1969 Dodge Charger Restoration

[pat1969charger]

I'll check tomorrow after work for you, I have an original.

 

[John69Charger]

I'll check tomorrow after work for you, I have an original.

Thanks your a life saver, i tried to check on my old rotten one as best i could, from what i could tell there was actually a slight bend to it. the middle hump seems to be farther forward than the ends from what i can tell

 

[John69Charger]

This is why i cant get an accurate measurement if the crossmember has a slight bow to it from my original... its just roached

 

[pat1969charger]

Hey John, sorry it took me a little longer to get back to you. I got tied up and didn't no make it to garage. I had a quick look this evening and it looks like the crossmember is slightly further forward in the centre at the hump then towards the outer ends. I can verify it tomorrow if you would like. I can tell you that if it's anything like or is the crossmember I had it was utter ****. Not one weld point was correct or close to correct. When I pulled the goodmark one out and dropped in the original it fit like a glove, and I had every part of the car out that it joins to. I remembered you had mentioned you are in Sydney? I bought a red 69 charger in Sydney mines a few years back, 383 2bbl black interior black top Console car.

 

[John69Charger]

Hey John, sorry it took me a little longer to get back to you. I got tied up and didn't no make it to garage. I had a quick look this evening and it looks like the crossmember is slightly further forward in the centre at the hump then towards the outer ends. I can verify it tomorrow if you would like. I can tell you that if it's anything like or is the crossmember I had it was utter ****. Not one weld point was correct or close to correct. When I pulled the goodmark one out and dropped in the original it fit like a glove, and I had every part of the car out that it joins to. I remembered you had mentioned you are in Sydney? I bought a red 69 charger in Sydney mines a few years back, 383 2bbl black interior black top Console car.

Thats no problem at all pat, there was no big rush anyways. I'm happy to hear the crossmember not being straight is normal. I've been messing around with it for the better part of the day and im pretty confident i can get it to work and weld up tight, but your description is accurate...out of the box, it fits like utter ****.
Yes that's right, i'm in Sydney. I've never heard of that red charger around here, i know of a few, but i guess you never know what ppl have, good find for sure!
Thanks again for checking that for me though, anything i can do in return, let me know!

 

[pat1969charger]

It was rotten beyond repairers breaking apart as we loaded it on the trailer. Young guy owned it, at that time I think he was 17 that was in summer 2014. Burke I think was the last name. His father is a body man and had a 69 chevelle and camaro

 

[John69Charger]

It was rotten beyond repairers breaking apart as we loaded it on the trailer. Young guy owned it, at that time I think he was 17 that was in summer 2014. Burke I think was the last name. His father is a body man and had a 69 chevelle and camaro

did you ever end up doing anything with it? I know where there is a 68 charger sitting right now for the longest time, in dire need of a restoration, but the gentlemen still thinks the car is worth what a restored one is.

 

[pat1969charger]

I still have what's left of it, which isn't much. Most solid part is the Vin tag lol. I cut it up and used some pieces of rear roof innerstructure and the odd bracket and so on.

 

[John69Charger]

I still have what's left of it, which isn't much. Most solid part is the Vin tag lol. I cut it up and used some pieces of rear roof innerstructure and the odd bracket and so on.

lol hardly worth the trip to buy it for that

 

[John69Charger]

We made up some jigs to locate and position the new hinge pillar panels, so the door bolts back up to the exact same spot.

 

[John69Charger]

The AMD cowl came in, so naturally i had to put it up and see how it fit and looked. Pat yourself on the back for this one AMD, the fit is basically perfect, but well see what happens when the lower cowl goes in..which unfortunately is not AMD.

 

[John69Charger]

This was welded on the left cowl panel, i'm assuming from the last person that attempted to restore this car. who ever it was, they really liked patching over rusted panels. i hit it with the grinder pad, looks like it says "69 Charger, Morris MacLean, 2000.

 

[John69Charger]

Going to need a patch on both of the inner rear panels, close to the wheel house-rockers. I can't buy a repro for this panel.

 

[John69Charger]

Next, we decided we would remove the left outer rocker, do the patch on the inner panel, and start to fit up the new rocker.

 

[John69Charger]

Here's the first little patch we put in, i used nice thick metal, prob 16-18 gauge. little bit more clean up of the weld and it will be done.
We also got the rocker panel mocked up. Fits real good, first GoodMark part that actually made me smile instead of curse. However the rocker end caps fit like absolute garbage, i had to change all the bends and flanges to get a nice tight fit.

 

[pat1969charger]

Looks great! I was also pleasantly surprised by the goodmark outer rocker. My driverside goodmark inner on the other hand was around an inch too long. As for the charger I got in Cape Breton, at that time I didn't even know about the RT so it had what I needed and that was a vin and clean title, the guy had all new floors for it as well as a crap load of other useful parts and a parts coronet which I never did go back for. For what I paid and what I got I think I did well. The RT was just a better car to restore. I still have the vin tag, all the body vins and the title in case I want to rebody a hemi car someday as a basemodel. (That may have been a slight dig at the guys who frown on how deep you and I are into our cars) lol

 

[daytona kid]

.

 

[John69Charger]

Looks great! I was also pleasantly surprised by the goodmark outer rocker. My driverside goodmark inner on the other hand was around an inch too long. As for the charger I got in Cape Breton, at that time I didn't even know about the RT so it had what I needed and that was a vin and clean title, the guy had all new floors for it as well as a crap load of other useful parts and a parts coronet which I never did go back for. For what I paid and what I got I think I did well. The RT was just a better car to restore. I still have the vin tag, all the body vins and the title in case I want to rebody a hemi car someday as a basemodel. (That may have been a slight dig at the guys who frown on how deep you and I are into our cars) lol

Ya, the goodmark rocker was a pleasant surprise from what ive been getting used to. lol certainly never hurts to have an extra set of vins, haha good way to increase the value of a hemi car is to make it a base model lol

 

[John69Charger]

Anyone watching this thread know if anyone makes a reproduction A-pillar?...or do i need a donor. I'd prefer not to patch them. I removed the inner cowl panel today and they were a lot rustier up the inside than i would like. I could separate them and sand blast, but they would still be heavily pitted.
thanks,
john

 

[pat1969charger]

John I don't believe I have come across a repro A pillar, I have a firewall, cowl and comeplete window frame that's pretty decent. I was going to use it but when I got the front clip it was a no brainer to use it all as an assembly.