2017 Dodge Challenger SXT - Mostmint #45

[MostMint]

sheet metal/bumper cover:
* heavy lifting fixing the RR fender: move the metal for the inner fenders and all along the bottom into position. this side was a little more crushed in so additional work was needed: had to cut a large window into the inside support so I could access more of the sheet metal. Also had to straighten the metal at the top of the fender above the taillight as it was buckled a little bit as well. The outside edge on the back of the fender moved out about 1 3/4" to get close to its original configuration.

* clean and paint the exposed metal resulting from the reshaping and the crash - went with black as it was in stock (thank you David Bales)

* ordered and installed the rear bumper cover retaining brackets. These are plastic and were missing/destroyed in the crash

Test fitting the wheels uncovered a significant issue. The left rear sits about 1" lower than the right, the left wheel is 1/2" further forward than the right, and the left wheel sticks out of the wheel well about an inch.

This set me back a bit and had me questioning what additional things might be bent. Spent a bit of time checking the part #'s to ensure the Charger parts are really right, learned how to actually install new suspension parts from the factory service manual, and in looking for damage I found the left rear toe link to be bent. It's touching the lower control arm and the other side clears by over 1/2".

* Cleaned the rims and the hubs as they fit tight due to oxidation
* Loosened the bolts holding all the suspension pieces that were installed, as these are to be torqued down with suspension under weight of the vehicle

wiring:
* uncovered the license plate LED light is crushed - switched in this part from the parts car

* located a source for a new pigtail for blind spot sensor module and order it
* the LR side marker plug also damaged - switched in one of these from the parts car. In true Chrysler fashion, the wires have to be connected backwards to make the LED work

* LR side marker was damaged - glued it and sealed up with silicone

[MostMint]

* Changed out both toe links and found them both to be longer than the unbent parts from the parts car. Unfortunately this netted significant toe in even at max toe out adjustment

* install the pigtail for the blind spot sensor module
* the alignment pins on both taillights were broken off. Took a few minutes to super glue these back in place

* trying to determine the location of the wheel in the rear wheel well. Took a photo, printed it and took measurements. Used the rim diameter to determine scale between photo and real life. Best I can tell the tire goes about 2.4" behind the front of the wheel well and 3.9" from top of tire to the wheel well. The front measurement will help me understand if the wheels are situated correctly

* on the LR the front upper control arm was bent, so I changed this out. Had to lower the rear subframe on both cars to remove the retaining bolt. Sounds bad but really only took a couple hours to get both apart. This improved the camber from +2.1 to about +1.6 but made no change in the toe in, and the front edge of the tire now sits 2.5" from the front edge of the fender, which I consider to be acceptable

* learned from the service manual the rear subframe is adjustable - and measurements confirm it is too far left. The right rear wheel was the only one that didn't break so maybe it transferred more energy and moved the subframe over? I'll have to remove the coil springs to do it but I understand how I might do the alignment.

* experimenting with the LR camber, I learned that the camber readings with the wheel on were not the same as reading with the suspension loaded and wheel off. I should know better you need to roll a car after putting it on the ground to get accurate readings. Checking the RR the camber is now at -1.8 using this method. the LR is right close to 0.0.

* I put the LR together using a 1/4" bolt instead of the correct bolt, which nets about 1/4" movement in the right direction at the upper control arm (they call it camber link). This should get me over 1 degree in the right direction. Got distracted and didn't write down the final measurement. Up next will be re-check and determine how much more is needed to get to -1.8, then opening up the bolt holes on the frame mooring point for the camber link to allow it to move inward.

[MostMint]

* replace right rear upper control arm with the straight one from the Charger. At this point every control arm on both sides has been replaced.

* extend the bolt holes on the subframe to allow the left upper control arm to go in further. Something is a little tweaked and I can't see it, this is close enough an extra 1/4" inward will allow negative camber

* align the rear subframe. The LR wheel was sticking out and I got to thinking maybe the frame was adjustable - which I confirmed from the factory service manual I have. In the manual I also discovered a picture of the bottom of the chassis with measurements which will pay huge dividends when I'm trying to straighten the frame in the front.

* finish assembly of the rear end and do a quick test in the driveway. This help settle suspension, and afterward I found left side camber at -0.7 and right at -2.3. Also, the thing is now toed out by about 1/2". I can manage that with the toe in adjustment which is a relief. From the outside edge of the tread from one side to the other it's 74". This is 2" wider than my calculations say. The tires do not stick out past the wheel wells, and are aligned with the frame. I just need to get this measurement from a stock Challenger to confirm, otherwise I suspect that even though everything I read says these Charger AWD suspension parts are compatible that something is not compatible.

