E49 Chargers

[flooded one]

I was just thinking with all the talk of " Ford should bring out a GTHO" does anyone else feel that in the talking of Australian muscle cars that the E49 Charger is often left out?? I mean usually you hear about the GTR-XU1 vs the GTHO phase 3 where Peter Brock won his first of many Bathurst victories in 1972, Its seems only when you mention the subject about the Charger is the only time it is brought up, It could be because of the Holden vs Ford thing?? I don't know, I think its pretty impressive the fact a 6 cylinder at the time could give the big henry a run for its money when it came to acceleration and how long it held the title of Australia's fastest accelerating car for!!

[93EB_SXR6]

Valiants are never left out during automotive discussion at my house.

[XW-BAXR6T]

Im same with 93EB SXR6. E-49 & all VH & VH 770 Chargers are up there as my all time favorites together with the GTHO phase 3. Having owned a Charger 770 265, all i have is awesome memories even though it always broke down due to constant thrashings. Fine muscle era cars indeed.

If i ever had the chance to own one again, id be a very, very happy man indeed.

[aussiblue]

I also love chargers and have owned a few Valiant in my past. Great engines but fighting body rust (especially around front and rear windows) was an ongoing battle.

[XW-BAXR6T]

And the beauty is that you could swap mags from valiant to ford, same stud pattern. I still got my mags 7 inch front & 10 inch rear from old charger 770 i gave to wreckers for my XW fairmont.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by wildrider

that in the talking of Australian muscle cars that the E49 Charger is often left out??

probably because it missed out on an outright win at bathurst. if they'd continued their V8 program full steam, it may have achieved the dream.

[Stefan]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

probably because it missed out on an outright win at bathurst. if they'd continued their V8 program full steam, it may have achieved the dream.

Spot on! Chrysler never achieved any race domination in the 70's. If the E49 had achieved an outright win and then 4 or 5 scattered amongst the top ten there would be much more demand.

That is why XR GTs, Phase 2 and Phase 3s, A9X, XU1s, 327 Monaros have such a fan base. Racing success!

[KW XRT]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Spot on! Chrysler never achieved any race domination in the 70's. If the E49 had achieved an outright win and then 4 or 5 scattered amongst the top ten there would be much more demand.

That is why XR GTs, Phase 2 and Phase 3s, A9X, XU1s, 327 Monaros have such a fan base. Racing success!

The Charger won 7 races from memeory and pretty much broke the lap record on every track it raced on save Bathurst.The reason it gets left out is simple we were all living under rocks in the those days.Who knows the charger won the Tobbe Lee 100 and filled five of the 6 first cars home.The is so much crap about the Chargers lies miss truths and down right thick as two bricks statements.Like the race cars were V8' HEMI"S .They didn't have brakes they didn't handle bla bla bla.Fact is the "3" speed E38 came up against the phase 111 after five years of development and as good as the E38 was it couldn't over come the four speed and five years of development.Even on Chargers second year at Bathurst it knocked 6 seconds a lap off from development with the four speed.Although the racing drivers of the day will tell you the three speed did not hamper lap times and they are right it killed their acceleration and qualifying position and forced them to waste too much time in the race for no good reason often racing back to their qualifying position.Sheer weight in numbers also hampered it.Had the Grace brothers charger of day raced by I think Norm Beechy had more development and used roller rockers as was the custom of the day it would have won the Improved production championship in 73 I think it was.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by KW XRT

The Charger won 7 races from memeory and pretty much broke the lap record on every track it raced on save Bathurst.The reason it gets left out is simple we were all living under rocks in the those days.Who knows the charger won the Tobbe Lee 100 and filled five of the 6 first cars home.The is so much crap about the Chargers lies miss truths and down right thick as two bricks statements.Like the race cars were V8' HEMI"S .They didn't have brakes they didn't handle bla bla bla.Fact is the "3" speed E38 came up against the phase 111 after five years of development and as good as the E38 was it couldn't over come the four speed and five years of development.Even on Chargers second year at Bathurst it knocked 6 seconds a lap off from development with the four speed.Although the racing drivers of the day will tell you the three speed did not hamper lap times and they are right it killed their acceleration and qualifying position and forced them to waste too much time in the race for no good reason often racing back to their qualifying position.Sheer weight in numbers also hampered it.Had the Grace brothers charger of day raced by I think Norm Beechy had more development and used roller rockers as was the custom of the day it would have won the Improved production championship in 73 I think it was.

Coulda, should, woulda.

They were a good thing but they never won any of the big races or championships, so no one cares. And Chrysler never had the following of Ford or Holden either so even less people care.

Might have been a different story if they had won Bathurst.

[HO 3]

They certainly had the aging XY GTHOs measure on the shorter NZ race tracks and are remembered there very fondly...........a bit more race track success here would of no doubt helped there collectability.

Cheers Mick

[DJR-351]

I still miss my E49 even though I sold it back in 83', the sound it made under heavy acceleration was fantastic.......

[PepeLePew]

Certainly not forgotten by enthusiasts given the price genuine E38 or E49's can pull.

The F6 of their era

[G6T]

does anybody else here no doug chivers ran 161 laps at bathurst in 72 with same wheels & tires on because when they came in 2 change tires they took rims off put cold 1s on wheel nuts wouldn't go on because of heat so they had 2 put old wheels & tires back on long delay in pits thats the only reason they didn't win.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by G6T

does anybody else here no doug chivers ran 161 laps at bathurst in 72 with same wheels & tires on because when they came in 2 change tires they took rims off put cold 1s on wheel nuts wouldn't go on because of heat so they had 2 put old wheels & tires back on long delay in pits thats the only reason they didn't win.

