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Chrysler, Valiant Chargers E55 340 V8Page has moved to http://www.ravenentertainment.com.au/e55chargers.html please click the link and don't forget to update your favourites.  So you don't have an E49 Charger, this baby is the next best thing a 340 V8 (ENGINE OPTION E55) six pack - Some say even better! 
So you have been looking for information on Chrysler Australia's E55 Charger, and you came up a bit short? Don't worry you have come to the right place.  This site while still being constructed will have all the information I can find placed right here. When I say all the information, I refer to only correct information not things that are incorrect or hearsay any facts listed here will have supporting documentation. There is literally tons of stuff on the internet about the E55 some right some wrong all hard to locate. In my opinion Charger "Supercars" started and ended in the VH range. The only exceptions were the VJ E48'2, E49's and E55's. My idea of Chrysler Charger Supercars are These are the "E" cars I have removed any reference to "Muscle Car" as there are differing points of view on what a muscle car is or to be specific a factory muscle car. The models listed above are in my view the 1970's Charger Supercars. Personally I believe a high performance factory V8 is a muscle car, however as it didn't get onto an Australian race track or have a 4 speed gear box in some quarters it doesn't qualify. Chrysler also produced Pacer Supercars however I'm not looking at covering Pacers here. There is plenty of information on the internet already. Build numbersOk some facts - Only 125 VH E55s and 206 VJ E55s were built, the total number of engines and gear boxes imported from the USA was approximately 340 units. At the time 200 units were required to be built to qualify for Bathurst. The numbers seem to fit this quite nicely! Performance figures
VH/VJ 340 V8 Engine SpecificationsNote:Some VJs were built with a detuned 340. IDing a genuine E55This link will take you to a site made by Peter Morthen, well done Peter The next link will assist you in identifying your Mopar it's from the WA Charger Club which by the way is a very good site. Why a 340 V8 not a 318 or 360?When Chrysler was looking for a grunty V8 to supplement the E49 it looked no further than the 340 V8, basically these engines were designed for racing from the ground up. They were already being used in the All American Racers at the time so it made sense to import them. Were they specifically imported to race at Bathurst? Whether they were going be installed into a R/T version or not is anyones guess, in my opinion had a 340 V8 R/T been fielded for Bathurst it would have been in 1973 NOT 1972. In 1972 the E49 was Chryslers entrant car, for the 1973 race the model may have been a VH however it's very likely it would have been a VJ model. A 340 V8 race program has been continously denied by Chrysler racing program people. That said a heck of a lot of money had been poured into the Londsale engine plant located south of Tonsley to develop the Hemi sixes. Chrysler had a policy of saying their sixes where every bit as good as the oppositions V8s. In many ways this is correct, BUT Chrysler really needed a V8 or a Hemi 300ci six to have a chance at Bathurst. My next question was where were the 318's and 360's made then?. Trivia question - Why was the 360 V8 dropped after the VK series? (Answer at bottom of page) Was a 340 V8 tested on the track by Chrysler YES YES YES but development didn't continue, mores the pity. Special Edition ChargersThe VH model is the only SE model Charger built, the SE stands for "Special Edition" in reference to what's under the hood. The SE badges were lifted from the parent US Charger. I have included a picture of these badges so you can see them close up. Every other site I've see shows these badges in a away view or not at all. So now you can actually see them for yourself. By comparision R/Ts came with the in your face stripes where as the E55 is somewhat a wolf in sheeps clothing, there really is nothing of note to give away what's under the hood. The only tell tale markings are the SE badges, the white vinyl trim and the 340 badges on the guards. There is also red racing paint inside the grill the same colour as the R/T grills. All E55's came out with a single exhurst, which restricted the cars performance. The VJ's as briefly discussed were bland by comparision to the VH model, which was bland itself. ColoursVH E55's came standard in 3 colours only - (Except for the Chryslers oddballs)
In the VJ range they came in all colours across the Charger range.
