This Car Deserves to be Restored - 1969 Dodge Charger 500 Tear Down 

What a way to start a Monday morning, coffee, and Nick's Garage. I really enjoyed seeing the Charger get disassembled to get ready for chemical stripping, so much has to be removed, but it is the proper way to start a build. Watching Nick and his talented crew taking apart the Charger was a pleasure. All you have to do is look at Nick's eyes, and you can see the passion, and the desire he has for the old school muscle cars. Maybe everyone will now understand why the Charger is at Nick's Garage for the restoration, his attention to detail is second to none, the Charger is in good hands. I got a good laugh when Devon found the ammo in the trunk. I wasn't surprised, because in Texas we were always hunting. I'm just glad that they didn't make it into the chemical strip. I was happy to see that the car was in such good shape considering how long it was in storage. Minor corrosion which can be dealt with easily. I'm looking forward to seeing the Charger after it gets stripped, any hidden damage will then be visible. Another awesome video George, keep up the great work, you are the man. Thank you Nick, and your awesome crew for all your hard work.

The .357 cartridge and the 12 gauge shotshell would not “go off” in the chemical dip tank. If the cartridges did anything, it would simply have the bullet (projectile) separate from the case (for the .357) or open the crimped end of the shotshell allowing the pellets to escape. The thing that makes cartridges or shotshells work is their confinement in the chamber of the firearm. Upon firing, the gunpowder in the case is converted from solid to high pressure gas. That high pressure forces the case or shotshell hull to expand and seal the chamber. As the pressure increases, the bullet or shot wad is moved down the barrel and out of the gun. The pressures can be in excess of 20,000 PSI, albeit for an instant. Unconfined, the case or hull may rupture venting energy in a way that does not cause the projectile to be freed from the case or hull. In concept is like the gas-air mixture in a cylinder. Confined, the gas-air mix is converted to high pressure gas in the cylinder, and when the piston is up and the valves fully closed you get proper performance. Remove a valve completely and you don’t get the confined high pressure gas in the cylinder; therefore next to no performance. Your bigger problem is the cartridge and shotshell were (technically) smuggled into Canada and on completion or the restoration of this Charger need to be smuggled back into the US. Good luck with that!

It's not too often 51 year old cars are this solid , speaking of solid, this is a solid video Nick & you're a solid guy & have a great channel 👍

How absolutely awesome! I haven't seen a 100% restore since you did your Dodge, Nick! I can't wait! Great choice!!

Nick, Nothing about this restoration is a no brainer. In my mind, you are saving this car's life by performing automotive CPR also known as CPCAR.

GEORGE! Is it possible to smile for an hour straight? Yep, at least for me when watching this episode! You know you spoil us with these big episodes, George. Thanks! EUGENE! Man, I cannot wait to see your 500 once it's painted. It's going to be GLORIOUS. I know you're watching these episodes and you have to be going through all sorts of memories as each part is completed. I know I am. If one has ever had one of these apart, you remember what each part does or how it comes apart just like Nick does. NICK! You just get better and better at including us in on what you're doing to a given car. You take the time to explain so that people understand; you want us to know, too and that's pretty darn respectable. Most professionals are just worried about looking like experts for bragging rights - Nick actually wants us to feel like we're part of events, too. Awesome! Ok everyone, please support this channel by subscribing on Patreon. Even a $1 a month makes a difference! Y'all be safe up there, here 'til I can't be, -Ed on the Ridge

This channel has the best music. Everything from jazz,Brazilian, surf, metal. I love it all.

Nick, I think it would be neat if you had a t-shirt that said, "There you have it!" I would buy it in a heart beat.

Thankyou Nick, for the steps taking apart the Charger 500, I have a 1973 Plymouth Satellite with a 340 which I bought back in 1981, my first car when I was 18 years old. I am going to disassemble this car pretty much the same way, it's time to freshen up this car at my age before I am too old to do this job. This has to be my favorite show to date, also it would be great if you did one show at Rogers body shop when he is working on the charger. Keep up the great work.

I put straps from the lift arms to the car to prevent the off balance issue. On trucks I use post stands because they are so long and heavy. Great job you guys. eh!!!!!! On our 1947 Greyhound bus the bolts come out with just an impact after 73 years because the steel was so much better back then.

