Lookie what $5000 buys you....

[Kern Dog]

When my buddy and I did the body and paint on the red car, Ginger, I chose to weld over the holes for the Charger emblem on the C pillar.

I left the holes in place on Jigsaw.

I’ve seen pictures online and realize my mistake. I will likely put them back on both cars. I’ll have to see if they are available with 2 sided tape for Ginger.

 

[Kern Dog]

I don’t recall when but I bought these torsion bars at the swap meet in Van Nuys.

This car has the stock 318-383 torsion bars that I think measure .88.

The 1.0 bars should be a decent upgrade. I ran this size in the other car for many years.
The ends have these markings:

Does anyone here recognize these?
Firm Feel has the FFI in their bars. I thought XV had the XV in theirs. I don’t recall what Mopar Performance did.
These look new. I’ve read that torsion bars are designed to only be installed one way. Either I’m lucky or this is BS because I’ve never broken one. I installed them in random ways before learning that that they are supposed to only twist in one way.

 

[Kern Dog]

I took a little time today contemplating bodywork again. The car had been in at least 2 collisions before I got it. The one that parked it for 25 years damaged the right side mostly. That is what necessitated the front stub replacement.
Sometime prior, the left side took a hit and the fender was replaced and then bent again. This resulted in this door looking like this:

If this were a Coronet or Belvedere, it may have made sense to just fix the door. Because of the intricate body lines of the Charger....

There are too many ridges and recesses to try to straighten out here. Plus, there is the bent edge to deal with....

I took a door from the parts stash....

The light green color is probably F4 ? Who cares.....Jigsaw is a patched together car with multiple colors anyway.
This door is really straight but the handle was ripped out sometime before I got it.

Even with a door handle in place, you can see the damage.

 

[Kern Dog]

I figured that repairing the damage with a welder was a LOT easier than trying to straighten the original door.

I MIG'd with short zaps and closed the hole up in the front hole but the button end needed a small section of sheet metal to close it up. The work isn't real pretty but it will get some dolly work and filler later.

The holes are closed up enough to mount the handle. The latch on this door is not fastened in place. I'll have to remove it to fix more damage.

There is one dent at the ridge here:

I will probably use some of the latch hardware from the original door to make this work. The glass in the green door isn't tinted. The glass in the original door is heavily streaked and looks bad.

 

[hunt2elk]

Door Handle Reinforcement Plate 1967-76 A-body 1968-70 B-body, Door Handles/Reinforcement Plates, 199-DR001S Reproduction, NOS and Used Mopar Muscle Car Parts
I have been putting these reinforcement plates in all my cars. Wouldn't hurt anything to put a set in Jigsaw? I probably missed it, but did you ever get this car titled/registered?

 

[Kern Dog]

I probably missed it, but did you ever get this car titled/registered?

I have a buddy that is going to help with VIN verification. I just need to fix a few more things first.


Door Handle Reinforcement Plate 1967-76 A-body 1968-70 B-body, Door Handles/Reinforcement Plates, 199-DR001S Reproduction, NOS and Used Mopar Muscle Car Parts

Hmm....That is a good idea. Those would be great to weld in before final body and paint, thank you.
I am clearly not some high end shop but from what I have seen, some of them will fully assemble various things to make sure the fitment is right before then taking them apart for paint and finish work. I'm going to do something similar....but instead of just mocking up immediately followed by bodywork, I'll drive and enjoy the car for awhile.

 

[hunt2elk]

I have a buddy that is going to help with VIN verification. I just need to fix a few more things first.


Door Handle Reinforcement Plate 1967-76 A-body 1968-70 B-body, Door Handles/Reinforcement Plates, 199-DR001S Reproduction, NOS and Used Mopar Muscle Car Parts

Hmm....That is a good idea. Those would be great to weld in before final body and paint, thank you.
I am clearly not some high end shop but from what I have seen, some of them will fully assemble various things to make sure the fitment is right before then taking them apart for paint and finish work. I'm going to do something similar....but instead of just mocking up immediately followed by bodywork, I'll drive and enjoy the car for awhile.

Those door handle plates get installed with urethane caulk, no welding. I believe they are stainless steel.

 

[dana44]

I figured that repairing the damage with a welder was a LOT easier than trying to straighten the original door.

View attachment 1400408

I MIG'd with short zaps and closed the hole up in the front hole but the button end needed a small section of sheet metal to close it up. The work isn't real pretty but it will get some dolly work and filler later. View attachment 1400409View attachment 1400410View attachment 1400411


The holes are closed up enough to mount the handle. The latch on this door is not fastened in place. I'll have to remove it to fix more damage.

View attachment 1400412View attachment 1400413

There is one dent at the ridge here:

View attachment 1400415

I will probably use some of the latch hardware from the original door to make this work. The glass in the green door isn't tinted. The glass in the original door is heavily streaked and looks bad.

goo gone and a razor blade will clean that glass up.

