[Note: As I wrote this post it got longer and longer with question after question, sorry.]
The build I'm not sure on. When I was first told about the car the guy told me a '69 Challenger. So maybe it's a 69 build. Don't know. I get home from Iraq in a few weeks and am planning a trip out to Tennessee to see my car for the first time. Probably bring it home while I'm at it.
I would have more info on it but the seller doesn't have an email address and I'm in Iraq at the moment. Being in Iraq and having some time to think about what I want to do. I've subscribed to HotRod and Car Craft magazines and have been reading everything I can get my hands on about old mopars and such. I've kind of come with a theme of car I want to do. Have you seen the She Devil? That's a beautiful car and I would like to do something like that, body and interiorwise. When it comes to the engine, I'm not so sure I want to stay with a smaller 440 or something like that. I'm getting the powerhunger bug that probably comes with a lot of restore projects. It's not that I want to have the fastest car on the block, but I want the fastest car on the block, you know? I read in CarCraft (not sure which issue) about an engine kit you can buy to build on the old 440 block to get a 6.1L engine instead of having to buy a crate engine.
So this is kind of what I'm thinking. I want the older body style with a little hint of modern look to it kind of like the She Devil. Under the hood I think I want to do the 6.1L Hemi. But I'm thinking that if I were to buy a crate engine I would end up taking off the headers and porting them and boring out the heads (is that the same thing?) Replace the cam shaft and piston rods and heads. (I'm trying to talk the talk here work with me) Something along the lines of what they have at at
ShopHemi. Also there I was thinking pretty hard on puting a supercharger on it. I saw the FAST EZ-EFI system and did some reading on it and thought it would be a good addition. I know that I'll put in a cold air intake and that I'll have to redo the wiring harness and do an eltronics system. I know that I'm going to need to redo (in the case the I don't have wheels maybe do for the first time) the suspension system and axles to handle the horsepower output, I've looked around a bit but I don't know the difference between brands and parts and that so I would be a pretty easy sell on anything I think, unfortunately. So I have a basic yet fluid plan for the engine but on top of what I stated I'm not sure what more it will take to get that accomplished. I know basically I need these areas, engine, electrical, suspension, fuel, breaking, body and interior. But the parts within those categories I'm not sure on.
Since the car has no wheels and engine I'm assuming the body isn't likely in the best condition so I was thinking to start this project I would strip off the body and find out what I've got on the frame, see if I'm going to need to repair it or anything like that. At that point I'm not sure what to do next. Do I work on body or do I start working on the powerplant? My major concern is I may be moving cross country in the next year so I'm thinking the best thing for me to do is get the frame ready and put the suspension system on it and get some wheels on it so at least I can tow the beast when I do move. I'll likely put the existing body back on it for now and start the engine after I do the suspension. I'm worried though if I do the suspension first and I change my plans and the suspension can't handle the new plan. In this case should I stick with a build plan of a massive HP suspension system and if I don't go massive HP then no biggie?
Also I'm not finding anything in magazine reading that tells what exactly goes into engine tuning. Is that anything to do with the tuning of electronic fuel injectors?
Thanks for reading and for the responses.