E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

1970 Dodge Challenger A66 model. All original, nothing missing. Thought I'd open a fresh thread for me to document my progress and to ask questions as they come up to save some on forum traffic. I am not planning a restoration right off the bat. It will be several years as the car just needs to be enjoyed as is.

After getting it home from Seattle and slapping on some missing decals, I was able to drive it 35 miles as it puttered along with bad gas and without a fuel gauge.

Once I ran out of fuel (and put a little bit more in to get me home) I decided to just park it in the garage and start doing a little bit of work!

:wrenching:

First order of business is dropping the fuel tank. The tank didn't look too bad inside, but the sending unit looked toast. Instead of spending $40 on phosphoric acid and 3-4 hours of work, I decided to just get a new fuel tank. I ordered new straps, gaskets, etc. I will reuse the original tank pad and sending unit locking ring. I will not paint tank or tank strap. Original tank and straps have undercoating.

For the fuel sending unit, I didn't want to cheap out. I decided to go with a $100 stainless unit from Year One. All other parts are on order from Roseville. I'll have more questions regarding calibration of the Year One sending unit in a few weeks; would like to dial it in as much as possible before installing the tank back.

Now is the best time to do all metal work required to restore the trunk pan with the fuel tank missing. My plan:

1) Finish Wire wheeling (top and underside) pan.
2) Weld 12-14 pinholes using copper spoon as backing. Grind smooth.
3) Apply Rust Mort.
4) Prime pan (top and bottom) with black epoxy primer (non-acidic).
5) Undercoat underside of pan.
6) Seam seal. Stick a factory trunk mat in there and call it good. Pan will have original burnt-orange color surrounding it. Only the repaired will be in black.

In the future, this will allow me to simply scuff and top-coat the trunk area when it's time to restore. Best of all, the section will be restored and rust-free.

 :twothumbsup:

Good luck! Let the fun begin. If you're going to drive it for a while better ck the brake lines for rust. Plan on changing the fuel line too from the looks of that sender.

Not sure why the fuel sender was not working correctly , nothing visably wrong  :haha:

Yea, tell me about it.

CHarlie and I talked, and we both think that the fuel line is OK to be left alone. Some corrosion on line from rear trunk area, but shiny metal after that. We think it's OK from the looks of the clear fuel tiler, it wasn't picking up any visible contaminants.

If someone can convince me that replacing the fuel line is a simple and cheap thing, then I'm all game. Otherwise...

Man, that car is CLEAN!!!!   :perfect10:  Good buy!

After 2.5 hours or so (including some beer time), the trunk pan is now 100% solid. I went from 16 pinholes to zero. With the help of the lady and a copper spoon I made (and a bright halogen light) I can now move on to cleaning the underside, feather-edging a little bit more in the pan, and getting it ready for rust-mort. It's my first time using Rust Mort, but I made sure to reach out to a SEM associate for tips/advice. After rust mort, I will roll it out into the driveway and spot prime the repair areas with black Epoxy. Hit the bottom pan up with some undercoating for added resistance, then move on to install fresh new parts.

Solid pan. But I'm glad I chose to do this NOW. Original or not, rust-free is better!

And originality retained! :)

Great Job!

That looks like a very nice A66 car!  :twothumbsup:

Love the details and plan.  I like the idea of not tearing the car apart and enjoying it as you fix things.
Too many projects stall once the car is no longer driven.
Good luck and keep the updates coming.

Thanks everyone. I think I am the right man for this car. I like to pride myself for doing things right!

Thanks to everyone's responses, I decided to just go ahead and order an OE steel fuel line kit from Classic Industries. They were having a 25% off sale, so it was dirt cheap. Easy insurance, right? Might as well just do it now when the tank is out, easy access.

I ordered a new SS Sender from Year One. I plan to spend a half day on it for calibrating. Any tips? Hell, I may even fill the tank up while the tank is on the floor, install the sender, and wire it in with extensions just to get it right. No use in anything less than perfect...

Today, I put on the Rust Mort to both sides of trunk. What an amazing product. 2-3 coats separated 10-15 minutes in-between. Will let it sit until tomorrow evening, then wash it off. Wow, is all I can say. It would have been sacrilege to cut into this pan. ORIGINAL BABY! Will spray in black Epoxy this weekend to "seal" the deal. Have some SEM black seam sealer to reapply. Should look beautiful. I also ordered a trunk pad...the really good one....man I can't wait.

