Not a street race, but...

[dbdartman]

...one Wednesday evening, we (my brother, our friend Joe, & I) piled into the 67 Charger & headed to Englishtown for time trials. There were about 10 cars there that night, so making back to back passes was easy. (If you've been to E-town in the last 15 years, you are probably amazed. Wed nights now days usually draws about 1-200 cars! This was in 1982.) One of the cars there was a 67-69 Camarblow with a dual quad tunnel ram sticking out of the hood, Muncie 4 spd, traction bars, open headers, 4.11 posi, *BIG* fat tires out back & skinnies up front, flashy paint, etc, etc. (You've seen this car *EVERYWHERE!* right?) Well, before one pass, what pulls into the lane next to me but this loud, lumpy idling Camarblow. (The Charger had a 383 Magnum from a 70 RR in it with a dead stock 727 & 2.71 open 8¾ rear. The engine had a Crane "Fireball" cam, Edelbrock DP4B, an 1850 Holley 600, & *STOCK* log manifolds W/dual exhaust.) As we staged, I couldn't hear *anything* except this small block making all kinds of noise in the other lane! Lights came down & I walked the tank out of the hole with the Chev *SCREAMING* next to me! The further down track we got, the quieter it got! By the finish line, I had about 5 lengths (at least!) on the Chev & he & his buddies (about 5 of them) were embarressed as hell to have been soundly beaten by a rusty, beat up, big, heavy, old, *QUIET* Mopar. BTW, the Charger ran pretty consistant 15.2's shifting into third at about 1,250-75 feet out!

Now to tell the story of my brother's 68 Cuda 340 that had a meeting with a 454 powered 65 Impala 4spd. 8.5:1 340, dead stock including exhaust, tired 904 & 2.71 open 7¼ rear (combo lasted at least 10 years & *STILL* will not break to this day!), 1850 Holley 600 & 2 passengers in the car along with my brother (300 lbs with the wheel chair!) driving. The Chev was driven by a friend (about 270 lbs) & had his son riding "shotgun." They pulled out from a light side by side & the Chev driver looked at my bro & nodded, so they both mashed it at the same time from about 20 MPH. The Cuda quickly jumped about a car length ahead, in spite of the weight! As the Chevy went through the gears, he slowly closed up & finally passed the Cuda after about 3/8 of a mile or so. *EVERYONE* (most of all, the Chev driver's son!) was impressed with how quick that little 340 was, & the heads & intake were pretty trashed at that time! A fresh set of "J" heads (2.02-1.60) & intake later, & the car is even quicker, but the Chevy was sold so we will never know how it rates against the Chev now. Lets hope this was enough to convert this guy's son to the superior technology of MOPAR!

Thanx for reading my ramblings!

[Hoov]

Man I just love Chebby woopers.

[dbdartman]

When I get finished with the new project, I'm gonna really kick some street butt! It's a 68 Dart 2 dr sedan, 370 HP 360, A-518, 3.91 8¾ SG, factory A/C, firm feel P/S, PDB, .990 torsion bars, all poly bushings, all C-body steering, (my own custom tri-Y headers to clear steering mods), 16" wheels, etc, etc, etc.... Looking for easy mid 13's & 15 MPG+ highway. Chebbys will be flipped off with the A/C & the tunes *CRANKIN'*!! Euro trash sedans & rice burners will be totally ignored, unless they piss me off! ~secret weapon~ Full recirculating fuel system with ½" in & out. (You don't know what you're missing!) 6,000 RPM & you're still pinned to the seat! It's funny, at 1,200 feet, the other guy is always surprised that the quiet little Dart is *STILL* accelerating!

Thanx!

[Brian Mills]

Hey db, if you got the 518, why don't you step up to a 4.56 gear? You will equal out to 3.23 in O.D. You can go more cam and still hole shot decently with stock converter. Just my thoughts, don't mean to be rude or nothing.

