'71 R/T, fixing a parts car

[RUNCHARGER]

Depends on what brand they are....

[70 Challenger Lover]

I only need door felts (panel and door so 4 total). I'd buy a set if they were under $75. Are there any out there?

[Flatdad]

I got the Camera up & running, so I ran around the farm trying it out on stuff.

Here is the welded in deck filler brace, the door I bought at Monster Mopar last weekend, & the fender I bought there last year:

[Flatdad]

Some wheelhouse patches:

[Flatdad]

Rocker before, during, & after:

[Flatdad]

All that rocker repair work still needs ground and painted, but its solid! Gonna have to burn some midnight oil again to make progress on the floors next...

[340challconvert]

Impressive patch and welding work!    Looking good

[Flatdad]

Looking like some permanent knot tying is in my near future. With that in mind, I've gotten motivated again to "finish" what I've started with this project since my days of being a free-range hooligan are numbered.

Here's what I've done 'n did lately, split into three posts:

I absolutely could not get the driver's quarter window loose, so, I ended up just hacking a hole in the quarter panel to access the sliding mechanism and got it working again. That quarter's coming off anyway.

Hacking the quarter revealed thick bondo cakes and brazing. I was happy to see the brazing instead of spot welds because it will make removing the quarter much easier. Next, I set about removing the weather stripping, window trim, & drip rail trim.

[Flatdad]

Holy carp those trim screws in the roof frame were tough SOB's!

It didn't take long to strip the phillips heads on a couple of them, but I learned a neat trick with a hammer & cold chisel that got them to loosen up.

Next I worked on removing the left side quarter window assembly. Despite having done it once before, and all the screws/nuts loosening easily, I struggled mightily with it, but got it out.

I then reasoned that, for structural reasons, I'd better repair the rocker before removing the full quarter.

[Flatdad]

So, last night before bed, I attacked the lower front quarter section below the body line, removing a sizeable chunk to access the rear rocker and survey the damage. I was pleased, disappointed, & perplexed at what I saw.

Had some frustrating good news. months earlier, summit had sent me the drivers side rear door jam instead of the passenger side like I'd ordered. So I just patched the passenger side using the driver's side piece as a mirror imaged pattern. I saved it instead of returning it, thinking the driver's side would be just as rotten and I'd use it anyway... NOPE. The lower rear rocker is sure-nuff just as rotten but that daggone door jam piece is perfect. Guess I've got some AMD sheet metal to sell later. On a happier note, it looks like I can get away with having only bought one rocker patch panel too.

I intend to grab pics of the carnage and post them tomorrow. In the mean time, here's my brother & cousin pulling up to the start line at muncie dragway:

[Flatdad]

Well crap, grabbed some pics & they suck! Maybe my lens is dirty... here they are, as promised:

The added brace is preparation for my rocker "repairs".

[Chryco Psycho]

Awesome , you are making a lot of good progress 

[Wayne]

Great work so far!  That is a big project.  Would intimidate most people.  Looking forward to seeing your progress with it.

[rebelyell]

This is awesome. I wish I had the skills and patience for it.

[Flatdad]

Sunday night & Last night I attacked the driver's rear rocker. I scavenged what was left of the AMD passenger rocker to make a patch panel on the driver's rear. The rusty bits were cut away & the spot welds ground off to make way for the new piece before I went to bed.

I hit a crossroads last night of deciding just how far to go with this 'rebuild'. The driver's side front rocker is not good. Buying new metal for that would mean also replacing the next piece beside it, & the next one to that, etc.

Since this was/is supposed to be a low budget rebuild, & I want to be able to enjoy the car before I'm two hundred years old, I'm going to draw the line here. No new metal pieces will be bought for this car. If anything structural needs addressed up in the front (and there is) then I'll just patch it quick 'n ugly with the scrap steel I have left & leave it at that. The roof & floor are already big jobs!