My MoPars | MOPAR OR NO CAR!

Hello and welcome!

Welcome to my Mopar restoration page! I will document the painstaking, I mean worthwhile, process of getting (and keeping) my MIGHTY MOPARS on the road! Allow me to share a brief history of my cars. I got my 1969 Dodge Charger in January of 2004. Within a few days of my dad finding it, I made my way from Florida to pick him up in Tennessee and we were soon on our way to Virginia to pick it up. I trailered it home and began the process of restoration that continues today. I bought my 1971 Dodge Dart in December of 2006. It has been a welcome addition and needs a whole lot less than the Charger. The Dart is my daily driver and the Leaning Tower of Power (Slant 6 engine) runs very well.

The Charger

The Charger was originally a 318 car but I have decided to change things up by adding a 383 between the fenderwells. I have also welded in new floorpans as the original floor was non-existent.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me before I need to worry about the powerplant. Although I am a huge fan of the Dukes of Hazzard,

my Charger will not be a clone of the General Lee. It will incorporate orange into the color scheme and have some highlights of the General, but I will be naming my Charger, "Traveller". It was the name of one of General Lee's horses and also the name of a stock car in the movie

that the Dukes of Hazzard were created from.
Some beginning pics..

to..

yep, there's metal under all that rust and bad paint! I will continue to post more pics as I take them. I have done very little work to the Charger in the past two years because life has not allowed me to. I am looking forward to getting the bodywork done to make it look like a car again. I'm glad that I have the Dart to drive so that I can get my MoPar fix. It would be driving me even more insane that the Charger resto is taking so long if I didn't have a daily Dodge driver! Well, I figure I should list what I have left to do...

Finish the bodywork and prep for paint
Finish welding the trunk floor
Get a new rear bumper
Get a 383/727 and prep for install
New gears for the rear
Add an interior
New tires

Now, this is all not going to happen overnight. I don't even want to speculate on a timeframe to get everything done. I will be doing more work on it in the next year than I have in the last two combined. It's just a matter of finding time and money!
Here are some pics that I took after I spent a few hours digging the Charger out...

then some sanding..

and finally some primer..

Don't forget the trunk pans that I welded in and allowed to rust over again...

Here are some pics of the grille restoration...

Good news! Good news! My dad was able to pick up a 1967 383 block for me. I had plans to build that one up when my good friend Lucas found a 1969 383 (nearly) complete engine for me. It took half of a Saturday to get it but the price (gas money for him to help me get it) was definitely right! My dad and I have pulled off the heads and found that a valve had snapped in half and fell into the cylinder. Luckily, there was no damage and this looks to be a GREAT engine to build. I'll be adding a more aggressive cam, an Edelbrock DP4B or Performer RPM aluminum intake, a 750 carb, and some aluminum heads from 440source.com. My plan is to acquire parts one at a time and work on one section of the Charger at a time. I hope that instead of focusing on the massive amount of work that I have in front of me, that if I focus on one section, it'll get done.

The Dart

The Dart is fairly original. When I picked it up, I noticed that the 4 wheel drum brakes were becoming increasingly difficult to stop the car. When I got home, I opened the master cylinder and found that there was barely any brake fluid in it and there was a leak. It's a good thing that I didn't have to travel further that day! My dad and I quickly installed the new master cylinder that came with the car. I have plans to swap the drums for a set of disc brakes in the future. The Slant 6 is staying put for now however, I have added an electronic ignition. I can't believe the difference that swapping the old points style to the electronic ignition made! I am about to install a Super Six intake manifold, headers and a 2bbl carb. I just gave it this new coat of paint. I do need to re-attach the driver's side quarter panel outer skin to the inner well just behind the rear tire. I should've done this before painting, however, it needed paint desperately and I can patch and touch it up later. The bulk of the work is done!
From this..

to this..

and finally this..

Yeah, it's a four door and it's got a sporty paint job! This would certainly have made a nice sleeper before the paint scheme. Now I'll just have to give it some muscle to back up what it appears to be! I think that eventually I will drop the smallblock 360 under the hood. I am currently rebuilding it and will need a tranny and a new beefier rear to support it. Once again, money and time...
Unfortunately, I had to sell the Dart, but fortunately, I was able to send her to a great home with a co-worker. I know they'll have loads of fun!

My '73

This was my very first Charger. It is a 1973 SE. It had a 318 with a 904 backing it up. My dad got this for me and unfortunately, I had to sell it because I didn't have any room to store it. I'd like to have that one back...

This is a pic of me and an actual General Lee that was used in the show!

More to come soon! Thanks for looking, y'all!
Oh, and one more thing...