What's Wrong With This 1967 Dodge Charger Big Block 383? When Bad Parts And Builders' Mistakes Mix 

Whoever assembled the engine neglected to see the forest for the trees... Nice diag, Jamie.

Experience is something you get just after you need it. I'm totally using that!

This is a good one. It shows the amount of patience required to be a good mechanic. So many people would be throwing wrenches and giving up with all that you had to chase down! Good on ya Jamie.

Finally a 67 gets some love. I know I am not with the majority but the 67 is frickin awesome. And that car is also awesome. 👍🇺🇸

I must be getting old - the moment I first heard that thing crank up, I said to the wife "cam's not degreed right". She replied - well, she pretty much ignores me when I'm watching these videos, so she auto-replied "yes, dear." She's lived with a full-blown Mopar guy for decades now - she's well used to it. I enjoyed the video muchly as always, Jamie. Thanks for the effort! - Ed on the Ridge

I knew WAY UP FRONT that the cam was too far advanced... Back in the late 80's, when I had my shop in Upstate, NY. I had a buddy/customer who had his engine machined by a pro and he brought it all home and built it. When he fired it up, I started getting those, WTF COULD I HAVE DONE WRONG, calls.. Since I had paying jobs overfilling my shop, I wasn't completely paying attention to all he was saying and told him to bring it by on Saturday. (Shop was closed on weekends, so I figured it would be a great time to figure it out without the phone ringing off the hook.. As soon as he fired it up on the trailer, I knew exactly what he had done. When i questioned him about advancing the cam, he said: "I advanced it 4*s". After rolling it into the shop and making some fast checks on the typical impairments, I pulled out a timing set and put it flat on the table and asked him to show me how he advanced the cam. I know he doesn't OWN a degreeing wheel, so as I expected, he said: "I lined up the dots and then moved it 4 teeth in advance"..... I asked him how many teeth were on the cam gear on the bench and he gave me that, (OH FUCK) look..... So we spent a few hours R&Ring the radiator, water pump, balancer ,brackets ,etc, and NO, I did not break out my degreeing wheel, but once back together it ran like a champ....

You just saved that engines life greatness and gratitude Sir .

Beautiful Charger! Glad it found the right person for tuning!👍

I live in a small town of about 3000 people, and surprisingly there are 2 of the 66-67 Chargers here.

66 & 67 is amazing years from chargers

As one hot rod mechanic to another, as soon as I see a scotch lock / quick splice I get concerned. Because where there's one wiring bodge, there's usually more. Really enjoying your carb content.

Awesome job! You were right about my electrical issues! It was the bulkhead connection at the firewall!

It seems like parts have just gotten worse over the last decade or so. What a sweet looking ride that thing is.Great job making it a runner again dude!

You are a Master Sir! It’s impressive watching you work and reason.

Interesting mix of engine build errors-customer should be happy with the outcome. Didn't know all the differences between the '66 & '67 Chargers.

Jamie you are a master!

Nice job! There's nothing like watching an engine go from running very poorly, to running pretty well. I am always amazed at how badly things can get assembled in an otherwise nicely built engine. Didn't they read the directions? I know, dumb question! Anyway, I don't dig into engines nearly as much as you do, but when I do, I make it a point to really take my time and making damn sure I am doing it right, and keeping things very clean at all times. That approach has always served me well, even if it takes more time (which usually saves a lot of time in the end by avoiding major problems).

Scotch locks and wire nuts everywhere and it has weird electrical problems you say? That’s weird. On a serious note, that car has soooo much potential. It just needs about a month of Jamie’s time to work out all of the bugs.

Thanks for taking us on your trouble-shooting journey. Twas a good ride, if not alot of busy-work for you.

Thank you for educating people how to get the intermediate shaft properly indexed to factory specs. I see it off a few teeth way too often in the showfield.

This guys a genius for classic cars

Very enjoyable to watch. Great Job

That is one beautiful Charger! You sure went thru a lot finding out what the main problem was or should I say problems were. Great job, really enjoyed the process.

Really Great video! What a GORGEOUS car, one that is seldom seen or appreciated. This is one in really NICE condition! Great job getting it sorted out for your friend. A lot of little annoying things left to complete, but overall, what a gorgeous 1967 Charger and I agree with you about the interior, SO Cool and Nice! Big cam equals low vacuum, and might be the reason the power brake booster is having issues. He would be happier with a stock 383 HP spec cam in it.

