out of paper,so I made it with tape,and I am going to attempt to remove it in one piece and then transfer it to the paper.

 

[chargervert]

Semi successful transfer to paper. You will have to trim it with scissors and true it up where needed once it it fitted to the countours of the taillight panel then cut and adjust it to the taillight openings. You may have to cut it and retype a spot or two where it didn't lay down straight on the paper,but it should do the trick for you.

 

[Richard Cranium]

It's incredibly humid in Alabama where his junkyard is. Sitting in grass with high humidity,and Chargers return to mother earth. I have a friend who lives down there,he can't even work on his Charger in the summer. He said you are soaked,dripping sweat as soon as you try to work on a car.

Funk that!

 

[hdwrench]

congrats! i know it’s a great feeling. i stored my car for a long time ( near 20 years) before i found a compitent body metal guy . we are making great progress on the metal work. so nice to see …..