Any good Race car Chassis builders out there in Pacific NW?

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After giving it much thought and the fact I couldn't move my car, I have decided the hell with it! I need to get my Charger down in weight by 500/600 pounds or so and figure the best place to start is to remove the unibody and replace it with tube frame and tin.
Does anybody know of someone in my area that does good works? I need a fabricator that knows what they are doing.
I figure to 4 link the car while I am at it as well. All this should get me down to 3,000 pound =/-
Any recommendations?

[Brock Samson]

www.magnumforce.com is in fremont Ca. maybe a bit far but they do great work..

http://www.magnumforce.com/cars/daytona/dc0031l.jpg

['CUDA360]

Why not just change your front end to fiberglass and find some extra doors to cut and lighten up?
Change to a lightweight interior and lexan glass

I did this with a basket case '72 'CUDA and got it down to 2550. And that's with the rollbar/connectors, full dash and stock rear/springs.

I know you have the bigblock setup and that's gonna be heavier but  I bet you could save a bunch even before changing the windows to lexan.

Just remember, the first cut is the deepest

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Why not just change your front end to fiberglass and find some extra doors to cut and lighten up?
Change to a lightweight interior and lexan glass

Just remember, the first cut is the deepest

I did get some glass fenders a few years back but the quality sucked so bad that I felt I couldn't use them. I ended up selling them. If I could find good quality fenders then that would be a good start. The steel fenders really don't weigh too much but the doors are extremly heavy and I agree the could be some gains there.

[RallyeMike]

Detune your Charger for the street and buy an A-body. You just lost 800+ lbs the easy way! A 440 A body can weigh under 3000 with very little effort. I have the weight tickets to prove it.

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Detune your Charger for the street and buy an A-body. You just lost 800+ lbs the easy way! A 440 A body can weigh under 3000 with very little effort. I have the weight tickets to prove it.

I agree a A body is the way to go but the Charger has to go first.
I have tried to sell this car now for 4 years in a row. At the start of my selling venture the engine was a mild 440 with a Comp .501 cam, no roll cage, very streeable and I was asking $15,000 just after spending $9,600 on paint.
So I really don't think it matters what condition it is in. Most people want me to give them the car and I'd rather chop it up than to sell it at a ridiculous price.
As far as Ebay goes..... After my account was hijacked 2 years ago and $390,000 was sold using the account, I think I would regret using it again.

[Blown70]

I have to say I am with these guys......  Please do not tear that up... find a car that needs the stuff replaced.  I saw a really nice 70 charger on ebay that would bet better for what you want to do, at least in my opinion.... Also, you can get fiberglass bumper for the 70 and eliminate most of the front brackets etc.  I bet you could drop 250bls just of the front end in a heart beat.

Anyway best of luck,  I think you have too nice of a car there.

Also, I have used Deals on wheels in the past and had GREAT success there.   I hope you will too.

Best of luck

Tom

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8WHEELER's got a small collection, I wonder why he hasn't tried working ya'.

I don't think he likes green too much.

[firefighter3931]

Fiberglass & Lexan is the key to losing weight. Replace the hood, doors, fenders, bumpers, decklid with 'glass. Remove the interior stuff and use a single lightweight race bucket. Lexan for the sideglass. Take out the heater box if it's still in there. All this stuff is reversible if you decide to reurn the car to street duty. I'd have a hard time putting a tube chassis under a car that nice.  

Ron

[Blown70]

U want a racing seat for this thing?  I have 2 with TWO differnt covers for you....LMK


Tom

[R2]

Any way to "pony" up for a race only car and keep the Charger
If your considering making all of those changes to the current car you have,,,maybe you could find yourself a roller,,,,,and make it into what you want w/out cutting up the Charger....
Not only that,,,but the Chargers are not the most aerodynamic and weight concious when it comes to racing.....
I didnt want to cut up mine,,,,and detract from it,,,,I ended up looking for a while,,,and found the car i wanted,,,,65 Belvedere,,,,that i use only for the strip,,,,
I know everyone has a different opinion,,,,and only you know what is right for the car and what you want to do...
Im sure you could sell it depending on the price and time of year,,,etc,,,but the further you get from stock,,etc,,,,the harder it will be to ever sell it...
my .02
good luck,,,,hope it works out....
R2

[RallyeMike]

I have tried to sell this car now for 4 years in a row.

