Change the cam or leave it alone?

Somewhere along the line, and recently, the focus on our C bodys changed from the beautiful, smooth, quiet highway cars that they were meant to be.... to big carb's, headers, high lift cams, big tires and aftermarket wheels.
It occurs to me that if changing things around, going fast, quick, and making a lot of smoke and noise is importan then a smaller, more nimble car would be the wise choice..... I'm pleased to see the influx of younger folks, but the direction away from historical significance disturbs me a bit. JMHO.

I find it more than just a bit disturbing...
If people lump C's in with A, B, & E's on their purpose and place, then they are merely Mopar people at best instead of C-body people. There's a difference.

Really...?
Why?
I think I'm old enough to not fit in with "younger folks" and I don't think that the old -30's Fords was meant to be Hot Rods, -55 and -56 Chevys was meant to be gassers or the C-body was meant to be a performance car etc. but why not? The C-body is rather cheap and why not hot rodding it if it's possible? get a cheap car and make it run fast and looks cool or leave it alone, the choice is up to you.
And I don't think that the "focus" have change that much, I do belive that there's more heavy highway C-body left than performance C-body with aftermarket wheels on it...

What do you "commando1" mean is the difference between "Mopar people" and "C-body people"? Isn't a Chrysler C-body a Mopar car?

What am I missing? Please explain it for me!
 
Really...?
Why?
I think I'm old enough to not fit in with "younger folks" and I don't think that the old -30's Fords was meant to be Hot Rods, -55 and -56 Chevys was meant to be gassers or the C-body was meant to be a performance car etc. but why not? The C-body is rather cheap and why not hot rodding it if it's possible? get a cheap car and make it run fast and looks cool or leave it alone, the choice is up to you.
And I don't think that the "focus" have change that much, I do belive that there's more heavy highway C-body left than performance C-body with aftermarket wheels on it...

What do you "commando1" mean is the difference between "Mopar people" and "C-body people"? Isn't a Chrysler C-body a Mopar car?

What am I missing? Please explain it for me!

If I may. . . A MOPAR guy has no problem yanking a 440 and a TorqueFlite out of a C-body to re-install in his Charga-Baca-Dart. A C-Body guy is horrified at the very thought of doing that.
 
FWIW none of my Formals will ever win a drag race or even attempt to while in my care... burnouts, street racing and such is a thing from our younger days for most of us. I am interested in making them cruise reliably and comfortably as they were intended to. If you have a SFGT, or another "performance model" you have a different car than I do. I would/am considering some changes to increase power and driveability, but I don't see a radical cam or too much compression as a win. I don't need to do much WOT or even want the car too loud...

I need to post for a 1406 or a 625 demon to play around with... get an idea of what I like... I will continue to look at the EFI setups and welcome the input about them... but I'm not ready to spend for one.
 
If I may. . . A MOPAR guy has no problem yanking a 440 and a TorqueFlite out of a C-body to re-install in his Charga-Baca-Dart. A C-Body guy is horrified at the very thought of doing that.

For my Fury it was the opposite. Owner had a 440 and tried to stuff it in a late 60's barracuda and it wouldn't fit . Looked at his then Fury with a 383 and pulled it and put it in the barracuda and the Fury got the 440 .
 
For my Fury it was the opposite. Owner had a 440 and tried to stuff it in a late 60's barracuda and it wouldn't fit . Looked at his then Fury with a 383 and pulled it and put it in the barracuda and the Fury got the 440 .

Looks like yer definitely a C-Body guy. . .
 
Yeah it is not numbers matching anymore but at least it didn't go down in cubic inches. this was the second owner and I am the 4th owner
 
...I would/am considering some changes to increase power and driveability, but I don't see a radical cam or too much compression as a win. I don't need to do much WOT or even want the car too loud...

I need to post for a 1406 or a 625 demon to play around with... get an idea of what I like... I will continue to look at the EFI setups and welcome the input about them... but I'm not ready to spend for one.

OK, so you are a little bit of what some will call a "MOPAR guy" and a little bit of what the same one call a "C-body guy"?
"some changes to increase power and driveability..."? like another cam? another carb? double exhaust or even put an 440 in a 383 car?
A "MOPAR guy"?

"radical cam", "too much compression", "not too loud", where's the limit for "radical" and "too much" to cross the line and become a "MOPAR guy" and not that "radical" and not that "too much" or not "too loud" "C-body guy"?

If I may. . . A MOPAR guy has no problem yanking a 440 and a TorqueFlite out of a C-body to re-install in his Charga-Baca-Dart. A C-Body guy is horrified at the very thought of doing that.

Don't get too horrified, the left over engine (I'll guess a SB V8) may perhaps be used in another car, maybe in a SB C-body or some other MOPAR car and the car that the 440 came from was probably not worth that much anyway and maybe it will be sold as spare parts to some lucky C-body owners to keep other C-body cars alive.

For my Fury it was the opposite. Owner had a 440 and tried to stuff it in a late 60's barracuda and it wouldn't fit . Looked at his then Fury with a 383 and pulled it and put it in the barracuda and the Fury got the 440 .
Looks like yer definitely a C-Body guy. . .

A 440 in a C-body 383 car (440 from what car? as it's horrified to put a C-body drive line in an A, B or E-body, then it must be from another C-body) then it must be a "definitely a C-Body guy..." Well... Yeah right...

No matter what, I'll like to see any MOPAR cars kept alive and refined what ever the first letter in the body model is and I guess that makes me a "MOPAR guy" in your eyes but I don't really care...
I love my C-body and all other MOPAR cars. But thats me...
 
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OK, so you are a little bit of what some will call a "MOPAR guy" and a little bit of what the same one call a "C-body guy"?
"some changes to increase power and driveability..."? like another cam? another carb? double exhaust or even put an 440 in a 383 car?
A "MOPAR guy"?

