Print This Issue! - Mopar Max Magazine

Volume IV Issue 8 - August 2009 

Something Old, Something New at Carlisle 

Steve Magnante on the trials and tribulations 

of moving 10 cars across country 

York’s Summer Show

Volume NEWS, Issue August 4, 2009 

CHRYSLER MAKES BUYERS AN OFFER ALMOST TOO GOOD TO REFUSE 

Chrysler Group LLC has announced new incentives, “Double CA$H for Your Old Car,” that can save consumers up 

to $9,000 toward the purchase of a new Chrysler, Jeep® or Dodge vehicle. 

“Everyone shopping for a new car or truck qualifies for an incentive of up to $4,500 – even if they don’t have a 

vehicle that qualifies under the U.S. Government’s program,” said Steven Beahm, Vice President – Sales 

Operations, Chrysler Group LLC. “This incentive is great in that it’s easy to understand and available to everyone.” 

Beginning on July 23 Chrysler Group LLC offers up to $4,500 Consumer Cash or 0 percent financing for 72 months 

through GMAC Financial Services on most 2009 model vehicles. These incentives are valid through August 31, 

2009. 

The U.S. Government’s Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS) program, more commonly known as “cash for 

clunkers” also began on July 23 and has proven very popular. The CARS program offers a government credit of 

either $3,500 or $4,500 for trading in an inefficient vehicle that is not more than 25 years old for the purchase of a 

new vehicle. The amount of the credit is determined based on the fuel-economy improvement between the turn-in 

vehicle and the new vehicle purchased. 

“The administration’s program is aimed at getting less fuel-efficient vehicles off the road, and for vehicles that meet 

the requirements, offers a great incentive to do so,” Beahm said. “But we didn’t want consumers without qualifying 

vehicles to feel left out so we are offering up to $4,500 to everyone.” [8/4/09] 

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE FOR 21ST MSHFA INDUCTION CEREMONY 

Tickets varying in price from $75 to $750 are available for the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America's 21st Annual 

Induction Ceremony at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit on Wednesday, Aug. 12. 

Inductees this year are Kenny Bernstein, David Hobbs, Scott Parker, Lee Richter, Al Unser Jr., Joe Weatherly and 

H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler. 

Racing fans can see the ceremony live from the Fillmore's intimate balcony with a $75 ticket. 

Dinner/ceremony tickets start at $350 for individual tickets and $3,500 for a table of 10. VIP tickets can be 

purchased for $750 and include admission to a private inductee reception the night before the ceremony at the 

Motorsports Hall of Fame Museum in Novi, Mich., an invitation to special pre-induction activities at the Fillmore 

Theater and the opportunity to join current and former Hall of Famers for exclusive VIP-only events. 

For more ticket information go to mshf.com [8/4/09] 

CHASE KNIGHT RETURNS TO REOPENED CRANE CAMS 

Crane Cams is back in business under the new ownership of S&S Cycle. The Crane name and some assets of the 

company had been purchased through bankruptcy by the S&S folks in April. 

They already have the electronics and motorcycle sides of the business up and going. 

Chase Knight, who was with the original company for 40 years, is back as Valve Train Products Manager. In time, 

with Knight’s help, the automotive cam/valve train business will be 100% back. 

“While we know the market is very hungry for our cam and valve train product lines, we want to make sure the parts 

we ship exceed the quality and performance expectations of our customers,” Knight said. “At this point we can’t put 

firm timeline as to when everything will be fully up to speed. We want to be sure to get this right!” 

The new location for the company is 1640 Mason Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32117. Phone 386-628-5120 or toll-free 

866-388-5120. [8/4/09] 

Mopar Memos - MoparMax.com

Volume NEWS, Issue August 4, 2009 

JOHNSON ADVANCES TO QUARTERS AT SONOMA, CLINCHES COUNTDOWN BERTH 

NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson exited in the quarterfinals of 

eliminations at the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals on Sunday, July 26, but the 

Team Mopar driver still had good reason to celebrate his visit to Infineon 

Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Johnson sealed his spot in the NHRA's Countdown 

to 1 six-race playoff by qualifying third for the event. 

