Bucket List Charger

My older brother, a life long MOPAR fan, worked all his life and planned to retire and build his dream car. Sometimes, those plans don't always work out. About 4 years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in his leg. I was able to convince him to quit waiting and get busy on that dream. We came across a 1968 Charger, 318, auto with factory air that someone had painted like the General Lee. It was running, but needed quite a bit of work. The car was stripped down, and we found the body was in very poor condition. We decided that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. The car had to be a driver, a show car, reliable, and would always be driven to shows- no trailering. So we dove in head first. New floors, trunk floor, inner fender wells, quarter panels, hood, and one fender. Then we added the chassis stiffeners and torque boxes. A new K-member was located to support a Blue Print Engines 493 crate motor with a TCI 727 backing it up. The rear end was replaced with a Moser Dana 60 with 373 gears, and TTI ceramic headers make it sound good. Wilwood discs slow it down. The entire interior was replaced, the dash and console rebuilt. Tires and wheels give it that old school look. The paint is PPG Dark Cherry. The end result is what you see pictured. My brother was able to enjoy the car for a couple of years before the cancer took him from us. He won dozens of awards, usually winning his class. His last show was January of 2020, where he won his class in The World of Wheels show in Shreveport La. He passed away the following weekend. The trophy was at his bedside.

Sorry for your loss, you guys built a terrific car.

You got to spend a lot of time with him. Those memories will always be with you.
I am sorry for your loss, God Bless your families

My condolences for your loss. I'm sure you guy's spent some good times together restoring that beautiful Charger! You should always have with you that you helped him realize his dream. If you ask me, there's nothing better than that. 440'

Sorry for your loss, spending the time together building that car must have been invaluable.

That last part with him winning the trophy and it being by his bedside when he passed almost made me cry, I'm so very sorry for your loss. My and everyone else's condolences are going out to you. It must be a good feeling and must feel like an accomplishment that you gave him the encouragement to build that beautiful Charger and enjoy it before he passed on.

Great story about you two building the car,sorry for your loss. He will always be with you when your driving the car.

You were wise to help him get started while he could. I’m sure he really appreciated your love and support. May he rest in peace.

Medic said:

My older brother, a life long MOPAR fan, worked all his life and planned to retire and build his dream car. Sometimes, those plans don't always work out. About 4 years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in his leg. I was able to convince him to quit waiting and get busy on that dream. We came across a 1968 Charger, 318, auto with factory air that someone had painted like the General Lee. It was running, but needed quite a bit of work. The car was stripped down, and we found the body was in very poor condition. We decided that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right. The car had to be a driver, a show car, reliable, and would always be driven to shows- no trailering. So we dove in head first. New floors, trunk floor, inner fender wells, quarter panels, hood, and one fender. Then we added the chassis stiffeners and torque boxes. A new K-member was located to support a Blue Print Engines 493 crate motor with a TCI 727 backing it up. The rear end was replaced with a Moser Dana 60 with 373 gears, and TTI ceramic headers make it sound good. Wilwood discs slow it down. The entire interior was replaced, the dash and console rebuilt. Tires and wheels give it that old school look. The paint is PPG Dark Cherry. The end result is what you see pictured. My brother was able to enjoy the car for a couple of years before the cancer took him from us. He won dozens of awards, usually winning his class. His last show was January of 2020, where he won his class in The World of Wheels show in Shreveport La. He passed away the following weekend. The trophy was at his bedside.

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so so sorry to hear that
thank you for sharing that private detail with Us too

may he RIP

car looks great too
love his build style

Sorry about your loss. I'm glad he was able to fulfill his dream and enjoy it for a while.

Thank you for your kind responses. We spent many hours in the shop, on the road and at car shows together. A lot of arguing about color choices, brands to pick, (KYB shocks on an American car!), etc. Of course, he usually won the fight because he wrote the checks! On March 27th I will be showing the car at the Louisiana Mopar Nationals in his memory. We never made this show in the past do to hospitalizations, so I'm looking forward to a good showing for him.