28.f. 1973 Chrysler Valiant Charger VH 770 Coupe
Image by 70_musclecar_RT+6
2014 Gore Aussie Muscle Mania Car Show (12-4-14)
The VH Chrysler Valiant Charger (1971-73)
The new Charger was unlike anything that had come before and it had the Australian motoring press saying things like "…the most handsome car Chrysler has ever produced, and probably the best looking car ever produced by an Australian manufacturer". A short wheelbase, fastback coupe with an aggressive wedge-like stance, the Charger’s design gave the effect of speed, even when it was standing still.
Chrysler’s TV campaign for the Charger featured the young adults at whom it was targeted, waving at one as it swept by them and shouting "Hey, Charger!" – one of the more memorable TV ads of the time, it created a cliché that haunts today’s owners… Charger won Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year award for 1971 and was widely acclaimed by others of the motoring press, as well as the public.
This Charger came in four model guises – standard, XL, 770, or the all muscle R/T. The first of the serious track pack R/T Chargers was the E38. Despite being hampered by a three speed gearbox, it still drew comments from "Wheels" magazine like, "we achieved a time of 14.8 seconds for the quarter mile — on smoother surfaces the Charger galloped away so easily that a best of 14.5 seconds is within reach".
The most well recognised performance Chargers were the ‘6 Packs’. The term ‘6 Pack’ denoted the Triple Weber 2BBL carburettors (3×2=6) that were hung off the side of the 265 Hemi, which produced levels of power unheard of on a naturally aspirated 6 cylinder at the time.
E38 Charger versions featured a 265 Hemi which produced 280 HP while the E37 and E48 were the street "six-packs". E38 was a race ready Charger with the A84 "TrackPack", which included a 35 gallon fuel tank. The A87 "TrackPack" included all the race track goodies with the exception of the big tank for endurance racing.
Then in 1972 the E38 was superseded by the more powerful and greatly refined 4-speed E-49 Charger. This drew comments from Wheels such as "The raw quivering power is instantaneously on tap and with a ratio for every conceivable situation the Charger just storms through. It would take a Ferrari Daytona with racing driver Jackie Ickx at the wheel to stay with one". All E-49’s came with the "TrackPack", and 21 also had the huge fuel tank in the option list which took up nearly all available boot space.
The E49 "six-pack" engine came with a baffled sump, tuned length headers, special shot-peened crankshaft, conrods, pistons, rings, cam, valve springs, a twin plate clutch and of course the triple 45mm dual throat Weber carburettors. Chrysler quoted this engine as producing 302 HP which, in a 1372 KG (3000 pound) car, made for rapid acceleration. The E49 was the ultimate Charger, with only 149 built the E49s are still widely considered today as one of the greatest Muscle Cars ever produced. Road tests of the era recorded quarter mile times of between 14.1 and 14.5 seconds. 0-100 mph (160 kph) in 14.1 seconds was the norm. This compares to times of between 15.2 and 15.6 for the next quickest accelerating Australian muscle car, the mighty XY GTHO Falcon.
Although the 6 Pack Chargers were the dominant players in the VH Range, there was another Charger, the 275 bhp, 340ci V8 powered E55, that came close. With only 125 units produced, this makes the E55 an extremely rare car. The E55 could reach 60mph/100kph in 7.2 seconds and complete the quarter mile in 15.5 seconds – all topped off by a top speed of 122mph!
The Chrysler Valiant Charger in New Zealand:
Todd Motors were the NZ Chrysler distributors. Todds assembled Chrysler Valiants at their plant in Wellington between 1963 and 1979. The NZ assembled Chryslers were generally identical to the Australian versions with a few variations. They featured different NZ made interior trim and stiffer suspension settings to cope with the sometimes winding, mountainous NZ roads. There was some export models that were sold in NZ that were not seen in Australia.
Todd Motors did an excellent job marketing Chryslers in NZ. They only imported or assembled the upmarket models, which gave the Chryslers a much more prestigious image than they had in Australia. Chrysler Valiants actually outsold the Australian Ford Falcons in NZ right up to the early 1970s.
Todds generally assembled only the four door sedans with upmarket trim and equipment. Station wagons, coupes and performance models were imported built up from Australia. The exception to this was the Chrysler Charger. The Charger was to the Valiant what the Mustang was to the Falcon; a good looking sports coupe based on the sedan with a wide variety of models and options available. It was a stunning sales success in both countries. Lee Iacocca would have been very proud of the Australian Chargers.