Its not getting any easier to sell the more you modify it.

It's very easy and cost-effective to make an A-body fast if you don't get carried away. If you have the money to even think about having a shop tube-frame your Charger, you are in a postiion to build an A-body AND keep your Charger.

   

[*]

I have tried to sell this car now for 4 years in a row.

Its not getting any easier to sell the more you modify it.

It's very easy and cost-effective to make an A-body fast if you don't get carried away. If you have the money to even think about having a shop tube-frame your Charger, you are in a postiion to build an A-body AND keep your Charger.

    

I agree the cost of doing this would be high but I plan on selling all the stock parts off to pay for the work needed.
Stuff like the entire upholstery, center console and shifter, rear end, hood, numbers matching engine and all the extra parts, I would hope pay for most if not all of the parts and labor for the frame .

Bottom line is that I can't afford to keep the Charger and start a new car. It's a deal where the Charger has to sell or I sell parts to make what I want. This is a case where I wish it wasn't an R/T but it is and that is the sad part.....

[RallyeMike]

It's true that a lot of cars are becoming less valuable whole than the sum of their parts. I personally don't care what you do, but If you do strip it down, the first thing you should do is buy a bullet-proof vest and change your user name...

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I personally don't care what you do, but If you do strip it down, the first thing you should do is buy a bullet-proof vest and change your user name...

I kind of expected this response and my rebuttle to you is.... Got $19,500 and you can have a God Damn numbers matching R/T.

A bullet-proof vest and a new user name included. 

[RallyeMike]

JeeeZuZ        Go back and read what I said. If you still don't get it, let me translate: " I DONT GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR PILE, JUST GET READY FOR THE PURISTS TO TEAR YOU A NEW ASSHOLE." You can set it on fire or paint it orange and jump it off a cliff for all I care.

I've been cutting up Mopars for 20+ years. No problem here!

Have a nice day.

[bull]

Jim,

No offense here but I find it a little odd that most people with nice 2nd gen Chargers have very little trouble selling their rides and yet you seem to have nothing but trouble. You started a thread about tire-kickers in off topic a while back and there were many good suggestions made about how to get the car sold. Why don't you try something different? If your usual tactic doesn't work you've got to try something else. You've never tried Ebay have you? Several people also said your price is too low and when the car isn't priced right people shy away. Your car priced at $20k is too low and I believe that makes people think there's something wrong with it. You should have it on Ebay at a reserve of $30k and sell both engines with it as-is. That or pull your race engine and the roll cage, put the 440 back in and sell it as a hot street #s matching R/T. I guarantee you fast results if you go one of these two routes on Ebay.

[FastbackJon]

There's a Mopar guy in Spokane who does frame and chassis stuff and also is a fairly competent drag racer. He is currently building a '69 Charger R/T SE into a drag race car for a customer. Viper red paint, full stock white interior (but with roll cage) and white vinyl roof, tilt front end, race built 440, tubbed in the back, etc, though I'm not sure what all he did to the frame, they are looking to run in the 9's.

I bet if you switched it back to more of a stock car, it would sell easily. Jesse's '68 440 Charger R/T clone wasn't anywhere near as nice as your car Jim, not to mention having a smog era 440 and cheap paint job, but his sold for over $15k, to a guy on your side of the mountains no less.

[RT/SE]

Do not cut up a factory R/T Charger  .  Too many real R/T's have been cut up already and we don't need another added to the list.  You should go out and buy a roller A-Body race car.  There are incredible deals out here on race cars.  Take your race motor from the Charger and throw it into the A-Body and then bring your Charger back to stock.  It will be much easier to sell in stock condition and you will get more $$$$$$$.   With what you are talking about doing to your Charger I bet you will end up spending more money in the end and you will then own a car that will be worth less.  You might as well take your money and throw it out the window.  I've already told you before that I think the way you are trying to sell the car is way too complicated.  Complicated deals are more likely to fall apart.  Also, I think many buyers get scared by a Seller who says if you buy the car I will then do XYZ.   Your car needs to be sale ready without giving Buyers so many options. Bring the Charger back to stock and have it turn key ready so a Buyer could just drive away with the car.   You mentioned some of the bad things about Ebay but on the flip side there are alot of good things especially for Sellers.  Ebay reaches an incredible audience.  Your car will get an unbelievable amount of exposure just by listing it. I think if you get the car sale ready and do a better job marketing the car, it should sell with no problems.   Also, I believe you will come out ahead financially if you go the A-Body race car route and sell your Charger in stock condition. 

