Karla Austin, Business Operations Manager
Jen Dorsey, Associate Editor
Michelle Martinez, Assistant Editor
Rebekah Bryant, Editorial Assistant
Erin Kuechenmeister, Production Editor
Ruth Strother, Editor-At-Large
Nick Clemente, Special Consultant
Vicky Vaughn, Book Designer
Copyright© 2004 by Larry Lyles
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lyles, Larry.
Project Charger : the step-by-step restoration of a popular vintage car / Larry Lyles.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-931993-22-X (softcover : alk. paper)
eISBN 978-1-62008-015-3
1. Dodge Charger automobile—Conservation and restoration. I. Title.
TL215.D64L95 2004
629.28’722—dc22
2003022778
I-5 Press™
A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™
3 Burroughs
Irvine, California 92618
Printed and bound in Singapore
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Table of Contents
9 Restoring the Trunk Floor Plan
13 Refinishing the Exterior and Interior
18 Window Tint and Door Glasses
22 Bumpers, Decals, and Stripes
Resources and Restoration Costs
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the many people who helped bring this project to life. To my wife, Pat, who understands the feeling of power and freedom a restored muscle car can bring, I say, “Thanks, here are the keys. Have fun.” To Bryan, who worked harder on this project than I could have ever expected, I say, “Thanks, here are the keys. Take it for a ride then get back to work.” To Ted Kade, editor of Auto Restorer magazine, I say, “Thanks, my friend. Here are the keys. Don’t come back until the fuel tank runs dry.” To everyone else who contributed so much toward the completion of this project I can only say, “Thanks. Wish you could be here to enjoy this car as much as we do.”
Introduction
I originally wrote a 24-article series for Auto Restorer magazine. My intent was to take readers through a complete ground up restoration of a classic muscle car while offering real world information on how to accomplish such a restoration. This book is a compilation of those articles.
As a seasoned veteran of automotive
