Hey everybody, I'm new to this and not very computer literate , so please bear with me.....I started a project several years ago. I will try to get you caught up to the present time little by little......It started out as a '71 CHALLENGER CONVERTIBLE plum crazy 318 auto. It had been abused and changed many times over the years [note the triple white]...........How I got it is a story in itself........As you know, these are not real easy to find,especially here in RUSTY ohio. I told my cousin in austin texas to search for me , he found many good cars, but not a '71 VERT. After a year he told me he found one on a trailer in a truckstop. The driver said he was making a delivery to sacramento california, so he attached his business card to it.Months later , he got a call ,then called me. Turns out he bought it from RUSTY michigan to ship to sunny cali.[what was he smoking ? ] So this car traveled thousands of miles just to end up a few hundred miles down I-75 in ohio So I made a deal that included delivery and I was the proud owner of a rusty JH27 ...........It needed almost everything, but I wanted to build a restomod, so it was perfect.
You have your work cut out for you. :wrenching: What color and what drive are you planing to go with? :popcorn:
FC7 paint XV motorsports level 2 suspen. I am already well into that,pics upcoming
Engine, transmission, rear end, gears. Inquiring minds want to know! :yes:
Late model 392 scatpack,I have a brewers rebuilt A-833 with a gearvendors unit on it. american powertrain hydralic clutch using a stock 340 bellhousing. 8 3/4 rear sure-grip with 3:55......gearvenders unit was built for trans and rear gearing .XV kit uses corvette control arms , spindles and brakes up front,wilwood on the rear
Nice! Following.
Doing a restomod with my G-code 70 Convertible also.
Nice project. Very ambitious. :worship: Keep us posted on your progress. :bigthumb:
Nice to see any convertible get save, and the resto-mod idea is great way to go with a rusty 318 car.
Wow that is a full project there.
Keep us posted for sure.
A few more pics from the early stages
getting into the heavy metal work, adding frame connecters and stiffeners , convertibles need all the help they can get . The quarters were on and off many times to get the outer wheelhouses positioned right.It now becomes a manual shift car . I do not move this fast , just trying to get you up to speed. My goal is to hear it run in 2020...
Great work! Did you get the quarters on there without major mods to the outer wheelhouses? I had to make a cut in mine (driver side), didn't get to the passenger side yet. Didn't seem to fit well, different curve? and I cut it with the old wheelhouse as a reference.
How are you solving the top of the quarters, towards the top, see you removed everything there, seems difficult. I used skins.
Good to see another convertible being saved ! I used AMD panels, the outer wheelhouse and quarters fit together nicely . I cut the wheelhouse to match what was left of the original, put it in place with one clamp to hold it inside the trunk, then hung the quarter. Then released the clamp so I could move wheelhouse up/down ...in/out or rotate it slightly forward or back. Do what you have to do to get a good fit to the quarter, then clamp securely at wheel lip.......From inside the trunk and in wheelwell use cleco clips ,screws,clamps or even tack welds to make sure it will not move.........remove quarter and weld wheelhouse......test fit as you go if you think something may have moved. My quarters were rusted at the top flange ,so it was unusable. I used full hardtop quarters and upper body panel at decklid.....I rough cut them within a few inches of the flange, after they were installed I trimmed and used a hand flanger while test fitting the stainless trim...........hope this helps,good luck
Yep, that what I did also to make it fit, hopefully my passenger side fits better. Do you have pictures of the work you did around the decklid/conertible top, just curious how you did it, seems difficult. Thinking about using panel bond on the quarter to wheelhouse edge, seems like a good spot for it, since it can be clamped down good, and it will never rust if I do.
Panel bond is excellent if preped and used properly, I use it all the time, and on this car. You don't need this but I have a resistance welder at my disposal, it welds right thru wet panelbond,giving the factory type spot welds around the wheelwell. Like you said this is the best sealing you can get. Building the upper flange was slow and tedious . It is not as pretty as the factory but my trim fits over it nicely. I am going thru old files trying to find more pictures, I will post as I find them
Coated both sides of floor with lizard skin and continued to outer wheelhouse and where top drains into quarter. Water is going to get here so I provided a water tight path for it , also coated inside of quarter before install. The thin bands of primer around the lower edges is ground off for panel bond to complete seal.......Sprayed enough purple to install suspen. and get on wheels
The FC7 is on, so now back to the house for some assembly and to build an updated electrical system.
Hard to believe it's the same car, looks great :twothumbsup:
Wow, nice job on saving that car! Always amazes me seeing people taking on cars that need that much metal work. Inspiring!
