Advice from you all!

[Flamdremon]

Ok guys. I posted on here a while back. Now I'm back. I'm going to be spending between 30-35k on a charger 68-70 I'm wanting to make it look pretty similar to the one from fast and furious (yea yea ha ha) anyway. I was wondering if anyone knew which charger to buy since the only original metal will pretty much be from the doors and back since I want it as light as possible. Also I'm looking for low 9s high 8s in the quarter. First question.  Can this be done. Second. If so. Would it be possible to make a charger that looks decent/street legal (just to say it's legal not to say ied ever really drive it on the street) and can hit the low 9s in the quarter for around 30k. If that's IMPOSSIBLE then ied settle for looking good and hitting low 9s and not street legal. Thanks!

[JR]

For 30k? The short answer is yes, impossible. I would expect closer to 75k realistically. There was a nice, bare rolling 70 chassis on craigs recently for 17k already set up for a 4 link that we thought would have been up your alley.

I dont understand why youre asking the exact same questions you did a few months ago. Its not like prices have come down by 70% in the last two months.

[1974dodgecharger]

Im rude and sorry I have to laugh    prices did not drop like JR said 70 percent since last posting.  In fact gone up since the new movie came out.....

[Ghoste]

The street legal part isn't what makes it impossible.

[Flamdremon]

Well what's more realistic?

[Baldwinvette77]

Well what's more realistic?

buying a car thats already been set up for drag racing, then, dressing it up how you want? 

[Ghoste]

Running low 9's or high 8's in a car the size of a 2nd gen Charger is not cheap.  If 30k is the total budget you have largely already limited yourself to starting with a project car and then spending most of your budget just on drivetrain.  And you are still going to need some deals to get there.

[Flamdremon]

Ok. I guess a other question I have is. Does anybody know what EXACTLY the car is. I've heard many different things. Like its soley a 70 charger. Some say it's a 68. With a 70 front. Some say the complete opposite. Any ideas?

[Lennard]

Which Charger are you talking about? Vin Diesel drove a '68 and a '70 in Furious 7 and a '70 in others.
Post a picture of what you want.

[Baldwinvette77]

Ok. I guess a other question I have is. Does anybody know what EXACTLY the car is. I've heard many different things. Like its soley a 70 charger. Some say it's a 68. With a 70 front. Some say the complete opposite. Any ideas?

If you mean reality

ALL the chargers varied from 68-70, they filled in the marker lights, then swapped any 68 taillight panels for 69 or 70 style, and they used fiberglass 70 style front ends

some in the 4th movie were 69's and the hero car in fast five was a 68, but again, ALL were made to look like 70's

they claim that 9 were used in the 4th movie, 2 in the 5th movie, 7 in the 6th, and 7 in the 7th

Oh and BTW NONE were real R/T's 

[Troy]

If you're going to try to duplicate the car exactly you aren't going to have an 8-9 second car. It's cheaper to buy some cameras and fake it like the movies did. You can even add the magic parts that allowed it do wheelstands.

Basically, don't worry about how they made it (mainly because there were several cars used in filming) and just worry about the finished project. It's supposed to be a 1970 Charger. The whole front end is different than 68-69 so if you go swapping around parts your budget is going to go up (I realize the fiberglass parts or whatever will be the same but the grill and bumper still have to come from somewhere). Not to mention, 68-69 cars are more expensive to start with.

But here's an honest question: have you ever been in or around a car that fast? A while back I had a friend who kept wanting to build a 12 second Civic. That was his life's goal it seemed. One day I asked him why he picked 12 seconds and he just thought it sounded like a good number. I got him a ride in an 11 second car and his head about exploded. Eventually he built one - and then sold it because it was ridiculous to try to drive on the street (it was hot, noisy, didn't handle worth a damn, and rattled his teeth). Sort of like slammed rat rods - they're cool to look at but driving them can be torture. If you manage to pull off what you're asking for it will have no creature comforts (roll down windows, adjustable seats, heat insulation, sound insulation, etc.), it will be loud and cantankerous, and the tires, rear axle, and suspension will make turning and stopping a nightmare. It would be easier, cheaper, and more fun to make a 14 second car that looks like an 8 second car. About 95% of people looking at it will have no clue.

