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My '72 Challenger project
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This is a lengthy process but it does work if you take your time
It’s still not right & needs a little more work… but it was a 47 degree day in Melbourne when I was working on this & that made the temp in the shed well over the mid 50’s & add to that the fact that I was welding in full welding gear… this was as good as I could get on the day
The lines are starting to look good now… still some to go before it’s good enough to go to paint but I’m getting there…
I’m travelling again for work a bit now… but plan on getting back into this as a priority to get the car to paint so I can then focus on the XB again…0 -
Started the finishing off work on sections of the Challenger, so wire brushing the bare metal sections & then coating in a thick rust proofer… next step will be to seam seal these sections.. doesn’t look exciting but it means that some areas are officially finished & getting prepped for paint… happy days
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I’ve been a bit slack at updating this thread… there has been some movement at the station as they say… so he’s what I’ve been up to the last few weekends that I had at home.
I decided it was time to fit all the structural bracing that I had for the front end, now this was always going to be good fun as the instructions where as detailed as follows:
Fit the front brace to the car.
This is not an exact fit & may need some modification to fit.
Clamp & weld the brace to the car.
To add to this the pic on the instructions was postage stamp sized & so blackened that it could have been a pic of bigfoot water skiing behind the lockness monster for all I could tell. Also I actually had two front braces, this C channel one with large holes in its front that when fitted up missed most of the cars actual front rad brace.
Then it also had this thick flat bar that had little holes on it
So I emailed the company some pics as I had an idea as to how it was supposed to fit but I wanted their confirmation.. turns out I was on the money, the steps are to affix the flat plate first
Then you fit the C channel plate over that flat plate
First up grind off the excess metal on the flat plate until you can clamp it neatly into the spot it’s meant to go
Then clamp it tight to the car so that you can plug well thru the small holes to the cars support metal
I also welded around the top to the plate to where it met the support panel so that it was fully integrated with the car
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Then I cleaned up the welds & coated everything in weld proof primer, which is something I hate as it makes the mig splatter like a bugger… makes it feel like I’m using a gasless mig really.
With that done I was able to test fit the bigger outer brace piece
These needed a lot of patience & clamps to make it fit tight up against the new flat plate
The process was clamp a section tight, tack weld in place that section that was in place & then move the clamps again to get the next bit flat… it took hours as I was also not wanting to put too much heat into the car & risk warping something.. but in the end it turned out great… or at least I think it did
Then I cleaned the welds & coated in primer as another section hopefully finished
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Next up was the inner wheel arch support braces, these consisted of 4 parts, two small uprights that welded either side of the factory shock mount bracing panel, then a flat section that sits across both of these to box in the factory shock mounting plate… then the big section that joins these guys to the inner fender upper & lower & back to the firewall. Have I lost you yet? Don’t worry once you see the pics below you’ll get what I mean.
First up the pieces of course are only roughly the right shape, in the companies defense all the bits where over sized & only needed grinding down to fit… much better that the alternative of needed extra material welded to them I guess.
You can see daylight between this brace section & the factory inner fender shape
Once I had them test clamped in place & fitting I removed them & cleaned them up & coated the backside of them in primer as I’d never get to them again once they are in
Once the bits where shaped to fit it was a simple job of clamp & weld, clamp & weld.. once I had a few good solid tacks in place I could remove the clamps out of the way & fully weld
Always nice when you can see behind what you’re welding to ensure you’re getting good penetration… it’s all about the penetration folks
With the vertical supports welded in I was then able to play about with the flat cover plate that joins them… there was no way at all to clamp these in place so it was a case of holding them in place as best I could just to get a tack on one corner & then pushing in or pulling out to get tacks on all the corners… took forever to get it right
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Once I had them tacked in place then I was able to fully weld them in
Now you’ll notice in this pic that the flat under section of the big brace is nearly an inch away from the flat section of the piece I’ve just welded in… well these need to touch, so rang the company & pointed out that the gap couldn’t be clamped up as such as it was just bending the top of the inner fender where the guards bolt too… turns out the instructions are missing a section where you have to cut & bend that lip to suit… great…
With that done I was able to clamp on the big brace section & tack that into place
Then it was just a question of slowly working my around & stitch welding small sections at a time so as to not put too much heat into any one place & risk warping the panels at all
Then a coat of primer over everything & we’re down with the new bracing & I think it looks awesome
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Next up was a small job, as you may remember I’m filling in the front & rear side marker lights on the car to smooth out the side profile. The last one I hadn’t done was drivers side front side marker below
First up grind off the paint the panel shipped covered in
Then spray it in weld thru primer as I won’t be able to get to the back of it later
Then using the tried & test cardboard method of marking out the right shape for a filler panel, I cut out a patch to go in & again painted the back side of it in primer now.. then using my welding magnets held it nicely in place
Then slowly weld it in using many many spots or tacks if you will, again so as to not put too much heat into the panel & warp it
Then linish the welds back to flat & coat in primer
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Then it was time to move back to the arse end of the car, back to fitting the rear valence panel & the rear bumper so that I can work on the gaps & make sure they are right before paint.