Johnson seized his third-straight berth in the Countdown in the three years since 

the NHRA adopted the playoff format. The top 10 drivers in the Pro Stock point 

standings qualify for the Countdown playoff, which begins at the NHRA 

Carolinas Nationals on September 17–20. Johnson is currently fifth in the 

standings. 

Johnson faced off with Vinnie Deceglie, who also utilizes a Mopar HEMI engine 

supplied by J&J Racing, in the opening round at Sonoma. A.J. came out on top 

with a pass of 6.577/209.85 to Deceglie's 6.624/208.42. Johnson fell in the 

quarterfinals to Pro Stock point leader Jeg Coughlin Jr., recording a run of 

6.606/209.65 in his Mopar/J&J Racing Dodge Stratus R/T to Coughlin's winning 

6.592/209.59 mark. 

Young Mopar-powered Pro Stocker Rickie Jones had another strong weekend, 

advancing to the semifinals before falling to Greg Anderson. Jones is ninth in 

the standings and within the cutoff mark with only three events left before the 

Countdown playoff begins. 

Mopar Memos - MoparMax.com 

ADVERTISEMENT 

Mopar power also proved its mettle in the Sportsman ranks, as Larry Gilley drove his Dodge Dart to victory in the Stock Eliminator class. (Ron Lewis 

photo) [8/4/09]

ADVERTISEMENT 

Volume IV, Issue 8 August 4, 2009 

Time to add a little salt 

t is August, one of the coldest times 

of the year here in the Bay area. 

Even over here in Oakland the 

weather is dreary. To get my sunshine fix I 

am heading out to the great salt desert for some racing fun. It’s my yearly road trip and I never seem to get tired of the 

scenery on US 50. I love the little mining towns, secret hot spring spots, and long lonely vistas. 

I’m excited to see friends I’ve made out at Speedweek that I usually only ever see on this occasion. People like photographer 

Peter Vincent, Alexandra Lier (with whom I did a fine book called “Speedseekers” with on Ginko Press), Vern Tardel and his 

zany crew, and my friend and liaison who makes it all possible, JoAnn Carlson. 

I am looking forward to watching my fellow Moparites in the Salty ‘Cuda 

and “The Fast Four” gang take a crack at the record book. This year the 

notorious Ethel M. Dethel will ride shotgun, shoot photos and do her 

damndest to not fly out of the car. Hopefully there will be some new Chrysler blood out there and some 

record-breaking stories to bring back for you loyal MoMax readers. 

It is also time for Nono’s yearly (that’s right, yearly) oil change and quick-tune. She sees maybe 7K to 

8K miles a year and only Mobil 1 15W-50 goes in the crankcase. Now before I hear groans, and or 

shouts of “What, are you crazy using that crap in an old car?!” I have to tell you something. For years, 

Mobil 1 15W50 has been the only oil I used in my old yellow Satellite that I sold to Nate Tynan. 

Waaaaay back in 1995 that car ran 92.5 miles per hour on the track. It did it again and again 

consistently––give or take 1or 2 mph––for years. For about five years or so it never saw the track. Right 

after Nate bought the car he took it out and it ran the same mph. That is after years of being a citified 

daily driver, going coast to coast on blue highways and dirt roads, being driven out to Bonneville five 

times and numerous road trips of several days duration. As far as I can tell, the wear clock has 

essentially been stopped. 

What goes into Nono’s pan once a year? Yeah, you know. End of sermon. 

So, what else do I do to prep a 1964 Dart wagon for a road trip? Sometimes I toss in some new spark 

plugs, my current flava-flav being standard NGK’s. I lash the valves if she feels like there is too much 

rockin’ and rollin’ going on under the hood. I change the fuel filter and the air filter. I clean off the 

terminals in the distributor cap and check the resistance on my fancy four-year-old 8mm wires I cut 

myself. 