I am making good progress this winter.Installed wilwood brakes, had to go to 18" wheels to clear the corvette based front suspen. Got most exterior trim on and modern cloth top. also fuel lines and internal pump tank.The big challenge for me is the electrical system from scratch with upgrades, so I got help from a friend who does such things. He started with a 28 circuit painless muscle car kit. The good thing is the fuse panel mounts on the firewall at the factory bulkhead hole with minimum filing, so fuses are right above gas pedal.
Looking good!
Make sure you get that parking brake adjusted before the driveshaft goes in. You may double check the clearance there between the driveshaft and adjuster block, if you haven't done so already.
Wiring is an endurance for sure. I ended up cutting the fuse box off of a painless kit and marrying it and the engine harness to a blank bussman fuse/relay box. Dark times!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is adjusted , but you are right,the driveshaft will be close.
Quote from: CincyCuda on February 14, 2020, 06:23:59 PM
It is adjusted , but you are right,the driveshaft will be close.
Nice.
Keep it applied for a week or so, the cables will stretch. :unitedstates:
Nice progress!
How does your E-brake work with the cables at the top of the trans tunnel? A hand lever at the console location?
It will have pistol grip and hand brake on tunnel , no console. Found a nice leather wrapped handle from a cobra mustang.
Stellar work right there brother, :worship: I'm doing the same thing on my wife's 67 Camaro she drove thru high school and she has no clue we're doing. It's a breath of fresh air taking liberties on a car and building it "your way". :bravo:
Thanks Mike, I am down here in the lower part of the state. next time i am up there I would love to see your shop........dan
Very nice!
moving along with electrical upgrades. made adapter for modern rearview mirror full of features to screw onto stock post. ran wiring for heated seats , [ chilly summer nights ], power windows [nu-relics] fuel pump through trunk access door and puddle lights for now.
Those puddle lights are bad ass! Where did you get them ? Link?
Nice work
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk
Quote from: ClarkWGrizwald on March 09, 2020, 10:57:19 AM
Those puddle lights are bad ass! Where did you get them ? Link?
Nice work
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk
I was thinking the same thing :twothumbsup:
ghost shadow lights by lumentrendz.......p/n 100581 LED PROJECTORS
Quote from: CincyCuda on March 10, 2020, 04:19:26 PM
ghost shadow lights by lumentrendz.......p/n 100581 LED PROJECTORS
Thanks!!! Car looks amazing!
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk
I am making a few interior modifications to make it a more comfortable long haul driver......Another use for the ashtray, and heat/Air conditioning control mods for classic auto air system that could pass for factory. I will repaint controls after testing.
got an engine from a 2016 challenger scat pack that had an unfortunate end. have to get a mid sump oil pan so I can do a test fit for adjustments on steering rack and exhaust. some say I may have to cut a notch in frame rail lip for alternator clearance. If anyone knows other checks I should make at this point, please let me know
Wow! You're making great progress. :bravo: That Scat Pack motor is a monster. My brother-in-law has a Scat Pack Challenger and I have to admit I was thoroughly impressed with the horsepower and torque it had. :stayinlane:
Quote from: CincyCuda on April 19, 2020, 06:14:59 PM
I am making a few interior modifications to make it a more comfortable long haul driver......Another use for the ashtray, and heat/Air conditioning control mods for classic auto air system that could pass for factory. I will repaint controls after testing.
What are your plans for re-labeling the heater controls ? I just had a customer supply a Classic Air system and when I was reading the instructions, I was surprised to see it still uses the old heater controls with just different cables... and now the positions of the switches all mean something different :notsure:
I am going to level the raised letters and hand paint the new markings. [ wife is a graphic artist ]
Quote from: CincyCuda on May 25, 2020, 03:37:39 PM
I am going to level the raised letters and hand paint the new markings. [ wife is a graphic artist ]
That's a good idea, I should talk to my customer about doing something similar...I'm surprised the AC kit doesn't include some sort of labels or decal to cover the whole area :thinking:
started to make some changes to make this happen......notch right frame rail for alternator , jeep srt left exhaust manifold to clear steering, and make a center/rear sump oil pan
I've spent this covid summer fabricating parts and pieces to make this 392 work. It is far from done but I did get a quick test drive around the area before the snow flurries came.
The electronics found a new home where the e-brake used to be.........the gear vendors unit fit with minor floor modifications. I am now making heat shields for the cats underneath,I'm using cats and o2 sensors from the donor car.
Solid progress there. Nice to see. Thanks for the update.
Great progress!
That engine compartment is CRAMMED!
Anyway to move that big thing on the firewall somewhere else?
Something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJWFE5wiUEs
It is tighter than I anticipated , but I wanted it to look more "factory" instead of showcar. changes can always be made in the future