SGTPauls 68 Charger RT project

[SGTPaul]

Now I'm in the groove

Last two weeks have yielded some good work on the R/T. I removed the rear floor pans, what’s left of the package tray, rear window, and the trunk floor. Who hid that last weld on the trunk floor that stumped me for 30 minutes? There might also be more mosquito bites on me now than welds in the trunk floor…. No big surprises after the stuff was removed. Just one small pin hole in the frame. Part wise I was able to pick up a heater box, water pump, fan, fan clutch, tail panel, other misc stuff, and a complete non-AC dash with a tic-toc-tac (yahooooo!!!). ccasion18: Progress pics below including some of the not-so stellar body work by previous peoples. Next up is removing the really crappy quarters and outer wheel houses the previous peoples installed (nothing looks or fits right with them not to mention the gallons of bondo on them). From the quarters on the car I guess I have a 68 ½ (left quarter is a 68 and right is a 69). :icon_rolleyes:

 

[northerndave]

Wow that is not fun work ripping that old tin off, you gotta be happy to have that behind you. Lookin good!

 

[SGTPaul]

milestone reached!

Thanks Northern Dave. I do believe that I have removed all the bad stuff that I can tell (for now). :hello2: Quarters, outer wheel wells, and rear valance came off this week. Quarters and outer wheel houses were cheap after markets that didn’t fit well and caused more problems than they solved. Plus a bad installation job. There was over a ¼” of an inch of bondo in areas of the quarters and door jambs. Ug! Now that I can see the quarters area more clearly I can probably go with a skin on the left but looking like I might need a full one on the right. Tuesday morning the R/T will be dropped off at the media blaster and hopefully back by the weekend for some epoxy priming. What do I do with all this free time I’ll have while the car is away??? Couple progress pics below.

 

[detmatt1]

Looks like you have officially joined the "have you lost your mind" rustbelt restorers ranks! Where are you getting it media blasted?

 

[Donny]

Nice; the official "Have you lost your mind rebuild"! I like that comment Matt. Yeah, looks ready for the blaster; hope you get 100% value and 100% quality and 100% coverage in your Media Blaster.

 

[Propwash]

Looks like you have officially joined the "have you lost your mind" rustbelt restorers ranks! Where are you getting it media blasted?

LOL.....No Doubt! Sit Down, Relax, Join the club...Have a beer and a couple tetanus shots!

 

[SGTPaul]

LOL!! Oh my friends told me I was crazy when I bought the car. But what do they know? This is a lot of FUN! Dropped the R/T off at Ray’s Rust Busters on 10 Mile & Dequinder in Warren MI this morning. They said no big deal and the frame is in pretty good shape. Should have it back Friday afternoon.

 

[detmatt1]

Are you having them prime it as well?

 

[SGTPaul]

Nope, I'll do it.

 

[black64]

Nothing like reviving the old iron in the hobby we call cars.

 

[TheSwede]

Looking good!!!
Back from media blast yet?
Bought any stocks in AMD;-)
Can´t wait to follow this project too!

 

[SGTPaul]

back from the blaster

Happy Independence Day to all in the USA!!

Thanks for all the comments. On the 24th the media blaster had me come out to “take a look”. Not surprised at some things but very surprised at others. A couple of dents hidden by bondo on the roof and deck filler panel – no big deal. Right outer rocker is funny to look at that someone tried to save that metal. They slapped on bondo up to ½” thick. Right front frame rail was pretty bad at the shock tower under the upper control arm. Both rear spring mounts are iffy at best and the last 24” of the frame rails are the same way. Had them stop blasting in those areas that are going to be replaced. Got the car back from on June 27th and was going to prime with epoxy primer but my compressor crapped out late last week. Yeh it was that kind of week. :icon_eyes: So I started getting it set-up for pulling the inner and outer rockers for replacement as well as the torsion bar cross member until I can get the compressor fixed. Went out shopping and picked up most of what I needed for now. Those guys at Roseville Moparts are GREAT!! Not sure if I sould buy stock in AMD or not?? If they pay dividends in parts then I’m in. :eusa_dance: From watching Chop Cut Rebuild I devised a home made A post stabilizer so I can pull my rockers out. Taking some time off from the car today to get caught up on other things around the house and enjoy the holiday a bit with some friends. Few pics below for your enjoyment.

 

[Donny]

Nice!!

 

[detmatt1]

Agreed, Nice! Hope you had a great holiday Paul! Tell David Radcliff I said hey next time you are at Roseville Moparts!

 

[SGTPaul]

New metal!

Thanks for the comments guys. I will pass along your greeting Matt. Progress this week revolved around the right inner and outer rockers. I was able to get them drilled out and the new one placed for fitting. No idea how many welds there were holding those guys in…. Car appears to be stable and hasn’t moved from measurements taken before cutting began. Interesting find in the old rockers. There appeared to have been a mouse living in the cavity at one point since I found it’s nest… and the mouse! :icon_puke_l: Sucker looks like he got stuck a long time ago and was still there. Sure was a lot of blasting media in the rockers as well. Oh well. Hopefully I’ll get the new pieces welded in this week before starting on the left side.

 

[Propwash]

incredible amount of work! Progress looks good!

 

[Donny]

You're right about blasting media getting into the rockers, I try and try and try to get it all out after I'm done, but, can't get it ALL out. Looks like a scary prospect to rebuild this car, but, hey wait a minute, that car and amount of work looks kind of familiar too!

 

[detmatt1]

Very aggressive Paul, keep at it!

 

[SGTPaul]

total slacker...

Thanks for the comments. I’ve been a total slacker the last two weeks and haven't done anything on the car since I went on vacation to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. A few pics of what I saw below. I’ll be getting back into it later this week after I readjust to a normal life and much warmer weather…

 

[Ron 73]

Fantastic pictures! Ill be honest when i first clicked on this i thought maybe it was a update on the car, lol... But that looks like a great vacation.. Welcome back. Im more the lurker but your car and work does has my attention!