[Charger_Fan]

I personally don't care what you do, but If you do strip it down, the first thing you should do is buy a bullet-proof vest and change your user name...

I kind of expected this response and my rebuttle to you is.... Got $19,500 and you can have a God Damn numbers matching R/T.

A bullet-proof vest and a new user name included.  

Geez, that was a bit harsh...unless you were being sarcastic (my detector batteries died).

You're fairly close geographically to Allblue, right? I bet Mike could sell your car pretty quickly. He makes a good, well worded eBay ad & has had good luck selling his stuff. I bet he'd have no problem helping a brotha' out.

[71RTN96]

Jim, I met you in Vegas this year, i was with 71 GTX. I'm into the track thing also, but don't cut up your Charger. Build an A-Body. Back Half, cage, frames tied,. Put all the speed parts in that car. I hate to say it but your Charger can't be replaced. Do you need the money to build the other car? Does Brad Hadman do small projects? He build Fuel Cars, but somewhere I saw a ProStreet E-Body he built(shop). I'm over @ the other site as Clonestocker. Beat the wood work to death there has to be a better alternative than cutting up your green car.   later     matt s

[R2]

This is what I would buy....if possible.....(this was a for sale car i found and thought of you)
The 64-65 B bodys,,,make great race cars,,,pretty light,,,,and hook well.......this seems to be a very good deal...
No way to keep the Charger as well
I really like the 65' Plymouth i bought last month,,,and its awesome at the track........

1964 Plymouth Belvedere 2 Door Post. I purchased the car a few years ago out of Texas and have been upgrading it ever since. I don’t have as much time any more and may be moving and don’t want to leave it outside. The car has a Dana 60 with SS springs. The gears are Richmond 4.56 with Mark William’s axles. The rims are Centerline Autodrag all around. The front tires are MT 3.5 and the rear are MT 10.5W. The front end has been completely rebuilt and has new 90/10 shocks and Wilwood disc brakes. There is a 10 gallon fuel cell with twin Holley blue pumps. The fuel system lines are all braided with the exception of the line running from front to rear and it is  ½â€. The drive shaft is aftermarket custom made. The windows in the car are all Lexan with the exception of the windshield (glass). The transmission is completely rebuilt with a bolt in sprage and converter from PTC. The converter was custom made for this car and the engine in the car. It is a 9’ converter. The transmission was rebuilt with a rebuild kit from PTC. The car is has a 10 point cage and a single seat. The interior is completely removed and there is an aluminum dash. There is also an SCS Cheetach Shifter. The electronics include an MSD Digital 6, MSD Distributor and an MSD Coil. The engine is a 499” BB based on a 400 block. It has BME aluminum rods, CP custom pistons and a welded stroker crank. The lower end was designed and ordered through Straight-line Performance. The heads are Stage VI heads that have Muscle Motors stage 3 porting. (I have the flow sheet). The intake is a Mopar M1 with a 4150 flange and a Dominator spacer. The carb is a custom made 1050 that flows 1150. The engine has a welded aluminum 10 quart pan with dual external lines made by Milidon. There is an aluminum radiator Mopar Aluminum housing and pump setup with an external electric motor. The engine also has an aluminum motor plate. The body is in great shape and has fiberglass bumpers, hood and trunk lid. The car is overall in great shape and drives straight. Since rebuilding everything in the drive train the car has seen the track for 6 passes. I have all receipts. When I purchased the car out of Texas the owner was very ill and was unable to locate the title, so it does not have a title. I am asking $12,500 OBO. Questions please call 941-729-6193. The car is located 30 minutes south of Tampa, FL. Pictures available upon request.. Thanks

[Silver R/T]

I do not think ebay sells car at their full price that they can be sold at. Unless you want to sell it fast then go Ebay route

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Not to worry guys...... It's on Ebay now.

[Charger_Fan]

That's a great looking Ad!
I'm sure you'll have good luck going that direction.


Mike, nice feedback!