72 Charger - Very Slow Restoration

anlauto - It looks like it would be more trouble to do the job right with the trim pieces on the panels. I don't think I could do a good job of removing the old chrome, and then tucking the tape up under the edge of the plastic.


proshiftcharger - I used to like the idea of dipping, but I haven't been able to turn up a place near western KY that does it, and I've heard the dipping media can get trapped in the creases of the body and cause rust - right in the hardest places to fix.

For now I'm looking for a small home garage solution so I can see how bad my rust spots are.

Still haven't heard from the community college weenies, so I'm leaning more towards the idea of getting it running and putting off the paint and body.

The big thing standing between me and a running car is the fuel system. I let fuel turn to varnish in it, so now I get to deal with it. I've already done the carb and the fuel line.

Here's the tank, which is in way worse shape than I thought it would be -





The surface rust isn't a big deal. It can be fixed and wouldn't keep me from driving if I didn't touch it at all.



This rubber piece is 5 years new - took a few months to get last time, so I'm glad to see it hasn't deteriorated. Which it shouldn't have, but Murphy's Law and all . . .





Here's the problem - this tank was very carefully and painstaking sealed with U.S. Standard tank sealant, and yet there's all this rust. The varnish would be bad enough to deal with. I can get the varnish boiled out, and seal the tank again, but it looks like I can expect the tank to be rusted out again in a couple years.

Here's another problem along the same lines - the fuel sending unit -









I've cleaned it up before when it was rusted this bad. It didn't last. Not cool.

The filler neck is about as bad -











I sealed the inside of this with U.S. Standard Tank Sealant too, and here it is rusted through again.

Here's the cap -





I'm starting to think metal has no business being part of a car's fuel system. I could buy all this new, keep the tank full, and hope for the best. I'm open to plastic alternatives though. I don't care about keeping the car in mint stock condition. Whatever works best is best.

Moving on . . .





The worst of the flaking paint. In the top pic, the paint has peeled down to the bare metal. To the left you can see an old touch-up which is also starting to flake up.

The trunk is covered with flakes like in the bottom pic. This one's quarter sized. The others are mostly in the 1/4" range.

The interior of the trunk is decent -





This may have been legible before it was painted over.



There's surface rust under the trunk mat, but no holes.

Finally, here's the exhaust stuff I bought as a teenager and never installed -



Thought he was gonna go fast

Lookin' Good, I love driving my 72.

If a mod wants to move it . . .

Here's a look at the ratty engine bay -



Trusty but not especially powerful 318. I'll get the carb back on shortly.

I'm encouraged by the condition of the interior



There are a several spots where the original paint is bubbling up and/or flaking off -





l fixed a couple spots with POR-15 a few years back. You can see one under the steering column. It seems to be bubbling a little under the POR-15, which is alarming. I painted over it per instructions (black paint, didn't have any blue) to keep the UV's from breaking down the POR-15. It shouldn't ever rust there again. But it looks like it has.



Looks like surface rust again.



The dash is in o.k. condition. I put a dash cap on years ago. I was careful but still got it glued on too well and it split in the middle, on top. Not visible in this pic. I've got an idea how to fix it.



One of the head rests is mostly o.k. This isn't it. I wonder if I could take it to an upholster and have it wrapped in new vinyl? Since I'm not going for the concours restoration.




The previous owner put aftermarket seat covers on instead of having the seats reupholstered properly. I'll probably dye them black and stick with them. I'd like to replace the springs in the back seat first, which are sad and creaky.

Hi, I would go with a new gas tank and sending unit from Year One or another vender and be done with it. My tank is 7 years old and still looks great. It's not worth messing with an old tank in my opinion. Your car looks like a good starting point. Good luck on your restoration.

Give Rust Bullet a shot.

I've heard good things about it.

Ready for new parts? It's not much but it's what I had on hand last night -



New dome light lens! The dome light bezel has a bit of rust on it too. Maybe I should get a new one but it's not that bad for now.



New nubbies for the sun visors!



My arm rests. On the left, the rear arm rests. In the middle, the original front arm rests. On the right, repro arm rests from Year One.



The rear arm rests are o.k., except the vinyl has pulled away a little from the base. I'm going to try pulling it back over with screws. I've never had much luck gluing anything to metal, and it's going to take a little force to hold the vinyl in place.