* made some finishing touches - moved the top edge of the RR wheel well outward about 1/2" to match the other side. Did some touch up on the paint on the fenders right where the bumper cover going to connect - wanted to get some paint on the damaged paint, and places where I had covered up damaged with black spray paint.

* caulked up the gaps between the fender and metal inner fender, anyplace that was disturbed from the crash

* assembled the bumper cover - put in the blind spot detector wiring harness, side marker lights, plastic support for the bumper. Pilfered some plastic push in rivets from the Charger to connect these pieces

* installed the inner fenders

* installed the rear bumper cover and the taillights

* the trunk has not latched down since I got the car, and with the rear cover lining up decent I decided to adjust the left side trunk hinge, which allowed the trunk to latch down. This uncovered quite a misalignment to the trunk. Best guess is the metal behind it needs to move inward just a bit to fix this.

Just a glimpse of the vision for the car as the back starts to come together:

[Fred32v]

Pretty cool! So far so good.

[MostMint]

A few pics from this car's past. I did a VIN search and it brought up a used car dealer site.

I noticed the Dodge emblem on the back has been removed, and it has window tint and mudflaps that it didn't have at this point.

[Basement Paul]

Those wheel look pretty good on there.

-BP

[MostMint]

Finish up the back end work
- install (had Kurt weld) in the metal windows I had cut into the trunk (there is an extra layer of metal about 2" away behind the rear fenders
- finish up with some black paint on the weld work
- re-clean the spare and the jack as there was still evidence of corrosion from battery acid
- install all the trunk interior trim panels

Front disassembly
- remove the hood, front bumper, washer bottle, cowl cover, RF fender, the wiper assembly
- found the brake lines going into the master cylinder to be bent from impact with the shock tower, also found the RF frame rail to be bent slightly
- to facilitate replacing front subframe, removed the power steering rack and separate the suspension from the frame

Side projects
- sold the Hemi in the parts car Charger, so that had to come out. With that being finished, I plan to remove the LF frame rail from the Charger. To that end I started taking it apart further - the dash is out and I can now see the area where the spot welds should be - they are covered with seam sealer.

- discovered a new front subframe can be had for about $180 so I ordered one - and it is here

[MostMint]

Removed the engine, transmission and front subframe as one unit
- Of course there was a lot of disconnecting things to get there - wiring, cooling, fuel, front suspension, driveshaft.
- Repeated the process I used to remove the refrigerant from the Charger. Got sidetracked a little since the Challenger has different ports for the refrigerant, due to it using R1234yf refrigerant. Storing the refrigerant in a portable air tank.
- Separated the cradle from the engine/trans
- Start draining the brake fluid

Observations
- Found a couple of the frame to subframe bolts to be a little bent, also got a good look at the inside of the LF frame rail and its bent in pretty good. With the engine out I can really see the LF frame rail is pushed up and in.

- A/C line that was totally crushed between the engine and the LF shock tower in the crash. Pinched flat but still holding pressure!

Next
Still need to sort out where to work next. First I'll remove the brake lines in front for easier access to the engine bay, and maybe a few more items that are in the way of operating and repairing things.

I'm thinking I should straighten out the RF frame rail and fender support. It looks to be in fixable shape and I can measure against it when putting the other things back in place. After that, separating various support structures from the firewall and the lower left front corner of the main passenger cab should allow me to start pushing the metal back into shape. This should become clearer as progress occurs.

[MostMint]

Cleaning up the work space
- remove brake lines across the front, the ABS unit
- migrate various parts of the wiring harness up to the windshield

^ almost there - the wires and ABS unit were moved after the pic

Cutting and straightening on RF
- remove portions of fender support - outer and center layer. pics of some of the damage:

- straighten those parts on the bench/in the vice

- straighten the fender skirt - pushing from the damaged rail to move it over, also put the porta power underneath to provide support

- cut a window in the frame, and pound out the indent behind it - needed a 5 lb hammer to get this to move

- straighten the window part on the bench/in the vice
- the first foot of the frame behind the bumper was not straight, so I cut a section off and straightened it in the vice/bench

- the other part that was still attached took some straightening as well

Other notes
- In all I separated 46 spot welds during this process
- Did put the subframe back in to stabilize as I was using the porta power to push some things around
- Used ear protection for the first time. Lately been noticing the impact wrench, carbide bit cutting, and other things hurt the ear drums a bit. Getting old so adjustments must be made. This cheap set I got in the Dave Bales toolbox stash but they worked great.

- Made countless trips to the parts car for measurements and comparison to ensure I was putting things back in the right place
- At this point I'm done straightening the RF
- Up next I have to choose between taking apart the inside of the Challenger and removing the LF frame rail from the Charger

[MostMint]

Not as much time on the car this week.