Todd Motors assembled the VH and VJ Chrysler Charger 770 203hp Hemi 6 auto between 1971 and 1976. It was the only time an Australian coupe was assembled outside Australia. The NZ Charger 770 was practically identical to the Australian versions but came with the standard 203hp Hemi, a limit slip diff, slightly different trim with non-reclining front bucket seats and no rear bumper over-riders. A high number of the performance R/T Chargers was imported into NZ both by Todds and privately.
According to Mike Todd, (one of the Todd family who now owns an immaculate E49) there was heated debate within Todds as to whether they should assemble the Chargers in NZ at all. There was much more debate as to whether Todds should be involved in motorsport and sponsor Chrysler racing teams in production car racing. The end decision to do both paid off very handsomely.
As in Australia, the Charger was an instant sales success in NZ. There as even a black market for Chargers with some selling for NZ00 more than the list price of 75.
Despite Todd Motors skillful marketing and the Chargers sales and competition success, the 1970s saw a decline in Chrysler’s fortune in NZ. The large conservatively styled VH Valiant sedan, which the Charger was based on, did not find favor in NZ and there was strong competition from GM and Ford. The 1973 oil shock and subsequent recession saw NZ buyers switching to smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. Todd Motors started assembling Mitsubishis at their Wellington plant and soon their loyal customers were swapping their big Chrysler Valiants for Mitsubishi Lancers, Sigmas and Magnas.
Despite the decline in sales throughout the ’70s, Todd Motors still managed to maintain that upmarket image for the Chryslers. They never discounted or introduced cheaper models, as was the case in Australia. Todd Motors assembled their last Chrysler in August1979 and continued to import built up cars until Australian production ceased in 1981. The last models to be assembled in NZ were the CL Hemi 6 Auto sedan and the more upmarket CL V-8 Regal sedan. In 1986, Todds sold the assembly plant to Mitsubishi and today the plant still assembles a range of Mitsubishi vehicles.
(ref: www.valiant.org/nz.html)
The 265ci HEMI 6cyl:
The Hemi Six line included engines with 215, 245, and 265 cubic inches of displacement. All were in-line sixes, with pushrod-activated overhead valves, combined intake/exhaust manifolds on the left side of the engines, and hydraulic valve lifters to cut maintenance needs; Carter carburetors were generally used on the standard engines, with three side-draft Webers on the highest performance versions. At introduction, single-barrel carburetors were used even on the 265, though a higher-output 265 was sold with a dual-barrel Carter carburetor and twin-outlet exhaust manifold. The Six Packs used Weber 45 DCOE dual-throat carburetors.
Even the smallest engine, the 215, equipped with a single-barrel carburetor, produced more power than the biggest American slant six — and it weighed less.
The 265, a bored out 245, used the same pistons as the 318 to save money; the 215 was meant for economy. The VH Pacer had a higher performance 265, and it set a record for being the fastest mass-produced four-door sedan with a six cylinder engine produced in Australia (the record was indisputed until 1988). The key to its success, other than a well-designed and well-made engine, was the addition of triple Weber side-draft carburetors, tuned by Weber and Chrysler engineers in Italy.
The Chrysler Valiant Charger 770 engine specs:
The 265 was introduced in 1971 in the VH. It used a new cylinder block with a bigger bore diameter of 3.91 in (99.3 mm)—the same as many of the Chrysler small-block V8s—and a new cylinder head, having slightly more hemispherical shaped combustion chambers with larger valves.
The standard version of the 265 produced 203 hp (151 kW) @ 4600 rpm and 262 lb·ft (355 N·m) of torque @ 2800 rpm.
The top of the line performance engine in the E49 Chargers produced 302 hp (225 kW) @ 5600 rpm and 320 lb·ft (434 N·m) of torque @ 4400 rpm. The increased power is due mainly to a more aggressive camshaft, high-load valve springs, triple 45 mm DCOE Weber sidedraught carburetors, tuned-length exhaust headers and a higher compression ratio of 10.0:1.
Specifications (for 2bbl carburettor variant) 265ci Hemi HP 770 engine:
Bore Size: 3.91 in (99.3 mm)
Stroke: 3.68 in (93.5 mm)
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Power: 203 hp (151 kW) @ 4600 rpm
Torque: 262 lb·ft (355 Nm) @ 2800 rpm
Intake valve head diameter: 1.96 in (49.8 mm)
Exhaust: 1.60 in (40.6 mm)
Quarter mile time: 15.7 seconds
(ref: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Hemi-6_Engine)
