Tazet's 69 Dodge Charger.

[Manky Monkey]

T'was a Challenger, though I've just read somewhere that the engine noise was dubbed from a Charger
-so half right then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sn1w1yJKKE

[Manky Monkey]

Not exactly progress, but another thing crossed off the shopping list.
It's Taz's birthday this week. I bought her the wheels for the Charger for Christmas & promised she'd get the tyres to go with 'em for her birthday. She managed to get the day off work today so we nipped over to North Hants Tyres in Aldershot & picked her up a set of Hercules rubber. 235/60/15s for the front & 275/60/15s for the back.
I'd hoped to get the tyres fitted on the rims today, but Taz still hasn't decided on the colour. So Loony's going to spray some bits of scrap tin in whatever greys he's got in stock to help her decide. Then the wheels can be painted & tyres fitted. White lettering facing inwards -I hate white lettered tyres. Yeah, I know -it's not my car. 
(the blue's a protective film over the white).

[Manky Monkey]

*Sigh* One step forward, one back, as usual.
Well, not really a step back, more a sideways shuffle.
Taz & I called at the workshops again today to pay John some more pennies & check on the Charger's progress.
I bought Taz's birthday tyres on the recommendation of the guys at North Hants Tyres. When I bought the wheels, they told me what tyres would definitely fit under the Charger bodywork, but by the time we went back for the tyres, they were hedging their bets a little more -they should fit, but if they don't we'll change them, no problem.
Chargers came with 14 inch diameter rims as standard, (I think either the RT models or later Chargers had 15s but I'm not sure). So I wouldn't expect the tyre guys to know what non standard wheel/tyre combos would fit. 14s definitely look wrong though. They just look lost in the Dodge's huge arches.
Checking with John, he told us our new tyres would be too wide & would foul the wheel tubs on full suspension travel. Fair enough. Best to know now, rather than when we take it for it's maiden voyage.
I'll take 'em back & swap them for 210/60/15s on the front & 255/60/15s for the back.   

[Manky Monkey]

So- what's happened since we last visited then?
Actually, quite a bit, though it won't really show in photographs.
Andy the bodywork guy's spent 2 whole days de-denting the new roof panel -that poorly packed package from our Stateside suppliers is gonna cost us very dear in Andy's man hours to put it right. The huge panel wasn't just popped inwards, it had to be shrunk back into shape -lots of work with a hammer & dolly. He's still got a couple of dips at the back end of the roof to beat into shape, but it's looking pretty good.

[Manky Monkey]

.

[Manky Monkey]

The right hand gutter rail's been spot welded to the roof edge, with the left hand one still to do. Chargers were all spot welded together so the panels are being replaced just as they would've been in the factory.
Although the roof skin's supported on cross braces, the gutter rails add much more rigidity to the structure. 

[Mr_G]

Coming on nicely peeps!

[Manky Monkey]

Tis in't it G. 
The stepped joint between the rear corners of the roof & the rear quarter panels is pulled into line with some temporary self tapping screws, then held with single sided spot welds. The resulting trough, (if you've been paying attention elsewhere on the forum you'll know that's a "joddled" joint -we'll be asking questions later), is then filled with lead, rather than modern resin-based body filler, just as it was on the assembly line. Lead filling's an art form. Not easy to do & takes a lot of practice to get right. Too much heat & the panels will distort out of shape. It'll take almost 2 sticks of lead per side to fill these, at 12 quid a stick.  

[Manky Monkey]

Andy's really pleased with the fit of these panels -apparently they flow much smoother than most they've dealt with in the past.

[Manky Monkey]

The joint between the door sills & rear quarters has already been leaded.

You can see here how the rear wheel tubs have been spot welded together.

[Manky Monkey]

Boot -sorry, "trunk" lid's on & all the panel gaps around it are perfect, except for a small area along the back edge, which Andy will dress until it matches the rest. American cars have quite big gaps around opening panels like doors, bonnets ..."hoods", & trunks, compared to British cars, but they still need to be parallel to the next panel to look right.

[BikerGran]

I was just looking back at the beginning of this thread - May 2008!

And I had to chuckle when I read Tazet's optimistic summing up (before getting rid of the filler and finding it was only held together by holes!)

the worst bit is the A pillar, the rest is bits and bobs here and there.

[Manky Monkey]

"Optimistic" -that's a bit of an understatement Bobbi! We were warned by ...well, everyone actually, that this project would bankrupt us & steal several years of our lives. Of course, we knew better.   

[Manky Monkey]

Back to the plot...
Not only is the trunk lid on, but it locks 'n' everything. Taz picked up a complete set of new door locks from one of her fellow Mopar Muscle Association members, but for now Andy's using his "Universal Key" to open the trunk -a large screwdriver inserted in the lock hole. The brace is just temporary. That very heavy trunk lid is normally held open with a huge pair of coil springs & complicated parallelogram hinges.
The trunk floor & all it's associated panels, as well as the channels down either side of the trunk opening & the strengthening box section under the rear window, are fully welded now.
Room for several bodies in there, if you bound them tight enough.

[Manky Monkey]

And the rear light panel's in too. 1969 Chargers like Taz's had long oblong lights, whereas the earlier '68 model had seperate round lights -an easy way to tell 'em apart.
There's a small cast, right angled section on each top corner, to finish off the rear quarters, known as "hockey Sticks". Unfortunately these were made of "Monkey Metal" as John put it, & tend to crack if over tightened -just as ours have. Taz is trying to track down a new pair from a supplier in Belgium. Anyone happen to have some they don't want?