Table of contents for February 2022 in Mopar Action

CARB RUSH JOB I decided to delve into the internals of my Edelbrock 4-Barrel Carb (650, electric choke, Carter-ish, ThermoQuad-ish) and saw that the front (primary) jets were larger than the back (secondary) jets. I don’t recall the jet sizes. It’s on a 1973 340 Dodge Challenger, with a 727. What gives? The rear or secondaries are larger so they will flow more air and I would think need more fuel. Is it set up this way because it uses light springs that allow the rods to come way out of the center of the jet, or did I get a mis-jetted carb? M. Rush Via email. M.– You are sorta on the right track...but only sorta. The metering rods never fully withdraw from the primary jets, and the throttles…

POPPING A 3G HEMI into an A-body used to be quite a feat of engineering when the initial 5.7L version first came out. No more. Now it’s almost a piece of cake (we like chocolate with whipped cream on top). We say “almost” ’cuz you never know what Murphy’s Law may throw your way. Still, thanks to aftermarket companies like Holley, TTi and OCPerformance Parts, the swap is now pretty straightforward even though the smaller A-bod engine compartment makes for a tighter fit than B- and E-body Mopes. Jason Gibbons shared the experience of his 3G/A-bod swap which, as you can see, turned out rather well—well enough in fact to honor Jay with a First Place A-Body Modified award at the 2021 Muscle Cars at the Strip. Jay’s adventure with…

TRIBUTE CARS —be they faithful period correct replications of a previous automotive milestone or a modern interpretation of the same—all serve the same purpose of paying homage to some manufacturer’s greatest hit. Factories have been long been known to delve into automotive archives to create their own tributes. Tom Gale, former head of Chrysler Design, constructed the magnificent Chrysler Atlantic concept car—almost a dead ringer for the 1937 Bugatti Atlantic. Bill Mitchell, legendary head of GM Design, was enamored with cars of the ’30s, and among his creations was the 1966 FWD Oldsmobile Toronado that pays close homage to the ’30s FWD Cord. 50th Anniversary Mr. Norm GSS Hemicuda Back in ’67, Norman Kraus aka Mr. Norm, created the first of his iconic GSS models—the first big-block (383) Dart. Dodge…

THE 11,000-HORSEPOWER 500-cubic inch engines that power modern funny cars and dragsters on the NHRA pro tour are like sticks of dynamite. Once the fuse is lit, the engine is toast. Huge fuel volume, up to 115 gallons per minute, and massive amounts of supercharger-pressurized air generate explosive, engine destroying power. That’s what makes 330 mph runs in less than 4 seconds possible and between-rounds teardowns mandatory. On the other hand, nitromethane-burning engines that power nostalgia funny cars like the Chi-Town Hustler are engineered with a different goal in mind: generate enough power for half-track burnouts and exciting 5-second runs at around 250 MPH and do so over and over again without major maintenance. A sturdy foundation and a conservative tune-up make that possible. The Hustler engine, which is engineered,…

IF YOU WERE READING Mopar magazines before there was a Mopar Action (the default was High Performance Mopar), you may remember some of my earlier work. One of my first tech articles was an upsized disc swap for A, B, and E-body cars using what was then junkyard-sourced components exclusively. Several updates later, “Disc-O-Tech” is still the reference work today—and can be found at moparaction.com. Why was I (and still am) so interested in stopping (and handling)? Simple. I recognized, early on, that huge power increases were not difficult on a Mopar, but, even back in the ’80s, contemporary cars were rapidly surpassing the whoa! ability of even dead-stock muscle-era Mopars. While some of this disparity was due to tire improvements (compare any ’80s radial with a stock ’60s bias…

WHEN RANDY WEIST found himself making his own replacement body panels and patches in restoring his ’69 General Lee Charger, he wondered why not make an entire car from scratch-built panels. A full-size patch-panel car was beyond his budget, so he made his charger a bit smaller—possibly the smallest model that a normal-size adult could fit into without having to wrap his legs around his neck. You’ve seen those little go-kart versions of full-size cars, and some even have a roof—but there’s usually a head sticking through it. Randy’s car has a roof hatch that closes with him inside. Randy used good old unibody construction, constructing support members fore and aft out of 14-gauge sheetmetal. The cross-members were dropped so the seat could be lower than the side rails. Randy…

THERE’S A TERM young people are using now that goes by the acronym F.O.M.O, which stands for Fear of Missing Out. After all, the part about saying “been there, done that” is only true if you’ve, yep, been there and done it. I really do not consider the issue of FOMO as much as simply either being blessed to have been there—in the right place at the right time—or frankly overcoming whatever of life’s challenges tried to keep me from it. I can think of many examples. I shot the image of the Belle Dodge ’65 Coronet of Brian Kohlmann doing a fire burnout while on assignment for Hot Rod. I also had a major car problem (rescued just outside of Knoxville by Mopar guys Ken and Matt Hensley), got…

