Table of contents for June 2021 in Mopar Action

A kid walks into his local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in 1969 and buys a new 383 Road Runner. The car’s not quite the hottest thing available, but it suits his purpose nicely. He drives it to work during the week and hits the strip on Sunday. First time at the track, the beeper turns 14.39. Our buddy is surprised the car is so quick as the competition is mired in the mid to low 15s. Our guy comes away feeling like a million bucks. Three weeks later, the car shows its grille at the local strip again. This time it has a fresh pinstripe running down its sides, a chrome open-element air cleaner, Cal Custom finned valve covers and a 3-gauge cluster hanging under the dash. Three weeks’ worth of bragging…

STEERED WRONG Richard–I have a ’70 Dart Swinger 340. Can I convert my manual steering to rack and pinion? Richard Dujack Lehigh Acres, FL Richard–Nothing is impossible and finding a manual (or power) rack with the correct dimensions has been done. The trouble is: Getting the geometry correct is nearly impossible. The rack is much larger diameter than the existing center link, so either the oil pan would require a huge notch, and/or the rack needs to move down a few inches. So you take your pick: Terrible steering (bump steer galore), or a terrible oiling system. I suppose a dry sump would negate the second problem, but only by adding a ton of complexity and expense, and reduced oiling reliability (Think: KISS principle). From where I sit, there are…

“LIKE, I NEED TO BE FASTER; I need to be faster. I remember just sitting around the shop with Josh and Bruce saying, like, ‘I think I just need to put a supercharger on it.’ And of course, they’re like, ‘sure’…” Racing. There is the reality that you are only as fast as your last “best pass.” You push the envelope so a few more milliseconds will disappear. For show car owner Neichaun Tatum, the curve toward better performance began in earnest back about 2015. An accountant in her day job, Neichaun had bought the car you see here in 2013, with every intention of simply showing it off as she had her former 2005 Chrysler 300C (a car she aptly recalls as “a musclecar in a tuxedo”). Then she…

FROM THE ORIGINAL TWIN LANES at Piedmont Dragway to the long pit road on the front stretch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, drag racing has been part of North Carolina’s racing history. Doorslammer Mopar fans were loyal to Sox & Martin and the Petty/Roy Hill Plymouths, but perhaps best remembered was the late Don Carlton, the Motown Missile’s pilot who died during a 1977 Chrysler testing accident. Despite delays and Camaro-19 virus issues, the 2020 5th Annual Don Carlton Memorial match race came off without any major frustrations in late October at Mooresville Dragway. This track is located in the heart of NASCAR’s engine builders and race-oriented manufacturing community, and the event also served as a reunion for the defunct tracks at Shuffle-town and Hudson, the latter which was Carlton’s…

You Might Say the late Ed Roth was somebody who influenced pop culture. No, he actually invented some of it. Roth, the beatnik hipster who also knew about profitable marketing (hey, it’s expensive to be the archetypical beach bum), parlayed his name onto movie posters and T-shirts, produced music for records like Hot Rod Hootenanny, hung out with bikers and starlets, and created a little “anti-Mickey” mouse he named Rat Fink. Of course, Ed “Big Daddy” Roth also was responsible for a number of the 1960s most iconic hot rods, built using fiberglass and unrecorded mental fuel for inspiration. When Scott Harris bought his new Challenger back in 2009, he planned to modify it, but the level of “Tom-Finkery” seen here is something else altogether. Harris, who calls Lake View,…

THE SCHOOL BUS doesn’t stop here anymore. It doesn’t run. No engine. No transmission. They were yanked by the mechanic, Keith VanEmmerik. Keith earmarked the Dodge B350 bus drivetrain for a bud’s son’s Dart and a deal was made. Keith then turned to his ’68 440 Coronet R/T that he wanted to sell after 13 years. He installed a hot cam but didn’t use zinc-additive oil when he fired it up. The motor showed its appreciation by flattening a cam in 30 miles. Dang! Out came the 440 and in went a Muscle Motors 641-horse 505-inch fuel-injected big-block so Keith could still enjoy the car while casually trying to sell it. The Dodge next went to a guy in Connecticut, who then sold it to a guy in Arizona who…

T$30K. And if your wife was a Mo’girl, there’d be no problem. But she’s not. She has all she wants in her Honda CR-V, and you have had a nice, modified A-body in your garage since before you got married that wifie has accepted. At least she’s not bugging you to sell it. You’re entitled to one toy—just one. You may have to scrape a little to come up with the dough for the ’Bee, but you can manage. So you may have to eat McDonald’s Value Meals for the next 17 years. It’ll be worth it. You’re not supporting a son in college (he dropped out), and the mortgage payment isn’t breaking your back. So, how can you pull off the buy without the little woman running to a…

