1970 Challenger- my way.

WayTooShort · Jun 11, 2019

With the weather being a bit of a pain in the neck for bodywork these days, I got down to the front end. Lower control arms' bushes were pressed out, next I fabricated 3mm mild steel plates to brace the control arms and looking forward doing some welding tonight.
The new upper and lower frontend bushes should arrive by 23 June.. in the meantimeall the front end parts should be rubbed clean and sprayed with epoxy primer and then 2k black.

WayTooShort · Jun 16, 2019

Been working on the Challenger recently...doing bodywork is real enjoyment for me..
Rocker panel is solid, neat inside and basically rust-free. I applied a coat of rust converter on the seams after blowing it clean of loose rust and dust.
Tomorrow I am getting back to the driver side floor pan and hopefully would have it completed within a week or so..

For me personally the most annoying part of bodywork is grinding the weldings down. I simply hate it. First, due to all the dust and dirt easily finding its way to pretty much every hole of my body; and second, due to all the noise it produces..my neighbours have proven themselves folks with nerves like steel ropes, but anyway I don't want pushing my luck too much..Once fully welded, l plan of taking the car on a trailer to my work and have it fully ground for a day or two..by all means, I am not looking forward to it

aussiemark · Jun 17, 2019

I have found the sanding flap wheels are a lot smoother and don't bounce around like grinding discs.

20pcs 5" 125mm GRIT FLAP DISCS WHEELS ZIRCONIA ANGLE GRINDER GRINDING SANDING 611830739109 | eBay
If grinding inside the car I mask up all the seams and stuff old towels or rags into areas to stop the dust getting in then use a vacuum cleaner to get most of the dust then an airline to blow the rest out. When to are going to cover the area with seam sealer or carpet you probably don't need to grind it and that way it will be stronger, less dust and happier neighbours.

WayTooShort · Jun 22, 2019

Driver side floor pan was just been welded home. Tomorrow the main piece should get finishef and the bit between the lower cowl and flooring comes next. The pan fitted rather easily and did not take much to blend it to the cut all round. Recently a collegue of mine issued me with a chunky copper-headed hamer and it came in handy today.

aussiemark · Jun 22, 2019

You are moving along nicely, this car will be finished by Christmas at this pace.

budascuda · Jun 23, 2019

I am sure you know, but just in case, is the car sitting on the level while all these pieces are getting welded on?
I sort of feel embarrassed to bring that up with someone who is so highly skilled, but i thought I mention it anyway. My apologies.

WayTooShort · Jun 23, 2019

Thank you for your thoughts, budascuda.
You are utterly right in your advice.

Unfortunately I am not in possession of all the optimal conditions for such a work be done according the rules... I have supported the body from underneath on two sturdy timber beams that on their behalf are rested on a collection of old wheels and tires. The setup is far from level, although I did my best supporting it on multiple of points..
Because of the lack of decent conditions I work in, all the work undertaken is strictly considered. I do not cut and remove chunky bits off the body without the previous stage has been completed with all the sheet metal properly welded on place. Despite all the rot, the A pillars are present enough to securely support the roof and hence the whole shell. The transmission tunnel is fust-free and did not get messed with, along with the rocker panels..
I found the body solid enough before even starting any work and the basic cross tape measure checks confirmed it. All the vital structural elements like inner fenders, cowl panels, A pillars, rocker panels, frame rails, crossmembers are basically intact. Nevertheless, every now and than I would get the body measured with the tape measure. .
Only stages of the bodywork I expect potential complications and extra care should be taken are the quarter panels and the tail lights panel. Welding in these areas is only to be conducted with the car rolling on wheels on a hard, even surface.
Let's hope the Mopar God will keep an eye on me while the bodywork is done...

WayTooShort · Jul 2, 2019

Another floor pan is coming along.

340challconvert · Jul 2, 2019

You have very impressive fabrication and welding skills.
NICE WORK!

aussiemark · Jul 2, 2019

He's getting it done that's for sure.

WayTooShort · Aug 8, 2019

So I decided to slow down on the flooring and do as far as I could on the back before the weather went nuts as usually happens in this part of the world in September and October...

First of all I had the trunk area braced towards the parcel shelf and wheel wells and had the rear crossmember drilled/ chiseled free.
Next thing was a new member been made by neighbours- fabricators out of 1.5mm mild steel.

Then I dowel holed the frame rail towards the end rail end consoles from all three available sides. Then I drilled the spot welds. Both frame rail and consoles were completely rotten through.
After sandblasting and replacing the rusted parts of it, the console received a thick coat of epoxy and was bolted via temp 6mm bolts to what was left of the frame rail.
Procedure was repeated with the LH frame rail and console.
With both sides' consoles sand blasted, repaired, primed and bolted on their place via the temp 6mm bolts, I bolted the new rear crossmember to the consoles and had it welded in temporary for a good measure.

Next op was to determine how badly RH side frame rail was rotten. It turned out that it's good in the section all the way between the rear seat foot well and the shock cross member. So I drilled the CM free and carried on planning the repair.
With rear end and bottom of the car supported evenly, I made the first cut - the piece that supports the rear end travel bumper. Secondly came the frame rail bottom section, shaped and curved prior installation. Then I did the full inside frame rail piece, with all the curves turned out very well, and welded it home.
More to follow

WayTooShort · Aug 13, 2019

The RH side frame rail is coming together... I switched to an alternative epoxy brand as that I usually used so far went up and it became harder to find and buy. Next comes LH frame rail. Same story.
As a measure for gaining extra stability while the rear end is not welded together yet, and also for general improving the frame general sturdiness, I opted for an additional 2mm rib welded into the profile.
In order lowering the chance of water and dirt finding their way in the frame rail cavity through all these holes and recesses living aside and on the original design's bottom, I am going to drill extra access holes through the trunk bottom. These holes will be kept rubber plugged and evert now and then will be used for observation and maintenance purposes like rust protection spraying and waxing.

rbbruno3 · Aug 13, 2019

Nice work

tsaarts · Aug 17, 2019

I like your work. When i patched my frame rails i butt welded the wall peaces and used one long strip of metal for the bottom, which ends i even overlapped and spot welded to the existing rails, just to be sure for strength. With new frame rail end i butt welded it and added U-type strip to overlap new and old part of frame rail. Might not be necessary but just in case mentioning.

WayTooShort · Sep 7, 2019

Thanks for the tip about the frame rails.
Here is a short update.
Bodywork is constantly being pushed along..I can feel the work to do vs done ratio already shifting, although the final is nowhere to be expected anytime soon..

I may was not fortunate enough to salvage any sort of build sheet, but instead a vintage **** magazine was dug from above the outer wheel week where it meets the arch. Nice stash, I have to admit. Although mice have done their fair bit on it, it is still intact enough to tell it's a proper 80s edition, you know, with the large hair- dos and puffed up styles not the only body hair to be encountered...
Apart of this good fun- rear end is coming together nicely and I am thinking quarter panels already..a question: good mark offer two types of quarters indicated as "32 high, 67 long" and "oem". The thing is, from the pics provided I am not able to tell if the 32x67 type has the top flat section that the gutter gets welded to or is only an outer, vertical skin that has no horizontal deck at the top.... maybe someone can make a suggestion on that one?
Thanks...