While in the air force, I befriended a fellow airman who had a gorgeous 69 road runner, 383 727. He loved to race any sucker. Couple local guys dropped a boss 302 in a falcon and thought they were kings until the Plymouth beat up on them a few times. After a few days a couple guys found us riding around and wanted to race. Hell yeah so we went to his house where sat a 76 dodge truck with a 340 from a duster. Untouched they said. That truck smoked the road runner and threw away the butt. Still love the 383, such a sweet engine. Damn this comment is almost as long as your video
I saw a stock 1970 duster with a stock 340 smoke a modified 396 66 chevelle. It was close the duster got him off the line and the chevelle could not close the gap. It was only half a car length.
The (modern) Dart guy probably just wanted to see your Charger do exactly what your Charger did. Was lucky enough to pull up to a Viper at a red light in the ‘90s. Knew my little (awd turbo) Plymouth Laser was going to get spanked, but made it known I wanted that smoke. He toyed with me for a second and then just disappeared effortlessly. It was amazing. Got the show I wanted.
True to your word, you HAVE talked about the rag trick multiple times. That’s what I get for talking before listening. Also, at this point I am just unabashedly binge watching your entire catalogue. 👌
Jamie that is a super nice 68 Charger. I had a B-3 blue 68, it was a 440 automatic with a (4.10 geared) Dana 60. My car started out as a 383 2 barrel ,with a 2.76 geared ,8 3/4.
@@DeadDodgeGarageyou need to get a meter!!.... It's best to stop.....dwelling on the old ones!!! (drum shot)...... I'M HERE ALL WEEK... and remember....to hug your C body
I rebuilt my 440-6 completely about 8 months ago. It goes in my 70 GTX that is being restored. I had a few relatives over and decided to take it to the long driveway and do a nice smokey burn out. Man I laid some real nice rubber. And when I drove it around to put it up. You guessed it. Valve cover leaking oil on the exhaust manifold. So I instantly ordered the really good ones. Like you. I need to install them. So glad I’m not the only procrastinator around. With six cars and my wife’s 2 Cadillacs I stay busy. Well I have been sitting around and making a list of to do things. My hand got tired and I ran out of paper. But I do have a list. Good luck Jamie on your future endeavors of the car kind. Thanks for the video.
You're a blessed man! Watching you drive those roads brings back memories. I used to live in University Place, and was a service tech that made frequent trips to Olympia, Shelton, pretty much all over that area. All that time, and I didn't know ya'll had all those cool old cars there. *sigh* Oh well
Really enjoyed the video, as usual. I've got a 383 with an Edelbrock carb too. Had the warm starting issues that you have. I put a carb spacer on and now the car starts very well when warm, don't even have to touch the accelerator.
Thanks for posting another entertaining video with your Charger. At 9:40 you mentioned the points gap was open too far. This will result in not enough dwell (duration of points being closed) and not giving the coil sufficient time to charge, especially at higher rpms. I try to shoot for about 30°
Yep, that’s what was causing that stutter at mid range to high RPM. I knew it was off but I left it that way for quite a while. Because I’m so good at things.
Hey there fellow Olympian!!! I have been watching your channel (I grew up in a all Mopar house, my 1st car was a 2 door 66 Cornet 440)... ANYWAY, i realized today that you are not only a Washington guy, but an Olympia guy, I live 16 minutes from Rocket Restoration... What??? One of these days when I get out of the house I may drop in and say hello... love your channel , keep it up, I know its probably very challenging sometimes. 😊
Glad it only took a few tweaks to get it running right again, Jamie. What a sweet car, but if you're gonna keep parking it under that experiment in slow oxidation could you please throw a car cover or at least a couple of old blankets over it? Cheers & Gears! 😁
I love that car. My stepdad has one just like that only his didnt have the stripe and had black interior. I remember scrubbing that white top all the time. It was that car that got me into mopars. A week before home coming i blew up my nova and he handed me the keys to the charger. Told me not to wreck it or get a ticket. Almost got caught for drag racing
I'm fairly new to your channel. Uncle Tony and your broken axle shaft got me here. I'm sooo glad there was no gas in the carb after sitting 6 weeks! Why? To listen to the lilt of a Mopar starter. Very nice Charger! You remind me of me, which may or may not be a good thing. I certainly enjoyed the video.
I just picked up a Chrysler 440 points distributor and a bunch of NOS Mopar points at a garage sale. Amazing what you sometimes come across only a few miles from your home.
I still own my 1968 Charger and first car I purchased in 1980, Lynnwood WA. car when new from Walsh Platt dealer in Everett WA , when it stared its life and it also was a 2bbl 383 with 727 and 2.74 or so one leg 8-3/4 . I see your experiencing many of the common issues , iIve been there too and always worked through it on a limited budget in the past and kept it running . now with a modified and 440 and old school 284 484 purple shaft cam 24 years ago , it still retains some interchangeable original parts from the original 383 , to keep as much originality as possible, however however improved with upgrades like the Mopar Performance Electronic ignition orange box , and required solid state regulator , the distributor required a recurve I did my self that improved performance .. It had Points then a Mallory dual points distrubutor , however the constant tuning and changing points , and becoming skilled with the dwell meter , vacume guage and timing light , I decided to upgrade to the mopar electronic ignition , maybe not the best ignition, but faily strait forward upgrade. I did have an older Barrowed unit that exploded internally , with a high rpm Blast ... I enjoy your show keep up the great work , amazing how much you already know, Hope you keep your 68 for many years of fun and enjoyment ...
Isn't there a little felt piece on the points? I believe it's supposed be lubricated so the contact between the dizzy cam is lubricated. Also i don't know if the dizzy has a holliw shaft with a piece of felt in it. If yes then that should also be oiled. The oil wicks down and as the shaft turns it is forced thru the tiny drilled orifices. The oil comes out on the level of the centrifigal advance and drips on that plate and it's pivot points. That way the engine always gets proper centrifugal advance.
