Help with 1970 Challenger Headlight Bezel Mounting

[RayL]

1970 Challenger R/T (Clone)

Can anyone provide a few pictures of how an unmolested 1970 Challenger headlight bezel attaches to a real 1970 Challenger fender / grill?

I'm upgrading my headlights and pulled the bezels and retaining rings off for the first time since I've owned the car. Surprise #4711... The top 2 headlight bezel attachment points have been "modified" (aka mangled) to "screw" onto the fender. Well, not really screw on, more like pinched or wedged under the fender lip without any screws...

The bezels can be salvaged and even some metal brackets for the fenders made up to screw the bezels onto. I'd appreciate seeing how it was done originally before I get out the hammers ;-)

I hope these images give an idea of what I'm working with.


Thanks as always!
RayL

[R/T's 4 R/P]

I don't have pictures handy, but I can tell you that you're missing U-nuts for the fasteners.
The top two screws(red box) should be fastened at about a 30° angle. It looks like the fender is squared off??

[RayL]

I don't have pictures handy, but I can tell you that you're missing U-nuts for the fasteners.
The top two screws(red box) should be fastened at about a 30° angle. It looks like the fender is squared off??

Yes, the front lip of the fender is flat/squared off from the red box all the way to the yellow circle. In other words, if I were to place a straight edge across those points, the end of the fender would be flat against the straight edge. The mangled up metal on the bezel was forced behind that flat edge to wedge into place without screws. I'll add a few more pictures later today.

[Floyd]

here's diagrams and details for original fasteners. 

[340Challman]

Is there any chance you have '72-'74 fenders? if not, then they have definitely been modified. See my pictures.

[RayL]

@Floyd - thanks for those pages. Where can I get my hands on a copy of those diagrams and details for original fasteners?

[RayL]

@340Challman - My fenders have side marker light cutouts, so they should be 1970 or maybe 1971. But they do not look like the images you posted. I'll post similar images of my fenders tomorrow to show the difference.

Your images are very helpful. Thanks

[Floyd]

MMC E-body Fastener Guide.  Pricey but a wealth of knowledge.

https://shop.mmcdetroit.com/product/e-body-challenger-and-barracuda-1970-74-manual-guide-to-fasteners-hardware-and-general-assembly-ermx/

[rftroy]

340Challman is right.  The one fender you show is a 72-74.
I had a friend with a 72 challenger.  He wanted to put on a 70 grill, and we found this issue.  It's been quite a while but I think we ended up doing some cutting and welding on tabs.

https://www.autometaldirect.com/front-fender-rh-72-74-challenger?msclkid=98c754559f63148a03693c8d17f9aa9b&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=24%20%7C%20SS%20%7C%20Shopping%20%7C%20Catch%20All%20%7C%20US&utm_term=4575136628065947&utm_content=All%20Products


Robert

[340Challman]

340Challman is right.  The one fender you show is a 72-74.
I had a friend with a 72 challenger.  He wanted to put on a 70 grill, and we found this issue.  It's been quite a while but I think we ended up doing some cutting and welding on tabs.

Robert

Ugh. 55 years and this is what happens to our cars. The running joke about my fenders once I got them stripped down was someone had obviously not liked the factory mirror location and tried out mounting it all over the damn fender. Yes, I said fender. Don't know what else it could have been. The hole spacing was dead on for a mirror. 

Welded up a lot of holes. 

[RayL]

Oh well, looks like my fenders are having an identity crisis. The lip on the nose is certainty NOT like the images shared by @340Challman, but the side marker cutouts do look like OEM factory '70/'71 fenders.

This is going on the list of problems for (distant) future Ray.

For now, I'll just clean things up as best I can and call it good.

Thanks Everyone!