This should be an interesting build - missed what drivetrain is going in there.
CK5
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The Willomet Charger
- Thread starter AgDieseler
- Start date
A desecration to Mopar nuts everywhere, this is my protouring, LS-powered, 1970 Dodge Charger; built at my shop, Willomet Motor & Fabrication.
HEMI!
Wedge...
David
David
With the car blasted, all the rust and damage is easy to see. I pulled out my project notebook and filled 3 pages with notes for future minor/major repairs. There are three groups:
David
- Panel replacement - rear deck filler, quarter skins, trunk pan, etc.
- Rust rehab - isolated pitting or through holes
- Repair of the repair - previous owner was unfamiliar with the terms quality or patience. There's lots of work to be redone.
David
Damn that is sexy! This era Chargers are a favorite for me.
The 'burb is stunning. It came out real nice!
The 'burb is stunning. It came out real nice!
Back in black...
David
I should have known you had it figured out, and being a uniframe/body car its probably more structurally intact that removing a body from a frame type.
Back in black...
David
Holy crap that was quick!!!
With the car blasted, all the rust and damage is easy to see. I pulled out my project notebook and filled 3 pages with notes for future minor/major repairs. There are three groups:
Cut out the trunk floor; rear rails appear solid from the inside:
- Panel replacement - rear deck filler, quarter skins, trunk pan, etc.
- Rust rehab - isolated pitting or through holes
- Repair of the repair - previous owner was unfamiliar with the terms quality or patience. There's lots of work to be redone.
David
looks like you have your "work cut out" for ya!
Me too. Growing up, there was a red and white R/T in the neighborhood, and at 15 years old I tried to make a deal with my dad to get it. His 'no' was firm. The suburban was already sitting in our driveway.
I'm summarizing the work I did before the Suburban's intercooler build, so this is all from Fall 2015. But North Texas Customs does work quickly - took them 5 days to blast and epoxy prime.
And I do have a ton of work ahead. Good to have the truck back and ready for support.
David
Not sure what mammal the PO ran over, but the the lower core support was dinged up pretty good, but worthy of repair.
Just a few places of localized damage:
The front crease was easier to cut/reweld:
Welds ground and finished, and a bit of hammer and dolley pulled out the other creases.
Overall dimensions were maintained and a test fit back on the car verifies:
You can see the US Car Tool brace in the background. Planning to work out a stronger solution for that front end.
David
Just a few places of localized damage:
The front crease was easier to cut/reweld:
Welds ground and finished, and a bit of hammer and dolley pulled out the other creases.
Overall dimensions were maintained and a test fit back on the car verifies:
You can see the US Car Tool brace in the background. Planning to work out a stronger solution for that front end.
David
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Continuing work up front, I started patching some of the through-rust on the rails. The recently removed 14ga rear valence reinforcement brackets were used for patch material while waited on a 3'x3' sheet to arrive.
Marked up rail highlighting damage:
These first two patches helped dial in the welder - tight fitting patch, raised voltage with a slightly reduced wire speed, 4/30 on my Hobart 210:
The rail under the bump stop brackets has spotty pitting, so I drilled the spot welds to get the clearest view of the rail and the 4 or 5 additional pin holes:
Made a drawing and created several reference marks so the bump stop brackets go back just where they were. Also noticed the inner frame braces were deeply pitted, so I'm thinking on how to include those in the repair procedure. Lots of evidence that water collected in this area and never made it to the drain holes slightly farther back.
David
Marked up rail highlighting damage:
These first two patches helped dial in the welder - tight fitting patch, raised voltage with a slightly reduced wire speed, 4/30 on my Hobart 210:
The rail under the bump stop brackets has spotty pitting, so I drilled the spot welds to get the clearest view of the rail and the 4 or 5 additional pin holes:
Made a drawing and created several reference marks so the bump stop brackets go back just where they were. Also noticed the inner frame braces were deeply pitted, so I'm thinking on how to include those in the repair procedure. Lots of evidence that water collected in this area and never made it to the drain holes slightly farther back.
David
Good Labor Day to y'all. Here's a few pictures of front frame repair.
Drilled the rust packed spot welds and cut out the neighboring pitting:
Rebuilt the inner brace:
Fit the patch:
Mostly done. Just have to replace the lower shock tower brace.