First photo is before Rust Mort. Second photo is 10 minutes in. Third photo is 1 hr in. It's going to look AMAZING after 24 hours after the rinse! Best of all, rust more doesn't seem to care about shiney metal, nor does it care about original paint. I feathered edged the surrounding area, so with some careful spraying it will look really damn good.

Trunk pan is sealed w/ epoxy. New rubber plugs. Black 3M Seal sealer. Undercoating (bottom, only because rest of car has it). Ready for top coating in the distant future. I'll be putting an OE mat over it (which actually will cover up a vast majority, if not all of the black epoxy) from Dante's. Tank mounting hardware has been soaked in Prep and Etch, so they look ready to roll. Still waiting on new OE fuel lines/clips/hoses. Fuel tank arrived from AMD, looks perfect. Waiting on some more things. Tested my original sending unit...seems to work, just needs a new float. Clean this up and use this vs Year One Stainless steel? Ready to install either way!

Started doing a lot of rear-end polishing (bumper, rear painted parts). The bumper has lost several chromed sections, but it still shinned up pretty good for driver quality. Inside trunk is cleaned with degreaser and is ready to be used and enjoyed.

Took off the door today in what I thought was a simple job of installing new hinge bushings/pins. Then I found out I had to drill. Then I was was being told to not drill. So now, my only option is to send the hinges into someone and have them restored. Mo-money.

Took off the washer reservoir thinking I'd be able to slid in my new reproduction (fantastic quality, btw) and found that I'm going to need a new pump/filter before inserting it.

Took my glove box lock, console lock, and trunk lock to a Locksmith to have them re-key it to the same key. I supplied Chrysler reproduction keys. Haven't heard back and it's been a few days.

Seems like everything I take off leads to "mo-parts". :)

Trying to get this back on the road by next weekend. Trying to button up what's apart. Do this restoration in rounds. Car needs to be driven, and I miss it already.

Nice progress!   :twothumbsup:

I'm really impressed to see the instructions sticker on the inside of your trunk lid put on correctly.  So many people make the mistake of straightening those things up.  The factory never put one on straight.  :ohyeah:  :haha:

* Removed existing fuel line. Installed new steel OE from classic industries. Pretty good line. Old line I cut apart. It looked "serviceable" but also is nice to have a clean one and "know" what's there.

* Added new trunk pan plugs. Dante's Mopart's trunk mat arrived. I was impressed by thickness and quality of fit. Photos are not final. I only had to trim a couple areas. Over time, it will flatten out and look really good, I think. Installed "correct' spare tire stem rod.

* Polished rear license plate light. I want to make sure I am pulled over at all times.

* Did a lot of polishing on rear bumper area. Will need to be rechromed.

* Sent driver's door hinges off to MoparLeo. Will need to get some good single stage paint for them when they come back. Any door hanging tips?

* Have a good coolant leak and have a good transmission leak to deal with next. Oh, and brakes. it's all here folks. Leaks and Brakes are next on the agenda. But even before that. I need to calibrate this Year One SS sender. I'm planning to fill the tank up with water while it's on the ground. I want to assure accuracy.

Good progress, lense looks nice.
What did you use for polish?

I used car polish. I use wizards to polish. Car polish is just fine and dandy for plastics.

What a great and well preserved car!  I like these less sought after colors!

Cleaned and calibrated original sender. You may have seen my other thread, but I just wanted to post it here for documentation. Added new float. Waiting for filter sock to get here tomorrow.

You cans see before/after calibration photos. Calibrate by slightly bending the "tang" in the box. Rinse and repeat until it's perfect. Calibrated at 12.4-73ohms.

Filter sock removal. Check how much crud was near the sender entrance. Always remove the sock!

Underside of pan has been wire wheeled, rust/treated, epoxied, and undercoated. I'm hoping the pan will stay fresh and clean for a long time.

Reusing the filler tube seal on the tank. Please advise if you think it's a terrible idea. Installed new upper tank padding using 3M spray. AMD tank is all set to go. Phenomenal reproduction, by the way.

MoparLEO is wrapping up my driver door hinges. When they arrive this weekend, they will be blasted and primed. I will spray some Omni single-stage enamel on them and install my door back...I miss it!

I polished the rear bumper as much as possible. It will need to be re-chromed in the future. It's way more cost effective to buy a reproduction bumper though. I trust that AMD makes great bumpers?

I installed the passenger's seat belt retractor cover. The driver's side still needs the seat belt retractor dome that sits underneath carpet. All places I've came across will only sell the reproduction domes in pairs which suck! I just need one....

