Looking at a Challenger tomorrow and have some questions about body accessories

[mopar-rob]

All,

I hope I am posting this in the right forum.  This is my first post here, but tomorrow I am going to look at a 1971 Challenger T/A reproduction car.  The car is Hemi Orange, black interior, 340 small block and a 4 speed manual.  From the pictures it looks good, is in my price range and the car is local - so it has a lot of things going for it.

Now, there are a few things that I would like to change.

First and biggest - it has a vinyl roof.  So my question is can this be removed without causing a full repaint?  I will find out tomorrow when the car's paint was restored but what am I in for in regards to the vinyl top removal and what lies underneath?  Ultimately I'm hoping that I can just remove the top and the paint underneath needs no major work other than a good polishing.  Is this overly optimistic?

If the roof needs painting, can the colour be matched easily?  I have heard non-metallic paints are much easier to match.  I don't want to have to repaint the whole car.

A couple of smaller things as well - it has chrome wheel well trim - I assume this just unbolts from the car pretty quickly?

And it has the '71 side scoops in the rear quarter which bolt on to the car - I think I can live with those.

Any other major things I should look out for?  I did a search on the roof and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

Thanks for the help.

Rob

[dodj]

Just FYI, there were no '71 T/A Challengers. Only '70.
As far as being able to pull off the vinyl and only expecting to polish up what lies underneath - too optimistic. You will need to sand, most likely repair some rust and definitely need to clean up the roof/quarter joint and A pillar roof joint. As far as paint matching, depends how good your painter is but it's always difficult/impossible to match perfectly.

[mopar-rob]

Sorry I meant R/T clone.

[Road_Runner]

First off, welcome!  Sounds like a cool car so far.  It also sounds like you're new to the car hobby in general.  Any chance you have a bud that does a lot with cars that you could bring along when you check out the Challenger?  If so, tell him his role is to look at the car with a critical eye and not with the attitude of "wow its a Mopar!".  Cars of these years have some common problems since they're all 40 years old now.  First is rust.  Wear jeans, etc. so you can lay down on the ground and check out as much of the underside of the car as you can.  Trunk floors, lower rear quarter panels, passenger floor boards are all common areas of rust.  If its got newer paint it could be hiding rust & bondo repairs.  Second, look at the condition of the interior, trim, emblems, etc.  If they look really rough it could be sign of a partial restoration.  Plus, its amazing how much you can spend just bringing these kinds of items back to show quality if that's your goal.  Few cars this old are perfect, but I'll guarantee you for every flaw you can see, there's at least one or two more you don't. 

Taking the vinyl top off is not going to be a small task as the roofs were generally not painted and you're going to have to fill a few holes from the chrome trim you'd be removing, sand off the glue, prime & paint to match.  A good shop could probably match the color pretty close as long as its not faded, etc.  I'm a fan of vinyl tops on these cars so this wouldn't be an issue for me.  Wheel well trim is held on by small screws inside the fender lip, but there's sure to be scratchs from the trim if you remove them, so plan on more paint touch-up.

As long as the price is reasonble & allows you to still have the $$ to fix the problems go for it.  If they're asking top dollar and you'd still have to pour money into the car you'll have a harder decision.  Let us know if you get it and post some pictures!

Later, Jim

[Jesus H Chrysler]

 

It sounds like you're looking at a car that is pretty much done, but you want to start doing it over the way you want.  Good for you, but be aware that old cars become time and money vampires and even something as simple as taking off the vinyl roof could start sucking your wallet dry in no time.  The vinyl roof for example could be hiding a multitude of problems.  Rusty roof top, sail panel and rear window channels are all common and easily hidden by vinyl and trim.  Most quality body shops have access to paint matching machines that can nearly perfectly color match the paint you have now.  The end result however is completely dependent on WHO sprays it.

These cars are notorious for rust, especially in the rear quarters and fenders.  I typically bring a weak fridge magnet (you know the kind, the ones you can't even use to hold up a grocery list because they fall off).  If the weak magnet sticks to the quarters in most places you should be good. But if not, you may have more than a skim coat of bondo hiding there. 