Seems like a bs story, why woUld the wheel nut go on with the cold wheels but they did with the hot wheels?? Same wheel nuts, and studs so no difference, just use the hot wheel nuts with the cold wheels then.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Seems like a bs story, why woUld the wheel nut go on with the cold wheels but they did with the hot wheels?? Same wheel nuts, and studs so no difference, just use the hot wheel nuts with the cold wheels then.

Not totally bs but often the actual story gets blurred......

The car was running up front most of the day, and at a late pitstop for tyres the crew decided to fit new wheelnuts, when they tried to put the new cold nuts on the hot studs they jammed solid and it took some time to remove them whereupon the old nuts where fitted with new wheels/tyres

It's was believed that the long pit stop cost them the race......

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

Not totally bs but often the actual story gets blurred......

The car was running up front most of the day, and at a late pitstop for tyres the crew decided to fit new wheelnuts, when they tried to put the new cold nuts on the hot studs they jammed solid and it took some time to remove them whereupon the old nuts where fitted with new wheels/tyres

It's was believed that the long pit stop cost them the race......

Now that makes more sense.

[castellan]

Back in their day it's GT-HO for me any day even a HG GTS 350 over a GTR XU-1 or E49.

I like highways and crusing at high speed, cars.

XU-1 is realy just a half baked pommy rot box torana, yes sure the only time you could appreciate it was if you were fair up it all the time but not realy for high speed drives from sydney to melborn etc.

The E49 not that good for top end driving as a GT-HO is it.

If i was crusing around 120 mph to 140 mph it's the GT-HO for me. i would not take the others, would you ?

[G6T]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

Not totally bs but often the actual story gets blurred......

The car was running up front most of the day, and at a late pitstop for tyres the crew decided to fit new wheelnuts, when they tried to put the new cold nuts on the hot studs they jammed solid and it took some time to remove them whereupon the old nuts where fitted with new wheels/tyres

It's was believed that the long pit stop cost them the race......

my old mate who owned x gagen e49 said he was in doug chivers pits & watch them put old wheels & tires back on the hot nuts wouldn't go into cold rims,umless they did onother stop u might b talking about.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by G6T

my old mate who owned x gagen e49 said he was in doug chivers pits & watch them put old wheels & tires back on the hot nuts wouldn't go into cold rims,umless they did onother stop u might b talking about.

It was on there last pit stop of the day, the one I'm talking about that is.....

Originally Posted by G6T

does anybody else here no doug chivers ran 161 laps at bathurst in 72

.....also it would have been quite an achievement for Doug to run 161 laps, considering Brocky won it in only 130....

[G6T]

oh & only reason brock 1 in xu1 because gthos & tirer issue with e49 thats how it came 1st rain on the day traction problems 4 gtho.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by G6T

oh & only reason brock 1 in xu1 because gthos & tirer issue with e49 thats how it came 1st rain on the day traction problems 4 gtho.

What ever issues, the first car across the finish line wins. I think the only reason I lost my last drag race was because of tyre issues and slow gear changes, so really I won

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

PS loved the e49's back in the day.

Never owned one but would have been a cool car.

[flooded one]

Originally Posted by G6T

oh & only reason brock 1 in xu1 because gthos & tirer issue with e49 thats how it came 1st rain on the day traction problems 4 gtho.

while no disrespect to the XU1 I like them (like most Holdens up till 1988) they where quick into and out of corners and handled well, compared to the Falcon and Charger they were pretty much out gunned when it came to straight line speed. thou for what they where they were quick thou just not as fast as the other two.

[G6T]

Originally Posted by wildrider

while no disrespect to the XU1 I like them (like most Holdens up till 1988) they where quick into and out of corners and handled well, compared to the Falcon and Charger they were pretty much out gunned when it came to straight line speed. thou for what they where they were quick thou just not as fast as the other two.

as harry firth has said a few extra goodies went into that xu1 it was int the same as rest, whereas the e49 on the day was straight off the showroom floor.

[G6T]

hot wheel nuts & studs hot wheel nuts in cold rims didnt want 2 happen so they put hot wheel & nuts back on,i was told this inlate 80s by a friend who at time owned gagens e49 a84 track pack special seat 4 leo gagen this car didn't race in 72 but was sold 2 private buyer years later.oops i think it was late 70s.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by G6T

owned gagens e49 a84 track pack special seat 4 leo gagen this car didn't race in 72 but was sold 2 private buyer years later.oops i think it was late 70s.

I've never heard of any drivers named gagen!

But I do remember watching a couple of brothers named Ian (Pete) and Leo Geoghegan

[Peter B - CV8]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

I've never heard of any drivers named gagen!

But I do remember watching a couple of brothers named Ian (Pete) and Leo Geoghegan

Perhaps their long lost Indian cousin ??

[G6T]

Originally Posted by Peter B - CV8

Perhaps their long lost Indian cousin ??

could b

[G6T]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

I've never heard of any drivers named gagen!

But I do remember watching a couple of brothers named Ian (Pete) and Leo Geoghegan

thanks 4 doing spell check 4 me

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by G6T

thanks 4 doing spell check 4 me

No problem.

I noticed that your spellchecker has trouble with the words 'you' 'be' and 'are' as well as the numbers 'two' and 'four'.

Of course if that's SMS speak it's different, and frowned upon in AFF.