Sci/Tech What do you say...

Welcome to our Community
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Feel free to Sign Up today.
Sign up

is it the new Bluesmobile or what?

  • Yes

    Votes: 6 60.0%
  • I'm an Illinios Nazi

    Votes: 4 40.0%

  • Total voters
    10

Rambo John J

Eats things that would make a Billy Goat Puke
First 100
Jan 17, 2015
71,545
71,469
depends on price and the innards

but it looks pretty sweet
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
depends on price and the innards

but it looks pretty sweet
5.7L, WA580 transmission.
performance-tuned suspension, more powerful brakes, and load-leveling shocks, trans cooler
No rev limiter on the ECU.

I've got fancy plans, and pants to match. For now, going to salvage drivetrain and ABS. Will probably stroke out the motor and build up the transmission. It's due for an overhaul.
Guy who built this car lives in my town, he's been helping me plan.



^ That's a 'body-on' with Dart sheet metal massaged on to a Charger body. Long-term, I want to move the Charger pieces on to a Dart.

Wanted to do an 8 speed (8HP70) transmission, but there are a lot of sensor inputs, and that was more project than I wanted to tackle.

Cost me $2500
 
Last edited:

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
"If it's got a lot of pick up" It's fine.

Never liked the Charger redesign tho.

Should have never been a 4dr.

Oh and it needs a cigarette lighter.

(Love that movie lol)
agree, wish they would have just called it something else. Hate what they did to the Dart.
 

Hauler

Been fallin so long it's like gravitys gone
Feb 3, 2016
45,416
57,815
Well thank you, pal. The day I get out of prison my own brother picks me up in a police car.

You don't like it?

No. I don't like it.

*Elwood floors it and jumps a fucking bridge*

Cars got a lot of pickup.

It's got a cop motor - a 440 cubic inch. It's got cop tires. Cop suspension. Cop shocks. And it was made before catalytic converters so it runs great on regular gas. So what do you say, is it the new Blues Mobile or what?

Fix the cigarette lighter.

***I probably fucked some of that up, but I was actually anticipating a Blues Brothers thread when I saw the title. Love that movie.
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
fun fact: It was actually a Johnson County sheriff's car.

"Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big black Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound"

 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
talk to my uncle last night, it's parked at his place waiting to ship.
he told me "you probably already know this, but it sounds pretty bad."
Me: "oh - it sounds pretty rough? It's got a lot of miles..."
him: "no...not 'bad'. Baaaaaad. It's a baaaad motherfucker."
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
talked to my uncle and the shipper...car is getting picked up in about 2 hours, will be delivered Friday.

My level of hillbilly excitement is approximately

 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
oh - shipping was $750. Brings my total cost to $3250. Plus I'll probably buy my uncle a nice steak dinner.

:)
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
And I have taken delivery. Looks like a 'Preferred', AKA 'Detective', model. Although it has the spotlight.

No plates, so only drove it a half mile home from the drop-off.

Henceforth, the drivetrain will be known as "The Hammer of Justice".

Showed my wife and 4 yo daughter, when I got out of the car my daughter said the revs scared her. I told her not to be afraid of that noise.
She asked me "why, what's that noise?"

"That's just The Hammer of Justice."
 

b00ts

pews&vrooms
Amateur Fighter
Oct 21, 2015
5,599
8,635
What will you call the transmission when it fails you? The Miscarriage of Justice?
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
What will you call the transmission when it fails you? The Miscarriage of Justice?
not sure..."Miscarriage of Justice" sounds more like a suspension issue...but I can tell you that these "Wheels of Justice" don't turn slowly.

And today was "Take Your Police Interceptor to Work Day"...so I have that going for me.
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
pulled the P-codes, giving me an EGR valve error, and a Cat-1 bank error...so probably the EGR, hopefully not the cat...but all it changes is whether I bother to get this car registered. Pretty much have the valve-train and rebuild parts spec'ed out...how much detail are you folks interested in?
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
changed the EGR, light went off for awhile, then came back on.

Took it up to Tim's Garage (the guy that did the SEMA Dart in the video) to measure the rear width...if an IRS fits, it's going to be tight, and a bit of an engineering feat. But the check engine light was off the all the way there and back. On the way home, I took a left at the top of the off-ramp, gave it some gas, and it sputtered. Then it wouldn't accelerate.
I put the Hazards on and drifted over to the right and it died. That's a heavy 4200 lbs and some big tires when the power steering isn't running.

Hoofed it back to the house, not very far, maybe a mile. Went back over after dinner and tried putting some gas in it (the gauge is flakey), but no joy. So I cleared codes and tried to start it again. No Joy. But now the 'check engine' light is flashing. My insurance has free towing, so I'm going to go grab a code reader at Harbor Freight tomorrow and see if I'm having it towed to the house or my mechanic. But probably the house.
 

Hauler

Been fallin so long it's like gravitys gone
Feb 3, 2016
45,416
57,815
oh - shipping was $750. Brings my total cost to $3250. Plus I'll probably buy my uncle a nice steak dinner.

:)
WTF?
What year is it? That feels insanely cheap.
 