Brian

[Richard Reardon]

Db, I could read these stories all day. Takes me back oh, 30 years or so!
Just an observation, I didn't know 904s were put behind the hi-winding powerfull "little" 340s. I thought all 340s had 727 TFs.
Richard

[dbdartman]

The 3.91 chuck was the one piece of the car I didn't have to buy, modify, or make myself! LOL 4.56's would be nice, but I can't run that tall of a tire in the stock Dart wheel wells. No offence taken Brian!

The 904 was never used stock behind a 340, that is correct! The 68 Cuda is a real "mutt" though. It was built out of parts & has had at least 3 different engines, 3 different transmissions, & 2 different rears in it during it's lifetime. The car was supposedly bought new in Va & used to transport bails of pot from Fla to NY when new (unsubstantiated legend)! I was told by the person I bought the car from that when he pulled the back seat for the first time, there were a *LOT* of seeds under it! BTW, the rear came out of a 72 Dart, 50K miles in '88, had perfect quarters but *NO* floors & a broken torsion bar! I *NEVER* saw one that rusty without "Swiss Cheese" quarters.

Thanx guys!
DB

[Brian Mills]

Hey db, if you got the time, I'd like to hear a little more about that re- circulating fuel system. I've just never heard of one like that before, sounds interesting.

Brian

[PRO]

WELL MOAB UTAH HAS A CAR SHOW EVERY SPRING IN APRIL,MY SON AND I HEAD DOWN EVERY YEAR TO HAND OUT SOME LOW SELF ESTEEM TO THE GM CROWD, YOUR STORY REMINDS ME OF ONE NIGHT WE'RE CRUISING THE MAIN DRAG NO COPS IN SIGHT IN MY 67 2 DOOR POST CORONET ,440 4 SPD 150 HP NOS 509, HDRS HOLLEY, TORKER, 3.91S IT RUNS ON 85 OCTANE AND HAS A TRACK BEST OF 11.88 THRU THE MUFFLERS WITH SLICKS SO THERES THIS 37 CHEVY 2 DR WITH A 502 RODECK 4.88S AND A BLOWER IN HIS OWN WORDS HE HAS 48,000 DOLLARS INVESTED ITS A SHOW CAR NO DOUBT WELL ALL NIGHT WE COULDNT HOOK UP WITH HIM IN TRAFFIC AND JUST OUT OF THE BLUE I PULL ON TO THE MAIN DRAG RIGHT IN FRONT OF ACROWD OF CARS AND HES RIGHT NEXT TO US NOW THIS IS GREAT BECAUSE THE STREET IS LINED WITH PEOPLE AND THIS IS THE MOST HEAVILY POPULATED PLACE SO I DOWNSHIFT TO 2ND AND SLOW AND GRAB 1STAT ABOUT 3 GRAND AND FLIP THE N2O BUTTON HE DOWNSHIFTS AND MUST HAVE BEEN AT 5GRAND IN FIRST WE HAVE 10 CAR LENGTHS OPEN IN FRONT OF US AND NOT A COP IN SIGHT I WAIT FOR HIM TO GO AND HE DOES I NAIL IT AND GRAB A SOMEWHAT SIDEWAYS 2NDWHEN IT BITES WE JUMPED HIM A GOOD CAR LENGTH AND A LITTLE MORE IN 3RD I HEARD HIM SHIFT 4 TIMES TO OUR THREE AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF EVEVRYBODY IT WAS PERFECT MY CAR ONLY HAS ABOUT SIX GRAND IN THE WHOLE THING. LETS SEE WHAT WOULD I DO WITH 42 GRAND MORE TO INVEST IN MY CAR? I THINK I'D TAKE MY WIFE ON A VACATION INSTEAD(SHE MIGHT BE READING THIS!!) REMEMBER IF YOU PLAY AND GET CAUGHT YOU PAY ALWAYS BECAREFUL GOING FAST ISNT WORTH DYING OVER. PRO...