WE LOVE OUR CARS , right? We love (at least) most of the ones we owned in the past, likely whatever is presently in our garage, and what it is we hope to be behind the wheel of “someday.” For Mopar people, we have a special hobby that many of us have been initiated into not by a secret ceremony but by the experiences we have shared. We all have had our frustrations, glory days, bench-racing tales, and honest reflections. Mechanically. perhaps a road less traveled for some with today’s technology, but one that has created the Mo-car culture we all appreciate. With yet another name change, now to Stellantis (stello meaning “to brighten with stars” according to Wiki Latin), will we change? I seriously doubt it. After all, we…

SEVERAL QUESTIONS appeared in my inbox recently about Charger history, mostly because, as of this writing, what’s on Wikipedia is wrong. The answers to all questions are below, which applies only to US and Canadian market cars: 1G: 1965 (Dart A-body) 2G: 1966–’67 (Fastback B-Body) 3G: 1968–’70 (Coke bottle B-Body) 4G: 1971–’72 (Swoopy B-Body) 5G: 1973–’74 (New front iso-subframe and suspension, lots heavier and more flexible, still B-Body) 5.5G: 1975–’78 (Many chassis changes, first inner fenders, still B-Body) 6G: 1982–’87 (FWD, incl. Shelby, all I4 engines, L-Body) 7G: 2006–’10 (4-door “LX body”, first 3G Hemi) 8G: 2011–2021 (4-door “LD”)…

WE KNOW LOTS OF READERS already own pedestrian drivers or even late-models, but for cool factor, it’s those classic high-horsepower muscle machines that get your heart rate up. Our tech guru is going to give you some tips, from the hunt to the kill, on chasing your own dream machine. Buying a muscle Mope? It’s your money—spend wisely, don’t get shafted! LAYING THE GROUNDWORK WHEN IN THE MARKET for any used Mopar, it helps to begin by having a clear concept of what you want, versus what you can afford. Hey, we’d all like to have a matching-numbers ’71 Hemicuda convertible. We’d like to have a winning Powerball ticket, too. Rule #1: Set your sights realistically. So if you are looking for a complete, running, non-bazillion-dollar driver or “tribute” (read:…

AS MOST OF YOU KNOW , Norman Kraus, better known to Mopar enthusiasts as Mr. Norm of Grand-Spaulding Dodge fame, recently left this mortal coil and joined many of his dearly departed friends in high performance heaven. Norm left an indelible mark on many of us, myself included, and I have pondered about what else can be said about him that hasn’t already been told or written. However, having worked with Mr. Norm literally every day for the past 30 years, perhaps these three personal recollections will shed some light on the man who had a larger than life persona. Back in the day, Mr. Norm loved racing and was a fearless competitor. His goal at every race was to win at all costs, and nothing less than a maximum…

IN OUR FIRST INSTALLMENT, back the April 2018 issue, we discussed the premise that, with modern aftermarket light-alloy components, you could build a big-block as light as a stock smallblock, while making significantly more power. The centerpiece was (and still is) 440 Source Stealth cylinder heads. By actual measurement, we took off 91 pounds, making our 383 lighter than a 360. For the second installment, we detailed and documented the actual installation procedure, step by gory step, with scads of tips ’n’ tricks—and weigh-ins. Now, in this latest analysis, we take weight savings to the wall.…

AS THE 2020 SEASON wound down for the Modern Street Hemi Shootout series, focus for the main players returned to where it had all begun, in the northeast. It was decided to host a two-day test / race at Atco Dragway in southern New Jersey for many of the competitors, and a points finale for the fastest cars and test day immediately afterward at Cecil County Raceway in Bayview, Maryland. Organizer Dan VanHorn had already made the tough decision that the series would not be returning to the Atco track for 2021 (see the newest schedule on page 53) During the year, various competitors in the series continued to increase performance-wise, already leading to many personal bests, but Atco’s legendary mineshaft-quality air would deliver as always. In fact, cars came…

THE CURRENT PRODUCTION DODGE CHALLENGER and Charger, along with the not-long-for-this-planet Chrysler 300C, seem to have been around since the earth cooled. Well, not quite. But for a platform whose basic underpinnings go back almost two decades, the corporation now known as Stellantis has more than recovered all initial cash investment expended on the research, development, engineering, production, and tooling costs of these vehicles. Enthusiasts of these cars call them the LX platform, but it has morphed in various nomenclatures over the years. There’s the LA (2015–present Challenger); LC (2008-2014 Challenger); and LD (2011–present Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger). But the original LX name (2005–2010 Chrysler 300, 2005–2008 Dodge Magnum, 2006–2010 Dodge Charger) sort of encompasses all these cars. While the focus of the Dodge brand has been to build 800-horsepower monsters…

