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Walter P. Chrysler Museum - A Trip Into the Past

It was 1999 when The Walter P. Chrysler Museum opened to the public-a vision that began when ground was broken for construction on November 19, 1996. The tri-leveled building covers approximately 55,000 square feet and rests on 10 acres at the southeast edge of Chrysler's North American headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The building's exterior of polished red granite and black glass reflects the neighboring Chrysler Technology Center. The museum looks more like an extension of the headquarters than an afterthought.

 

Immediately upon entering the front doors, you're greeted with a huge revolving tower with three special cars on board. During our visit, the very first '94 Viper was there, as well as the Atlantic and others.

 Prior to construction of the museum, the company housed its vehicle collection in numerous facilities, including the former Chrysler LLC headquarters in Highland Park, Michigan. The story we got was that at one time, the bean counters began sniffing around the warehouses to see what could be considered unnecessary overhead and potential sale items to make some quick money. That was when the father of the current museum's manager, Brandt Rosenbush, realized the possible demise of Chrysler history. Brandt's father, a Chrysler employee at the time, championed a private effort to save as much of the historical items as he could. Were it not for these measures, the museum might very well never have come to fruition. Many of the museum's historical photographs, advertisements, and footage are now held by the Chrysler Corporate Historical Collection, and the museum exhibits are the creation of Design Craftsmen, Inc., of Midland, Michigan.

The Walter P. Chrysler Museum highlights more than 65 antique, custom, and concept vehicles spanning a century. The museum's three floors of vehicles are interspersed with interactive displays and exhibits, and they all tell the story of the Chrysler Corporation and its contributions to automotive design, technology, and innovation, as well as the automobile's impact on American culture. A theater featuring three continuously running short movies and a museum store, stocked with exclusive and hard-to-find collectibles, rounds out the Museum's offerings.

The museum opens its doors several times a year for different events. You can attend frequent cruise nights or specialty events throughout the year.

If you get a chance to visit the museum, please do so, as this is the heritage of the cars we enjoy. Even if you've already had the opportunity to visit, you really need to plan a second trip because the displays are constantly changing and being updated. If you haven't seen the inside of the museum in the last couple of months, we're positive you haven't seen what's in it now. So check out www.chryslerheritage.com and plan a visit.

Down in the lower level, you'll find Walter's Garage.	Cars like the Color Me Gone and Lawman cars are on display.
	What else can we say? The recreation of the fledgling years of the Ramchargers, the High and Mighty...
...is recognizable by anyone interested in racing history.
Adorning just about every wall are posters and photos depicting the who and what of Chrysler's history.	If you know Chrysler, you know Dyno cell 13. This legendary dynamometer was the testbed for early Hemi testing.
We're not sure if this is that actual machine, but it's cool to think about it. If you look closely, you can see the early Grand National-prepped Hemi ready to run.

New Skin

Face it, most muscle cars are over 35 years old and, unfortunately, due to their metal bodywork are prime candidates for rust repair and panel replacement.  How to properly replace these panels is a process that can challenge the novice and veteran alike dependent on the extent of the work involved.  On our Dodge Charger, the panel swap out is a significant undertaking due to the size of the panel. But for anyone who has attempted such a feat, the trick is getting the panel in straight and making sure it is structurally sound.
   
The following are some tips from the pros, guys who have installed a panel or two and know where the most common mistakes are made. The key is having a few of the right tools and the proper welding equipment. Overheating the metal with the wrong equipment will result in wavy panels and poor fitments. Follow along as we walk you through a few of the most overlooked basics  - the stuff most worth noting.
Heat is the enemy - The Smith Brothers recommend using a MIG Welder with 0.023-inch wire and an argon gas shield.  This will keep the metal cool to avoid panel warpage.  Too much heat or using old gas welding techniques will cause huge final repair efforts including unnecessary body shaping to fix these problematic high heat problems.

Cut it clean - Using a 1/16-inch pin cut off wheel works great to make a clean cut to remove the damaged panel and not overheat the area. This kind of cutting wheel takes out a 1/16-inch strip of metal making a good clean surface when fitting the new panel. Remove the old panel leaving at least a 1 1/2-inch margin overlapping the new panel to be welded in place.

Test fit - Fit the new panel to the vehicle and hold it in place with “cleco” after drilling appropriate holes in the new panel and the body of the car.  A cleco fits into the drilled hole and holds the two panels together before welding. Scribe around the perimeter of the new panel to denote exactly the size of the panel and where to cut the body panel to fit.

Chamfer the edge - Once the vehicle and the new body panel have been “sized” and are ready to be installed, take the time and chamfer the edge (angle grind) of the metal surfaces to be mated. This V-shaped point at which the metal meet will allow the MIG welding “bead” to be laid in the valley between the two metal edges making for excellent weld penetration and allowing the weld seam to be ground flush (use a grinder and 80-grit disc) reducing the amount of body filler required.

Smooth all surfaces - Once the new panel is welded in place, you can finish the job by grinding the mating point flush and the using a little body filler to cover the joint. But don’t forget to do the inside of the joint as well, especially with Chrysler vehicles where the inner fender weld is so easily visible. A little body filler and grinding here will make for an excellent final result. 

Fit is critical – This is the final look of the inner sheet metal parts just prior to mounting the panel in place.  All surfaces should be clear of body filler and paint so that the welding material has good clean metal to adhere. Make sure all surfaces are straight and true to limit the amount of body filler required to finish the panel.

Final appearance – The Goodmark components fit well and appear better than the originals in terms of rigidity and final look. The body seam where the original body and new panel meet is ground down with an 80-grit sanding disc.

The end – This is what you are working for. The final look appears factory fresh and includes a new coat of bright orange paint. This is the target but it takes practice and care to net results like these

Check out the Walter P Chrysler Museum Site by clicking on the yellow link below

http://www.chryslerheritage.com/