Ive got one of those bad boys in a '71 Road Runner. Gotta love it. Can you believe they delivered this car with no power steering. Its so bad its actually unsafe to drive. Ive got all the parts to convert --- just gotta have my mechanic button it up. Car has 35K original miles. It was parked in a barn in NC after somebody ran it off the edge of the road. broke all the mounts and tore up the radiator and its carriage. Its no wonder . .. you have to be AAArnold to steer the thing.
Huh. I actually prefer the manual steering. Maybe there’s something wrong with it. Admittedly, it’s better in an A-body. It’s tough to deal with in tight parking lots, but otherwise it gives a much better road feel compared to the vague factory power steering setups.
That charger of yours makes my face get all smiley. My car has been cruel to me today. It's probably going to get a 6 week time out too. That'll teach it.
*Jamie* My wife, always without filter when it comes to opinions, just uttered this when I started watching this video: "Of all those crappy videos on YT that you (me) watch, I like this guy the most. He's funny." Keep in mind, she next to never actually looks over to see what I'm watching - but she doesn't get much choice on having to *hear* what I'm watching. So....ringing endorsement, I guess? 🙂 (Doesn't matter - I enjoy the episodes regardless). (As an aside, when I first heard the Charger trying to idle, I said to her "distributor"). Not kidding. One of very few benefits of surviving this long on the planet AND multiple old raggy Mopars over the decades is a shadetree reference library inside my graying temples - well, that and my dad taught me centuries ago that the problem is electrical 90% chance - which is true 11% of the time. I'll take that cracked up woodgrain wheel iffin you don't want it BTW. Also BTW - what brand of brake shoes do you guys use on the 4-wheel drum critters? - Ed on the Ridge
Haaahaha. I’ll take what I can get, Ed. She has my thanks. Right, and that’s what I’m doing here - building up a repository of different failures, tuning issues, and how they sound. We’ll get there. As far as shoes, we just buy whatever the parts store has. If there is any difference between the different brands… I wouldn’t know how to tell. They probably all come from the same factory.
@@DeadDodgeGarage I'd about kill for a full set of old (yes, asbestos) 11" shoes front and rear - they don't even have to be NOS - any brand from back then will do. I still remember when they stopped using that stuff - we all resorted to using what was termed "semi-metallics" just to get any semblance of the same bite.... Does Tom have a secret stash perchance? 🙂 - Ed
Yeah these things are very sensitive when it comes to setting point gap. The cam on the dizzy has 8 lobes so not a whole lot of time for the coil to charge, set the gap too big and there is even less time to charge, resulting in weak spark. Had the same thing happen with my old 318 on propane yesterday which is even more sensitive to this stuff. I also use the standard brand points, they are good quality but there was a bad batch which had moisture in the package, causing corrosion between the spring and the points, left me stranded once. Good to see it running strong again, first thing that crosses your mind when stuff like this happens is I've hurt the engine. On a sidenote, if your engine is using oil, it could have been fouling the plugs when you floored it and together with the points gap being too large, resulting in weak or no spark at the plug, I've had that happen.
Just keep pushing forward my man...even when the door says pull. Another AWESOME video with my 2nd favorite car in the fleet (I really like old rusty sitting above it) lol.
I always loved my 383's . Have you ever considered getting a couple of cargo containers. It would help you organize your parts and free up space in your shop . Then you could bring in even stuff! Lol. Thanks for the video I enjoyed it . Stay safe.
That car sounds so nice. Anyway Glad she's back to the land of the living. Pulled the old Cordoba out of the barn after a 4 month hiatus. She has to serve daily driver duty for a month or so while the Fusion gets a new generator/electric motor drive unit. Thank the Lord Ford is stepping up and warranting it. Anyway hooked the battery up and dusted her off. Fixed the air shox valve and away I go. But no gauges. I think the instrument vr is loose again. Anyway fun with old cars.
Jamie; We all realize your one of the lucky guys to own a 68 Dodge Charge and, those that do own one, are going to like to step into it…this is natural. But there is something to remember-THAT CARS WORTH A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY! You think nothing can happen to you. Take a few seconds for my little brothers 69 GTO story (he also owns a 68 Road Runner). In the late 80’s, my brother saw a fairly good shape 69 GTO on the side of the road. After selling me his 1985 Z-28 (he totaled his 85 IROC on the same night he got it) he bought the GTO. It ran great and he used it often but was not perfect. After scouring the country for parts and car jewelry, the car was finally absolutely beautiful. He kept using often until 1 day a 76 Nova blew through a stop sign and smashed into the side of the car. After another 4-5 years of hunting and repairs the car is perfect again. After the accident, the car gets 25-50 miles a year on it….it looks mighty good in his garage and 36 years later is still perfect.
Brother, of all of the people on earth who know what this car is worth… I think the guy that paid more money for it than anything else in his entire life (other than a house) would be toward the top of the list. I am not a teenager, and I am not invincible. I’m also a pretty good driver. And, most importantly, I’m not going to stop doing burnouts and having fun. Oh yeah, and it’s insured! No offense to your brother, but I NEVER want to be the 25-50 mile a year guy. I didn’t pay all of that money for the car to save it for someone else. It’s mine and I’m going to use it.
@@DeadDodgeGarage His GTO was insured also by the way…maybe you’d feel differently if a 96 Caprice blows through a light smashing the front end of the car….Hope it never happens to you. All I’m saying is you can be Mario Andretti out there and all it takes is 1 idiot… By the way, I agree with you; you should enjoy the car, just beware of idiots!
Sure glad it was a simple fix! Beautiful car! It gives C4 a run for her money in the beauty department. lol! You’d smoke me in a race so we won’t even go there… 😅
Yeah, I used to have trouble hot starting my ol 383 every once in a while too. I had the "larger" big block starter, but every once in a while I'd come out of the grocery store and it just would not crank over. I finally put on one of those light weight mini starters and never had the problem again.
For your vinyl top once you've cleaned it you need the air blow it with a leaf blower and get some white shoe polish rub it till it shiny and you're done
I’ve had some ok luck with them. I have one in my Chrysler 300, but I haven’t gotten to put any miles on it yet. I have heart of the modules dying… it hasn’t happened to me yet.