Troy

[cbrestorations]

it could be done for 30k easy, if you do all the work urself and start with a shell so its cheap. you are going to toss all the heavy iron suspension and rear end anyway if you want a car to hold the power of a 9 sec. car. you will need cheap hp with ls engines (which is what the fast and furious car had anyway), so take a 5.3 l33 engine have the sleeves removed install darton ls7 sleeves, good crank rods and pistons, ls7 heads. so now you have a 427ci all aluminum engine for 2/3's of what a real ls7 would cost and its much stronger so block will hold 2000hp. now turbo is the way to go if you want easier 9's, also turbo cams are not as aggressive and are far more streetable. slap an 88mm on there and with good drivetrain and tire she will run 9's all day long. just put a phoney blower on the hood as the movie was.  ive helped friends with heavier cars run faster and even 8.50's with only 4.6 liter factory stock long block 03 cobra engine (yes true stock cobra long block, and stock cams) and an 88mm turbo who still gets around 15mpg and drives it to the grocery store parachute and all, he made 1050hp to the tire.
if you are having to pay someone to do all this for you than ur 30k budget is a faaaar reach. i know with 30k "I" could build a 9 sec maybe high 8's, now it wouldnt be a true mopar but hey, when the hood is down its still a charger and looks like the movie car which is what the goal was anyway

[Baldwinvette77]

Ohyeah, like CB sorta mentioned, all the fast and furious chargers had chevy small block engines, with fake super chargers

[Ghoste]

But the script portrayed them as Hemi powered.  So now what?

[Baldwinvette77]

But the script portrayed them as Hemi powered.  So now what?

Exactly, he has to decide on if he wants to build a replica of the actual car, or build what was portrayed in the movie

[Flamdremon]

Ok what im trying to do here is make it LOOK from a distance like this car. I DO NOT PLAN ON ACTUALLY driving it around on the street. But if i was asked by somebody ied be like to honestly say I COULD drive it on the street. This is not going to be a show car in any way shape or form. I dont care about power windows. I dont care about anything that helps comfortably on the inside at all. I dont care what engine is under the hood as long as the car will go low 9s if possible. So basically i want the car to look good on the outside and be fast as shit. Thats about it. (and be street legal) (also if anybody could tell me what qualifies as being street legal that would be nice) also would like the brill to be as black as possible.

[cbrestorations]

i believe i pretty much summed it up for you already, as for street car...simple dmv laws, headlights, tail lights, turn signals, horn, flashers, running lights, bakes, wipers. the simple functions of an automobile. dont really know else to tell ya. now you just need to find a car and get on it.

[Baldwinvette77]

Street legal has different meanings depending on where you live, Drag slicks in most places are NOT street legal, in fact, i hear some places you cant even have a roll cage on the street, but i couldn't tell you why  also a supercharger isn't legal is some places, what state/province do you live in? you could look into your local laws

[ws23rt]

I've read this thread over a few times and what I see is the OP has an idea and a price for the idea.

The answers to the question seem to lead to confusion about the question. The question is restated for clarity and the answer remains the same.---The question is understood---

No matter how much we want something as we plan it out in our minds reality is where we live when we actually do something.

The advice one get's from here is --in my experience--real and practical. That's the only kind of any value.

[skip68]

I'm guessing you're going to have your budget spent just in running gear.   To achieve 9's or 8's you will most likely need 900 to 1,000 HP and everything that goes with it to stay together

[ACUDANUT]

I doubt any/most Street legal, 2 gen Charger can do 8-9 second quarter miles.  Does anyone here have one ? I am betting only a few.  

[RallyeMike]

To be realistic, as a beginner, you are not going to have the skills or knowledge to drive/build/maintain an 8-9 second car. An 8-9 second car is difficult and challenging thing for even experienced drivers and mechanics. You will need to park this dream while you gain knowledge and $$$, or set your sights on something 2-3 seconds slower. We all walk before we run.

[cbrestorations]

it just goes by weight and hp, most people who have chargers dont race them, i mean its not like its a nova lol. i have many friends running stock engines mostly 5.3 iron ls engines and modular ford engines in the 9's and 10's. ude be suprised how much power these engines can produce with big turbo. one friends junkyard build is a stock 5.3 iron lm7 with an 80mm turbo in a 2000 z28 running high 9's on a good night, his car is 3400lbs. then theres my buddy jason ayres who raced on street outlaws and won against the murder nova with his nova. before that nova he had a chevelle with 5.3 with the big bore conversion i mentioned earlier making 1800hp with a 102mm turbo. he had 10k in that engine including turbo. point im tring to make is now a days with these new engines a 9 sec street car is not out of the question, especially turbo because its more streetable. but if u want a 9 sec n/a car...yea thats big $ and not very streetable. im building a charger now with an ls3 in it, she will be turbo'd

heres a video of a bone stock bottom end 5.3 lm7 engine running 8.90's, yes the car is 400lbs lighter but even so the charger would still be in the 9's or just go with a stock 6.0 and make up the difference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFYUYORL9Lg
same car on dyno, made 227hp n/a and 1024hp with 26psi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBVMaufrwjI

[skip68]

Wow, that's impressive.  How much does it cost for that motor build?     

[cbrestorations]

you can buy the 5.3 engine off craigslist usually for $500
$300 for china turbo headers
$300 good waste gate
$500 for piping and intercooler
$1200 for good turbo (not china)
$350 big turbo cam or run stock cam up to 750hp
$800 for stand alone pcm and harness
$300 injectors
$800 ported heads with big springs (stock heads 750hp)
so realistically you could have a 1000hp engine for around 5-6k, i know guys who have 10k in their engines and dont make 1000hp lol.

