1967 Dodge Charger
Discussion
Hmmm, why have I not noticed this section before? 
OK, here's my car, it's a 1967 Dodge Charger with a 383 big block and three speed auto. I bought it in June 2004 and it's been my only car ever since so gets used all the time. The car was bought new in San Francisco and ordered with optional power steering and air conditioning but not with power brakes (unfortunately). Little is known about the life of the car up until 2001 when it was living in Sacramento and bought by Dave Madders of California Classic Imports for import and sale in the UK. The White original paint was tatty and Dave knew a black Charger always sells better so gave it a repay and it was sold on to someone, known only as "the banker". Apparently this guy did not get on well with the car and had lots of problems with it leading to a full engine rebuild and rebore which cost him £3.5K, at this time the stock induction was replaced with an Edlebrock high performance intake and Holley carb.
Sometime during 2003 the car came into the hands of Dave Vincent on Haling Island. David went through the car fixing a few niggles like the heater and the light mechanisms at the front of the car. After redundancy Dave decided to let the Charger and his Dodge Monaco go and put them on to ebay for sale.
In June 2004 I was nearing the end of an exhausting contract at Heathrow and set about finding a job closer to home. I landed a job just a 10 minute bus ride or 40 minute walk away from home and realised that there was no point hanging on to my PT Cruiser that I'd bought for the Heathrow run everyday as it was depreciating faster than sales of Jade Goody's DVDs. I realised that this was the opportunity to realise my dream of owning a big old yank. I spent many hours on the net and phone and the weekend driving round the country looking at various cars and came very close the handing over the cash on a mustang but there were a few problems with it and it wasn't yet registered and with no off street parking this would cause me problems. The last trip of the weekend was down the Haling Island to see the Charger. Within the hour hands were shaken and the ebay auction was ended early. I had bought a Dodge Charger
Some friends and I had already got our tickets to the Le Mans Classic and the decision was taken to take the Dodge so I set about putting some miles on the clock to shake down any issues. Some security was fitted to the car to help the insurance premium in the right direction (although it was only £250). I joined the MMA (Mopar Muscle Association) as they were the most knowledgeable guys around and the club provides great support. The biggest problem with the car was the exhaust, it had Headman headers fitted at some point which were OK but the rest of the system was cobbled together and hung very low in the middle of the car. When a car is 18' long the last thing you need is something hanging down in the middle, we had to get on the Channel Tunnel and clearance is bad enough at the best of times. I booked the car into RSR Wheels and Tyres, Factory lane, Croydon and they built me a full stainless steel system as close to the car as possible, clearance and sound were vastly improved, the car now sounded more "tuned". The next issue was the electric motors in the lights; they gave up pretty quickly so the trip to Le Mans would be performed with the lights locked in the open position.
So off we went, four of us with all our camping equipment in comfort down to Le Mans via the tunnel. None of us knew just how much fuel we would use but we thought it would be a lot. I decided to open the car up on the way down to see what she would do, after all there was an estimated 350 horses under the hood and 450 ft-lb torque, the fastback aerodynamic styling and also enabled the hemi version to be the first car over 200mph in NASCAR. Well 120mph was reached with ease but we were running out of road thanks to an overtaking lorry, it was then that I realised the manual drums on a car this big travelling at this speed were no brakes at all I had wondered why the brake pedal was big enough to fit both feet on and now I knew, I had my whole body weight on the pedal and anyone who's met me will tell you that is not insignificant! The speedo slowly swung back to the left as all four of us held onto something, with the use of a chevron area we were able to escape any impact. I've never been over 90 in the car again and won't do until I can afford a disc conversion. There was another reason that these speeds were not a good idea and that was the fuel, this gauge had moved down much quicker than the speedo during our high speed escapades and before we got to Masion Blanche we had put nearly £200 in the tank.
OK, here's my car, it's a 1967 Dodge Charger with a 383 big block and three speed auto. I bought it in June 2004 and it's been my only car ever since so gets used all the time. The car was bought new in San Francisco and ordered with optional power steering and air conditioning but not with power brakes (unfortunately). Little is known about the life of the car up until 2001 when it was living in Sacramento and bought by Dave Madders of California Classic Imports for import and sale in the UK. The White original paint was tatty and Dave knew a black Charger always sells better so gave it a repay and it was sold on to someone, known only as "the banker". Apparently this guy did not get on well with the car and had lots of problems with it leading to a full engine rebuild and rebore which cost him £3.5K, at this time the stock induction was replaced with an Edlebrock high performance intake and Holley carb.
Sometime during 2003 the car came into the hands of Dave Vincent on Haling Island. David went through the car fixing a few niggles like the heater and the light mechanisms at the front of the car. After redundancy Dave decided to let the Charger and his Dodge Monaco go and put them on to ebay for sale.
