Table of contents for April 2020 in Mopar Action

I’VE ALWAYS subscribed to the motto “if you don’t have fun doing what you’re doing—don’t do it.” Which maybe is why I’ve been a fixture at the local unemployment office. The recent newsstand massacre of 19 automotive print titles got me thinking about the fun times I’ve had editing automotive/motorcycle magazines. Included were two on the hit list: Vette, and Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords. But there were a few more editorships I’ve had fun doing over the years. My journalistic foundation is grounded on two pillars: “The Compleat Practical Joker” by H. Allen Smith and the original Mad—the comic book format issues—with features such as Superduperman and Batboy and Rubin. That was all I needed to secure my first job at Countrywide Publications which eventually morphed into Harris Publications.…

WE COULD START off this potential Pulitzer Prize award feature with our usual smart remarks by saying how John McCabe (John 1 in this article) had trouble finding his ’71 Charger in the sea of ’71 Chargers in the Walmart parking lot … Or that he had this big box of Magic Markers… ’Course, there’s the old standby: John McCabe wanted his ’71 Charger to be different from all the others out there so he blah, blah, blah… But we won’t. Which sort of limits our options for a lead. Time to open up “The Big Book Of The Best Story Intros—The Hack Writer’s Best Friend—2002 Edition.” Yeah! You see, McCabe (John 1) was 11 years old when He got hooked on Mopars thanks to his dad’s (John 2) F8…

NAME SOMETHING that is equal parts reality, fantasy and more than a little insanity. No, we’re not talking about your love life. We’re talking the SEMA show. The industry movers and shakers have once again made their annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas to display their latest and greatest products for everyone to drool over. But the challenge for exhibitors is that the show has grown so big, and there are so many distractions, that it can be tough to stand out from the crowd, even if you’ve got a great product. Not so long ago, gorgeous barely-clad models were the primary source of eye candy. The girls were hired to get attention and yes, they were very effective. As an example, one year an exhibitor we know was struggling to…

NASHVILLE AUDIO MAN Todd Fullford towed his Demon in from the Music City. Unlike the other two, he is running the factory Demon supercharger, relying on tuning, fuel choice, and nitrous/throttle body upgrades to go fast. It was his hope to break into the 8s with the machine, but the best today would be 9.08. It was not for a lack of trying, as he and his crew put down more laps than the other two. Again, this one is basically as built by Ma Mopar under the valve covers, with a shot of nitrous to keep them all laughing. He’s not done yet, either.…

BEEPER3 is, as the name implies, the third Mopar Action Road Runner project car. As with our original 1972 Beeper (circa 1999), this will be a very mildly modified resto-mod, with only a few upgrades as a tip of the hat to modern drivability, handling, and braking levels. Starting with a true V-code (440-6), Pistol Grip (which will now be connected to a SST 5-speed), Super Track Pack (4.10:1 Dana axle), Air Grabber, B5 blue 1970 RR, we’ve taken this bird from gutted rusty shell to better than new—literally. The powertrain is the original Dana 60, a new killer Silver Sport OD 5-speed, and a well-used 1969 440-6 mill, which was very mildly hopped up 25 years ago (or so said the seller, anyways!) 12 " Disc-O-Tech cop brakes, and…

WE DON’T KNOW what tunes Gigi Palermo hums as he tools along in his 2019 very custom Charger, but we’ll bet it’s The Doors’ classic “Back Door Man.” If you’re not familiar with Jim Morrison’s rendition, you can hear it at: tinyurl. com/doorsbackdoor. So, who’s this guy Gigi, and what’s the deal with his Charger, and why don’t we get a raise once in a while? Good questions to be sure, so here are some of the answers. If you remember back to our August ’19 issue (don’t have it? Order a copy from our subscription department. Wait until you receive it and then continue reading this article). Can’t wait, eh? OK, no problem. Our August ’19 issue featured the world’s fastest Demon built by Speedkore Performance and Gearhead Fabrications.…

WITH THE HEADS NEATLY TORQUED into the final resting places in the last installment, we were left with just an external-component button up. So now we’ll install the timing cover, water pump, damper, oil pan and system, intake manifold, etc. As usual, this will be covered in boring detail via the accompanying ultra 4K photos and captions. Next time, we’ll install an ignition system, clutch and flywheel, a well-used A833OD, then slam it under an E-body, install an exhaust system, break it in, and make a few pulls on a chassis dyno. Stay tuned, boys and girls!…

