JamieZ's 68 Charger

[Ron 73]

I hope it warms up for you Jamie, That is looking good i cant wait to be doing these things someday on mine, I really hope mine will turn out as good as yours is looking, as good as a few ive seen!!! All the best to ya!

 

[JamieZ]

Fabbed up a relocation bracket for the bump stop. It moves the factory stop outboard by a couple inches. This is the test fit before I finished it up and painted it. I still need to get some grade 8 hardware to mount it permanently. If I switch back to the factory uppers, I would just need to unbolt it and put the factory stop back in the stock location.

 

[Propwash]

Good work Jamie. How cold is it down there in Ohio lately?

 

[JamieZ]

Last week was in the 20s, but it warmed up this weekend. Today was up in the 40s. Early next week it may get into the 50s...but then fall back into the 30s

 

[Propwash]

Last week was in the 20s, but it warmed up this weekend. Today was up in the 40s. Early next week it may get into the 50s...but then fall back into the 30s

Brrrrrr....Been quite nasty up here as well. Hard to believe it's only November. Stay warm!

 

[Brads70]

Wow! Looks great. You sure have an eye for details, Great job! :icon_cheers:

 

[JamieZ]

Put the passenger's side back together. It took a little longer as I had to relocate the brake transition bracket. I must not have got it in the exact factory position when I repaired the frame rail. I also picked up some grade 8 hardware to mount them. Here is what they look like from the bottom.

The folds prevent it from deflecting when the full weight is on the bump stop.

I also torqued everything, reinstalled all the pins and then hit the new uppers with the grease gun. So now I am back to where I was before the recall.

I put the tires back on it and lowered it onto the alignment plates, but then I was too cold to mess with the alignment. I'll take care of that next week (I hope).

 

[JamieZ]

Got everything set up for the alignment, just need to get it dialed in. Since the weather was decent, my dad came over and we put the Charger's winter home together

 

[Ron 73]

Jamie thats cool! Looks like a great place to have it and the plywood floor is a great idea.... I would like to have one now for my 73, its been inside for 7 years and now this is the second winter she has to sleep out doors, lol, sometimes it feels like you left your kid out in the cold, last year was the first and man everytime i seen it out there i think i got sick! lol, Good luck,, it does look sturdy for sure...

 

[JamieZ]

Yesterday I put my repaired floor jack to use and did the alignment. Caster, Camber, Toe all set. I torqued all the lug nuts, paying special attention to the driver's rear where I replaced the studs.
Today, I checked everything and actually pulled the car out of the garage. I took it for a quick rip around the block and did the brake bedding procedure. It runs, turns, and even stops!
Here's a grainy security photo of it returning home:

The idle speed is set too high, I'm not sure if it's not dropping out of the high idle circuit or if the curb idle is just set too high. Just the typical carb adjusting stuff. The speedo needle is all over the place, and the cable is brand new. I'll have to double check that I didn't burn, but it's probably the speedo head that will need attention next year. The steering box leaks (especially when you jack the car up in the front). And I'll need to torque the rear lugs a few more times. But hey it's roadworthy again...just in time for winter.

 

[JamieZ]

The idle issue turned out to be the throttle cable. It was too short, a quick adjustment and everything works as it should.
I pulled the car out of the garage:

Then I hosed it off, and put it into winter storage. It is kinda disappointing I didn't get to drive her much this year but it really needed the brake upgrade, carb swap, and the front end rebuild.

 

[Propwash]

Awesome! Great to see your Charger just about ready to roll down the street's. Gotta love chasing those little gremlin's around the car.

 

[JamieZ]

Performed the final step of it's winterization. Put some staybil in the tank along with about 12 gallons of gas (it now reads nearly full) and ran it up to temp and let it idle for 5 minutes. I've had good luck doing this with my challenger so hopefully the charger is the same.

Here it is put away for winter:

 

[daytona kid]

That has to be a 1st, a security cam pic.. LOL! Looks snug for hibernation.. Sleep well blue beauty!

 

[Ron 73]

She looks good in there, snug as a bug... Man how i would love to have my 73 in somewhere, ive been offered a place twice but i really get uncomfortable if it isint here

 

[JamieZ]

This boat anchor spins free and the clutch works. I guess I've found my winter project:

 

[JamieZ]

Unseasonably warm weather continued so I installed the splash shields I got from DMT.


Those clips can be a pain to push in....

 

[Richard Cranium]

Yup, especially with the wheels on..

 

[JamieZ]

Well it hasn't been warm in months so pretty much the only thing I've done is clean the snow off the shed roof. I decided it was time to get back into working on the car. I've had the AC compressor laying around so I picked up a rebuild kit and started tearing into it. I pulled off the clutch and the field ring:

Like everything else on the car it has quite a bit of caked on mud/clay.

And after some cleaning:


This will not be a fast project, but at least I can do it indoors.

 

[Ron 73]

Anything that keeps us busy, it HAS to start getting like spring time soon... I like seeing the embossed part number there! "MOPAR" parting, Thats cool.... Sure makes a difference when we start cleaning things, from the junk yard look to put it back together.. very nice!!!