In June 2004 I was nearing the end of an exhausting contract at Heathrow and set about finding a job closer to home. I landed a job just a 10 minute bus ride or 40 minute walk away from home and realised that there was no point hanging on to my PT Cruiser that I'd bought for the Heathrow run everyday as it was depreciating faster than sales of Jade Goody's DVDs. I realised that this was the opportunity to realise my dream of owning a big old yank. I spent many hours on the net and phone and the weekend driving round the country looking at various cars and came very close the handing over the cash on a mustang but there were a few problems with it and it wasn't yet registered and with no off street parking this would cause me problems. The last trip of the weekend was down the Haling Island to see the Charger. Within the hour hands were shaken and the ebay auction was ended early. I had bought a Dodge Charger
Some friends and I had already got our tickets to the Le Mans Classic and the decision was taken to take the Dodge so I set about putting some miles on the clock to shake down any issues. Some security was fitted to the car to help the insurance premium in the right direction (although it was only £250). I joined the MMA (Mopar Muscle Association) as they were the most knowledgeable guys around and the club provides great support. The biggest problem with the car was the exhaust, it had Headman headers fitted at some point which were OK but the rest of the system was cobbled together and hung very low in the middle of the car. When a car is 18' long the last thing you need is something hanging down in the middle, we had to get on the Channel Tunnel and clearance is bad enough at the best of times. I booked the car into RSR Wheels and Tyres, Factory lane, Croydon and they built me a full stainless steel system as close to the car as possible, clearance and sound were vastly improved, the car now sounded more "tuned". The next issue was the electric motors in the lights; they gave up pretty quickly so the trip to Le Mans would be performed with the lights locked in the open position.
So off we went, four of us with all our camping equipment in comfort down to Le Mans via the tunnel. None of us knew just how much fuel we would use but we thought it would be a lot. I decided to open the car up on the way down to see what she would do, after all there was an estimated 350 horses under the hood and 450 ft-lb torque, the fastback aerodynamic styling and also enabled the hemi version to be the first car over 200mph in NASCAR. Well 120mph was reached with ease but we were running out of road thanks to an overtaking lorry, it was then that I realised the manual drums on a car this big travelling at this speed were no brakes at all
I had wondered why the brake pedal was big enough to fit both feet on and now I knew, I had my whole body weight on the pedal and anyone who's met me will tell you that is not insignificant! The speedo slowly swung back to the left as all four of us held onto something, with the use of a chevron area we were able to escape any impact. I've never been over 90 in the car again and won't do until I can afford a disc conversion. There was another reason that these speeds were not a good idea and that was the fuel, this gauge had moved down much quicker than the speedo during our high speed escapades and before we got to Masion Blanche we had put nearly £200 in the tank. Edited by nick_bbb on Tuesday 20th February 10:55
Thanks 
OK back to the story.....
I really enjoyed the trip to Le Mans and couldn't believe the amount of attention the car got. When I got back I set about fixing some other issues with the car, firstly the lights needed fixing so they revolved through 180 degress again. I managed to get hold of two more motors but they turned out to be shot too luckily I have a great auto electrician near me who was able to take the four motors and build two good ones out of them!
The passenger seat was ripped so I ordered some new covers from legendary interiors in the states they are such a good match for the origonal that I didn't need to replace the rear seats.
I spent the rest of the year enjoying the car whenever I got chance and was starting to get used to the 50p a mile in fuel, after all no depreciation (the opposite hopefully) cheap insurance and no road tax to pay.
Early the next year the car was displayed at Alexadra Palace as part of the MMA club stand at Xtreme Wheels show and got lot's of attention, especially for a daily driver.
When I left the show I realised that the battery wasn't charging and I eventually ground to a halt right in the middle of Harringay high street. Luckily I was carrying a spare battery and made it to the relative safety of a MacDonalds car park while I waited for the flatbed to take me home. I ordered a new altenator from Paddock Parts in the US the next day (for about £35 shipped) and less than a week later I was back on the road.
I had prety much a trouble free motoring year from then forward and enjoyed going to lot's of shows and using it to get about.
Start of 2006 saw the car going back to Xtreme Wheels and I wanted to give the car a new look and was inspired by the look of the 1st generation Charger NASCARs so I added some racing numbers and Dodge logos on the rear quarters. Also the whitewalls and steel wheels add to the retro racer look...
...the car was also fitted with some KYB gas shocks from Summit Racing to stiffen up the ride a little (but nowhere near a european car) and had the steering box rebuilt. Handling was much improved. During the time I've owned the Charger my interest in Photography really took off and I've been lucky to work with a few magazines. I suggested a piece on the 40th anniversary of the Charger last year with my car and MMA member Derek Carter's '68. I never dreamed that the car would end up on the cover I was over the moon, espcially as it was my photos too
Also during 2006 I took the car down the strip at Bug Jam. I was having a few problems as I've fitted a new power steering pump and it kept throwing the belt on the way down the strip causing me to lift off. Best time was 17.49. Still I did have all my camping gear, barbeque etc on board
Using the car daily (I now work 8 miles away and use the car to get to work) has now shown it's toll a little on the paint so I need to freshen it up this year. I've never been happy with how the car sits as it's a little nose up and the front, I couldn't lower it as the headers sit too low already. I've now got some shorty headers from Summit to go on so should be able to get the front down where it belongs. I think it is also time for the race numbers to come off and maybe some bigger wheels to go on a la Chip Foose. Watch this space.
