Updated: 08 January 2006

Well since I've rebuilt the engine last spring, I finally got around to having the Hooker Headers installed.  What a nightmare!  If I had to do it over again, I would definitely pass on this one.  Here is why.  The guys at Champion Muffler in Midwest City, OK agreed to do it and said that it sure looked like it would be an easy job.  HA!  Come to find out, these headers were obviously formed for a standard shift, not automatic.  The passenger side went in perfectly, but the driver's side was the nightmare.  I was forced to buy a floor shifter (which is really kind of cool) in order for the linkages to work.  The pipes on the drivers side dropped down to within one inch of ground clearance!  No speed bumps for me thank you very much!  The quickest solution that I could figure out was a bigger tire in the rear.  It raised up the back end about an inch and a half by doing that...the look is pretty cool...and hitting rocks on our gravel road is pretty much history.  There are no problems with wheel clearance in the wheel wells either, THANK GOD!  My hat is off to the guys at Champion for doing a great job and going out of their way to try to make me happy.  I kind of think they even had a little fun between the cussing and spitting and stomping.  However, the next guy that tries to get headers installed on a muscle car with this crew, will be in for a money shock up front thanks to my monster.

Positive benefits:  an actual 20% decrease in fuel consumption,  an added 40hp in getty-up-n-go, the new 318 is running a little cooler temperature wise, very cool looking floor shifter, new back tires and the slightly raised rear end which gives it more of that muscle car look, oh and we can't forget the new awesome SOUNDS coming from under the hood!!!  I've turned a few heads because of the sound alone.  Negatives: Extreme difficulty of installation, decreased ground clearance and cost.

Previously: 23 April 2005

I have decided to put a few pics up of my progress on my 1974 Dodge Charger restoration and modifications.  I bought this car six years ago in Dallas Texas and it's been a joy to drive.  The first major things I did was rebuild the transmission with a mild shift kit and installed dual exhaust with Vortex mufflers.  Then I had to replace the radiator and hoses. 

After that, I temporarily experimented with black primer with a white stripe wrapped around the tail end.  One of my other great interests happens to be World War I German Aircraft, specifically the Red Baron's Tri-plane.  So I decided to primer a Maltese Cross in the white stripe.  After I did this, I thought it was quite humorous to find that West Coast Choppers adopted the Maltese Cross as their symbol.  Now, instead of people wondering if it's some sort of white supremacy thing, they assume that I have a motorcycle parked at the house.  I may one day...  :-) 

 I'm not restoring this car to be in car shows or for that matter, to be detailed under the hood etc.  This is my daily driver and I just want it to be as reliable as possible.  At the same time, I want it to look really nice and jump on the interstate like a screaming banshee!  So why should I take the time to post the stages of work here?  Because it's a fun thing to do!