Here is what $5000 buys you.

[Mike DC]

          

The headlight door motor was dead.

[Kern Dog]

That is an old school remedy right there!

[ACUDANUT]

Have you seen the prices of rebuilt ones ? Crazy money.

[AKcharger]

...Too many cars get disassembled and sit for long periods of time. My goal with this car was to get it running and just enjoy...

AMEN!!!!! The REAL payoff is driving them!! The only downside is as a "beater" is every time you stop you'll have someone walk up offering you as much as $4000 for you car!!!! lol

you're making incredible progress! keep up the good work! 

[Kern Dog]

Have you seen the prices of rebuilt ones ? Crazy money.

I have not looked. Over $300 ?
The only reason that I have 5 is because they were found on Chryslers in the Pick N Pull yards when I was first getting started with my other car.

[Kern Dog]

...Too many cars get disassembled and sit for long periods of time. My goal with this car was to get it running and just enjoy...

AMEN!!!!! The REAL payoff is driving them!! The only downside is as a "beater" is every time you stop you'll have someone walk up offering you as much as $4000 for you car!!!! lol

you're making incredible progress! keep up the good work! 

I am actually looking forward to messing with those guys once the car is roadworthy.

[odcics2]

...Too many cars get disassembled and sit for long periods of time. My goal with this car was to get it running and just enjoy...

AMEN!!!!! The REAL payoff is driving them!! The only downside is as a "beater" is every time you stop you'll have someone walk up offering you as much as $4000 for you car!!!! lol

you're making incredible progress! keep up the good work! 

I am actually looking forward to messing with those guys once the car is roadworthy.

  Take their numbers and say, "I'll call you back next week..."   

[ACUDANUT]

Have you seen the prices of rebuilt ones ? Crazy money.

I have not looked. Over $300 ?
The only reason that I have 5 is because they were found on Chryslers in the Pick N Pull yards when I was first getting started with my other car.

Yep and then some.

[Kern Dog]

I made a deal to buy a good used MP 280/474 hydraulic flat tappet cam with the matching lifters. It arrived a few days ago but I was busy with some yard work.
Today I found an electronic distributor in my stash. I don't recall where I got it, maybe it was in with any of the collections of parts that I have bought over the years.
It is for a B series block like this 383.
I welded the slots to reduce the total spark advance since I will probably need 18-19 degrees of initial timing to idle decently. It will top out in the 33-34 degree range.
Starting a fresh engine always makes me nervous. I wince at the thought of wasting a cam or lifters. That won't be a problem this time because the cam I have has already been broken in.
Also, I took the distributor and hooked it to the wiring of the car along with the coil. With the ignition ON, I spun the distributor shaft and saw S-P-A-R-K !
This was great. It shows that the car's wiring is working and that the distributor is as well.

[darbgnik]

Gettin ready to make noise!

[XH29N0G]

 

[Kern Dog]

DC.com member BDF6 came though for me. I asked around about the cost of getting an exhaust system made and he sent me a PM at FBBO. For $200, he sold me a
2 1/2" stainless steel Pypes "Header back" setup with chrome tips. This is great because I'll be able to start the engine with full exhaust for 1/4 the price of having a shop do the work, plus this is all mandrel bent.

[ACUDANUT]

DC.com member BDF6 came though for me. I asked around about the cost of getting an exhaust system made and he sent me a PM at FBBO. For $200, he sold me a
2 1/2" stainless steel Pypes "Header back" setup with chrome tips. This is great because I'll be able to start the engine with full exhaust for 1/4 the price of having a shop do the work, plus this is all mandrel bent.

Score !! Looks bigger than 2 and half.

[70B5Cuda]

Nice find on the exhaust. I had exhaust made for my red 1969 survivor charger and it was a lot more expensive then I expected.

[hemi-hampton]

My 3" TTI mandrel bent stainless steel with flowmaster 2 chamber race mufflers was around $800 I think but that was almost 20 years ago.

[XH29N0G]

Good score and nice of BDF6

[Kern Dog]

Well, it isn't a $40,000 Hemi, that is for certain.
Going just from memory, This is what I have in the engine so far.

*Block and heads: Included with the car.
*Machine work including bore/hone, deck block, polish crank and resize rods and hot tank : $600
*Head porting: Free, I did it myself.
*Pistons, pins and rings, valley pan: $600  (I think)
*Cam and lifters, oil pump: $290
*Water pump, coil, spark plug wires: $220
*The Right Stuff sealant, Locktite, intake manifold bolt sealant: $40
*Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, gaskets, fuel filter and regulator: $460.
*Electronic distributor: FREE, I did recurve it and limited the amount of advance.
*Motor mounts, timing set, freeze plugs, fuel pump, pushrods, rocker arms, oil pan, timing cover, valve covers: F R E E, I had them in the shed.
That is under $2400 so far. I have 3 carburetors to pick from. I will still need spark plugs, oil, a thermostat, anti-freeze, fan belts and a few more things.
Today, I got the cam in place. To recap, it is a Mopar Performance 280/474 hydraulic. I bought it used but the lifters were kept in order. The cam fit in easily and spins freely. The lifters all spun in the bores like they should.
The engine has been bagged for the past three weeks.....

[Kern Dog]

Remember about 3 weeks ago when I posted about the problems with the Comp Cam I had? I posted in the engine forum here. It had 7 lobes with sharp, unfinished edges on it. I chose not to use it and returned it to the Summit Racing store in Nevada. Some thought that the lobes would be fine but look again and tell me you still feel the same way.

[Kern Dog]

See, the lifters are wider than the lobes and they sit off center a bit too.

[Kern Dog]

Rocker arms are on, timing set and oil slinger too.

[Kern Dog]

I took a chance and went to the last Speed shop in the Sacramento area. I was looking for an intake manifold, specifically an Edelbrock Performer RPM.
These guys had one in stock and it was priced the same as Summit!

[hemi-hampton]

did you have to pump up the lifters before you installed them?

[Charger_Fan]

Good God, looking at the lobes on that Comp Cam camshaft, I don't blame you for returning it immediately. I have NEVER seen a cam with "painted over lobes" in my life. That thing is just begging for failure, looking at that, how in the hell are they still in business? Obviously their operation is entirely in the Chinese hands now...talk about a lack of communications in manufacturing!
What a shit show.

Anyway, I have logged in today for the first time in ages (life got the best of me for a couple years), and have read your thread from cover to (today's) cover. I love that you have chosen to bring this Charger back from the dead.  I have two '70's of my own that I have realized I doubt I'll ever bring back (and will probably find them new homes soon), but I'm glad to see your enthusiastic zeal for this one.
Keep at it!! 

[Kern Dog]

Thank you.
This car had crash damage, not rust damage. I was lucky to have that complete front structure to use. I see guys with stripped out hulks that need rails, floors and quarters and know that I had a much easier time than they did.

[ACUDANUT]

did you have to pump up the lifters before you installed them?

Are you serious ? all you do is soak them in oil first ?