1968 or 1969 Charger Convertible

[vanceboy]

Yes, you read that correctly.

I realize that many feel that a charger convertible is ludicrous, but I've recently become infatuated with them.

I think owning and driving one would be a hoot!

Does anyone know if there is any place where I could learn more about them? i.e. website / forum or actual owners? I tried to send a private message to chargervert but his mailbox is full.

Where could I look to possibly buy one or more likely learn how to make one?

I know they are made out of coronets.

I'm wondering if you could just bolt the charger front grill, front fenders and hood on a coronet convertible to make a pseudo-charger. It would be easier if I didn't have to change the coronet doors or rear fenders. Would a charger rear tail panel bolt to coronet rear fenders?

Any info anyone could provide would be appreciated!

Hey, variety is the spice of life!

Thanks, Vance

 

[DeltaV]

@chargervert

 

[Dave6T4]

I think Charger doors are thicker than Coronet doors to line up with Charger's more voluptuous rear quarters.

 

[vanceboy]

I agree, charger doors would not line up with coronet rear quarters.

Thats why I wanted to keep the coronet doors and rear quarters.

The question is, would charger front fenders line up with the front edge of coronet doors?

 

[vanceboy]

@chargervert

I tried chargervert, his inbox is full

 

[DeltaV]

I tried chargervert, his inbox is full

@chargervert might be busy polishing his extensive collection of dog dish hub caps.

He'll chime in soon.

 

[Kern Dog]

I agree, charger doors would not line up with coronet rear quarters.

Thats why I wanted to keep the coronet doors and rear quarters.

The question is, would charger front fenders line up with the front edge of coronet doors?

Nothing lines up. The Coronet/Belvedere doors lack the multiple body lines that the Charger doors have.
Your best bet to make this work would be to reskin a Belvedere or Coronet with ALL Charger panels.

First picture. Look at the three lines here that fade into nothing. Coronet doors don't have these.

Another look:

Notice at the bottom left where the quarter panel line fades into the lower scallop. On the lower right, the fender line fades into the door below the scallop. At the top, the hard bend is a sharper edge than the Coronet and Belvedere. There is also the issue of that crease at the bottom....

The bottom body line is not shared with the Charger.

 

[71RRHI]

@chargervert might be busy polishing his extensive collection of dog dish hub caps.

He'll chime in soon.

Or you could just post that you plan to build a charger vert with dog dishes, and he will respond.

 

[eldubb440]

summoning King Dog Dish.......

 

[Runcharger]

Yes: Steelies with dog dishes would be a must on a car like that.

 

[chargervert]

Yes: Steelies with dog dishes would be a must on a car like that.

Never!

 

[vanceboy]

Nothing lines up. The Coronet/Belvedere doors lack the multiple body lines that the Charger doors have.
Your best bet to make this work would be to reskin a Belvedere or Coronet with ALL Charger panels.

First picture. Look at the three lines here that fade into nothing. Coronet doors don't have these.

View attachment 1905762

Another look:

View attachment 1905763

Notice at the bottom left where the quarter panel line fades into the lower scallop. On the lower right, the fender line fades into the door below the scallop. At the top, the hard bend is a sharper edge than the Coronet and Belvedere. There is also the issue of that crease at the bottom....


View attachment 1905777

The bottom body line is not shared with the Charger.

Thanks for the info. I guess my idea of simply bolting the charger front end on a coronet won't work.

Unfortunately the extensive bodywork required to change the rear quarters is beyond my capabilities .

I guess my only hope of owning one would be to buy one and I can't imagine that many of them exist.

