RamZCharger's 68 6.4 Hemi Restomod

[RamZCharger]

No skimping on the rear panels either . . .

[RamZCharger]

One of the aftermarket arm rests arrived wonky.  When it was first installed it looked like half of a McDonald's arch.  More massaging was necessary to get it straight.  I suppose one should expect the soft parts to be off . . . and perhaps one-offs are required for them to be on.

[RamZCharger]

As the build has progressed it is turning more and more restoMOD.  Chrysler got so much of these cars right it is a shame to take them to a place where they no longer resemble what they were.  However, my biggest struggle has been keeping the aesthetic while being disappointed in OEM quality.  Since I have an extra gear, seems appropriate to shift towards a place where due to available technology, production process, etc. that was unavailable to the original engineers I can now go and high grade.  So I have had to backtrack in areas where prudent planning has not necessarily revealed a monetary benefit, but with design.

Case in point, the steering wheel.  I have been all over the place on this one, and I like wood grain wheels but good luck passing off re-pop wheels as wood.  There is the guy / company in Canada that refurbishes wheels and he has some stellar examples of upgrades that more than double the price of an already expensive cheaply made wheel.  So I initially compromised with a re-pop plastic wheel and a horn ring with a very early 68 metal horn button, like those similarly found on darts of the era.  I do not like faux, and plastic is plastic and metal is metal.  I went so far as to find an original dart horn ring and had it chromed, with pretty poor results.  The other complication was in fabricating a steering wheel adapter for my ididit tilt column and OEM type wheel.

So, MOD.  The dilemma is how not to be in-your-face with an item that is basically in-your-face.  I chose a Billet Specialties wheel that I felt represented what Chrysler would have done if they had access to billet aluminum.  It is a split spoke, 3 spoke, polished wheel in a larger 15.5 inch diameter – close to OEM size, which I prefer.  The Summit part number is BSP-34137 but the accompanying image on Summit is a representation only – see my pictures or the Billet Specialties web site for a true picture.  The wheel is a half wrap in black leather, so the underside where your fingers curl around is billet, Summit number BSP-33008.  I chose a smooth polished horn button, BSP-32120, and black anodized billet aluminum wheel adaptor, BSP-BLK31120.

I could not be more pleased, the size is right, the design is right, the feel is right.  It looks very cool from the front as you see the billet underside, and from the pilot's seat the black half wrap and polished metal agrees with all the other upgrades.  It looks good, feels good, and this is what it had to be.

[RamZCharger]

I am not huge into built out trunks, but since we have taken the car this far I certainly wanted it tidy.  My thoughts were just a black hole with nice materials, hidden battery and tail lights, a little insulation, and that's about it.  How many of us have started a project thinking you are only going to take it so far and then for whatever reason, momentum, it keeps going . . . ?

[RamZCharger]

And it keeps going . . .

[RamZCharger]

Everything is wrapped in vinyl, and the valve cover / door panel fin theme is carried over into the trunk.  The only call out to the modern 392 engine is here, and the filler tube is framed in with aluminum, like much of the rest of the car.

[RamZCharger]

Although I am not a big car show guy, the Charger certainly presents itself well with the hood, doors, and trunk open as the sum of its parts complement each other.  The R/T on the back panel is a door to an amplifier.  The script matches the R/T badge on the trunk and grille and at the moment the letters are wrapped in red vinyl due to time constraints for a show, but we will be making these out of stainless material and will paint the inside red to better match the badges.  

[Dino]

Excellent work!  That looks awesome! 

I intend to do a trunk dress up as well but it's low on the list right now.  I'll be happy if I get my power trunk lock installed this year.   

[keepat]

Trunk looks awesome! Love the trim detail, Let us know how you did at the show!
Good luck!
Pat

[lukedukem]

Any issues when starting the car. Did you video it

Luke

[kokxville]

 
One hell of a charger 

[Stevearino]

That trunk build out is done very tastefully and in my opinion that's where the line should always be drawn. I think the choice on the steering wheel is also good. It tightens things up. That's all these cars really need. IMHO.

[RamZCharger]

Trunk looks awesome! Love the trim detail, Let us know how you did at the show!
Good luck!
Pat

Thanks everyone, I certainly have to give due credit to my builders Mike and Jim at Talbott Enterprises in Waller, Texas.

At the Houston Autorama my car took 3rd in it's class, and got the invite to travel for the New Orleans' show, which we declined.  The top two had fancy built out booths and my display did not, I think this was a factor with judging.  I am a little disappointed my builders were not better recognized.  All things being equal the car is on par with any of the big winners, and I wonder if performance were a category how we'd rank.  I feel ambivalent towards the whole car show thing, I want to share what I have learned and want my builders to have the accolades, but the subjective nature of awards are just that.  Suppose with all the different types of cars, and builds, one cannot have a totally objective judging scale.  

All the owners in the forum are first place winners - we've got the Chargers after all  .  However, I prefer driver meets and cruise nights to trophies.

The car also went to a smaller show west of Houston and won best of show.  A nice pat on the back to Talbott Enterprises.

[RamZCharger]

Any issues when starting the car. Did you video it

Luke

Luke,

I will have to dig around for some video.  No problem starting it . . .  but at the moment I do have a hot start issue - when the engine is hot I have to let it cool a good 15 minutes before it will crank over again.  I suspect the timing needs to be backed off on the tune and it is not fuel vaporization.  Once I have it sorted I'll post the fix.

Thanks, Darren

[SRT-440]

Love the car!! 

I'm looking for electric fans for my 6.1..where did u get yours?

Also, I'm in the process of installing my fuel system...any advice would be great so I can avoid anymore pitfalls. Are you running a return line?