On to the front arm rests -



I've got to say, I was surprised and disappointed at how bad these Year One arm rests (Year One on the right) turned out to be. They are only like the original insofar as they are generally the same shape. As you can see, the grain is waaaaaaay off.



But that's not the worst of it. The shape is also wrong, and they overhang the door panel in the front -



There's no way to pull them in because they butt up against this metal plate -



The best thing I can say about them is, they cover a hole. They're better than a damaged original but if I could do it all over again I'd put the money into having the originals repaired by Just Dashes or a similiar service. Maybe Year One has upgraded to a different supplier by now - I got these a few years ago. If not, don't buy these.



dodgedakotaman - Have you seen the inside of your tank?

Is the Year One tank stainless?

The repro tank is a bit more expensive than a fuel cell, while being heavier, prone to rust, and possibly less safe (?). On the plus side, the repro will bolt right in, and look right. Altogether though I would rather have the fuel cell unless there's a downside I'm not aware of. I'd like to know more about them.

Yes, 2 weeks ago I put a new float on the sending unit. It had a pinhole in it and the guage wouldn't come off empty. The sending unit and the inside off the tank looked very nice and clean. It is a repro tank and not stainless. I only use premium no ethanol gas and I put gas stabilizer in it for winter storage. I've been very happy with the tank and new fuel lines I put on it 7 years ago. Ron.

Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. Things really rust here though.

Cool project man! I have one going like it with my 71 super bee. You can click on my sig to see the thread. If you need any parts let me know i have many extras and would love to try and help you the way that i was helped with my project!

Steve

Thanks. I've read through the first few pages of your thread - it's cool that your car is a Super Bee but wow, it looks like you could have made your life easier by moving the VIN tag and badges of the Bee over to the green donor car. My hats off to you for saving the Bee. Absolutely incredible.

I'm all for people giving me stuff, but I got this car totally complete. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm only the second person to own the car and use it. The guy who sold it to me got it for his son, who didn't want it. The car is so complete, it even has the original spare tire, unused, with feelers on the tread. When I got it, it was running very reliably (made several trips of a few hundred miles going to college), only a couple minor things didn't work . . . I've got everything not pictured bagged away. At the moment the only minor thing I can think of which I don't have is a working wiper fluid pump.

If you see a 71 with those flush side marker lights and otherwise rusted out quarter panels, you might cut them out for me. If the quarters are nice though, leave them for somebody who needs them.

I'd also like a pair of 72 rallye doors if I could get a great deal on them. Or just the scallop part if you see a pair of rusted out doors. If they're pricey though, I've still got a fuel tank to buy. Unfortunately business has not been treating me well the last couple months.

I'm sure I'll put out a more extensive parts call when it comes to the performance stuff.

Looks like you have a nice soild car to work with there. I've been working on my car for the last 15 years. Keep an eye on the swap meet section here for a set of doors or inserts they come up a few times a year, but expect to pay dearly for them. The last pair of doors I had I sold for $1200 cdn. good luck!
Steve

I've been thinking over the Young Guns thread, and I'm wondering if I should bother with the community college and it's auto body classes. I don't have a ton of body work needing done. I've got enough room to paint the car in. I can rig up a home painting booth. I may pull off a panel and jump into it.



What's everyone's opinion on this "rust?" It's been suggested to me that it might actually be a sealant. I've looked at a couple cars in Hemichallenger's thread that have this same pattern - "rust" on the c pillars, fading out towards the floor. Seems kinda strange.

BTW, is there a source for the weather strip on the front of the rear side windows (in the above picture)? I put new weatherstripping on years ago, but the kit didn't include those pieces at the front of the side window. Which were the only pieces I needed . . .

72chrgrally - Thanks. I may have to do a little searching in local yards for those doors, once I get a sense of my project's direction.

I used rust bullet on all the inside like you have there. Its just going to cover the rust, kill it, protect it from future rusting, and look a little better.

The weather strip seals i have info on, ill have to dig it up.

I would go at it yourself and see where it takes you. If your stuck you can always go to the school. Posting on here, trying it out yourself, and keeping your head up would be what i would suggest. The amount you would spend on the schooling would pay for your supplies etc.