Hi Jamie. I really enjoy your videos and I learn lots of stuff. Just a quick question for you. What type of blasting medium do you use in your blasting cabinette? I use medium grit crushed glass and it seems to be a little bit aggressive on steel parts as there is some minor pitting and roughness. Any suggestions would be a great help. Thanks.
Sounds good on video, i like that its not heavily modified in any way like many of them have been ! Big block and an Edelbrock , you could make a song out of that ! lol
Do you see the repair it’s leaking around? Haha. An actual radiator shop did that one for me over a decade ago. Back when we had an actual radiator shop… anyway, it’s also the wrong radiator.
I broke our 68'Charger fresh 440 after a short 5 miles drive. The choke bolt got loose and the car ran funny but was still running. It stalled twice and when i turned around, it started squeeking on the crank. The gas washed the main bearings. We had a high volume oil pump and a regular oil pan so you can figure out there was not enough oil left down there. I was 16 and didn't know better. Shit happens i guess. 30 years after I still think about it.
Yeah Jamie it seems like there's always something to do on them,, there's no such thing as done!!! and yes that 68 the 70 chargers are the best and the second best are 70 --71 challengers all by my standards of which I own !!!why own something you don't enjoy to look at, drive, abuse slightly, and take the car shows. and Roll ins. and local city celebrations car displays and for you rural people like me tractors also we are in a farming community flatland Minnesota good farming land no trees in nice rolling streams like you got up there you have some beautiful scenery 25 miles from here we have a lot of River Valley which gets really kinda nice and then north of here about 25-30 miles it starts to roll the hills roll a little bit keep the videos coming there Jamie
With points distributors on these, the cam lobes wear and the points never stay consistent, meaning the timing is erratic and the engine erratic. The points not being within the screwdriver slot adjustment range is a bit of a giveaway to me. Also just use feeler gauges to adjust the points. There is a range so they don't have to be perfect. I had one on a 383 where when you were cruising it would intermittently cut out or misfire. It was getting frustrating trying to diagnose it. It's just a simple engine right - why can't I solve this?? As soon as I floored it, it was fine, drive around town, yep fine. It would only do it on a drive down the freeway or a country trip. Anyway what happened was the cam lobes were worn down - not enough that you couldn't adjust the points correctly, but as the vac advance kicked in the breaker plate naturally swings in an arc pulling the points away from the cam lobes, closing them causing a misfire or the engine to shut down. If the lobes are in good condition this doesn't matter but if they're worn down erratic dwell is the result. How I found it was sucking on the vac advance and I saw the points close. It didn't help that there was a bit of slop in the distributor shaft either. Not much but enough when the lobes are worn for it to all be effectively a life expired distributor.
Jamie, When I was in my 20s in the early 90s I had to make sure I ran 94 octane in my Corvair or it would ping when hot. That was unleaded gas by then, obviously. Gas is even worse, now. You were enjoying life and running errands on the fateful day when your car acted up. I am wondering if you did not get a little bit of vapor lock? I know that you have forgotten more than I will ever know, but is it possible that was what happened? In this video it looks like a mild cloudy day and you wouldn't get the right conditions for vapor lock so whatever you do to the Charger will feel like it helped. I just automatically assume vapor lock on carb engines in the summer nowadays.
Nah, this definitely wasn’t that. In fact as much as I’ve heard people talk about vapor lock, I’ve never experienced it myself. I do have the boiling fuel after shutoff issue. Oh, I did boil fuel in the rear bowl of my Demon at the track once I guess, after idling in the lanes for half an hour… but that’s a different deal.
Hey man the way you described it it could have been fuel boil in that moment. Had a 70 f100 fuel boil with an edelbrock wouldn't idle ran like crap on a hot day after a pull. All we changed was putting a piece of rubber to space the fuel line off the valve cover it was just barely touching. Never happened again.
Love your videos. I have a 69 with the 383 and oddly it has the exact same steering wheel crack in the same location. Mine has the Edelbrock and I know what you mean about hot start issues. It starts easy right after shutting it down but if I wait 15 minutes it starts like crap. Mine has a slight acceleration hesitation when starting out. Professionally rebuilt motor with about 5000 miles on it. Any tips or things I can look for?
How I would love to own that car , looks great , but, have you considered how awesome it would be in " Bullitt" black ? , or would that hurt the value?👍
I don’t care about the value, and I would love to have a black Charger… but the dark red is exactly the ‘68 I wanted for years and years. I would never change that.
You got lucky. When I did that exact same thing with my '69 Charger R/T with the 440 only tried beating out a Honda Civic. The nylon cam gear decided to come apart and jump a couple teeth, bending a couple valves, and ruined some valve guides as well. Yeah, I always had the Hot restart issue too except when I would run a spacer between the Carbrurator and intake manifold. But then the engine ran like crap after awhile.
@@DeadDodgeGarage I retired my first one last year after 20 years, they're good lights. And I will admit being surprised you didn't, but that's what we're for, helping each other out.
Had a 68 440 Charger in high school. White with black interior and stripes. Only Charger I ever saw with electric windows. Ran super strong, drum brakes sucked big time. Car would easily out run the brakes. Sure wish I still had it…
I know you say this Charger isn't perfect, but it is as far as a semi daily driver goes, it's pretty sweet. Plus, you don't see this color combination very much. Most I have seen always have a black vinyl top, at least in my neck of the woods.
I know it! It seems to be a pretty rare combination. Funny enough, a car exactly like this (but an actual R/T) is featured in the 1968 Charger brochure. I always wanted mine to be this color, but black roof, stripe and interior. As soon as I saw the white in person though, I was hooked on that.
Can you explain the big block/edelbrock hot start theory? My buddy had the same issue with his 383 and eddy and is ready to chuck it in the bushes but it cold start and drives decent. But the hot start is horrible.
If he simply holds the throttle to the floor when cranking, it will fire up in a handful of seconds. No pumping, just hold the throttle open. It took me a bit to figure that out when I got the car. I think I only killed my battery once… anyway, a carb spacer of some kind will definitely help.