Now the rear valance panel doesn’t really fit great where it joins the rear Qtr panels, it lines up at the top but it’s just not the correct curved shape as it goes gone to the bottom… I played around with this for a while & it’s definitely the rear valance, it’s simply not the same curved ends as the original, so I decided to section the ends.
This involved cutting a slice in the panel so that I could take the folded ends, pull them to the correct shape & bolt them to the rear Qtr panel where they need to be
Then I made up a thin filler plate that I was able to tack onto the rear valance to fill the void between the end plates & the rest of the panel I’d just created with my cut
Then I pulled the panel back off so I could fully weld in the filler pieces on the bench & be sure to get it right
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Now with the rear valence back on the ends actually line up & it looks good… not great but good, great comes a few pics later
I’m doing my best to have as close to zero bog in any of my cars as I can have, yes they will probably end up with a light skim in certain places but I’m not slapping it on thick anywhere & sculpting the shape out of it… so it was back to lead wiping as the best option I could think of to make the panel smooth & the gap just right… very happy with how this is looking now
Whist I has the blow torch & lead out I figured I’d do the door gaps I’d been working on too & also the join between the rear Qtr & the lower rocker, I haven’t filled this smooth yet so you can see how rough the first coat of lead looks before you get it smooth
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There are two final tiny spots of rust on the car that I’ve also addressed now… one was in the bottom inner of the B pillar, so first step is to cut out the offending metal
Then make up a patch to go in, I’ve drilled it so that I can also match the original spot weld locations
Rust, what rust
There was also a spot on the floor just behind where the drivers seat would be.. so again cut that out & made it out of two overlapping sections so that it matches the original floor & rolled in a crease line to add rigidity whilst I was at it
All in & finished & painted in the same thick black as the rest of the floor
Right & now you’re up to date again…0 -
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More finishing work is happening on the Challenger, I finished up the under side of the boot floor supports & coated in primer
I finished up the passenger side sill… there where holes in the sill from an old molding that had been bogged up so I’ve filled them with lead instead & then primered the whole sill
I’ve now started on the drivers side, back to bare metal to ensure no hidden nasty surprises, next I’ll lead wipe these trim holes too then that’ll be another section finished
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Small update… well it looks like a small update but it’s hours of work… finished up the B pillars, the sills & the A pillars now. Went with the option of lead wiping the old trim holes rather than using bog.
Hopefully I can throw the doors back on this weekend (assuming I can find someone to help with the job) & then get to test fitting the front light panel & the front valence & start getting the front end gaps sorted.0 -
Just a bit of an update on the Challenger, so whilst the car is pretty much a complete car shaped well car for want of a better word there is a lot more welding that I want to get done. If you take bits like this front chassis leg or the inner fender section where is attaches to the firewall, you can see that there good strong spaced welds holding the car together..
