March 01, 2002
view from above, March 2002
Here's a diagonal overhead view in which it is easy to see that the sun has really bleached out a lot of my spray can paint from over the years. Not to worry, gradually over the next year or two, all of this paint, including the original, will be sanded off as I fix each body panel in preparation for paint.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
rear corner view, March 2002
In this view you can easily see the reproduction rear valance in place. The replaced deck lid was an improvement as well. I've started doing a little body work around the trunk key area and it's going fairly well.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
front corner view, March 2002
Here's a passenger-side view that really shows the nice look that the new style of wheels and tires gives the car. The wheels are stock Mopar from a Dodge Diplomat police car with 275/60 R15 tires. The offset of the wheels is such that these big tires don't hit the fenders. I am shooting for more of a Nascar profile than the drag race profile of years past.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
front-end shot (as the Charger was just before the tear-down began for the restoration, March 2002)
A spring 2002 front-end shot of my Charger. I would really like to find a replacement for the gray outer part of the grille someday. I sure like the view from this end of the '70 Chargers.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
Just before beginning the restoration process
As of "phase 4" of the pre-restoration period, much of my Charger's original equipment has been traded out for better/straighter parts. The original dented-up rear valance is gone, and a repro one is in its place. The rear deck lid has been replaced. The 2.96-geared 7 1/4 rear end gave way to a 8 3/4 3.23 geared unit from a '65 Coronet wagon. The factory steering box has been replaced by a firm-feel chuck from a Dodge Diplomat police car. The 10 1/2"x 2 1/2" drum brakes (currently on all four corners) will give way to '76 Aspen front discs and '69 Newport 11" rear drums. I continue to buy parts whenever I can, storing them until the time is right for installation.
Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
February 01, 1995
February 1995
This picture shows the new fender and front valance I installed, as well as the much-better-fitting 235/60SR15 front tires.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
March 01, 1994
March 1994 -- bigger wheels
Desperate for nicer wheels for my Charger, I took the 15"x8" chrome spokes off of my '72 D100 and put these huge 255/70SR15's on them. With the offset of these wheels, the fronts rubbed badly and I had to put 235/60SR15's on the front later.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
June 01, 1992
summer 1992
After I got out of the Navy in September 1991, I moved back to Mariposa, CA. Once I was back in the mountains, where some of the roads are rather curvy, I realized the the poor handling I was experiencing (including doing two unintentional 180's) was in part due to my tire/suspension arrangement. I began testing with a "sleeper" set of stock MoPar 15" rims and radials. The handling improvement was worth the trade-off in aesthetics (for a while anyway).
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
July 01, 1991
new paint job -- July 1991
Here I had given my Charger a new "paint job". I bought some rather expensive epoxy satin black paint.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
June 01, 1991
Removal of the vinyl top -- June 1991
Well, the increasingly ragged white vinyl top had begun to blow off during my ocasional blasts well beyond 100mph. A Navy buddy (pictured here) and I removed the remnant and primed and painted the roof flat black to match the rest of the car.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
October 01, 1989
October 1989 -- another view
Another "shiny" view
I have loved the '68-'70 Chargers' body lines for a long time, and the tail-light arrangement of the '69-'70 Chargers is one of my favorite aspects of that design.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
October 1989
I got a pair of huge N-50x15 tires on 15"x10" slotted dish mags from a friend who took them off of his '68 Coronet, and with the help of air shocks, put them on the back of my Charger for a mean "drag-car" look. I used to like looking at my car when it would rain, because then (and only then) my paint was actually shiny.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (1)
August 01, 1989
August 1989
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| My Charger did not yet have the motor and rod setup for the headlight doors. As in this picture, I usually kept them open with some wire. Later I wired in the motor and could open them and close them from inside the car. |
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
Fall 1987 - Summer 1989
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| In the fall of 1987, I pulled a 1974 vintage 440 out of a Chrysler wagon I'd bought for $225, and put it in my Charger. The new engine had a stock Thermoquad, I added Hedman headers with Walker turbo mufflers and dual exhaust, Lakewood traction bars, and an Accel ignition system. I also converted my car to use the factory electronic ignition that was in the wagon. With all these changes my Charger would really fly! It became the most well-known and revered car in my circle of friends, in fact, to this day the first thing most of my high school era buddies ask is "how's the Charger?", or " do you still have that Charger?" A friend and I had painted the car's body flat black, and I put a Keystone Classic 15x7 wheels on it. When I joined the Navy in Mar 1988, the car was parked; this photo was taken when I was home on leave in August of 1989. |
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
July 01, 1989
Instrument cluster -- July 1989
I did eventually find a working original-type instrument cluster, and to my delight, it had a working "Tic-Toc-Tach" clock and tachometer combo. The steering wheel was from my friend's 1968 Coronet.
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)
November 01, 1987
November 1987: 440
 Here is an early photo of my 440. |
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Posted in 1987-2004 | BEFORE RESTORATION | link to this page | | Comments (0)