FUNNY CAR RACER MIKE MITCHELL’s paint schemes was the inspiration for the graphics on John McCabe’s kool Charger. Mike was well-known nationally in the early 1970s for his “Mike Mitchell the Hippie” lettered ’Cuda, which had been preceeded by a blown Willys gasser and a topless Mopar-powered Corvette. Most famously, when he added a swastika as the X and the words “F&*K NIXON” on the ’Cuda’s rear spoiler and showed up at Indy, boss Wally Parks told him it had to be taped over to be allowed to run. Urban rumor has it Parks actually apologized after Nixon resigned. One Hippie car was backed by the Jefferson Starship band and a race fan once recalled Marty and Grace (look it up if you are too young) snuck into a match…

KENTUCKY is not always considered the hotbed of drag racing records. Or at least it wasn’t until Aaron Sipple and his crew at Kentucky Dragway got involved. Leon Epling of Bean Station, Tennessee, knew that if the weather cooperated on November 4th , the Sipples would have a racetrack for his rental day that that could “take a big number.” At 2:29 that afternoon, it did. Epling, his son Jason, and two grandsons, Logan and Aidan, invited Mopar Action to this private track session that day. With slightly overcast skies, thermometer readings in the 50s and air measuring about 500 above sea level, the session was open to a handful of friends as well, but the big hope was to get the family’s recently updated Hellcat Challenger down into the…

THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS you can build a street car for fun. Some people look at raw performance and want to burn rubber. Others want polish and shine. Sometimes you see a car that may look a little average, but the more you hear about it, the more interesting it becomes. Rob del Rosario from St. Louis showed up at the Big Easy Mopars Association show in New Orleans after a week on the road with his very streetable Gen3 Hemi ’72 Cuda. This was a car that was created for one thing—enjoyable driving. Moreover, most of the scrounged changeover pieces were also Mopar parts. Far from being his first rodeo, Rob says he’s been running with the big dogs since high school. “I’ve always had Mopars, even…

THANK MIKE TUFANO’S MOM for this project. If she hadn’t rapped the front of her 2005 Champagne color Walter P. Chrysler Touring Edition V6 Chrysler 300, we’d be running an E-booger tech feature here on how to pick your nose in 6 E-Z installments. So we’ll spare you. Mike’s dad (also a Mike) went hunting on eBay for a replacement front bumper for the 300. What he found was front and rear bumpers plus some other body parts for a 300 SRT8. “Hey dad,” said Mike, “rather than have the 300 just look like an SRT8, why not make it into a complete SRT8. After all, how hard could it be?” The big reason for the project was that Mike’s mom gave him the Chrysler (that’s “Chryzler” for our Canadian…

BACK IN THE MUSCLECAR HEYDAY , magazine road tests were the only go-to source for performance information on new cars. Most of the big-name mags were straight-forward, reporting facts with usually not more than a little brand-favoritism peeking through. Naturally, the big three were all anxious to have their cars appear in print as being the winner, especially when it came to straight-line performance (1/4-mile and 0-60). Naturally, it behooved the manufacturers to be certain that their cars were tuned to the nines. It was well known (and documented) that Pontiac, especially, pushed cheating to the max, but I’ll wager that all automakers engaged in some questionable practices. Chrysler got caught. One of the major mags figured out that the “base” 383 Road Runner being tested had 2.5" exhaust pipes,…

NEW ALUMINUM WHEELS WHEEL VINTIQUES is broadening its product base with a new line of aluminum wheels designed for muscle cars, sports cars, hot rods and more. This new Aluminum Series continues Wheel Vintiques’ reputation for quality with six new wheel models ready for production. The new Aluminum Series wheels feature a two-piece aluminum construction, and the options are endless if you’re looking for a race-inspired look with custom fitment. Most of the wheels are available in both 15- and 17-inch diameters, ranging from 5- to 15-inch widths. Custom backspacing is available on all six designs, offering custom-tailored fitment for your car. Shown is the “kidney bean” style with Mopar-compatible 5x4.5 bolt circle. Made in the USA, all wheels in the Aluminum Series product line will be available in early…

CREC’S GREATEST HITS! No, it’s not my latest album of Mopar love songs, it’s me being a broken record and repeating “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” and “watch your butt” because it’s always the little things that will trip you up. Guess what? It’s for a reason. “Junk” is a universal term. It can mean new or what someone spends good money on to find out that it’s garbage. Here is my latest tale of misery related to my ’74 Dart “Plain Jane.” Valvetrain, baby! Hydraulic, solid, roller—ahhhh, the mystical world of it is so awesome. You’ve picked your cam/ lifters and now you are looking at your choices to decide which lucky manufacturer’s pushrods and rockers are gonna be allowed to have first-time sex with that fresh…