But I’ve decided that I want to seam weld as much of the car as I can, like this…
With that done I moved back to the boot section of the car… it’s been sitting in raw steel for a little too long & surface rust is starting to appear, so as well as finishing up the welding back here I’m also having to sand back that, treat it & then prime to ensure that it’s all gone… might have to look into a dehumidifier for the shed too perhaps long term
You can see the joins in the boot floor here that I’m being told I should just put a layer of sealant over & that that will be fine as that’s how Dodge did it back in the day
I decided against that & I’m seam welding all of these joins & then I’ll run the sealant over the welds in the end to make it look factory & to ensure that there is a perfect seal too
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The boot floor is now rock solid & you can really hear the difference if you strike the floor, so glad I did this
The next bit that is way harder to get to & seam weld is where the rear taillight panel joins the floor, this is going to need me to spend a lot longer that I’d like curled up inside the boot contorted practicing what I can best describe as yoga welding
Once I have the above welded solid then I need to rework the curves of the Qtr panels, they are two sharp & don’t roll like the original light panel does
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Also have to finish off the bootlid
There is a small patch of rust that needs to be cut out off the top & the rear lip & replaced
Along with the top corners of where the boot channels join too
I’m sitting in an airline lounge right now, but this should be my last flight for a full 4 weeks so I hope to have lots of time in the shed over the Xmas/NY’s period to get more done & who knows maybe even get to the point that the car could be painted early next year…. Fingers crossed0 -
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Thanks OAOB…. I too dream of the day that all 4 are lined up on the concrete outside the skunk works shed finished… maybe one day…
Time to get back at this one, I keep changing my mind as to whether I should be working on all the projects at the same time or if I should be focused on one only at a time.. so as you saw from the updates to the GTO thread I had focused on that car & that car only once the lock down started… now I’ll commit to focusing on this one only for a bit until I get bored or until the engine finally shows up for the GTO
Anyway I did a shed tidy up & moved some bits about & put the Challenger in the middle where she can be worked on easy, I’ve opted not to put her back on the hoist as it will be so much easier to put the engine & gearbox back in the GTO with the GTO still on the hoist & it’s a ****er with a capital F to push the GTO off & onto the hoist as it’s a heavy car… but there is plenty that can be done with the car on the ground or on some axle stands anyway
My plan is to start at the rear of the car & work my way forward finishing each section as I go to a point where its ready to go to the painter, so when I get to the front I should be done & by then hopefully the painter is free & looking for work. Job 1 was the boot floor, I linished back all the welds & double checked that I hadn’t missed anywhere, then rust treated the floor & painted in a sound deadening black paint
It will need a 2nd coat but I’ll do the whole car floor again in a 2nd coat soon… I stood & stared for a while trying to work out how the fuel filler runs.. then I realized that they supply the new floor pans without the hole cut for that for my convenience, so if you look at the slightly raised flat area in this pic that should have a hole cut thru it to allow the filler neck to run from the Qtr panel to the tank.. so I’ll have to dummy up the tank & filler neck & cut that out
The top corners of the boot channels need some tidying up, I’ve been told by a few people now that I shouldn’t be too fussed here as I have to cover the joins in seam sealer anyway & the underlying metal join will never be seen.. but I can’t leave it looking this shocking
I’ll be linishing these back & then making up some filler plates to fill in the gaps so that it looks only halfarsed & not fullyarsed as it does now
The bottom corners of the boot channels need work too obviously, again there needs to be some seam sealer applied here but I’d like the join to be solid metal underneath that if I can
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Now the bits that very literally keep me awake at night at the corners where the rear Qtr panel meets the tail light panel, here you can there is a very clean sharp line as the panel curves up from the bumper cut in & then turns 90 deg upright
That shape bares **** all resemblance to how the tail light panel looks in that spot
When I was taking the car apart this gap that you could push a small dog thru was filled only with hardened seam sealer, I just don’t think I can do that, I think that I’ll have to fill that gap with a little metal, I’ll recess the metal in so there is space to cover it in the seam sealer but I can’t leave it know that that gap is there.