In this car, a full tank reads half. Half tank is below empty. In the Demon, the gauge only kinda works sometimes. In my ramp truck, the gauge reads a quarter from full tank all the way down to very close to empty, at which point it goes straight to empty. Just about every other older rig around here has a broken fuel gauge. And in most of the cars I work on at the resto shop, they don’t have much fuel. Why fill your tank if it’s just going to sit there and evaporate and rot? Anyway, working fuel gauges are a luxury most Mopar owners don’t get to enjoy. Haha.
Very cool charger, I can't say I like the white interior or top though I would definitely of ordered it black top and interior, I'd get that white dirty every time I look at it lol
Damn I just thru out a SEARS RPM and dwell meter, figured I'd never use it again. could have sent it to you. Always do that dump something and need it a few weeks later LOL
Tell you what pal, I’ve done enough thousands of miles of research on the plastic filter thing to know that’s nonsense. The real fire starters are those three piece filters with the glass center and replaceable element. Those things vibrate apart and cause fires. Seen it. Meanwhile, these plastic filters? I’m working on a car right now with one of those mounted three inches from an exhaust manifold, where it has been for years. I’ve seen them damn near on the exhaust, and yet no fires. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m not saying it can’t happen, but come on.
@@DeadDodgeGarage Tell that to someone else pal, I have been a mechanic for 45 years, not a RUclips mechanic. BTW at any real drag strip will not let you race with a plastic fuel filter.
One of the cars I learned to drive on was my dad's 1968 Chrysler Newport with a 383 2 barrel. Once that thing got up to speed, it was a juggernaut. My fondest memories were going to the dealership with him and tire kicking all the muscle cars in the showroom during that great era. I now proudly own a Dodge Charger Scatpack. Driving that car gives the experience of what all cars should be about. I don't know if the color of your Charger's engine is correct. Shouldn't all big blocks be orange?
I totally agree! Mine is actually a low compression 2 barrel engine wearing a four barrel and Magnum air cleaner, but hey. It’s enough of a performer for me.
Remember, it's a lot easier to win a race when your opponent doesn't know he's in one.
Damn right!
While in the air force, I befriended a fellow airman who had a gorgeous 69 road runner, 383 727. He loved to race any sucker. Couple local guys dropped a boss 302 in a falcon and thought they were kings until the Plymouth beat up on them a few times. After a few days a couple guys found us riding around and wanted to race. Hell yeah so we went to his house where sat a 76 dodge truck with a 340 from a duster. Untouched they said. That truck smoked the road runner and threw away the butt. Still love the 383, such a sweet engine. Damn this comment is almost as long as your video
I saw a stock 1970 duster with a stock 340 smoke a modified 396 66 chevelle. It was close the duster got him off the line and the chevelle could not close the gap. It was only half a car length.
Sure you did
The (modern) Dart guy probably just wanted to see your Charger do exactly what your Charger did.
Was lucky enough to pull up to a Viper at a red light in the ‘90s. Knew my little (awd turbo) Plymouth Laser was going to get spanked, but made it known I wanted that smoke. He toyed with me for a second and then just disappeared effortlessly. It was amazing. Got the show I wanted.
True to your word, you HAVE talked about the rag trick multiple times.
That’s what I get for talking before listening.
Also, at this point I am just unabashedly binge watching your entire catalogue. 👌
I toldja. Haha. Well, thanks!
Jamie that is a super nice 68 Charger.
I had a B-3 blue 68, it was a 440 automatic with a (4.10 geared) Dana 60.
My car started out as a 383 2 barrel ,with a 2.76 geared ,8 3/4.
That’s the drive train mine was ordered with! 383 2 barrel and 2.76 gears. I’ve got 3.23s in it now and it’s just perfect.
So much torque, the chassis twisted coming off the line.
That’s right 🤣
The brotherhood of muscle.
Nah that's a supercharged 440 💪
@@DeadDodgeGarageyou need to get a meter!!....
It's best to stop.....dwelling on the old ones!!! (drum shot)...... I'M HERE ALL WEEK...
and remember....to hug your C body
Where you ranking up in the pro circuit?
B- bodies are very cool, the 4 door sedans are even fun and practical to drive. All these cars should be on the road more often.
68 Charger and the 70 Roadrunner, the two best looking B bodies ever made.
68 Coronet. Hello!
Halle Barry is best looking B body ever made?
Ceskoslovenska.
‘69 GTX
@@j1974f Times two. I was just thinking that. And GTXs don't command crazy prices.
исключая додж 😂 Roadrunner действительно лучший
I rebuilt my 440-6 completely about 8 months ago. It goes in my 70 GTX that is being restored. I had a few relatives over and decided to take it to the long driveway and do a nice smokey burn out. Man I laid some real nice rubber. And when I drove it around to put it up. You guessed it. Valve cover leaking oil on the exhaust manifold. So I instantly ordered the really good ones. Like you. I need to install them. So glad I’m not the only procrastinator around. With six cars and my wife’s 2 Cadillacs I stay busy. Well I have been sitting around and making a list of to do things. My hand got tired and I ran out of paper. But I do have a list. Good luck Jamie on your future endeavors of the car kind. Thanks for the video.
Lists are good, organized procrastination is a step above procrastination itself.
Very happy you've got your dream car running again. I'm years away from that here but I'll enjoy your achievement vicariously ;)
You're a blessed man!
Watching you drive those roads brings back memories. I used to live in University Place, and was a service tech that made frequent trips to Olympia, Shelton, pretty much all over that area.
All that time, and I didn't know ya'll had all those cool old cars there. *sigh* Oh well
Love the hot start!!! Seems perfect to me.
11:50 so, do you ever get past program 1 song 1 soul power by james brown when you listen to the 8 track?
Some day, I’ll make it actually work. Probably. Lol.
How could anyone not love this car?
ah, the ol' big-block hot start.
Phenolic carb spacer might help your hot start a little if you have room for it.
The room is the problem. I am considering a thin one.
Really enjoyed the video, as usual. I've got a 383 with an Edelbrock carb too. Had the warm starting issues that you have. I put a carb spacer on and now the car starts very well when warm, don't even have to touch the accelerator.
