1966 Charger 383 4bbl

hemi472 · Post by **hemi472** » Thu Mar 31, 16 7:57 pm

Blue wrote:Spyders if you could find a decent set which isn't easy these days. At least you can buy Keystones new and to be honest they'd look great as well.

Yes spyders are hard to find , a friend of mine started harvesting them up about 10 years ago before the recent nostalgia trip so he got some good deals, he never could find a set of fly's though.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 8:05 pm

hemi472 wrote:These are keystone klassics , I would use 15x8 with 275/60/15 & 15x7 with 225/70/15 ( this is my usual standard answer for all muscle cars )

Cragars or magnums would look good as well

They do look good! Quite similar to the hub caps that were on it when we got it.

SJH · Post by **SJH** » Thu Mar 31, 16 8:18 pm

Charger looks great XP29, I think bigger wheels do make them look more muscle car. I really like Gen 1 Chargers but they weren't very popular at the time and didn't sell many. It would be good to get them together at a show sometime, I have never seen another one "in the flesh"

cheers
Shayne

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 8:25 pm

From what I can see they made around 35,000 in 66. Then 17,000 in 67. Compared to around 90,000 for each year of the 68/69/70. So compared they are quite rare!

I've seen a few, a friend I mentioned had a 67,but that's in Germany now. We viewed a blue 66 before buying ours. There's a grey 67 coming up for sale soon. Think there's around 10 66/67's in the UK?

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 8:36 pm

And yes would be great to get them together at a show, especially as it's the 50th anniversary this year. Maybe at the Nats? Adrian on here is up for meeting up also.

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Thu Mar 31, 16 8:47 pm

Nick Grant used to have a 66 Charger but i think he sold for a Chevy. He used to be a member. He's a photographer and has some cracking pictures.

Theres a picture of his Charger (NBU 226E) in this lot.

http://www.nickgrant.co.uk/content/?page_id=1009

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Thu Mar 31, 16 9:05 pm

A great write up!

Maybe a candidate article for "Connected" Magazine?

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 9:16 pm

Bryan wrote:Nick Grant used to have a 66 Charger but i think he sold for a Chevy. He used to be a member. He's a photographer and has some cracking pictures.

Theres a picture of his Charger (NBU 226E) in this lot.

http://www.nickgrant.co.uk/content/?page_id=1009

Nick Grant is the Nick I mentioned. His was a 67, that went to Germany around 2008ish, he got a Ford wagon after, then a Camaro. Now has a 50's Chevy.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 9:36 pm

Pete wrote:A great write up!

Maybe a candidate article for "Connected" Magazine?

Thanks Pete.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 9:53 pm

The tach on a 66 has the circuit board behind the glove box (next to the inverter for gauges, 67 tach board is in a different location). Mine was toast, but a company called RTE in the U.S. Make new boards for these, they also make the external voltage limiters for the gauges.

My tach can

The old board inside.

New board in. You just cut the wires and solder it in.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 10:05 pm

Regarding the voltage limited to gauges. On these its internal on the fuel gauge. It's a points style thing that can stick and in turn puts 12v to the gauges burning them out. When I got the car someone had fitted this cheap limiter......

But had left the internal one still in there! Best bit is the original one has 12v going to it, they had run a bit of cable from the fuse box to the new limiter by wedging the fuse on the cable! Crazy when there was a feed right next to it that should have been moved over anyway!

This is the old limited removed from the fuel gauge. What's left (on the left) is the fuel gauge wire.

Annoyingly I didn't get a photo of the new limiter. But it's in there...limiting.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 10:11 pm

At a show at the Pod last year I had to try it out on the track. Only got three runs in as it was VW Action so busy queues. Considering my amature status regards to racing I was happy to get them all in the 17's

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 10:18 pm

While drunk and on eBay I bought another '66, but this time a Hemi! Although a bit smaller. The detail is fantastic on this model. They have never made a green one in this scale, so dark blue was near enough.

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 10:31 pm

I have had nearly all the steering bits such as ball joints upper/lower. Track rod ends inner/outer & links. Roll bar end links. Etc on the front changed. Just the lower A arm bushings to do. I then changed the shocks as a couple were leaking for a set of Bilsteins. This made a big difference to the handling and stiffened the front up.

On the rears the top mounts were a pain as the position is behind the mounting piece but also the gas tank is in the way! I've seen posts were people say to use crows feet scanners, but I coped with a normal spanner and socket. I'm lucky that pretty much everything has come undone without much fuss on this car! Maybe because it's not been messed with too much?

Top rear mounts!

XP29 · Post by **XP29** » Thu Mar 31, 16 10:38 pm

Next was rear springs. The originals were saggy and starting to bend the wrong way a touch!

So got new ones. These are from ESPO and are heavy duty with 1" lift.

Again the old stuff came off easy, just had to cut one U bolt.