OMG Jamie, you are the master! This is why whenever I locate the right 67 Barracuda fastback, we will meet at your end of the country to have you make everything right. Thank you once more for sharing your expertise with us, brother.

Another fantastic job Jamie. Bravisimo! And my 66 sport fury had the same shifter and console minus the padded top. My girlfriend back in 76 cracked the rear part of the console with her foot that you mentioned was usually cracked. I will just let you imagine what she could have been doing. Mopars rule man !

Can't believe you only have 22000 subscribers! Your content is awesome!

The fast back rear and full length drive shaft hump are pretty cool. Like a show room race car. Great you got the engine sorted out.

That seemed like a nightmare in reality! Glad you were able to find the majority of the issues! Sounds really good! Love the marching band at the end. Commitment!😂

Hope the owner truly understands that you’re the man Jamie!

Nice catch Jamie, most people won't think the cam timing was wrong on a brand new engine.

Don't have a Dodge, but loved your video. Super narration. You did very well. Thank you

Nice video...👍 Cool Car.... amazing it was starting and running at All ... exhaust needs attention....

Wow, i loved watching this, it brought me back to my 20's. God, the amount of times i went through processes like this and i hate those Holley carbs too, all of those leaks whenever you touch anything on them, put an Edlebrock on it and get rid of that thing😢

With this particular car, Making those dash lights work was everything !

Great Episode! Thanks!😀

Nice video, I had a 66 charger with a 383 4 speed and we won lots of trophies at Pgh International Speedway! Fun car on the street also. 👍🏻

Awesome. Reminded me of my issues when I first got my 67. Like how you explained the high points on the 66 and 67 Chargers and engines. Your patient mechanic skills show exactly what we all need when working on our cars.

Awesome! Great job wrenching. I learn a lot from some of the smallest pointers

You keep impressing me with your knowledge keep up the good work. tell the owner of the car if he doesn't want it I will give it a good home in Montana!!

Dirty Dan,,knows his transmissions,,I don't care what brand,,a transmission that clean in a running driving car,,that's impressive!!!

Job well done 👍🏻

I’m exhausted after watching this. It’s remarkable the knowledge, spare parts and effort you put into this vintage car. The look and style of these vintage cars is really cool and I get the desire to have one. My experience as an owner of new non-performance cars in the late 1960’s still haunt me.

Great diagnostic video!!! DDG to the rescue yet again!

First Gen Charger Content? My heart! I've got 16 months bringing one back to life (Last redgo'ed 04/'86, now its 95% operational), and have utilized tons of your advice across many videos! My dash lights even work! Working on fine tuning my little 318 now, and a 383 swap next year. Cheers DDG!

Weird, I was sure I commented on this but apparently not. Anyhoo, excellent job as always man. I know they aren't currently working, but those electroluminescent gauges are some of the nicest ever installed in any car.

I enjoyed this video. Doing my first cam swap, and trying to learn about timing. Thanks 🦶🏾

Your videos are like Clint Eastwood movies in that , nearly all of the dialog is quotable . My particular favorite in this installment is " Not big cam , cold blooded bad ... just regular bad . " 👍

What a bizarre issue. Was that the engine builders first engine? More and more I am a big fan of using factory parts and keeping engines much closer to stock than modified on a street driven cruiser. I understand changes for a dedicated race car. I'm impressed with your tenacity to work through the issues, even when it is an obscure and bizarre problem.

What's not to like about a red mopar. Beautiful car

What a mission entertaining to watch great job looks and sounds beautiful

Great sense of Ha ha regarding your commenting on the the rear seats lighter and ashtray. "You know. So your kid's can light their cigarettes or whatever." 😆😅🤣😂

Brings back memories. I had a 66. I did some work on it. Dropped in a 440 Super Commando with a mild street cam and had a 2:97 posi rear end and a reworked automatic which switched it to a manual shift. I never found top end but it would bury the needle. I really miss it.

Best MOPAR interior ever 👍🏻Man if I owned that Chargers keep it factory 4 barrel 383 the way Ma MOPAR made it . But with a good breathing exhaust. Way less headaches .👍🏻💯%🇦🇺⛽️.

This is the most detailed showing I've ever seen of a 67 charger

I will say that you are 100% spot on as always and I am surprised that you didn't adjust the headlights and finish the job. You being as particular as you are. Good morning and great day to you all.