Factory 4 SpeedsThere were no factory 4 speed models produced, however Bill Shaw from Hemi Performance seems to have owned the only factory odd ball VH 340 4 speed. I have no official factory records to prove this. However feedback from the Slick Six pack forums indicate this car was stamped "Special Order Accepted" (SOA) and the tag looked like it had NEVER been tampered with options were E55-D20-G60?-W35 (Thanks Phil:)
Oddball ChryslersGiven the number of odd ball Chryslers I thought I'd list them here. Racing ChargersEver wondered why the heck the 340 wasn't raced? well I'd like to know the answer to that once as well, if you have any facts and pictures let me know so I can include it here. Chargers don't handle right!Wrong when properly set up for the track a Charger will out handle a GTHO Phase 3, Race Chargers will also out handle a VN Group A Commodore. Just ask Australian Racing Legend Peter Brock who will confirm this. The E55 has exactly the same setup as the E49 at the front. Where it's different is that it doesn't have finned rear brake drums or a racing diff (E49 has a 3.5:1 diff) and is running a softer spring setup. The E55 came out with the 2.92:1 diff. There are also differences in the steering box ratios the E55 comes with a 20:1 ratio, where a E49 has a 16:1 ratio. Had development of a track version been completed the E55 would have come out with a Borg Warner close ratio 4 speed gearbox, more than likely a same as the E49's and the Dana diff. The Dana diffs were subsequently fitted to the VJ E48's and E49's instead. It should be noted the V8's are some 100kgs heavier than their 6 cyclinder cousins. There are other limited edition Chargers these are; The Supercars that got away!A comparision of a E49 Charger and a E55 Charger was undertaken, I don't know from what magazine it comes from so anyone out there who knows please email me so I can officially obtain permission and give credit. It should be noted that the E49 is a factory production racing car, if it had one fault (apart from not winning at Bathurst F%#&$*@^# it) I believe the diff ratio was to high denying the car the longer legs it needed for conrod straight. Which would have given it a better chance against the Ford V8's. Of interest it came outright 3rd with a 50 year old Doug Chivas at the wheel in 1972. Both the Charger and the Phase 3 Falcon of Alan Moffat were beaton by an XU1 Torana driven by Peter Brock! The race in 1972 was rainy and overcast with a slippery track, it dried out during the day. This was the first time the race was run with open headers and the sound of these cars was by all accounts awesome. A bad pit stop may have stopped Doug Civas winning the race. The issue was cold wheel nuts not fitting onto hot studs! This cost precious time during the race. In New Zealand where they have tight tracks but no conrod straight the Chargers from Todd Motors beat ALL comers including Alan Moffat in his Phase 3, and all the XU1's you can count. That should make you Charger owners feel pretty good! Chargers dominated the New Zealand racing circuit for 7 years straight in various configerations including a 265, 770 auto! Bottom line you didn't need a E49 to win at the track although it helped! That said the E49 is the balliest 6 cyclinder "horncar" Charger Chrysler ever produced with total production numbers sitting at 149. Only a $100,000 car can beat it today although the Ford XR 6 Typhoon has nearly caught it 32 years later on modern rubber. This is a magazine article addressing the differences between the E49 and E55. It's a large file even zipped and may take a while to download "Click here". Note: The image quality is very poor and difficult to read, should you have a better copy please send it to me. Build information on the E55'sI have included both the VH and VJ model. This is from Fully Slick information base. Specifications between the E49 and the E55
How many are left?According to the Valiant info base there are six left registered on the road this includes VJs. I don't believe this correct my best guess would be perhaps 60 or 70. My internet research shows that there are only a handful placed on the internet. If everyone updates Bill Papanicolaou from the Valiant Info base then we will have better records on numbers.
What are they worth?This is the million dollar question (as at January 2005), it depends very much on condition, suffice to say a MINT VH SE E55 with all matching numbers around $20,000 to $30,000. A real fixer upper ie complete rebuild including engine but with matching numbers and at least to possibility of fixing rust! say $5000.00 to $10,000 Having said that this is just a rule of thumb guide and supply and demand will always dictate the price, a specific car may well get beyond $30,000 or below $5000. Best bet is to do your homework first and consult your local car club. Supercar Scare 1972This was a piece written by journalist "Mr Evan Green" who effectively and singlehandedly destroyed superscars in Australia. While what he had to say may have been partially correct sensationalist writing effectively killed off the Phase 4 Falcon, the XU2 Torana and eventually lead to Chryslers folding up and leaving Australia. Ok here are the facts, Bathurst at that time required 200 examples of a single model car built before it could be entered into the race, he was afraid that young people would buy these cars secondhand with faults in them and kill themselves on the roads. The papers at the time referred to it as bullets on wheels. A very noble position, but lets look at this for a second using todays example. Can you imagine an 18 year old buying a Holden Club Sport that is only 2 or 3 years? Really? I don't think so. Thats the crap thats was being put forward and it really had no relation to the actual facts. By todays standards nothing has really changed except young people are now buying Skylines GTRs or WRX's and are killing themselves. This is NOT the cars fault it is caused by inexperience and lack of advanced driver training. The other problem is young people don't generally think through their actions before they do something, and this is different from young people of any age