Grendel lives...resurrection of a 1970 Charger 500

[Coelacanth]

Grendel broke out of jail and is now back in her cave. Now begins a TON of work...I got the taillights installed and I'm working on the finish panel. I removed all the existing black paint--and some blue and orange, didn't see that coming--which was easy with some acetone and a grey scuff pad, but it looks like removing the anodizing will take more time. I used Easy Off oven cleaner but the job's far from done. I am considering repainting the whole finish panel SEM Trim Black. Those dated rims & bald rubber will be gone after I get the new fuel tank and stainless fuel lines installed. The vinyl top needs a good scrub with a brush and 303 Aerospace Protectant.

 

[Coelacanth]

I have some hood and trunk alignment issues to resolve.

-Hood is too far forward on passenger side, equally too far inward on driver side. Hood is also too high on driver side.

-Trunk is too high on driver side, too low on passenger side.

Any tips on correcting the alignment would be appreciated. I'm thinking to do this right, might be a 3-person job.

 

[ckessel]

Put several layers of masking tape on the edges to protect from chips as you move panels around.

 

[Coelacanth]

Put several layers of masking tape on the edges to protect from chips as you move panels around.

Great tip, thank you!

 

[Coelacanth]

I finally finished reassembling the front bumper and grille...quite the hassle and frustration with the trial-and-error fitment of all the bolts, washer nuts, spacers, etc. while avoiding scratching the painted bumper. But it's finally finished and ready to put back on the car, but I have a few questions. The two grille spacers on the bottom only seem to install one way, with the bolts in the kit going up from beneath, and seem to protrude too much into the bottom of the headlight cavity. There's no other way to install this that I can see, as the washer nuts only clip onto the upper metal part of the grille frame, they can't clip onto the lower square hole in the bumper frame because the screw holes won't line up. Is this normal?

And secondly, the square thick areas have holes in them but I see nowhere for a screw to bolt into in the upper bumper frame assembly. Does something screw in there? Maybe rubber bumpers for the pop-up headlights when they close?

 

[Coelacanth]

Finally had a bright sunny day and took a few pics of the front valance, first time I was able to see how the Jet Green Metallic will look in the sun.

 

[RemCharger]

I finally finished reassembling the front bumper and grille...quite the hassle and frustration with the trial-and-error fitment of all the bolts, washer nuts, spacers, etc. while avoiding scratching the painted bumper. But it's finally finished and ready to put back on the car, but I have a few questions. The two grille spacers on the bottom only seem to install one way, with the bolts in the kit going up from beneath, and seem to protrude too much into the bottom of the headlight cavity. There's no other way to install this that I can see, as the washer nuts only clip onto the upper metal part of the grille frame, they can't clip onto the lower square hole in the bumper frame because the screw holes won't line up. Is this normal?

And secondly, the square thick areas have holes in them but I see nowhere for a screw to bolt into in the upper bumper frame assembly. Does something screw in there? Maybe rubber bumpers for the pop-up headlights when they close?

View attachment 1679638

View attachment 1679639

I helped my buddy put his 70 grille together and I believe the factory intended to use those, and then abandoned the idea.
We made them work like the factory would have.

 

[Coelacanth]

I helped my buddy put his 70 grille together and I believe the factory intended to use those, and then abandoned the idea.
We made them work like the factory would have.

How is that? I see the bumper frame on one side has a hole drilled that wasn't factory, but the other side doesn't.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Finally had a bright sunny day and took a few pics of the front valance, first time I was able to see how the Jet Green Metallic will look in the sun.

View attachment 1679770

View attachment 1679771

That looks beautiful! My car is F8 with the Ledger Green tail stripe. I want to use 2016 Plum Crazy for the repaint.

 

[RemCharger]

I wish I had pics.. but yes drilling and modification etc. Tried to mimic the other locations. Talking about the upper mount holes.

 

[RemCharger]

Only pic

 

[Coelacanth]

I wish I had pics.. but yes drilling and modification etc. Tried to mimic the other locations. Talking about the upper mount holes.

Thanks guys, I think I'll do something with those top 2 holes because, at least on one side, the inner plastic grille loop has a bit of a sag and adding a mount point should straighten it out.

 

[Coelacanth]

That looks beautiful! My car is F8 with the Ledger Green tail stripe. I want to use 2016 Plum Crazy for the repaint.