 

[chargervert]

I built two of them. The front end bolted on with little modifications as did the door. It is necessary to put the convertible door glass and vent window frames into the Charger doors and install the anti rattle tabs onto the upper back of the Charger door shells. The rear of the car is where things get pretty complex. I cut the rear quarters and rear panel off the car,but left the tops of the rear quarters and trunk jambs in place. I removed the trunk floor pan and installed a Charger trunk pan so it would have the raised area with the hole for the Charger fuel filler tube to pass through. The rear door jambs had to be widened to accept the Charger rear quarter panels, while retaining the anti rattle pieces that convertible cars have. The outer wheel houses had to be grafted into the convertible wheel tubs and the trunk extensions were changed to Charger extensions. The rear crossmember and crossmember corners had to be changed to Charger pieces as well. The wedge shaped Charger rear bumper braces had to be installed as well to accept the Charger rear taillight panel. On both cars I used a donor Charger rear clip,and installed it in one piece to maintain factory squareness and alignment. I laid the rear clip over the existing factory convertible rear quarter top sections and trunk jambs and cut both the Charger rear clip and factory convertible sections where they intersected. I removed the excess sheet metal from both the convertible sections and the Charger clip and screwed them together. Then I fitted the convertible trunk lid with the very end cut off it. It is necessary to use a Plymouth trunklid because a Coronet trundled has body lines in it,and the Plymouth trunk lid does not. After marking the Plymouth trunklid and cutting it to length a half inch beyond where the convertible trunk jamb meets the Charger trunk jamb,I used a stepping tool to step the rearward edge of the Plymouth trunklid. I then placed a Charger trunklid on the car from the rearward edge of the taillight panel and marked it where the Charger trunk jamb met the convertible trunk jamb, and cut the Charger trunk lid to that length. I spliced the two trunk lids together and welded them together too and bottom and blended them together. After the trunklid and doorjambs were fitted together correctly I welded the convertible upper rear quarter panels to the Charger rear clip. I rand the body line of the convertible into the gas cap area of the Charger clip on the drivers side and faded the body line at the same distance on the passenger side upper rear quarter. These body lines simulate the area where the fins would be on a standard Charger. After the Charger clip and trunklid were welded,then I cut off the rusted Charger quarter skins,taillight panel rear valance pan and valance corners and installed new quarter panel skins,taillight panel,rear valence pan and corners. This must be done after the rear clip is fitted to insure proper fitment, squareness and panel gaps. As I said its pretty involved. A 68 to 70 Coronet or Satellite convertible can be used for the base car, but after doing both, the Satellite is a better fit.

 

[chargervert]

Thanks for the info. I guess my idea of simply bolting the charger front end on a coronet won't work.

Unfortunately the extensive bodywork required to change the rear quarters is beyond my capabilities .

I guess my only hope of owning one would be to buy one and I can't imagine that may of them exist.

The Charger nose and doors will bolt on,but the back edges of the doors will stick out beyond the Coronet rear quarters by two inches on each side.

 

[chargervert]

This was the second Charger convertible I built for a friend of mine ,the panel fitment is a bit better on this one than on my orange car.

 

[chargervert]

This was the first Charger convertible ever built. It was built by the gentleman who designed the second generation Charger Richard Sais.

 

[chargervert]

This convertible was done in the eighties by Pete Veight from Connecticut, who is a member here on for B Bodies only. The car currently has a 426 Hemi engine in it with a 4 speed transmission. I believe that Pete says that he uses the car as a fair weather daily driver.

 

[WileE]

Not sure what I admire more about chargervert and his handiwork... the planning, the skill, or the patience !

 

[Jim 68cuda]

A buddy of mine built a 70 Charger vert from a Coronet vert. Of course the doors and front end sheet metal just bolts on, the hard part was the modification of the reproduction quarters and the dutchman panel (between trunk lid and convertible top opening). The reproduction quarters have partial C-pillars so pieces from the Coronet vert needed to be spliced in to form the convertible top opening. Likewise, the original dutchman panel needs to be spliced onto a Charger dutchman panel to preserve the shape of the top opening and line up with the very different Charger trunk lid. Of course there was alot more to the conversion, but those are the externally visual modifications. His current project is building another Charger vert. A '68 this time.

Of course, the easiest way to put a Charger front end on a Coronet would be to cut and splice the door skins to match the Charger front fenders at the front and to match the Coronet body lines at the back of the door (as on the white Coronet in the pictures). Or to make a similar splice on the front fenders combining part of the Charger and Coronet fenders (as was done on the green 70 Coronet in the photo).

 

[chargervert]

Your friends Charger convertible looks great!