Dynacorn Body Shell

[70 Challenger Lover]

Don't misunderstand, I still think you are going to have a super bitchin car when you are done but I think not test fitting stuff like I described is a huge gamble. It doesn't have to be a huge hurdle either or expensive for that matter. You are simply taking stuff off the old car and test fitting it briefly to the new shell before tagging and bagging or restoring. Stuff like window whiskers could be test fitted using the old cruddy ones. You are only checking that the tabs line up to the new holes. You really don't even have to attach it, just make sure holes line up on most stuff. You may find that some things like the dash frame fit in nice but maybe one tab is off a little bit. A little work with a rat tail file and your good to go. Easy fix before it's painted. There may be one or two things that aren't so easy like your rear window opening but to a professional metal guy, they can fix it no big deal. I wouldn't get bummed out over all this, this but of effort now will pay off huge when the car is painted and you start reassembling it. Nice peace of mind to know that everything will go back together with no surprises.

[Blake129]

Don't misunderstand, I still think you are going to have a super bitchin car when you are done but I think not test fitting stuff like I described is a huge gamble. It doesn't have to be a huge hurdle either or expensive for that matter. You are simply taking stuff off the old car and test fitting it briefly to the new shell before tagging and bagging or restoring. Stuff like window whiskers could be test fitted using the old cruddy ones. You are only checking that the tabs line up to the new holes. You really don't even have to attach it, just make sure holes line up on most stuff. You may find that some things like the dash frame fit in nice but maybe one tab is off a little bit. A little work with a rat tail file and your good to go. Easy fix before it's painted. There may be one or two things that aren't so easy like your rear window opening but to a professional metal guy, they can fix it no big deal. I wouldn't get bummed out over all this, this but of effort now will pay off huge when the car is painted and you start reassembling it. Nice peace of mind to know that everything will go back together with no surprises.

I guess Dynacorn did me a solid by not pre-drilling out the holes for certain trim pieces like the reveal clips for the window molding for example 

[70 Challenger Lover]

I like filling those holes anyway with weld and drilling new ones so the screws are nice and tight. On vinyl top cars, the holes get hidden anyway so better to just drill new ones in my opinion. Post up what else you find. Many of us have asked about the quality of these. I think when all is said and done, You are going to very happy you went this route.

[soundcontrol]

Wow! How cool is that, starting a build with a brand new body!!!
I talked to Dynacorn at SEMA last year, they stopped making them because they were hard to sell.
Wonder how many is out there...

[Blake129]

Wow! How cool is that, starting a build with a brand new body!!!
I talked to Dynacorn at SEMA last year, they stopped making them because they were hard to sell.
Wonder how many is out there...

1 left on the market to be exact.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HEMICUDA]

As a high end restorer, in reference to the available AMD sheet metal or Dynacorn, thank you.   However, if you think you're going to just bolt it all together and line up the panels for paint?  Not going to happen.  It's a great foundation without paying the big money for rust free original or NOS pieces.  It is by far a better foundation to work with then all the hours required to restore an original rotted out part.  With that said, if you're doing a super high value car, nice original is the way to go.

What I have experienced with reproduction outer body metal is, we have to slide hammer the edges for panel height to bring the metal up to the adjoining part.  Next is welding on the ends of the panels and metal finishing to secure a perfect gap, next is moving the body lines around so they all match.  Now it's time to straighten the body for paint which is another full process.


The big money in doing a complete restoration is having the talent for the detail metal work and body/paint.  If you want perfect, even with original sheet metal, you'll never get "as close to perfect as possible" without moving around the metal.  Most reputable restorer will tell you that, mot only with the metal work but body and paint separates the "men from the boys".

[Mymcodebee]

Heres a video walk thru of the body shell for those interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ6GLCtPCgI

It amazes me that these things never took off and sold like hot cakes    Think of all those resto mod builds you could do...

They chose the wrong car.  It was a matter of production numbers.. They looked and saw that the challenger out sold the Cuda so lets build a Challenger.   The problem lies with the fact that for 20K more and a payment plan someone can go buy a facsimile of the same car at their local dealership...

They need to build a shell with no competition...
If they build 1968 and 1969 Charger shell for that same $17-20K price they would be flying out of their warehouse!
I would be in line for a charger shell!

To answer the ops question.   100 hours is more than fair.  I typically have 2-3 hours into gapping just one e-body door but I take my time and do it right.   

[70 Challenger Lover]

Or a 70-71 Cuda since they are as hot as the Chargers and were produced in smaller numbers.

17k is a huge investment for a lot of people on a car that would then need some massage time before it can be painted. And of course you need a donor car to transfer everything to it as well. Of course it's a good way to go versus repairing a rusted out car but that is only when an owner can see that on day one. A lot of folks dive in and start spending money on their rusted out project and don't fully appreciate just how expensive the body repairs are going to add up to.

[anlauto]

  very true

[Blake129]

Or a 70-71 Cuda since they are as hot as the Chargers and were produced in smaller numbers.

17k is a huge investment for a lot of people on a car that would then need some massage time before it can be painted. And of course you need a donor car to transfer everything to it as well. Of course it's a good way to go versus repairing a rusted out car but that is only when an owner can see that on day one. A lot of folks dive in and start spending money on their rusted out project and don't fully appreciate just how expensive the body repairs are going to add up to.

Well...once I disassembled my now "donor car" I realized that pretty much every exterior panel needed to be replaced and then there's the chance of rot and rust in areas that cant be accessed as easily . I've got thousands of dollars worth of parts from the car, but the shell was the safer choice.

[6bblgt]

and in the state of Louisiana is it legal to transfer the VIN from your rusty original car or do you get a state issued "kit car/homebuilt" title & VIN for the new vehicle?

[70 Challenger Lover]

If it were me, I would not ask the state for their permission. I'd just do it and do it right so it wasn't obvious and would pass a VIN inspection. Or better yet, register the old rusty car first and then do it making sure to keep the registration current every year so you never had to deal with an inspection down the road. Naturally I'd disclose that to anyone that bought the car down the road so they could make an informed buying decision. In most states it would be acceptable so why hurt yourself just because you lived in the wrong state at that particular point in your life?

[Blake129]

I've been told that it can be done in Louisiana. And an antique doesn't have to get inspected in LA. If I were to sell the donor vehicle I'd just make it known to the buyer that it doesn't come with a title or VIN.

[70 Challenger Lover]

In my opinion, you're better off transferring all VIN stampings and dash VIN plate to the new body. The reason I say this is someday the car will be sold, by you or your family upon your passing. Cars without VIN stamping fall into the same category as a salvage car when it comes to value. There is a 71 Cuda convertible that pops up on eBay from time to time and the seller can't seem to give it away because it has a "state issued VIN" as opposed to the original VIN.

Since you have a metal guy doing a few repairs to the new shell, it wouldn't take them much effort to transfer the numbers over. At the very least, use the dash VIN since it's only riveted to the dash. I'd try to get the car registered under its original VIN simply so it doesn't ultimately get a state issued VIN.

I know some guys will cringe at this advice calling it fraud. It is not as long as you disclose it to future buyers. Fraud is not fraud until you deceive. Now it could be against certain state laws but so is dismantling cars and selling the parts but guys do that every day. The state doesn't care about that stuff until it becomes an illegal chop shop. The intent of some states in not allowing this kind of stuff is to protect consumers from the unscrupulous people who do commit fraud just to make a few bucks. It's not to hamstring private classic car enthusiasts like us.