Videos of my 70 Challenger project

[Nepagarage]

So I've been recording some of the progress on the challenger over the last year as well as some other projects I have going on. I thought you guys might enjoy checking it out. I'll preface it by telling you I'm no Mopar expert and car restoration isn't my profession. I'm mechanically inclined but usually more so when it comes to engines, troubleshooting, electronics, etc. So body and metal work is new to me on this scale at least. Having said that, I'm open to opinions and constructive criticism.

I'll add a link to the newest video I put up but if you click on the playlist you can see the other challenger videos as well. If this is posted in the wrong section or is against forum rules I apologize. Thanks!

https://youtu.be/QbmMH2bOYp8

[cudamadd]

Nice video lots of work But it will be so satisfying when she is all done . Thanks for the post 

[anlauto]

Nice....it never ceases to amaze me what cars are being rebuilt now thanks to all the reproduction sheet metal available 

[Nepagarage]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I got my work cut out for me but I decided a few years ago when I picked this up that it was now or never for an E body seeing as how few there are left. I never really considered buying one that's already, didn't really want to spend that kind of money. So since I plan on doing everything myself and I only care about it appearing stock, I can save a lot of money. I'm not big on numbers matching or NOS stuff. I mean I appreciate when guys do that and I know what it does for the value of a car, but it's not in my budget. Car was just a 318 so still open to opinions on engine and trans setup, but leaning toward mildly built 440 with a 727. Plum crazy is overdone to some extent, but damn does it look good on the 70 Challenger!

[Nepagarage]

If anyone is curious how she looked when I picked her up I have other videos on my YouTube channel of the car. The first one I posted almost two years ago was getting the old 318 fired up after it was sitting for 35 years. That was before I cut anything out of her and you can see how she was after sitting so long

[DeathProofCuda]

Plum crazy is overdone to some extent, but damn does it look good on the 70 Challenger!

There's no "to some extent" about it.  Its just overdone...

[torredcuda]

Plum crazy is overdone to some extent, but damn does it look good on the 70 Challenger!

There's no "to some extent" about it.  Its just overdone...

Most popular color on `70 Challengers when they were made and I don`t think that`s changed much.

[torredcuda]

Looking good so far. I bought my Barracuda in 1982 and by the time I got to restoring it in the early `90`s it was pretty badly rusted, not as bad as your Challenger but still needed a ton of metal work. My friends all told me to junk it and find a more solid car but  like you I couldn`t afford to buy a "done" one and preferred to biuld it myself anyway - to me it is much more satisfying.

[Nepagarage]

 

Looking good so far. I bought my Barracuda in 1982 and by the time I got to restoring it in the early `90`s it was pretty badly rusted, not as bad as your Challenger but still needed a ton of metal work. My friends all told me to junk it and find a more solid car but  like you I couldn`t afford to buy a "done" one and preferred to biuld it myself anyway - to me it is much more satisfying.

Exactly! I'm not saying if I had the money it wouldn't be cool to have an original six pack car or hemi, but I find getting something done for a reasonable sum is very satisfying. Plus for me I'd say I get more than half the fun in a build than the finished product. I finished a Factory Five last year (well depends on definition of finished lol) and honestly i got more enjoyment building it than driving it!

[jimynick]

Oh man! Watching that video took me back to doing mine and I truly do feel your pain. LOL May I suggest buying a box of Clecos and their pliers? They'll make hanging sheet metal much easier than screwing or clamping everything. I did much of what you're doing and if I may, I'd offer another piece of advice. Don't weld in pieces as you go, because these cars require a fair bit of wrestling with and I found that if you can get all or most of your new tin in and test assembled, you can pursue your fits and panel spacing much easier and once obtained, then, go to town welding-wise. For a guy who says he's not a bodyman, you're performing a pretty good imitation of one there laddie! Roll on! 

[Nepagarage]

Thanks for the encouraging words jimy. I actually do have clecos as I used them a lot while building the factory five (lots of aluminum panels that get riveted in). I see what you're saying about multiple panels and not welding it in. My thought on that was just that I have so much cut out at once I thought I better get some rigidity back in it before cutting anything else. A buddy of mine has a dustless blaster and offered for me to go to town on it when it gets to that point, so I didn't wanna tow it over in the spring without the main floor and firewall/cowl back in and welded solid or risk the sucker twisting/heaving/etc during the process of getting loaded on the trailer and towed over.  Also I shouldn't say I have ZERO body work experience. When I was 18-19 years old (20 + years ago now! Yikes!!) I worked in a body shop but I was more just the parts R&R kid and occasionally got to cut in some fenders or hoods with paint type of stuff. But most of my experience is mechanical related. But none of it professionally. Any advice on the cowl? I've heard more than one guy say the upper cowl should be welded to the lower before I even get it in the car, but I've also heard the opposite in case some minor tweak is needed. And whether done before or after, what's the consensus on painting inside of it??

[anlauto]

You should swap the partial VIN number from the old cowl into the new cowl, metal finishing BOTH sides before welding the upper cowl to the firewall

[Nepagarage]

Got out there for a bit today. Just mocked and not welded, but it does feel satisfying to see fresh metal where metal ought to be!

[anlauto]

Some serious progress right there

[jimynick]

When we changed my cowl/firewall, we bonded and spot welded the two together before putting them in. There WAS some screwing around, figuratively, to fit them to the full floor but it was do-able. Alan's recommendation to cut out the body # stamping might be something if you were also going to get a box of the proper coloured chalk, but even though I did cut mine out, it's upstairs in a box. End of the sermon. You're getting there!