I completely agree. I think wider opinions on that are changing, but I still see people in the B body group say that the late cars are worthless. I actually prefer the 73-4 over the 71-2. I think they got it right - but I do prefer the earlier nose and tail light treatments.
@@DeadDodgeGarage I agree with you. The roofline/quarter window shape on the 73/74 years are better proportionate-wise than 71/72. I also abhor those B-body snobs that discredit these years. If they knew anything, they'd know it was aerodynamically superior to the gaping mouth/tunneled backlight of the 68-70 models (they can go ask Richard Petty for proof). Don't get me wrong, I love them all (66-67, 68-70, 71-74, even the Cordoba-based Charger) and do think the 68-70 body is stylistically perfect. However, the 71-74 bodies are not worthless and those who say so are disingenuous.
@@d0gu67 Oh hell yeah! We have pulled the bumpers in on the dark red '73 we're doing at my place. Bulge hood isn't in the program, but hideaways will be if we can find a decent setup. I have one but it's really rough.
Tom tried to convince them that it was perfectly livable as it was, but they want it to get the full treatment. But yeah - a much, much more solid start than we’re used to in Mopar land.
Hi Jamie the Great! I possess a '73 Charger M-code. I was told that the large cut-out on the passenger side inner fender was only on big block cars for spark plug access. My car has the same sheet metal crack as you pointed out in this spectacular video. I was wondering how it cracked there. And to think that I was secretly blaming the previous owner for doing something stupid with tin snips! Thanks for the info! Ya see? I can be serious sometimes, but it's no damn fun!
Yes - we’ve learned that the big ass cutout is for big block cars. There is a big cover that matches. What was really interesting was the additional cut on the driver side… I’m about to drop a 440 in an original 318 ‘73… can’t wait to service that in the future 😅
Cool! I'm staying with 383's and 400's from now on, because of the440's extra width problems, and my old age. (sigh) I bought a new rubber inner fender cover from Detroit Muscle Technologies. It even came with the clips! They have a lot of great stuff! @@DeadDodgeGarage
Will do! It’s being stripped and patched at body shop as we speak. Turned out to have more damage than we knew about. Shocking, I know. Can’t wait to see it back together.
I'm tearing my '73 SE down at the moment as well. Hopefully I get it back together before my motivation runs out. It would be so much easier and cheaper to buy one someone else has already rebuilt, but I'm the second owner of this car...almost 30 years I've owned it.
Oh wow. Yes as a general rule I try to talk people out of taking cars apart for restoration, because I’ve learned that lesson the hard way myself. Stick with it, eat the elephant one bite at a time, and find satisfaction and fun where you can.
I got a 73 se with a vinyl top also. I just figured there's going to be no way to save the vinyl top. Southern car but still was a daily till the mid 2000s so everything's kinda rough
Jamie so is going back to factory color? I see that was brought up in the comments. I was told a neutral drop can cause that floor damage. The isolator k frame sucked at controlling torque but did take away engine vibration as it was intended to do. I think they suck balls. Not a easy task to drop like a b body. I have the yellow 73 I should send you pics of. That came out of CA. No rust at all. But the kid chopped the motor mounts out to go big block arggggg so had to get another car to put that right. The other car came with a rally dash so Win! And wiring and a heater box because the kid through them out grrrr. The parts car was a roach coach other than what I said was good even the k frame was rusted away. I will email pics later. Thinking turkey!!!!
Yep, factory color! It’s going to be cool. I like ‘73s a lot. Some day I would like a yellow one with a black side stripe. Negotiable on color, I don’t actually like yellow. Haha.
Sounds like you mistakenly assumed that 73 does not have a optional duel cutouts on the rear valance but that's not true. I've had several 73 and 74 chargers with that option plus the bazooka tips on both SE's and Rallye's. Not to one up you though, I can tell your plenty knowledgeable.
