factory six pack shaker 1971 challenger total restoration

been at this for a little over a year. have a shop in Spartanburg working on it . thought I would share some photos of the progress ....never thought the car had as much rust in it as we found. wow! trying to put it back as close as I can but, it was stolen and a lot of parts were pulled off of it. so far it is going very well.

more pics.

trying to get the correct spotwelds..

better shot of welds

various photos

some others

parts

few more

progress

cowl vin and a frame rail

getting an idea about rust..

most of the interior metal is now fit for a final install. should be done with all metal work in a few weeks...then it's off to paint.... will add more when final metal is done or close.

Nice. How did you cleanup and refinish the window regulators?

Guessing a lot of that sneaky rust is from mouse nests? I've pulled apart loads of "barn find" and field Mopars that had rust in the roof structure just like your Challenger. Looks like the shop is doing some nice metal repair.

the guys at Carolina classic restorations did that. I think they were glass bead blasted. I will find out.

it is thought that whoever had this car removed the factory trunk then left the rest exposed to the weather. they removed the vinyl top and if I can find a photo I will post it showing the handy welding work that was done in the lead seam areas !that left holes in the skin and water was running in behind those areas.. we figure this has to explain why the front half is nearly rust free when compared to the rear. I am very satisfied with vic calverts work. the guys working on my car listen to me and are as serious as I would be if I were doing the work. there are no shortcuts with them!

this was under the bondo ! whoever did this work must have done the bondo work in the floor pans as well ..

and fiberglass skills

updated photos..

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..MIKE ..... doing what he does best!!!!

more work...these guys are detail oriented ... nice repro of the tabs !!

more..

more.. the dash is un touched orig.....

getting close to " ready for paint " !

just some of the photos I have . I will have some of the car in full finished metal in a few days .. all work is being done by " CAROLINA CLASSIC RESTORATIONS " in Spartanburg sc. Vic Calvert ..

Looking great! Don't forget to add the sound deadner before welding on the quarters!

what sound deadner are you referring to scott ?

THIS ?

MAYBE THIS ?

MORE....

Good boy!

we are on top of the details !!! that's why you are doing the carbs !

a few more shots... full body shots coming next !

a little more progress .....

and this...

ready for fine body work and tweaks ... engine assembly coming soon ..

Great way to handle the seam. How did you handle the airgap between the seam and the metal strip you welded in?

it was welded up solid and ground down smooth then re-welded a strip on top of that. I will see if I have a photo.. may be posted in previous post ..

a few details on the seams.....

some spot weld detail..

Re: the roof seam, good timing, been wanting to ask a question pertaining to this because I had the same idea:

So, they completely did away with lead and built a metal patch, fully welded it, ground smooth, skim of body filler, finish and paint?

Flex and lead is not an issue? Hopefully not, I'm not looking forward to fussing with it on my car.

I cant say enough about this shop ... Carolina Classic Restorations in Spartanburg SC. they are trying to get every detail correct on this car .. man , I am really happy with the work ...

more ....

stud welded in place for trim clips !! I did not want the holes drilled in as it would be a source of water entry . was very happy when vic informed me that he was welding on the studs !!!

more progress

and...

a few more..

IF this doesn't get your fire started , your wood is wet !! This car was stolen and robbed of a lot of parts... I have put them back nos and factory orig's. I am very thankful to the people who are doing the work on this car as they know what it means to me to have it back as close as we could get it.. I have used the orig. window sticker and some photos from the actual first day of ownership to restore this car...hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do....

I had to tow mine off on the rotisserie just like yours.. Mine was due to a divorce though...LOL

TO funny ... I got divorced in july 2015 my self ! thought it was a goner a few times myself ! I have fought plenty of battles to get here for sure .......

Mine was in 94.. Truly cant believe men ever marry again.

this is the factory window sticker.. it will be used as the finishing guide for the restoration process as well as old photos taken of the car in 1971 .

Great pictures! and got love the low top Chuck Taylors :-)

....Notice the R/T badges on the fenders of this 71 ....interesting.

keepat .... yea... that's my little brother !! no way I am posting any of me !!!

early build car .. that picture was taken the day the car was bought ! it had maybe 10 miles on it !

getting ready for dip primer .....

Very cool your car is still in the family!
I have a V code Challenger with a VIN close to yours, mine's JS23V1B1940xx. I'm guessing your SBD would be end of October or maybe early November of 70?

I posted the window sticker in the photos .. I think you can tell a lot by that. the door sticker is dated 10/70 . I don't know how to tell . maybe somebody will post it if they can tell by that data ? I have always been told that this car is the only 1971 gy8-shaker six pack car made ? I have seen other shaker gy8 cars but , none are six packs.....