Sprayed the grille with WD40 (Charlie's advice). Wow! I love the darker argent look.

Used some steel wool to the Challenger grille script...turned it from black to shiny chrome!

Started cleaning the inner fenders/firewall area. Eventually, I'd like to replace the wiper washer hose with the correct black hose. I would also like to replace the heater core hoses with the correct black hose. Also want to add the correct spring clamps for everything. Don't think I'll pony up the price for actual Mopar repro hoses, but just some generic black hoses will improve the looks quite a darn bit.

I also ordered new wheels and tires...finally. 4x Legendary Wheel Magnum 500 15 x 7 w/ 4.25 backspacing alloys, and 4 x Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T 235 tires. In the future, I can add some authentic Rallyes if I find them, but for now, I have a nice set of lightweight period-correct wheels to use. Hell, I may even keep them on the car forever. The 14" date-coded Rallyes are going in the attic and will remain with the car.

Fuel tank is still out of the car. I decided to NOT run the original sender as it started to behave erratically during final testing. I was able to score an NOS fuel sending unit on eBay for a fraction more than the aftermarket one. Should arrive this week.

Tires got it. It's going to be a nice improvement in width over the current weaklings.

NOS sender came in (1991) and tested perfectly. Hooked back up the gas tank and finished connecting the fuel line to the sender. Had a hickup with the sender that you can read in another thread. Felt like I've became a sender expert now.  Car ran pretty sputtery (kinda like it did before). I only had a chance to take it around the block and idle it for about 7 minutes though. Glad that's done! Carb rebuild is probably next on the chopping block. Will play around with it some more tomorrow.

Raised left exhaust pipe by some "quick and dirty" techniques on an aftermarket hanger. Much better. I didn't fasten up the rear valiance yet, but you can see the work of about 2-3 hours of hand polishing in the rear area.

Before/After photo.

Got some flair in as well.

These floor mats are probably the best ones you can buy. NOT cheap. Perfect fit. I'll take more pics of them later once I get the door hung.

Yes, you're seeing Scat Pack key chains for my main keys and spare keys. Yep, all Chrysler recut keys.

Nice work....I love your car!      :bradsthumb:

Your A66 Challenger is in really great shape.  Glad you were able to clean up the trunk floor and your driver cleanup process is making the car look even better.

I have an A66 convertible that I have owned since 1979 and finally took it out of storage to start working on it 3 years ago. My trunk was rusted badly by the exhaust hanger sections and I am in the process of replacing the trunk floor. With a clean up; your trunk came out great
I will follow your work as you progress.
NICE WORK!
:wrenching:

Sadly yes, that pan requires cutting! I heard you have to pretty much remove the rear piece (where tail lights are affixed) in order to complete the repair! Would NOT be a fun repair!

I suppose I am lucky. My trunk lid is shot (It's repairable but easier to get an AMD lid) and the bottom of the window seal requires some cutting. Other than that...no rust anywhere else on the car!

Well, I do need to patch an area under the battery, but that's not due to "rust" but rather to battery acid corrosion.

Hooked up new washer tank and pump. She squirts! I hate the nut + canister design. I did not have a deep socket, so I made tools in order to tighten the filter to the pump. You need it just the right amount of "tight" so that it won't leak.

Wheels came in. Going to try to get them mounted/balanced tomorrow. I decided to keep the 14" Rallyes mounted with the Bias Ply goodyears. Maybe if I'm in the mood to blow minds with "all original" then I could mount them before a show. But seriously, Alloy with radials are just better. The Magnum 500s are period correct, lighter, and the right choice for this car. 17" forged wheel look too large for these cars iMO. 16" may be the right ticket, but there's zero RWL tires for that size. I'd LOVE to see a Challenger with 16"ers with RWL tires...post if you got it!

MoparLeo's hinges came in. While I was uneasy paying nearly $100 all together for the rebuild, I must say his work is precise, exact, and to factory standards. This man KNOWS hinges. He makes it so that lower hinge does NOT need an aftermarket bushing, which is what every place sells.. He drills it out LESS oversized than that, and puts in the right sized hinge bolt, just like what you'd expect Dodge to do and look like. All parts come back in vacuum sealed bags and primer-ready for paint. Just go through him, DON'T drill out your stuff and add bushings where bushings never were! That means LARGER holes.....good luck if you ever need to rebuild again in the future!

