Fantasy Car Build ?

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LH23H2R

LH23H2R

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As I was reading the review of the 2011 Challenger on AllPar , and of the S/E in particular , I couldn't help but wonder :
' What if Dodge were to add the 318 or 360 to the engine choices ...? '

This ostensibly got me thinking :toothy10: : what if there was another model added to the Challenger line ?
Something basic ; devoid of all the GPS , garage door opener , power floor mats ( with position memory ! ) , and other hootenanny and guffaws ! A "Challenger Special" , if you will.

Here's what I have in mind :

- 318 standard , with an optional 360 ;
- 5 speed manual , with an optional 4 speed auto ;
- Manual roll-up windows ;
- Vinyl seating ;
- Optional bench seat w/ column-shift ( pirated from the "A38" Charger ) ;
- AM/FM/CD sound system ;
- Manually-operated sunroof ;
- 16" steel wheels with centre caps ;
- Reasonably-sized ( i.e. , lots of sidewall for cushioning ! ) tyres ;
- Leaf Spring / Solid Full-Floater rear ( 9.25" ) ;
- A/C delete option ;
- Flat hood

The pricing should be reasonable , especially since the majority of the Mr. Wizard crap has been "disallowed" ; weight savings would abound !

Along with this proposed "Challenger Special" , one could also build a "Body-In-White" type car , in order to run in certain racing classes ( think of it as a poor man's version of the [mis-named] "Drag Pack" Challenger ) such as ... ahhhh ... I'm not even aware of the names of the newer racing classes ! Uhhhhhh ... "E/S" ? SS/E ? C/MP ? I dunno , but you get the idea :read2: .

So , what do you guys think ?
I await your replies 8)
 
I think it is an awesome idea, doubtful it will happen though. They see the fact that drag racers and racers alike wont be buying BIW cars if they commited to this idea. What they are constantly looking at is $ per car. Which is stupid and why Chrysler is owned by Fiat(EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW) now. Maybe they will make some actual decent choices, I mean, they are making a budget friendlier Viper. Maybe it is possible they will see this and do it. But I personally hope they see the posts of where we want the /6 back and A-bodies too first. No offense, Id love to be driving a 2012 Hemi Dart:cheers:
 
In the long run i think it would cost the company more since i dont think they make 318s or 360s anymore. Also converting a car designed to be IRS to SRA would probably be a real pain in the rear!

But i think there should be a stripper car even if you could only get the v6. That would help entertain the people who just want the looks and don't need the get up and go, or cant afford the get up and go! I think a bunch of saftey garbage is mandated now so that cant be lost but getting rid of the heated seats and double din gps, moon roof, power windows ect.

I guess depending on race class rules you could buy the stripper model then shove a new hemi in.
 
I think they should just build a striped SRT8. No fancy gizmos, power nothing, no sun roof, vinyl seats, 6 speed trans, no fancy stereos, no AC. Take out most of the sound deadening and put 18" wheels on it. You can have it in any color and have an optional stripe, spoiler and air grabber/shaker scoop on it. All this will make it nice and cheap and light which means they would sell more.
 
I work at a dodge dealer and the problem is, your average customer wants all that crap on their cars, power everything, gps, fancy wheels, etc.
Can you imagine having to roll down the windows yourself! Thats blasphemy!
The less thinking, learning and working people have to do for themselves, the better they like it.
 
Babyblue66 said:
I work at a dodge dealer and the problem is, your average customer wants all that crap on their cars, power everything, gps, fancy wheels, etc.
Can you imagine having to roll down the windows yourself! Thats blasphemy!
The less thinking, learning and working people have to do for themselves, the better they like it.
Click to expand...

LMFAO ! The prosaic truth !

99% of society , as you've stated , likes all that mind-numbing bullshit :angry7: .
I much prefer to adhere to the "K.I.S.S. Principal " : Keep It Simple , Stupid !
___________________

My idea of having the 318 / 360 motors as options was obviously a slip on my mind's part . Tells ya just how much I keep up with the new(er) stuff ; I'd forgotten about the --- iirc --- 4.7 litre wedge motor :toothy10:.

As far as the solid , full-floater axle deal : I'd figured that since the "Drag Pack" Challenger had leafs ( CalTracs ? ) and a Dana 60 , that at least adding the provisions to a street version would be simple enough , even if the leafs and axle weren't factory-installed .

I've bemoaned the idea of "Packages" for years . While our beloved Darts
, et al. , had packages ( axle packages , towing packages , etc. , etc. ) , at least one didn't have to get Taj Mahal upholstery in order to get A/C and a basic sound system !!!!

But , as originally eluded , people are sheep . They like being told what to do , how to do , and that they're going to enjoy every minute of this social submission :angry7: :angry7: :angry7:
 
Babyblue66 said:
I work at a dodge dealer and the problem is, your average customer wants all that crap on their cars, power everything, gps, fancy wheels, etc.
Can you imagine having to roll down the windows yourself! Thats blasphemy!
The less thinking, learning and working people have to do for themselves, the better they like it.
Click to expand...

I hear you. I was in the market for a new shop truck a few weeks ago. The dealer asked what I was looking for. I told him I was looking for a 1/2 ton, regular cab, short bed, 4wd, with a hemi and a towing package, a work truck. He said, do you mean one with the small rear doors? I said No, I want one that has NO rear doors. Regular cab. Ohhh, he said, those are hard to find!
My nephew, who is alot better with a computer than I am did a search of over 6000 new trucks that were advertised on the internet. Guess how many he found? Several loaded up ones, but only TWO that were basic models. I got the one that came out of AR, the other was on the east coast somewhere.
Even as basic as mine is, it has traction control, a button on the shifter to manually shift it, a knob instead of a lever to put it in 4wd, a tire pressure warning light, etc.
As mentioned, a lot of that stuff is government mandated. Unfortunately it's only going to get worse as the government insists that we do less of our thinking for ourselves.
One thing, I sure would like to see that 390 horse hemi in something that was 1500 lbs lighter! That would be awesome!
Dallas
 
I like the idea of manual windows, locks, mirrors, trans, etc. But the most important thing is an actual cable from the gas pedal to the throttle body.
 
Nice idea. But I've been searching ever since the Challenger came out, trying to buy a stripped version of the car--even ordered a DragPak car but got passed over for more than a year, so I moved on. When they called I had to decline.
Then I went to SEMA last year & saw the "1320 Challenger", pretty much as you described, minimal interior, stout driveline, but was told there was no way it'd ever be produced as too few would sell & too many aftermarket parts on it---this coming from a company that used to build cars with Edelbrock manifolds & Holley carbs on them!
Since then I've been to FOUR dealers here, spoke to reps at MATS last year & "they" won't budge on even trying to offer a stripped Challenger.
My take on it is it's their loss, cause I'm not the only guy wanting to buy such an animal..........
 
67valiant 100 said:
I think they should just build a striped SRT8. No fancy gizmos, power nothing, no sun roof, vinyl seats, 6 speed trans, no fancy stereos, no AC. Take out most of the sound deadening and put 18" wheels on it. You can have it in any color and have an optional stripe, spoiler and air grabber/shaker scoop on it. All this will make it nice and cheap and light which means they would sell more.
Click to expand...

Thats would be cool. But I would just like the cheap wheel and tire package. Going to change them out any way:-D
 
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