Mine was originally F8 green but I never liked that color. There seems to be a resurgence in popularity for "medium green metallic" but olive green just doesn't do it for me. And green is one of my favorite colors! Just not that green...

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks guys, I think I'll do something with those top 2 holes because, at least on one side, the inner plastic grille loop has a bit of a sag and adding a mount point should straighten it out.

Uhhh....

This is a common issue.

 

[Coelacanth]

Uhhh....



View attachment 1679997

This is a common issue.

Thanks KD, indeed it is. On my grille, one upper side above the headlight cover sags more than usual, so I followed RemCharger's suggestion to drill a few holes into the upper bumper frame using the existing holes in the thick plastic "phantom" mounts (highlighted in my image above) and used a few stainless screws and nuts to bolt those to the bumper frame, using a couple rubber washers between the grille and bumper to get the sag looking more straight. I'll take some pics later to show this. The bottom surface of those phantom mounts actually has a recess so a screw head won't protrude into the cavity and potentially obstruct the headlight door.

I also think I answered my own question about the screw tips protruding into the headlight door cavities, I test-fitted a headlight cover and it rotates without hitting them, so everything looks normal.

 

[RemCharger]

Thanks KD, indeed it is. On my grille, one upper side above the headlight cover sags more than usual, so I followed RemCharger's suggestion to drill a few holes into the upper bumper frame using the existing holes in the thick plastic "phantom" mounts (highlighted in my image above) and used a few stainless screws and nuts to bolt those to the bumper frame, using a couple rubber washers between the grille and bumper to get the sag looking more straight. I'll take some pics later to show this. The bottom surface of those phantom mounts actually has a recess so a screw head won't protrude into the cavity and potentially obstruct the headlight door.

I also think I answered my own question about the screw tips protruding into the headlight door cavities, I test-fitted a headlight cover and it rotates without hitting them, so everything looks normal.

Good to hear. Iirc we shaved one side of one of the big plastic washers to fit up against the metal ledge of the main support. And yes I think there should be some give for movement/expansion/ vibration against cracking. That may be part of the story to them deleting that fastener

 

[Coelacanth]

Here's my solution for the grille sag issue, mostly following RemCharger's suggestion. I drilled a hole about the same size as the ones in the rectangular thick plastic part of the grille, through the metal bumper frame above, threaded a stainless screw through the grille, two rubber washers approximately 1/8" thick in total, through the bumper frame and through a washer, lock-washer and nut. On the side that had a much more noticeable sag, it really helped straighten out the grille.

 

[Kern Dog]

Two thoughts:
1) Did that bolt go through the top band of the grille to hold it up?
2) Are you going to modify the headlight doors to match the center honeycomb pattern? The doors have the vertical ribs like the rest of the stock grille does. To make this look right, I'm guessing you plan to remove the ribs from the doors and make a honeycomb cover.

The loops and ribs are held in place by button head fasteners similar to rivets. They could be drilled out.

 

[Coelacanth]

I have a spare set of headlight covers but I'm going to see how it looks without modding them first. I personally don't think the covers need to match the hex pattern, just my opinion. When the headlights are on, you don't see the covers, and when they're down, you'll just see black. The silver trim areas make the covers stand out more, but if everything is painted a uniform black, I think it'll have more continuity. I hope to have the bumper installed soon and I'll be able to get some photos.

I'm not sure what you meant by the bolt going "through the top band of the grille"? That thickened rectangular section is part of the grey plastic loop, so the bolt goes through that where the existing holes in that rectangular section are. I didn't crank the nut down tight, I just snugged the plastic loop up against the 2 rubber washers and used a spring washer to prevent it from loosening. The washers are kinda hard to see in the pic because everything is black.

 

[Kern Dog]

I personally don't think the covers need to match the hex pattern, just my opinion. When the headlights are on, you don't see the covers, and when they're down, you'll just see black. The silver trim areas make the covers stand out more, but if everything is painted a uniform black, I think it'll have more continuity. I hope to have the bumper installed soon and I'll be able to get some photos.

If you are happy with the grille, that is what matters most.
You will notice the difference in the pattern though. These aren't invisible like the Hondas or Toyotas where people just walk on past without looking and admiring them. If you were skilled enough to do the center section, you can do the headlight doors too. Continuity matters a lot with automobile design.