A year ago I was travelling thru the US for work (ah, remember travel) & I passed a car museum in California that had a less that 2000 mile never restored concourse 1970 Challenger, now the taillight panel is a different shape to my 1972, but if you look at these pics you can see how shocking the fit & finish was back then & you can see that it’s all seam sealer holding the taillight panel to the Qtr panel
You can also see how the trim doesn’t line up with the panel
The rear lower valance isn’t lined up great either
Let’s not even talk about the door gaps & shapes at the front of the car
So I have to keep reminding myself that I’m building a driver car to be driven & not some show car to be trailered to collect trophies… so if the above is good enough to be pride of place in a museum then maybe my standard of work is good enough to pull this off…. But I’ll be honest I love doing big things like cutting panels off of welding new ones on but the fine detail work I don’t have the patience or the skill for so I’m struggling to push myself to try & get it somewhat right0 -
Right so onto these parts on mine.. I cleaned up the seam welding I’d done & then I fitted the lights & the old trim piece up so I can see how they fit & how the panels & joins are looking when the car together again
Now this old trim piece is dented & always was the 9 years (can’t believe I’ve owned this car 9 years now) I’ve owned it
This means I can’t gauge the fit correctly as it sits way too high on the Qtr panel
Sticks out a little too much on the side too
I do have brand new chrome trims to go on, so I’ll search the shelves of parts & find them & then fit them on, no point in adjusting the fit & finish with these old ones, I also need to cut this bit of rust out of the boot lid too & then I can finish & prime that panel so that I can put that back on to work out the gaps & put the rubber on too to work out the height
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Cut the rusted section out of the boot lid
I’ll clean up & treat the inner section tomorrow & then make up a patch to weld in
I’ll use the rubber boot from the fuel filler neck to work out where the hole needs to be for the neck to pass thru the boot floor
The new chrome trim fits nicer than the old one do to be honest, the holes may not be in the right spots mind you.. it looks like the hole is a little high, tomorrow I’ll fit the mounts to the back of the trim & see then if I need to move that hole down a few mm
There are no trim holes in the passenger side so I’ll make them out & drill them exactly where I need them
Decided to jack the back up a bit to make the panels at a more comfortable height, I had planned on buying a second hoist a few months ago & I’m wishing I had, but I’ll make do with the car on stands for now
I’ve taken the rear valance back off for now, I’ll sort the bumper & lights first & then move down to the valance
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I’ve polished the metal back to get rid of any surface rust
On the passengers side behind where the light housing covers there is a small hole from rust
So I’ve welded that up to make it whole again
Spent a while getting the rear bumper on where I want it
The drivers side gap started off looking like this
This is where I have it now, I might pull it in a few more mm but I’m happy with this as a fitment
The passenger side is still way off for now, I’ll spend some time tomorrow on that to make it match the driver’s side
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I’ve gotten all of the adjustment I can out of the passenger side of the bumper now so the next course of action will be to cut a section out of the mounting bracket & reweld it back together at a new angle to make it work.. you can see the thick bracket below has lots of room to be sectioned
It won’t be a hard task but it will be a two person task… so back to the body work. I’d almost forgotten about this little rear panel that sits just below the taillight panel & just above the bumper
This took a bit of fettling too to make it fit the car, seems that by me making the two rear chassis rails the same length both this panel & the bumper brackets no longer fit nicely… can’t remember if I had this little fact in the thread yet but the factory chassis rails where out by 7mm…. as in the passenger side rail was 7mm longer than the driver’s side one was
No you may have noticed in the pics above that I’ve moved on from just using vice clamps… I’ve now invested in some Cleco pins too
What’s a Cleco pin or clamp literally no one asked.. they are an ingenious little springed clamp that work almost like a reusable rivet… you pop one in the Cleco pliers
Compress & the two prongs slide out & move closer together.. once you release the grip on the pliers the two prongs pull back in & widen out at the tip to hold the two panels together just like a rivet would, but unlike a rivet you can just use the pliers to pop them off again
They also make actual side clamps too that use the same pliers to open & close, very very good for singlehanded clamping
These are my fave tools this week in the Skunk Works now…
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I finished up the welding where the tail light panel meets the bumper support panel
It was only welded in sections & had gaps that I had been told it would be fine to just cover with seam sealer… but I have a welder & I like using it, so stuff that
Now I’ve stitch welded the whole panel
Getting the drivers side rear trim to line up exactly as I wanted it wasn’t too hard really
But the passenger side had me almost wanting to covert the car in petrol & just burn it again… the last inch of the panel was just not right & was not the right shape at all
After spending a long time getting it right my next issue was that it was too low & with the top & side of the trim held in place there was a 2mm gap between the lower inch of the panel & the trim, so in the end I went with the option of making a little 2mm thick pad of weld on the end of the panel to bring it out far enough to meet the trim… this took a long time so as to not over work the area or put too much heat into the panel & to not lose any shape or contour of the panel at all… all up getting these two trim sections right took about 4hrs of my life that I will never get back…..
Just a little more to be done & cleaned up & I can spray this panel with primer & call it done… or lose my mind & beat the car within an inch of its life with a large branch Basil Fawlty style…. Find out in my next update which way I go… smart money is on the latter right now0 -
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