Wow a guy that actually takes his time to look at every inch of a vehicle is very rare to notice a scratch from when a tire was changed awesome nick very awesome

It takes alot of bolts and nuts to hold a car together,,,, but it only takes one nut behind the steering wheel to scatter it all over the road 👀👀👀👀👀🙄😁😂🇺🇸 Go Nick's Garage🦎👣🕊️

Thanks heaps for the show Nick and the whole team. I have been put off work for atleast 2 years which is real hard when as a welder who worked 50 hours a week minimum. (Heavy fab welding is risky, but I miss working with metal so much!) Watching yousereally helps me stay up bet and happy, so thank you all for the great show!!!

This guy really needs a tv show, this is much better than most car shows and he dose the cars right and tells you tips along the way so you know when your doing it yourself

Devon is a lucky kid Learning from a guy like Nick is a dream job He can pass on knowledge that no one else knows or remembers

Glad to see you use a Jack stand under the car. I'd like to see you use four of them every time you lift a car. A man was killed where I worked when the lift failed and the car crushed him. You're right, cars can get unbalanced and fall. Porsche had warnings on some cars because the rear engine made them unbalanced on the lift. There are videos of cars falling off lifts. People die.

Great video! Not only does Nick show how a car is taken apart for restoration, but he also gives his evaluation of each piece so that your car can be as original as possible. You would not know how invaluable his knowledge is until you tried to do this job without him, or without this video!

Thank you Nick you are correct that one for sure deserves a full resto!

We call those "Mud Dobbers" I was a Sheetrock Finisher and my CB handle was "Mud Dobber" Funny I'm 71yr old and my New Hot Rod Friends found out I can do sheet rock, now Everyone needs something fixed. It's all good ,their wives are "GREAT" Cooks, they like to cook, I like to Eat "So there Ya have it"...Thanks Nick From California..1968 GTO Super Charged 510cu in Kauffman Block.. E85...1140HP 1270 Ft torque @6500RPM..13Lbs Boost..That's E85 from a SHELL Gas Station $2.87 Gal (Don't ask how far it goes on a Gal) GREAT Channel, Thanks Again Nick

Amazing car I wish the big 3 still built cars like this.

Bullets might be rare up there in Canada, but here in Kansas it falls out of half the vehicles I work on. It's usually just empty cartridges and shells that I sweep up and throw in the trash, but live rounds I find under seats or just on the floor all the time. Just put them in the cup holder and continue working... Oh, and no, they would absolutely not go off in the acid tank. Acid would just clean them up, maybe dissolve the plastic on the shotgun shell and the shot would fall out, but the gun powder would not ignite.

Nick, there may be lots of people with similar knowledge, but it's your enthusiasm and willingness to share it that makes me glad that I'm a subscriber to your channel! Thanks for what you do!

such a rare car ! woonder how many survivors are still on this planet

An excellent episode!!! This shows how much work and organizing is involved with a full-on restoration!!! Stripping everything from a car is a very large task, organizing and carefully storing the pieces is another large task, cleaning and repairing the rusty/corroded metal & other pieces is another large task, painting and re-installing the metal is another large task, then the engine/trans/brakes/suspension/cooling & cabin heating/interior/wheels & tires/chrome/glass/carpeting & insulation/bumpers & chrome pieces/emblems/hinges/latchs/electrical & wiring are all things that will have to be done as well... This is definitely a labor of Love... Great job guys!!! BTW, don't forget to remove the upper corner pieces on the rear fenders and the lower rear valence panel and back-up lamps... This will be a great project to follow!!! It is no mystery WHY these full-restorations are worth so much... They are EXTREMELY labor and equipment intensive... People who restore cars like these are definitely doing it because they LOVE these cars... The money is there because it offsets the amount of materials & labor spent on them... That is the same reason WHY I appreciate work like this so much...

My large cup of coffee in my favorite mug, watching Nick and his crew tear down a classic muscle car from the golden era of Detroit Muscle to be properly restored, is a great way to start a morning. That classic Charger 500 is in good hands and I look forward to seeing it come together. There's something special about the craftsmanship of bringing something rare and old back to it's original glory, that I enjoy watching and appreciate. As a car guy who love classic American Muscle cars, I want to give Nick and guys like him a huge thanks for getting these special cars back on the road and be better than they were new.

