• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Any ideas what may cause torn inner fender well, popping by back door

b569Charger

Active Member
Local time
1:18 PM
Joined
Dec 11, 2018
Messages
39
Reaction score
15
Location
Michigan
I have attached a few pictures of some weird stuff I found on my 69 Charger

First, under the hood, there is a crack line in the metal on the wheel hump under the hood

Second, it is kind of opening up right by the back seat glass edge, when you open the door

Both are on the passenger side.

Could this be from drag racing? It has a build 440 in it. I wonder if it was too much power for the body.

I heard they used torque boxes on hemi cars only until 1971 then they were used on 440 cars that help to keep the power form flexing the unibody frame. I have reason to think that maybe the car had been hit in the back long, long, long ago but I am perplexed by these 2 things. Anyone seen something like this before?

thanks!

20181122_150620.jpg 20181123_121015.jpg
 
Body flex and/or rust on the inside. Open the trunk and look way up in the quarters with a flashlight...I have to think if it was from being hit the cracks would have happened long ago
 
This is the box they added for the Hemi. The traction arm shown is not a factory stock item.

torque box.jpg
 
Body flex and/or rust on the inside. Open the trunk and look way up in the quarters with a flashlight...I have to think if it was from being hit the cracks would have happened long ago

It may be old. I just got this car and this is how it came. However, I just would assume they would of patched these up when they slapped the recent paint before the sale.

Thanks for the tip, I am going to check it out
 
If it was raced, with a big block, then it is most likely from stress...Torque boxes won't stop all the flex especially in a racing application. If the car in the black and white picture, is your car, it looks like it was a pretty serious race car...
 
that picture on the right is common...... Ive welded a few back together, including my own GTX on both sides
 
If it was raced, with a big block, then it is most likely from stress...Torque boxes won't stop all the flex especially in a racing application. If the car in the black and white picture, is your car, it looks like it was a pretty serious race car...

No, mine doesn't have the box, I found that pic on line to explain what I mean

I have no way to know IF it was raced, but it was one possible explanation I came up with
 
That's called massive torque in one of the original uni-body designs. Pretty common problem actually.
Weld in a set of frame rail connectors from US Car Tools then weld in some additional reinforcement behind the panels where they cracked.
http://store.uscartool.com/66-70-B-Body-frame-connectors.html
IMG_0901.JPG
IMG_0906.JPG
IMG_0909.JPG
 
Last edited:
Unibody cars that were not reinforced with aftermarket parts were prone to body flex and cracking the joints. If the car was sub-par from the factory, then it was even worse but if you think Mopars were bad for that, then you never owned any Fords....
 
Have an E-body vert...... then we can talk about cracks.....
 
I have attached a few pictures of some weird stuff I found on my 69 Charger

First, under the hood, there is a crack line in the metal on the wheel hump under the hood

Second, it is kind of opening up right by the back seat glass edge, when you open the door

Both are on the passenger side.

Could this be from drag racing? It has a build 440 in it. I wonder if it was too much power for the body.

I heard they used torque boxes on hemi cars only until 1971 then they were used on 440 cars that help to keep the power form flexing the unibody frame. I have reason to think that maybe the car had been hit in the back long, long, long ago but I am perplexed by these 2 things. Anyone seen something like this before?

thanks!

View attachment 692284 View attachment 692285
That first photo is a Bondo crack. Look at how they smoothed over the shock tower to apron. Hiding old issues....
Look for collision damage, like a buckle right ahead the the k frame. B bodies don't bend or crack at that spot without some rough treatment.
The door jamb crack is super common on 68-70 B body hardtops
 
Had that crack by the door in a 318 Coronet. Certainly not caused by HP. Just another weak spot.
 
That first photo is a Bondo crack. Look at how they smoothed over the shock tower to apron. Hiding old issues....
Look for collision damage, like a buckle right ahead the the k frame. B bodies don't bend or crack at that spot without some rough treatment.
The door jamb crack is super common on 68-70 B body hardtops
Agreed, the inner fender just looks like filler cracking. Anytime you put filler on thick or over poorly prepped surfaces this is what happens.
 
That first photo is a Bondo crack. Look at how they smoothed over the shock tower to apron. Hiding old issues....
Look for collision damage, like a buckle right ahead the the k frame. B bodies don't bend or crack at that spot without some rough treatment.
The door jamb crack is super common on 68-70 B body hardtops
Agree. However who is to say that the shitty body work wasn't cracked on the inner fender by torque as well.
The door jamb crack on the quarter is definitely torque.
Look familiar?
Picture 006.jpg
Picture 018.jpg
 
Unibody was a new term that came out when they figured out they could save more money making cars. You never saw those cracks on full frame cars. I have an Ebody that is cracked at the rear quarter panel and the roof seam. I had reinforcement done after the crack began.
 
I thought the quarter panel crack looked like bondo as well.
 
This crack is pretty common on Chargers. On the cars I've had over the years, mine have all been on the driver's side. The fenderwell crack is a new one on me.



620438-2c9de8bbdccdcdbb61cf46014d304583.jpg
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top