1968 DODGE HEMI CHARGER R/T PRO TOURING

“EXECUTIVE EDITION”

Engine: 392 Gen III Hemi from Bouchillon Performance 525+HP
Induction: Multi Port Fuel Injection
Ignition: Bouchillon Performance
Custom Factory Serpentine System
Cooling: Mark 7 Radiator
Fuel: Walbro/Bouchillon
Transmission: Bouchillon 545RFE Chrysler 5 sp
Differential: Scott’s Driveline-Dana 60 3.55 Gears
Exhaust: TTI Complete Exhaust System
Front Suspension: Reilly Motorsports AlterKtion
Rear Suspension: Reilly Motorsports Street Lynx 4 Link
Brakes: Wilwood 6-Piston/4-Piston Drilled and Slotted/Hydroboost
Wheels/Tires: Custom Boze Injected Wheels
20″X 12″ Rears 19″X 8″ Fronts
Mickey Thompson Performance Tires
Paint: Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes “Black Pearl”
Body and Paint: Grabill Automotive
Fabrication: Ken Feber
Decals/Signage: Hightech Signs/Phoenix Graphix
Interior: Interiors by Thomas/Big Hemi
Gauges/Dash: Instrument Specialties/Big Hemi
A/C-Heater: Vintage Air
Stereo: Sony/Polk
Polishing: Lee Scott
Extras: LED Taillights, H4 Hella Headlights, LED Interior Lighting, Custom Leather Interior, Custom Upholstered Trunk, Painless, Hushmat/Rhino Lining Undercarriage
Special thanks to: Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes, Grabill Automotive, Instrument Specialties, Bouchillon Performance, Year One, Classic Industries, Vintage Air, Vans Auto, Reilly Motorsports, TTI Exhaust, HighTech Signs.
Write up:

There are plenty of legends in the muscle car world, but a few names stand taller than most, with “Dodge Charger” being one of the giants. The only year for quad taillights, the ’68 has a distinctive look that’s still one of the best shapes to ever come out of the Chrysler design studios. This stunning Executive Edition Charger is the antidote for over-built, under-used Pro-Touring builds. Yes, it’s got plenty of power (525 horsepower or thereabouts), but it’s also comfortable, reliable, smooth, quiet, and insanely capable. It was built by the pros at Bair Customs, and will take the stage at the 2016 Barrett Jackson show in Palm Beach, and as the centerpiece of the Sherwin-Williams paint display, you know the bodywork and final finish are mind-bendingly beautiful.
Perhaps you’re familiar with Bair Customs work, since they’ve appeared in many big magazines, on automotive TV shows, and even as featured cars at SEMA and the Barrett-Jackson auctions.