Thanks for posting another entertaining video with your Charger. At 9:40 you mentioned the points gap was open too far. This will result in not enough dwell (duration of points being closed) and not giving the coil sufficient time to charge, especially at higher rpms. I try to shoot for about 30°
Yep, that’s what was causing that stutter at mid range to high RPM. I knew it was off but I left it that way for quite a while. Because I’m so good at things.
Hey there fellow Olympian!!! I have been watching your channel (I grew up in a all Mopar house, my 1st car was a 2 door 66 Cornet 440)...
ANYWAY, i realized today that you are not only a Washington guy, but an Olympia guy, I live 16 minutes from Rocket Restoration...
What??? One of these days when I get out of the house I may drop in and say hello... love your channel , keep it up, I know its probably very challenging sometimes. 😊
Rad! I actually live in Aberdeen, but I commute up to Rocket 1-3 days a week. I’m sure I’ll run into you eventually. And thanks!
Nice too know you are having fun with your Charger 😊
Glad it only took a few tweaks to get it running right again, Jamie. What a sweet car, but if you're gonna keep parking it under that experiment in slow oxidation could you please throw a car cover or at least a couple of old blankets over it? Cheers & Gears! 😁
It’s in my plan. Haha. Thanks!
I love that car. My stepdad has one just like that only his didnt have the stripe and had black interior. I remember scrubbing that white top all the time. It was that car that got me into mopars. A week before home coming i blew up my nova and he handed me the keys to the charger. Told me not to wreck it or get a ticket. Almost got caught for drag racing
I'm fairly new to your channel. Uncle Tony and your broken axle shaft got me here. I'm sooo glad there was no gas in the carb after sitting 6 weeks! Why? To listen to the lilt of a Mopar starter. Very nice Charger! You remind me of me, which may or may not be a good thing. I certainly enjoyed the video.
I just picked up a Chrysler 440 points distributor and a bunch of NOS Mopar points at a garage sale. Amazing what you sometimes come across only a few miles from your home.
I can't recall the exact model of valve cover gasket from Felpro, but they don't seal for squat on the B/RB blocks.
The garbage ones are the rubber coated fiber. They are absolute garbage, and should be avoided like the plague.
Yup can't beat summer cruising in a Charger... great content and thanks....🔧🔧🐐👍
I still own my 1968 Charger and first car I purchased in 1980, Lynnwood WA. car when new from Walsh Platt dealer in Everett WA , when it stared its life and it also was a 2bbl 383 with 727 and 2.74 or so one leg 8-3/4 . I see your experiencing many of the common issues , iIve been there too and always worked through it on a limited budget in the past and kept it running . now with a modified and 440 and old school 284 484 purple shaft cam 24 years ago , it still retains some interchangeable original parts from the original 383 , to keep as much originality as possible, however however improved with upgrades like the Mopar Performance Electronic ignition orange box , and required solid state regulator , the distributor required a recurve I did my self that improved performance .. It had Points then a Mallory dual points distrubutor , however the constant tuning and changing points , and becoming skilled with the dwell meter , vacume guage and timing light , I decided to upgrade to the mopar electronic ignition , maybe not the best ignition, but faily strait forward upgrade. I did have an older Barrowed unit that exploded internally , with a high rpm Blast ... I enjoy your show keep up the great work , amazing how much you already know, Hope you keep your 68 for many years of fun and enjoyment ...
Isn't there a little felt piece on the points? I believe it's supposed be lubricated so the contact between the dizzy cam is lubricated.
Also i don't know if the dizzy has a holliw shaft with a piece of felt in it. If yes then that should also be oiled. The oil wicks down and as the shaft turns it is forced thru the tiny drilled orifices. The oil comes out on the level of the centrifigal advance and drips on that plate and it's pivot points. That way the engine always gets proper centrifugal advance.
Many sets of points do not have the felt - even old ones. You are correct on the other oiling point.
I had one in the Maroon color with Black hard top..got it in a trade..it had a small block in it.. love your car here.
Such a lovely car, really is one of the most beautiful vehicles ever to grace the roads
Dang, I really really love your 68! Given todays available (ahem) gasoline, ignition timing is a fun topic on our factory higher compression Mopars.
Thankfully this was actually a standard cruising model 2 barrel 383 originally. It doesn’t mean the cheap garbage gas at all! I love it too. Haha.
68 Charger is my FAVORITE year Charger....
Amazing car you've got there 👍🎸
Ive got one of those bad boys in a '71 Road Runner. Gotta love it. Can you believe they delivered this car with no power steering. Its so bad its actually unsafe to drive. Ive got all the parts to convert --- just gotta have my mechanic button it up. Car has 35K original miles. It was parked in a barn in NC after somebody ran it off the edge of the road. broke all the mounts and tore up the radiator and its carriage. Its no wonder . .. you have to be AAArnold to steer the thing.
Huh. I actually prefer the manual steering. Maybe there’s something wrong with it. Admittedly, it’s better in an A-body. It’s tough to deal with in tight parking lots, but otherwise it gives a much better road feel compared to the vague factory power steering setups.
That charger of yours makes my face get all smiley. My car has been cruel to me today. It's probably going to get a 6 week time out too. That'll teach it.
*Jamie*
My wife, always without filter when it comes to opinions, just uttered this when I started watching
this video:
"Of all those crappy videos on YT that you (me) watch, I like this guy the most. He's funny."
Keep in mind, she next to never actually looks over to see what I'm watching - but she doesn't get
much choice on having to *hear* what I'm watching.
So....ringing endorsement, I guess? 🙂
(Doesn't matter - I enjoy the episodes regardless).
(As an aside, when I first heard the Charger trying to idle, I said to her "distributor").
Not kidding.
One of very few benefits of surviving this long on the planet AND multiple old raggy Mopars over
the decades is a shadetree reference library inside my graying temples - well, that and my dad
taught me centuries ago that the problem is electrical 90% chance - which is true 11% of the time.
I'll take that cracked up woodgrain wheel iffin you don't want it BTW.