Thanks for the shout out my man! That is a typical ford engine builder mistake. Not being funny, that's actually true. We're all human. I would have possibly done the same thing if I had multiple decisions on the crank cam gear.

I've always found it's much harder to diagnose other peoples screw-ups that actual broken stuff. The wiring in that car is an abomination, Scotch locks and wire nuts?, oh my! Nice work on the running part, I can't understand why guys install cams like that for street use. Just because it sounds bad-ass, doesn't mean it is.

Very informative as well as interesting. Thank you.

These were the cars that started me into the hobby when I was only 10 years old! My neighbor brought home a brand new HEMI Charger & it blew me away! I'd never seen anything like it! He eventually turned it into a drag car. He was a Mopar guy. He had a 67 Coronet R/T for a tow vehicle! Used it to pull the Charger. Sold the R/T to a buddy of his, then bought a 69 Charger R/T! I had the Mopar bug early!!👍

I had red '66 back in' 71. I picked up a red '67 a few months later that was stuffed in the rear. I swapped the 383 4-speed from the' 67 to the '66. My brother still has it. I sold my '70 'Cuda to buy it. Love these cars!

Man that was a hand full of problems . Someone didn't do their home work planning the engine build . Great job of getting the Charger running and a lot better .

Always loved the look of first gen Chargers. Used to see a Hemi Charger almost every day when I worked in downtown Calgary in the mid 1970's

Love the content. I had a 67 in 1991-93 (daily driver). They need really Big Rear tires! I never ever seen the dash Guages glowing Hello from Wisconsin

The cam timing thing is when a chevy guy builds a Mopar, I agree way to many hi-po parts he didn't need for a daily driver

My shop used to have a water ingress problem like yours. I cut a length of 3/4 inch hardwood about 4 inches wide with a 45 degree bevel on both sides and glued it to the floor in the doorway with construction adhesive. Its been there 10 years now and still works, I slap some paint on it every few years so it looks kinda pretty...You will likely have to wait for drier weather though. All the best from rainy Vancouver Island.

So Sweet...it needed you Jaime....I love these 1st Gen Chargers.

I have a 67 and and your video's explained a lot well done Thank you for the information!

I really enjoyed this and subbed. Like your style! Keep up the good work.

Holleys are nice when you dial them in. If not dialed in they can be a nightmare.

My old '63 Imperial Le Baron had the electroluminex=scent lighting. That is a coating on a wire that when heated emitted light. The only way it worked is with AC though and that means there is a vacuum tube converter somewhere that is probably worn out and the coating chips off too and ruins everything. I set the distributor up on my '68 Fury III with 383. Ran the vacuum advance canister and changed out one weight and one spring to have all advance in by 3k rpm. Starting at 8 degrees initial and all advance in was 34 degrees. Ran fantastic with 18mpg in the city, 20mpg on the highway, and beat '74 emission standards. Screw Chrysler's lean burn crap. 0-60 was in 6.3 secs. I was a happy camper.

I was a real treat watching this episode. A knowledgeable tech doing honest to goodness diagnostics based on years of experience. Distributor/ oil pump drive line up ( with Chevy’s if that rotor wasn’t pointing at the left headlight, I knew a rookie had set it up. I tried to guess the problem when you first started ( I thought valve lash) but you found tons more. It was skills like this that made me very popular in my circle. I still get crap for my zero lash valve adjustments but never floated any and never clacked. It’s really cool how you talk to your camera and share your thoughts. I’m an old Chevy tech and lived to outrun any Ford or Mopar and usually did. I won’t lie I did run into an occasional Ford or Mopar guy that had my leg shaking at the end of a street race, ( not many) but that Charger was nice and so was your soul search for what was done wrong. Thanks for the great content!

Wow. I've never seen an original Pertronix Ignitor fail. I've had the same one in my Javelin since 2002. In my Hornet since 2015.... these cars sit for months at a time and once they get fuel - fire right up.