EVERY MOPAR GUY has their calling…and it’s not the priesthood. You know what I’m talking about. The moment of clarity when you decide that “TODAY IS THE DAY I RECLAIM MY LIFE!! I am going shopping for a project Mopar!” You know the drill… you don’t have the cash for a done or mostly-done car, so you decide that you will pick up someone else’s failed attempt for a song and do it yourself. GOOD FOR YOU BUDDY! GODSPEED! SHOW ’EM HOW IT’S DONE! You start hitting Face-book, your buddies, and anything that will lead you to your soon-to-be-that-love-of-your-life Mopar! The magic day comes and you’re so pumped that you’re pissing Mobil 1! New project in hand with all these visions of automotive nirvana, you post it on social media…

IF WE WERE IN one of our snarky moods, we could sum up Joe and Pam Mazzola’s ’70 ’Cuda custom as “not bad for a Chevy guy,” but we’re not. Before his conversion to the Pentastar faith, Joe had been content with his ’64 Bel Air with mild hop-up mods. “There was a guy in town,” says Joe, “who drove around in a black ’70 340 ’Cuda, and every time he’d go down the street, Pam would stop and say, ‘that’s a beautiful car.’” So it happened one day in 1973 that Joe and Pam are driving by their bank, The Second National in Ravenna, Ohio, and they notice a Sassy Grass ’70 ’Cuda in the bank’s repo lot. They ask Mr. Banker about the car and he says to…

ÒMY MOM LINDA raced an old Henry J in C/Gas back in the 1960s; it was powered by a 354 Hemi. My dad Jerry Jones and she were both from upstate New York, and Lebanon Valley was their home track. One afternoon in 1967, when she was pregnant with me, she beat Shirley Muldowney, who was driving her C/Gas Corvette. I like to say that, since I was the “furthest out” at that moment, it was me that beat Shirley that day!” Chris Jones is showing us the present successor to that family tradition of Hemi muscle. Dad Jerry is 82 years old now and builds model airplanes instead of drag cars. The car here is his rebuilt ‘68 Sport Satellite that Chris, a body shop manager by trade, had…

BACK IN THE GO-GO LATE 1960s, Chrysler held “Supercar Clinics” across the country. Plymouth had Sox and Martin, based out of North Carolina, while Dodge signed on “Dandy” Dick Landy, out SoCal way. Dick was famous for chomping on unlit cigars—and going quick ’n’ fast (as were the Carolina boys). We figure Landy learned his cigar chomping from Curtis LeMay, the guy who ensured we’d all be speaking English at the end of WWII (Google him, will ya?) A story circulated back in the day: In ’65, when the unlimited altered wheelbase thing first went crazy, Landy’s guys were to bring him an ash tray of shavings, trimmings, cuttings, etc., adding up to one pound removed from the race cars every day. Obviously, this hadda have an end game, otherwise…

CANUCK CUDA PAT KERTELS’ FATHER brought this ’67 Barracuda in 1980 from the original owner, on the condition that it would be restored to original condition. Completed in 1985, it turned out pretty good, good enough to win several awards for Best A-Body at Mopar shows in Canada (the Kertels hail from Maidstone, Ontario, Canada). Champion Spark Plug also featured the car in their apparels pamphlet. Pat lost his dad in 2006 and dad's last wishes was that Pat not sell the ’Cuda but restore it again. In 2008, Pat took the car apart and sandblasted every nut, bolt, bracket, etc. The 318 engine and transmission were rebuilt to stock specs and he purchased all date-coded or correct-for-the-year parts, including plug wires, hose clamps and wiring harnesses. The original taillight…

SHARP EDGES ROCKAUTO HAS WINDLACE. WHAT’S WINDLACE? ROCKAUTO .COM offers all the windlace your car will ever need! Windlace is that often-frayed strip of fabric/rubber trim/weatherstrip that surrounds door openings and/or headliners. To order, find your classic vehicle at RockAuto .com and then look under “Body & Lamp Assembly” for new windlace with a choice of colors. www. RockAuto .com CHANGE UP INDY CYLINDER HEAD MOD-MAN INTAKE INDY'S MOD-MAN INTAKE is a revolutionary single-plane intake with a pre-drilled mounting surface that allows multiple carb possibilities. There are four different billet aluminum top plate choices to choose from. The top plate choices include the Single Four 4150, Six Pack 3x2 with Mopar OEM Carb Spacing, 2-4 Barrel 4150 2x4 or the 6-71 Supercharger Top plate. All which will work…