Also BTW - what brand of brake shoes do you guys use on the 4-wheel drum critters?
- Ed on the Ridge
^^^ Ditto... on all of it. Especially the wife part.
Haaahaha. I’ll take what I can get, Ed. She has my thanks. Right, and that’s what I’m doing here - building up a repository of different failures, tuning issues, and how they sound. We’ll get there. As far as shoes, we just buy whatever the parts store has. If there is any difference between the different brands… I wouldn’t know how to tell. They probably all come from the same factory.
@@DeadDodgeGarage I'd about kill for a full set of old (yes, asbestos) 11" shoes front
and rear - they don't even have to be NOS - any brand from back then will do.
I still remember when they stopped using that stuff - we all resorted to using what
was termed "semi-metallics" just to get any semblance of the same bite....
Does Tom have a secret stash perchance? 🙂 - Ed
Yeah these things are very sensitive when it comes to setting point gap.
The cam on the dizzy has 8 lobes so not a whole lot of time for the coil to charge, set the gap too big and there is even less time to charge, resulting in weak spark.
Had the same thing happen with my old 318 on propane yesterday which is even more sensitive to this stuff.
I also use the standard brand points, they are good quality but there was a bad batch which had moisture in the package, causing corrosion between the spring and the points, left me stranded once.
Good to see it running strong again, first thing that crosses your mind when stuff like this happens is I've hurt the engine.
On a sidenote, if your engine is using oil, it could have been fouling the plugs when you floored it and together with the points gap being too large, resulting in weak or no spark at the plug, I've had that happen.
A fair point. I haven’t looked at the plugs in like two years. Lol.
Just keep pushing forward my man...even when the door says pull. Another AWESOME video with my 2nd favorite car in the fleet (I really like old rusty sitting above it) lol.
Great looking Charger Jamie ! Very nice/comfortable classics ('69 X9 R/T SE here)
I always loved my 383's . Have you ever considered getting a couple of cargo containers. It would help you organize your parts and free up space in your shop . Then you could bring in even stuff! Lol. Thanks for the video I enjoyed it . Stay safe.
Oh, I’ve thought about it a lot. Haha. I have some plans. Thanks!
Thanks for your great show! Cheers from…2hours straight north of Buffalo in the lower central grey area of your cananada map.
That car sounds so nice. Anyway Glad she's back to the land of the living. Pulled the old Cordoba out of the barn after a 4 month hiatus. She has to serve daily driver duty for a month or so while the Fusion gets a new generator/electric motor drive unit. Thank the Lord Ford is stepping up and warranting it. Anyway hooked the battery up and dusted her off. Fixed the air shox valve and away I go. But no gauges. I think the instrument vr is loose again. Anyway fun with old cars.
There basically always has to be something broken. All we can do is hope it’s something small. Haha.
Jamie;
We all realize your one of the lucky guys to own a 68 Dodge Charge and, those that do own one, are going to like to step into it…this is natural. But there is something to remember-THAT CARS WORTH A FAIR AMOUNT OF MONEY! You think nothing can happen to you. Take a few seconds for my little brothers 69 GTO story (he also owns a 68 Road Runner).
In the late 80’s, my brother saw a fairly good shape 69 GTO on the side of the road. After selling me his 1985 Z-28 (he totaled his 85 IROC on the same night he got it) he bought the GTO. It ran great and he used it often but was not perfect. After scouring the country for parts and car jewelry, the car was finally absolutely beautiful. He kept using often until 1 day a 76 Nova blew through a stop sign and smashed into the side of the car. After another 4-5 years of hunting and repairs the car is perfect again. After the accident, the car gets 25-50 miles a year on it….it looks mighty good in his garage and 36 years later is still perfect.
Brother, of all of the people on earth who know what this car is worth… I think the guy that paid more money for it than anything else in his entire life (other than a house) would be toward the top of the list. I am not a teenager, and I am not invincible. I’m also a pretty good driver. And, most importantly, I’m not going to stop doing burnouts and having fun. Oh yeah, and it’s insured! No offense to your brother, but I NEVER want to be the 25-50 mile a year guy. I didn’t pay all of that money for the car to save it for someone else. It’s mine and I’m going to use it.
@@DeadDodgeGarage His GTO was insured also by the way…maybe you’d feel differently if a 96 Caprice blows through a light smashing the front end of the car….Hope it never happens to you. All I’m saying is you can be Mario Andretti out there and all it takes is 1 idiot…
By the way, I agree with you; you should enjoy the car, just beware of idiots!
Beautiful color combo. Install the Charger exhaust tips for that factory cool look.
I enjoy your channel. 😊
Great, great video as always!! I’m in Venice Italy right now watching it.
What a drop dead gorgeous car!
Thank you! I think it’s a good looking unit. Haha.
All those little tuning things can add up to make it all interesting. Nice ride for sure.
I love that car. Well, and the 70 challenger! And well, the 65 belvedere. Ugh! So many.
Sure glad it was a simple fix! Beautiful car! It gives C4 a run for her money in the beauty department. lol! You’d smoke me in a race so we won’t even go there… 😅
Nothing better then the red 68 Charger Videos.
Yeah, I used to have trouble hot starting my ol 383 every once in a while too. I had the "larger" big block starter, but every once in a while I'd come out of the grocery store and it just would not crank over. I finally put on one of those light weight mini starters and never had the problem again.
It cranks just fine, the boiling fuel floods it. That is my issue.
@@DeadDodgeGarage oh okay. I seen the gas in a sacks dolmar chainsaw boil right in it's tank one time.
Edelbrock wood spacer fixed my hot start issue...
400 engine 750 Edelbrock carb and Edelbrock RPM intake...Although, carb needed tweaking after installing it..
For your vinyl top once you've cleaned it you need the air blow it with a leaf blower and get some white shoe polish rub it till it shiny and you're done
Looks so so much better with the correct era cragers on it! 👍
I couldn’t agree more!
Jamie what do you think about the Petronix module?
