Where to start on my sheetmetal replacement?

[01freeman]

I am ready to start on my 70 challenger. It needs rear wheel tubs inner and outer, trunk floor, and both quarters and both rear frame rails. Where should I start. Where do i need to brace it before I cut thing out. I have welding experience and feel somewhat confident, this is my first time. What is the best plan to tackle this. What should be done first to last. how do I align everything. I would love to hear from the experts and see what they suggest so lets hear it. Is this too much for a first time experience. I want to learn and need to start somewhere. I know to get AMD metal thats the plan.

Thanks

[72cudamaan]

Lots of questions that are awful hard to answer conclusively. You would be better served
 either doing searches or looking over some restoration threads. After a bit
of reading, come back with more specific questions for your needs. I'm not trying to blow
you off and ignore you, just suggesting getting your feet wet with some insight. That
way when someone does answer questions, you will know what they are talking about.

[jimynick]

Andy's got a good point. I'm doing nearly the same thing as you, except and it's a big except, I'm not doing the rails. If it were me, I'd mount the body on stands that attach to the pinch welds of the rockers on a flat surface. Welding 3/4" tubing struts diagonally in the door openings will help. Take more photos than you believe you will ever need and take more measurements of what fits to what in at least 3 planes. What you're doing here is basically building the rear end without the benefit of the factory's jigs to do so and you'd be well advised to go out and hit every yard/flea market sale you can and buy as many pairs of vice grips as possible. . You'll want some 2 finger and C types to be at least 1/2 of them. I'm running about 10-12 pairs as I go, now. Buy a decent size box of Clecos and the pliers. You'll have to remove the rear diff and springs and gas tank. I'd cut the floor out beside the inner whl houses with the rails on it and use the whlhses as guides, once you've cleaned off the rest of the floor and it's flanges, to put in the rails and new floor that you've measured and carefully temporarily attached to each other. When it was in and fitted to the rear body panel, then I'd remove ONE side of the whlhses/quarter and fit them in temporarily. Going forward, move to the other side and do it until you've gotten all the tin in(this will take days to do). Check your deck lid and door gaps, fit the rear valance before you weld up the trunk extensions and make sure it's right before you finish weld the whole thing. This is a huge job and confident or not, the possibilities for disaster and many and varied. TAKE YOUR TIME AND MEASURE 4 TIMES. BE SAFE!  Ian