It seems as though everyone is doing anything they can to change their car. History reveals that the cars worth the most money, are the ones equipped like the showroom floor. Instead of rims and pipes, how about waxes and leather treatment. Stories of gently buffing the finish with a diaper to allow the full luster of the paint to show. If you want to hop up a car, buy a beater and fix up the engine.

You should revel in owning what will forever be recognized as one of the finest examples of motoring in this age. The Hemi engine amazes me daily. I always have room for passengers. Everyone gawks, most people have to come and tell me their car story. With the price of fuel skyrocketing, this will be known as the second, and possibly last muscle car age. (although I have seen some damn fast electrics).

I even enjoy repeating the colors to people... GO MANGO, TOP BANANA, and I hope to see PLUM CRAZY again. They seem to enjoy listening. Hearing some thing other than their Artic White Taurus, is fun.

Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to participate in the SRT Track Experience. The Best 300 bucks a person could spend. To truly appreciate the Dodge SRT cars, 8 in all, with 420hp minimum power plants, you have to drive them. The wildest of them all turned out not to be the SRT Viper, but the Jeep Cherokee SRT, 0-60 in 4.9sec on wet or dry pavement. WOW!!

Lets hear it for the Charger!

Preserve it, don't ruin it. Someone 40 years from now might pay a million dollars for your car...


IXLR8
2006 GO MANGO CHARGER DAYTONA


[sm=rant.gif]

 

Hello Ixlr8,

I want to thank you for the thought you put into your post and on atleast one level, I sincerely agree. There is value in vintage stock, show room quality muscle cars.

Now on the other side of the equation....

Muscle cars are to be driven.. to be in competition with others makes, as well as others of the same make. From the days of the boot legger & delivery coupe, gearheads have been the for-runner of what has developed into a subculture of performance fanatics that take the love for the american automobile, to en even more manic level. Had it not been for the performance junky, detroit would have settled for the Edsel & the family sedan. Had it not been for the speed enthusiast, the Hemi of 1970 and the Hemi of today would never have replaced the dependable, high torque straight 6.

I was part of that generation that marveled at the first 280 horse V-8. I remember the look of amazement on my friends faces when I opened up the hood shielding my first 396. I can share hours with you of broken tissue and feral howls of frustration as I struggled with ill fitting headers, improperly designed performance cams, and the ever popular finicky carbarators of the day. I can help you to understand the hours, days and weeks of research I did on compression ratings for pistons, intake & exhaust ratio to HP dynamics. Its just part of the development of the gearhead; who now entering the later days of the "Midlife" crisis, too damn brittle and busy to lean over a fender, who can now with dispensable income, buy the horse power he could only dream of back in the mid 70's.

Granted the manufacture has done a commendable job in comparison to the muscle cars of the 60's & 70's. (we all know that they did squat in the 80-date) But the truth be told, for liability reasons & market performance standings, they have severely restrained the performance potential of this and other models. Again the reason is simple, in that the average modern driver has neither the skill nor patients to function in control of a 500+ HP Beast. They intentionally did not develop the heads to perform to advanced standards. With limited potential for power they didn't need to provide steel crank, forged pistons, roller bearing surfaces, 3 inch exhaust or bullet proof transmission. A decision was made to restain the performance, to control the cost per unit and the cost to life and limb.

IXLR8, some of us know the potential of this unit, and a few of us have the skill to safely enjoy the full performance possible. This Charger is not unlike the 1968 chevelle, in that you can be a putzer.. with a 6 banger.. you can scratch the performance potential with the 327 & Slip'mSlide, or you can stomp the competition with the 396 and some after market performance add-on. I wouldn't be critical of the putzer.. nor accept criticism of my alpha male.. speed demon.. performance beast nature..

So to sum up.. I say.. Screw the warrantee !! Beef up the power plant.. bulletproof the trans.. give me 22's and speed meats on my wheels, and get out of the way.. cause 20 years from now I won't be worried about how much my charger is worth.. Hell I may not even remember I had one.. I'm already suffering from Sometimerz.. That Altimerz scares me spitless.. Live for today.. and never forget..

"***.. Gas or Grass.. No one rides for free"
Just my opinion.. I could be wrong !

 

Well said - by both of you. I couldn't agree more and understand where each of you are coming from. It would be great to find, hiding in a barn somewhere, a completely, unmolested Hemi Road Runner, 454 Chevelle, or 455 Buick GSX. But, I too, am in my mid-life (last half?) (60 next January) and this is, mostly, the car I always wanted to have but couldn't afford. I have a 1974 Plymouth Scamp sitting in front of my house and I have a 360 ci V-8 that's built and waiting to go in. Will I ever get it done? Don't know. But right now I have a, mostly, bullet proof car that is making close to 400hp (probably more than the 360 - should have put a bigger cam in [&:]); it handles well, and looks good to boot. To each his own I always say, whether I "like" it or not. This is one heck of a car, and I intend to enjoy the heck out of it.

dave

 

Kudos guys

 

Whether you mod it or keep it original, you could make money either way!
If Modding isnt for you, just be happy in the fact that yours becomes even more rare by keeping it original.

Two excellent posts suggestions none the less IXLR8 and DaytonaRT