Welcome to the site. You are doing an awesome job on one of the best Mopars ever made imo. Following along with your pics brings back a lot of memories from my Charger project I did a couple of years ago. What are your color combo plans?
Chris' '68 Charger R/T restoration
- Thread starter RT68440
- Start date
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Thanks very much! We are going to stay with the factory combo of black with green vinyl top and interior. Its pretty unusual and neat IMO, so it will be going back to original.
That would be a very rare color combo. Do you have a pic of the fender tag?
RT68440
Well-Known Member
I will get one. It's at my parents house so it doesn't get lost at my place
plymouthman72
Well-Known Member
Green and black would be a very different combo. I think it will look really cool. You are doing an amazing job on the body and framework. That is extreme! I am to scared too do mine (Not as much rust as yours though) so I found a guy to do it for me. I have to admit, I feel slightly ashamed of having someone else do it but I know my limits.... for now that is haha.
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Thank you very much! Trust me, it took a while for me to work up the nerve to start cutting up the car. Nothing wrong with having somebody else do the work. It's great that you're saving an old car nonetheless. I work at a hot rod shop so I make my living building cars for people, so it goes both ways!
That's some great work there! Keep after it.
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Thanks!!
Car Nut
Well-Known Member
I don't know how I missed this thread, but you are doing some awesome work!
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Thank you!!
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Time for a couple more updates. I got the plate fixed and welded to the bracket that the rear of the fender apron welds to. I had to make a couple patches for it where it rusted through.
Played around with the flange of my firewall repair. I took a punch and put a few dimples back in the flange to replicate the factory spot welds.
Then it was on to the drivers side. I got the rail removed:
My replacement rail for the drivers side came with the inner apron still attached. So I removed the apron and prepped the rail by straightening all of the flanges, welding and grinding the spot weld cutter marks, etc.
Test fitted the rail in the car:
And got the rail all welded in:
So that's where Im at. The wife and I are going to the Mopar Weekend at National Trails this weekend. Hopefully the weather holds out. I want to try to find a nice passenger side inner apron. Thanks for looking!
Played around with the flange of my firewall repair. I took a punch and put a few dimples back in the flange to replicate the factory spot welds.
Then it was on to the drivers side. I got the rail removed:
My replacement rail for the drivers side came with the inner apron still attached. So I removed the apron and prepped the rail by straightening all of the flanges, welding and grinding the spot weld cutter marks, etc.
Test fitted the rail in the car:
And got the rail all welded in:
So that's where Im at. The wife and I are going to the Mopar Weekend at National Trails this weekend. Hopefully the weather holds out. I want to try to find a nice passenger side inner apron. Thanks for looking!
Great progress, stay after it.
keepat
Well-Known Member
Awesome job!
Pat
Pat
showard
Well-Known Member
Wow! you are doing a great detailed job. Thank you for your photos and information. I love these 68 chargers, they are my favorite. I am looking forward to watch your progress. I can learn a lot from you.
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Thank you very much. I appreciate the compliment!
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Time for another update. I got a little bit more done on the Charger over the past month or so. Its been very hot and humid, so time in the garage has been limited. I ended up pulling the door glass and wing window assemblies out of the doors, and I tinkered around with the steering column. I wire wheeled the main shaft and the shifter and kick down linkage. All of the correct washers, bushings and clips were missing from the linkage, so I tracked all of the correct components down and bought them. I treated the shift linkage with a coat of RPM and painted the main shaft phosphate. I decided to change pace and work on stuff in the basement and keep cool. The last week or so I got antsy to get back out in the garage despite the nasty heat and humidity. I had the core support and inner fenders blasted and fixed the bad areas of the core support. I got the core support welded back in the car and cut out some of my fixture so I could mount the fenders to make sure everything still lines up.
I fixed the other bracket that connects the inner apron to the firewall. I ended up cutting my bracket in half and cutting another one in half to make one good one. Then I cleaned up the area with a wire wheel:
Some of the steering column components:
Cut out the bad areas on the core support and fabbed up some new pieces. Welded the pieces in and ground:
I fixed the other bracket that connects the inner apron to the firewall. I ended up cutting my bracket in half and cutting another one in half to make one good one. Then I cleaned up the area with a wire wheel:
Some of the steering column components:
Cut out the bad areas on the core support and fabbed up some new pieces. Welded the pieces in and ground:
RT68440
Well-Known Member
Once the core support was fixed it was time to weld it back into the car. I bolted it back into my fixture and welded it in:
After the core support was welded back in, I removed some of the bars from my fixture so I could put a fender on. Everything seems to fit good so far on the drivers side. The guy that redid the car back in the day covered up the marker light holes. So I kinda got sidetracked and carefully removed the cover, then D.A.ed the side of the fender. I plan on eventually removing the headlight bucket from the fender so I can do some hammer and dolly work on the front of the fender:
That's currently where I'm at. I'm planning on getting the other side to the same point before my dad and I leave for Carlisle next Thursday. Then once we get back Ill start my patch work on the inner fenders and get the front end buttoned up.
After the core support was welded back in, I removed some of the bars from my fixture so I could put a fender on. Everything seems to fit good so far on the drivers side. The guy that redid the car back in the day covered up the marker light holes. So I kinda got sidetracked and carefully removed the cover, then D.A.ed the side of the fender. I plan on eventually removing the headlight bucket from the fender so I can do some hammer and dolly work on the front of the fender:
That's currently where I'm at. I'm planning on getting the other side to the same point before my dad and I leave for Carlisle next Thursday. Then once we get back Ill start my patch work on the inner fenders and get the front end buttoned up.
Good work.
keepat
Well-Known Member
Very nice metal work!!
Pat
Pat
Superfreak
Well-Known Member
looking good, keep up the nice work.
Similar threads
