$500- 68 charger

[daytona kid]

wow, makes me feel a little better. Thnx, good stuff.

 

[Ron 73]

I truly admire someone who will go the extra mile to keep a old car from certain death, This one i imagine a struggle of mind and body.. Good for him!

http://www.macleanclassics.com/1968chargerrtresto.htm

 

[old tired rebel]

You are doing a great job and you are giving me hope for my Charger

 

[dart_doctor]

Just dont Give up on it . You have my dream car . Almost any thing can be fixed . Keep rocking

 

[daytona kid]

Here's a 68 charger that was in pretty bad shape.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48718.0.html

Well, Thanks to that link, I have changed my mind again. After studying those pics I cannot live with my rotted rear rails. I will replace the aft part of them like they did there. It would bug me not to do it right, and "Go the extra mile". I had ordered some rear rail caps/covers, but maybe the co will let me return them.
(Lesson - "Don't rush and buy stuff before you think/study/research hard and long about it.")

Now I will set the car up for taking off the rails. I will set the jackstands off the rolling dollys and mark the floor around them, take some measurements, etc... I will buy some of those tall support stands to hold the rails up while removing and replacing them. I think I will weld a piece of angle iron across the front/top of the old ones before cutting and leave the rear cross member to hold them together as "unit" for measurement checks, etc.. My shock mount brace is ok so will remove it and reuse.

 

[daytona kid]

Got it on all 4 rolling stands now and able to remove front end. Will remove all I can from front end tomorrow morn. Then get back to the tail.

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/daytonakid/media/68 charger/IMAG0967_zps1484ad96.jpg.html

 

[Propwash]

You're thinking along the right lines...Don't cut corners, do it right the first time and be done with it. In the long run, it's always quicker and cheaper anyways. Besides, those rails are really shot! Good idea on measuring out the original position of the old ones. Maybe cross reference it with a Chrysler chassis chart while you're at it. Progress is looking good!

 

[hunt2elk]

As soon as you remove the k-frame and front end, the car is going to get quite tail heavy. You may want to put another set of braces in the back to compensate for this. I had mine on a hoist and was able to use rachet straps to tie the front end to the hoist. Check out the bracing I used - it worked out very well. I can send you additional pics. if you want.

 

[daytona kid]

I thought about that. I am looking for some taller utility stands for the back end. I would also soon like to make a one piece stand/table with some big enough wheels so I can get it on a trailer. Thnx

 

[daytona kid]

I got all the front end off except the K member and steering box. Will get them in the a.m.. I put my sand bags for blasting in the front cab floor to make sure it stayed on the stands. The rear bolts on both upper A frames were stuck big time, had to cut them to get the A's loose. Funny thing- the torsion bars had fresh looking 45 year old grease in the rear end holders. Sent the rear rail covers I had ordered back today, caught the ups dude and refused them. Will be ordering the partial rails soon. Anyone no of a good source for ordering the partial rear rails? AMD doesn't carry them. I see Sherman has them.

http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/daytonakid/media/68 charger/IMAG0971_zps352fc826.jpg.html

 

[Propwash]

I bought my partials from AutoBodySpecialT...They're not perfectly identical to factory but close. Fit was good, Heavier gauge metal, have internal reinforcements, and have a stepped lip in the front for adjustability, depending where you make your cut line in the rear hump. There will be a little work to be done where they turn out to meet the rear crossmember; which would include trimming the flanges and/or opening up holes for the bumper bracket bolts. Couple other things you'll have to do is drill new holes for the axle bumper bolts as well as drill/tap the proper holes for exhaust hanger bolts and the bumper bracket mounts on the bottom.

http://www.autobodyspecialt.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=MP-243L


I'm pretty sure Sherman is selling the same set of rail sections. Just charging $40 more bucks per rail.

Hope it helps

 

[daytona kid]

I found these for even less. They appear to be Sherman's but this place has them discounted. What do you think about these?
http://www.restorationperformance.com/servlet/the-121062/Dodge-Charger-1966-dsh-70--dsh-/Detail

 

[ga66mopar]

You need to contact moparmarks. He has a lot of mopar sheet metal. He knows what he's doing. Look for him in the parts for sale. He may have a good set of rear frame rails.

 

[daytona kid]

Its been 3 months since I got it and just now got it completely apart, except for the door hinges. In my defense I was going to leave the wheels on until after sand blasting., But the more I took it apart the weaker it got and the weight of the rear-end & front-end , etc. was not helping.
http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/daytonakid/media/68 charger/IMAG0973_zps7368a9e0.jpg.html

 

[CS23T1]

Subscribed. I love watching cars being brought back from the brink, good job so far.

 

[Propwash]

I found these for even less. They appear to be Sherman's but this place has them discounted. What do you think about these?
http://www.restorationperformance.com/servlet/the-121062/Dodge-Charger-1966-dsh-70--dsh-/Detail

Same p/n# as Sherman...Good find! They don't hack you on shipping to make up the difference do they? Kinda like Jegs that tells you free shipping but then charges you a $15.00 handling fee..lol

 

[daytona kid]

Not sure about shipping , will find out tomorrow.

 

[daytona kid]

Patched the other wheel well. Managed to actually run beads instead of spots, with no holes. I learned a good lesson on these 1st few sheet-metal patch repairs. "Fit it, weld it, grind it, and then don't mess with it"., don't or try not to weld more after you grind. The metal gets thinner and you burn thru trying to plug holes. I had to remove the 1st well patch I did and cut off up another half inch due the trying to weld up holes after grinding too much. Like trying to weld aluminum foil. Anyway there both done now and the new rear rail partials should be here soon,. So time to get to work on that.
http://s1284.beta.photobucket.com/user/daytonakid/library/68 charger

 

[747mopar]

Looking good, way to save another Charger. If you are media blasting it I'd recommend Epoxy Primer instead of the POR 15. I talked to the guys at year one about POR 15 and they said it's nasty stuff to breath and strongly advised against spraying it "PERIOD" of coarse you can brush it on. The Epoxy primer spays on easy, fills great and is very durable. Just a thought

 

[kb67mopar]

Why do lots of his photos seem familiar to me lol