Table of contents for February 2023 in Mopar Action

WHAT'S THE COOLEST JOB you can think of aside from carrying Ehrenberg's luggage? I thought I was living large as a catwalker—getting paid to take about 10 cats and a duck on leashes for their daily romp, until that fateful day when I picked up a matchbook cover with an ad that promised “Make big bucks by writing short paragraphs,” I've been writing short paragraphs ever since, but still waiting for the “big bucks.” Then I ran into David Henriksen while shooting his ’78 Dodge Magnum featured elsewhere in this issue. Dave had retired 30 years with the phone company when his wife urged him to get a job about 14 years ago, ’cuz they were spending all their money. Dave's brother worked at the Chrysler Test Center/Proving Grounds in…

DAVE O'BRIEN had his 1970 Coronet 500 convertible on display at the great dealership show at John Hinderer Dodge on Saturday evening. The oneowner car had been bought when Dave found out could not custom-order a near-identical 500 that he wanted after getting out of the service. Now showing 166,000 miles and restored at 90,000 miles, the Dodge came new as a 383 2-Bbl and has very few changes save for upgrades to Mopar engine dress-ups and a circa-1970 4-barrel layout. Dave says he goes to the Nationals since he lives in nearby Newark, but the car has only been there one time. “Yeah, it got dusty sitting all weekend,” he recalled, He has a '57 Dodge Custom Royal as well, but it's not been there, either.…

DAVID WALKER has been a judge at the Mopar Nationals since 1995, so he should know a thing or two about what right and what's not about Mopes. His own car, a ’74 Duster that he bought new, has been an on-going project since 1983 as parts and pieces for the Plymouth became available. Dave's Mopar roots go deep — back to 1965 in fact, when his dad bought a new Fury II station wagon. Musta left a lasting impression. When he was in the 6th grade, Dave bicycled to the car dealerships in town to collect all their literature. Later on, he was able to trade a lot of that paper—especially from ’68-’70— for smaller green papers printed with pictures of dead presidents. Anyhow, moving on from Dave's formative…

WITH MOST of the components selected for our first (of two) 3G Hemi / A-body swaps, a junkyard 5.7, and a rebuilt garden-variety 727A transmission, the wrench twisting begins, here and now… This being the grocery getter version of our pair of A-body Hemi swaps, it will even feature air conditioning, because the ’69 Dart Brian sourced from a cornfield in Oklahoma was a factory slant 6 A/C car, so, hey, why not? The planets have aligned to make this type of swap much easier than it was even just a couple of years back. Holley now produces mounts, a custom timing cover, and shorty headers, to make this a virtually no fab, no torches, bolt in. Hotwireauto.com produces harness kits that make the wiring and PCM child's play, and…

YELLOW PERIL JEFFREY CURTIS, JR. from Stamford, Conn., was looking for a WS6 Trans am because he had owned a 1969 Firebird as his first car. The insurance for the Trans Am was crazy at the time because he was under 25. Then he sobered up and stubled upon a Dakota R/T at a local dealer. Once he realized the performance potential and sleeper status of the truck compared to the tin indian, plus the insurance savings, he went to a family friend salesperson at the local Dodge dealer and cut a deal. The Dakota now has a pretty extensive set of mods including: Holley billet 52mm throttle body, ported and Extrude-honed Mopar Performance M1 intake with Wilson Manifold hidden nitrous spray bars, custom C&R Racing aluminum radiator with Spal…

Ralph Kramden Brooklyn, NY Ralph- Good memory! The clearance notches were “officially*” added to the bezels starting in 1971, this surely made headlamp aiming easier. Despite that, on many ’70-down Mopars, you can slip a screwdriver in with the bezels on, but this is not a given, production tolerances may make this impossible. SHOCKING OPTION Mr. Ehrenberg I just got a pretty clean 1968 Belvedere 4-door sedan, 383 two-barrel. I am trying to decode the option tag. Two codes have me stumped: 638 and 480. Can you help me figure this out? Manuel Rodriguez Austin, TX Manny- Sure. 638 was H.D. (“Firm Ride”) shock absorbers (all 4), and 480 was the dual horn option. HOSED SIX PACK Rick I am finishing up a 1970 Charger, 440 Six Pack R/T clone.…

