Original Dodge Challenger

Original Dodge Challenger

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neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:


Brakes now done, apart from the caliper positioners, cant find any at sensible money, one place wanted 50 quid each!
not overly bothered as the car has'nt had them for at least 15 years! laugh
What were you quoted to re chrome the bumpers ?
Also, what front brake callipers are they ?

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:


Still a lot to do lol.....................................................................
But on the plus side , pretty much everything is done, and waiting to be fitted, the dash steel frame was a mission, as was all the interior plastic
absolute bummer to strip, plastic prime and refinish in 2k Matt.................

Im going to take chance and order a pair of restored bumper bars from the states, local platers want a fortune to do mine,
New ARE's and new BF, Boots are pending,

Fitted the boot lid lift torsion bar today, one scary job !!!!!!!
Still got all fingerslaugh
Minilites look awesome on the Challenger. Pal has them on his 70 AAR Cuda.
Any photos of the “ dash frame “ ?

newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all


So glad this jobs over! unbelievably time consuming, and thats both our spare rooms full of parts now lol

I'l be getting the dash frame down from the loft soon, i'l put up some pics, its just such a odd shape took ages to blast and refinish,
just doing the dash pods now, they are very flimsy crap plastic affairs, but the housing for the instruments is cast ali so pretty though.

I was given a out air air quote on the chrome, around 800 per bumper, i can get a pair delivered to my door for 550, ( but they could be crap!)
but i'l just have to chance it,

Going to strip my ones and epoxy them , then body colour them, this way i can swap around if i fancy a change.
Im still unsure whether too semi matt black the panel around the rear lamps, im waiting till ive offered up the rear lamp cluster, which is matt black and argent silver around the lens's, this was another tedious job, triple masking etc.

Bugger me these aint a easy car to restore!

newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
And yes i agree Minilites are very nice, had a set of17"s on my Tiger,

Still got a set of Magnesium ones from a race 70 Mustang, they look epic on a Boss type muzzie ...................
The bolt pattern would fit the Chally but the offset is all wrong,plus they are very old now and i guess would leak like mad!

I was going for 15" Steels , but the reproduction Dog Dishes and the beauty rings are ridiculously expensive for what are essentially chinky repo crap....................

Ironically American Racing Wheels are also made in China, what ever happened to uncle Sam rolleyes


aeropilot

34,692 posts

228 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:
Ironically American Racing Wheels are also made in China, what ever happened to uncle Sam rolleyes
Because people prefer to pay cheap money for cheap tat.......

I wonder after this current crisis is over, people might start to see China for what it is, and 'made in China tat' will start to become 'non-persona' and some countries might start to see a recovery of some of their manufacturing....?

SRT Hellcat

7,035 posts

218 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Give Doug Heath polishing and plating a call on 01462 896680. He is in Royston. A one man band. Very good and very reasonable and probably still working.

newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
Totally , its universal style over substance, and thats the rub as far as me bumpers are concerned, rechromed in the far east, single plate, zero polishing , will pop as soon as they get wet, lol

Triple platting seems to be a thing of the past, if my off the cuff quote had been for polishing,coppering etc, i may have gone with it, however both places were vague...................

i had my rear bumper done on my 57 T Bird back in 2000, a two piece clam shell affair, 1200 quid cash through the back door at London Chroming, still looks like new !


gweaver

906 posts

159 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
Because people prefer to pay cheap money for cheap tat.......

I wonder after this current crisis is over, people might start to see China for what it is, and 'made in China tat' will start to become 'non-persona' and some countries might start to see a recovery of some of their manufacturing....?
You would hope so, and I think Trump, Gove & Morrison (Aus PM) probably agree with you. Plus a lot of others who might not have shared that viewpoint a few weeks ago.

I hope/expect will see parliament change direction on Huawei, and accelerated re shoring, plus more low cost labour supply chains from other south east Asian countries.

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Monday 30th March 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:


So glad this jobs over! unbelievably time consuming, and thats both our spare rooms full of parts now lol

I'l be getting the dash frame down from the loft soon, i'l put up some pics, its just such a odd shape took ages to blast and refinish,
just doing the dash pods now, they are very flimsy crap plastic affairs, but the housing for the instruments is cast ali so pretty though.

