My '69 Charger with AME full frame, IRS, and Viper twin turbo power

[benno505]

Awesome

[Cop Magnet]

I remember seeing a light green charger with a viper drivetrain in the early to mid 2,000's at a Goodguy's show.

Yea it was pretty cool, but I'm sure your version will have his beat by a longshot.

There have been a handful, no question. The V10 in an old Mopar is not something exactly new. As with all things, you pick and choose what seems best and add your own twist. Most of the conversions used the older engines, as the VVT technology hasn't been hacked. My engine is a combination of Gen III-IV-V engines (2004-present).

One of my favorite conversions was the TT Viper engine in the Cuda that LMC did for their show. They de-stroked the motor to get the RPM's. Hit 200 MPH on the Chrysler oval track in Chelsea.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/16/v...tters-200-mph/

[benno505]

what are you going to do with flooring? do you need to get some sheetmetal pressed for rigidity or just leaving it flat?

is the body welded fully or just spot welded to frame?

[Cop Magnet]

The body is fully welded to the frame (via the inner rocker panels which we made to bridge the gap) and the roll cage is also welded directly to the frame with plate reinforcements. The body offers little structural rigidity per se. The firewall and flooring, likewise, are not needed for chassis rigidity. I suppose the firewall will help keep the body from flexing on the frame. We may do some bead rolling on the floors just for show, but its not really needed for strength. For now, I plan to leave the interior bare metal but may finish it someday (when I have recovered financially a little). My dream material for the floor and firewall was a honeycomb composite, but its just too involved and too expensive.

[grendel]

Want to sell the Zr1 cup rims? I can use them on my 2015 Vette Z06

[Cop Magnet]

Want to sell the Zr1 cup rims? I can use them on my 2015 Vette Z06

Yes, I do. Need them for a little bit but they are perfect. Super light and you can't beat factory-proven. I'll even throw in the scrubs :D

[AmKenpo1]

Very nice, can't wait to see it completed. I hope you bring it over to Strange so we can all check it out.

Wil.

[Cop Magnet]

Very nice, can't wait to see it completed. I hope you bring it over to Strange so we can all check it out.

Wil.

Get Bob's Maserati out of the back and I will leave it there full time for you to play with!

[wfo guy]

Very interesting! I'm a Bob fan also. It's been years since I did a lot of business with him but he fixed problems the right way. It looks like the engine and trans sit high. Is that correct or an illusion?

[RIDES BY DESIGN]

looking forward to your progress

[Cop Magnet]

Very interesting! I'm a Bob fan also. It's been years since I did a lot of business with him but he fixed problems the right way. It looks like the engine and trans sit high. Is that correct or an illusion?

Well, it is as low and far back as is possible. Cylinders 9 & 10 are in the cockpit with me. We really couldn't do any more without doing something radical to the frame, which pretty much defeats the purpose of the custom built frame. As it was, we had to swap out the power rack for another for more clearance. More on that later. Remember the pics are out of order to some degree. The bare block was used for general fitment. The fully dressed block will be used for building the motor mounts and creating more reasonable spacing. But the final firewall build won't happen until the actual race prepped block arrives. There's too many subtle and not-so-subtle differences and clearance issues. The lower edge of the frame is 5" off the ground behind the front wheel, 6" ahead of the rear wheel. The frame is 4" thick, and the trans sits on top of that, so 9-10" off the ground. That's not a lot. The body sits over the frame completely, and is flush with the lower edge.

[Motorcitydak]

amazing build! Hope we can get our chargers together some day

[AmKenpo1]

Get Bob's Maserati out of the back and I will leave it there full time for you to play with!

Now that the Bora is back from Paint it should only be a matter of months before it sees the road. That car will be amazing also. Stock appearing yet totally modernized.

Wil.

[Cop Magnet]

Now that the Bora is back from Paint it should only be a matter of months before it sees the road. That car will be amazing also. Stock appearing yet totally modernized.

Wil.

Yes, the lighting, dash, controls, engine upgrades, etc are amazing. The engine is a work of art. I told him to build a Lexan bonnet and not cover that thing up.

[Cop Magnet]

Back on topic. From the cage work at Anthony's we got the car back over to Josh's. He's a guy who burns the midnight oil and apparently is used to working in tight spaces.



The car again look reasonable at eye level but from above looking down, the wheels and tires are too small and set in the wells too far.



We got the fully dressed motor that I had bought into the car to really check clearances, and I am glad Josh pushed me to bring it down from Evanston. We had a major clearance issue with the input pinion on the power rack and the A/C compressor. I know you guys are used to your LS's, but there are NO aftermarket relocation kits for Viper engines. It's never been done. We talked about making our own but the compressor is so big, there was literally nowhere to put it. Even the Competition Coupe ran A/C for this reason. The engine could not go any higher or further back (that's not because the engine rides high, but because the body is sitting so low on the frame). The compressor is off in this picture but would sit exactly where the pinion is.



Here's the compressor in place with the rack dropped out of place and shifted to the drivers side. The compressor is huge and the bracket is huge, essentially becoming part of the block when it is secured in place.



This was our solution. A custom rack from Woodward with a remote reservoir that de-bulks the pinion input area and allows us to lay the angle of the input completely flat if needed. We had to compromise a little on steering travel to move the pinion outboard a bit.







As you probably all have experienced, seemingly simple changes take literally months to make happen. Dan, the engine guy, would not compromise on the rotating assembly. We considered machining our own bracketry and swapping most of the major accessories around, but the order that these drag off the pulley he felt would throw off the tensioner and therefore the belt. Dean, the chassis guy, said the rack cannot be touched--it's a no brainer, move the compressor. In the end we found a solution that neither changed our steering geometry nor position of the motor/accessories.

[Cop Magnet]

I decided to go with Restomod air in the car. I liked the overall design and read good reviews. It seemed more modern, at least in appearance, than the "Classic Car" style of the Vintage Air units.



I am still nowhere near getting this in but of course I look everything over when it arrives and these pieces are quality. Take a look at this bulkhead fitting. Each component arrives in its own little bag as well. Very clean.



The under dash unit looks like it will sit really far back, but honestly the firewall is so far back (as are the seats--the engine takes my spot and I take the back seat) that this area being covered by a large dash will be OK.

[wfo guy]

Are you aware of the electric ac compressors?

[Cop Magnet]

Josh has fabricated a pretty awesome transmission crossmember. We used a factory isolator, and he built a drop down, lap-jointed center section. very creative.







More quality parts, billet hood hinges from Ring Bros. I'll add these to the "someday" pile.





Pictures like this make me wonder why I bought a car at all...should have just ordered all the parts from AMD! Josh had the back half of the car off to fit the homemade mini-tubs and replace the quarters.





Extending the inner sail support and up to the package tray.





Another detail shot.



Josh also added gas shocks to the trunk lid instead of the factory torsion bar. Again note the detail on the tub, which follows the lines of the frame.

[Cop Magnet]

Are you aware of the electric ac compressors?

Yes, very well aware. No one could reliably stand by any one product. Too much debate and uncertainty. We decided against it.

[Kenova]

........... Josh had the back half of the car off to fit the homemade mini-tubs and replace the quarters.

Only on a Charger could such big wheel wells be called "mini-tubbed" LOL

Ken