Also think big picture.  The car LOOKS done but in reality you're just buying a used car.  Start with the basics.  How is the engine/transmission/rear end?  Does it run smoothly and reliably?  Everything work? (gauges, lights, horn, wipers etc)  Try everything before you buy.  Some things are simple fixes and others will have you tearing your hair out.   

How is the documentation?  Pics of the rebuild?  Is it watertight?  (good to know if you get caught in the rain.  Ask me how I know  ) 

If possible bring someone who is knowledgeable about Mopars.  They should know what to look for like rusty torsion bar mounts etc.  If not be careful.  And most of all have fun!

[mopar-rob]

Thanks guys for the replies. I am not new to cars but am new to classics. I do know that one of the rear quarters was already replaced in the restoration and from the pics the dash looks to be cracked. Will verify tomorrow. The magnet is a great idea and I will take one with me. I have a general knowledge of what to look at in the car but mopar specific things like the torsion bar mounts are enormous help. I will definitely check those out tomorrow. I will also find out more on the cars history as well.  Any other problem areas that haven't been talked about?

The idea I had was to pay more and get a really good starting point car rather than build one up from a shell for my first project to give some context.

Thanks!

Rob

[TorOrange]

As for the wheel well trim you could sell that for a good amount

[360 'CUDA]

I think if it checks out ok and you buy it you should leave the vinyl top on. It could be thousands to fix up and paint.

Take pics and post 'em when you get a chance!! 

[captcolour]

I recently bought a 'cuda which is the same color.  I looked at a couple with and without the vinyl roof.  I didn't think I wanted the vinyl, but that's what I bought.  Breaks up the orange color.  If you do get the car, don't rush into doing the roof.  Give it time.

If you end up taking it off, probably makes sense to paint both rear quarters as well so you have the natural seams in the body to serve as a break between the old and new paint.

[inot2old]

Welcome to the website, good luck with the car.  In reference to the vinyl top, it is no easy task to remove.  There is a lot of trim that has to come off first.  Then, you are going to have to do a lot of sanding to get all the old glue off.   

[mopar-rob]

Saw it, crawled under it, and got a ride in it.  First time in a muscle car and really quite enjoyed the whole experience.  The car was a lot more solid and rattle free than I expected it to be, that's for sure.  The car hadn't been started since the fall, and was stored for the winter.  It fired on the 3rd try which I thought was pretty good.  Also didn't notice any fluids on the ground underneath the car where it was parked but didn't look extensively.  Took some underside shots and it all looked solid under there.  The car originally had a 318 and was some shade of green, then plum crazy and then the current owner had it painted hemi orange and added the vinyl roof and swapped in a 340.  Overall, it looked great at 15 feet.  Ultimately, though, I know deep down that I would have to pull the car apart and do a total resto on it to satisfy myself in the long run.  The grille was cracked, the underside of the hood had paint peeling, one rear quarter was all bondo (owner admitted to this which was nice), bubbling in the paint at a few different locations, at least one small dent that needed fixing and scratches here and there.  At least two seat belts didn't work properly.  The dash was cracked.

On the test drive there were no strange noises from the tranny or rear end, the trans shifted smoothly, the motor never stalled and revved cleanly.  The motor had Hedman headers, an Edelbrock intake and 650cfm Holley carb.  All in all, I think the car was very nice mechanically.  I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet but would like to see a few other cars to compare just to get some idea of the market out there.

Here are some pics.










I've got more pics to come. 

[dodj]

Just nit-picking for your benefit, but the bottom half of the door seems to be out further than the top half. Could be the picture angle etc. Bumper seems to be a bit low on the driver's side. Could be just adjustment. Go over the driver's side front looking for signs of accident damage. Might not be any but if there is it would affect your $ offered.

Nice looking car though. R/T stripe, hood letters, nice wheels...

[dutch]

welcome 
so ,did you get the car?   looks pretty good from the pics, but they don`t really show any critical points of the car... did you see any pics of the restoration?
I`d leave the top on... at least when there`s no evidence of rust.  You would have to weld up the trimholes too...

[mopar-rob]

Actually the passenger side door wasn't fitted well.  The panel gap on the leading edge was crooked.

More pics.

[HemiOrange70]

That car is a great looking driver. if your going to redo the whole car, then buy something that is a little rougher and save some cash, as i am sure you are paying more for a nice driver- I would think that car is worth 17-22k