how? So the government stepped in by saying to the manufacturers if you build these cars we won't be doing any fleet deals. So where were the government going to buy their cars from? The car makers in my opinion also over reacted and that's history. Chrysler woesWhat was wrong at Chrysler? It appears a number of things happened one the racing Dept was scrapped thanks to a Chrysler executive. Buy the book "Hey Charger" for all the facts. This was a needless exercise, sales of cars were very much based on how they performed on the race track especially at Bathurst. The saying goes win on Sunday and sell on Monday. Can this be proven though? Yes it can Chargers raced on New Zealand circuits and won every event for 7 years straight. Dealerships with unsold stock found their stock sold out on the Monday after Charger wins. Seems simple to me win Sunday sell Monday make some money? Heck why not that's what they are in business to do! There were also problems on the home front in the US with Chrysler, basically they were going out the back door in a big way and undertook a massive restructure of the company. It's easy to point the blame at the US for Chrysler Australia's failure. The real truth of the matter is had they kept the racing program perhaps they may have been able to fund their own new car development and retooling. We will never know. People with no vision always play it safe, and they always lose in the end. Why? Because innovation needs a furtile ground to breed in. The Chrysler racing program was that breeding gound. Did the Chrysler exec who cut the racing program also condemmed Chrysler to oblivion in Australia? In my opinion I believe he did. Well done! Seems harsh? not really going from car of the year in 1971 to extintion in 1981 sums it right up. Shortly after the fuss had died down, Chrysler did the only thing it could and quietly slipped the E55 into show rooms. It was initially marketed as a grand tourer, yes a GT Charger, except with "SE" badges. Reference material includes; Pictures of my E55This is one of only 44 built in vintage red, note the white vinyl trim, the SE badges are missing from these pics as they were not replaced until after the shoot. This car has all matching numbers and is completely genuine. My investigations show me to be either the 4th or 5th owner of this vehicle. It was originally sold by Australian Motors SA Pty Ltd in 1973. This company is still in business however it never responded to my email enquiries. I purchased this vehicle in Bathurst, the then owner had bought the car some 6 months previously from a person in Victoria, who in turn purchased it from the original owner. I however was not able to contact this owner. So I can only trace the history back some 16 years or so. Let me also say right now the 340 V8 is a awesome engine developing 206KW or 275BHP. Numbers of this vehicle are
My previous Charger was a 265 VH 770 with white vinyl trim and a vinyl sun roof, so I'm a bit confused as to side trimming in white only being on the E55's.
My E55 requires a lot more work with a full restoration being needed to bring it back to show room condition. Initial costings are around the $15,000 dollar mark plus another $5000.00 on the motor. So far my total spend on repairs is well over $5000.00 and that's brakes, steering, cooling and upholestry and that does not include the cost of the purchase! If you are considering buying a Charger or any older car for that matter you really need to consider the full costs involved. Parts are not available off the shelf at the local auto store. They can be purchased however the costs are high. Always consult your local car club there will be people willing to help you and provide advice. NEVER buy a genuine "E" car without a car club member inspection first! Mechanical knowledge is not generally available remember these cars are now over 30 years old, most mechanics that worked on them are nearing retirement or have retired. These are NOT Skyline GTRs or WRXs these are chrome and steel they need careful treatment. Thanks for taking the time to view the pageWhat you have read here is the result of 5 months research as I said at the start there is not a great deal of information on the E55's. I hope you have enjoyed the read if you would like to add your E55 here please use the email links on this page and send me a photo and any run down you would like to include. Additional information on the E55 can be viewed in the "Hey Charger" book if you haven't already got a copy go get one. There is a single chapter on the E55s. Any information on racing the 340 and pictures would be appreciated. Any information to fill in the blanks would also be appreciated. Other E55 Pics Note: The lack of 1/4 windows, only one red VH without G60 option was made. This car could be VH6H29-01086, A331C00031, RP - VINTAGE RED, X2 - BLACK, E55 H51 R73, W801, records show this car sold on 16TH OCT 1972.   Another vintage red without 1/4 windows see comments above!  Note: The Chrysler V8 hood ornament. These pictures taken were at various car shows from 1991. Pictures courtesy Daniel AKA "The Coyote"  A VJ E55, Paint - YH BERG 4612 - Sandstone, Body Number - VJ6H29/DH06-0794, Engine No. - A331D00119. This car originally sold on 25th August 1973 the very lucky owner is Peter Morthen. Thanks for the pic. You can find out more about this car on his website. Some E49 Pictures The only Artic White R/T E49 made, this car lives in New Zealand.  A Hemi Orange R/T E49 my favourite Chrysler colour  A rare Sunfire VJ E49 only 4 E49 VJ's were built- The stripes are not genuine as the VJ didn't come with the R/T stripes. In fact the VJs didn't have an R/T model. Check out this link for more information on this car. BTW he is incorrect on his E49 build facts as well - told ya correct facts are hard to find. An E48?
R/T Charger build numbersTotal R/T Build numbers 1300 Chrysler six pack numbersAnswer to triva question - Because it was deemed to expensive to upgrade the engine with the new ADR being put in place. LinksWant to make donation to maintain the site or Restoration of the E55?Please feel free to do so. |
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