Nick ... Absolutely loved this episode! Eugene is one lucky gentleman to have held on to his 500 for this long. Its in awesome shape too! With no body cancer like we are used to seeing up here in Quebec. I'd love to see what it looks like when it comes back from the dipper. I'm considering dipping our pair of Buick Grand Nationals my daughter & I will be starting on shortly. Eugene picked the best place to bring his pride & joy. Its not only your knowledge & experience with Mopar's ..... Its your entire heart that get put into the project & every car you touch. That's what brings all us followers to Nick's Garage. Always looking forward to future episodes & rewatching the old ones!!! Keep up the awesome work Nick!!!

The best way to start Tuesday morning is definitely with Nick's garage and a coffee aye!!! Looks like Eugene's 69 is in pretty good nick and won't spend to much time in the panel shop either. Very interesting watching and the the guys strip it down more so with a focus on safety all the way. George tops on the videoing today also, thanks.

Thanks Nick and George for the awesome video as always, and to Mr. Eugene for allowing us to enjoy the frame off resto on your wonderful and rare Charger 500!

What a cool piece of chrysler history!

Just as I was about to say that I miss seeing the Belvadere already, there it is at the end.

Amazing to see such an awesome car get restored Love from🇫🇯

Some pictures of that car when new or the original bill of sale would be sooooo neat.

No TV channel can create a better show than this!

Nick l love it. You and your team are re-creating Mopar History here. Bringing her back to life. Living and fire breathing Mopar Muscle Machine. She hasn't seen the open highways with the pedal to metal since the early seventies. Thumbs up guys. Congratulations George on a another amazing video. #1 Muscle Car shop in Canada. Long live Mopar Muscle!

Someone had some shooting fun in the trunk of the 500 was a bullet from a 357 Magnum George even found a shotgun shell both a bit too old to shoot or sell Nick's gonna keep them both for Eugene Interesting discoveries from Devin and the team The Charger 500 has some wild revisions Creative Industries took some difficult decisions Making the Charger more aerodynamic Character in spades this Charger has it and it's all metal no plastic A real classic A true beast and Nick's inspecting every piece fixing every scratch and crease I pray the Monday fun at Nick's Garage will never cease Peace =)

Love watching Nick and his staff at work ...Nick you are one hell of a Professional in your field and so much Knowledge on these Muscle cars . This ol ' 500 is blessed to be at your shop . Love watching your shop in action . Thanks Nick , yall are a 1st Class Shop and a Class Act !!!!!

Very solid car not much rust , looking forward to seeing it all repaired and painted and put together 😀👍🏾

You all made a lot of progress. I can't wait to see it going back together.

It's great to see you have young guys working in your shop. I remember when I was a kid My older brother and his friends always had a car tore apart at our house. That was my introduction to working with tools. When I was 18, I was in the military fixing aircraft. You just don't see that as much these days. Thanks for doing your show, I really enjoy it.

Fantastic! So much content in one video. Nick is so cool. He treats his coworkers like his own sons. 100% enjoy every video from this gentleman. In these times I watch Nick's Garage and I decompress. Thanks so much!

I Cannot wait to see this old girl being assembled and restored to all her glory.

That’s the kind of episode I wait for!! U always need to restore cars Nick def spices up the show! I can’t wait to start on my 70 charger. 😭😭

Wow! You guys really dismantled that thing quickly. New kid seems to be working out great as well. He must be excited every day he goes to work for you. Nice Job.

It's like grandad was always saying: "you've got to strip it.....before you dip it."

Wow ! What a terrific way to spend a nice morning. I kept watching....are they going to take off this or that and Nick didn't miss a single part! I wondered about taking off the "K" Member and the torsion bars. That didn't look too bad. My mechanic says he can't find new torsion bars for my C body but it looks like it would be an easy install if they did. It looked a lot like mine did when they stripped out the interior. That's going to be a very valuable car when it's done and I know Nick will keep it all stock which will increase the value even more! Only recommendations I could make would be to install the Chrysler electronic ignition conversion and substitute the mechanical voltage regulator for the instruments with an electronic version. I hope Nick finds a great rebuilder for that wiper motor, I've had two installed over the years (mine has the hiding blades design) and neither one really worked right. Too slow even on high speed and I paid a pretty good "premium" for those things! Can hardly wait to see the results of the stripping and body work!

I learn so much from you, Nick! I had no idea about all of the modifications that were put into the Charger 500!

This is another awsome episode thanks Nick n crew.

I knew there was something about that car i liked. Im from and live and work in southeast texas lol. God bless and. Be safe nick

So much work involved in a full restoration! At least it's pretty much rust free.