Hauler

Been fallin so long it's like gravitys gone
Feb 3, 2016
45,416
57,815
changed the EGR, light went off for awhile, then came back on.

Took it up to Tim's Garage (the guy that did the SEMA Dart in the video) to measure the rear width...if an IRS fits, it's going to be tight, and a bit of an engineering feat. But the check engine light was off the all the way there and back. On the way home, I took a left at the top of the off-ramp, gave it some gas, and it sputtered. Then it wouldn't accelerate.
I put the Hazards on and drifted over to the right and it died. That's a heavy 4200 lbs and some big tires when the power steering isn't running.

Hoofed it back to the house, not very far, maybe a mile. Went back over after dinner and tried putting some gas in it (the gauge is flakey), but no joy. So I cleared codes and tried to start it again. No Joy. But now the 'check engine' light is flashing. My insurance has free towing, so I'm going to go grab a code reader at Harbor Freight tomorrow and see if I'm having it towed to the house or my mechanic. But probably the house.
fuel pump maybe?
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
WTF?
What year is it? That feels insanely cheap.
2007. I'd been watching for Police Chargers for over 6 months. Old car prices go low from Oct-Apr, so I wasn't going to pull the trigger before Sept. Then this one was listed for $3500, which is cheap for a fleet Detective model. Then I saw it relist with the same title two days in a row, so I read the ad again and he'd dropped the price in the ad, but hadn't changed the price in the title. So I snatched it. I could just rebuild the engine and sell it for $5k-$6k
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
fuel pump maybe?
that was my first thought when it did it. I'll crawl up under it this afternoon and see if I can hear the pump come on when the key is turned to On.
And I've got a code reader showing up today, we'll see. It turns over all day but doesn't fire. I've read that if a power-pack goes bad it can interpret it as a Cat error and keep it from going in to Limp mode. I'll know more later tonight.
 

Mix6APlix

The more you cry, the less I care.
Oct 20, 2015
12,918
13,449
Jump it over an opening draw bridge and get back to me.

And it needs a new lighter.
 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
BTW - my dad came over at 0630 and we went and tow-strapped it back to the house.
At least now I can use my 'free tow' to drag it to the garage where the suspension swap is going to happen.

And I made a list of cars that are wide enough and cool enough if the IRS won't fit on a Dodge Dart.
Leading candidates are a 64-67 Fury/Satellite, or a 65-66 Chrysler Imperial.



or this, (for example)

 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
Figured you guys were owed an update:

I found a project car. Started off as just looking to find an A-body to measure the track width. I found a guy with a 74 Plymouth Duster on Craigslist, so I hit him up. I told him 'just coming to take a measurement and see if it'll work', but I did notice in his ad that he was willing to trade for Mopar parts. He had the Duster in the 1-car part of his 3 car garage, so I crawled under, took some measurements...it was close, but I thought an A-body would work.

So I asked him what parts he was looking to trade, he said 'watcha got?'
I got a set of heads for a 340 that are built to race. He paused. 'Well, you probably couldn't have offered me anything better.'

He goes to the other side of the garage and opens the 2-car door. There sits and immaculate 69 Dart convertible and a 71 Challenger resto-racer. Both have 340s. The resto racer has a Hillborn injection system, both cars are badass. A couple trips to verify measurements, a little negotiating...I'm the proud owner of a 74 Plymouth Duster. And he agreed to pay for the towing and the title change.




No rust, minor ding on the front fender (will probably replace with Dart fenders), interior is shot (don't care).
Big Deal is that's original paint, so no hidden secrets in the sheet metal.

So I dropped the rear cradle out of the Charger, and Tim came and picked it up. It's been narrowed, and should be back from powdercoat this week. I got a new set of rear subframe bushings off Amazon ($185, $50 less than wholesalers), so we can put everything up under the Duster next week. I'll order new rear 'arms' and shorten the axle, then the rear suspension is done. Doesn't look like the beefy rear sway bar is going to fit, so that's a minor bummer. But I cashed out some dividends and I'll order the front suspension (AlterKation, rack and pinion) when I get the rear suspension finished.

Bonus on the Duster, it came with a front license plate.

 

Filthy

Iowa Wrestling Champion
Jun 28, 2016
27,507
29,834
Another update:

The rear cradle is narrowed, and all the suspension links for the independent suspension have their bushings replaced with Poly bushing from Energy Suspension. The rear cradle was mocked up under the Duster, and Holy Shit, the mounting points for the IRS align almost perfectly with the frame rails on the Duster.

So I stuck the original steel wheels from the Charger on it, and Holy Shit, they tuck right under the fender lip. So I grabbed a 'resto-mod' rim and stuck it under there.

So the next step is to order the rack-and-pinion set, and that should take about 1/2 a day to get in. I also found a machine shop, and I'm loading up all the engine pieces and parts and taking them over tomorrow or Monday.

Here's the rear cradle, narrowed and awaiting powder coat.



Powder coated and set in place.



Mocked up with the factory steel rim



Mocked up with aftermarket rim. Just one that was laying around and looked like it would fit.