 

[Kern Dog]

No, it will not.
I tried several things including Coca Cola, lacquer thinner, dawn detergent, commercial cleaners that are supposed to remove rust and calcium, CLR, razor blades and even gasoline.

 

[dana44]

 

[fesser]

I briefly owned a Corvette that had really bad hazing and mineral buildup on the glass. When I got it smogged the smog guy (also owns a detail shop) sold me a bottle of Ardex M.S.R. (mineral spot remover). It was really impressive stuff. You have to follow the directions to the T, but the results were worth it. I am sure there are many other similar products. I tried reading the label just now, but it is damaged. Looks like the main ingredient is hydrofluoric acid.

 

[Photon440]

Chemicals have their place, but mechanical polishing will often do a better job, although it will take longer. A package of cerium oxide, easily found on ebay or amazon, when mixed with water to form a paste can be polished in with a felt wheel on a power drill or rotary polisher. Doing it by hand isn't as effective because 1) it takes too long and 2) the heat produced from the power polisher helps the action. Cerium oxide is often sold as a glass polish, but hobby stores might have it as well for rock tumblers. This polish is also useful for minor windshield wiper scratches.

 

[fesser]

Chemicals have their place, but mechanical polishing will often do a better job, although it will take longer. A package of cerium oxide, easily found on ebay or amazon, when mixed with water to form a paste can be polished in with a felt wheel on a power drill or rotary polisher. Doing it by hand isn't as effective because 1) it takes too long and 2) the heat produced from the power polisher helps the action. Cerium oxide is often sold as a glass polish, but hobby stores might have it as well for rock tumblers. This polish is also useful for minor windshield wiper scratches.

Have you done this? My 68 glass is all pretty beat. Wouldn't mind trying it.

 

[Kern Dog]

Some progress today.

How about that seat, huh? It matches the overall vibe of the car!

This name "Jigsaw" is really appropriate. Notice the replacement lower hinge. Not much on this car is original.

Remember the 1970s adult movie "Behind the Green Door" ?

I remember the name but not much else. Anyhow....

The gaps at the fender look good. the top is close to the other gaps too.

The end of the door seemed a little low so I made a shim from 20 gauge sheet metal.

It fits between the lower hinge and door.

As slight as the shim was, it still put the top of the door too high at the quarter.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Isn’t fun just throwing sh*t together? Making things look good enough, and not spending days getting it absolutely perfect. Ratty muscle cars for the win!

 

[Kern Dog]

I removed the shim and set about to raise the end of the door slightly by adjusting the "catch" in the door jamb. Surely there is a factory correct term for that part...I don't know what they called it in the FSM.

I ended up pulling it out to find multiple cracks in the sheet metal.

The plate the catch attaches to fell inside the quarter panel. I had to pull the interior trim panel to gain access. It sure is cramped and busy in there. It has been a long time since I've looked at the quarter window mechanism....Holy crap, the engineering that must have gone into this design!

A few minutes with Mr MIG.....

Followed by some grinding and filing and it was ready to go back together.
That plate inside the quarter is just held in by thin stamped sheet metal that bends over the plate. One tab was bent away from years of abuse.
You really need long and skinny arms to reach up in around the quarter window stuff. No way that IronBuilt could have done this.

The gaps look good but the latch will still need more adjustment. The door handle wouldn't open the latch from the outside at first. I found that my fill work went a little too far into the opening.

The blue arrow shows the moving part of the thumb button. It kept hitting the metal shown in the red arrow and wouldn't allow full travel of the button. I simply shaved the metal back at the red arrow and it worked fine.

I'll need to put a mirror on it and the stainless steel trim at the top of the door and then....move onto the fender.

 

[eldubb440]

I removed the shim and set about to raise the end of the door slightly by adjusting the "catch" in the door jamb. Surely there is a factory correct term for that part...I don't know what they called it in the FSM.

it's called a "striker" on most cars

technically, the door should line up with no striker in place.....then you adjust the striker to the door


the hinges get loose making the door hang, instead of lifting the door a little to close it, people just start slamming it.... creating that broken area

 

[Kern Dog]

I don't know why the term striker was absent from my brain. Thank you.

 

[eldubb440]

door hinge adjustment tip (where it bolts to the body)......... loosen the bolts just a little, so the hinge is still held in place snuggly. Remove the mud shield behind the fender and tap the hinge with a hammer. The idea is to move the hinge just a little with good control, and not have it slip all over the place......making it a one man job

 

[eldubb440]

I have a "door dolly" that adjusts and holds the door at the perfect height and angles for installation....... I haven't had any help installing and adjusting a door in 20 years, all with finish paint and zero mishaps