Also, I didn't like the factory booger welds around the shock tower, so I cut them out and rewelded.
Ready for bump stops.
Bump brackets back on, and I added a couple of welds to the top of each. Parting shot:
Wrapping up some repairs on the inner part of the rail - pitting, spot welds, and a patch - and I noticed some porosity on these factory welds. Add it to the list, I'm going to cut out each of these shock tower beads and reburn.
Lots of metal work, which is fine by me.
David
Drilled the rust packed spot welds and cut out the neighboring pitting:
Rebuilt the inner brace:
Fit the patch:
Mostly done. Just have to replace the lower shock tower brace.
Also, I didn't like the factory booger welds around the shock tower, so I cut them out and rewelded.
Ready for bump stops.
Bump brackets back on, and I added a couple of welds to the top of each. Parting shot:
Wrapping up some repairs on the inner part of the rail - pitting, spot welds, and a patch - and I noticed some porosity on these factory welds. Add it to the list, I'm going to cut out each of these shock tower beads and reburn.
Lots of metal work, which is fine by me.
David
That's Dodge for ya
I guess so. I found them in a few places. Stay tuned.
Wrapped up the inner part of the rail. Reburned the shock tower welds; 2 of 3 original ones had major porosity.
Taking a closer look at the UCA brackets, it looks like there are some cracks in those welds, too. I'm prototyping on the driver rail, and will duplicate on the other side.
Decided for a change of pace, and started on the battery tray repair/modification. Since the battery will sit in the passenger rear of the trunk, I figured I would reclaim these few cubic inches for the engine bay:
Meanwhile, I think I waited 2 weeks for an 18ga repair sheet from AMD.
David
Do you have any pictures of the car when you first got it?
What was the original colour,and engine size? And what colour are you planning on painting it?
That is one of my favorite Dodge body styles...I really like a 70 satellite GTX too!
What was the original colour,and engine size? And what colour are you planning on painting it?
That is one of my favorite Dodge body styles...I really like a 70 satellite GTX too!
The lead in photo on the thread shows the car pretty much as received - primer gray with sins underneath. Originally, it's a 1970 R/T 440 4-barrel automatic, but the powertrain was not part of the deal, and what the PO offered wasn't original anyway (318+727). You could call it a "very good roller." Original paint was EF8 dark green metallic; 881 Chargers were so equipped in MY70. A non-vinyl roof car, the rust on top is almost non-existent.
As for my color plans, I keep coming back to a darker version of the original green - nearly black - with subdued golden-yellow head and tail stripes to visually shorten the car. It's all designed to highlight some of the minor body modifications I have planned (modern panel gaps and functional venting for example). This could all change tomorrow. It's a work in progress, and my thoughts right now are almost entirely focused on chassis rigidity and suspension choice.
I'm still cleaning up and organizing from the suburban's intercooler project; under proper supervision, of course.
David
As for my color plans, I keep coming back to a darker version of the original green - nearly black - with subdued golden-yellow head and tail stripes to visually shorten the car. It's all designed to highlight some of the minor body modifications I have planned (modern panel gaps and functional venting for example). This could all change tomorrow. It's a work in progress, and my thoughts right now are almost entirely focused on chassis rigidity and suspension choice.
I'm still cleaning up and organizing from the suburban's intercooler project; under proper supervision, of course.
David
Right on! That plan sounds excellent! Dark green with the stripes would be perfect!
I just had to goggle the colour...and found this!
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Off topic do you have a link to your suburban build thread so I can check it out?
P.S. I love the paneling in your shop and how you have all of the parts hung on it.
P.S. I love the paneling in your shop and how you have all of the parts hung on it.
That's it!
With light pressure over a 3M strip disc, you can pull paint off one layer at a time.
David
Thank you. The garage has been a fun project on its own.
Here the Suburban, built 'one piece at a time' over the course of 20 years (so far).
One Piece at a Time: My 1985 Diesel Suburban
David
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Fit, bump, trim. Repeat. Slow and steady.
After this photo, there was a good bit of hammer and dolley to align the curves and creases and smooth the welds. There's more patching and metal bumping to go before it's done.
David
After this photo, there was a good bit of hammer and dolley to align the curves and creases and smooth the welds. There's more patching and metal bumping to go before it's done.
David
