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Bent77
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Yay necro update!
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.
Beautifully done!
Yeah, unclear what qualifies as a dead thread, but I got this update in just under the one year mark.
Gracias. It’s good to zen out on the metal work.
David
Happy and sad at the same time you are back on this project. As much as I love the suburban this is going to be a cool car. 
Ah, you found the Charger again!
I’ll be back a forth through the summer. The truck goes for wiring tomorrow, and so the next four weeks or so will be all Charger.
Right where I left it!
David
Other AC panel filled. I've got a few tools coming in that will help with the new cowl flange construction, and there's one more panel to fill.
The only spot that needed the high crown body hammer.
The old 1970 steel is tough to weld, even when you strip it way back. It's got a lot of snap, crackle, and pop.
David
The only spot that needed the high crown body hammer.
The old 1970 steel is tough to weld, even when you strip it way back. It's got a lot of snap, crackle, and pop.
David
More cowl construction. Lower flange is done, upper needs some shrinker/stretcher work, and I’ll tidy the small holes before the main AC filler panel.
Lots of small details to make this piece “right.”
David
Lots of small details to make this piece “right.”
David
I'm going down the rabbit hole that is metal shaping. The shrinker/stretcher arrived, and I banged out a test piece for the new upper cowl flange.
Why cut apart the cowl only to make new flanges and put it back together? Nothing is easy, and I want to be able to secure the two halves together with a smashload of clecos before I fill in the fresh air intake. I'm terrified I'll warp or overwork the upper cowl without it being "fixtured" to the lower half. That means building this flanged area before I get to the main event.
An english wheel will soon join the party, and I'll go snag that from my favorite Austin area distributor once the truck is back together.
David
Why cut apart the cowl only to make new flanges and put it back together? Nothing is easy, and I want to be able to secure the two halves together with a smashload of clecos before I fill in the fresh air intake. I'm terrified I'll warp or overwork the upper cowl without it being "fixtured" to the lower half. That means building this flanged area before I get to the main event.
An english wheel will soon join the party, and I'll go snag that from my favorite Austin area distributor once the truck is back together.
David
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fordmas
Partially sentient meat based robot
Really love the Suburban but I'm always eyeballing the Charger in the background on your videos. Glad to see the progress, keep it up!
Thanks man. One project tends to feed the other, which turns out to be pretty helpful.
David
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Lots of shrinking and stretching to make the flange for this cowl, and I finally figured out that it would be easier to put the front flange down rather than what I was doing before.
Made five. Kept two. The driver AC vent is farther forward than the other side, and it's pretty cozy up against the cowl. Interesting detail from the factory.
This thing works darned well. The air power makes for very consistent movement, though I still bash the handle with a rubber mallet to get the last squeeze for tighter turns.
This corner comes all fubar’d in its original form. I’m going to fix this next.
The upper flange will maintain the wiper motor recess so I can reach the back of the engine for service.
40A pedal pulse with a liberal air quench along the way.
Lower cowl to match. Ignore the gnarly spot weld hole I still have to fill.
You can kind of see where this is going.
Flanging the recess.
Getting the bead roll line to flow into the front flange. I could have just extended the bead roll part to cover the front flange, but didn't think of that until later in the process. This way is harder, but will yield the same look.
Paused here while I build sliders for the truck.
It'll be a minute before I can get to this again.
David
Made five. Kept two. The driver AC vent is farther forward than the other side, and it's pretty cozy up against the cowl. Interesting detail from the factory.
This thing works darned well. The air power makes for very consistent movement, though I still bash the handle with a rubber mallet to get the last squeeze for tighter turns.
This corner comes all fubar’d in its original form. I’m going to fix this next.
The upper flange will maintain the wiper motor recess so I can reach the back of the engine for service.
40A pedal pulse with a liberal air quench along the way.
Lower cowl to match. Ignore the gnarly spot weld hole I still have to fill.
You can kind of see where this is going.
Flanging the recess.
Getting the bead roll line to flow into the front flange. I could have just extended the bead roll part to cover the front flange, but didn't think of that until later in the process. This way is harder, but will yield the same look.
Paused here while I build sliders for the truck.
It'll be a minute before I can get to this again.
David
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A minute has passed.
I spent the last week and a half following Blazer Bash getting the shop all cleaned up, putting away the small bits and pieces that tend to get left out, sorting leftover hardware, breaking down and recycling cardboard, sweeping out all the grinding dust that has collected in corners and nooks, recycling used oil, getting one more tool setup on casters (hydraulic press), and on and on. It's just a basic reset now that the truck is not under perpetual construction. That's a pretty good feeling, and once everything is finally clean, it's time to make it filthy, with progress.
For starters, I am tired of negotiating the concrete step every time I need to pull the powerpack from the car. So, a set of jack stand dolleys from our friend Beck have make working in a small space a lot easer, even with a stack of 40s looming in the corner.
Handier than pockets on a shirt. Patience extended.
I yanked the powerpack to get better access to the cowl. I shrunk the the new center flange and got it about 95% fit, and began addressing a serious pet peeve I have with Mopar cowls - that darned wrinkle that comes from forming. Most builds ignore this or filler over the 1/8" crevasses. I took some body hammers to it.
Most of this is done with the high crown working off a 2x4 wood dolley, then on dolley with a low crown, and then planishing again with the low crown and a flat metal dolley. This panel beating session was about 6 hours, but I was figuring a lot of stuff out as I went. It's not going to be a "no filler car," but I am going for a low filler one. I'd like to just do a coat of heavy build primer and sand.
All tacked together. Small fitment details remain, but I can persuade gaps to close just by welding in their direction.
Pretty nice little weekend.
David
I spent the last week and a half following Blazer Bash getting the shop all cleaned up, putting away the small bits and pieces that tend to get left out, sorting leftover hardware, breaking down and recycling cardboard, sweeping out all the grinding dust that has collected in corners and nooks, recycling used oil, getting one more tool setup on casters (hydraulic press), and on and on. It's just a basic reset now that the truck is not under perpetual construction. That's a pretty good feeling, and once everything is finally clean, it's time to make it filthy, with progress.
For starters, I am tired of negotiating the concrete step every time I need to pull the powerpack from the car. So, a set of jack stand dolleys from our friend Beck have make working in a small space a lot easer, even with a stack of 40s looming in the corner.
Handier than pockets on a shirt. Patience extended.
I yanked the powerpack to get better access to the cowl. I shrunk the the new center flange and got it about 95% fit, and began addressing a serious pet peeve I have with Mopar cowls - that darned wrinkle that comes from forming. Most builds ignore this or filler over the 1/8" crevasses. I took some body hammers to it.
Most of this is done with the high crown working off a 2x4 wood dolley, then on dolley with a low crown, and then planishing again with the low crown and a flat metal dolley. This panel beating session was about 6 hours, but I was figuring a lot of stuff out as I went. It's not going to be a "no filler car," but I am going for a low filler one. I'd like to just do a coat of heavy build primer and sand.
All tacked together. Small fitment details remain, but I can persuade gaps to close just by welding in their direction.
Pretty nice little weekend.
David
I buy stock in filler before taking on a task like this. Nice work sir!
Corner filler panels.
Loads of welding and finishing ahead.
David
Loads of welding and finishing ahead.
David
99.9% of people do not understand the kind of time it takes to do this stuff.
Looks good.
Looks good.
I understand it, but I can't imagine doing it myself. A very impressive undertaking!
I make a lot of things twice. Learn on the first one, then make a useable product.
Maybe that’s cheating.
David