I was given a out air air quote on the chrome, around 800 per bumper, i can get a pair delivered to my door for 550, ( but they could be crap!)
but i'l just have to chance it,

Going to strip my ones and epoxy them , then body colour them, this way i can swap around if i fancy a change.
Im still unsure whether too semi matt black the panel around the rear lamps, im waiting till ive offered up the rear lamp cluster, which is matt black and argent silver around the lens's, this was another tedious job, triple masking etc.

Bugger me these aint a easy car to restore!
Surprised that you have painted all of the plastic trim, door cards, kick panels, seat backs, how come ?? Surely they just won’t look right painted ??

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Tuesday 31st March 2020
quotequote all


1976 What a shot......

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Tuesday 31st March 2020
quotequote all

Mark_Blanchard

757 posts

256 months

Tuesday 31st March 2020
quotequote all
While self isolating am using this to get my wife to the supermarket, we go the long way.


newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Tuesday 31st March 2020
quotequote all
My car had black trim from the factory, and was changed to white in the 80's.
so every black panel was painted, so ive stripped and redone in matt 2k,
they probably look better that all the crap repo stuff currently out there!

All the metal parts were also stripped/blasted and refinished,
They may not be the correct colour, but its all genuine US made Mopar, far more important to me , and unlike so many resto's it not full of Chinese crap.........................



The soft door pulls were a nightmare to refinish, they are a soft foam type stuff covered a rubbish strange plastic
The whole interior is absolute rubbish really, but thats par for yanks cars from this era , but the lack of soft vinyl on the Challenger/Cuda
has at least got rid of the problem of ripped and or soggy

Edited by newsatten on Tuesday 31st March 20:42

neutral 3

Original Poster:

6,503 posts

171 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all


Hemi Lurve.....
Il have to do some digging re how many black / black 70 Hemi cars were built.
Not sure if this one has survived.

aeropilot

34,692 posts

228 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all
neutral 3 said:
Il have to do some digging re how many black / black 70 Hemi cars were built.
Here's one here.....one family owned from new

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WOO6cn6koI

1so-static

15 posts

50 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
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It come to something when one says "I got into Mustangs because I couldn't afford Challengers or Chargers".

newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all
Chargers command more money than the majority of Challengers, as do most Cuda's,
Which ironically strange as most Cuda's are Barracudas !
Same with Challengers, they are all RT's lol..................

68/69 Chargers are the quintessentially bad ass Muscle car, and will always draw attention, and if they've been restored correctly they drive pretty good for a big car,

I brought a 70 440 RM23 Road Runner a few years back, a low owner low mileage car, it was tight as a drum and i couldn't believe how well it drove, and nimble it was for a huge car, lol...................
It got runner up at the car of the year show a few years back,

But the Fastback Mustang is still the one to have, i had a 68 390 GT years ago , absolute pig of a car, drove like a ruptured Duck!
but it was a rusted turd, worn out and abused, ive no doubt a restored car done to a good standard would drive lovely............

Steve McQueen was the coolest dude ever and i guess his seminal car is too ............................................




aeropilot

34,692 posts

228 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:
But the Fastback Mustang is still the one to have, i had a 68 390 GT years ago , absolute pig of a car, drove like a ruptured Duck!
but it was a rusted turd, worn out and abused, ive no doubt a restored car done to a good standard would drive lovely............
Not really, it was a bit of a turd when brand new as well, hence Max Balchowsky having to hot rod the 2 Mustangs considerably just so they could keep pace with the 2 stock 440 Charger's during the filming.

I'm sure today, you could make one drive quite nicely, but I'd take a Charger over a 390GT any day of the week.

In fact I'd take any RB powered Mopar B-body over a 390GT.

Now....a R-code Fairlane or Galaxie on the other hand smile

1so-static

15 posts

50 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all
newsatten said:
But the Fastback Mustang is still the one to have, i had a 68 390 GT years ago , absolute pig of a car, drove like a ruptured Duck!
but it was a rusted turd, worn out and abused, ive no doubt a restored car done to a good standard would drive lovely............

It is my ambition to have a 390.... and also either 340 Challenger or its bigger 440
but my chances of leaping up to that amount of wonga as car pocket money is low.

A decent Challenger starts at about $50k ...doesnt it?

newsatten

3,348 posts

115 months

Wednesday 1st April 2020
quotequote all


My Tiger, not really MInilites, but the more modern version Superlites lol

17" and Quality Jap Rubber, think the original wheels where 13" ? just painted steels,

And yeah a good B Body is hard to beat, 70' 440 six,GTX , Manual, bench, and a Air Grabber........................

And in the 21st Century Power Steering and Power disc Brakes lol