If I implied that they were not available in ‘73-‘74, I apologize. I have shown a low mileage, unrestored ‘73 Rallye on this channel that had them - factory equipped. They were an option, as verified by the ‘74 Dodge data book. AMD even reproduces the valence panel specifically to fit them onto the ‘73-‘74 car alongside the large cutouts for the bumper guard support brackets.
1:34: Yes, no rubber option, just aluminum or polyurethane. Same with the torsion-bar crossmember mounts. Speaking of the latter, I used aluminum ones from an old defunct company called solidbushings.com. I didn't have any torque specs, so I contacted FirmFeel.com (since they make similar bushings) and they said to NOT torque these torsion-bar X-member aluminum bushings to factory settings (because it may break the weld), but to like half of it. Also, another issue I had with the crossmember mounts is that the bolts on a '73 are a lot skinnier than a '74-later, so the mounts I have have a rather large hole (no metal sleeves, since it's not a rubber bushing), for the bolt to slop around in. Not sure if this is a deathtrap situation down the road... I mean, I guess even if the biscuit hole perfectly hugged the bolt, doesn't mean it's really giving it much support, but still very concerned. Makes me want to kind of sell the car and not have a '73-older style suspension...
Great information. Are they poly bushings that don’t have sleeves? Or aluminum? I feel like poly should pretty much always have a sleeve. I don’t know how I feel about this late setup yet. I haven’t gotten to actually drive one. It sure looks a lot like they just co-opted a GM setup - but with torsion bars. I like the earlier setup a lot.
@@DeadDodgeGarage With the poly bushings, you do have to re-use the original steel sleeves (or aftermarket replacements). With the aluminum ones, the bolt hole is the sleeve. Problem is, '73 had skinnier bolts than the '74s, so my question is, does it matter? I really don't know... Also, because the aluminum "biscuit" doesn't compress as much, FirmFeel alleges for torque settings, "I would very cautiously go from 20-to-40, being more around 30-35 ft./lbs. Big block rod bolts are 3/8” and are highest quality bolts, and their torque spec is ~45 I believe. You do not want to strip your blind nut, and you will if you tighten it to 85. The stock OE bolts are typically of good quality (with the washers build-in). Finally, a couple lock washer would not hurt." In any event, all aftermarket aluminum biscuits have the larger '74-later hole, so not sure what us '73 guys should do. My real concern, though, is if FF's torque setting, at almost half of what the FSM calls for, is high enough. I don't want to be driving my '73 down the road and suddenly have the X-member break away from the body, ugh, that may be bad.
Just to clarify the above, I think FF misquoted the torque spec as "~45" when the FSM clearly states "85". Point is, am I safe with torquing it to 35 with thread locker, and also if the '73 bolt is skinny and isn't "hugged" by the sleeve of the aluminum biscuit. Am I just being paranoid?
He’s saying rod bolt torque is around 45, and he’s right there. So if that mount bolt is the same size at 3/8”, he’s got a point. It probably shouldn’t go to 85. I can’t say for sure on the sleeve question. The sleeve would locate the bushing off of the bolt, but the tension of the bolt is what keeps things from moving. I think it would probably be fine.
Love that rear side window, way nicer than the alternatives. What a beautiful example.
The body styling of these were awesome. Love my 74; last year for it.
I completely agree. I think wider opinions on that are changing, but I still see people in the B body group say that the late cars are worthless. I actually prefer the 73-4 over the 71-2. I think they got it right - but I do prefer the earlier nose and tail light treatments.
@@DeadDodgeGarage I agree with you. The roofline/quarter window shape on the 73/74 years are better proportionate-wise than 71/72. I also abhor those B-body snobs that discredit these years. If they knew anything, they'd know it was aerodynamically superior to the gaping mouth/tunneled backlight of the 68-70 models (they can go ask Richard Petty for proof). Don't get me wrong, I love them all (66-67, 68-70, 71-74, even the Cordoba-based Charger) and do think the 68-70 body is stylistically perfect. However, the 71-74 bodies are not worthless and those who say so are disingenuous.
