73' Charger quarter window conversion (SE to Hardtop)

I did forget the rain gutter on the SE stops at the end of the door window but continues on to the rear of the hardtop window.

This will probably be the hardest part to fix.

I may have access to a parts car but since the parts you need are in any 73/74 Satellite (and there are plenty to be found) you may be able to find them local.

I had in mind doing this conversion on my '74 at some point.Best thing would be as mentioned,find a complete car to pull all necessary parts from.You will need to cut out the pillar between the door window and louvers,weld back in the correct longer rain gutter or remove them completely depending on tastes,other than that most everything else should be bolt in as far as I know,and be prepared for rust under insert.

I guess for myself,after pricing all the parts needed I have almost decided that it wasn't the louvers that bothered me so much as all the rest of the SE trim,vinyl top,the exposed headlight grills and bumpers that stuck out a mile.Once I got used to looking at the louvers,I didn't really think they any worse than the cat-eye/Gremlin windows on the 71's or 'helmet head' on the 72's.

I do like the hardtop look as well though on 73/74's...good luck on the conversion,and take pictures if you can.

I appreciate the input, thank you very much gentlemen. I will have to extend the drip rail(didn't notice that before) or remove it all together. If it stays then I would have to get the chrome drip rail molding(shouldn't be too hard to find). I'm not worried about having the window crank down at all as I'm never riding in the back of the car... ever. The look of a hardtop car is what I want. I am also not planning on using the molding on the door edge or under the glass. no point in hiding beautiful body lines. So if I went fixed window and no chrome it seems this just a remove the patch panel for the opera window and massage the metal back to full health? Is the glass in the SE the same as the hardtop just fixed in the "up" position?

Thank you! I can see the entire seem underneath my vinyl so I know there is a good amount of rust under there. Hence my questions on the conversion... I'm gonna have to tear into that area soon as is. I was trying to figure out what was going to be under there body contour wise. I was hoping the pressed edge under the hardtop quarter window was hiding. I didn't think Chrysler would pop out two different quarter panels but stranger has happened. Seems pretty straight forward if I find a donor car. One more question though is the post between window and quarter window structurally important at all?

I did this conversion my self. Its really pretty simple! Just be prepared for rust under the fiberglass plugs as they hold moisture.

Only 2 things you have to cut.

1. The post they weld in from the roof to the rear of the door frame; which its not a true post, just a support for the fiberglass plug.

2. A slot in the rear door frame for where the rear window rolls down.

Ill post some pics of before and after as I find them.

I used the glass and runner out of a 74 satellite for my windows. All the holes are there, they just bolt up.

Oh and dont forget the roof drip rails dont extend all the way back either; I got around this by shaving mine, and LOVE how it looks. In this pic the bare metal is where I replaced a rusted sections.

Here is the post you have to cut out once you remove the fiberglass plug.

The screws holding the fiberglass plug in are usually rusted. I ended up drilling mine out. Be forewarned, I chipped the glass while drilling, but I didnt care, either so it was a none issue for me.

here is a pic of the shaved look.

during, you can see uncut in previous photo

just be prepared for hidden rust under the drip rail, I was shocked! and my car is very rust free.

shaved after, pictures dont do it justice (nor does my primer) but it looks sleek smooth and fast without drip rails.

here's the slot you have to cut for the window.

Thank you!!! I didn't think I was the only one who loved the hardtop look so much to change it. Awesome job love the shaved drip rails definitely getting rid of mine. Any other pictures, suggestions, or just hey you might wanna think of this, let me know if you get a chance. With your insight into this I'm going through with the conversion as soon as I can. Once again thank you gentlemen and feel free to contact me if you think I may have some Mopar parts that could help you in your future builds.

Thanks
Semper Fi

I actually like the '73 -'74 back slant hard top better than the 71-72 opening, looks racier.

If you need some advise (what little I have) feel free to PM me.

Two place when shaving drip rail you need to be careful of.

1. Where the drip rail seam goes into the front edge of door

2. Where it blends into the slant of rear window opening.

You have to decide to fill the gap on the door, which I think I will do or leave it out like this picture. I left mine different so I could decide what to do.

Also this picture show where the roof and window opening meet. Its hard to shape right. Im not 100% happy with mine but it looks ok so Ill probably leave it.