Cema 6/2010
June 12 2010
Chrysler Employees MotorSports Association (CEMA) show at Walter P. Chrysler Museum, Auburn Hills, MI.
An open car show with clearly a Mopar lean to it. Many Mopar muscle cars from 68 to 74 with many set up for racing including super Stock and Altered wheelbase cars. Several Vipers and SRT Chargers.
More than a half dozen new Challengers and a dozen or so 70’s generation Challengers and ‘Cudas were on the field .
Some cars were from the80’s and 90’s, vendors and display area. Some great unrestored survivor cars were present…very cool in their own way!
Among the attendees was a retiree and his son. Bill is a retired, long term sheet metal stamper, and his son currently works for Chrysler at Sterling Stamping plant where Challenger panels are stamped and cut. They were inspecting the new Challengers quarterpanels for the tell-tale, “if you look from just the right angle, vertical depression in the rear quarter panel, just in front of the wheel well“. We spoke at some length.
The mark is an uncommon feature, and does not come out on all cars, nor on both quarters. I was told that the causes could be many fold, including
1. The way the steel sheet was rolled or unrolled.
2. The way sheet was loaded into the press
3. The way the press closed (combination of sequence of pressure and uniformity of pressure)
4. The way the excess was cut after stamping
5. The way the quarter panel was set in the jig for weld
6. Heat stress release from welding
He told me that random samples are pulled for inspection. They are coated with syrupy high shine oil like compound and then a bright fluorescent , narrow beam light is scanned over the surface. The beam of light highlights any variations in contour, showing up as distortion of the reflected light beam. He says the panels are good, and that the variation is infrequent, and not readily apparent during the build.
Mine has the vertical dimple on passenger side. I consider it a unique mark of manufacturing, and would rather have the tell tale sign than a repair with body filler.
Bill Pitt was there and we met some other guys and talked about Woodward Dream Cruise.
Moderators can delete the photos after a while if they need.
Steve Legel
Lincoln Park, MI