obtaining a proper working height to prevent injury and fatigue. This is doubly true when working on an old car. The best way to reach a proper working height is to raise the vehicle using adjustable jack stands. This gets the car up off the floor and puts most of the working area high enough so you don’t have to stoop and bend to work on the car. A good working height is one where you can sit on the door scuff plate the same way you would sit in a comfortable chair, feet on the floor, knees slightly bent.
Before raising the car to working height, I adjust the doors. Most 30-year-old car doors sag, and since the Charger is a unibody vehicle I want both doors to fit as best they can. Using the door adjustment bar seen in photo 2, I tweak the doors to realign them. Note: You may find some door hinges so worn that you will not be able to adjust the doors to fit properly. In that case, adjust each door as much as possible before proceeding to the next step. You might try squirting a little WD-40 on the hinges and latch mechanism as well.
Any time a vehicle is elevated off the ground, each wheel should be supported to ensure proper weight distribution. At most repair shops, vehicles are raised using a drive-on lift, instead of the four points lifting system used when rotating tires, so the vehicle’s weight is distributed equally at all four corners, ensuring safety and vehicle stability. If you don’t have a drive-on lift, position a jack stand just inside each wheel to support the suspension and keep the vehicle stable.
For our purposes, however, positioning the jack stands inside each wheel won’t work because we will be removing the entire suspension system at some point, leaving nowhere to place the stands. Instead, let’s talk unitized body construction methods for a moment. All unitized body vehicles, including the Charger, begin life at four points on a building jig. These four points are the strongest and most balanced places on the car’s structure. That is why we will place the jack stands here. Illustration 1 is a generic model, but the principals of construction are the same for most unitized body vehicles. Each vehicle supporting point appears on the illustration as a symbol.
On the Charger, the boxed frame rails are welded directly to the floor pan. At the front of the vehicle, these boxed rails extend all the way to the core support, with the core support and the inner fender aprons welded directly to the rails. At the rear of the vehicle, the boxed rails begin just under the back seat, curve up and over the differential, and extend all the way to the rear body panel. The floor pan is welded to the boxed rails, as is the rear body panel.
ILLUSTRATION 1: This is a generic model, but it shows the basic principles of construction for most unitized body vehicles.
PHOTO 2: You never know what you will find when you clean out your project vehicle. Among all the clutter in the trunk we found a Cragar SS mag wheel, which is definitely a rare find.
PHOTO 3: All we really want is a little room to work. The Charger is raised approximately 18 inches off the floor (measured from rocker pinch weld to the floor) via the jack stands. The pads under the stands are made from 3/4 MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard). They eliminate the metal to concrete contact between the stands and the floor, reducing the chances of the Charger slipping off the stands.
Using similar principles, I can see how to suspend my Charger. For the front suspension, the Charger uses a bolt-on engine cradle, or K-frame, which also serves as the mounting points for the lower suspension arms. The upper control arms are bolted to the unitized structure of the vehicle.
The forward jack stand placement points can be found in an area directly underneath the cowl structure near the rear of the front boxed frame rails. Find the rear jack stand placement points in an area directly forward and inboard of the rear suspension mounting points (spring hangers), which are located on outer reinforcing box rails between the rear box rails and the rocker panel structure.
Once the jack stands are in place with the vehicle lifted off the floor, there is the problem of overhang. To get a better idea of exactly what overhang is, try opening a door on your project vehicle once you have it positioned atop the jack stands. You will find the doors hard to open and almost impossible to close. This is a direct result of overhang, which happens when the weight of the engine puts stress on the unitized structure of the body itself. Of course, at a later point in the restoration process, we will be removing the engine, thus eliminating the problem of overhang, but, for now, we need to contend with the problem.
Correcting overhang is as simple as placing a hydraulic jack under the engine cradle and applying just enough upward pressure with the jacking ram to take the engine weight off the vehicle structure. You know you have compensated for overhang when the doors once again open and shut like they should. That is why it’s important to adjust the doors before placing the car up on jack stands. We need a reference point to know when we have alleviated the overhang. Leave the jack in place under the engine. Note: I prefer to use a 4-ton portable jacking ram to hold up the engine and relieve overhang. Once the jack is in place and I’ve compensated for overhang, I remove the hose and pump from the jacking ram to reduce the clutter beneath the vehicle.
Now it’s time to remove the tires and wheels and begin work. Having the vehicle supported by jack stands is relatively safe compared to supporting the vehicle with a floor jack. However, let’s take one more step toward safety by sliding the tires and wheels back under the vehicle at each brake drum. Should the unthinkable happen and the vehicle slip off the jack stands, the wheels will be there to catch the vehicle before it mashes you flat.
Lose the Liquids
I start work on the vehicle by first disconnecting the battery and then draining the engine, transmission, and radiator of all fluids. Disconnecting the battery is for safety, while draining the fluids prevents messes all over the floor later on. The engine and radiator drain simply enough—I just loosen the drain plugs and allow the fluids to run into a catch pan.
The automatic transmission (standard transmissions need not be drained) has to be treated a little differently, as most transmissions don’t have drain plugs. I place a large catch pan under the transmission and begin loosening the pan bolts.
The transmission pan is the large, flat pan located on the bottom of the transmission, attached with 12 to 14 bolts. Loosen all of the bolts at least two full revolutions and then, if necessary, pry the pan loose from the transmission housing using a flat-bladed screwdriver. Be careful not to damage the pan or the housing with the screwdriver. Some fluid may seep from the upper edges of the loosened pan at this point. Continue loosening the pan bolts one at a time, working around the pan from corner to corner. The pan will slowly drop, allowing the fluid to pour into the catch pan. Continue loosening the pan bolts until the fluid stops pouring from the transmission. At that point, remove the pan and allow any fluid left in the transmission to drain into the catch pan.
When the fluid is drained, I reinstall the pan on the transmission to prevent contamination of the inner workings of the transmission. Then I dispose of these fluids properly. Most cities have an automotive fluid disposal depot that will take the old fluids off your hands for a nominal fee. Check with your local sanitation department for details on how automotive fluids should be disposed of in your area.
Check the Underbody
The next step is to take a droplight and go under the vehicle to look for problems. First I check the brake system for leaks. Brake fluid on the back of a brake drum, tire, or wheel indicates a leak at the brake cylinder. Note any leaks you find on the master checklist.
Next, I look at the shock absorbers. Generally, these are removed and replaced