Do you have your original fender tag?
If so, your SBD is on that, above the VIN. I think mine is A25 meaning 25th day of October. That's just the day it was scheduled to be built, so it could have been built earlier or delayed. But good chance mine was built that day.
If your door sticker says October, then it was built in October, probably within a few days of mine!
It's impossible to break down color and options to know how many of a specific configuration were made, but given there were only 250 '71 V code Challengers made, the number of gold ones had to be small, the number of N96 ones was small, very possibly yours is the only gold shaker one built!

I read about a man who worked for Chrysler in 1970 who ordered a gy8 71 440-6 pack challenger . non shaker auto car. he told a story of selling the car and in the trunk were records of production of some kind [not records of his car]as he worked for a section of Chrysler corp. that had the info! it was a quote to popular hot rodding about an article they did on my car.... he said that there were only 7 1971 gy8 -R/t- challengers built...

My gosh! I feel much better about going forward with mine! I feel what you are goi g through. Its great to have some guys willing to do that much work on your car, isnt it?

yes ... and even better when they are interested in making it perfect weather or not I ask them to !

a few new shots.

bottom

getting closer to paint every day ! no hi build priming here... trying to show good clean crisp details !!!

my favorite build so far, i love the old original photos,, one owner family,,?? cool

we had a 13 passenger Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with moon top,, lol dad decided to have 10 kids

Very nice! Glad the car is getting what it deserves!

Thanks ! ! it was bought new here in myrtle beach . I drove it to hi school ... some.... my grandfather was retiring from Seaboard Coastline Railroad in 1970 and he ordered it just before he retired ! He sure did love that car... the salesman and the service dept. guys are all local and I hope to get a photo shot with them -All- when it is done !!

Thanks Chip. it needed a lot to get it back to a correct status. I felt like it needed to be done properly or as close as I could get it done. I hope it will be ready for the summer or maybe mopars at the beach this year !! BTW. my grandfather was actually from Marion sc. !

Awesome car for sure. love this thread because of these story's/cars!

PAINTING BY... carolina classic restorations .. Spartanburg sc. .... working their magic !

more .

seam sealer shots ...

wow nice job. i will be following this one for sure.

Beautiful work.

The attention to detail is amazing! Its gonna be a stunner when finished.

Looking at your window sticker, is your SPD on the fender tag 802? Super early production car.

I think it might be B02 (November 2, 1970). There are more than a few 802 SPD cars kicking around but the VINs are all 1001xx. And there are at least 2 shaker Challenger ragtops within that batch.

factory door sticker is 10/70... FWIW.. one thing I remember was that it took 11 weeks from the date the order was placed to take delivery of the car. ALSO ON THE BOTTOM IS 10-27 B 80 ?

Mine is 10/70 as well - following your build

I'm also curious of the C-pillar treatment. I'd like a good option for mine which is cracking at the rear 1/4 windows

I like the solid seam. as I understand it , the flex in the car is the main cause of cracking at the seams . if you get the welds through out the car done solid, it should make it less prone to cracking. I got a few shots of the trim ring with the common broken bolts issue . the guys fixed it by drilling it out - taping the ring , then installed the bolt using panel bond on the bolt threads ! the top can be finished off for paint and it is a solid repair !!

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Thanks for showing the trim ring stud repair details! I assume you use body filler on the top side of the stud?

Are the original studs cast as part of the ring or where the studs inserted into the ring as it was cast? Mine has a few broken studs.

**** They are cast as part of the ring. The top is finished with an epoxy steel and /or filler can be used.. Very little is left to fill on the ring ! what is on the top in the photo is panel bond from the installation of the bolt.

I just saw your thread for the first time. That's going to be a stunning Challenger when completed. Are going to paint the car BC/CC or go with a single stage? I'm leaning to a single stage on my build to try and look as close to day one as possible.

I am going to let elite customs do it with what ever they decide . most likely a base/clear . they -may- have painted as many mopars as the factory did by now !! sometimes there are just to many choices and I figure it is hard to beat a man at his game ....

final guide coat priming...

and this ..

Very Nice.

Awesome build, man that is a lot of sheetmetal to replace, car is going to be a thing of beauty!!

some final pimer pics..

and now a few finish paint shots..

and ..

... more coming . should be in full color this week !

Very nice....I love the color!

Wow, the metal work is amazing.
Can't wait to see it finished...

looks great so far. another fine example of Yes they should be saved!

Everything looks great. I also like the color.

Wow! I just thought I did a thorough job on my car.

