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Crazy B body protour idea

optiview

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Ok I have a crazy idea that I hope someone else tried first. To all those pro touring haters out there please stop reading now and move on...

Ok I assume since your still reading you don't mind committing sacrilege by altering a classic car. What I want to do is take a b body chassis off the car and replace with a late model chassis + engine like a challenger, 300 or charger. Im not even sure if its possible but if it was it would allow a fantastic cruiser.
Is this possible? Anyone try it? Let me know what you think.
 
Anything is possible with the right mind, funds, tools and facilities............ Good luck on your venture!
 
Good luck, Make sure you post alot of pictures! I like some protouring cars although if i wanted it to handle like a 200x dodge then i would drive one. Personally i love the old cars for what they are. Maybe it's because i wish i was wasn't 18 and actually like 50 so i could of been around when these were new and all you seen at every red light instead of ricers and tuners. JMO
 
A few (maybe as much as 6) months ago Mopar Muscle had an article on just that. A guy took a late hemi 4dr and cut the chassis out of it shortened it and installed in a Charger, I believe a 68 or 69.
 
It takes just money!!!I say go for it!!!
Petty Blue 67 GTX
 
looks like bare bones is 3400 and loaded is (rolling with brakes, steering ect) 16,000.
 
looks like bare bones is 3400 and loaded is (rolling with brakes, steering ect) 16,000.

It's a big chunk of change, but considering what you get, it's something to consider.
 
ya my guess would be you could populate the frame much less expensive yourself.
 
I think that if you stiffen the existing chassis with good subframe connectors and other reinforcements and throw a bunch of parts form companies like Reilly Motorsport, XV or Hotchkiss at it you'l be pleasently surprised. These old boats don't handle as bad as you think. They just need a little help.
 
For me its not the handling as much as the ride smoothness.
 
Mine is not on the road yet but here are a few comments based on my progress to date (reference "B Body Stiffening thread)
The thought that one could simply remove the "body" from 67-70 B Body and install it on an LX platform is not even a simple process. The LX is appx 4" wider and longer than the B Body. There are all kinds of fittment issues right there that will make the job very time consuming and therefore expensive if you are paying someone else to do it. Not saying it cannot be done though.
From a cost of suff perspective, here are some data on my build.
Bought a 70 GTX...insert whatever you can find one for here...a rolling shell would be fine, you don't need the drivetrain anyway except the rear axle assembly perhaps.
I bought a wrecked 07 Charger with 20k miles on it for $6700 from co-parts. This gave me the 5.7, transmission, all 4 disc brakes, wiring harness, computers, dash, console, HVAC, and other misc stuff that would have cost me $$$ somewhere else.
The alterktion and 4 link rear suspension was appx $6100 with no brakes.
After those major purchases, the rest is time and whatever else you want/need to replace/repair on the car you start with i.e. I bought Corbeau seats because the Charger seats don't lean forward for rear seat access and I didn't like the seats in the GTX. Tires and wheels. With the disc set up off the Charger I will have to use minimum 17" rims, and any other customizations you desire.
So far, I have re-couped $1100 from selling parts from the charger I don't need...like fenders, headlights, ...stuff like that. I will sell whatever is left to the recycler and that will maybe get me another 500-1000.
How much is just a crate 5.7 these days? Then your choice of fuel mgmt the list goes on.
I also bought and installed the entire XV frame stiffening package and that has made a HUGE difference just sitting in the shop!
That chassis package looks like a pretty cool way to go, I wonder about "building" a "b Body" on top of it though. It would take a lot of work, these things arent like Chevys that you can take 4 bolts out and the body/chassis separate as two pieces!
Hope this helps some. e-mail me if you have some questions and I'll answer if I can.
I am a complete novice at this. This is the first time I have EVER done anything like it, hell, I never even welded anything before I started this project! Dean Rockwell at Performance Racing Development has been my guiding force on the project and he was wonderful enough to let me take it on in his shop using his equipment. How great is that?
 
For me its not the handling as much as the ride smoothness.

The RMS Alter-K-Tion and thier Street Lynx (4 link rear setup) convert your car to coil springs all around with rack-and-pinion steering. With proper chassis stiffening the car would probably feel much the same as any current platform.

Your idea would certainly be unique to say the least, but like someone mentioned before it would be a tremendous undertaking. You're talking about re-engineering not one, but two cars at the same time. Plan carefully, that project may very well wind up costing you a lot more than you think.
 
been done- friend of mine and I did it with a 68 charger and a 06 SRT8 magnum

I'm not saying it can't, or hasn't been done. Just trying to point out how much work is actually involved.

Race cars are often the skin of an old car draped over a rolling tube steel chassis, but that's a whole different ball of wax. Were talking about grafting two completely different unibodies together, each one that has been structurally comprimised and tied together to make one. It gets evn more complicated when track widths and wheelbases are different.

Quite an undertaking if you ask me. When do you reach the point of diminishing returns? Maybe not just from a cost aspect, but a performance aspect as well?

You'll need time, money, and an extremely well equipped shop to pull it off properly.

Needless to say, I'm more than just a little bit interested in this project.
 
A few (maybe as much as 6) months ago Mopar Muscle had an article on just that. A guy took a late hemi 4dr and cut the chassis out of it shortened it and installed in a Charger, I believe a 68 or 69.

I was wrong, I give credit to the wrong mag. It was in Feb 2010 volume 17 number 6 of Mopar Action on page 70.
 
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