Super sweet! Sounds like a great project for a '70 Challenger, if I could only find one...that, and an extra quarter mil.
Here is a question for you guys. Would you rather have a classic 426 HEMI (non-matching engine) in a 1971 'Cuda or a faster 6.2 supercharged Hellcat? Personally, since I wouldn't race it, I would take the 426.
I chose the Hellcat. The save-your-ass electronic traction and stability control have probably done just that for me many times, allowing me to focus on driving without having to be a granny on the pedal to avoid Offending the contact patches and overwhelming them. It's fun to whip the car around in a tight 180 degree turn (not a slide) and feel the rear end kick out JUST a smidgeon before the various controls step in to restore sanity faster than I would have been able to anticipate, and this not with me intentionally leaning on the throttle with that very thing in mind. The Hellcat is the car I would have designed had I been a big enough dreamer like those nitro-heads at Dodge were, God bless'em. Who on Earth equips a s STREET car with a blown HEMI from the factory? Mopar, only my beloved Mopar. "Gee, guys, we have a blown Hemi funny car in our racing program" "Well, (high on nitro fumes) then why don't we have one for sale on the showroom floor?" (President of Chrysler) "That is the craziest idea I have ever heard in my many years of being an automotive exec." (Nitro guy slumps in his chair in embarrassment) (President of Chysler) "LET'S DO IT." We have been alive to witness the greatest era in the entire history of the automobile. Let us pray that it will be exceeded one day, and have a cheerful vision of the future in spite of the latest assault on hot rodding. Who in the 1970's would have even fFANTASIZED that Mopar would be faster than Ferraris on the street with a blown HEMI supercar with 4WIS and 4W disc brakes? How about the '80s? The '90s? Who? Well, Ma Mopar did. And, like the South, Mopar will rise again, once again exceeding all prior records!
Actually I would rather have a 440 six BBL Cuda. There was a time when I would have said the 426 but the 426 is actually not a good street engine and has to be tuned too often when using as a driver. The 440 is a very strong engine and is a better street driven engine than the 426. A 440 Six BBL with a good driver can take or stay with a 426 any day at the track.
I prefer the modern technology in the old bodies - suspension, brakes, engine (fuel injection) and transmission. I also enjoy the modern interiors.
