3rd Gen discussion- when does a 318 car become a parts car?

[Arthu®]

http://www.danstheman.com/Jenny.htm The guy surely needs a life but it was fun.

Arthur

[Brock Samson]

i agree thanks... 

but speaking of parts cars...
I used two, a '70 charger 500, for it's slightly modded 318 drivetrain and a '69 SE for it's interior and misc. parts... I've found about three other various B-bods which i took the useful parts off of too...
I once drove a '69 318 that was so rusted that it had compleatly oxidised from living out at Ocean Beach at the Cliff house, I drove it around the block (it crabbed badly) as i recall the guy wanted 500 bucks for it and i thought the money much better spent... it was really unsafe, even the windshield surrounds had big gaps that air blew through... i do belive the window stainlesss was all that was left. wish i had pics... it was this really pretty color orange,.. like the golden gate...


is anyone running a 318 anymore?...
this might be a good pic topic...

[bull]

Getting back to the question, I don't know for sure but it happens much sooner than it does with a Hemi car. You can save anything but there comes a point when it just not worth the effort to save certain cars with certain engine combinations. This concept changes over time though. Twenty years from now, when you literally can't find anything that's restorable or not, a 318 Charger in any condition might be a gold mine.

[teddy1500]

I have a 318 se, pulled it out of a junkyard, with a title. its a triple green car, when I got it, it was complete, just missing the front bumper, its a bucket and console car , I am giving it a blue and white interior, b-7 exterior, and a white vinyl top. will it be original? no, will the car live on and be enjoyed again, yes. the 318 cars do offer parts for the upper end cars, While I would love to have a 6 pack car, or hemi, I would probably not enjoy as much, too valuable to drive

[Charger1973]

I bought 2 73s at the same time (different places) with intentions of restoring both.  The 318 SE is alot rustier than my hardtop 400 car...  and after I got a chance to really look them over, found that the SE had TONS of parts I could use on my other car, and would save me lots of money if I parted it.   As much as I hate to do it, the rust on that car and the fact that an old man owned it and it is all original makes it a great parts car.  It even has a perfect dashpad. 

[twilt]

Sawzall or torches?  Cut it up. 

On a serious note.  If its a 318 car with no cool options...I would cut it up.  Even if it is solid with a title.  If you need the car for the parts or others can benefit...why not?

I drove all the way to New York this past weekend to get frame rails, quarter panels, trunk floor, and cowl.  Just think of how many cars were sent to the junk yard with good frame rails, quarters, and such.  Now cars have rotted out frame rails.  I am not afraid to replace them.

By the way,  I am looking for a nice cowl area section where the brake booster mounts.

I go the sawzall route. stopped by Home Depot and got myself 3 ten packs of blades today.  The first time i cut up a car, i went thru about 50 blades. That gets a liitle expensive as they are about $13 for a ten pack. Last car i hacked up, i only used about a dozen. found out the hard way that rear end u bolts are a sob to cut. 1 cut=1 new blade.
The car i will be cutting tommorow is the 72 that my best friend gave me. He is in Iraq right now and i just finished moving his 2 72 Chargers and a 26 ft truck full of parts and tools to Tennessee for him.
As far as cutting up the 318 car that i bought from Stormhammer, i dont have a need to do that and do have all the parts to fix it. For right now it will stay in one peice. If i were to find another interesting 72............................It would have to be a BB and or 4 speed......maybe. 
You are 100% correct about all the cars that have been scrapped with good 1/4s, rails, cowls, roofs  and such. 10-12 years ago, I never even considered saving those parts. I generally unbolted anything that would unbolt and scrapped the rest. Now when i part out a car, there is actually very little to dispose of. The only probelm i have is storage space.  k frames, roofs, cowls, and frame rails etc etc arent always easy to sell and they sure do take up lots and lots of space.

[TruckDriver]

If that trunk floor is any good in the new cutup car, remember, I need one

[twilt]

  Hhmmmm....... sounds like you need to find yourself a parts car. Oh, wait a minute. You let that gem slip thru your fingers a couple of months ago. 

I`m sure that once you become a  southerner, we can "fix you up" with something suitable.

[chrisII]

IMO a good solid 318 car is just as good as a big block car. no i dont want one with the lil 318 in it , but i like to DRIVE my cars. with gas at $3 a gallon for reg i just dont see myself spending much time behind the wheel of that 440 car with 3.91s and a 4 speed. i would much rather have my soild (for the most part) 318 car that is upgraded to a 360. it has enough gutts to make it fun to drive, it gets as many looks as your big block car on the street, and with 2.76s still gets around 18mpg on the highway....with the current gas prices 318 cars are gaining value pretty darn quick guys!

      If its junk, be it a 318 or a 440 junk it and save all you can..a couple weeks ago i had to quickly dispose of a 71 that i was holding on to for several years. i wish i could have saved more but did not have time.

[hemihead]

I like my ex 318 car(I have a 360 being built for it) and when I'm done I know it will take it's share of BB's.Besides it's not the car as much as it's
THE DRIVER!

[48chebbie]

i had a 73 rallye (340 car,minus engine) that was a 99.9% rust free texas car,that i bought,cheap as dirt,for the sole purpose of parting out. i have 1- 73 charger,and had no desire to have another,and it was a highly optioned car,with all it's equiptment in place,except the engine. and i gutted it like a pig,and i had the rolling shell listed on here for sale a few months ago(blue-black stripe). went to a gentleman in canada. glad to see it go.