Barn Find!!!! Well not really......

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Does your wife still have an emotional attachment to it? If she does, fix it to where it will be fun for her to drive and very dependable (fuel injection) so she doesn't get discouraged and hate it. A Gen 3 Hemi swap is pretty easy in an E body. Maybe consider that along with a 518 overdrive transmission. It will fit without hacking up the floor pan in an E body. Fix the body and make everything work......especially the AC. Good luck with it, and congrats on retirement!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
This!!
 
I'm in agreement with most of the others here, get it on the road and enjoy it like it was meant to be enjoyed. If you go the rotisserie restoration route it will be extremely expensive, and you may not want to drive it after spending a whole lot of money on it, which leads back to it sitting neglected. Get the 340 together, you can put fuel injection on it for ease of drivability and reliability, or as some have suggested, drop in a Gen 3 Hemi with an overdrive transmission. It depends mostly on your budget, your abilities and skills, and what you ultimately want out of it. Guessing it was born with a 318?
Just my .02.
Yes 318.
 
I've got a factory big block Challenger & a factory 340 Challenger... Honestly the 340 is a better driver... But... It has a 518 O/D trans & 4.30 gears... So it scoots outta the hole & goes down the highway great... 4.30 with O/D acts like 2.94's.... If I were to do it again I'd probably use 3.91's...

Currently I'm helping a friend do a Gen III Hemi swap which I'm sure will be awesome but I think the 340 is my preferred choice...

Your wife has a Super Cool Challenger!! Congrats on your retirement!! Have Fun!!!

Oh, FY1 Bright Yellow looks great on Challengers, especially with so black accents...
Great info! Thank you!!
 
L@@K at the master, it has been replaced with something non original.
 
L@@K at the master, it has been replaced with something non original.
Yup, I didn't take a good look, just read that its been sitting for 35 years & figured it might be original... Still might be worth looking at the numbers before tossing it...
 
Here she is. Stored for almost 35 years untouched, my wife's car from high school. We've been married for 32 years and life has just gotten in the way. Through all the ups and downs, I just couldn't think about getting rid of it. Retired now and gonna give it a shot. What would YOU do if it were yours???

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It'll be worth every moment. Here are the pics of our '62 Dart. The first is our high school parking lot in '72 and the second is this spring. The car and the spare parts I accumulated were moved from place to place since '77. Like you, I retired and some time before that we started dismantling it. But the old '62 is an oddball with what it packed under the hood. That was after I revamped the '73 Dart I got from my little sister many years back. The '73s Leaning Tower Of (Not So Much) Power gave way to a '67 R/T 440. Albeit, the old Slant did win the S6 class along with runner up in the Street Class that night at the 2001 Norwalk Mopar meet.

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Bone stock 318 2 barrel or bone stock 340. Make sure it has PS, PB and AC. Make it a great, comfortable car to drive.
 
I added AC to the '62. Was more than worth the effort! But the engine bay on the early A's and B's is much smaller than the E's so it really crowded things.
 
Great info! Thank you!!
@1WildRT Randy, can you steer him towards the pics and info from where you put the 518 in the Challenger? Your version is the one I was referring to in my prior post. Everyone else goes to hacking and slashing and it just isn't necessary when doing it like you did. If I remember right, the thread is on Moparts, but maybe a link will work so he can get an idea.

:thumbsup:
 
@1WildRT Randy, can you steer him towards the pics and info from where you put the 518 in the Challenger? Your version is the one I was referring to in my prior post. Everyone else goes to hacking and slashing and it just isn't necessary when doing it like you did. If I remember right, the thread is on Moparts, but maybe a link will work so he can get an idea.

:thumbsup:
I haven't been on Moparts in over twelve years... I just tried to search for it & got nowhere... My computer that had the pictures crashed years ago... It really surprised me I searched for any of the old photos I'd posted & got nothing.... I did the swap back in 2000, car went to Texas & I got it back a few years ago... Trans still works great..But I'm getting ready to pull it & swap in a TKO 5 spd... The 518 is going in a buddies Challenger... Maybe I can get some photos then...
 
So it is a 318 car not a 340 ?
You could get a 340 with the V8 badging and a flat hood for a short time in 1970. I have friend with one . Real sleeper !

I would go 340 and a 42rh . Leave it stock looking beyond that . Go with the original yellow ! Will look awesome !
 
Make it a total drag car/very hot street car. Paint it the most obnoxious color of yellow you can find (curious yellow is good) and paint on the quarters "SHE'S A KEEPER".
Isn't the Dodge color Citroen Yella and Plymouth Curious Yellow?
Either way...the color gets a lot of attention. That's for sure!
 
Why even worry about paint, get it moving down the road.
It will turn heads as is.
 
Like said, if you spend years and a zillion $ to make it perfect, usually (not always) it will not be driven, BUT some people find their joy in such. I vote, to get it on the road with whatever drive train you think you want and can afford.
 
Here she is. Stored for almost 35 years untouched, my wife's car from high school. We've been married for 32 years and life has just gotten in the way. Through all the ups and downs, I just couldn't think about getting rid of it. Retired now and gonna give it a shot. What would YOU do if it were yours???

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With the 10's of thousands of Magnum 360s in trucks, I would be looking to build up a decent peppy 360 with the OD auto out of a 2WD truck. You can use the EFI or convert to a carb. Body looks pretty good to drive as a survivor. Make sure MA Kettle approves.
 
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So it is a 318 car not a 340 ?
You could get a 340 with the V8 badging and a flat hood for a short time in 1970. I have friend with one . Real sleeper !

I would go 340 and a 42rh . Leave it stock looking beyond that . Go with the original yellow ! Will look awesome !
What is the difference between the 42RH and the 46RH?
 
Begging for a LS!!
I'm sure your playing around but I use to be 100% against swapping from different brands especially for muscle type cars, but I do get why people do the LS swap, it's hard to say no to a cheap 500 hp engine, with a ton of aftermarket support, as long people don't butcher the car to get it in can always be swapped back out. Not a fan but understand the swap, LS I give a slight pass to but now you car is a Chev not a mopar anymore :)

But I'd go with the cheap magnum idea.
 
I'm sure your playing around but I use to be 100% against swapping from different brands especially for muscle type cars, but I do get why people do the LS swap, it's hard to say no to a cheap 500 hp engine, with a ton of aftermarket support, as long people don't butcher the car to get it in can always be swapped back out. Not a fan but understand the swap, LS I give a slight pass to but now you car is a Chev not a mopar anymore :)

But I'd go with the cheap magnum idea.
ohh come on.... ls with a 6 speed... an easy 500hp with mileage and dependability... it's the right choice! (yeah i'm this bored today :) )
 
ohh come on.... ls with a 6 speed... an easy 500hp with mileage and dependability... it's the right choice! (yeah i'm this bored today :) )
I wanted and old Chevy once....know what??? I bought an old Chevy!!!!!

I thought I'd be hot chit IF I had a 4526 hemi...after I had some and figured in stock form, it ran a c*** hair faster than my 440's I said CHIT!!! WTF so what!!!! Course I ain't never been a boy racer!! :poke: :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: :thumbsup: :steering:
 
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