First milestone done

[tmaleck]

Time for my weekly update. The work is moving right along. The quarter and wheelhouse patches are done and tacked in. You can see the repairs to the inner wheelhouse in the second picture. The left wheelhouse needed more work, but the picture didn't turn out. I continue to be impressed by his work. The quarter patches and wheelhouse repair patches were fabricated by hand.
The trunk is almost done and he has the lower valance and tail light panel mocked up for final fitting.

Since I want to use a serpentine accessory drive, looks like I need a new water pump housing.

Finally for this week, given I want to stay with manifolds, it looks like the factory plug wire routing is my best bet. Casting number on the manifold says 70-72 383-440. The date stamp on the motor is 'J', so it's a 73. I wonder if I should order the plug wire looms for a 68. 70 or 73?

More next week!

 

[tmaleck]

I stopped by last Friday and the metal work is getting close. Once the big stuff is done it'll get etch primer and the Vintage A/C and other system mods begin. The engine is coming out for this, and it is horrible looking. Since the car is going dark green metallic, I was thinking dark gray metallic engine paint. It should set off the billet from the serpentine belt brackets. More next week.

 

[tmaleck]

I'm working with a shop on my 68 Charger restoration, but I'm trying to still do some myself. I just finished the instrument panel. Nicest looking one I've ever had. I will say getting the defrost block off plate in was a pain. That and the bezel had tons of ejector pin flash I had to remove. The grill restore is next. Still shooting for summer!
View attachment 558204

It's been a while since I had any progress, the shop has other work and the honey-do's have not helped. I got the front turn signals redone and have been amassing the new disc brake parts. The car should be in first primer coat in a
week or two.

 

[tmaleck]

It's been a while since I had any progress, the shop has other work and the honey-do's have not helped. I got the front turn signals redone and have been amassing the new disc brake parts. The car should be in first primer coat in a
week or two. View attachment 585731 View attachment 585732 View attachment 585733

I stopped by the shop today and the rear is almost done. These pix do not do Jerry's work justice. He replaced the upper trunk gutter, and made the repair part by hand. The work fits perfectly and I couldn't be happier. He even saved the sequence number stamp. The panels are all welded in, touch ups and seam sealer are next. There are a lot more pix, here is the link:
https://app.box.com/s/4fg3rllx4yy2ut75czpusxo06bzgjxc9

 

[tmaleck]

I stopped by the shop today and the rear is almost done. These pix do not do Jerry's work justice. He replaced the upper trunk gutter, and made the repair part by hand. The work fits perfectly and I couldn't be happier. He even saved the sequence number stamp. The panels are all welded in, touch ups and seam sealer are next. There are a lot more pix, here is the link:
https://app.box.com/s/4fg3rllx4yy2ut75czpusxo06bzgjxc9

This was waiting for me when I got home yesterday. Slowly getting it together.

 

[tmaleck]

Almost ready for primer sealer. We found some rust in the rear window channel and apparently the previous owner liked to park by feel, so I have the lower radiator support on order. The drivetrain is next, then maybe we can start putting stuff back in.

 

[tmaleck]

The car is finally in it's first coat of primer. Lot's more work to do, the interior is being worked on in parallel. Engine will be dropped off soon and I'll go through it while the shops presses on with the other work. Exciting times.

 

[tmaleck]

I'm working with a shop on my 68 Charger restoration, but I'm trying to still do some myself. I just finished the instrument panel. Nicest looking one I've ever had. I will say getting the defrost block off plate in was a pain. That and the bezel had tons of ejector pin flash I had to remove. The grill restore is next. Still shooting for summer!

I did a color test spray this weekend. HOK Kandy base. I used spray cans, so it's a bit blotchy, but I was only after a rough idea of how many coats it's going to take to get the shade right. I'm going to color sand and buff this week to knock off the orange peel. It's not the original medium green, but you get this paint

in the sunlight and it really comes alive.

 

[tmaleck]

Been a while since my last update. In other threads I posted on the final body work and stuff, so now the suspension and other undercar work is in process. I ended up going QA-1 on the front suspension, including the tubular k-member. My K-member had been hit several times and had to be replaced. This forced a larger front sway bar, so for a little more I put an Addco on the rear. I have the motor in my garage for overhaul, but we're getting closer. Link to build pics here: https://app.box.com/s/4fg3rllx4yy2ut75czpusxo06bzgjxc9 The mechanical folder has the most recent pics.
Tim

 

[tmaleck]

It's been a while since I've posted so here's a small update. After removing all the front suspension and K frame for cleaning and painting, it was obvious a lot more than upper arms were needed. I couldn't get a deal worked out for a K frame (mine was bent and strut rod mounts hosed), so I went with QA-1. In order to use that part in my 68, the newer sway bar, links and lower arms needed to be changed. Might as well add the strut rods too.
I'm going Vintage Air, and the block off plates in the kit are hideous, so my body guy is smoothing the firewall. In know some won't like it, but factory type A/C doesn't fit with the build plan. I have the Edelbrock XT Pro Flow 4 SEFI system, serpentine drive, Sidewinder heads from Marsh and TTI headers and exhaust.

I hope to be reassembling the engine soon, the body will continue getting ready for paint, maybe a test drive late spring.
Tim

 

[69 GTX]

Be sure to trial fit the AC box after you install the new holes, I had to tweak mine a little, would have ticked me off if it had been painted then found out. Good progress.