Painted hangers with single stage enamel. Should have door mounted back on car by tomorrow.

Got wheels/tires mounted and balanced. I'm currently going through lug-nut hell. I could use help! It seems that I may need special-made lug nuts. ET-type for sure, with .5" shanks and no less. And I require the ridiculous LH and RH lug nuts. :(

If you can help or know of a source, let me know. Pretty desperate, because these wheel/tire combos just absolutely need to go on the car. It will wake up the looks. It will transform it from "grandpa's car" to "on fire!"

I also want to document that while I was "definitely" sure that this combo would hit my "helper spring" hardware, it in-fact has plenty of clearance from it. So yay, I don't have to mess with the rear springs for now in order to mount them...

Just need....lug nuts. Breaker-19.

Door is hung. No more having to "lift it" in order to open it. MoparLeo rules!

However, the door still has some "delay" to it while opening it. It's not as "quick" as the passenger door. You have to lift the handle ALL the way up, sometimes twice, for it to break open. It's not a door hanger issue. I'm thinking at this point it's the internal h/w that needs adjustment. Any tips?

Here's some pics. The car is now drivable again.

@ 1 Wild R/T is hooking me up by cutting down some ET style lugs so I can get the new/wheels and tires on there...and graduate to the 21st century!

Also decided to order the TTI exhaust, earlier than expected. Reached out to Dave from Roseville Moparts.

Reason being is that the current exhaust mufflers are "rattling" against the gas tank. I tried to get under and adjust today, but you really don't get much adjustment opportunities with the stock hanger hardware. I do not like a hot mufflers banging against the fuel tank...bad design! The nice thing about the TTI exhaust system is it's all piping near the tank, so no chance of rattles!

I'm having several people talk me into Magnaflow exhaust. They said that it preserves the tone of the engine without changing it too much. It's high performance. There's little to no drone. I'm only looking for 20% louder (no more) than the current exhaust. Is there a certain muffler from Magnaflow that would be the ticket? Otherwise, it's going to be me driving to the local exhaust shop with my TTI kit and asking them to listen to it, and tell me what mufflers give me 20% more "meat".

Also have some great tips that I ordered from eBay. Way cheaper than TTI's tips, and they match stock exactly...just at 2.5". :)

You'll be happy with the TTI exhaust, great fit.
I also found other tips at 1/2 the cost TTI charges, not sure why they are so proud of their tips.

I ran Magnaflow Ultraflows on my 528 but they may be louder than what you want. They were fine at idle and normal driving IMO but lit up the whole town when I got on it.

The TTI tips I got for my 70 Challenger were kind of expensive but they are stainless steel and highly polished.  :wave:

The ones I got (pictured above) are stainless steel. Highly polished. There isn't any "crimping" either. Nice large 2.5" inlet.

Held it up to the old ones and it's measurement-perfect.

Paid about $110 shipped. Couldn't imagine a set of nicer tips!

Quote from: kawahonda on July 30, 2018, 02:05:12 PM
The ones I got (pictured above) are stainless steel. Highly polished. There isn't any "crimping" either. Nice large 2.5" inlet.

Held it up to the old ones and it's measurement-perfect.

Paid about $110 shipped. Couldn't imagine a set of nicer tips!

Great job.  That's really cool.  :banana:

Got her at 8 BTDC. Would need to recurve to go further advance. She runs really, really good. 33.5" dwell with the points that were installed. I also added a 1/4" wooden gasket to the carb-to-intake. Heat-soak issues seem to be pretty much remedied, or significantly impacted. Only verified this on long-idle and test drives, have not tried for "real world" tests, yet.

She runs at 16-16.5" vacuum at 800 RPM idle. The intake does have a leak when spraying carb fluid, but what's the real benefit of fixing in the near term?

As-is, she starts easy, even hot, runs fantastic. I'm kinda at the point where I would consider engine is "done" for my stage 0 plans.

Many, many plans are set in stone for the next two weeks......stay tuned.

Great Job!

Any chance you have a link for your tips? I've seen few sets on Ebay at good price but i doubt about their quality...

I've bought the same vaccum gauge and she died the first time i used it while i was tuning my carb!  :bricks:

" I've bought the same vaccum gauge and she died the first time I used it while I was tuning my carb!  "
I see it's a Pittsburgh brand , I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and I hate seeing them use that name on those cheap tools sold at HF ,NT and online.