Great job and looking great!
Matt

sorry , spray booth is down.... temp controls .. finish paint very soon...

Yes it shouldn't have R/T badges since it has the stripes and the emblem is in the wrong place for 71

they may be in the wrong place but ??, they were put there by the factory ! the photos are from the day the car was delivered ... the car is an early built - oct 70 ...

I don't doubt that they did it as it looks better in my opinion than what 71s were supposed to look like. I have a 71 with stripe delete V68 so I have the badge on the side of car

Great work, it will be beautiful when finished!

the gauges are done ! hopefully the paint will be done this week !

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Fill us in on the car's history. It looks like your grandfather ordered it, you drove it to high school, it was stolen, it was owned by someone else (who did the fine putty/fiberglass work), you acquired it...
Can you fill in the gaps? How long was it missing after being stolen? Was it stolen from you or from a subsequent owner? How long was it out of the family? I like history and details!!

Oh...and your car looks great! I wish I could make progress like you have been!

*** sounds like you got the details ! its to long of a story for here for sure.. gone 27 years ... soon to be fully restored to the best of my ability .....

finally ready for the spray booth ..

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a few color shots...

Coming along. Look forward to the clear coat

Love the color.

I have a few shots .. I will post much better ones as soon as I can get them sized up ...

NICE!

Any update on this car?
Matt

I never seen a Challenger in that color!

matt,, ......hurricane matthew ........ 2 very good friends with 4 feet of water in their homes and shops for 10 days ...no electric , roads blocked with trees and water ... one brand new hellcat and one very nice 37 ford street rod floating... I have not checked up on progress or photos.. hopefully soon...

some final paint shots....

I have a 340 non-RT in that color originally

Car Looks Great!
Matt

just got this , the engine is ready and should go on the dyno for break in soon..

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Nice looking distributor

did you have the distributor restored and if so who performed the restoration?
thanks

Who built the motor and where is it being put on the dyno?

vic calvert had that done .. think it went to Washington or some where out west .. it is totally re-done and they put the exact curve in it I asked for...

JC. AUTOMOTIVE-- Jessie causey has the engine at his shop locally. he had the short block done last may and then he was nearly killed in a motorcycle accident . after months in a coma and a lot of surgery , he is back in the shop ![ limited though ] he is 70 years old and is one of the most experienced machinist and engine builders anywhere.[ true old school] he has a dyno in house and i am looking forward to getting it done very soon. may try to get a video of that !

Wow, I didn't know Jessie had an accident! Been a long time since I spoke to him. Jessie is very good, you won't be disappointed. Only bad thing about him is he's always busy and way behind getting stuff done since he's a one man operation. Jordan's does some of the machine work for him.
I knew he had a dyno, but didn't know he had the capability to hook up a Mopar big block.

Based on the guys age his ride was a Harley?????

jc has 2 employees... he always did stay overbooked though.. I have used him for years on circle track stuff.. he did a 440-6 engine back in 1999 for me.. its hard to find someone who lived and worked on the old stuff and really knows it well . ford, mopar, chev , pont. buick > all of it. I would guess the number of engines he has done are in the thousands with ease....one thing is for sure , you can trust him to give you exactly what you ask for and done properly with -o- shortcuts.. --- jc has been riding a Harley forever ..... s..t happens. he's tough , glad to see him back in the shop some.

No update in over a year?

Never knew you had to have lived when these cars were new to know how to build them, lol.

Yes.. updates please! I’m the king of stalling on
Projects myself but my 71 Chal 528 Hemi project is getting back on track.... I need to install my rear quarter fake scoops and need some info on that...... your car really looks great! TBF

ok, ok ....

will be moving along more soon...

Looks great, love the color!

not to know how to build them no , but, to know all the issues that came with them ! I can say that a lot of knowledge was gained by the people that worked on them day in and day out . plenty of shops can do it but the old school guys had the cut and try advantage . experience is an advantage...

Very nice work.....1 of 1 car definately deserves a meticulous restoration! .... My car was also a 10/70 build as
Well but was a Challenger “Deputy” B7 with a 225 and fixedrear windows.... console, buckets, and 8 3/4?
not a super rare car by any means so that is why I am going with the 528 Hemi
5-speed full resto with lots of modern upgrades..... I’m making progress on mine now finally and should post my own thread
Sometime.... TBF

Nice, I had one of these back in the eighties (71 440-6 Shaker Challenger). Mine was an automatic, super track pack, FC7, and manual steering. Sold new in derby CT.

hope this starts moving faster.. glass, exhaust rear end and k frame are ready to install next .. engine marking and details too.

getting closer...