Started interior disassembly to get access to the floor. This uncovered a bunch of small messes - a ketchup packet that got to the inner cavity of the console and blew up, several dollars of change, residue from a giant spill of a red drink (?Code Red Mountain Dew, Hawaiian Punch?), more fries, chips and other misc. This car has been through several owners so can't tell who left what behind.

Carpets are out, driver and rear seat, trim panel under the steering wheel all removed. The car is really getting stripped down for this major repair operation that is imminent. Labeling most of the electrical connections along the way. Still have the dash to remove.

^My office for the next few work sessions lol

Picked up a pair of slightly damaged fenders for $50 - not perfect but they are close enough to straight that I can use them as templates as I attempt to straighten those that came with the car.

I also have a line on a Blackhawk Damage Dozer frame machine for $500. It is portable but kind of a behemoth compared to more contemporary portable machines. At 1/4 the price I'm thinking I'm going to try it. Spent a good bit of time learning about this machine and what it can do. Frame machines have a lot of accessories and it will be critical to get the pinch weld clamps which were not in the pictures in the ad. I inquired about several missing parts and the seller located a bunch more stuff that was associated with the machine including those clamps. All the videos I watched gave me some ideas as to how to use this equipment to straighten the car.

[MostMint]

Not much activity the past couple weeks. The main progress is acquiring a frame machine.

Started doing research on this machine. It appears to be a very early version, and it is missing chain, and the cross brace tube.

I now understand the basics of what chain to get, I have a couple attachments and plan to order a couple more. Also need to figure out what grade of steel for the cross brace tube. It's 2.5" diameter round tube as opposed to pipe - just a matter of finding the right grade.

[MostMint]

Video playlist for the build:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNtE ... ptxNtsssqg

I'll add it to as I go.

[GMJohnny]

The video progress is super cool! I think you should say how many hours
of labor you have in each phase of the project. I’m guessing that you have
a bit more than 8 hours in it so far!

GM

[MostMint]

Finish cleaning up the interior floor – the car was gross with spilled soda, and food/trash everywhere.

Removed the dash, steering column, gas pedal, brake pedal, and ebrake assembly. Trimmed off part of the firewall insulation on the inside as I want to see what is bent. The hole in the firewall for the steering column is a bit out of whack from the crash, the plastic base for the gas pedal assembly was cracked, and the brake switch bracket was bent. The brake booster will not come out the LF strut tower is pushed back too far to allow the studs to slide out of the firewall.

Removed the driver side door.

Ordered and obtained accessories for the frame machine. Two 10’ grade 100 steel chains, hooks, some pulling clamps, a few other hooks depending on the type of pull. For first attempts going to use one chain as a brace.

Also spent some time cleaning the frame machine, and all the stuff that came with it.

The car is about as far apart as it’s going to get, and I’ve put it up on stands to get the frame machine under it. I have to fabricate a rectangular pin for the frame machine then start lining up the first pulls.

Made a first attempt at pulling out some of the damage, which uncovered a leak in the hydraulics on the frame machine. It’s located where the hose connects to the cylinder – I assume there is an o-ring in there that has dried out

245 hours so far

[MostMint]

After a several month delay, work is resuming.

Center console:
Was damaged after the crash I believe – maybe police tearing it apart looking for drugs?
Disassemble, plastic weld many of the cracks, clean up the console including inevitable drink spills inside. Plastic welding went pretty well – its low risk if any of it fails since its just the center console

Other:
Cleaned up the rear carpet – the facial cream that was on there had largely dried out so it came off fairly easily
Plastic welded the inside rear side trim. There were cracks in both sides. I just closed up the cracks by melting the plastic back together on the back side

RF fender:
Did most of the heavy lifting on straightening this fender. On any normal shop repair this fender would be replaced, but I want that patina to stay with the car
The front was bent in quite a bit so there was a fair amount of bending required to get it back into form. The bottom of the front was also bent in so it got some attention. There were a few other spots to straighten but the hardest was the door edge. Ended up making a cardboard template matching the contour of the door, and did a lot of test fits.

Have some used/slighlty damaged fenders as templates. They are bent along the door edge. Since the door on the passenger side is straight at the front I made a template to help get the door edge of the fender in decent shape

LF fender:
Definitely the most bent up panel. In two spots the metal is folded over on itself. I believe this panel was torn off the car in the accident.

The front corner was pancaked badly. Had to get creative to re-establish the correct contours. Pics will tell the story. Also had a couple spots where the metal was folded over on itself. It took some prying to undo the folds before I could start making these flat. Other corners and edges got straightened, and I pounded out the worst of the dents. Had to get creative so as not to damage the paint that’s left – I avoided pounding on the outside where possible, and put a few layers of masking tape on that side where I had to hammer on that side. It’s not done yet but it looks a lot more like a fender.