AH, TRUE LOVE. Some find it with a pet, some find it with a spouse, and some, like Leanne Mayberry, find at 2:00A.M. on a musclecar sales lot. “So we rolled up on this dealership in upstate New York, owned by a friend of mine, and this was sitting on the lot,” says the insurance agent, who calls Virginia home. “I was up there for my cousin’s wedding with my husband, and we were getting in late. It was two o’clock in the morning. I saw the car and I was like, ‘STOP!’ Her husband Mark obliged, unaware that he would soon be as much part of this drama as Leanne was. “With those Brass Monkey wheels on it, and the PCP (Plum Crazy Purple), I said, ‘I’ve got to…

“WHEN SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS, you have two choices,” wrote 61-year-old actor John Schneider in a Facebook caption. “Tears and laughter. I choose laughter.” Still, even our calloused hearts have a hard time laughing over this. Schneider’s real ’69 Charger, with the Dixie-themed paint and horn, was destroyed during Hurricane Ida. Schneider memorably played Bo in the CBS television series, and shared images of the crushed 01 NASCAR-lettered Dodge on his Facebook page. More than a mere run-in with some loose branches, his “original” General Lee came out second best when standing up to that wild lady, who tossed an entire tree over the Mopar. The damage is significant enough from his Charger getting ker-plunked that it may not even be restorable. Nope, won’t be “buffing out” this one… ’Course…

VEHICLE INFORMATION 2020 Challenger R/T Scat Pack Shaker Wide Body Supercharged factory 6.2L Hellcat Hemi 6-Speed Manual Transmission White Knuckle with 50th Anniversary Gold Custom Paint EXTERIOR • 50TH Anniversary Hemi Cuda Custom Painted Billboards • Mr. Norm’s ’71 Hemi Cuda Die Stamped Gill Front Fenders and Chrome Gill Trim • Mr. Norm’s ’71 Hemi Cuda Style Grille with Silver Accents • Mr. Norm’s ’71 Hemi Cuda Style Tail Panel with Silver Accents • Mr. Norm’s ’71 Hemi Cuda Style Aluminum Rear Window Louvers • Mr. Norm’s Speedway Front Splitter • ’71 Plymouth 3D Die Cast Emblem on Leading Edge of Hood • Pentastar 3D Gold Emblem on Lower Right Front Fender • ’71 Hemi Cuda and By Plymouth Emblems on Tail Panel INTERIOR • Hurst Pistol Grip Shifter Handle…

IF YOUR UNCLE LOUIE , planting tomatoes in his backyard, keels over and croaks from a heart attack, John Gernay is not the person to call. Hey, his white 1968 Undertaker Barracuda is more about hauling down Chevy deadbeats than it is about hauling off stiffs. Besides, John’s primary deal is that of a welder, carpenter, builder—commercial jobs, kitchens, you name it—not getting poor Louie out for a quick embalming. Cars are a sideline out of his home garage when he has the time, and he says his “undertaker” handle comes from his “undertaking” various projects—such as four previous car builds for buds. Dunno, but it sounds fugazy to us. So, John began this undertaking when he scored the ’Cuda as a shell—a body in good shape. He did some…

ERIC PERRINE LIKES TO DO THINGS in a big way. For instance, he helps organize charity events from his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, with his local car club. These deals raise tens of thousands of dollars for things like historical preservation, and rather than a free-for-all mix, he gets guys like Bobby and Donnie Allison involved. However, the Mope you see here was his moment of going backward, purchased just as Ma Mopar unleased the first batch of late-models Challengers onto the street. “Yeah, that was back in 2009,” says the 56-year-old, whose automotive passion has made him a regular face at many big shows, including regional events held by the Motorsports Hall of Fame and Wellborn Musclecar Museum. “I thought to myself, ‘I am going find and buy an…

WHEN MA MOPAR went to dual circuit masters in 1967 (to comply with Federal law), they took care to ensure that the plumbing for the primary side (rear of cylinder, for front brakes) could not be inadvertently swapped for the tube feeding the rear brakes. They used a common 1/2"-20 thread for the rear brakes, and an oddball 9/16"-20 for the fronts. Both are of an extended nose design to avoid screwing up (literally) the unthreaded “bottom” of the bore and are long enough insure a good seal. Both are designed for 3/16" hardline. The adapters and most fittings sold at parts store do not have the extended schnozola design and should be avoided. See tinyurl.com/fittingkit. NOTE: The fairly rare ’73-up 4-wheel-drum masters (stripper A-bodies) used 1/2"-20 and 9/16"-18.…

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW , and what’s new is old, and then it becomes “retro” or “old school.” Yo, Crec? What in the hell are you talking about? I am talking about paint trends and the cycle that they live by and die by. Everything is cyclical, you name it, and it comes back around full circle. I will rattle off a few from the paint side. Hand pinstriping, and I am not talkin’ about the BS tape that came in a roll. I am talking about the wild, free-hand pinstriping you would see on a lot of Mopars and street rods years ago. This is definitely a lost art and the guys that did this type of work are an endangered species in today’s world. I still remember when…