Those tips are real nice I think I got the same ones, ground and polished I think they were $125.      2.5"(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180804/0ba140f18d13754a393858fe4d30a19f.jpg)

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Here are the tips I bought:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Quad-Square-Outlet-2-5-in-Exhaust-Tips-For-1970-1974-Dodge-Challenger/183120415666?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I can take more pics of them if you guys like. It looks like Kewl has the same exact ones.

Thanks guys!

I don't need more pics. If you are both happy with the quality it should be ok! 

:cheers:

Replaced the upper bruised and scraped lip with an AMD replacement molding. Really changed the face apparencd. Pretty happy with AMD so far.

Challenger will likely get detailed this week.

I can tell you love your car from all your posts.  Cool!  Im in my garage at 11:37 pm checking out my ride and its nice to have pride in our rides. :bradsthumb:

No words.

Expect big updates soon.

Big shout-out to 1 Wild R/T. He lathed 10RH and 10LH lugs so that I can use my stock studs for the time being.

Can't express enough gratitude. Give him a hand, everyone!

:banana:

Challenger is at the detail shop. Let's see what a good buffing can do to original paint!

Wild R/T is always willing to help anyone that will listen to his great advice.

How about some pics once its buffed out?   :bradsthumb:

Just picked it up.

Holy shit.

Looks great: The 15 inch wheels will really finish it off.

Yes, the wheels/tires will just make this glow completely!

Quote from: kawahonda on August 10, 2018, 06:28:19 PM
Big shout-out to 1 Wild R/T. He lathed 10RH and 10LH lugs so that I can use my stock studs for the time being.

Can't express enough gratitude. Give him a hand, everyone!

:banana:

Challenger is at the detail shop. Let's see what a good buffing can do to original paint!

That is really great Wild R/T!!
The car is looking awesome!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Adjusted my torsion bars today. I figured I'd probably have to do this again after wheels/tires, but wanted to get good at it. :)

BEFORE ALIGNMENT:

Passenger side:
   A: 9.33"
   B: 8.9"
   = .43" Height
   
   Fender well measurement: 24.68"

Driver's side:
   A: 9.25"
   B: 8.9"
   = .35" Height

   Fender well measurement: 24.25"

   .08" left/right difference


AFTER ALIGNMENT:

Passenger side:
   A: 9.09"
   B: 8.89"
   = .20" Height

   Fender well measurement: 24.81"

Driver's side:
   A: 9.01"
   B: 8.85"
   = .16" Height
   
   Fender well measurement: 24.68"

   .04" left/right difference


From these results, I can conclude:

1) The variance of left and right while in spec before, was reduced 50%. Braking will likely be improved a little. This has the benefit of having nearly equal front fender to tire gap now.

2) The front was effectively lowered .21"

3) In spec per FSM.

Looks way better and was way cheaper vs a new paint job. :bradsthumb:

Agreed. Like I said guys, I think I'm the right man for this car.

I'm actually going to call about some PDR in a few months. I know a guy that "knows a guy". There's a couple spots, and if he can bring those to near perfect, then we'll have a near-perfect capsule.

Expect some big updates this week. If you haven't subscribed yet, you may want to now...

Quote from: nsmall on August 06, 2018, 11:37:33 PM
I can tell you love your car from all your posts.  Cool!  Im in my garage at 11:37 pm checking out my ride and its nice to have pride in our rides. :bradsthumb:

Cheers my friend. Sometimes you just need to go have a few drinks while looking at it.

Quote from: kawahonda on August 12, 2018, 09:05:25 PM
Agreed. Like I said guys, I think I'm the right man for this car.

:iagree: Your car looks fantastic!   :banana: :veryexcited: :cooldance: :bravo:

Quote from: nsmall on August 12, 2018, 08:28:50 PM
Looks way better and was way cheaper vs a new paint job. :bradsthumb:

Mine goes in this week for exactly that purpose. I said I want them to make it look good enough that I don't want to paint it!

It looks awesome kawahonda.

Windshield replaced this morning.

New wheels/tires (finally). I feel like the front can come down a little.

I think it looks great the way it is. Wheels look sharp.

Ditto: That looks great.

Wayne's Transmission in Boise, who is ran by a Mopar guy, just finished servicing the Challenger. What a cool guy...an encyclopedia of 727 knowledge. Loved the car. Glad to have him apart of the journey. He enjoyed being waved at for his test drives. :)

* Transgo TF2 Shift Kit installed.
* Two seals replaced. The shift shaft (the obvious leak point) and another one that he identified that was internal.
* Band Power Wedge upgrade.
* Partial throttle kit added.
* HD Bandstrut upgrade.
* Dex III transmission fluid.
* New filter and pan gasket (Mopar OEM).

