nrowles

Hello All - I'm new here and to the world of Mopar. Thanks for having me. Little history. I'm 37 and about 4 years ago got myself to a point financially to venture into the antiques/classics. Started off with a 1965 Mustang because it was affordable. After 4 years I have pretty much the entire thing rebuilt with the exception of a repaint. 351W mild hot rod. 2 years ago I pulled a 1953 IH Pickup out of my grandmothers corncrib that sat for 35 years and brought it back to life in 8 months time and hundreds of hours labor. Now I'm looking more towards what I want to get that I want to do a full restoration on and get some of the luxuries like power steering, brakes and A/C. I know going into this the Chargers are very expensive. My preference leans towards the 2nd gen so I would most likely be patient and try to find what I'm looking for there but I do also like Gen 3.

NOTE: The 1968 Charger is all out the car I want if it's do-able for me. I'm not particular to any auto manufacturer and I've gone down the rabbit hole on all make/models of that muscle car era.

So my questions are:

*What is it like trying to get one of these with factory power steering, brakes and A/C? My wife likes to bark at me about riding in the mustang when it's 95 degrees out.

*What's it like trying to add aftermarket power steering, brakes and A/C if it isn't there from factory?

*Not including the upfront cost of the car, Is the cost of restoring a Charger relatively the same as your run of the mill Ford or Chevy or is it more costly?

*Same goes for making a stout motor (~500hp). In comparison does it cost the same as Ford/Chevy?

*What is part availability like?

*Is there a certain year/engine I should be looking for to accomplish my goals? Stout motor that gets traction to the ground with power and A/C.


Thanks for your time.

Archer

n -

Most "original" or stock 2nd / 3rd gen Chargers will have PS. PB and A/C. If they were modified, all bets are off.

Really no need for after market, unless you want to do upgrades, to the Pro Touring level.

Same procedures and cost for any motor, and 500 HP is easily do-able with big blocks, while staying street-able.

Few, if any, issues for parts availability these days, but some may not come cheap.

Some engine blocks are touted as being stronger than others, but it's more debatable than realistic in the 500 HP range, and unless you find one pre-built, like a crate motor, you'll be doing a full rebuild any way, so it doesn't really matter.

Might be better to have a starting idea of what you want and then figuring out how to make it happen.

Archer

nrowles

Thanks for the info. Your last statement is very true. A great example is how I spent $1k rebuilding my 8" rear when I should have scrapped it and put a 9" under it. I want to be as educated as possible before I make big decisions.