Restomod charger pics

[747mopar]

Here are the pics I promised. I changed my username sorry, didn't realize that was the name that would be used on the sight. Anyways, hear it is, shaker scoop and all. I wanted the shaker from the begining but chickened out do to the fact that my hood was nice and I really liked the original look. It wasn't until the guy I had media blast the underside warped it behond repair that I finally decided to do it. The dash is mostly all custom using only the original frame and top portion. It's real curly maple stained to match a mahogany stearing wheel. The console is 100% homemade using fiberglass and again curly maple (armrest isn't done yet). I have front leather seats out of a stratus and rears out of a 300 that I have already modified to make fit "confortable". I've changed alot on the wiring, I'm using a USA wiring (that's the name brand) harness, ron francis switches and auto meter electric gauges. The front wiring harness is now in conduit under the fender and the engine harness all comes out of the firewall out of sight behind the motor and then under the intake. Everything under the car is brand new from just suspension including a 1" drop. The bumpers have both been narrowed, tucked in and all of the bolt holes welded shut. I'm hoping to eliminate almost all of the headlight door vacuum lines as well using a solenoid operated valve under the fender, there is already a homemade stainless steal vacuum canister mounted under there. And what charger would be complete without a dixie horn tucked away behind the front valence "my 6yr old daughter loves the dukes". The flag wasn't part of the original plan, instead it was going to be blacked out along with the rump stripe and rear tailight panel. I liked the charcoal better with the Tangelo Pearl and I was putting so much effort into buying only American made parts that I thought why not incorporate thr flag into the hood. This is what happens when you run out of money for long periods of time but can't stand to not play with something. Any opinions on a wheel combo, I'm leaning torward Foose Ascots right now 18"fronts 19"rears. ​

 

[Propwash]

Cool beans! Very nice work. Great job of thinking outside the box. Best of luck moving forward.

 

[Ron 73]

Great work! Looks real good,, good luck with it..

 

[FatJack]

Console and dash look amazing!! but please ditch the Ford shaker hood and use a Chrysler piece.

 

[Greg Ducato]

I love it, great creativity!

 

[Sprag]

Superb! :jerk:

They never bothered me before, but your stellar work on the the dash and console sure make that B&M shifter plate look awful cheap! No offense meant, it just looks a little out of place or outclassed by the surrounding 'bling'.

 

[747mopar]

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for all of the positive feedback, I was really thinking that I was going to get hammered. I'm a bit of a loaner on this project, nobody around me really gets the whole "car thing" especially my wife so it's nice to hear some encouragment. My 6 yr old daughter is my only supporter, she absolutely loves the dukes and has already made her claim on the car. FatJak, thanks for the complement on the dash. I'll explain the reasoning for the scoop a little better "like I said before" I had drawn the plans up long before I even looked at a mustang scoop, the plan was to make it myself but after coming across a sight that sold mustang scoops I couldn't see spending all the time building one when this one looked just like the one I had drawn. I did want to use a mopar peace but the shaker scoops on the cudas are very rounded and would look very out of place on a charger which has crisp body lines. Now to make you feal a little better, it's technically not a ford scoop it's made by an aftermarket company and I plan on modifying it to take some of the mustang look out of it, I'll likely split the opening to make two inlets like the cuda shakers and fill in the recesses in the back. What do you guys think about colors for it (the scoop) I'm leaning towards flat black, I could have painted the flag on it as well but I didn't want it to just blend in. I've also thought about an aluminum silver, what do you think? I'm going to put the cubes on the sides of the scoop but have also thought about putting it in liters just so all of those rice burner guys can easily translate just how much bigger my motor is HAHA. Something else I didn't mention the exhaust will be dual 3" flowmasters dumping out in front of thr rear tires threw 2"x10 stainless tips. Sprag, "thanks alot" I guess I'm not alone I kinda don't like it myself. I don't really think it's so much the cover plate as much as it is the cheasey looking slotted rubber boot, I'm going to look into something that will look more like a leather boot. Thanks guys

 

[Ron 73]

I think the Argent silver would give it the right look to go with your hood but flat black would off set it more if thats what your after..

 

[Sprag]

- - - Updated - - -
........................ I did want to use a mopar peace but the shaker scoops on the cudas are very rounded and would look very out of place on a charger which has crisp body lines....................

I couldn't agree more, I think the mopar shaker is wrong for this car's proportions and lines on the front. Yah, yah, I get that these are the swoopy 'coke bottle' body style, with similar swoppy-doopy lines on the E Body, but up front the Charger seems to have more lines and angles everywhere (here comes the hate mail).
I can't wait to see how you mod this scoop, sounds like the right direction/correction to me.