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dash pad backside factory markings ??

got a lot more done.. no pics yet... I never dreamed how many correct bolts could go in 1 car !!

Your car is looks Amazing! I love that color too!

thanks ! I hope to have some full shots soon. when the stripes and wheels are on it !!

little bit more..

and this

Looking good! I saved a few pics to help me with fuel/brake line routing......

a few others.. fuel lines

Thank you so much for your detailed pics of this awesome build! My 71 reassembly is going a lot easier thanks to you! I disassembled my car 20 years ago, so seeing all these pics has been a HUGE help...... Thank You 👍👍👍. TBF

i have an overload of photos ! more to come soon.. glass , interior next ...

Thanks in advance 100 times!

waiting on the finish ! almost time to ride! waiting on correct brake booster too!

correct booster . headliner in. got clips ready for some glass....

and

Congrats on getting that family owned car back to where it is today. That shop did some world class amazing second to none metal body work wow. Incredible car with a super awesome story to go along with it.

thank you ! I had David wise inspect the car not long ago. he told me, VIC Calvert @ Carolina classic restorations [Spartanburg South Carolina] --> http://carolinaclassicrestorations.com/ is up and coming in a big way. it has been a long process to get this done and make it really nice. i did not want to change any metal if I could avoid it in the beginning . I am glad they did ! -0- rust.... and a first class job. it should be complete very soon !

what you gonna do ?? ready to install front windshield and find this.... always a delay...........

Car's looking great !!!! Sucks about the glass.... I'm taking it it will show... Plus, now there's a weak point for potential cracking.... I had this issue with the front glass I had installed in a 70 Gran Coupe convertible... I had to go through 3 windshields...

Cheers,

1 part at a time

more

plating is outstanding..

a few more

I have already posted this in another forum, but I will add to it here. The owner of Carolina Classic Restorations in Spartanburg SC. has passed away. Vic was only 51 years old. he was more than a business associate. he was a true friend. I watched him grow into what I think, was about to become one of the finest restoration shops anywhere. as screwed up is the world is, it was too good to be true to find Vic right here in my home state to do my car! how many times do you find a man that is honest, and works 90 hours a week but, still takes time out for his son? it seems that so many times the very best end up getting a life cut short. And so, it is for vic. I dont know what the future holds for his shop as we will have to see about all that. I personally will do my best to honor his part in the incredible story that goes with my car. for those who have fallowed this resto, I will continue with it until its completion!

So sad to hear another Mopar brother has passed!

That’s awful. So sorry to hear about his passing.

Way to young. I just spoke with him at MCACN and then just after that at his shop.
Rest in Peace.

Really fun to see, great work!

thanks for the kind words! i have enjoyed sharing the progress along the way. several things have slowed this down. the biggest one was on November 30, 2019, i was nearly killed in a stock car race in Fayetteville NC. i was paralyzed and told i would never walk again! i could not tear toilet paper with my fingers! After 21 days in icu, I have had 16 screws /plates in my neck. over 100 fractures in my eye sockets! broken ribs, autonomic nerve path injury's and on and on. 3 surgeries' later and i can walk! i will post a few crash pics! if i can get this done in time, i would love to be at Carlisle this year. it's been a long time coming and I am ready!

Holy cow! It would appear you were lucky to survive that. You are one tough customer to make it through that and the surgeries.

yes sir! I came as close to death as it can be done! hung on for 3 days by a thread. it was on fire and the fuel was all over the rear half from the spinning! took 45 minutes to cut me out of it. i flipped 8 times... God has a need/plans for me!

a huge thank you to Mike Ross! i have tried everywhere to get the dash faces for this build! the classic ind. part is junk. Mike got this for me and i think he may have 1or 2 more left. i did my best on the photos but the parts are awesome! the lower pic is a better shot than mine. it looks that good!

getting close . going to be on display at carlisle in july ! T building... r/t stripes coming..

At Carlisle

I had my car on the show field on Saturday and saw your challenger on display in the building. Pictures do not capture how awesome that car looks in real life. Absolutely stunning.

What a great looking car
Awesome work!

I had this picture stored on my phone.

so cool to think a 62 year old man bought this car new . he wanted the hemi, it was the reason he went in to the dealer in the first place. but, they would not give him any warranty on that engine! i was told they only gave him 90 days on the 6 pack! he was retiring from the seaboard coastline railroad and i have cancelled checks making the 85.00 a month payments ! the man behind the car was the captin of myrtle beach police in 1970, he drove the car with 3 miles on it. needless to say he didnt get any speeding tickets when he checked out the top end on highway 501 ......

a finish pic with blacked out background