Collector Cars

[frostype400]

I have just bought a 74 vj770 charger with a worked 360 v8 she has plenty of rust but I am going to buy a mig welder and fix it up.

It is starlight bronze in colour at least it is a complete car the rust although a pain is easier to deal with than missing a heap of parts only has 80000km on the clock but was outside for a long time.

The 360 and auto are done so just needs a heap of body work and a respray.

[Curly3]

Good purchase, love the Mopar's, look forward to seeing your progress.
My father loved his Valiants, had a new 770 regal back in the day, I still remember the trip's to race meetings with a trailer & 3 bikes on the back doing 100mph, scary thought now.

[frostype400]

Yeah I am very happy with it. It has a tow bar on it but whether I will keep that there I have a new ute to tow with but it would look cool a charger towing old bikes.

I will post a couple of pics hopefully soon I dislocated my knee cap today playing footy I wanted to be working on the car but I still managed to hop around it and get the engine number to confirm it was a 360 it was originally a 265 auto but they did have 318 340 and 360's factory in chargers so I won't need an engineers report now.

[Curly3]

I don't know the full story but when they were raced at Bathurst only the 6cyl engine was available.
Maybe Henry & GM were nervous?
Around the same time in the US the Mopar's ruled racing.

[pancho]

I have just bought a 74 vj770 charger with a worked 360 v8 she has plenty of rust but I am going to buy a mig welder and fix it up.

It is starlight bronze in colour at least it is a complete car the rust although a pain is easier to deal with than missing a heap of parts only has 80000km on the clock but was outside for a long time.

The 360 and auto are done so just needs a heap of body work and a respray.
 Make sure there is some metal left around the steering box mount.
 cheers pancho

[frostype400]

Thanks pancho,

I am going to start from scratch strip it completely and get myself a rotisserie that way I can make sure all the rust is removed I got a fair bit of welding to do.

[yzhilly]

C'mon frosty wheres the pics

[frostype400]

I am still hobbling around with the stuffed knee so I will get some tommorow hopefully.

I sold my yz450f today I couldn't start it for them I had to get my dad to hopefully it will come good so I can move around at full speed and start work on the charger.

[BAHNZY]

Michael,
Got some bad news for you on the 265 Vs 360 engine swap.
I'm been heavily involved around VASS work recently fitting a 347 ci Windsor into my 1992 Urvan and have studied the in's and outs of the VASS program. Your problem (and it's an educated guess) is that the 360 will have greater than 120% of original power and/or engine mass of the 265. It's irrelevant that the car would have originally been fitted with an option of the 360 as the approving engineer and Vic Roads have no idea what other option items where production line fitted at the time the 360 was fitted, specifically where the 265 might not have received the same parts. You only need to look at the range of brakes Vs powerplants fitted to the current crop of commodores and falcon's to understand the position of VASS-14.

Rod

It was originally a 265 auto but they did have 318 340 and 360's factory in chargers so I won't need an engineers report now.

[frostype400]

Hmm will be interesting to see how I go then it has been previously registered with that motor.

I will do some reading on that I have a mate that did a 250 to 351 in an xd so I would think that would be in the same boat but I know the car is done and registered.

Thanks for the heads up but I am sure I should be able to do it I hope.

[Mike52]

Drove both the 6cyl/3 speed RT Charger and a 350 Monaro when I was a young fella.
Both were a lot of fun.

[pancho]

 Why I mentioned the steering box mounting area is that I know some cases where this has come to my attention.
 Probably the worst case was a fellow driving through a roundabout and the car went straight ahead instead of where the driver intended.
 Another one was suffering from wandering steering, on inspection the area around the steering box mount was all cracked and opening up. There was no rust involved.
 The problem is generally related to power steering putting extra load on the mount area especially when manouvering parking.
 On the Val its not only on the V8s.
 The 1 tonner Holdens from the same ara commonly cracked the chassis and the cross member on V8s with power steer.
cheers pancho

[frostype400]

Ok thanks for that info Pancho I will definitely be checking that out.

I got the old girl fired up today the 360 sounded great no noises etc the owner had said motor and trans are done and the way it ran no doubt they have, it sounds not standard but not ridiculous should be good fun to drive after all the other things are taken care of.

[Mike52]

Frosty.
Buy the smallest mig you can as the bigger ones will not adjust down low enough to weld sheet metal.
I use a 110 amp cheepie.

[bazza]

Cool car ,auz muscle cars getting top money in Unzud,I currently have my old Mustang but god i should have kept my ex JR 350 bathurst monaro!!