@@DeadDodgeGarage They look quite good with the bumpers tucked, hideaway headlights, and a bulge hood. IMO
@@d0gu67 Oh hell yeah! We have pulled the bumpers in on the dark red '73 we're doing at my place. Bulge hood isn't in the program, but hideaways will be if we can find a decent setup. I have one but it's really rough.
Really looking forward to the progression.
Really interesting keep us updated on the restoration 😁
Man, what a hell of a solid start for a project. I'd have buffed out that paint and driven it as is lol.
Tom tried to convince them that it was perfectly livable as it was, but they want it to get the full treatment. But yeah - a much, much more solid start than we’re used to in Mopar land.
New uploads from DDG and Torque Test Channel today! Yessss!
Great update! Cool car!👍
Hi Jamie the Great! I possess a '73 Charger M-code. I was told that the large cut-out on the passenger side inner fender was only on big block cars for spark plug access. My car has the same sheet metal crack as you pointed out in this spectacular video. I was wondering how it cracked there. And to think that I was secretly blaming the previous owner for doing something stupid with tin snips! Thanks for the info! Ya see? I can be serious sometimes, but it's no damn fun!
Yes - we’ve learned that the big ass cutout is for big block cars. There is a big cover that matches. What was really interesting was the additional cut on the driver side… I’m about to drop a 440 in an original 318 ‘73… can’t wait to service that in the future 😅
Cool! I'm staying with 383's and 400's from now on, because of the440's extra width problems, and my old age. (sigh) I bought a new rubber inner fender cover from Detroit Muscle Technologies. It even came with the clips! They have a lot of great stuff! @@DeadDodgeGarage
great job ! best year Charger for me please keep us updated
Will do! It’s being stripped and patched at body shop as we speak. Turned out to have more damage than we knew about. Shocking, I know. Can’t wait to see it back together.
🏆Very cool🏆my 73 was baby blue?look cool with cragars 🍀40 years ago😎✌️
Subscribed! Enjoyed quite a few of your videos lately and … ya got me! I’m in. Really enjoying the voice overs, kinda like hearing from a friend. 👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for the update.
I think I actually made this video just for you! Haha. I know you asked what was going on with it.
Groovy man !
I miss my '73 SE :( My dad bought it brand new
😥
Nice, I too have a 73 SE that I'm working on. I just don't have the garage to work out of nor the tools to do it. Real caveman approach.
I'm tearing my '73 SE down at the moment as well. Hopefully I get it back together before my motivation runs out. It would be so much easier and cheaper to buy one someone else has already rebuilt, but I'm the second owner of this car...almost 30 years I've owned it.
Oh wow. Yes as a general rule I try to talk people out of taking cars apart for restoration, because I’ve learned that lesson the hard way myself. Stick with it, eat the elephant one bite at a time, and find satisfaction and fun where you can.
I got a 73 se with a vinyl top also. I just figured there's going to be no way to save the vinyl top. Southern car but still was a daily till the mid 2000s so everything's kinda rough
Sweet charger
Yes, Chargers are cool! 😎😎😎😎😎😎
Nice!
By any chance... Do you have a spare original AC unit to sell? Or offer advice on how to get a replacement for a 73 charger? Love these videos btw!
Super Blue or Basin St. Blue, AKA: "Petty Blue." My '72 Road Runner is "Basin St. Blue" (Plymouth).
Yep! As I said in the first video, “a color we’re definitely not allowed to call Petty Blue”
Jamie so is going back to factory color? I see that was brought up in the comments. I was told a neutral drop can cause that floor damage. The isolator k frame sucked at controlling torque but did take away engine vibration as it was intended to do. I think they suck balls. Not a easy task to drop like a b body. I have the yellow 73 I should send you pics of. That came out of CA. No rust at all. But the kid chopped the motor mounts out to go big block arggggg so had to get another car to put that right. The other car came with a rally dash so Win! And wiring and a heater box because the kid through them out grrrr. The parts car was a roach coach other than what I said was good even the k frame was rusted away. I will email pics later. Thinking turkey!!!!