THE GUYS FROM OLDSMOBILE once had a promotion where they said their cars were “Escape Machines.” With all the madness we see every day, even if good ol’ Dr. Olds himself checked out years ago, we still need one. Now, some of the weak sisters have let Cliff know if I'm too close to the guardrails with politics, and religion probably gets the same response. No matter. In the end, there is a lot of things make us all unified beyond that stuff, as my late friend “Big Willie” Robinson from Los Angeles well understood. This hobby is indeed a brotherhood, and our escape machines are just that—the cars we enjoy. So, whether it is some restored Imperial or the latest 2023 “final act” Hemi, this is our culture, one…

LOYAL MOPAR ACTION READER Ray Sibella sent us this photo taken (by him) at a truck stop in Texas, probably circa 1996, while Vanishing Point (the Fox remake) was soon to be filmed. Interesting insight into the techniques Hollywood used to get “through the windshield” action shots. Our guess is that the “car” was en route from Ted Stephens’ place in Anderson, Alabama (Ted supplied the Challengers for the remake) to a Hollywood movie lot. Check the seats for the camera crew in the pickup, including serious harnesses. We're in contact with Ted to see if he has enough photography of the cars he supplied, the buildups, powertrains, etc., if so, look forward to a feature.…

TOM HOOVER. You wouldn't be wrong if right now you're envisioning a bespectacled gentleman with a grin standing next to a new 426-CI hemispherical engine on a stand in 1964. You also wouldn't be wrong if you recollect a midwestern racecar driver bellowing down the 1320 in a Challenger or Charger Funny Car (or front engine dragster for that matter) at a national dragstrip. Where you would be wrong is if you thought these two gentlemen were one-in-the-same. Just like Mark Walberg from Transformers isn't the same person as Mark Wahlberg from Antique Roadshow, Tom Hoover, the “Godfather of the Hemi,” is not the same person as Tom Hoover, the racer out of Minnesota. With that separation identified, I'd like to grab your eyes for a minute and see if…

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER DEPT PERFECTA “I'M PICKING THE CAR UP AT ROGER'S, and I'll have it at Moparty. Nobody else has seen it yet.” Tim Wellborn and I were on the phone, a little while before Holley's big annual Chrysler show in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Life had gotten busy and making a trip south anytime before the Wellborn Museum's gig in Talladega in October was now out of the question. Sure, I told him, let's meet there Saturday and we'll shoot it. The following Saturday, while I am rummaging through some undone projects at home, the phone rang. It's Tim. “I'm here, by the Holley booth.” “What Holley booth?” I replied, frantically thinking there must have been something I forgot about. “Here at Moparty. Where are you?” Silence on…

SUPERSIZE ME DEPT TOY STORY AUTOCROSS? Nope. Road course? Nope. Street racer, drag racer? Nope, nope. Fun car? Yup! Fun is the key word here as this 2019 Scat Pack Widebody, strictly show car, keeps its owner, William “Robbie” Robinson, amused with a never-ending project. The Dodge also never fails to amuse and delight show fans with the creative displays that Robbie cooks up to get attention. ’Course, Mo'purists and performance types may not be amused much at all, but hey, you can't please everybody. And if you happen to fall into the latter group and frown at these pages, hand the mag over to your grandkids or the kid on a bicycle that tosses your daily newspaper towards your front door and watch ’em smile. Not surprising, Robbie has been…

OF ALL THE COOL STUFF at the '22 Nats, few things brought the attention of a dilapidated but complete 1970 Challenger R/T convertible that was on display under the main tent in the manufacturers’ midway. In storage since 1982, this car was a U-code 440 4-Bbl built in August of ’69, and the factory A/C and cruise control were why it had that single 4-Bbl engine option. With the rough car factory painted FC7 Plum Crazy with a white power top and matched white interior, its power windows, a 3-speaker AM /8-track, deluxe trim and a legit 2-fender tag list of goodies made it likely 1-of-1 as optioned. Never raced, it was all there. Once the two brothers from West Virginia who brought it in noted they were considering selling…

