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68 Charger Hellcat restomod suspension

mainlymuscle

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Hello ,I am a Collector,builder,racer and general enthusiast from Edmonton ,Canada.I am sort of non-denominational in my passion,as I have about a dozen different brands from 1/2 dozen countries.Current Mopars include 64 Sport Fury 565 Hemi stroker 4 speed,70 FM3 pink Cuda,64 Dodge 440,sister cars Rambler Scramblers,AMX's,Jeeps,and arrogant cousin Jensen Interceptors.Current passion is the 68 Charger build.I just picked up a 2018 Hellcat package with a 6 speed manual so any advice or help on that part will be appreciated.My problem,and this applies to many of my cars,is the suspension .I have absolutely no desire for an autocross/roadrace type car.I have sportscars for that.For me it's all about THE RIDE !!
I will drive it a lot, so the Charger needs to stop and corner safely,but I don't want a harsh ride.I have used Art Morrison stuff ,and the product is excellent,but the ride is far too firm for my taste.I am looking at the front end (and probably rear,as well ) from Gerst Tubular.Does anyone have experience with their products,or any other advise so as give me a comfortable,and safe cruiser ?
Thank you ,I look forward to the discussion.
 
Welcome to FBBO

maybe go over to the Resto-mod & Pro-Touring
forum section here on FBBO

Ride-tech.com is a great option, if you like that sort of thing
front & rear
Pro-touring guys seem to like them

good luck
 
Any of those suspensions can be made to ride with the right set up and components. That said, what does the car have now?
 
Welcome from Missouri!!
 
Ok, so what you need is some new torsion bars (look at some around 1", not any bigger) and some good shocks (I prefer Bilsteins). This will generally take of the front end and part of the rear, you can do new leaf springs as well in the rear. I would say to include some good sway bars, complete front end rebuild using OEM style bushings (less harsh than poly). I know you said ride is whats important but you want it to handle reasonably well too I would think. Therefore, get your steering box rebuilt bu Firm Feel (I'd recommend stage 3, 1 is stock, 2 is slightly better but 3 will give you a much better feel, I have 2 of them). Also, replace the ball joints and tie rod ends along with a new pitman and idler arm. Add some Moog UCA "problem solver" bushings and you are about there. You don't need tubular control arms and all that stuff (although it is nice). You don't need adjustable struts but if you do want it to be better than stock, box in the LCAs and use Firm Feels tubular UCAs as they are already corrected and will look and perform well.
 
Welcome! But I have to ask, why bother giving a car 700 horsepower if it can't get that power to the ground? I've never understood the trend to give a car blazing horsepower but no chassis support to handle it. Might as well go with a slant 6 or a 318 if you just want to ride around. Disc brakes, polygraphite bushings, weld-in torque boxes and most importantly the Hotchkis TVS, will help you put that power to the ground.

And don't worry, you're using products that only build upon and improve the suspension technology that was designed into these cars over 50 years ago. With the parts I'm recommending you're not using anything exotic like a K-member swap with coil-over suspension or a four-link suspension in the rear; you're mostly using the technology that already came with the car, just the best of it...
 
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Welcome! But I have to ask, why bother giving a car 700 horsepower if it can't get that power to the ground? I've never understood the trend to give a car blazing horsepower but no chassis support to handle it. Might as well go with a slant 6 or a 318 if you just want to ride around. Disc brakes, polygraphite bushings, and most importantly the Hotchkis TVS, will help you put that power to the ground...

I have to second that opinion; the advice I posed earlier was based your comments that you were concerned about the ride, but as stated here it doesn't make much sense to have an high powered drive train and low powered suspension.
 
Ok, so what you need is some new torsion bars (look at some around 1", not any bigger)
That is opinion.
I run 1.15s in my car with an aluminum headed 440/493. The ride is firm but not harsh. It feels similar to a late model Challenger R/T.
R T 8 AA.jpg
 
That is opinion.
I run 1.15s in my car with an aluminum headed 440/493. The ride is firm but not harsh. It feels similar to a late model Challenger R/T.
View attachment 938898

Completely agree, I went with the 1" because the OP stated he was very concerned with the ride. I have 1.18" T bars in my Cuda (SB) and it is very stiff, I have 1" in my Challenger (BB) and it is pretty soft (not super soft), so that is what I went with as a recommendation.
 
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