I’ve had some ok luck with them. I have one in my Chrysler 300, but I haven’t gotten to put any miles on it yet. I have heart of the modules dying… it hasn’t happened to me yet.
My first Mopar was a 68 charger. Great video.
And it was red with a black vinyl top and a 383 lol damn do I miss that car?
Hi Jamie. I really enjoy your videos and I learn lots of stuff. Just a quick question for you. What type of blasting medium do you use in your blasting cabinette? I use medium grit crushed glass and it seems to be a little bit aggressive on steel parts as there is some minor pitting and roughness. Any suggestions would be a great help. Thanks.
I think we’re using crushed garnet in the one at Rocket. It seems to work pretty well.
Sounds good on video, i like that its not heavily modified in any way like many of them have been ! Big block and an Edelbrock , you could make a song out of that ! lol
I probably should 😅
Resist the stoplight temptation, street requires hook up. Once rolling the big block torque should match most situations,
You only need traction if you want to actually win a race 😁
The exhaust sounds great. What kind of mufflers are those?
Good pop quiz , professor Jamie
You had me stumped
Acid core solder, propane torch, drain radiator a tad, fixed. Done many of them.
Do you see the repair it’s leaking around? Haha. An actual radiator shop did that one for me over a decade ago. Back when we had an actual radiator shop… anyway, it’s also the wrong radiator.
Do you have the thick base gasket on the carb? I don't have any hot start problem with a big block and Carter/Edelbrock carb?
Standard base gasket. I should add a carb spacer but… so far it’s been an ignorable problem.
Thanks for sharing your time and very cool car with us, and remember keep making these great videos we need them.
I broke our 68'Charger fresh 440 after a short 5 miles drive. The choke bolt got loose and the car ran funny but was still running. It stalled twice and when i turned around, it started squeeking on the crank. The gas washed the main bearings. We had a high volume oil pump and a regular oil pan so you can figure out there was not enough oil left down there. I was 16 and didn't know better. Shit happens i guess. 30 years after I still think about it.
Yeah Jamie it seems like there's always something to do on them,, there's no such thing as done!!! and yes that 68 the 70 chargers are the best and the second best are 70 --71 challengers all by my standards of which I own !!!why own something you don't enjoy to look at, drive, abuse slightly, and take the car shows. and Roll ins. and local city celebrations car displays and for you rural people like me tractors also we are in a farming community flatland Minnesota good farming land no trees in nice rolling streams like you got up there you have some beautiful scenery 25 miles from here we have a lot of River Valley which gets really kinda nice and then north of here about 25-30 miles it starts to roll the hills roll a little bit keep the videos coming there Jamie
Glad your Charger was just in a bad mood & not really broken.
Random question of the day: Is having a pcv valve + a valve cover breather redundant?
No, you need both for the PCV to do its thing. Think of the breather as fresh ventilation air in, and the PCV as dirty ventilation air out.
ah yes, bringing back 70s memories... the points with the felt lube pad, the mark of quality
Drive the wheels off of it, that's what it is for! Awesome looking car!
With points distributors on these, the cam lobes wear and the points never stay consistent, meaning the timing is erratic and the engine erratic.
The points not being within the screwdriver slot adjustment range is a bit of a giveaway to me.
Also just use feeler gauges to adjust the points. There is a range so they don't have to be perfect.
I had one on a 383 where when you were cruising it would intermittently cut out or misfire. It was getting frustrating trying to diagnose it. It's just a simple engine right - why can't I solve this??
As soon as I floored it, it was fine, drive around town, yep fine. It would only do it on a drive down the freeway or a country trip.
Anyway what happened was the cam lobes were worn down - not enough that you couldn't adjust the points correctly, but as the vac advance kicked in the breaker plate naturally swings in an arc pulling the points away from the cam lobes, closing them causing a misfire or the engine to shut down.
If the lobes are in good condition this doesn't matter but if they're worn down erratic dwell is the result.
How I found it was sucking on the vac advance and I saw the points close. It didn't help that there was a bit of slop in the distributor shaft either. Not much but enough when the lobes are worn for it to all be effectively a life expired distributor.
Jamie, When I was in my 20s in the early 90s I had to make sure I ran 94 octane in my Corvair or it would ping when hot. That was unleaded gas by then, obviously. Gas is even worse, now. You were enjoying life and running errands on the fateful day when your car acted up. I am wondering if you did not get a little bit of vapor lock? I know that you have forgotten more than I will ever know, but is it possible that was what happened? In this video it looks like a mild cloudy day and you wouldn't get the right conditions for vapor lock so whatever you do to the Charger will feel like it helped. I just automatically assume vapor lock on carb engines in the summer nowadays.
Nah, this definitely wasn’t that. In fact as much as I’ve heard people talk about vapor lock, I’ve never experienced it myself. I do have the boiling fuel after shutoff issue. Oh, I did boil fuel in the rear bowl of my Demon at the track once I guess, after idling in the lanes for half an hour… but that’s a different deal.
Hey man the way you described it it could have been fuel boil in that moment. Had a 70 f100 fuel boil with an edelbrock wouldn't idle ran like crap on a hot day after a pull. All we changed was putting a piece of rubber to space the fuel line off the valve cover it was just barely touching. Never happened again.
Someone else said the same, but I’m not sold on that. I kinda know what that should be like.
@@DeadDodgeGarage yea i figured you did just a thought hope you get it fixed.
Love your videos. I have a 69 with the 383 and oddly it has the exact same steering wheel crack in the same location. Mine has the Edelbrock and I know what you mean about hot start issues. It starts easy right after shutting it down but if I wait 15 minutes it starts like crap. Mine has a slight acceleration hesitation when starting out. Professionally rebuilt motor with about 5000 miles on it. Any tips or things I can look for?
Timing would be my first area of attack. The carburetor may need some tuning as well, but timing is the place I always find issues, and missing power.
FYI your little choke trick worked awesome on my vintage weed wacker cleared it right out runs perfectly thanks
It works! I’ve proven it many, many times!
I've never seen a red with white top charger. Just hearing of one makes ya say...ehh . But actually seeing it...its frickn awsome.
