CopperheadDart
Well-Known Member
So it's not an A body, but contains A body parts, hope this is allowed. I thought it would be nice to chronicle this journey and my learning experiences that others may learn from.
I'd been looking for a small Arrow, Charger, Daytona, etc to make into a dedicated track car. My '67 Dart in my thumbnail pic is a street/strip deal, but it was at the point that I would rather take some gear out of it to enjoy on longer trips.
Enter the 87 Charger I found on racingjunk last summer.
It was listed as a running 1/8th mile car, with a high compression 340 on alcohol, with trans brake and 9" rear. I was sent a low quality video of it running, and a dozen or so pics of various aspects of the car. It had flaws for sure, but seemed to be a decent start that I could make improvements on. The seller was the grandson of the prior owner, and knew very little about the car, so I didn't have much to go off of besides the pics. It was 6hrs from me in Oklahoma, so that weekend I made the drive.
In person, it was disappointing. The roll bar was too short, and the main hoop too far forward (I'm 5'10" and it was very cramped). The interior was carpeted (should've been a red flag), and the body had its share of scratches and dents in the Prowler Purple paint scheme.
The front framerails from the trans mount forward are A-body, along with K-member. You can see that it's wayyyyyy too wide for this little car. The rear "coilovers" were regular shocks with springs and exhaust clamps- yikes.
Then the engine. It immediately flooded, wouldn't fire. I pulled the dipstick- milky. The 340 was, until that point, the only redeeming factor in this car. Hopefully a simple head gasket?
Anyways, I was 6 hours from home with a trailer, the dude wanted it gone, so I struck up a deal on it. Now I have quite a project.
I'd been looking for a small Arrow, Charger, Daytona, etc to make into a dedicated track car. My '67 Dart in my thumbnail pic is a street/strip deal, but it was at the point that I would rather take some gear out of it to enjoy on longer trips.
Enter the 87 Charger I found on racingjunk last summer.
It was listed as a running 1/8th mile car, with a high compression 340 on alcohol, with trans brake and 9" rear. I was sent a low quality video of it running, and a dozen or so pics of various aspects of the car. It had flaws for sure, but seemed to be a decent start that I could make improvements on. The seller was the grandson of the prior owner, and knew very little about the car, so I didn't have much to go off of besides the pics. It was 6hrs from me in Oklahoma, so that weekend I made the drive.
In person, it was disappointing. The roll bar was too short, and the main hoop too far forward (I'm 5'10" and it was very cramped). The interior was carpeted (should've been a red flag), and the body had its share of scratches and dents in the Prowler Purple paint scheme.
The front framerails from the trans mount forward are A-body, along with K-member. You can see that it's wayyyyyy too wide for this little car. The rear "coilovers" were regular shocks with springs and exhaust clamps- yikes.
Then the engine. It immediately flooded, wouldn't fire. I pulled the dipstick- milky. The 340 was, until that point, the only redeeming factor in this car. Hopefully a simple head gasket?
Anyways, I was 6 hours from home with a trailer, the dude wanted it gone, so I struck up a deal on it. Now I have quite a project.
. Can't catch a break with this car. Found a replacement chunk locally for $75, so new bearing kit and swapped it all over. Added a large fill bung and drain plug, checked for axle tube straightness, new brakes, and repaint while I was at it. Eventually I'll probably swap to disc brakes.