Steve

awesome project! 72's are the best year charger

It looks like you have a pretty solid project to start out with and I look forward to watching this thread!

p.s. that engine bay would look great with a big block!

HemiChallenger - What did you use to strip the paint with?

ixelerate - 71 and 72 I don't know why everyone's so obsessed with the unaerodynamic 2nd gen that couldn't win at NASCAR without a big plug on the front bumper And we've got our own show now, Burn Notice. Secret agent > hillbilly farm boys.

I like the power of the big block, and it may get one, but I'd prefer a new small block HEMI. Maybe a turbo at some point . . . We can all dream.

Decent looking project. Looks like a 72 coupe.

Rallye doors are pricey. I normnally see them go for around $300. They are a 1 year only thing. You'll also find that the bulge hood is VERY pricey and so are certain trim peieces.

BTW DO NOT get rid of your C pillar charger emblems! They are a 1 year only thing and VERY hard to find. Originals go for big $$$.

The fender lights are also unique for 71/72 chargers vs. the 73/74's.

My buddy is working on a 72 rallye we trucked home this year. real 400 2 Bbl gold w/ black top. http://gallery.me.com/gschmidt211#100047&sel=0

Good Luck!

It's funny you mention the c pillar emblems. When I got the car, the driver side emblem was about to fall off. I stopped by a garage and a mechanic fixed it for free. It wasn't hard to do, but it was nice of him not to charge me for it.

$300 sounds reasonable for the doors. I like the power bulge hood, but I might be able to find a hood scoop I'd like even better.

Your Rallye looks like a sweet project. Nice glove compartment find LOL.

For tonight's program, we'll take a screwdriver to a car and try to stab holes through the rusty spots 8|

Passenger side, behind the rear wheel



A repair I made a few days after getting the car, at the tender age of 17. I'm pretty sure the rust went all the way through the metal here.







Passenger side, in front of the rear wheel



An odd little hole, previously filled with bondo.

Here's the worst spot on the whole car -



Aw man . . .

Passenger side, behind the front wheel



Passenger side, A Pillar



Driver side, behind the rear wheel







Driver's side, in front of the rear wheel



Driver side, behind the front wheel



Driver's side, in front of the front wheel



Here's a spot of bondo on the hood -



There's also a couple raised lines beneath the Charger emblem on the passenger side c pillar. I scraped off the paint over them and didn't see bondo. Can't explain them yet. Too bad they wouldn't photograph.

That's all I've found so far.

I think I'm going to have to put a lot of time and $ into building up my garage before I can tackle this job.

I scuffed the rust with some 80 grit, then cleaned it to have the best adhesion when applying the rust bullet.

I dont have the quarter seal info with me at school but i noticed these on ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Quarter-g...=item3a5431c4ac

Did you get my PM?

Steve

Hey, I had an idea for paint. I got to thinking about the $100 rustoleum paint job - Link. If applied with a spray gun, would a matte or satin Rustoleum finish be distinguishable from a professionally applied matte or satin? Aside from the money saved, the Rustoleum doesn't need primer and is much, much less toxic than professional paint and primer. No paint job is worth putting your health at risk (planning on painting this myself).

I would apply extra fancification by airbrushing detail in the stripes - so I think the end result would impress everyone but the professional painter or the rich car enthusiast who can take five figure paint jobs for granted.

I cant answer that one but if you do go that way i would check 10 times over the entire car before you spray it

How toxic is rust bullet to spray? Have you tried sanding it?

Another tiny bit of restoration progress -



The screw idea worked great for pulling the vinyl over. It may not be concours perfect but, meh, who cares?



It's way better than the repro pads in front. It's too bad the original front pads couldn't be fixed this easily.

Now I'd like to get these rear ash trays cleaned up -



I've heard that brasso and steel wool does wonders on chrome. Sounds like it would scratch up the chrome bad. Maybe there's more to it?



I don't know what to do about this rust down in the bottom. Open to suggestions

Don't know if anyone's interested in this - I got a little airbrush to practice with. May or may not put some graphics on the Charger -





First decent result, done on copy paper and with everything set up quick and dirty so I could start getting a feel for it. No masks. I'm going to see if I can fix a few obvious problems in my set up, find a better paper, and sketch out the design next time.