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By John Gunnell
After talking about a ‘68 Charger with its former owner for over a year, the two eventually agreed to meet and inspect it in person. Well, it’d seen better days, but underneath the tattered exterior was a fairly sturdy car, so Cuda trailered it back home and began working.
Closer inspection reveals the frame rails and crossmember were solid. The quarter panels looked damn good. Nowhere in the vehicle was there any real rust which would lengthen his build time. The passenger floor pan had a few minor holes, and impressions from where the forklift had moved the car before were obvious, but that was the extent of any underbody issues. Even the rear windows were in good shape.
Replacing the floors made it easier to implant an A518 gearbox from a ‘91 Dodge Ram. The forward half of the case is identical to the original 727, making a swap simple.
Cuda soon after dropped the Charger off at a local blasting company to have the frame rails and inside rockers blasted. Aluminum oxide was the media he’d selected. Then it went up on the frame table and had its lower rear quarters inspected. Some mice had decided to nest in one, but there was no lasting damage to the body. Some serious cutting followed, then a set of subframe connectors and a new rear crossmember as well.
With the pace and general level of enthusiasm rising, Cuda then installed a new floor and wider tubs. He’d made incredible progress in such a short span of time and, after two years of dreaming, he could finally start to see his vision taking shape.
Not content with it being just a piece of eye candy, Cuda removed the original suspension and installed the Reilly Alterktion front suspension. It would turn like a modern car, and the rear end would be just as capable.
To give the Charger modern traction and predictability, he pulled a racy rear from a wrecked Challenger in his collection. This aftermarket 9" rear end with Baer discs and a 4.10 limited slip differential would help enormously, as would a Reilly Motorsports 4-link setup.
Since he had modernized both ends of the car, he started doubting the choice of the Ram’s slushbox. As he had one laying in the corner of his garage, he decided to stick a TR6060 gearbox in its place. Ahead of it would go a 6.4-liter BGE Hemi motor. A sturdy powerplant with robust suspension and a rapidly beautifying body—no wonder he’d reclaimed some of the energy he’d lost in a horrifying brush with cancer. Fortunately, he was on the mend and his car was progressing as quickly as he was.
Cuda’s been through hell and back building this beautiful Charger, and it’s only getting prettier by the day. To keep tabs on this inspirational build, visit this thread.
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