Second lease on life 73 Challenger.

[usraptor]

So do the trunk first then worry about the outer wheel well?

It helps if you remove the quarters that you're  going to replace first along with the rear tail light panel.  Then you can use a one piece trunk pan.

[edison1970]

I would replace one piece at a time and start with the trunk floor and tail panel.  That way you have a reference to go by with existing quarters so everything lines up as it was before.  If you don't, you'll have to weld in a bunch of braces.

[RUNCHARGER]

Give the frame rails a sandblast first to make sure they are solid.

[Rdchallenger]

I'm actually going to try the method i found on CC to replace the trunk floor since it is already removed and keeps the tail panel intact.  http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=111228.msg1096640#msg1096640 something to give a shot

I actually have already replaced the one frame rail and rust encapsulated the other just to protect it.

[usraptor]

That's pretty slick idea. 

[nsmall]

@Rdchallenger

How about an update?

[Rdchallenger]

Hey!  . Sorry for the silence on the project, a lot hasn't been done actually. Winter home improvements and such until it finally gets warm enough to start back into it.

Will def keep y'all updated though! 

[nsmall]

I see you are Maryland, enough said.  Hammer out those house projects so you can get back to the important project once it warms up.... operation challenger.

[1 Wild R/T]

While the North Eastern weather makes car projects tougher home projects happen everywhere, gotta keep momma happy cause if she ain't happy........

So make momma happy...

[Rdchallenger]

After taking 7 months off from working on the car out of sheer disgust of it all. Mainly buying what I thought was a solid car at Mecum, to getting the run around with the body guy, to getting it back in the shape you all saw. I just didn't even want to look at it.

But after some soul searching, the bug has bit me again. Got the doors reattached to set up the body lines, vacuumed all the sand out of the car left over (again the body guy was half assing everything), sorting through parts that weren't labeled as well as bolts just all thrown into a maxwell container. Here is how it is now.

Welded in a new outer wheel well, test fitted some panels, today I am prepping the trunk floor for placement. Going to hit it with weldthru primer as well as getting pilot holes drilled out. Once the trunk pan is back in the car, I'll start working on the trunk extensions as well as getting there rear quarter panel back on.

Still trying to figure out the order of operations of how to put it together and where since I'm not the one who tore it apart. 

[nsmall]

Glad the bug is back.  Keep at it.  I hope you can see the progress and keep on moving along.

[RUNCHARGER]

You're probably done finding skeletons now. It is far more fulfilling building them than finding surprises.

[Rdchallenger]

That's for sure. As long as I don't think about how much I paid for it then come to find out every panel besides the roof and doors needed replaced. 

[YellowThumper]

With the bug rekindled we look forward to future updates. Keep at it little by little you will get there.

[Rdchallenger]

Moving along. I went ahead and got the gas tank/trunk supports welded in today. Hoping by Friday when my schedule allows me I'm able to test fit and mock up the trunk in the car as well as the driver side trunk extensions along with finishing up welding in the outer wheel well.