HAVING FUN YET? DEPT MIGRAINE MAGNUM IN 1978, Dave Henriksen dropped by the local Dodge dealer to look at the new Lil’ Red Express he had read about. However, it was a Magnum on the showroom floor that really got his interest, and he ordered one, but not before spending a couple of months studying all the options and equipment for the car. Dave worked for the phone company as a repairman back when it was the Bell System, and he would stop by to chat with the guys at the Chrysler test center in Wittmann, Arizona before it became Chrysler's AZ Proving Grounds (1986). Dave asked about any unadvertised options for the Magnum and also what jobs might be available. Jobs were available but paid less than Dave was making…

OUR FIRST INSTALLMENT, in the December issue, laid out the parameters for our 5.7 and 6.4L Hemi-in-A-body swap series—yes, there will be two, and we aren't even going to double your subscription price! This is the first half of the project A-twins, literally just as it rolled off the transporter from Oklahoma at the height of the Kung-Flu pandemic in Feb. 2021; said China virus pushed back this project by well over a year. Of course, anything that fits an A-body, swims in a B or E, so all our tips will make your life easier if you wanna Hemi-ize any muscle-era Mopar.…

LATE IN 1969, there was a changing of the guards at Dodge. The spokeswoman for Dodge cars and trucks, Ms. Joan Parker, was leaving her job in the capable hands of a new woman. Cheryl Miller was tall, blonde, blue eyed with a killer smile. Her tag line was, “You Could Be Dodge Material.” During late 1969 and all through 1970, Miller was seen on print ads, television and brochures. Dodge used her images to promote the new cars at auto exhibitions including the Challenger at the Chicago Auto Show. Fans saw her sharing booths with Sheriff Joe Higgins. Then suddenly as she'd arrived, Miller was gone by the end of 1971. Ever wondered what became of her? We sure did. Cheryl Miller was born February 4th, 1944, in Sherman…

SO, Chrysler has announced “The Last Call” and broke the internet and pissed off everyone faster than Ronnie Sox's reaction time. The news came with the rollout of several models for 2023 to be certain that we go out with a bang. In keeping with the bad news/good news approach, the intro of an EV Charger with a simulated V8 sound, a ragtop Challenger, and the return of the Swinger name was being promoted to keep everyone in the land of Mopar happy. Wanna guess what happened next? Everyone was still pissed off, especially since we have been the King of the Mountain even before the reincarnation of the Hemi and Challenger made a return, setting off another round of musclecar wars. Hey, I was feeling the exact same way…

ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING MYTHS in gearheadland is that the 1964 Pontiac GTO was the first “musclecar.” But the facts show that the streetlegal ’62 Plymouth and Dodge Max Wedges were a stronger contender for the title. And even before that—all the way back in 1955, Chrysler unleashed what could arguably be considered the first true musclecar, the original Chrysler 300. Dubbed the C-300, it was a 331-CI 300 horsepower Firepower Hemi V8 dropped into a 2-door Chrysler Windsor spiffed up with an Imperial grille, some chrome and a heavy duty suspension. This 4000 lb. luxomuscle machine could top out at 130 MPH and was 7 MPH faster than its closest competitor in the 1955 Daytona Flying Mile for production cars. It was the most powerful American production car…

WHEN WE LAST LEFT YOU DANGLING, we had just driven this here mint '77 Cordoba, a 360 T-Q Cali Emissions version, exactly 360 miles from Ramona, California, to Kingman, Arizona, in brutal desert no-A/C heat. The day ended on a sour note, with a high-speed blowout, but after stacking some Zzzz, the next morning found the dynamic duo, yours truly and the wonder from down under, Brian Dowell, refreshed and ready for the task at hand: Finding a pair of new tires (we had judged the blown-out skin's axle mate just as failure-prone). With new cars all running 18” and up wheels, 15” tires, especially high-profile 225/75R15, tough to find, not that the dimensions were especially rare, but almost all we located were trailer versions. Finally, we found a WallyMart…