RAD REAR Mr. Ehrenberg–My uncle left me a 1967 Fury III, 440, 4-speed. It has 107K and runs just fine. My question is about the rear end. It has a cover plate like a Dana, Chevy, etc., but nobody around here can identify what is for sure. There’s no problem with it now, I just want to be prepared in case it eventually needs some parts. Irwin Schwarts Chicago, IL Irwin–It is a Dana 53. 9.25" ring gear, but not even remotely similar to later (1970s-up) Chrysler-built 9¼" axles. Chrysler used this axle intermittently in HD applications, such as limos (stretched Imperials), hearses, etc., it was also in earlier HD Jeeps and Willys trucks. In 1967–’68, it was only in 440 4-speed C-bodies (and the stretches mentioned above), and, despite…

ENGINE TUNER EXTRAORDINAIRE Tim Barth was also on hand at Clay City, having towed in from Illinois to take advantage of the test day. He had a customer’s car he was working on, one which featured a somewhat smaller K-B blower than Epling’s “Big’Un,” a mild compression change that would allow him to run the car with a little more top-end RPM, and the latest Demon scoop you saw on Rick Holloway’s car in the last issue. We streamed Tim’s 8.89 best pass live on the Mopar Action Facebook page and he gave us this response. “The trans wasn’t happy (this is basically the OEM package),” Tim stated. “I need more time to log it and ease into the spray. The car went a 9.16 on blower alone and with…

AS YOU MAY RECALL from our last issue, we had ended up making a longer-than-average overnight R&R break in Colorado, which included replacing a power steering hose pressure hose, but now we’re back on the throttle, heading for the left coast. DAY 4—TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9–LITTLETON, CO to ROCK SPRINGS, WY –473 MILES Denver is kinda the “border” between the great plains and the Rocky Mountains—railroad engineers who work the tracks west of here call their eastern compatriots “flatlanders.” We were both anxious to find some serious mountain 2-lane, and a bit nervous (especially Brian) about the possibility of snow. We spent a few hours both south and north of Denver checking a few junkyards that were said to have a good supply of muscle-era Mopars. While that did turn out…

THE BIG BAD WOLF from the “3 Little Pigs” couldn’t have done a better job in trying to blow down the 39th Annual Mopar Nats at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, OH. In fact, vendors setting up on Thursday had to contend with 85 MPH straight-line winds pushing a deluge of rain. Pop-up tents became airborne and came down a mangled mess. Large tents imploded. One vendor tent had six people inside trying to hold it down. Some wind gusts actually lifted these guys off their feet. That musta got the ol’ adrenaline pumping. Rushing water saw some manufacturer displays actually floating away. In true Mopar fashion, vendors helped other vendors pick up the pieces, and the NTR crew did an amazing job of filling in grounds that had washed…

“I THINK WHAT WAS MOST INTERESTING is that so few people know that Marty Robbins the racer and Marty Robbins the country singer were the same guy.” Pete Cellini and I were walking around his 1969 Dodge Daytona for a quick overview for MA’s readership using Facebook Live at the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals (MCACN) last November. This real racecar had made its public debut a month earlier at the Wellbornhosted Winged Warriors Reunion in Alabama, where Pete and his wife Kari had graciously allowed us to shoot a feature on it despite the heavy schedule of events. This race-bred Daytona and its pilot have an interesting background to say the least, though it was only in this wild pink-and-yellow format for the fall race at Charlotte in 1970.…

RUNNING ’RUNNER BILL DiCICCO bought this ’68 Road Runner out of a junkyard in Georgia for $300. His goal was to turn it into a stock racecar as that was the thing to do in the ’80s. Bill and his bud changed the quarters and gave the car a down and dirty paint job in his bud’s garage that still retains its down ’n’ dirty luster as of last Tuesday. Under the hood resides a very streetable 10.0:1 451” stroker that Bill says “overperforms for what it should be doing.” A mild combo of mildly-ported Mopar iron heads, custom cam and a #308 Chrysler iron intake that took hours to make work, as Bill says they’re pretty much junk out of the factory. Up top is a tweaked 800 CFM…

THE CONCEPT OF A LOUD SIREN was developed by Bell Labs, back during World War II. The thought was to use it as a means to confuse or deafen the enemy, as if bombs and artillery shells weren’t confusing and deafening enough. Back then, the Chrysler 8-cylinder Hemi hadn’t been invented yet, so the company’s venerable flathead Six was hooked up to operate Bell’s siren. But once the hot war had cooled, the Cold War began heating up. Now, with the threat of a missile attack, Chrysler was back in the air raid siren business. This siren was purchased by the City of Trenton, Michigan in 1958. It served the community at the Trenton Fire Department’s station on King Road until the late 1970s. In 2003, Trenton donated the siren…