Return of a Big Hitter.

RobTwin · Post by **RobTwin** » Fri Mar 20, 15 1:22 am

Cannonball wrote:.....Show me a harder looking ar s end than this car

Sorry but I just don't get the rear lights on the later Challengers - you cant beat the original 70 rear end

Bit too goggle-eyed for my liking.....

Don't get me wrong tho - 10/10 for the rest of the car

Les Szabo · Post by **Les Szabo** » Tue Mar 24, 15 12:19 pm

Cannonball wrote:
RobTwin wrote:
MattH wrote:Great stuff Pete, I see it is the best combo a well, 73 shell with a 70 front ....

Would it be tactless to mention Specsavers at this point?

Show me a harder looking ar s end than this car

E -bods sure look hard with some rubber under them

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Sat Apr 04, 15 11:46 pm

Sorry but no real updates at the moment as Pete has been a bit unwell, poor lad, and has been working on a Norfolk 'n Good Plastic car

Starting to make some progress on the engine, which is a resurrection of the 500 Hemi that got blown up in the '68 Barracuda.

The Heads have all been refreshed and are good to go - Stage V heads
(stock ones flow 408 cfm) ported by ICE - and a mega-block that will be 4.5" x 4.5" and +.030 = a tad over 572 ci.....

Got a nice A727 with all the good bits, so should be a bit of fun..

I have started doing a bit on the Altered as well, so splitting my time quite a lot, which is never a good thing in terms of getting a project finished......

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:08 pm

Well, an update is LONG overdue - assuming any of you are interested....

I have an opportunity to do this as I have kippered my back laying concrete (or it may have been a pot hole on the Chop

)

Anyway....

The Heads needed more work than first thought (don't they always) but are now "officially" sorted.

The Block is notched for Push rod clearance and has gone back to Performance Unlimited in York for a measure up and the ordering of the reciprocating assembly..... so no Nats for this engine............

.......I could put the motor out of the Altered in it but that seems a bit excessive for just one meeting........so I reckon no Nats for the car either....

ANYWAY......Pete Smith has been doing a bit on the Cage, so here are a few pictures to shoe his excellent work.

Firstly, a couple of snaps of the old cage....

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:12 pm

More detail of the old cage:

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:24 pm

So....now to work on the new Cage....

Blue had convinced me to plump for a Chrome Moly Cage

due to the weight saving, and the fact that a lot more cage was going into the car...

Work on Main "B" Pillar Hoop and the rear bars back to the Rear Chassis Rails over where the Hangers / Sliders will be installed....

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:37 pm

Now, moving on to the Front part of the cage and the all-important "A" Pillars.....

Again, Pete had a lot of work on his cards when trying to re-locate the base of the Roll cage and make the car as accessible as possible whilst still offering sufficient protection in the event that I decide to repeat my Party Piece....

Pete and I discussed lots of options before we admitted the inevitable and out came the (Huge and protruding) dash pad assembly.....

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:47 pm

As you can see, the "footprint" of the new cage has been more a fair amount which also places it much nearer to the Car's "A" Pillar for increased strength....

Dave81 · Post by **Dave81** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:52 pm

Looking good Pete!

Is it just the Superbee at the NATS this year then or is the Dart coming too?

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 12:54 pm

Here you can see the Front part of the cage taking shape...

Charger · Post by **Charger** » Wed Jun 17, 15 1:02 pm

nice work

that welding is a thing of beauty

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Wed Jun 17, 15 1:21 pm

Nice work, pretty much the same set up as mine. Good idea tying in the A post bars to the heater plenum, these cars definatly flex in that area. That's on my to do list when the car is apart again next winter.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Wed Jun 17, 15 1:24 pm

Well, the next decision was where to draw the line....

...as usual, I this is not my strong point...

Having seen another Challenger "in bits" I was concerned about the lack of strength at the front end, given the car's overall age and generally poor (In my opinion) front end design.....

So...given the cars intended usage, I thought it may be better to beef the front end up a little....

Pete agreed that it was the best way to go and was "happy" with the extra work, but he knew it would be quite complex to do it cleanly and well with no additional "joins". Not sure how many templates he made in the process; but I have got to say that the boy done good!!!