My '67 Charger project

[dpstark2]

Hello all,

I wanted to start a thread to catalog my progress and open up some discussion- and maybe help a few people out along the way. I bought my '67 Charger about two years ago. It ran, but that's about all. One of the reasons I bought it is that the body is all original and free of rust in the critical, hard to find and replace panels. It only has one dent- the driver's side door. After a lot of work to get it roadworthy, I found it had a cracked crank that was spewing oil out the pilot bushing hole in the crank. So I built a 440 for it. That one ate a cam (let this be a lesson on using high quality break in oil and having your valve springs checked). So I built it again. It's on the road and doing pretty well now (and it runs cool, too!).

My overall goal is to make this car a fun driver with as many modern comforts as I can muster. Long term, I plan on converting to Megasquirt fuel injection, complete with ignition control. That's about to start. I also have a set of 3.55's and a Sure Grip to put in, along with a console and floor shifter. A/C will happen down the road a bit. I plan to leave the body alone for now. Most everythign that can wear has been replaced. I have a lot of pictures here, but I need to get some more current ones up.

We're all looking for info- if anyone has any questions, please ask!

-Doug

==========================================
Some funny anecdotes:
1. The HVAC box was full of corn kernels.
2. The motor had mismatched left and right rocker arms (and not 8 + 8, either).
3. The HVAC ducting had been "fixed" in one spot with a cut open can of carb cleaner.
4. Someone that owned the car really, really like candy.

Important stuff done so far:

Motor:
'74 440 block
Factory forged crank, factory rods
Comp 224/230 cam and roller rockers
10:1 compression Ross pistons
Edelbrock RPM heads
Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold
Edelbrock 800 cfm carb
TTI 2" headers and 3" full exhaust
Aluminum water pump and housing
MP viscous fan

Electrical:
200 A alternator for future electrical upgrades
Fully rewired with M&H wiring harness
Rebuilt the factor gauge cluster, EL now works
Added headlight relays
Moved headlight motor relays to the engine bay
MSD 6A ignition box

Transmission:
B&M shift kit
1-2 shift correction spring
5800 rpm governor
B&M 2400 rpm torque converter

Suspension and drivetrain:
Fully rebuilt suspension
New XHD leaf springs
Disc brake coversion (A-body parts)
Rebuilt steering column and shift mechanism
3.55 Sure Grip (soon!)

Misc:
Painted the engine bay and dash
Fixed window mechanisms
Rebuilt HVAC box
Factory radiator cleaned and resoldered

 

[Greg Ducato]

looking forward to following along!

 

[Gpuller]

Great project, body looks super clean!
Like all the pics, thanks for sharing.

 

[snakeyes]

hmmm very nice,:headbang:

 

[Ron 73]

Very nice car! Good luck getting it just the way you want.. Looking forward to any updates, the 67 Charger was my first Mopar!

 

[dpstark2]

Thanks for all the comments. Here's an updated picture of the engine bay now that it's done... Err, well, done for now... More pics...

 

[roadrunnerman]

looks like you've done alot of work to it already.It really looks nice.

 

[court9155]

Great progress

That reminds me of my first charger a white car with black interior (originally gold with citron interior and painted panels lol) it was a 383 car that I put a 72 440 in.

My current 66 has been down to a shell and I have been putting it back together slowly.

Great build. I am right around the corner from you in Discovery Bay. I bought a red charger from a guy named ed (67 383 2 barrel column shift car) out in Tracy in 2001. Sold it on moparts to get married....

Im following along on this one!

 

[Big Sugar]

Nice Charger...I've got that one myself ! Stop in at www.66-67charger.com and say hello.

and for a little sideways fun Stop in at www.protouringmopar.com

But the fact that your here at B bodies means that your on the right path.

welcome

Ron

 

[Propwash]

Looks like a great car and a lot of work done thus far. I may be picking your brain if you don't mind on the 200A conversion you did. Looking to do the same, but only at 140Amp.

 

[dpstark2]

Alternator info

Sorry for the late reply. I'm happy to provide info on the alternator. That unit is a Powermaster- CS144 case, 200A beast... it's a bit much. There are others making 140-170A units (same case) much cheaper. Mine is also a 1-wire unit, which is fine, but does draw 8mA constant with the car off... not enough to drain it over night or a week, but can cause issues if you leave it for say a month... It fits fine, but I had to make a simple bracket to get it mounted and use a bunch of spacers to get the pulley alignment right. But yeah, it works. For what I have planned, I figured I needed at least a 140 A unit, and I got this one used for a lot less than a new 140.