LONG STRANGE TRIP DEPT THE ONLY REAL MOPAR NATS! DALE “MEDIA MAN” MATHEWS and I are on the road again, out in the brand-new 2021 Scat Pack six-speed Challenger that he just bought (cue soundtrack, “just 70 more payments and it's mine, all mine…”). Today, our destination is the Columbus, Ohio area, where National Trail Raceway on US Route 40 (A/K/A “National Trail”) is the annual July trek for many Mopar Action readers. The Chally is eating up mountain miles in the Kentucky coalfields, A/C cranking chill and SXM stereo cranking classic Hendrix. The 41st Annual Nationals was graced with some of the best weather in recent memory, mid-70s with a couple of brief sprinkles. The event has a storied past, and Mathews has yet to miss one, having hitchhiked into…

ABOUT A CENTURY AGO, steel began to replace wood as the primary component of Chrysler (and predecessor, Dodge) road wheels. Eventually, in the fall of '68 (1969 MY), Ma Mopar tried aluminum castings for their obvious advantages: less weight, rounder, more rigid. This did not go well, the wheels were instantly recalled (they could not keep the lug nuts tight). This episode prevented shell-shocked Mopar executives from using cast wheels again for well over 10 years, but they stepped up by offering bulletproof forged aluminum wheels in the mid '70s. Mopar did offer styled steel wheels starting in 1967 with the Magnum 500s, but these were partially chrome plated and therefore, they are not easy to restore. In 1970, the first painted, styled steel wheels appeared—“Rallye” wheels, which proved very…

THE LONE RANGER. To you youngsters, that name may no longer ring a bell. No, not the Loan Arranger. Before Luke Skywalker, the good guys rode horses, and the Lone Ranger, who wore a mask on his eyes, not his lower face (to put this in context) trusted in his loyal steed Silver to get him into where the action was and stay with him through it all. Sort of like Bill McFadden. Or not. Bill, who hails from New Jersey, would only use a mask if the law requires it, and while the Silver of yore made good work with a mere one horsepower, Bill decided too much is enough. To that end, he has the silver 6.1L 2010 Challenger SRT8 you see here to meet more pressing modern…

BANNER SELECTION SEE PG. 59 DESKTOP MUSCLECARS OFFERS GREAT RACING MEMORABILIA IN ADDITION to their exclusive line of 1:18 scale collector grade diecast models, Desktop Muscle Cars also offers fan gear for a number of Mopar people / teams / cars including Paul Rossi, Dick Landy, the Motown Missile, Geoff Turk, Judy Lilly and others. Find your favorites on T-shirts, banners, stickers and much more on their growing website DesktopMuscleCars.com. BRIGHT IDEA SEE PG.83 YOU WILL SHINE ON EVEN BETTER WITH CUSTOM PLATING SPECIALIST, INC NEED SOME HELP on your chrome work? Custom Plating Specialist, Inc. is an award-winning chrome restoration company, accomplished in pot metal, and specializing in the restoration of metal parts. Cars, motorcycles, bikes, boats, old antiques of all kinds. Call today 920756-3284 https://customplatingspecialist.com. CRAM SESSION SEE…

The usual procedure is to remove the pig, then the diff, after measuring the backlash so it can be reassembled to the same spec (otherwise expect a gear whine). If you the rotate the yoke and it feels silky smooth, it was bad diff bearings (you will also now be able to visually inspect them.). If not, it is one of the pinion bearings, usually the large rear one. The yoke must be removed, now you will be able to inspect the front bearing. Usually, however, it is a failed rear bearing. If you are a high-stakes gambler, and the bearing(s) you remove is (are) Timken brand, you might wanna try reassembling it with the existing spacer and a new Timken (cup and cone/roller) and a new crush sleeve. Beyond…