Easy tear down. I had to cut my torsion bars to get them off. Went through many cut off wheels during the disassembly of my 70 B body which had sat for 25 years! Nice clean car you're starting with.

There is a tool called a unispoter that will help fix the fender it wields pins to the body then u can pull on the front of the fender rather then trying from the inside it's a great tool comes with a slide hammer and brackets for bigger pulls with multiple pins

The .357 ammo mite belong to 'Dirty Harry' . 68 - 70 charger body is a timeless beauty. Will Always B in demand.

I worked in a frame repair shop in the early 80s and rebuilt the rusted out torsion bar cross member.most had rusted so bad that the bar spun in them and dropped the car. The other spot was the rear shackle boxes. We had patterns to make replacement parts for both, as they weren't readily available like today.

I’m really looking forward to watching this car being re-assembled.

Genuine bullit Charger! Lol. Great video as always guys. Seeing this Charger 500 fire into life will be epic Nick.

I enjoyed watching the dismantling of the Charger 500. This is a great video. I am very pleased that you decided to make a video of the process. Thanks Nick's Garage. Thanks camera man.

I had to make my own T-bar remover... I'd never seen one, but my '67 300's bars were really stuck! I had to Dremel a little inside the hex pocket, the C-clip had mushroomed the pocket a little. I made my own tool out of plate steel and 2x4 pine pieces... the plate was welded to angles that covered one end of the assembly... looked a lot like your tool, except there was no stalk, you banged on the face of the assembly, with 4 through-bolts holding the whole thing to the rod... you have to make sure that you don't scratch those rods, you won't like it if they fail in use! Wood was the perfect surface for that. Wish I could have given that car the treatment this one's getting!

Wow Gabriel Air shocks Haven't thought about them in 40 years lol Shows how old I am

WOW !!! you guys are so lucky to work on that car . The car is so solid and clean it's gonna be so easy to restore a lot of work but easy when it's so clean like that. Everytime customer bring me car to restore it's always rotten from the top to the ground i hope to have a car that clean to do one day but i loved my job so much when it's time to do metal shaping so i 'm keep going . Don't stop your good work Nick i love your show and one day i'm gonna pass to your garage i'm living on south shore of montreal in howick near ormstown just 45 mins from montreal . .So keep doing your good job ,you guys are amazing !

Hey Nick...that would have been a great example of a survivor as well. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Great video George. 🙂

I like ur show you take the time to explain things not many people do that anymore

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving George, Devin, Nick and Vasili! Good job Nick not getting Vasili’s head banged by the trunk lid! You all do such a great job, not just keeping these classics in top form, but showing up and making great videos. Thank you to you all, I really mean that, I miss my father so much when I watch your videos because we spent more time together working on vehicles than anything else we did.

Great work as always Nick and all I was just wondering how the crew is getting along. They seem to be working well together but things happen. I want to thank you guys for giving this old man a few hours of joy every week. I don’t have the timeOr a place to work on my own vehicles so the next best thing is to watch you guys doing the work right on vehicles that we would all love to own.

One reason to live is to see the final restoration of this beauty!!

This one brings back memories. Thanks Nick. The way of the muscle car will never die. T.

We have those mud dauber wasps here in southern Wisconsin, too. They like to put them on the inside channels of garage doors.

Great video 👍 That's a pretty solid looking car so far for that long of storage time. Must of been stored up pretty well. Thanks for sharing some great Mopar history Guys. Have a great week everyone at Nick's Garage.

Ilove learning about this car much love from Detroit 👍 THANX Great job

When I spoke about the convertible Challenger conversions, I meant the newer Challengers, not the E-Body Challengers.

Nick, you should take note of any dip prime lines visible on the inside of quarters, doors and upper floor pan at firewall.

I really like torsion bar suspensions. Al my Chrysler cars had it and it always was a great ride with really decent handling. '63 Imperial LeBaron, '68 Fury 3, '69 Charger. The Fury was the best handling and even Corvettes couldn't hang with it on a decreasing radius offramp I did my testing on :) OFC that was after I changed to radials and got the shocks and alignment correct:)

In Texas we call what you keep finding dirt daubers. They build nests everywhere! I worked in a marina and every boat has them. They really like wiring and will have a nest on a harness as big as a baseball. They eat spiders and sometimes there are spiders and spider remains in the nest when you break it apart to remove it. We hate em.