I'm a first timer here. When I saw this thumbnail my heart skipped a beat!! A red, 67 charger w/black interior, 383 4bbl, 4 bucket seats and a column shift lever was my first car out of high school in 1970! $2400, small down pmt, $67/month for 3 years! I loved that car! I put NASCAR steel wheels w/the biggest tires that would fit on it! 1 extra leaf in the rear spring pack and traction bars. Then removed traction bars and installed ex-heavy duty sway bars F&R. It was a 4:11 posi from the factory, and ran great!! My Mother, who was 5'1" tall, would borrow it to go shopping. The small town cop told me to warn her about unsafe starts, or "burning rubber" as we say. I did, then she did again and got a ticket. She couldn't reach the gas and punched it with her toe. Burning rubber. LOL Judge tossed it out! The front breaks were the first thing I looked for here, while shouting in the mic "cam chain, cam chain". LOL One Saturday night while playing with the boys I lightly tapped the breaks at a little over 100 MPH to slow down. The right front drum break grabbed tight and wouldn't let go, over the 15 foot embankment I went, and according to the state police, rolled 18 times, coming to rest upside down in a dry creek bed! Seat belt on, and the only reason I'm writing this now! No broken glass!! Not 1 square inch on the car without a dent, ding, crush, scrape or mark!! Today, I'm 71, have a 2500HD Silverado loaded, and a 2013 (last round tail light) Corvette, 6.2L 430 hp, 6 speed manual. It's faster, safer, handles way better, rides better and gets 22-23 MPG w/a light right foot! LOL If you got this far, thanks for reading my dumb story, everything is very true! My Mom would have loved it!! 8) Peace --gary

Reminds me of the time I saw a crankgear clocked out like that,,once! Back in NAM 68!!!!

Good video and awesome troubleshooting.. As a side note, maybe make the owner aware that scotchlocks and wire nuts almost always equate to electrical problems. The visible evidence of those being in existence under the hood make me question the electrical integrity of what may be going on within the dash panel. I've been cutting those out of cars and trucks since I was 15. I'm 55 now and still correcting electrical problems on cars and trucks by removing/undoing this sort of thing.

Great work Jamie..

What a beautiful car. Love the first gen Chargers. Yessir, with that much cam, she'll want plenty of advance at idle. My 402 chevy (with a similar size cam, just based on the sound) wants about 32 at idle. You bet your bippy I didn't get there with base timing! Vacuum advance can that is 'fully deployed' about 2in less than the engine produces at idle is what I've always heard and done. You have to shop around to get the can you need, but the end result is worth it. Idle is good and steady, not gassy, doesn't overheat. Also produces plenty of vacuum to run those pesky brake boosters!

Geesh, what a challenge. No solid ground to work from anywhere and everywhere you look nothing makes any sense. Well done on the perseverance and persistence front.

Very nicely done.

I got a 67 rn. Getting it looked over by a first gen expert. Dashboard getting fixed. Super underrated car but best to buy a completely restored to have less headaches. Its an intricate unique car.

so glad I dont mess with old cars anymore

Love any content with first Gen Chargers!!!

That was great to watch!

Very much enjoyed the video! First time viewers to your channel

I enjoyed that, so much so I subscribed. Cheers from British Columbia Canada

Great job!

I wondered early on if the alignment of the crank and cam were right. Good fixes on this. Interesting to watch the process on an old car.

I fondly remember the 67 Charger. I was working at a Chrysler dealership. Remember doing a PDI, pre-delivery inspection on these very same cars. Back in the day. They sold new for $3100 Thanks, the Old school guy

The reason new aftermarket parts don't work is that they are reverse engineered from the originals by people who have no idea how they are supposed to work. I wouldn't use that engine builder again. At least the engine had a nice coat of paint on it. :>)

Had 2 66 chargers,383 4bbl,4 speed cars one was yes, red,black interior. Blue one had disc brakes and sure grip. If I only had a brain back then they would still be around.

Best troubleshooting video I've seen in a long time. Don't know what you charged for this but I get the feeling it's not enough! It's been my experience that all Good experience is based on Bad experience. You got no give up! Well done.

Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

Great video

It is super nice to find new mopar nuts out in the wild I am now to your channel enjoy the diecast as well

OMG, all those damn scotch clips and wire nuts!! Holly Gadzooks Batman! Fire hazard waiting to happen…😢

Good video! Thanks!

My uncle has a bone stock, all origonal 1966 Hemi Charger. He used it as his tow car when he raced his 65 Satalite. They were a neat combo going down the highway to the drags.

Love your video. I usually would have pulled the valve cover much quicker. Certainly by the time I saw the distributor was in wrong. Good lesson for the future. (I have a long story, but basically I learned that lesson the same time I learned that Chevys will run 180 out).

Good video. Thanks.