..................................................................I'm leaning towards flat black, I could have painted the flag on it as well but I didn't want it to just blend in. I've also thought about an aluminum silver, what do you think?

I would try both flat black and silver first but I suspect it would look best if you chose one of the colors in the flag to set the scoop in the background. I think no matter what the scoop will be noticed, so I wouldn't want it to stand out too much.

Just my two cents - it's your car do whatever makes you and yours happy.

 

[Nsane]

The B&M Hammer has a leather boot on it instead of the rubber. Also nicer looking than the old mega shifters IMO.

 

[WP29440SE]

nice work and great job .... but man

the ford scoop on such classic lines

~~~~~~

 

[747mopar]

Can't win for loosing

I spent my weakend buttoning up the motor, oil pump, adjusting valve lash and attempting to install the intake (preformer rpm). What I was affraid of turns out to be true it doesn't fit, the block is decked to 0 deck height and the heads were milled to clean up rust around the water ports. Looks like it will take around .060 off the intake to make it fit, fortunately my dad is an awsome machinist and it should be done soon. I went ahead and primed the oil circuit while I was at it and noticed something strange, I had the valve covers off to make sure the rockers were getting plenty of oil and noticed that the passenger side has alot more oil flow than the driver side. I kept priming it thinking it just needed more time to work the air out with no luck. I'll be pulling the rockers next weakend to investigate, it's always something. :sad4:

 

[Budnicks]

Looks great mostly, sorry I'm not diggen' the Torino/Mustang/Ford style scoop either, it doesn't look just right, but I will hold any real criticism, it may look great after finished & until I see the final product... Sorry, I'm not trying to be an ***, it's Just my opinion, but unfortunately "I think it will be a deterrent to the rest of a great car" , I'm afraid too many people, will notice that scoop 1st thing, when looking at the car, especially the MOPAR & FORD aficionado's, not that it really matters even, but the E-Body "shaker hood" wouldn't look correct either IMHO... I don't hate it or any Ford's Chevy's Buick's Pontiac's etc. I love all of them, some thing just don't look right, when mixing parts from other brands, but It's your car, if that's what you like & it fits your finished idea, than go for it, it may come out looking freaken' great, with the right color on it... The Dash & Console is very nice too & I like the colors you chose also... Good luck don't let us make you do something you don't want to do...

 

[dpstark2]

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you need to turn the motor over a few times while priming to get oil to both banks- unless you happen to have the holes in the no. 4 cam journal lined up perfectly by chance. It could be something else, but I'd check that first. Plus it gets oil into all your lifters, if they're hydraulic.

 

[PFG MOPAR]

Damn nice !! :grin: I'll trade you a 64 Catalina for it ? :laughing1:

Mike..

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

You have to remember Budnicks is deaf and has to speak loudly due to being in the artillery unit during the war :laughing1:

 

[68383GTS]

I will be nice and just say not my taste at all.

 

[747mopar]

If criticism really bothered me I wouldn't ask opinions "it's all good" everybody has they're taste. This has been helpful criticism regarding the hood scoop, I had planned from the beginning to change it up some but will likely be stepping up the effort to eliminate the "FORD LOOK". I'm going to build it the way I want but at the same time it's always good to get input, the last thing I want is for everybody to hate it. Please remember IT'S NOT A FORD PART & IT WON'T LOOK LIKE ONE WHEN IT IS DONE but until I get the intake on I can't start building the pan to mount it and then start working on the scoop. dpstark2 thanks "I'll try that" I was looking in my books trying to find some illustrations of the oiling system with no luck. Were does the oil feed to the shafts come from and why would it matter. All lifters pumped up when I primed it so they all got oil, The machine shop installed the cam bearings so I never looked into cam bearing location. I'm going to find some info on the oil system and see what I can figure out, hope your right though. Thanks for all the compliments and criticism "really". I'll post pics of the mods as soon as I get to it which will likely be a while.

 

[kb67mopar]

He is right you have to rotate the engine to get the oil distributed to the engine. I forget the exact path but the holes have to line up so basically while the engine is running its intermittent oil flow but due to the rpm of the engine its fast enough to provide continuous lubrication.

 

[dpstark2]

Regarding oiling, I think it is #1 TDC that gets oil to both sides simultaneously, or at least the passenger side. You'd have to rotate another 90 degrees if #1 TDC does not get both sides. The oiling system sends oil to all lifters at all times, but I think the lifters need to be down the bore to fill if they are hydraulic. From the oil galley (which feeds the lifters), oil goes to the cam #4 journal, then down to the crank and up to the heads- but again, only if the holes in the cam journal line up right. I checked this in my manual, and it isn't spelled out, but that's what I make of their diagrams and my torn down motor...