[RamZCharger]

I am not affiliated with Sky Eagle, but found this video from them of the Houston Autorama.  My car is at about the 1:17 mark.  We have made a few upgrades since that I will get to soon, but this is it practically all finished - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6-HtVAfHpQ.

[RamZCharger]

Love the car!!  

I'm looking for electric fans for my 6.1..where did u get yours?

Also, I'm in the process of installing my fuel system...any advice would be great so I can avoid anymore pitfalls. Are you running a return line?

Thanks SRT-440!

I got the electric fans from XV Motorsports, along with my radiator.  They are not around anymore but an employee bought out the inventory and tooling and are going at it under a different name.  Not sure if the new company is producing cooling stuff, but a discussion and link is included in an earlier post from another member in this thread.  The radiator could have had better finish, but we cleaned it up ourselves and it works as intended.  The fans work very well.

My fuel tank is from Rick's Hod Rods, is stainless with an in-tank Walbro 255 LPH pump – very nice stuff and I would recommend without pause.  They are built to order, but they have all the dimensions ready to go.  The tank is about an inch deeper than stock due to the pump but they supply retaining straps that hook up like OEM.  My builders once had a problem with a return style filter – had to pinch the return line to build enough pressure for it to run, so we are using an adjustable regulator at the motor and ran 2 lines from the motor to the fuel tank.  My builders are 1 for 2 using a single line, so we went with a return just to be safe.  A little more expensive but in my opinion worth it for peace of mind.  We have not had any issues with this fuel system and it looks great.

[RamZCharger]

I went through a guessing game with the brackets in the pictures below.  Without reading any further can you guess what they are . . .

This is the rear valence exhaust hanger bracket thingy that bolts up to the rear valence and also the back portion of the rear frame rail.  These are usually tossed and never put on again due to the common pitting and corrosion.  The ones in the picture have been stripped and painted so you don't really see the extent of wear.  We had to modify these to fit since my gas tank is larger than OEM.  Not a necessary part, but we took the time to modify, reinforce, and install, don't want a box of unused parts.  If you install an in-pump tank from Rick's Hot Rod and want to keep these brackets you'll have to modify them too.

[RamZCharger]

Backing up to the rear bumper, when we put it on it was twisted and would not align end to end very well.  There was a noticeable drop from passenger to pilot side.  The brackets were blasted and painted, and stainless hardware was used, because who wants stains?  Instead of messing with the mounting brackets we used aluminum shims to align the bumper.  These shims are used to adjust the pinion angles on trucks.

[RamZCharger]

This did the trick, but if the car is on a lift, or you look up after I run you over, the shims are clearly visible.  We are going to cut them down a little more and paint them black for stealth mode, but you can clearly see them in the picture below.  I really like the last picture, the reflections are a testament to the nice paint.

Traditional teaching of Navajo rug weaving is you have to put a mistake in there, an extra knot or something similar, because only the creator is perfect.  We are not perfect, so they don't make a perfect rug.  For some reason this has stuck with me since grammar school.  If you look closely at the lower passenger side rear valence end cap there is a run in the clear.  If you run your finger over it there is a decent drip.  Instead of buffing it out I am leaving it, because we are not perfect . . . and hopefully this small error will counteract my OCD and every little finger print now may not drive me crazy.  And, I think this imperfection makes it perfect for me.  Thanks for the tip Navajos.

[Ghoste]

Was it the original bumper or a reproduction?

[RamZCharger]

Was it the original bumper or a reproduction?

This is an AMD bumper.  I am not sure how it was twisted as during initial bodywork it was mounted to ensure everything lined up, and it seemed straight at the time.  The car and parts moved a few times so something may have happened during transport.  I wouldn't fault AMD.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Traditional teaching of Navajo rug weaving is you have to put a mistake in there, an extra knot or something similar, because only the creator is perfect.  We are not perfect, so they don't make a perfect rug.  For some reason this has stuck with me since grammar school.  If you look closely at the lower passenger side rear valence end cap there is a run in the clear.  If you run your finger over it there is a decent drip.  Instead of buffing it out I am leaving it, because we are not perfect . . . and hopefully this small error will counteract my OCD and every little finger print now may not drive me crazy.  And, I think this imperfection makes it perfect for me.  Thanks for the tip Navajos.

Im with you on this idea.  I have many battle scars on my car over the last 17 years...some I have fixed & some I have left alone as a reminder....

[RamZCharger]

Traditional teaching of Navajo rug weaving is you have to put a mistake in there, an extra knot or something similar, because only the creator is perfect.  We are not perfect, so they don't make a perfect rug.  For some reason this has stuck with me since grammar school.  If you look closely at the lower passenger side rear valence end cap there is a run in the clear.  If you run your finger over it there is a decent drip.  Instead of buffing it out I am leaving it, because we are not perfect . . . and hopefully this small error will counteract my OCD and every little finger print now may not drive me crazy.  And, I think this imperfection makes it perfect for me.  Thanks for the tip Navajos.

Im with you on this idea.  I have many battle scars on my car over the last 17 years...some I have fixed & some I have left alone as a reminder....

Good on you!  Let's just have fun and get out and drive . . .

[RamZCharger]

The big gaping hole between the grille and radiator support always seemed unfinished, so we finished it.  Materials are simply a couple aluminum sheets riveted together and brushed to mirror the rest of the aluminum finishes – which are not mirror.  After a little origami it simply bolts on, or off, and the edges are covered in black plastic trim so as not to mar paint.  I like it, it agrees with the clean engine bay and keeps air flowing through the radiator instead of over it.