OK back to the story.....
I really enjoyed the trip to Le Mans and couldn't believe the amount of attention the car got. When I got back I set about fixing some other issues with the car, firstly the lights needed fixing so they revolved through 180 degress again. I managed to get hold of two more motors but they turned out to be shot too luckily I have a great auto electrician near me who was able to take the four motors and build two good ones out of them!
The passenger seat was ripped so I ordered some new covers from legendary interiors in the states they are such a good match for the origonal that I didn't need to replace the rear seats.
I spent the rest of the year enjoying the car whenever I got chance and was starting to get used to the 50p a mile in fuel, after all no depreciation (the opposite hopefully) cheap insurance and no road tax to pay.
Early the next year the car was displayed at Alexadra Palace as part of the MMA club stand at Xtreme Wheels show and got lot's of attention, especially for a daily driver.
When I left the show I realised that the battery wasn't charging and I eventually ground to a halt right in the middle of Harringay high street. Luckily I was carrying a spare battery and made it to the relative safety of a MacDonalds car park while I waited for the flatbed to take me home. I ordered a new altenator from Paddock Parts in the US the next day (for about £35 shipped) and less than a week later I was back on the road.
I had prety much a trouble free motoring year from then forward and enjoyed going to lot's of shows and using it to get about.
Start of 2006 saw the car going back to Xtreme Wheels and I wanted to give the car a new look and was inspired by the look of the 1st generation Charger NASCARs so I added some racing numbers and Dodge logos on the rear quarters. Also the whitewalls and steel wheels add to the retro racer look...
...the car was also fitted with some KYB gas shocks from Summit Racing to stiffen up the ride a little (but nowhere near a european car) and had the steering box rebuilt. Handling was much improved. During the time I've owned the Charger my interest in Photography really took off and I've been lucky to work with a few magazines. I suggested a piece on the 40th anniversary of the Charger last year with my car and MMA member Derek Carter's '68. I never dreamed that the car would end up on the cover I was over the moon, espcially as it was my photos too
Also during 2006 I took the car down the strip at Bug Jam. I was having a few problems as I've fitted a new power steering pump and it kept throwing the belt on the way down the strip causing me to lift off. Best time was 17.49. Still I did have all my camping gear, barbeque etc on board
Using the car daily (I now work 8 miles away and use the car to get to work) has now shown it's toll a little on the paint so I need to freshen it up this year. I've never been happy with how the car sits as it's a little nose up and the front, I couldn't lower it as the headers sit too low already. I've now got some shorty headers from Summit to go on so should be able to get the front down where it belongs. I think it is also time for the race numbers to come off and maybe some bigger wheels to go on a la Chip Foose. Watch this space.
Thanks guys. I forgot to say the stock brakes have been completley rebuilt now, they are fine around town it's just that they're not really up to high speed abuse! I also forgot to include the disaster of my gearbox last year when the return pipe to the radiator for the trans fluid came off, by the time I got home and realised I had cooked the box and had to have it completley rebuilt, now with a quick shift kit fitted
Hi, I notice you mention Croydon? Do you live around there/here?
I only ask as I think I've seen you around, can't really miss it, saw you quite a lot last summer. (love the tail lights especially under braking)
If you see and hear a 205GTI hooting at you, then that will be me.
Your helping my girlfriend chop in her CC for a Ford Galaxie!!
EDIT: now looking at your photo's thats the car park under the Fairfield halls/Croydon college and the also love the Photoshop of the dear old NLA tower (taken on the top floor?)
Anyway lovely car.
I only ask as I think I've seen you around, can't really miss it, saw you quite a lot last summer. (love the tail lights especially under braking)
If you see and hear a 205GTI hooting at you, then that will be me.
Your helping my girlfriend chop in her CC for a Ford Galaxie!!
EDIT: now looking at your photo's thats the car park under the Fairfield halls/Croydon college and the also love the Photoshop of the dear old NLA tower (taken on the top floor?)
Anyway lovely car.
Edited by simes205 on Saturday 24th February 17:44
Had a custom zorst made for it pretty early on too didn't you? Bet it sounds the part.. Thanks everyone
Yes I live in the picturesque Croydon
I'll now know if a Pug flashes me who it is
The photos of Petra with the car were taken at Brooklands, they were very kind to let us do it as really you need to pay to use it for a shoot The Classic American shots were taken on the roof of the Fairfield Halls car park.
PJR I still have alot of friends with VWs and go to the shows
Yes I live in the picturesque Croydon
I'll now know if a Pug flashes me who it is The photos of Petra with the car were taken at Brooklands, they were very kind to let us do it as really you need to pay to use it for a shoot
The Classic American shots were taken on the roof of the Fairfield Halls car park. PJR I still have alot of friends with VWs and go to the shows
As usual photos of your car have me trawling the classifieds. If I was a braver man I'd pull the trigger on this beauty
_dobbo_ said:
As usual photos of your car have me trawling the classifieds. If I was a braver man I'd pull the trigger on this beauty
I think Justin has sold that on ebay now, the guy is collecting at the weekend. Nice car though
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