69 Satellite to Charger question

Posted By: carmak

69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 06:07 PM

I have a friend that has access to a 69 Satellite 2drHT that was in a garage fire. The back of the roof, trunk lid and tops of the qtrs. are cooked and warped. The top of the back seat melted but the windshield, side glass, front and side weatherstrip survived as did the paint on the top of the trunk floor. This was an otherwise very solid car (great floors, inner fenders etc...).

The same friend has also been collecting parts to build a 69 Charger as that is what he and his wife really want.

With all of the metal available for Chargers would it be possible to rebuild the Satellite body as a Charger body?

Thanks.
Carmak
Riverside, Iowa

Posted By: Mr.Yuck

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 06:22 PM

I think the wheel base on a Plymouth is 1-2" shorter than a Charger. I could be wrong. I guess if he has mad skills it could be done. He'd be better off selling the Charger parts and what's left of the Satellite and buying a complete Charger project.

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 06:31 PM

Quote:

I think the wheel base on a Plymouth is 1-2" shorter than a Charger. I could be wrong. I guess if he has mad skills it could be done. He'd be better off selling the Charger parts and what's left of the Satellite and buying a complete Charger project.

The wheelbase on the charger is a little longer than the Satellite , but a lot of it is in the spring hanger attached to the front of the leaf springs.

The person could buy rear frame rails and all the sheet metal, including the roof and trunk floor, and make the satellite a charger , it would be a lot of work , it would be easier to find a charger wit ha wrecked nose and put the 2 halves together ...

Or just buy a charger ...

Posted By: carmak

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 06:45 PM

Finding a solid Charger to build has been a challenge here smack dab in the middle of the rust belt.

I wonder if the Charger convertibles out there have shortened qtrs. or stretched floors/frame rails?

Carmak

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 06:49 PM

Quote:

Finding a solid Charger to build has been a challenge here smack dab in the middle of the rust belt.

I wonder if the Charger convertibles out there have shortened qtrs. or stretched floors/frame rails?

Carmak

We have a member here that made one , Chargervert , I imagine he put the charger trunk floor in ?

Posted By: chargervert

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 10:32 PM

All I had to do was change the front spring hangers to Charger pieces. I used a Charger trunk floor pan. Frame rails are the same. To convert the Satellite to a Charger hardtop,would require changing the rear window inner structure to Charger pieces. The trunk floor wiil need to be changed or modified for the filler tube. The outer wheel houses will also need to be changed to Charger pieces,as well as the trunk extensions. The tail panel,rear valance,and corners would also have to be fitted to the AMD Charger quarter panels. An AMD roof skin and dutch panel would also be needed. It is doable.

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 11:46 PM

Quote:

All I had to do was change the front spring hangers to Charger pieces. I used a Charger trunk floor pan. Frame rails are the same.

How is the angle of the rear spring shackles with the spring moved rearward ?

Posted By: chargervert

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/11/14 11:56 PM

The shakles on the Dodge is raked back and the shakles on the Plymouths are more vertical. I believe the rails are the same. The difference is just under an inch. I have never seen replacement rear rails listed as different parts from Dodge to Plymouth.

Posted By: DaytonaTurbo

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 02:44 AM

Since this project would need good metal working and welding skills, at what point would one be better off building a tube frame and hanging body panels on there?

Posted By: mopar346

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 03:29 AM

Back half it, tub it and hang the sheet metal.

On the frame rail conversion: So the rear frame rails from a Cornet, Satelite and Charger are all the same on 68-69 cars?

Posted By: chargervert

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 03:47 AM

I believe the frame rails are the same. The front leaf spring brackets are 1 inch longer on the Dodge than they are on the Plymouth.

Posted By: mopar346

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:00 AM

Interesting.

Posted By: moparmarks

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:01 AM

Quote:

I believe the frame rails are the same. The front leaf spring brackets are 1 inch longer on the Dodge than they are on the Plymouth.

Yes the frames are the same and the front spring hanger is a inch longer on the Dodges. Also the box where the rear shackles hang has the hole an inch back on the Dodges. Thus the inch longer wheel base.

Posted By: mopar346

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:05 AM

So they are the exact same on a Coronet and a Charger?

Posted By: moparmarks

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:08 AM

Quote:

All I had to do was change the front spring hangers to Charger pieces. I used a Charger trunk floor pan. Frame rails are the same. To convert the Satellite to a Charger hardtop,would require changing the rear window inner structure to Charger pieces. The trunk floor wiil need to be changed or modified for the filler tube. The outer wheel houses will also need to be changed to Charger pieces,as well as the trunk extensions. The tail panel,rear valance,and corners would also have to be fitted to the AMD Charger quarter panels. An AMD roof skin and dutch panel would also be needed. It is doable.

Pretty much covers the back half. Then need doors, hood, fenders, front valance, grill with mounts, head light assy., bumpers with mounts, Rallye dash, interior panels, etc. etc. A lot to piece together if you don't have a good parts car and still would have a Satellite vin number...

Posted By: moparmarks

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:09 AM

Quote:

So they are the exact same on a Coronet and a Charger?

Yes.

Posted By: mopar346

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 04:14 AM

Hmmm.............

Thank you.

Posted By: JohnRR

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/12/14 03:59 PM

Quote:

So they are the exact same on a Coronet and a Charger?

Coronet , charger yes , satellite NO .

thanks Mark , I figured threre was a difference back there. I have both a plymouth and dodge front hanger bracket , never made a measurement to see how big the difference was.

Posted By: Ron_M

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/13/14 12:35 AM

I could be wrong, but I thought the jambs are wider on the Charger(?)

Posted By: moparmarks

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/13/14 01:18 AM

Quote:

I could be wrong, but I thought the jambs are wider on the Charger(?)

Latch jam? Could be. Books show different part number for Charger than H/T B.

Posted By: forphorty

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/13/14 02:16 AM

Well, since the 68 and 69 B body Plymouths are the best looking cars on the planet, buy a Charger and leave the Satellite for someone who appreciates the utter kickazzness of the body style.

Posted By: Kern Dog

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/13/14 04:38 AM

??????????

Posted By: chargervert

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/13/14 03:15 PM

Quote:

I could be wrong, but I thought the jambs are wider on the Charger(?)

Charger door jambs are wider,Charger door jambs are available from AMD. The nose and doors are pretty much a direct bolt on.

Posted By: xs29l9g

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/22/14 02:53 AM

yes.. but door latches in same place..... as I know you know pete

Posted By: carmak

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/23/14 07:39 PM

Thanks for all of the info everybody. Specifically to the people that brought up technical concerns and the others who addressed them.

I don't know what my friend is going to do but it is his call and he will know what is involved.

Thanks.
Carmak

Posted By: Rick_Ehrenberg

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 12/24/14 05:04 PM

The wheelbase "thing" has been properly addressed, door jambs, etc.

While I didn't look is up, I believe the C-pillars components are different on a Charger (non-Charger B shown), and these are very complex stampings. AMD told me long ago that they'd never make them, and that's the primary impediment preventing a complete body-in-white from being assembled.

Rick

Attached picture 8372282-042_Roof-crop.jpg

Attached picture 8372282-042_Roof-crop.jpg

Posted By: patcharger1973

Re: 69 Satellite to Charger question - 01/17/15 10:08 PM

This is what I'm doing, I have a charger that is do rotted it's caved in on itsself so I'm pulling the rear part of the structure off and splicing into the satellite. The large section of roof structure you see thAt runs from the a pillers along top of side windows and joints into the top of the rear wheel tub is the same on all 68-70 b bodies, the inner webbing is what is different.