Like a lot of muscle car enthusiasts, Frank Andrews was trying to relive a little bit of his youth when he went looking for a Charger Rallye. He had a ’73 Rallye in Banana Yellow back when his hair was long and funds were low, and he was ready to party like it was 1976 again.

He wanted a car that he could drive immediately because life and work did not allow for a long, involved build/restoration. He found this ’72 Dodge Charger Rallye at a local classic car flipper in 2019. To avoid many of the horror stories that often come from traveling with this route, he diligently checked the car over and found it to be sound in unibody and soul. This car had been repainted in its original Hemi Orange hue and the matching bumpers were a factory option and correct to this car.

Under the domed hood was the original 340 4-barrel mated to a 727 TorqueFlite trans. The 340 took a major hit, performance-wise, in ’72. Not only had compression dropped from 10.5:1 to 8.5:1, but the good exhaust manifolds and heads from the earlier versions were replaced with more pedestrian pieces. Net horsepower was now 240 at 4800 rpm. This mattered little to Frank, but when the TorqueFlite decided to go to Transmission Heaven, the car took an abrupt turn for the better.

He wanted a car that he could drive immediately because life and work did not allow for a long, involved build/restoration

He replaced the factory 340 with a built 440 and added a modern overdrive manual gearbox. The new RB-engine was bolstered by an Edelbrock Top End kit. In one package, he had everything to produce an advertised 482 horsepower: Performer RPM aluminum cylinder heads and intake, matching cam, timing chain, head bolts, etc. The heads feature 2.160 intake and 1.810 exhaust valves, which are opened by a hydraulic flat-tappet cam with 0.480-in./0.495-in. lift (intake/exhaust) and 238/246 degrees of duration at 0.050-in. lift.

But that was not the end of it. Frank was turning this into a modern hot rod, where driveability, comfort and (to a far lesser degree) fuel economy) were paramount. To this end, the 440 was treated to Edelbrock Pro-Flo 4 EFI system. This is an actual port fuel injection system with a four-barrel throttle body. This necessitated a new fuel tank, 02 sensors, etc., but once tuned, the driveability was like that of a new Charger—you know, if Dodge was still building new V-8 Chargers.

The Sure-Grip 8 3/4 rear had 3.55 gears, which is a nice street gear, but to make the car more interesting—not to mention accelerate harder—a Tremec TKK 5-speed gearbox was placed behind the engine, with the help of a Silver Sport Transmissions swap kit (including the pedals). According to Frank, the swap was relatively easy and a retro-looking Pistol Grip shifter make driving this B-body a blast.

… once tuned, the driveability was like that of a new Charger—you know, if Dodge was still building new V-8 Chargers.

As part of the modernization phase, a Vintage Air A/C setup was added to keep the passengers from melting on hot summer days. Other than some added gauges, including a tach, the interior looks like standard issue 1972 Charger Rallye. Nicely trimmed door panels, woodgrain on the dash and 150 mph start things off. There is a modern radio and rather than stick with the vents that came with the Vintage Air kit, he added factory air conditioned dash for that OE look.

With overdrive, fuel injection and Vintage Air blowing cold, Frank has no qualms about hopping in his uncommon Mopar and piling on the miles. Show is 80 miles away? Let’s go. It’s 90 and humid out? Turn on the A/C. Highway miles simply melt away in fifth gear and with 290 rear wheel horsepower, there’s plenty of freeway merging power.

The Cragar S/S was the wheel of choice for enthusiasts in the ’70s and they are the perfect complement to the Hemi Orange Charger