He identified shot engine mounts. Told me to drive it like a grandpa and to replace ASAP. I think I know why. The more the motor "moves" or "tilts" under force the more it puts pressure on the shaft seal since the carb is connected via a mechanical linkage. Ordered via forum recommendations. If your shaft seal was leaking like mine (about a pint every 5 days) you MAY want to check your motor mounts to see what the true CAUSE is. I have not verified what he said, but I trust his 25 years of experience racing and working on Mopars...take it for what it is.

I didn't want to drive it too harshly back home by his recommendations, but man, Wayne works magic. Shifts are firm, immediate. Downshifting into first automatically happens much more often--I'm not sure how he did it. I don't think the "21 MPH limit" is there anymore while it's in "D" mode..need to figure out if that MPH point has moved. Have not tried slap-stick yet. You feel a little bit of a "jolt" (minor, but a positive feeling) during upshifts. That just lets you know that the transmission is doing its job and is decreasing wear and increasing longevity. Partial throttle kit works, and downshifting and upshifting is IMMEDIATE. Best of all, the transmission does what you WANT it to do WHEN you want it to do. The car GOES when the pedal is mostly the way down (not "all the way" anymore with lag). I have not driven it hard, but I'm loving every bit I'm feeling so far. It's night and day difference. When the motor mounts get replaced, I will have some fun with it and really test it.

My girlfriend took it on a 2 mile ride when I got home. I asked her if she noticed a difference and all she said "it feels really solid". I asked her if she notices the slight positive "jolts" during upshifts and she said "nope, it feels smooth to me." So yea...take that for what it's worth.

Go TF2 or go home. This 727 ain't no "slush box" anymore.

Hat's off to Wayne's Transmission's in Boise. A couple pieces of advice that he gave:

1) Do not use Type F fluid. Use Dextron III or Dextron IV. Type F has friction modifiers that our 727s just do not need anymore. It creates MORE wear..simulates "harsher" shifting in the WRONG way. Sorry, I can't get more technical because my knowledge is limited.

2) Do not use your transmission to brake! By doing so (slapstick mode) it puts full wear on the internal clutches. Treat it like an automatic and not like a manual: Use your brakes, fellas.

I wouldn't be surprised if this added a few hundredths off the 1/4 mile time.

Nice upgrade!

And the car looks great with her new wheels!

Congrats.

She sure buffed out well.  What an improvement.  Looking great. :bradsthumb:

I like the car and the color - I own two cars in this color.

However I am curious as to why you didn't paint the trunk since you obviously had the paint to do the hinges?

Because painting the area underneath the trunk mat wasn't a priority compared to hanging my drivers door so I can actually drive the car after being parked for 3 weeks. In time, in time. The trunk pan is sealed and it isn't going anywhere.

More importantly, the trunk lid and filler panel are rusting away and should be replaced.

Installed tachometer. I did not use any soldering or splicing, all professional and stock crimping was used on existing connections.

Took this time to clean the gauge plastic covering. It all shines now. Stock "clock" blank is boxed up and stored in safe keeping. Not sure why anyone would want to put that back in, though.

TTI 2.5" Exhaust installed. Working on sealing up the HRV right now to stop it from rattling and leaking using a spring and J-B Weld Extreme Heat.

New upper fuel line in bone stock routing. New repo mopar heater hoses. She's now pretty close to how she looked new under the hood.

All new now.

MagMounts fit great!

Off to see the wizard...the old school upholstery man!

can you get close-up pics of the grain-pattern on your original seats (shell & insert)

are they regal or coachman?

See pics

They ordered the regal inserts with coachmen grain skirting. Is this correct?

@kawahonda (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/kawahonda_2011) IMO looks like you are all good!

reproduction seat covers are available for 1970 Challenger H6__ interiors with either "REGAL" or "COACHMAN" inserts
the skirts of the seats are commonly "COACHMAN"

I have NOT seen any original H6__ seats that are "COACHMAN" & "COACHMAN", I wonder if they in fact do/did exist  :dunno:

early VS. late parts are sometimes different and the CA plant ocassionally had parts that differed from those used in MI & I thought a pretty-unmolested November car's seat could shed some light on the subject

here are pics of the "COACHMAN"/"REGAL" seat from my Challenger R/T that I pulled a correct b'cast sheet from  :takealook: