A WORK IN PROGRESS

[AERIAL110]

Hey GANG!

Here's my old girl! She came from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Originally 84000 miles, 251 flatty /3spd. stick. The body and frame are solid!(its too cold in Lethbridge to use road salt!). I guess its kinda like a "resto-mod" hotrod sort of...lemme know what you all think!!


the day I went to look at it....



At my Dad's after the new front clip(M-body) was installed alond with Super Stock springs...

The "new" front end and engine/tranny in for mock up...

The '74 block 360- .030 over, speed pro flat tops, MP "muscle car" cam, "308" heads...


..anyway, I'm still working on it, collecting parts--its a long process as I'm sure you all know!

[AERIAL110]

..oh ya, the transmission is a '91 A518 O/D non-lockup TorqueFlite--and it lines up perfectly to where the trans crossmember is, and there is tons of room cause of the big floor tunnels in these cars!

[big m]

Looks like a good solid body to start with.

Keep us updated on your progress! ---John

[matty]

Cool,you planning on using the stock rear end then?

[AERIAL110]

Cool,you planning on using the stock rear end then?

The rear end is an 8 3/4" out of a '69 Charger(its the same width as the old 8 1/4"). The diff. is likely gonna be a 489 case with 4.10's and a SureGrip(maybe a 742 case, not sure yet). The 4.10's will be good on the street/track, and with the A518 trans(727 TF with O/D) it'll be something like having 2.94's on the highway. My goal is to be in the high 13's on the 1/4 mile and still get at least 20mpg on the highway! One thing I've noticed while slowly working on this project is that its funny how these cars are a hodgepodge of later Mopar dimensions--mostly B-Body though I think--like spring length, track and wheelbase, etc.

[matty]

I wondered if an 8 3/4 would fit of a b body, is it a straight swap then and are you gonna use b body rear springs as well? I am planning to do the same with my rear end as well i want to keep the poly and push button though, planning on buying a stroker kit for it to take it to 402ci i am a way off that tho!
Take a look at my car under (my car) at the top of this page. I also think they are quite b body ish underneith keep up the good work!

[AERIAL110]

I wondered if an 8 3/4 would fit of a b body, is it a straight swap then and are you gonna use b body rear springs as well? I am planning to do the same with my rear end as well i want to keep the poly and push button though, planning on buying a stroker kit for it to take it to 402ci i am a way off that tho!
Take a look at my car under (my car) at the top of this page. I also think they are quite b body ish underneith keep up the good work!

It's pretty much a straight swap for any late '60s B-body rear end-except for you'll have to figure out something for parking brakes(if you're keeping the drum on the end of the tranny). I think I had do drill out the front perch hole to accept the larger dia. bolt. I used MP SuperStock springs for a 3800lb. car(thought the others would be too light)-can't remember but I think I ordered both right side springs(I can check the part# if you need it). They are A-body length I believe from centre to front eye, but B-body length overall. You'll want to use the C-Body shock-I think MP sells it as the "drag race" shock. I think I used the stock spring plate as well. I wanted to keep the P.B. trans too but I figured that the floor tunnel was so big cause of the parking brake drum why not go with the O/D A518? If you want to set up park brakes on the rear and get rid of the tranny drum then I think you could use a PB trans from a later smallblock car without the drum--ei. a 62ish to '64 smallblock. That 402 Poly would be COOL topped with a couple of WCFB's. here's another pic or 2 if I can get them to work. It sits nicer with the SS springs I think.

[matty]

Yea if you could get the part numbers for the springs that would be great, i didnt want to replace the tranny i love the puch button too much!
I really like the poly motor its a real neat desighn i think and its been overlooked by the la motor ive got tired of looking at mopar small blocks and big blocks too easy.
I want the wow factor, yep its poly for me! Hey them poverty rims are cool man, i was thinking bout having the steelie wheels banded i think itl look great Keep us posted on your progress i like it

[AERIAL110]

Yea if you could get the part numbers for the springs that would be great, i didnt want to replace the tranny i love the puch button too much!
I really like the poly motor its a real neat desighn i think and its been overlooked by the la motor ive got tired of looking at mopar small blocks and big blocks too easy.
I want the wow factor, yep its poly for me! Hey them poverty rims are cool man, i was thinking bout having the steelie wheels banded i think itl look great Keep us posted on your progress i like it

Here are the part#'s:

B-Body SS Springs (both LEFT side-3800lb car)-P3690455
A-Body rear shackles (x2)-P5249715
remember--you have to drill out the hole for the through bolt on the front perch-B-bodies use a larger dia. bolt!
hope that helps!

I too am a fan of the "semi-Hemi" and often get sick of looking at smallblocks but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! You could always go with a PB tranny from a '65-it would be an all aluminum case 727TF. The wheels are Chrysler Police Car rims with late 60's "Plymouth Division" dog dish hubcaps--I think it gives it that sleeper street warrior look! I had a line on a 354 Hemi originally, but it turned out to be a wild goose chase. I know that they never came in these cars but they sure look cool! I went the way I did with the front clip/engine/tranny combo because ,well, I'm a young guy with a young family and a big old(136 yrs.) house and sometimes you just have to take the economical route. The engine was free and the block needed 0 machine work except for deglazing the cylinders. The heads are the swirl port 308's-other than new valves and a valve job, they just got new guides- they flow pretty well in stock form(almost as good as a W-2). I figured if I changed the front frame with the M-body clip that the LA motor would bolt right in and I'd have power steering and power disc brakes without having to go with an expensive kit. My dad always told me "if you're building a car to go fast, you sure as hell wanna be able to stop it!" . The A518 trans. was an after-thought. I thought the floor tunnel sure was huge so why not go with an O/D?-It would be good on long trips while still being able to run the 4.10's, the front half is basically the bulletproof 727, and it has the smallblock bolt pattern that will match the 360, and my Dad rebuilds TF's(free for me other than parts!)--a no-brainer for me! Hopefully it all comes together the way I plan! By the way, your car looks great! I wish I had your skill as a craftsman-excellent metal work! It'll be a real sleeper to with a stroked 318!

[AERIAL110]

oh ya, I had to relocate the spring mounting plates on the axle tube a bit, and I also reused the stock shock mounting plates I think.

[matty]

Yea, your in the same boat as myself, i am a ripe old 36 yrs of age too, (the year it all went wrong for the american car industry in my opinion)
I too have 2 kids and a wife to look after and i know how tight it gets somtimes with cash flow, i cant afford the stroker kit yet its all a dream at this time.
I was gonna put a 400 in with a 440 crank but after buying a book on the poly i just want to go down that route now.
Thanks for the comments about my sheet metal work dude! As you can see on this site i keep posting picks but you dont get a lot of responce dont reall know why?
How much does your old man charge out a good rebuild kit for my 727? I would be interested in buying a kit from him if thats ok?
If you need any tips on fabrication/bodywork/painting just ask ok?

[AERIAL110]

Whoa, haven"t been on in a long time! Haven't done too much in the last year-- I have the drivetrain mounted on the frame, had to fab up a tranny crossmember to hold the A518 O/D. Also, got a new driveshaft made to account for the new trans. I just finnished painting the underside of the body with POR-15 tonight...messy runny stuff!! Hope it's worth it! I hope to get the new torque converter and rear end gears back in it soon--I'm gonna try and get as many little things (brake lines, E-brake cable, etc.) done on the frame before I put the body back on just cause its easier. Anyway, I'll post some new pics as soon as the body's back on and it starts to look like a car again!

Remember: It takes a Mopar to catch a Mopar!!