The concept on this Executive Edition Charger build was to stay with a factory flavor, while adding some subtle updated hardware not found in an original 70’s muscle car. The guys have had many requests for the modern power train, so this Charger is getting the full treatment.
They started with a clean 68 Charger, tore it down to a bare shell and rebuilt it from the molecular level on up. The result is a car that looks fairly stock aside from the rolling stock, but because of the Executive Edition upgraded hardware, it moves like a modern supercar with all the creature comforts. In short, it’s the pure essence of pro-touring, Mopar style. With the help of Ron and Mike Roy and the guys at Grabill Automotive, that Charger body was stripped naked, they fixed every bump and bruise it had ever suffered. If the panel was too far gone to be salvaged, it was replaced and invisibly stitched into the existing shell. It was primed, sanded, blocked, sanded some more, until it was totally straight. On the rotisserie, even the floors were sanded, filled, and smoothed to act as the perfect background for some very modern hardware (we’ll get to that stuff in a moment, don’t worry). Once those parts were done, they sprayed it with a few coats of Black Pearl from Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes Rod and Restoration Deck. At first glance it looks black, until you move in for a closer look. When the Silver/Multi Color flake hits the light just so, then it really starts to glow. You have to see this color in person to really appreciate it. Trick flat/satin black front grille, and rear tail panel set off a good contrast to the glossy body. The red “Bumble Bee” tail panel strip matching the red R/T badges adds another complementing contrast. Completing the factory look with a slight twist, although nothing rolling out of a Chrysler plant in 1970 ever looked this good. Yes, we’ve all seen straight cars, but after you see the exacting gaps and distortion-free surfaces on this ‘Charger, you’re going to have to recalibrate your ruler, because it’s simply astounding. Aside from the larger Boze Injected wheels, this beauty’s got a very stock look and that’s just the way they wanted it. Respecting the original design was paramount on this build, so while it does everything better than a stock car, it doesn’t color too far outside the lines.
That’s why inside you’ll find a set of custom power and heated leather buckets reupholstered to look like stock Charger seats, complete with horizontal pleats. Sure, the bolsters are aggressive and the headrests are cool, but they don’t jump out at you like with some builds. A custom center console is in place and the back seat was reupholstered with custom leather seat covers for a mostly original look. New carpets, custom leather door panels, and several hundred feet of HushMat underneath give it a factory-fresh look and a new car feel. There’s a Flaming River Steering wheel and tilt column that blends into the background with a the full complement of custom factory brushed aluminum gauges fit in the dash. The upgraded AM/FM/CD/iPod stereo system sounds great, and the original A/C controls still manage the Vintage Air system, which blows ice cold today. Red stitching accents on the seats, door panels, and console with a billet aluminum pistol grip shifter give it a slightly modern look. OK, we’re getting to the good stuff, don’t worry.
The engine is a 392 cubic inch GEN III Hemi by Bouchillon Performance, noted Hemi builders with a serious reputation. With 525+ horsepower on pump gas, this Charger humiliates any original Hemi Charger and once you find out how well it works you won’t go back to stock again. It idles nicely, it pulls like a freight train, and thanks to a complete multi port fuel injection system with engine management computer, it can be driven daily without complaints. A factory accessory drive with serpentine belt controls all the modern conveniences and dresses up the front of the engine, and a giant Mark 7 aluminum radiator keeps it cool.

You can see Jason Bair’s attention to detail everywhere you look as there’s simply no part that was simply installed; everything was either polished, painted, or plated and when it went on, it was aligned and straightened to look right. Maybe that’s a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but when you get results like this, a little crazy is probably OK. It’s backed by a Bouchillon 545RFE Chrysler 5-speed automatic overdrive transmission that doesn’t seem to mind the massive torque moving through it. One engine/transmission management computer controls everything, to give this car a true turn key and drive experience. A custom driveshaft was fabricated to withstand the force and feeds a Scott’s Driveline Dana 60 rear end filled with 3.55 gears on a Sure Grip limited slip. The original suspension is long gone (would you trust it at this point?) and replaced with a tubular subframe and a full Reilly Motorsports front suspension with tubular A-arms, coil-over shocks, and a fat sway bar. There’s also power rack-and-pinion steering, so even with the fat tires it steers so nice your grandmother could manage it, and a Wilwood brake system with 6-piston calipers in front and 4-pistons in back, drilled and slotted rotors, all supported by a Hydro-Boost power assist.

In back, that bulletproof Dana 60 is bolted to a Reilly Street Lynx rear suspension with a set of trick coil overs and adjustable shocks. Subframe connectors reinforce the mini tub and obviously the floors and underside of the car are every bit as nice as the top side. Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the gorgeous fabricated 3.0-inch exhaust system from TTI Exhaust, which features polished ceramic-coated long-tube headers, a TTI H-pipe, and mufflers big enough to make the Hemi a reasonable choice for long-distance cruising. Custom Boze Injected wheels measuring 19×8 up front and 20×12 in back were fitted with Mickey Thompson street performance tires that do their best to hook it up. This incredible car is fully sorted and ready to rock. The combination of build quality, performance, and the subtlety of the package make for an insanely appealing Charger. It’s a big kid’s toy, but there are no disappointments at any level with this incredible Charger.