Got to love these low rust california cars, just did restoration on. My 1967 cougar, with no rust

Nick not sure but I think you might want to map those 500 decals on the rear so you know where they go. That's if they had been put back on correctly after the last paint job. Enjoyed the episode Thanks

I absolutely love this kind of content it would be awesome to see a first gen 2nd gen or 3rd gen Camaro Z28 or Firebird Trans Am or both read on to this level but my favorite year for both is 79

Nick another great video and nice tutorial on the rear window and trunk modification. Always learn something from your videos.

its really cool to see the complete process , and the surprises , its in great shape !

Love that solid gold! Can't wait to see this car done! She is going to be a beauty!

Nick, this needs to be a very accurate, nut and bolt, NOS date coded restoration. I had a 19,000 mile true survivor Super Bee for 20 years that looked new and undriven. I know every little thing on a B-body and most restored cars are never correct or even close. Tell this man to not wast his money and go half way, It needs to be a true full on resto.

I could be down stairs fitting pump gas pistons back into my bad to the bone LA360. But I'm watching Nick instead. You can find loose ammo in my cars to, and 357 is a fav. I have a bunch of them.

Wow killer episode. I the ads didn't bother me at all. At the beginning i said wow that alot of ads and now its over. Im sad i wanted it to go to 4 hrs. Thanks Nick!

The 357 magnum is a 38 special case stretched out to make room for more powder to add velocity to the 38 caliber bullet, it was a powerful round used in revolvers as the rimed case was not suitable for a semi auto there are some revolvers that can fire both 38 special and 357 magnum but if you want to buy one for that reason be sure the barrel is marked for the 357 magnum because it produces much higher chamber pressure but they are a lot of fun to shoot at the range or other safe place

"car guy teamwork" Sounds like a plan. Happy Monday, Mr Nick! Will be a Incredible car!

Great video, very informative. I must say I like the extended format. Thank you Nick and Co.

Good morning. Thank you for this video and education. Be safe. Stay safe.

Very cool. I can tell, though, that reassembly will be a rebolt’n development!

Those Charger 500's are beautiful. At the time, the 68-69 Torinos/Fairlanes were ruling the NASCAR circuit, so Dodge pushed the grille out, layed the rear glass down, and basically made the Dodge Torino fastback. If you compare the two side by side the effect is VERY similar, but it works. Dodge won some races that way.

Check the rear shock absorber crossmember for cracks near the shock mount holes.Air shocks can cause cracks from the extra stress that the crossmember was not designed for.

I know why you love your 440 Challenger RT Kowalski car cuz I used to have a 440 six pack automatic 410 Dana rear end Challenger RT

Vega hatch back works good for a rear plug,I've seen one done,it was like they were thinking of it when built,not easy but it works well

thank you nick from The best way to start week is definitely with Nick's garage I’m really looking forward to watching this car in y2 yellow i dad not seen 69 d. charger 500 in yellow yet keep up the great work thank you for the crew ( another rare mopar masterpiece bring back to life ) i can't wait to post it on my facebook page

Torsion bar's are used in many tank's too Nick. The WW2 German panther had 26 inches of road wheel travel thanks to it's torsion bar set up. I would still sooner drive a Dodge!!

NICK's Gang gets' it done and done right!

I find ammo all the time in vehicles. Very common to find especially in heavily hunted areas.

It was actually 2 1/4 years for the years that they were built in. 1968 they drew up the blueprints.& 1969&1970 they were produced in factory lines for the public to purchase from dealerships.

Why the yellow yes ...?Was there a YES or NO in yellow crayon on top of the left taillight housing for the light package that Chrysler put on to let creative know to weld the tab for the trunk light switch. My 500 that I sold had a yes. (Wingman)

Yep. Trunk is bad. I had a 75 Duster. The springs came through the truck. It was all rot. I've yet to find another one. It was a great car.

perhaps the yes was to tell the assembly line which cars were to be left chargers and which cars were to be converted to 500s or daytonas? or the yes was to signify it was quality checked before it was rolled off assembly line? Another thought, Yellow yes was for 440 cars, a diffrent color was for six cylinder and another for 426 hemi cars..

" well I'll be dipped "! - charger 500.

Disc on front of 500 charger is a great option I suggest keep the original parts , I’m lil Skeptical about changing it from originality