1971 Charger Introduction/Build Recommendations

Hello all. I have recently picked up a 1971 Charger. The car is an original 'G' code car with the number's matching 318 engine and 3 speed auto transmission. The car is complete, and it has nearly all of the parts that the car originally came with. It is an AC car with power drum brakes and power steering. Two fender tag car! The car has been in some fender benders as can be seen by the pictures. This Charger came with a green exterior/green interior combination. Green bench seat with column shift. The interior needs to be completely redone, but I do have the original front and rear bench seats that can maybe be reupholstered.

I am planning on redoing the suspension and lowering it to give it a more aggressive stance.

I would like to implement a disc brake conversion kit onto the car, and get some 17 inch rallye or magnum 500 wheels.

I would like to keep the original 318 and transmission and rebuild them if they are rebuildable. 318 rebuild would likely be done following the HotRod 318 junkyard build.

Anyone think I should do differently?

I would also like to get a suregrip rear end with 3.23 gears.

Keep the body pretty much the way it is right now, but clean it up and maybe replace the passenger side fender because it is

messed up badly.

I am unsure of whether or not to keep the front bench seat or try to switch to buckets and center console.

Also, the instrument cluster needs to be replaced: circular cluster or horizontal?

ONE PROBLEM: The frame seems to be bent because of a fender bender. I have circled the indications in a picture.

I am somewhat concerned about the cost of straightening the frame.

I am not in the car for very much money as of now, and I could probably flip the Charger for a profit and try to find something else that is maybe more complete/easier to work on and get parts.

What do you guys think the value of the car is as it sits?

What would you guys do with the car?

Where would be a good starting point? (I am going to take the fenders off next. Some photos are after cleaning, some are prior.)

ANY advice/ideas would be greatly appreciated!! (This is my first muscle car.)

I apologize for the length and detail of this post.

Thank you very much!

Here are some pictures:

With an end result in mind of something like this with a patina:

Or:

g'day from Australia

Welcome from North Florida!!!
Not seeing where you think the chassis is bent though.

Welcome from Missouri!!

Congratulations on your find and welcome from south Florida! I am working on a 72 Satellite that was much more basic than yours. The first thing I would do is figure out where you want to end up with the car;
-Do you want a nice driver or a show car?
-Are you gonna add options or leave it as built?
-Will the things you want work well together? ie: air grabber hood will not work with a stock a/c compressor or a 2 speed wiper motor.
Get to some car shows to get ideas and also get recommendations for shops that can do the work you need. Frame straightening shouldn't cost that much but ask around to see who does the best job at reasonable prices.
All of your ideas are do-able but depends on your skill level as to whether you do the job or farm it out.
The cluster change involves changing some connectors or buying a new harness.
As a young man you should consider that there are benefits to having a bench seat
Plan your work so you don't do things twice, frame straightening and front end rebuild will both need an alignment so do them together, etc.
Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions! I have made a lot of mistakes along the way and would be happy to help you avoid them.

Welcome from NY.

Most of your questions are personal preference, not something to really ask advice on. I'd attend shows and figure out what you like then go for it. Personally I like all of the above, lowered, rally dash, buckets, larger wheels..


As far as the bent frame goes I didn't see a picture, if it is start off by getting it looked at before fretting about it. Call around to your local collision repair shops.. somebody has to have a frame straightening table or something.

As far as selling or fixing goes.. my personal experience is you have to ask yourself if you really, really love this car first. I've fixed up cars just because it's what I had or could afford and never felt satisfied in the end and always lost money or broke even. I learned my lesson and passed until I came across something I really wanted and I'm still loving it! A 1971 Charger isn't anything to turn your nose up to, pretty badass car IMO.

Motor... I love 318's and they will run so it depends on the level of power and cost your looking for. A 360 is going to be cheaper per hp on the build.

Thanks everyone for the responses. My apologies for not including the picture that concerns me about the frame.


As can be seen, the radiator is crooked, and those beams that are circled are not the same length. The headlight housings are not centered correctly either.

I know that these issues may not mean that my frame is bent, but it is something that I will definitely have to look at.

I realize that asking personal taste questions are difficult to answer, so I am sorry for asking so many.

I am asking them because I am new to the Mopar/3rd gen Charger world, and many of you have been working on these cars for years and years. All of your answers help me get a better/fresh perspective on my Charger build.

For example, I really like the look of bucket seats and a center console, but the $$ really start to add up when buying all of the components to do the swap. I can only judge the swaps worth from the outside looking in, whereas some of you have probably done the swap yourselves, giving me a different viewpoint on it.

I am very appreciative of all you for your advice and welcome messages.

I am still new to forums, so I thank you all for your patience and kindness.

Thanks.

This car looks pretty solid and a good starting point for a project.
My guess is that your frame is fine and just your bumper/bumper bracket are bent.
318's are extremely good engines for a cruizer, but not too good for moving a B-body car with any sort of quickness.
If you replace the standard gauges with round Rallye style, the dash wiring will also need to be changed.

Another great website to visit is: https://mymopar.com/
They have a reference library where you can download free factory service manuals.
For the disc brake swap look at the tech archive here:
http://www.moparts.org/Tech/

Welcome from the Pacific Northwest

Welcome! Nice project there.

welcome to FBBO from NorCal Sierras

sounds like a pretty decent plan

maybe check out the
Resto-mod & Pro-Touring forum section here
lots of great ideas, good helpful people too

maybe start a build thread too, other than just the welcome wagon
keep doing updates etc.

good luck

Welcome

Welcome from the coast. As far as frame issues, look for an older established non chain/franchise shop to check it out. They would most likely have techs who have been around for awhile and can figure out issues/fixes for you ride by using their grey matter. One guy I had the privilege to work with was like that. He could take care of issues on the Chief machine on vehicles too old to look up specs on.
The rest of your desires are all personal preference.

Looking at your pictures I do not think the frame is bent, the radiator may be mounted poorly or something but I would not make decisions based on that. You can figure this out by taking some measurements and conducting a close inspection. If the frame is bent you will probably see deformation in the rails.

Keep the GF7 Dark Metallic Green.