We hadn't worked on Dad's Challenger in quite some time, though he has quite the stockpile of parts collected since the first of the year. I wanted to tackle the underbody, more specifically, strip the underside down to bare metal in preparation of applying por-15. I had already completed the rear up from the tail to the rear seat, as well as the interior floor pan and panels. I had previously welded up any pinholes and applied a quarter size patch or two.
While stripping the underside, I came across a few other areas that need minor attention. I also discovered the kmember seems to have seen better days. It looks as though it has been damaged in the past, and welded back together. The radiator support had also been used to tow the vehicle at some point, which will require some massaging to get her back into shape and welded into place.
After discovering the worked over kmember, I decided to look into aftermarket options. Dad has pushed more than a few times for the Reilly Motorsports whole front suspension kit. I was hesitant after reading on a forum that they knew first hand of somebody who had ran into troubles while autocrossing their car. That said, the other 99% of what I came across online had absolutely nothing but praise for the kit. So, we've kinda gone back to where we started, scrapping our current plans, and going back to a full Reilly setup, complete with power rack and pinion and tubular everything. I figure we will drop 100-120 lbs off the front. Combine that with the other 100 or so we'll drop with aluminum heads, intake, radiator, and pump, and this 3,600 lb porker starts to get in the ballpark I'd like to see it in.
I removed the front sway bar, which also had it's brackets worked over more than it's fair shair. That's fine, as it will be replaced as well. All said, I made some decent progress on stripping the car and evaluated enough to change direction in what lies ahead. Truth be told, this car just went up a few notches in terms of badness!
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