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'66 Charger

Ragman

Well-Known Member
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Jul 30, 2011
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Location
Glide, Oregon
I would like opinions on whether to stop fixing up the cosmetics on my car.

Let me tell you what I've got. It is a stock original '66 with a good running 361, 112K on the clock with a 727 auto. Burns no oil and shifts great.

The car was in pretty good shape and all i've really done is clean it up. I painted it original metallic red using single stage urethane and recovered the passenger seat. I have the build sheet and plastis warrenty card.

I will try to upload pics

Here's my questions;
1. Should I repaint the silver dash trim when I remove the guage cluster?
2, The engine has been left alone since it left the factory. I just cleaned it up. Should I detail the engine?

I am torn between doing these things to make it look sharper, and leaving it original with the pimples of 40+ years of use. Future value would also be a consideration.

What do you guys think?

Thanx,
Ragman
 

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It looks like a nice car.

The 361 is hardly a sought after engine. The 383-4 and the 426-8 are the ones everyone want in a 66 Charger. These cars are a love it or hate it car and not real popular with the majority of the hobby.
Don't get me wrong I LOVE them and just bought one myself.
Just a quick glance at the pictures I see an aftermarket radiator.
IFit were an untouched survivor and respectable looking you may want to keep it as is.
With this car I would do what ever you want to it because it is not going to hurt the value.
 
i like the enginebay; i would leave it like it is. But that's my cup of tea.
Nice car; have fun with it!
 
I think i would leave it alone if it was mine, Great looking ride. If your taking the cluster out, id say yes, paint it and make it look better, if you arent taking it out heck, if it looks good to you, why change it? very nice car enjoy it whatever you do!
 
Our generation of cars are never going to be worth that much. I think you should keep cleaning since it seems like you enjoy it. Maybe change the radiator out for a stock one, stock reproduction windshield wiper bottle, a scrub brush and paint for the engine. Personally I would yank the motor and detail the ending bay to match the rest of the car. I find it hard to believe that it will do anything but improve the value since you do have items that are not stock. It is no longer a survivor with the new paint and non original parts.

Most importantly drive and enjoy it. Just watch out for the people on their cell phones.
 
That is such a lovely car Ragman it would be a tough choice to decide. If it gives you joy to make improvements to the car then do them at your liesure and as interest and money allow. The trouble with making an improvement to a component is that it only emphasizes the components around it, as we say in Texas, "Like a diamond in a Goats ***". Follow your heart on this one but don't make it so perfect that you won't want to drive it.
 
My 54,000 original mile 73 Satellite still has heater hoses with the Mopar logo and spring clamps. It's had one repaint, so it's not a true 100% "survivor", and the engine compartment looks just slightly worse than yours.

It's going to need a water pump soon (can barely wiggle the fan), and while I'm doing that, I plan to paint the intake, valve covers, and front of the motor.

It's white, so the engine compartment really shows almost 40 years of ground in dirt, grime, fluids, and a general yellowing.
I've been spot cleaning with steel wool, and magic erasers, and it definately makes a difference. It's just kind of difficult getting my hand through all the stuff to get down to the paint.
 
Do what ever makes you happy. I feel lucky my car was molested long before I got it. I can do anything I want to mine. Just keep all your original parts for the future. I think your car looks real good. I would love to have some of your interior.
 
I agree with everyone get some fresh paint on the engine swap out the washer bottle for the correct type,i too love these cars [my favorite body style] me personally would put on a set of five spoke mags [cragars,torque thrust Ds ect.] Other than that i would drive/enjoy it as is it is a very nice car.
 
[QUOTE=

What do you guys think?
Great looking Car... I'm a stock guy, originally equipped ...The only question is what approach to take in making the changes.....It come down to, what you want & what you can afford.... equals your opinion that matters.....
 
Great opinions and food for thought!

Winter in Oregon makes a great time to work on projects. I will pull the consule for sure and freshen the silver crome trim and surrounds.
The fuel and temp guages are not working and I hope it's just the voltage limiter mounted on the back of the guages.

Has anyone done this?

It appears that detailing the engine won't lower the value, so I will also do that. (maybe!)

I did replace the windshield reservior. I have the stock radiator, but I was told it needed to be recored..$400, so thats on the back burner

Thanx again,
Ragman.
 
the voltage limiter is not on the back of the cluster, it's built into the fuel gauge. It can be repaired by Mark in Arizona

Bryan
 
That's a sweet Charger. I'd detail the engine, though. A lot can be done for very little money.
 
Already a repaint. Detail and paint the motor. Will never be a true survivor now. But a very nice car indeed.
 
hmmmm very nice , :headbang:
 
Wow, that's a nice one. I'd detail the crap out of it but don't replace good original parts with repos. Like someone pointed out, it's all ready been painted so the survivor status is gone, so keep detailing. One thing that might make it more unique is to duplicate the under hood factory imperfections like runs and missed spots.

Oh, and I had to take note when I saw your car as it looks strikingly familiar. Mine is PP1 red (no metallic).
 

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Go ahead......

As nice as the rest of the car looks...... Detailing under the hood will really make it POP....!

I did the same thing with my 65 Coronet.... just the cosmetics. I took my time and removed everything except the engine. Then detailed or replaced things as needed..... Took about 2 weeks to do it and enjoyed every minute.
 

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