1968 Charger, Ray Barton 528 Hemi, Pro-touring.

[Jarven1977]

I have owned a numbers matching 1969 Charger 440HP RT/SE unrestored for many years but in pretty decent good shape. 727 auto and a 8 3/4" in the rear. I have worked on it mechanically over the years so it runs ok. New ignition parts, carburator, new interior etc. My brother laid a matte black vinyl wrap since the paint was horrible. No rust anymore though. Only rust repair needed was a patch in the lower front part of the driver side rear quarter panel and a completely new trunk floor. I believe the original paint is celled A4.

But, along came another car..
My father owned this Pro Street plum crazy 1968 Charger with a crazy Ray Barton built 528 Hemi. A buyer came along who wanted the custom built Pro Street chassi. The rear end was very modified with huge wheel wells and a 4-link ford 9". The new owners plan is to race the car and therefor use a boosted 440 engine instead. We kept the Ray Barton engine incl K-member and other accessory parts such as ignition, radiator etc. Everything needed to have it work like a charm like it did in the Pro Street -68. At the same time we found another car, a 1968 hemi-orange project car. We do not have any buildsheet nor fender tag. All we know is that it is originally a big block car with manual gearbox and manual brakes and steering. That is it.. The car was painted a long time ago, 10-15 years. So there are some paintchips and flaws here and there but we will not repaint. Only fix it so it looks decent. This will be a driver for sure. I do not have to worry about ruining the value like with the 1969 if I start modifying this thing to my liking. The car came in boxes with a LOT of parts missing. I will need help with this I believe..
So this is why I am now starting this thread.

The recepy is as follows:
-1968 chassi
-No rust repair needed, only to be scraped and treated underneath. It is slightly bent in the front driver side frame rail. The pro's will handle that. I am having it over to a good local repair shop for this.
-Us car tools level 2 chassi kit with torque boxes, subframe connector. front radiator support and inner fender braces.
http://store.uscartool.com/b-body-chassis-stiffening-kit.html
-528 Hemi built by Ray Barton. Hp figures unknown.. anyone know how to find out without dyno'ing it?
-A833 18-spline, reinforced and overhauled professionally.
-Mcleod twin disc clutch with hydraulic kit.
-8 3/4" for now. Looking for a Dana 60 in the future.
-SPC adjustable tubular control arms
-QA1 adjustable strut rods
-Hotchkis adjustable steering rods. (Not sure about this. Can this be adjusted in height to remove bump steer?)
-2 inch drop spindles
-Beefier torsion bars(undecided)
-New moog parts front and rear bushings.
-Edelbrock shocks
-New wiring (no wiring in the car at all now..)
-Brembo front brakes with 14" rotors.

 

[Jarven1977]

The front frame was bent and twisted quite alot. The bodyshop did a very good job with it so now we can continue with the us car tool stiffening kit which should arrive soon.. Man do I wish I lived in the US.. This hobby would have been so much easier.

You can tell from the picture that it was severely twisted. I guess this is why the guy who started the restoration some 10-15 years ago gave up. He could only fit 3 out of 4 bolts on the K-member that came with the car... A new one is now being installed.(Hemi K-member with the skidplate)

 

[Jarven1977]

While waiting for parts I am slowly rrestoring what i got at hand.
Dash comes out of a 1969, it will be slightly modified to my liking anyway. Did a quick and dirty spraypaint of the bezels but I am looking for some used woodgrain instead. New main dashpad is on it's way and the frame has been acid-dipped. All wiring to be replaced with a universal 15-fuse system from ebay. Xlong wires though since this is a big car. Used an enginestand to have easy access to everything. The vinyl pads where in really great shape though.

 

[Jarven1977]

The crown-jewel has also arrived together with a refurbished A833 18-spline manual, a new hood with cutout completed(riser intake use a lot of space), Hemi K-member, headers, clutch kit from Mcleod good for 1000hp incl hydraulic clutch kit from american power train. New billet flywheel. I will just need new ARP-bolts than I will bolt everything up together with the K-member for having it installed from underneath, built a rolling stand for this. I believe it will make things easier.

 

[Jarven1977]

Can't wait to start installing the us car tools stiffening kit. To make this task easier including refurbishing the underside i have started to build a rotisserie as you call it.. Using two cheap enginestands and modifying them some.. hope this will work out.

 

[dukeboy_318]

 

[not so famous bob]

save yourself the trouble, send the hemi to me, let me know what the shipping charges are ! LOL

 

[dukeboy_318]

save yourself the trouble, send the hemi to me, let me know what the shipping charges are ! LOL

i dont have a hemi

 

[Jarven1977]

Thanks for the warm welcome, and no, there won't be any shipping of Hemi's

Had some sparetime and thought I could work some on the rotisserie. Did a mockup of the attachment to the front framerails and welded all joints on the stand. Not sure if I will make it adjustable or not..

 

[daytona kid]

Welcome Jar! Will be watching this one!.. I have Hemi envy,., Great work!, 68s rule!

 

[moparnation74]

Jarven

Got your pm on Dc.com, just replying here! Great to see you here and welcome....Keep the picture progress coming and this is a sweet project!

Thank you for sharing your story! Happy your pop's is doing well and you are making memories with this build

Justin

 

[Jarven1977]

Just doing some work on the rotisserie while waiting for parts. But the real action on the car is probably not gonna happen until later this fall. I am trying to have this "sauna"-project as completed as possible, just small things missing on the outside. But the inside requires a lot of work still. Too many projects, too little time.
It is a combined sauna/spa/bar/homegym-thing.. Like a mancave or maybe more like a wifecave

 

[MarPar]

The Swedes love their sauuunas dont they?

 

[Jarven1977]

The Swedes love their sauuunas dont they?

We sure do, it's what separate the men from the boys

 

[Jarven1977]

Worked some on the rotisserie today while my oldest son was at fotball-practise. Am i correct in assuming that the chargers center of gravity is approximately at the same height as the bodyline? It looks like that from the pictures I have seen on other rotisserie-installations? Sme guidance would be appreciated to avoid spinning it out of control when I try to flip it! The front one is almost completed, will probably add some stiffeners for security. Started tacking up the rear support. Will be fun to spin this beast around effortlessly.
Also completed the k-member, engine and gearbox-stand. Planning on installing it all completed from underneath.

 

[Budnicks]

Nice car, love the build style too...

Damn now I want a 528ci Ray Barton Hemi

 

[Jarven1977]

Nice car, love the build style too...

Damn now I want a 528ci Ray Barton Hemi

It should be a human right to atleast have owned one Ray Barton Hemi during a lifetime

 

[Jarven1977]

Going offshore on this platform for a while, can't wait to get back home again since the delivery of material has finally arrived to Sweden!

 

[ckessel]

My brother in law has a job on one of those too but south of Louisiana/Texas. A little warmer too.

 

[Jarven1977]

My brother in law has a job on one of those too but south of Louisiana/Texas. A little warmer too.

Yeah probably warmer, but I guess that is on an oil rig right? This is green clean energy, an HVDC platform bringing in power to the main grid from huge windfarms offshore.