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The Willomet Charger

1970RT

Well-Known Member
Local time
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Joined
Oct 28, 2014
Messages
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Location
Oak Cliff, TX
Howdy!

I picked up this 70 R/T about two years ago. Since then, I've built out the shop in preparation to start this build.

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It's fairly complete - interior, trim, mouldings, lights, glass, suspension, drivetrain - really a rolling shell with no engine or transmission; perfect for my purposes.
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It arrived at the shop filled with three things: lots of parts, copious amounts of rat scat, and a rattlesnake that had taken up residence in the truck. No doubt it wanted to be close to a reliable meal. The snake didn't wait long to move out, and truthfully I only ever knew he was there from the shed skins in the corner of the shop and the trunk.

The interior was a biohazard, and I ordered the 3M mask and glove setup and got to cleaning the emptied car. I filled my shop vac several times and finished with a thorough rinse of the floor and inner door panels. It was funky.
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Having never disassembled a Mopar, I started cataloging and bagging and tagging the screws, clips, brackets with detailed notes as to how they went together and where. The reprint service manual was a useful guide. I should also say that every project - garage, house, car - is a chance to work with friends and family. Here's a buddy helping me take out the suspension and get it loaded up in the body cart:
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Disassembly should move along nicely from this elevated height:
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The objective is to build a car that will drive across the country and perform competitively against whatever monochromatic German machine it might encounter, as well as more recent iterations of American pony cars; all and without sacrificing what makes these cars unique.

We'll keep the solid rear axle and torsion bar front, and make upgrades to the unibody so our chassis is rigid and predictable. The hope is to deliver power to ground rather than just evaporating the rear tires, which will have the largest contact patch we can reasonably fit in the wells. Big brakes, precise steering, a well sorted suspension, around 600hp, an overdrive, and a target dry weight of less than 4000 lbs are all part of the plan. Maybe I'm aiming high.

Performance and long range comfort are the priorities, and in that order. There is a budget, so it will be built by hand and not a checkbook, and after stripping part of the rear quarter, it looks like I'll be placing at least one order with AMD for some new sheetmetal.
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I guess the previous owner thought 1/4" of body filler could hide all the past sins.

Back to sanding.

David
 
Welcome fellow charger restorer! Very nice car to start with, doesn't look like it has suffered very much. Will be watching your progress, keep us posted..
 
Take your time on it there easy to build. It's just a bunch of nuts and bolts. Good luck and keep the pictures coming. I had a 70 charger 500 but decided that I rather have a 72 rallye to restore instead so I let the 70 go and got the rallye I always wanted . So stick with it if it's what you want you'll get it done no matter what gets thrown at you
 
Nice project car and build opportunity. Keep us in the loop and show some more pics once in awhile.
 
Appreciate the welcome. Lots of great restoration examples here to follow.

I did a resupply order on 3M strip and clean discs, so I should be set for the coming weekend.

David
 
Spent much of yesterday helping a friend assess his Plymouth Fury III. One owner, 200K miles, 318/TF, and still a driver. Very solid car - just needs a back window frame and trunk extensions.
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Today, I had a few hours and managed to pull the last of the underhood hardware, took apart the driver door trim, and can now add at least a passenger rear quarter repair panel or skin to the AMD shopping list.
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Quick shot at what quality lies beneath the mountain of body filler:
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Interestingly, it looks like both rear quarters are leaded smooth to the roof skin. Sanding shows the original paint and primer is still in place, so I'm forced to consider that this was a factory application. Can anybody confirm?
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Finally, I can't stand throwing out parts; even the useless ones. Here's my latest - a repurposed vacuum canister:
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Work has been busy, so not much shop time during the week.

David
 
Planning the same thing with my 70 R/T
 

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It's unseasonably cool in Dallas right now; perfect time to be in the shop. Pulled the passenger door glass last night.
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Work has been extremely busy, but I'm taking a half day to get a jump on my weekend checklist.

David
 
Great looking Charger, sounds right up my ally. Welcome to another Charger man, gotta love em!
 
Had a fairly productive weekend.

Got the passenger side glass out, and in the process learned why we don't see rear quarter windows anymore - what an intricate mechanical system.
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Sanded the majority of the passenger quarter and door, leaving behind only the non-bodyfillered sections.
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Also pulled the trunk lid and rear bumper and found more hack-job body work. The PO must have blasted or stitch welded without pausing, because there's a serious warp in the rear deck filler panel.
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And our state fair is still a couple of months away, but the 3/4" bondo sculpture artistry on the rear valence corners was impressive. Blue ribbon.
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The spares for the truck happened to be out, and I had some fun.
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All in all, a good couple of days. At the suggestion of those here on the board, I'm taking my time and enjoying the process.

David
 
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The spares for the truck happened to be out, and I had some fun.
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All in all, a good couple of days. At the suggestion of those here on the board, I'm taking my time and enjoying the process.

David

That looks good...
 
Subscribed.
I shall enjoy both your writing style and watching someone else go through the "process" (i.e., emotional/financial/physical roller coaster) that doing one of these from scratch amounts to.
Good Lord, what a ride.... :)
Regards,
Ed
 
Subscribed.
I shall enjoy both your writing style and watching someone else go through the "process" (i.e., emotional/financial/physical roller coaster) that doing one of these from scratch amounts to.
Good Lord, what a ride.... :)
Regards,
Ed

Thanks, Ed. I think you captured it with "roller coaster." Sanding the large flat sections is very revealing, and so far I'm enjoying the process.

I'm looking forward to the next stage: media blasting the rest of the structure and shooting a primer. Should get a full scope of needed repair/rehab.

Quick note - I learned I was accidentally brand loyal. All 3M abrasive products:
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David
 
Looking good and that's a pretty fair example to start out with. You can never have enough sanding supplies. I sanded down the right quarter last night expecting to see rusted through spots and was surprised that it was all good. Then again there was a bit of Bondo in some other spots higher up. Keep posting so we can go along with you on your journey!
 
Another productive weekend as the checklist to media blasting continues to get shorter.

Pulled the trunk torsion bars, driver door and quarter glass, and a lot of miscellaneous bits as I did my once-over to make sure everything is removed. Still need to pull the rear glass frame, but that's about it for mechanical. The shop that will be doing the work recommended scraping any undercoating/sound deadener and seam sealer. In an effort to save a few bucks, I'm sanding the large panels myself.

I did take a minute to organize; can't think straight if parts and tools are strewn about. Glass is packed and window mechanisms are carefully labeled and diagramed so I can put this back together a few years from now:
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It doesn't look like much, but the door and trunk lid represent about 5 hours of continuous sanding with the 3M pads and 80 grit on the DA. For the hood, it's the first time the steel has seen light in 45 years:
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Note the damage. I think someone slammed down a heavy box or something:
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Trunk isn't too bad with the same hack rust repair; looks like it can be patched:
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Handy at the end of the day, I like the integrated b-body beer holder:
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David
 
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