If the person leaves the VIN alone and makes the car what he wants it to be. Then there is not a problem. If you sell that car, then you need to make real sure the buyer knows that it is not what it appears. The clone cars are selling well now also. And they bring in a nice price. It will not be as high as an original R/T.or other rare models. We were looking at a 440 4-speed car on E-bay and could not believe the price that the car recieved. It was a total mess. NO engine, no trans and the rest of the car was rust and dead paint. It went for over $10,000. 20 bids. I could'nt believe it. So if you want a nice Challenger to enjoy, buy what you want. If its an investment, buyer beware. My 71 Challenger is an original 318 car. It now sports a 340 Auto. 727 with an 8 3/4 rear end. I'll be adding a Keisler 5-speed to it in the future. Does this hurt my chance to sell it. I don't think so, the upgrades have more than likely added to the value. I won't be selling it ant ways, I've had this car since 1978. I will be buried in this car. I'll run you to the resurection. I might need NO2. Ya'll take care and God bless. Randy.

 

The reality of the market in these cars is that the numbers cars command the biggest money. Just because a few of you might not care about the numbers, and whether the car rolled out of the factory with a 318 or a Hemi, the market dictates otherwise. The highest values are commanded by the matching numbers cars that haven't been restored.... the 'survivors'. I personally don't have an issue with a clone, as long as it isn't trying to be passed off as something it's not. If you want to buy a car and not consider whether it's a correct car by the numbers, chances are you may very well get screwed...

 

there were people paying thousands of dollars for old mopars that were completely destroyed, but they had the vin tag and block, both of which showed proof of a factory hemi car...

 

For some people, just the thought of having an all original Hemi car is enough to drive emotions wild and the cost of cars up.

For others having a slant six removed from a Challenger and putting in Monster Hemi is totally okay and will drive it proudly
and could care less where all the parts came from.

I am in the 2nd camp, because you can put in the parts you want, get the performance you want and have a technologically superior car.

Ala get rid of the torsion bars and put in air ride suspension or coil overs.

Kinda like the philosophy of what uniqueperformance.com does as well as others.

 

It is a matter of what people value in a car. If I could get a HEMI powered Challenger no matter if it was an original or a later job, I would take it in a heart beat.

 

Unless you want to spend a LOT of time under the hood tuning it and changing the plugs (like after every time you run it), stay away from the 426s. I never saw one yet that wasn't REAL touchy. 440 Magnum is the way to go for brute power -- plus, they take an incredible amount of abuse with, at best, indifferent maintenance.

As I've said before, back in the '70s on the street, Hemis weren't that highly regarded. That's why I'm kinda amazed about the mythology that now surrounds them.

 

its because the 426 hemis dominated nascar and the nhra...stock for stock the 440 might be good enough to be worth not worrying about tuning, but when modding begins, there is nothing quite like the hemi. i am involved with a fairly large race team, bob george racing, and about half of the guys in the team are very very fast, and run 426 hemis...one of them drives the car on the street with a 9 second hemi car.

 

Oh, I agree the 426 is an incredibly hard-running engine. But from what I saw in the '70s, for day-in-day-out driving in addition to racing, the 440 Mag was a LOT easier to deal with. My racing experience, of course, wasn't part of anything organized. Strictly illegal competition on East 17th Street in Des Moines, Iowa.

Perhaps fittingly, East 17th Street ran alongside a junkyard.

 

im not familiar with these tuning issues with the hemi...what exactly is the problem? however, all of the hemi owners that i know around here have heavily built hemis...

 

I have heard of that. The 440 would be more practical to own for a person who wasn't serious about racing it.