68 Charger progress...

Wulf wrote:

Thanks for the expert comments guys.You seem to know what you're talking about but it is just a model. It's a movie car. I'm not sure what type of engine was in the actual car but it was not stock. It was muscled up. There is a scoop on the hood so the cleaner will clear the hood. The engine I used was in the kit and built as the instructions suggested. There are three engine options: stock, street race and drag. I'm by no means an engine expert or mechanic (apparently I dont know how to wire a distributor) but that's okay. I had fun doing the engine whether it's accurate or not. Andy

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Hemis are kinda unique, and very addictive (I used race one). Have certain quirks about them, and you've got 90% of it right on the money. As I write this I'm doing two early late hemis in 1964 cars (well one's rapidly becoming a nightmare). One car will be a factory race hemi (Dodge), and the other is a Plymouth street car that has the correct 114" wheel base. Might also do a very early hemi car that used the Carter carbs on the cross ram intake (they only built a very small handfull). Then it's onto 1965 cars (maybe two) and then a factory SS/B two door hardtop race car. Still have a few more parts to round up before it gets serious.

gary

Thanks for the expert comments guys.You seem to know what you're talking about but it is just a model. It's a movie car. I'm not sure what type of engine was in the actual car but it was not stock. It was muscled up. There is a scoop on the hood so the cleaner will clear the hood. The engine I used was in the kit and built as the instructions suggested. There are three engine options: stock, street race and drag. I'm by no means an engine expert or mechanic (apparently I dont know how to wire a distributor) but that's okay. I had fun doing the engine whether it's accurate or not.

Andy 

I didn't post it before, but look at the rear leaf springs real close. These are the right ones! The mount in different locations and are very assemetrical in shape. There are three different styles with the AFX spring even more radical than the others. In 1968 spring clamps were in common usage to further tune them.

gary

georgebluhm wrote:

This looks great!!!! There is a build off of this between two great builders on another forum and they both said the stock build of the engine will not let the hood close. One of them filed down the carb a little and the intake manifold a little. the other one cut down the engine mounts a little, but , ran into a couple of problems with the k member.Also, looking at the one engine pic, it loks like one side of the distributor wires go to one side of the engine.They should be mixed up,with one wire going to one side and the next wire going to the other side.If you want to get pickey, you can find a firing order for the hemi and wire it as such. Please keep us up to date with this as it looks fantastic!!!!

I noticed the motor mounts were 440 mounts on the block, as a hemi mount is further forward (towards the fan). They did sell a hemi block with 440 mounts, but nobody made headers to clear the mounts. The hemi block sets about the same hight as a 440 block, but uses it's own K-member. Next time my brother is into his storage thing we'll drag out one (he has the OEM stainless steel ones from 1965) and take pictures with a tape measure. Might add here that all the K-members will fit all frames from 1962 and later (maybe even earlier I don't know for sure). The ones for a Hemi Dart (1968) are not the samething; I think. Think the track is narrower.

     The hemi air cleaner and base plate are a work of art. They are much better at flow rates than any after market unit. The actual air cleaner unit sets below the top flange of the carbs, and is still a tight fit under the hood. Still it will work with a high rise intake (get Doog to post some of the pictures I sent him). Back to the ignition a bit: There is a rubber seal that goes around the ceramic spark plug tube to keep junk out of the metal tube all this goes into (otherwise it falls into the chamber when changing spark plugs). Hemis and max wedges used the same distributor (Prestolite), and if I remember right race cars don't have vac advance on the unit. This winter my brother's building two or three hemis, and I'll get down there to take pictures (no pictures of the intakes will be taken!).

when a hemi lights up you know the beast is hungry, and he's out tonight

gary 

This looks great!!!!

There is a build off of this between two great builders on another forum and they both said the stock build of the engine will not let the hood close. One of them filed down the carb a little and the intake manifold a little. the other one cut down the engine mounts a little, but , ran into a couple of problems with the k member.Also, looking at the one engine pic, it loks like one side of the distributor wires go to one side of the engine.They should be mixed up,with one wire going to one side and the next wire going to the other side.If you want to get pickey, you can find a firing order for the hemi and wire it as such.

Please keep us up to date with this as it looks fantastic!!!!

well I see you actually have the correct rear end on it. There was a cover change made a little later, and they look nothing alike! The shifter needs to be rotated 90 degrees with the bend being closer to the dash. Also when you install the "K" member there is a small piece of 1" angle iron welded to the bottom to keep guys like me from ripping the oil pan apart <g> (pointed part to towards the ground). Don't forget the pinion snubber ontop the rear center section

    All street hemis came with black wrinkle finished valve covers, and were not around to mid 1969 as an optional part. That air cleaner may not clear the hood, and would be considered a "taboo item". There is a silver fan clutch on the front of the fan, and the distributors were painted black. Intakes is also painted orange from the factory as there were no aftermarket intakes till 1969 except for blower intakes from K&B. Also with the street hemi dual four intake there are two exhaust pipes connected to it that circulate exhaust gases tru the intake for heat. You can modify the six pac intake from the 440 to fit the two fours on a hemi to be correct. You have the correct short collector headers by the way (about 16" long).

your on the right track

gary