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[Ranger Max]

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[41husk]

If it is # matching 383 I would keep it the same, If not I would go with the 440,  and I just prefer auto.

[blackcharger]

depends on what you plan to do with it. If you;re planning on keeping it, driving sensably, keep it stock. At the most put the floor shift and consloe in. If you want to hot rod it, keep the #s matching parts, get the 440 4 gear and have a blast with it.

[Silver R/T]

depends on what you plan to do with it. If you;re planning on keeping it, driving sensably, keep it stock. At the most put the floor shift and consloe in. If you want to hot rod it, keep the #s matching parts, get the 440 4 gear and have a blast with it.

what he said

[bull]

There seem to be fewer and fewer numbers matching Chargers out there so I'd tend to keep it stock myself. I too have been tempted to drop a 440 in mine and go nuts with it but how many people can say they have the original engine in their classic car? Especially the 4spd conversion because that is very costly, very time consuming and very difficult to reverse if you want to go back to stock. If you want a 4spd race Charger I'd say sell the one you have as a numbers matching classic and buy another nice Charger with no engine, or one with a non #s engine, and go crazy on that one instead of converting an original. I'd say more buyers would be interested in a #s matching car than a clone.

[Dans 68]

Don't re-tag the car. Do an RT clone if you like, but leave it as. It was not built as an RT, so the illegality cannot be defended.

That being said, I would do a 440 4-speed. Keep the parts you take off for a future re-restoration. But the bottom line is, have fun!

And I was given a car also (I know, poor me). Just means that we have more disposible income for the cars (yeah, right)  

Dan

[bull]

There are plenty of performance upgrades you can do to the car without making the changes irreversible. In my case I plan on doing a performance rebuild to the original engine and adding on a 4bbl carb and intake. However, I have the original intake saved and will save all the other original parts I remove, such as the front drum brakes and spindles. I may even run the car with the 2bbl on it once in a while.

If you make it a floor shift 4spd you run the risk of it never being stock again. Even though it can be converted back to column auto I doubt it will happen because most people wouldn't do the work required to patch up the floor. At any rate, if you decide to clone it just be sure to save all the original parts you take off if only to use as a potential selling point.

[694spdRT]

I have '68 Charger 383 2v auto as well. I have the automatic on the floor. The auto on the column actually is nicer to drive IMO because or the armrest, but the console looks better.

Mine had been in the family since 1974. I pulled the original 383 and tranny when I was younger and rebuilt them, added a 4bbl, headers, and 3.55 sure grip. After about 10,000 miles of fun I decided it was time to hop it up. So in went a tunnel rammed 440, built 727, and 3000 stall converter. I doubt if I put 300 miles on it because it was just too much hassle on the street. Now I have a stock 383 4 bbl back in it and have a car I can drive and enjoy again.

If you want a nice driver I would add the 4bbl and some HP manifolds(or maybe good headers) to the 383, plus some nice 3.23 or 3.55 gears.(you probably have 2.71's now)

On the paint...I would pull the drivetrain and at least paint the firewall before putting the engine back in. On my '69 I installed the engine after the car was painted...just be real careful with scratches, tools, etc.

[694spdRT]

We lost the original 2bbl carb,air cleaner, intake, and exhaust manifolds to a tornado back in 1984 where we lived.

Fortunately the car was stored in a different place or it would have been lost too.

I have a 4 bbl air cleaner like the one in your 2nd picture though.

I know Chryco recommends the 4 speed OD from later trucks a lot. I found one and had contemplated putting it behind the 383 but, decided it would be better in the Challenger. Might be something to think about as they are still fairly cheap way of gaining an overdrive using stock parts.

[bull]

Mine had been in the family since 1974. I pulled the original 383 and tranny when I was younger and rebuilt them, added a 4bbl, headers, and 3.55 sure grip. After about 10,000 miles of fun I decided it was time to hop it up. So in went a tunnel rammed 440, built 727, and 3000 stall converter. I doubt if I put 300 miles on it because it was just too much hassle on the street. Now I have a stock 383 4 bbl back in it and have a car I can drive and enjoy again.

If you want a nice driver I would add the 4bbl and some HP manifolds(or maybe good headers) to the 383, plus some nice 3.23 or 3.55 gears.(you probably have 2.71's now)

On the paint...I would pull the drivetrain and at least paint the firewall before putting the engine back in. On my '69 I installed the engine after the car was painted...just be real careful with scratches, tools, etc.

This is a good thing to remember about going nuts with the performance stuff. At a certain point the car becomes unbearable for just cruising around on a Saturday evening, kind of like taking a 2-stroke dirt bike out on the freeway. You really need to ask yourself how you want to use the car. Will you be happy just doing five or six 12-second runs down the strip every other weekend or would you rather cruise it down to a drive-in and sit around talking to friends? Many guys I know do both but with two different cars. No offense to anyone here but I would much rather see a Dart or Duster used as the drag car and the Chargers kept for cruising.

[bull]

I will be keeping all the parts Bull. But I'm not to sure I want to lug a 383 around with me for the rest of my life
or give up storage space.
Its getting close to paint so if I am going to do any modifications I need to decide on them now.
Also, is it wise to paint your car.....then remove and rebuild your motor?
Or should I remove it now.
I will be able to drive it to get vinyl top elsewhere
and the exhaust done elsewhere.

Just tryin to giterdun

That was another thing that made me decide to reinstall the original engine -- storage space. IMO it's a sin to toss an original engine but the purist guy who sold me my car said he would pull the original engine, store it and get a rebuild long block 383 to run. That way the original engine would never be damaged. That's a bit extreme to me, especially when I thought about trying to find a way to store an engine in my two car garage. So I'm just going to rebuild the original engine with a mild performance upgrade and stick it back in. I refuse to worry about the what-ifs when it comes to the engine but I'm not going to abuse it either. I drove around nearly every day for 11 years with the original 383 in my '70 Charger and I had no problems.

As far as painting the car before the engine rebuild, I do think that is unwise. I say do the paint and engine rebuild at the same time and then install the engine when you get the car back from the paint shop. They will do a much better job on the engine bay if the engine is out.

[MoparYoungGun]

Personally, I would retire the original engine and possibly the original transmission and drop in a 440. I would do this so you don't chance something happening to the original motor, or at least I wouldn't. Also, I would personally go with a console, but that's just me. This is also what I plan on doing with my Charger. Basically the whole car with be restored to stock with the exception of the wheels/tires, and the drivetrain (engine, trans, driveshaft, and rear end). Good luck with your car !

[Lowprofile]

I am for whatever makes you happy, bro. Its your ride, and I'm sure you have a "perfect vision" of it in your head. Restoration, resto-mod, Blower thru the hood,Tubbed street freak, etc....  Whatever floats your boat!  Just enjoy your car! 

[dd44068]

my opinion is keep it original if performance is what you want keep the 383 put in the 440 but keep all the original parts in-case you ever want to return it to its original condition,