I know it! I always wanted my dream Charger to have a black top, but this really grew on me.
How I would love to own that car , looks great , but, have you considered how awesome it would be in " Bullitt" black ? , or would that hurt the value?👍
I don’t care about the value, and I would love to have a black Charger… but the dark red is exactly the ‘68 I wanted for years and years. I would never change that.
You got lucky. When I did that exact same thing with my '69 Charger R/T with the 440 only tried beating out a Honda Civic. The nylon cam gear decided to come apart and jump a couple teeth, bending a couple valves, and ruined some valve guides as well. Yeah, I always had the Hot restart issue too except when I would run a spacer between the Carbrurator and intake manifold. But then the engine ran like crap after awhile.
Big ouchie there… I should put a spacer on it but it’s already somewhat hood clearance challenged, so I can’t fit much.
Jamie, I'm pretty sure you have the same Innova timing light I do... if so it does dwell.
Oh, shit 😅 how have I never noticed that? I’ve had four of these over the years… wow
@@DeadDodgeGarage I retired my first one last year after 20 years, they're good lights. And I will admit being surprised you didn't, but that's what we're for, helping each other out.
Ahhh the joys of owning an old mopar. I know them very well.
Had a 68 440 Charger in high school. White with black interior and stripes. Only Charger I ever saw with electric windows.
Ran super strong, drum brakes sucked big time. Car would easily out run the brakes.
Sure wish I still had it…
I know you say this Charger isn't perfect, but it is as far as a semi daily driver goes, it's pretty sweet. Plus, you don't see this color combination very much. Most I have seen always have a black vinyl top, at least in my neck of the woods.
I know it! It seems to be a pretty rare combination. Funny enough, a car exactly like this (but an actual R/T) is featured in the 1968 Charger brochure. I always wanted mine to be this color, but black roof, stripe and interior. As soon as I saw the white in person though, I was hooked on that.
Stock the 383 2-Barrell was rated 280hp. Do you have a 4-Barrell on yours?
Yes, bottom end is all stock and it’s wearing a performer and Edelbrock 650 or something. It works really well.
Can you explain the big block/edelbrock hot start theory? My buddy had the same issue with his 383 and eddy and is ready to chuck it in the bushes but it cold start and drives decent. But the hot start is horrible.
If he simply holds the throttle to the floor when cranking, it will fire up in a handful of seconds. No pumping, just hold the throttle open. It took me a bit to figure that out when I got the car. I think I only killed my battery once… anyway, a carb spacer of some kind will definitely help.
Beautiful car! Glad it was an easy fix!
it's the sticky pollen time of year. Most dust has the good sense of just blowing off the car, pollen is different
Man i love that cat. And you're channel.
Coming in new to your channel do you ever have any gas in your cars 😊😏 every time I’m watching the fuel gauge is very much reading E 👍
In this car, a full tank reads half. Half tank is below empty. In the Demon, the gauge only kinda works sometimes. In my ramp truck, the gauge reads a quarter from full tank all the way down to very close to empty, at which point it goes straight to empty. Just about every other older rig around here has a broken fuel gauge. And in most of the cars I work on at the resto shop, they don’t have much fuel. Why fill your tank if it’s just going to sit there and evaporate and rot? Anyway, working fuel gauges are a luxury most Mopar owners don’t get to enjoy. Haha.
Very cool charger, I can't say I like the white interior or top though I would definitely of ordered it black top and interior, I'd get that white dirty every time I look at it lol
I always wanted black… until I saw this one. I love it! But yeah, it’s always grubby.
"Don't do what Donny Don't does." Words of wisdom.
Yeah, that!
Sounds munch nicer than my 'Cripple Whip'. Doncha have a V nice al-you-mini-um Radiator somewhere?
Yeah, but I’m not willing to put it in there. Haha.
Damn I just thru out a SEARS RPM and dwell meter, figured I'd never use it again. could have sent it to you. Always do that dump something and need it a few weeks later LOL
I have one! Aaaaand it’s broken
Dwell meter? Never heard of it, never saw someone use one. Maybe You sometime try and fix one, do a little show&tell?
I should! One of those lost art type deals. Haha.
What a great looking car.
What is it with Mopar guys with the plastic fuel filters? They are a fire waiting to happen.
Tell you what pal, I’ve done enough thousands of miles of research on the plastic filter thing to know that’s nonsense. The real fire starters are those three piece filters with the glass center and replaceable element. Those things vibrate apart and cause fires. Seen it. Meanwhile, these plastic filters? I’m working on a car right now with one of those mounted three inches from an exhaust manifold, where it has been for years. I’ve seen them damn near on the exhaust, and yet no fires. I’m not saying it’s impossible, I’m not saying it can’t happen, but come on.
@@DeadDodgeGarage Tell that to someone else pal, I have been a mechanic for 45 years, not a RUclips mechanic. BTW at any real drag strip will not let you race with a plastic fuel filter.
One of the cars I learned to drive on was my dad's 1968 Chrysler Newport with a 383 2 barrel. Once that thing got up to speed, it was a juggernaut. My fondest memories were going to the dealership with him and tire kicking all the muscle cars in the showroom during that great era. I now proudly own a Dodge Charger Scatpack. Driving that car gives the experience of what all cars should be about. I don't know if the color of your Charger's engine is correct. Shouldn't all big blocks be orange?
No, all big blocks in ‘68 were turquoise. Starting in ‘69, only HP engines were orange.
What a sweet ride!
Time to make improvements just be glad the car wasn’t involved in a crash that would have been a damn shame
There was never any risk of that, but hey… insurance.
That reminds me, I`ve got some corn dogs in the freezer. I`m hungry now.
Your three speed wiper motor looks pretty short? Is that a early 68?
It is! I can’t remember the production date, maybe October ‘67?
Win! Have you learned anything about being a miscreant at stop lights? No? Good!
Absolutely not 🤣
1968 best Charger ever. The 383 magnum was awesome.
I totally agree! Mine is actually a low compression 2 barrel engine wearing a four barrel and Magnum air cleaner, but hey. It’s enough of a performer for me.