Yep, factory color! It’s going to be cool. I like ‘73s a lot. Some day I would like a yellow one with a black side stripe. Negotiable on color, I don’t actually like yellow. Haha.
👍🏻💯🇦🇺
Sounds like you mistakenly assumed that 73 does not have a optional duel cutouts on the rear valance but that's not true. I've had several 73 and 74 chargers with that option plus the bazooka tips on both SE's and Rallye's. Not to one up you though, I can tell your plenty knowledgeable.
If I implied that they were not available in ‘73-‘74, I apologize. I have shown a low mileage, unrestored ‘73 Rallye on this channel that had them - factory equipped. They were an option, as verified by the ‘74 Dodge data book. AMD even reproduces the valence panel specifically to fit them onto the ‘73-‘74 car alongside the large cutouts for the bumper guard support brackets.
nice car .. mopar
My 73 charger Se doesn’t have opera windows either.
I have since learned that this is the “halo roof” option on the SE. No opera windows, and that funky full vinyl top.
1:34: Yes, no rubber option, just aluminum or polyurethane. Same with the torsion-bar crossmember mounts. Speaking of the latter, I used aluminum ones from an old defunct company called solidbushings.com. I didn't have any torque specs, so I contacted FirmFeel.com (since they make similar bushings) and they said to NOT torque these torsion-bar X-member aluminum bushings to factory settings (because it may break the weld), but to like half of it. Also, another issue I had with the crossmember mounts is that the bolts on a '73 are a lot skinnier than a '74-later, so the mounts I have have a rather large hole (no metal sleeves, since it's not a rubber bushing), for the bolt to slop around in. Not sure if this is a deathtrap situation down the road... I mean, I guess even if the biscuit hole perfectly hugged the bolt, doesn't mean it's really giving it much support, but still very concerned. Makes me want to kind of sell the car and not have a '73-older style suspension...
Great information. Are they poly bushings that don’t have sleeves? Or aluminum? I feel like poly should pretty much always have a sleeve. I don’t know how I feel about this late setup yet. I haven’t gotten to actually drive one. It sure looks a lot like they just co-opted a GM setup - but with torsion bars. I like the earlier setup a lot.
@@DeadDodgeGarage With the poly bushings, you do have to re-use the original steel sleeves (or aftermarket replacements). With the aluminum ones, the bolt hole is the sleeve. Problem is, '73 had skinnier bolts than the '74s, so my question is, does it matter? I really don't know... Also, because the aluminum "biscuit" doesn't compress as much, FirmFeel alleges for torque settings, "I would very cautiously go from 20-to-40, being more around 30-35 ft./lbs. Big block rod bolts are 3/8” and are highest quality bolts, and their torque spec is ~45 I believe. You do not want to strip your blind nut, and you will if you tighten it to 85. The stock OE bolts are typically of good quality (with the washers build-in). Finally, a couple lock washer would not hurt." In any event, all aftermarket aluminum biscuits have the larger '74-later hole, so not sure what us '73 guys should do. My real concern, though, is if FF's torque setting, at almost half of what the FSM calls for, is high enough. I don't want to be driving my '73 down the road and suddenly have the X-member break away from the body, ugh, that may be bad.
Just to clarify the above, I think FF misquoted the torque spec as "~45" when the FSM clearly states "85". Point is, am I safe with torquing it to 35 with thread locker, and also if the '73 bolt is skinny and isn't "hugged" by the sleeve of the aluminum biscuit. Am I just being paranoid?
He’s saying rod bolt torque is around 45, and he’s right there. So if that mount bolt is the same size at 3/8”, he’s got a point. It probably shouldn’t go to 85. I can’t say for sure on the sleeve question. The sleeve would locate the bushing off of the bolt, but the tension of the bolt is what keeps things from moving. I think it would probably be fine.