"radical cam", "too much compression", "not too loud", where's the limit for "radical" and "too much" to cross the line and become a "MOPAR guy" and not that "radical" and not that "too much" or not "too loud" "C-body guy"?

No matter what, I'll like to see any MOPAR cars kept alive and refined what ever the first letter in the body model is and I guess that makes me a "MOPAR guy" in your eyes but I don't really care...
I love my C-body and all other MOPAR cars. But thats me...

FWIW... I love Formals 74-78... factory low compression 440's in preparation for unleaded fuels and emissions devices. Big, heavy, beautiful, luxurious automobiles at the end of such a thing even existing on a showroom floor.

If I must be classified... C-body guy it is. Changing the carburetor or even a tiny cam/compression upgrade is no biggie. A slightly less restrictive exhaust with a low rumble is always nice, but I don't want to wake the neighbors and I don't need to hear it drone driving what was the epitome of style and luxury in it's day.

I dare you to compare the ride of a nice Formal to anything else... it is that good. Yes I admit there are comparable cruisers and lots with better power and speed/handling... but if that was what I wanted an SL55AMG would have fit into the garage easier and I don't think my investment would be that far off at this point.

Hell, I might even still call myself a Mopar guy if I bought it (they were still the same company for a minute back then):). I don't personally relate to a lot of the stuff I see others do, but I usually don't feel bad about it if the car is preserved or easily reversed. I do somewhat hold with "it's your car"... but I would advise against radical modifications.

I like "classic" Mopars in general... I see some stuff that I don't love, some that I do. I still think that cherry original should do without disc brakes and that driver car is ok with having them (if done well). Minor internal engine mods would be very hard to detect and may pay off big in the feel of the car... too radical and you've possibly ruined it.

Thank you for asking my opinions on this. I don't know how you will receive my explanation of myself. Your car is yours, I hope it becomes what you want it to be. The one true sin IMO is to get so deep in that you can't get it together and enjoy it or destroy it so that no one else can ever love it.
 
OK, so you are a little bit of what some will call a "MOPAR guy" and a little bit of what the same one call a "C-body guy"?
"some changes to increase power and driveability..."? like another cam? another carb? double exhaust or even put an 440 in a 383 car?
A "MOPAR guy"?

"radical cam", "too much compression", "not too loud", where's the limit for "radical" and "too much" to cross the line and become a "MOPAR guy" and not that "radical" and not that "too much" or not "too loud" "C-body guy"?



Don't get too horrified, the left over engine (I'll guess a SB V8) may perhaps be used in another car, maybe in a SB C-body or some other MOPAR car and the car that the 440 came from was probably not worth that much anyway and maybe it will be sold as spare parts to some lucky C-body owners to keep other C-body cars alive.




A 440 in a C-body 383 car (440 from what car? as it's horrified to put a C-body drive line in an A, B or E-body, then it must be from another C-body) then it must be a "definitely a C-Body guy..." Well... Yeah right...

No matter what, I'll like to see any MOPAR cars kept alive and refined what ever the first letter in the body model is and I guess that makes me a "MOPAR guy" in your eyes but I don't really care...
I love my C-body and all other MOPAR cars. But thats me...

You do realize, don't you? At times - this place is really just a cartoon.
 
FWIW... I love Formals 74-78... factory low compression 440's in preparation for unleaded fuels and emissions devices. Big, heavy, beautiful, luxurious automobiles at the end of such a thing even existing on a showroom floor.

If I must be classified... C-body guy it is. Changing the carburetor or even a tiny cam/compression upgrade is no biggie. A slightly less restrictive exhaust with a low rumble is always nice, but I don't want to wake the neighbors and I don't need to hear it drone driving what was the epitome of style and luxury in it's day.

I dare you to compare the ride of a nice Formal to anything else... it is that good. Yes I admit there are comparable cruisers and lots with better power and speed/handling... but if that was what I wanted an SL55AMG would have fit into the garage easier and I don't think my investment would be that far off at this point.

Hell, I might even still call myself a Mopar guy if I bought it (they were still the same company for a minute back then):). I don't personally relate to a lot of the stuff I see others do, but I usually don't feel bad about it if the car is preserved or easily reversed. I do somewhat hold with "it's your car"... but I would advise against radical modifications.

I like "classic" Mopars in general... I see some stuff that I don't love, some that I do. I still think that cherry original should do without disc brakes and that driver car is ok with having them (if done well). Minor internal engine mods would be very hard to detect and may pay off big in the feel of the car... too radical and you've possibly ruined it.

Thank you for asking my opinions on this. I don't know how you will receive my explanation of myself. Your car is yours, I hope it becomes what you want it to be. The one true sin IMO is to get so deep in that you can't get it together and enjoy it or destroy it so that no one else can ever love it.

OK, thanks! Well descibed, now I think I understand what you meant.
 
I think there is a range that I would go in mods of the C bodies depending on the model. The formals and 300's and such can look silly if they try and look like a young man's hotrod meant for stoplight drag racing. I think my 69 Fury is sorta in the grey area as it was not a premium luxury car but had the size of one. It was abit more sporty and could have a big engine from the factory and there was a sport version. So for me I felt it was ok for the looks to beef up the rear tires to fill the wheel wells and give her abit of an attitude to match the 440 . The car came with airshocks in the back when bought it so I can get a slight rake that I like. But I would never do anything that couldn't easily be reverted to stock. If at all possible I want to keep the police package drum power brakes as well as the points in the distributor. So far they both work very well. If for any reason my 440 goes to catastrophic crap I would definitely consider rebuilding it with a stroker kit to 500+ cubes with reasonable compression ratio and a mild cam.
I love torque at low rpms,,,,,yummy
 
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