Wanna submit a resto question? Please follow the instructions on page 10. BEE GOLDEN Mr. Ehrenberg, SAEI just received a 1971 Charger Super Bee, 440/4-speed, Gold. Any idea how many were produced? “James” Last name and address withheld by request James–The best production number I have is 26. As far as how many were painted GY4, all I have is the ’71 Dodge B-Body “take rate,” which was approx. 0.1%. Doing the math, there exists the strong possibility that you have one of one. That can’t be taken to the bank, because even if half (13) of ’em were GY4, that total B-body number (which includes sedans) could still have been 0.1%. Just as an FYI, the most popular color was Light Green Metallic (GF3), followed, curiously enough, by “Gold…

LESS IS MORE . When it comes to muscle Mopes in general, the fewer cars produced with a particular combination of desirable options, the more interesting and usually more sought after they become. Such is the case with Joel Johnson’s 1971 Charger—an SE model with a 383 4-Bbl/4-speed driveline and optional leather interior. Add in a factory power sunroof, and this rare factory combo taken all together probably makes this special Dodge Charger 1-of-1 produced. ’Course, rarity’s not what attracted the car to Joel in the first place as you’ll soon see, that is, if we haven’t lost your interest by now. We start our little tale with sawdust. Yep, sawdust. As the scene opens we see Joel, a high-schooler at the time with an eye at becoming a diesel…

VEHICLE INFORMATION 2018 Challenger Demon Wide Body Tuned supercharged Factory 6.2L Demon Hemi 8-Speed Torqueflite Automatic Transmission White Knuckle with 50th Anniversary Gold Paint EXTERIOR • 50TH Anniversary Demon Body Side & Hood Graphics • Mr. Norm’s Speedway Rear Spoiler • Mr. Norm’s Speedway Front Splitter INTERIOR • Hurst Pistol Grip Shifter Handle • Mr. Norm’s / Katzkin Tuscany Custom Leather Interior in White Pearl with Ink Wrap Including: Diamond Tek Stitch Inserts, Carbon Shadow Wings, Gold Contrast Stitching • Diamond Tek Stitch Door Panel Inserts with Pearl Stitching • Mr. Norm’s 50th Anniversary GSS Demon Emblem Embroidered on Front Seat Backs • Mr. Norm’s 50th Anniversary GSS ’72 Demon Start / Stop Button Overlay • Mr. Norm’s 50th Anniversary GSS ’72 Demon Steering Wheel Accents and Emblem • Mr.…

BRAKES. You take ’em for granted, until they either fail outright, or get so nasty—grinding, pedal pulsating, etc., so you know you are nearing something scary. Of course, get into any modern Mopar—or even a cheap subcompact (e.g.: Honda Fit*) and you know right away that the brakes are better than ’60s or early ’70s Mopar discs or drums. By the mid-1970s, Ma Mopar’s front brakes had begun to improve, with drums banished from everything save a base A-body, 11.75 X 1.00" rotors on B-bodies (starting in 1976), and 11.75 X 1.25" on ’74-up C-cruisers (and D-trucks and B-vans). Of course, even 30+ years ago, wise Mopar mavens swapped those B-body “cop” brakes onto classic A, B, and E-bodies, with yours truly shining the light into the drum dungeon in…

HELLO, KENTUCKY! The city of Bowling Green is experiencing a lot of growth these days, as refugees from the big cities (Nashville and Louisville) and big states (California and New York) have found the quaint little college town a fun place to live. “Call someplace Paradise and kiss it goodbye,” sang the Eagles once, but we agree with the usurper’s sentiments. It indeed is a nice place, and for those of us who appreciate the finer things in life—burnt rubber, screaming RPM launches, and tire sidewalls grappling for grip, few places match the environs of Beech Bend Raceway. This 1/4 -mile has a long and storied history. Built on a horseshoe bend of the local river, it is also host to a circle track, campground, and amusement park. For Holley,…

CHARGER STEEL OE STYLE QUARTER PANELS FOR ’73–’74 CHARGER FINALLY! ALL NEW PREMIUM ’73–’74 Charger Quarter Panels by AMD. Aimed at a tried-and-true contender in the muscle car world, the Dodge Charger is one of the most popular muscle cars of all time, and AMD has completed development and now offers Premium Quarter Panels for the ’73–’74 Dodge Chargers. Known for top quality OE style sheet metal, AMD continues to support enthusiasts and restoration professionals by helping you save time and labor with Premium quality reproduction parts. Stamped from high quality OE gauge steel on our exclusive new tools, each quarter panel features correct as original shape, size, bends, curves, and body lines. Like all AMD parts, these items arrive EDP coated to help protect against rust and corrosion prior…