1971 Rallye Red Cuda Resto-mod Project

[Grec]

@anlauto  Man... I really like the look of those wheels

[Chryco Psycho]

I would rethink the AlterKation I doubt you will be happy with it , at least drive one before you buy , , the upgraded factory system actually works very well with bigger torsion bars & adjustable shocks  ,weld up & gusset  the K frame , use improved inner fender braces & stiffen the lower rad supprt  , stiffen the lower control arms & 1g cornering is possible 

[1 Wild R/T]

I would rethink the AlterKation I doubt you will be happy with it , at least drive one before you buy , , the upgraded factory system actually works very well with bigger torsion bars & adjustable shocks  ,weld up & gusset  the K frame , use improved inner fender braces & stiffen the lower rad supprt  , stiffen the lower control arms & 1g cornering is possible

I agree but I've gotten to the point of not wasting my time trying to explain it.... You want a Pinto suspension, go ahead & use a Pinto suspension...  You want it to drive an old Mopar that handles amazing look at Hotchkis.... The Alterkation has poor geometry... It's change for the sake of change.... I've driven two cars with it & while it goes down the road fine it acts really strange in low speed turns which makes the flawed Ackerman angle very apparent...

[rUNCHARGER]

I agree with Wind and Psycho. For me it's upgraded T-bars etc.

Sheldon

[BobBejeski]

I agree but I've gotten to the point of not wasting my time trying to explain it.... You want a Pinto suspension, go ahead & use a Pinto suspension...  You want it to drive an old Mopar that handles amazing look at Hotchkis.... The Alterkation has poor geometry... It's change for the sake of change.... I've driven two cars with it & while it goes down the road fine it acts really strange in low speed turns which makes the flawed Ackerman angle very apparent...

   I have heard a lot about Hotchkis,  also saw a good number of pro-touring ebodies go down Barret-Jackson and Mecum with the announcer mentioning Hotchkis in the bio.      I'll admit I havnt even checked into them yet.    Any idea on cost for a whole setup compared to the $5-6000 for the Alterkation?
 Also,  any who have the AlterKation and are happy feel free to weigh in (there always multiple opinions on these things)  but being that I havnt spend the $$$ yet,  nows a good time to have my mind changed if necessary.

  Lastly,   glad to know the 15's still work with wildwood on all 4.   Still leaning that way,  but Alans resto doesn't look too outlandish,  however I would want to see more (thanks Alan for the pic,  that certainly helps)   I just don't want it to look too restomod from the outside.

 -Bob

[1 Wild R/T]

This is the whole kit, front & rear plus frame connectors...

http://www.hotchkis.net/product/1970-1974-dodge-challenger-hotchkis-tvs-total-vehicle-suspension-system/?mk=40&yr=1970&md=286&sm=295

They have sales around new years I think 20% off...... 

[BobBejeski]

This is the whole kit, front & rear plus frame connectors...

http://www.hotchkis.net/product/1970-1974-dodge-challenger-hotchkis-tvs-total-vehicle-suspension-system/?mk=40&yr=1970&md=286&sm=295

They have sales around new years I think 20% off......

  Nice,   looks like the upgraded torsion bars don't come in the kit..right?  They have them separately for like $380 or so.   The adjustable shocks also?

  Its not necessarily the money,  I can always wait and save,  but its more about getting the best setup I can,  and if this is better the the AlterKation,  I am definitely open to it.  But since I will be keeping the K member,  the Gen II hemi wont work,  I would need to look for a different K member? Or modifiy existing?  Sorry for all the question....  Anyone feel free to weigh in.

  -Bob

[brads70]

  Nice,   looks like the upgraded torsion bars don't come in the kit..right?  They have them separately for like $380 or so.   The adjustable shocks also?

  Its not necessarily the money,  I can always wait and save,  but its more about getting the best setup I can,  and if this is better the the AlterKation,  I am definitely open to it.  But since I will be keeping the K member,  the Gen II hemi wont work,  I would need to look for a different K member? Or modifiy existing?  Sorry for all the question....  Anyone feel free to weigh in.

  -Bob

Yes you can keep your current k-frame . They make mounts for a hemi.
http://www.engine-swaps.com/Pages/ProductsYear/70.74eBody.html

[Amazzen]

Yes you can keep your current k-frame . They make mounts for a hemi.
http://www.engine-swaps.com/Pages/ProductsYear/70.74eBody.html

I have used their swap kits with great success... highly recommend them and you can talk to the owner Michael directly. I bought my shaker set up from Shaker.com and he said the shaker would NOT line up with the Schumacher swap kit and that I should get a hemi K Frame. Well after panicking and calling Michael, me assured me that I would be fine. Turns out that it fit perfectly!

My configuration utilized a crate 426 engine with original intake, comp carter carbs and an AMD shaker hood. Worked for me, but call Schumacher and tell them what you want to accomplish and they should be able to give you some qualified guidance.

Congrats on your purchase Bob and good luck with your dream car, it will definitely be worth the effort!

Paul 

[BobBejeski]

I have used their swap kits with great success... highly recommend them and you can talk to the owner Michael directly. I bought my shaker set up from Shaker.com and he said the shaker would NOT line up with the Schumacher swap kit and that I should get a hemi K Frame. Well after panicking and calling Michael, me assured me that I would be fine. Turns out that it fit perfectly!

My configuration utilized a crate 426 engine with original intake, comp carter carbs and an AMD shaker hood. Worked for me, but call Schumacher and tell them what you want to accomplish and they should be able to give you some qualified guidance.

Congrats on your purchase Bob and good luck with your dream car, it will definitely be worth the effort!

 Thanks for the info.....the shaker hood is an absolute must.   Gotta be thinking about these details...Don't want to just click and buy and later run in brick walls.    That's why this is such a good site for preparing for a resto mod build.

