[HPMIKE]

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Thanks guys

I've come across one that's for sale the guy claims its a real J code hemi, I haven't seen the car my self,just picks needs a full restoration, The guy seems to know what his talking about, However I want to try make sure she's the real deal, Any guru's here that can give me some advice what to look for?, How to tell? anything at all, Will be much appreciated

Thank you for your time

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There are a few earmarks that will help verify that you have the real deal. First and foremost, make sure that the numbers stamped into the radiator support and trunk lip,(under the glued weatherstrip-drivers side) matches the VIN. There are also other specific body mods that hemi cars only had. There is a welded plate that reinforces the area where the pinion snubber contacts on the body. The other areas to look are the framerails in the back by the bumper. Only Hemi cars got the small welded plates that tie in that area. "Torque boxes" that reinforce the frame in the front and back were boxed in on hemis as well, but I have also documented non hemi cars that had this mod from the factory. Convertibles also had this same mod.

Various little other things to look for are:

-If the car has power brakes-then it should have the offset bracket to relocate the booster and master cylinder higher up.
- It should have a 26" radiator opening.
- If it has the original air grabber box then the area where the master cylinder is raised will have a "pocket" lined with rubber cut into the box to allow the master cylinder to not interfere with the air grabber housing when the hood is closed.
- If it is an auto trans car, then it should have a factory trans cooler in front of the radiator. It could have been removed at some time as well= so this shouldn't be a deal breaker.

While this gives you a basic guideline, there are other items to look for as well, but it will depend on how the car was optioned originally. Many Mopars(including hemi and non hemi) were fitted with "hemi suspension" which contained HD torsion bars and leaf springs, shocks, etc. An original fender tag is a must and a broadcast sheet is a plus but not a deal breaker as it was a common occurence for a car to have the wrong or no broadcast in the car when it left the plant. Pay close attention to the VIN tag on the dash, if the rivets look molested in any way then that should raise a red flag.

Feel free to PM me if you need any other assistance.

MB