If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

[Ron Ward]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

And it would plough like a pig.

But its going to do that anyhow.

Unless he uses the ls6.

I realize this is a 1969 rather than a 1968 Charger, but you get the idea. Yes, they can be made to handle.




Ron

[ls7gto]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

I seenthat charger at last years Columbus Good Guys.....it is a must see car ! incredibly nice! if my hard drive didnt eat the pics Id post them....or not.

[horsewidower]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

Ron, I'll give you this, it looks freaking fantastic. And the guy in it is probably having a blast. I think that's what DF is after.

[squirrel]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

probably about two digits out of DFs price range

[TC]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

And it would plough like a pig.

But its going to do that anyhow.

Unless he uses the ls6.

I realize this is a 1969 rather than a 1968 Charger, but you get the idea. Yes, they can be made to handle.




Ron

Camaro Subframe??

[Ron Ward]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

And it would plough like a pig.

But its going to do that anyhow.

Unless he uses the ls6.

I realize this is a 1969 rather than a 1968 Charger, but you get the idea. Yes, they can be made to handle.




Ron

Camaro Subframe??

Have you ever seen a Camaro with strut rods?


Ron

[Scott Liggett]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

I have a great idea. I saw this 68 Charger at the Edelbrock and I think it is ingenius in it's simplicity.

This guy took a 05 Magnum SRT8 that got squashed when it hit a tree and a branch ran up the roof squashing the radiator, hood, windshield and roof. He cut the entire floor pan out of the Magnum, then cut 2 inches out of it behind the front seats, then moved the rear suspension and rear axle forward two inches to shorten it the four inches to match the '68 Charger. The entire under carriage of this car is 05 Magnum. Only the body is 68 Charger and the radiator support. He even used most of the Magnum's interior.




With the 6.1 ltr Hemi in there, the stock Charger hood hinges wouldn't fit, so he made his own front hinge setup and stole a junkyard rear hood latch from a K car grafting it into the cowl.





Everything that is red is Dodge Magnum in there.






The only problem I see is that Kinnan sold his Magnum that would've been the donor car this project.

[BigBlockMopar]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

A stock 400 is useless unless you fill it with a 440-crank and rods and turn it into a screaming 451.

[Darren N.]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

Reb, wow! That Charger is basically the muscle car era equivalent of Rusty. Way cool!

As for a beater Charger, I could see it being done on the cheap - especially with DF at the helm (that in no way is an insult, in fact it's a nod to his "thrifty abilities" lol).

However, I think the LS6 is a bit of a sacrilege and although this would be a swap that most people haven't seen [lol], I'm not sure if I'd dig this one. But as horsewidower and others have pointed out, this would be the lightest, most powerful and reliable setup given the immediate options. So, whatcha waitin' for? ;D

If this is going to be fast and be done on the cheap, you may as well go all the way with that idea. How bad is the car? If the floors and subframes are junk, how about fab'ing your own floors and adapting some suitable junkyard subframes? And tie it all together with a solid 'cage.

[Blazerteam]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

That Charger are awesome Scott.. ;).A fast road racing track car should be cheap and have some sort of handling..it aint fun plowing..

Great great great idea..

I havent tried a lot of Mopars on track,but the ride i had in a 71 Cuda two years ago..wasnt good.

[STINEY]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

Is there a website to see more of how he did this? Its an awesome idea!

I have a great idea. I saw this 68 Charger at the Edelbrock and I think it is ingenius in it's simplicity.

This guy took a 05 Magnum SRT8 that got squashed when it hit a tree and a branch ran up the roof squashing the radiator, hood, windshield and roof. He cut the entire floor pan out of the Magnum, then cut 2 inches out of it behind the front seats, then moved the rear suspension and rear axle forward two inches to shorten it the four inches to match the '68 Charger. The entire under carriage of this car is 05 Magnum. Only the body is 68 Charger and the radiator support. He even used most of the Magnum's interior.




With the 6.1 ltr Hemi in there, the stock Charger hood hinges wouldn't fit, so he made his own front hinge setup and stole a junkyard rear hood latch from a K car grafting it into the cowl.





Everything that is red is Dodge Magnum in there.






The only problem I see is that Kinnan sold his Magnum that would've been the donor car this project.

[IRONHEAD]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

That Charger are awesome Scott.. ;).A fast road racing track car should be cheap and have some sort of handling..it aint fun plowing..

Great great great idea..

I havent tried a lot of Mopars on track,but the ride i had in a 71 Cuda two years ago..wasnt good.

this is why the ls6 might be cheaper than those iron leads and all the chassis parts it'll need not to plow

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

more camaro subframe/a car/b car out racing on the short tracks than anything else [including imca mods ]
nice strong design with near perfect geometry

[Silver68RT]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

Honestly, I'd say sell it. '68 Chargers are getting hard to find, and I'm sure there's plenty of guys who'd pay good money for it. I love '68 Chargers, but I have to say that it doesn't seem like a great candidate for an open track car. It's HUGE, it's HEAVY, the stock brakes aren't going to cut it in a road racing situation, and if you stick a big block in it, it's going to be really nose heavy and the handling will suck.

If you want to stay with a vintage mopar, I'd say get a Dart with a small block. The Green Brick Valiant that Mopar Action put together seemed to do pretty well when they ran One Lap of America events. Smaller, lighter, better balanced, less desirable body style = better track car.

Realistically, C4 Corvettes are dirt cheap - I'm sure you could get one for what you could sell the Charger for. Probably have money left over. Much better brakes and suspension, and if you stick the LS6 in that, it would be a killer. Gut the interior, put it on a diet, roll bar and harnesses, go have fun.

[IRONHEAD]

Re: If you were building a BEATER '68 Charger for cheap...

d/f can't you just borrow the g.m. hot rod built pontiac 2 seater that you stuffed an ls into and use that..
small light and fast..tell g.m. they can have it back in pieces :D