[1965gp]

Just curious have you ever driven a 9 second car? It's more power than 95% of drivers can make good use of... Myself included. I would buy a 70 Charger needing interior work and paint it black- then put the fake blower/air. Cleaner on it. Drive it and enjoy it. Then save up the $$ to build a serious motor.

Even being a 12 second car it would be serious fun to drive. Also make it more street able. Sounds like you don't have much track experience so you probably want to be able to drive it on the street. No fun having to trailer the car to the track when you just need a fix driving it.

[Lennard]

I have a feeling that this is just another dreamer...

[472 R/T SE]

Lots of great points mentioned.

Hard to tinker on something that's built for that.  Let's say there's a miss at 4800-5300 rpm.  Are you gonna rent the track or wait on test-n-tune days if they have them?  And I'd be willing to guarantee you'll have an issue pop up ( minute maybe, but issues ) just about every time you pull it out of the shop.


I agree with starting with baby steps.  By getting into a clean '70, I imagine a base model, you'll be on your way.  Not what you want to hear. 

If it were me, I'd do everything except install a $$ 1k hp motor.  By the time you get this far you should have plenty of excuses for why it's "only" a 11-12 second car.

Remember, 11-12 second cars are still respectable, imo anyway.  I can remember when 14 seconds was the magic number.  If you were faster than that your car usually gained a slice of respect.   



---


Ah c'mon Lennard.  We're all dreamers.

It took me too many years & cars to finally get my factory plum crazy '70 Charger.  That dream stayed alive after every car purchase that wasn't a purple Charger. 

[Lennard]

  You're right, we are all dreamers...  but I've been around here long enough to know what usually happens with these wild plans by newcomers. A lot of people underestimate the work and $$ involved in a project like that and by the questions he is asking here I can tell that he is not experienced with this.
Again, just my  . Time will tell.  

[Challenger340]

Making BIG numbers with boost on a stock bottom end is nothing new, I know people who made 2,300 hp out of a V6 back in the 80's !
But,
how long it lives is a completely different story, especially with supposedly "stock" components, little-lown good stuff.

please direct me to the even "2618" Alloy Piston design.... which stock stuff does NOT even come close !...  that will survive over time ?

* Building GRENADES is all fine and dandy, but don't kid yourself, it is what it is..... just realize "what" it is... with the pin pulled !

[Flamdremon]

I really appreciate all the advice. Could you guys tell me what that car is in the picture  (what parts are what year ex ex.) And maybe how much a charger like that weighs standard aND gutted.with and without motor.

[Barfyspitz]

It's a 70 charger. One has a fake blower.  Listen to the advice everybody's giving you they know what they're talking about!   these guys are very experienced in this.  I've learned a lot from them! I started restoring/building my car back in 2000 and I finally have it to where I can drive it around on the street without it overheating or stalling out it runs low 8s in the 8th mile. Trust me if you have a decent looking 70 charger that runs good and sounds good people will be so impressed they won't care how fast it is. You probably won't either.  It takes a ton of money just to make a charger reliable and looking good let alone try to make it run in the nines in the quarter mile. Hollywood has created unrealistic expectations from a lot of up-and-coming  gear heads. the only people who have asked how fast my car was were teenagers....all the older guys just talked about the car itself.

[Mike DC]

Trust me if you have a decent looking 70 charger that runs good and sounds good people will be so impressed they won't care how fast it is. You probably won't either.  It takes a ton of money just to make a charger reliable and looking good let alone try to make it run in the nines in the quarter mile. Hollywood has created unrealistic expectations from a lot of up-and-coming  gear heads. the only people who have asked how fast my car was were teenagers....all the older guys just talked about the car itself.

This.  


Furthermore, you have to build the car for YOURSELF.  

It doesn't matter what you do with it, lots of people will tell you what you should have done differently.  People see a nice musclecar like a blank canvas for artwork.  Everybody would have painted a little bit different picture on it.  You will hear it from them all.  

Even if you copy something specific, you will hear about it.  If you do a 100% factory stock restoration some people will point out things they mistakenly believe are wrong.  (And some people absolutely will not listen when you try to set them straight.  Even the most stupid basic things like what model-year the car is.)

It's the same with any other specific build.  A replica of a movie car, etc.  You won't please everyone.  And everyone else isn't paying for it.  You are.  So, just worry about pleasing you.  Build it like you are the last man on earth and nobody else will EVER see it.  What do YOU want?  You might not start the project thinking like this, but trust me . . . you will be thinking like this by the end of it.  

 

[472 R/T SE]

You're right, we are all dreamers...  but I've been around here long enough to know what usually happens with these wild plans by newcomers. A lot of people underestimate the work and $$ involved in a project like that and by the questions he is asking here I can tell that he is not experienced with this.
Again, just my  . Time will tell.  

Hey man, whatever floats your boat.  

Only my  .