  -Bob

Paul

[Topcat]

I have used their swap kits with great success... highly recommend them and you can talk to the owner Michael directly. I bought my shaker set up from Shaker.com and he said the shaker would NOT line up with the Schumacher swap kit and that I should get a hemi K Frame. Well after panicking and calling Michael, me assured me that I would be fine. Turns out that it fit perfectly!

My configuration utilized a crate 426 engine with original intake, comp carter carbs and an AMD shaker hood. Worked for me, but call Schumacher and tell them what you want to accomplish and they should be able to give you some qualified guidance.

Congrats on your purchase Bob and good luck with your dream car, it will definitely be worth the effort!

Paul

Yes you can keep your current k-frame . They make mounts for a hemi.
http://www.engine-swaps.com/Pages/ProductsYear/70.74eBody.html

Brad, I thought you knew better than this.

I have to point out that if you install Schumacher Hemi conversion mounts you are going down a bad road that I have been down before myself.

The Schumacher mounts will give you insane fits of frustration trying to make the oil dipstick work around it. Then once everything is in, you'll discover how the engine sits at a 7 degree tilt and 1 inch higher than it should fit.

This will cause the bubble to raise up too high like it's pregnant. If you were to run it that way,the shaker bubble will wear on the shaker hood as the engine moves back and forth.

The answer to have it sit right is to buy a factory reproduction K member from either Al Debevic the originator. Or from Mega Parts. They're about a $1,000 plus shipping. Then add another $200-$300 if you want it powder coated which i recommend.

Here is a picture with my original Hemi block using Schumacher mounts.

[Amazzen]

Brad, I thought you knew better than this.

I have to point out that if you install Schumacher Hemi conversion mounts you are going down a bad road that I have been down before myself.

The Schumacher mounts will give you insane fits of frustration trying to make the oil dipstick work around it. Then once everything is in, you'll discover how the engine sits at a 7 degree tilt and 1 inch higher than it should fit.

This will cause the bubble to raise up too high like it's pregnant. If you were to run it that way,the shaker bubble will wear on the shaker hood as the engine moves back and forth.

The answer to have it sit right is to buy a factory reproduction K member from either Al Debevic the originator. Or from Mega Parts. They're about a $1,000 plus shipping. Then add another $200-$300 if you want it powder coated which i recommend.

Here is a picture with my original Hemi block using Schumacher mounts.

Well, I didn't have these issues (and I had other objectives to be fair), but for $1000... I would agree with Topcat Mike's advice for your application.

[RzeroB]

The Schumacher mounts will give you insane fits of frustration trying to make the oil dipstick work around it. Then once everything is in, you'll discover how the engine sits at a 7 degree tilt and 1 inch higher than it should fit.

Stuff like this makes me wonder why the Chrysler engineers, with all their collective brillance, decided to put EVERYTHING (dipstick, oil pump, starter, etc.) on the left side of the engine!    Hello? There's nothing on the right side. Could of at least put the dip stick over there!

[onebadfish]

  Wow,   I think your right.   Very similar tastes.   Your car is awesome,  nice setup.   And yes,  I actually DO WANT a car that's a little difficult to keep tame on the street (but with modern suspension and breaking.) That's kinda the whole purpose of it.   I have bracket raced for a while,  but never with more than 500 HP, so and 800 HP Hemi car will be a monster,  but that doesn't mean you gotta use all 800 all the time.   This is more of an attitude car, if that makes sense.   I have the Vette for when I want something easy and fun to drive,   this is supposed to be the beast.   I want that lopy idles that almost makes you have to fight it at red lights.   And I want that torque that feels like a gut punch when you hit the gas.
   But at the same time,  I don't want it to immediately look like a resto mod.  I want it to appear like the 71 cuda I would have ordered from the factory (even though the modern goodies are inside).    The only exterior difference will be the 572 HEMI badge on the SHAKER (which when I install that badge, that will be the cherry on top of the whole project )

One quick question,  when you mention you run 600 on the street and "I have to run 70-30 C12" when you run it hard, what are you referring to?  a kind of fuel?   Forgive my ignorance on the question,  this seems like something I should know.


-Bob

Yes, C12 is race gas. The motor octane is 108 - I blend 45 liters of 91 and 15 liters of race fuel to raise the octane level. This increases the flash point of the fuel. I'm on the edge at 11.2/1 static compression and don't want to suffer any detonation when driving it hard. Car seems to like this blend - I started out a little rich and then experimented cutting back on the ratio. Next step is a chassis dyno for me. I would like to see what it puts down on a Mustang dyno and do some final tweaking - seems I'm a little lean at idle too. I plan to add a NOS system this winter - I bought another intake to start plumbing an injection system from a stand alone system with fuel and NOS.

[BobBejeski]

Yes, C12 is race gas. The motor octane is 108 - I blend 45 liters of 91 and 15 liters of race fuel to raise the octane level. This increases the flash point of the fuel. I'm on the edge at 11.2/1 static compression and don't want to suffer any detonation when driving it hard. Car seems to like this blend - I started out a little rich and then experimented cutting back on the ratio. Next step is a chassis dyno for me. I would like to see what it puts down on a Mustang dyno and do some final tweaking - seems I'm a little lean at idle too. I plan to add a NOS system this winter - I bought another intake to start plumbing an injection system from a stand alone system with fuel and NOS.

  Thanks for the explanation.  Yeah,  the majority of street hemi builders advertise pump gas,  but I wondered about blending some race fuel anyway to improve the performance (plus I have to admit,  I love the smell of burned race gas when a high compression car goes by,  it kinda lingers for a little while )     Thanks for the input and good luck with your mods...

  -Bob