Author Topic: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!  (Read 3788 times)

Offline FBJJChallenger

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My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« on: March 21, 2010 - 11:55:18 PM »
Hey guys,

It's been about a year since I last posted on here, wow time goes by fast! Here's a link to my blog where I've been posting the progression of things: http://fbjjchallenger.wordpress.com

It's easiest for me to post things up there as I don't have much time to maintain a thread on here. I'll try to make sure to post in this thread whenever something new is posted over at the blog. Take care!

James
« Last Edit: March 22, 2010 - 09:39:17 PM by FBJJChallenger »




Offline Canadian Cuda

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2010 - 03:30:52 AM »
looks like you starting with a solid car there, what are you plans for it?
Geoff
70 Cuda 440-4, auto, 8 3/4 sure-grip

Offline R/T hedkace

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2010 - 09:57:15 AM »

Hi, thanks for sharing your progress pics with us  :thumbsup:
And, yes your doing it right by just sharing an outside image source link instead of posting pics here that are just going to disapear anyways.
We've lost a ton of very helpful pics in the past, so it will be great to see pics that we can go back and refer to for help down the line  :2thumbs:

 By the way, you may want to edit your initial post and add the full http address so it can make it a clickable link instead of a copy and paste deal  :2cents:

http://fbjjchallenger.wordpress.com/





Jeff     
    Defending the Earth from "uptight" mods!!   an endless crusade..........

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 4speed Dana
1970 Dodge Super Bee
1969 Barracuda
 Massachusetts

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2010 - 09:55:50 PM »

looks like you starting with a solid car there, what are you plans for it?

Well, I'm having the whole body stripped down to the bare metal to see exactly what we are working with. For all intents and purposes it does appear to be very solid with minimal rust, but we really won't know what we're dealing with until it's stripped down. The hood has already been stripped and turned out to be in really good shape, the trunk lid on the other hand is shot, so a new one of those is on the buy sheet. Somewhere in it's line of owners, they had tried fixing the trunk lid with fiber glass and bondo! It's all gummy and they did a horrible job on it. Also looks like a new trunk pan may be in order, but it's in fairly decent shape and may be salvageable.

So, bodywork and paint is on the top of the list right now. The person, who after a year of research, I chose to take on the project is really cool about letting myself and a gear head friend go out there anytime to take off parts, saving me $$$ in the long run. We are going to go out and take the front and rear end out, get it cleaned up and powder coated. Other then that, here's a few things that will be done:

-New Non AC dash pad (it was a factory AC car)
-New tilt column
-Installation of Hurst V-Matic 2 shifter on the floor (It's currently a 3 on the tree)
-Possible mini-tub depending on how big of tires we can get on the back using offset
-Roll cage with detachable posts (not sure the technical name for it, basically makes it so you can remove it if need be)
-Custom gauge cluster with custom gauges


That's about all I can think of for now! Thanks for the interest and insight. Take care!

James

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2010 - 02:46:37 AM »
Finally a new post over at the progress blog: http://fbjjchallenger.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/the-journey-continues/

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2010 - 09:59:23 PM »
Well,

All the metal has been ordered and is on it's way from the East Coast. New trunk pan, driver and passenger floor pans, upper cowel, rear lower quarters, inner fender liners, and more. It should be here in the next week or two and then the real progress will start to be made, can't wait!

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2010 - 10:16:59 PM »
Another new post with pics up on the blog here: www.fbjjchallenger.wordpress.com

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2010 - 10:21:27 PM »
I got to go out an visit my car yesterday and see all the progress that's been made. All of the metal work is done, now it's just perfecting everything with bodywork time. Check out the latest pics here: fbjjchallenger.wordpress.com

Offline Mr Imax

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #8 on: November 11, 2010 - 04:20:24 AM »
Hey James,

I wish my parents would have bought one back in 74! I had one in 1990 that was my baby but I had to sell it to pay for my girlfriends atty to help her get her daughter away from her not so kind father. I always told her that one day I would get her back. I ended up with the girlfriend as my wife, her daughter as mine but no car, untill a few months ago.

Unlike you I had something that I thought was in great shape when I bought it. Sometimes things are too good to be true




That is prior to me purchasing her. Sure looked good didn't she?

Well I decided that I was going to put in a 440 because i always wanted one instead of the 318 that was in it so I found an ad for a 440 and 727 tranny for a decent price and off I went to the shop. Since I wanted to paint the car yellow and the guy was a restoration shop and gave me a great price on all the work I figured what the hell, go ahead. Thats when the bottom fell out. I got the call a week later that I really didn't need. Well pictures speak louder then words.











So it was a choice I had to make, either I send another ebody off to the scrap heap or let it be fixed for the agreed upon price prior to the discovery of all this damage. I was willing to cut my losses and head on up to MI to pick up another challenger that had just been restored and sell this one for what I could get. My resto guy wanted the challenge and promises a real nice piece of advertising for him when he's finished. Who could argue with work like this?



So I started a blog like you to document he trials and tribulations that go along with this process. Some other facts of life creep ito the blog but all in all it's been an interesting experience. I can't wait until it's over...........

Here's a link to my blog

http://my73challenger.wordpress.com/



Enjoyed your Blog Thanks

Joe
Joe

When you take your dreams and put your heart and soul into them, reality happens!

Offline dutch

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #9 on: November 11, 2010 - 06:09:09 AM »
great read on both blogs guys  :2thumbs:  keep it coming.........  :picture:
*** Bart ***

Offline FBJJChallenger

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Re: My 74 Challenger resto-mod project!
« Reply #10 on: November 20, 2010 - 12:14:55 AM »
Thanks Joe,

Great stuff!