Weird Australian engines? A 6cyl HEMI?

[Andrew]

There are a few Valiant chargers running around NZ with 440s in them. They arent too far off the US darts, so there are a lot of engines you can slot in. As well as the 265 there was also a 215 hemi and a 245 hemi, as well as a high compression 318, a 360 (later on, around '75 I believe) and a very limited run  of 340/727 chargers. The 340s were imported from the US with plans for a 340/4speed to follow the 265 6pack/4spds (e49). Unfortunately some politicians kicked up a bit of a stink about "supercars" being sold to just anyone. So the run of E49s was cut short, with only 140something of the 200 actually being built, and the E55 downtuned and sold as a 'luxury' model with a 727 the only available trans. The 360 came soon after the 340s were all sold off, but neither sold particularly. around '78 the ELB318 was available with a 4-speed behind it, but '79 was the last year for chargers.

[71 Bee Man]

australian charger,  R/T        This was at the DC Charger.com  meet in Kent, WA.

I think you'll find the Charger pictured is not a genuine R/T.....I think that one is an "8" for a start and Aussie R/T's only came in hemi 6.

Incidentally.....a few Aussie R/T Chargers have sold over the last couple of years for around the $200,000 Aust. mark.

Extremely collectible.

[71 Bee Man]

There's no point in having a fast car if it doesn't look bad ass. Six cylinder cars are for grandmas. It's not like you can't make a supercharger functional and put a big block 460 in that black beast.

    

the aussie chargers have SB's put in them all the time.  I am sure a BB transplant has been done in the past, but I dont have proof to it.

I have personally seen an Aussie Charger with a 44o in it, but it was a custom job.

Aussie Chargers came with the biggest V8 being a 360, although some 340's were sold here and are pretty collectible - although they never raced.

The V8's NEVER got anywhere near the 6 cylinder engines (those with webbers at least). The R/T 6 cylinder was one of the hottest cars on the market. No 8 came close to it. In a straight line the 8's could catch it because of top end speed but for out and out accelleration it was the gun. It was also friendlier on the front end than an 8 due to the weight distribution.

I have seen various pics of Aussie "R/T's" in the USA and they always look a little shonky to me. If anyone ever thinks of importing one into the States, PLEASE make sure you do your research.

Peter
Sydney, Australia.

[Aussiemadonmopars]

Hey Peter, good to see a few other Aussies here. My first car was a '76 VK K13/E57 ex-pursuit charger with all the go gear and factory sun-roof. Was a good burn-out car when I was 16 yo. I sold it not knowing what it was or what it was worth    to another Charger guy here in Perth who just had to let me know  , he wanted to know where I got it from. Man that thing was fast - 360 2 barrel holley with the biggest size jets I could find, 727 factory high stall and shift kit, 2.92 borgy diff... nearly 100mph in second gear.... man those were the days...

[ozziemoparnut]

Those SixPack HEMIs run really fast.
And don't forget, we're not talking about a B-Body sized car either.
It was more on the scale of an A-Body.
Lotsa power in a small package that actually handles well and you've got a real winner of a car - and not just in a straight line.

To tell you the truth these cars were known more for straightline speed than anything, great cars if you don't want to turn or stop I love them but its true 

[UFO]

What if they made B bodies,,,

[dkn1997]

 

[G-man]

I Had a 245 Hemi valiant Charger 1972 VH.

Glad I dont have it anymore. They just dont look anything like american muscle cars. Nothing tough looking about them.

[Aussiemadonmopars]

I Had a 245 Hemi valiant Charger 1972 VH.

Glad I dont have it anymore. They just dont look anything like american muscle cars. Nothing tough looking about them.

Don't be dissin' our cars boyo!!! I'd still rather have one than a "Baked Bean" Ford coupe - even if it was painted black and had a blower bustin' from the hood.

[G-man]

I Had a 245 Hemi valiant Charger 1972 VH.

Glad I dont have it anymore. They just dont look anything like american muscle cars. Nothing tough looking about them.

Don't be dissin' our cars boyo!!! I'd still rather have one than a "Baked Bean" Ford coupe - even if it was painted black and had a blower bustin' from the hood.

I would to rather than any ford or holden, hence I had 1 of them not the fords or holdens 
But still Id rather neither of them over the US ones. 

[aussiemuscle]

I had a VK 1973 model. it was bog stock and still had it over the ford and holden sixes. eventually the body failed on it (cancer). the 265 used a lot of oil, but rarely let me down  My avatar is a charger used in Road Warrior (mad max 2 to us).

would i own one again? probably not, i'm after something more unique, and someone else in town has one . i've currently got a 88 Firebird, an that's the only one in town.  The firebird just sold on Ebay, so i'll be in the market for something new shortly. if i had the 30 grand available, i'd probably look at a 68 dodge charger.