I make sure the radiator is full and the battery is clean, full and charged. I pop the plug on the pumpkin and stick a finger in. I top off the trans and the 

power steering. The front end gets lubed. I check out the brakes––at least 1/16” of lining and no weeepy wheel cylinders or cracky hydraulic hoses––and I 

make sure the tires look good and are inflated to 45 psi…that’s right, 45 PSI. I am crazy, but the wear is dead even and the roll is good. I wash the 

windows and I clean or replace the cotton bed sheet that serves as front seat upholstery. Done. 

What do I bring along? A basic tool kit: 3/8” drive socket set––3/8” to 3/4”. Set of wrenches, 1/4” to 7/8” including an 11/32” for the little nut on a Chrysler 

starter. One “six in one” screwdriver. Vise grips; big and little. Voltmeter, some wire, terminals and crimps. Set of points and condenser should the 

Pertronix decide to go crapples on me. An ignition coil. Gallon of radiator water. JB Weld. Spare tire, jack and breaker bar. Plenty of drinking water, beer, 

snacks, some fruit, bedding, notebook, camera and a good friend. 

Basement Garage - Time to add a little salt - Page 1 of 1 - MoparMax.com

Problems and 

Solutions 


t’s been a whole ten 

months since I made the 

big move from Los Angeles 

to Massachusetts. There is no 

question the change was the right 

thing to do. Even in the midst of a 

record breaking ice storm this past 

winter – where entire forests of trees 

were snapped by the extra mass of 

the ice on their limbs and residential electricity was cut for nearly a week – I was happy to be “home again” in New England. 

Lots of people ask me why I left the glitz and glamour of L.A. and I typically respond by saying; “Oh L.A. is a great place. The problem is that too many 

people know about it”. I’ve written here before about how I never quite got used to city living so I won’t go into it again. Suffice to say it just wasn’t my style 

– even after sixteen years of living there. I love the place but it was time to shuffle the deck. 

Aside from several good friends, the biggest things I miss about living in L.A. are the numerous 

self-serve auto wrecking yards, the weekly swap meet scene and Pauley Shore’s Comedy Store on 

Sunset Blvd. If you’re ever in L.A., the Comedy Store serves up a huge nightly roster of top name comics 

between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Sure, there’s a two drink minimum, but you can have more if you 

want. Go see Don Barris, a particularly crazy chap who does warm up routines for the Jimmy Kimmel 

Show before hitting the Comedy Store as the MC. You’ll be glad you did. 

None of which brings me to the topic of this month’s column; getting my fleet of 10 cars on the road here 

and enjoying them on the wide open roads that wind off in virtually every direction from my drive way. I 

brought six cars with me cross country. Intercity Lines hauled the Stage V Hemi Conversion powered ’67 

Dart, ’69 Dodge A100 van, ’81 altered wheelbase Funny Fairmont, Rampage altered wheelbase ’63 Dart 

(which you can see go together by scoping out the MoparMax archives), an ’84 Mustang GT convertible 

and the Wilshire Shaker altered wheelbase ’63 Nova. They were all crammed into an enclosed trailer and 

hauled (safely) by a slick Peterbilt all the way across the U.S. of A. 

Additionally, I drove an original paint 273 Four Barrel equipped ’65 Dart GT cross country last September 

(again, you can read about it in my Steve Mags Speaks column in the MoparMax archives) plus I had a 

California-sourced’62 Valiant 4-door sedan stashed behind the barn at the family farm. In recent years I 

drove this car cross country, coast to coast, three times. If you’ve ever watched the movie “Blow” starring 

Johnny Depp and Paul Rubens (a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman), you’ll see this very car roll past in the back 

ground as some period scenery. I got the car from a guy named Louie who has a side business renting 

vintage cars to Hollywood movie productions and my little Valiant was once in his stable. I call it the 

“Blow Mobile” and it’s dead reliable. 

Anyhoo, all told, I have a fleet of eight cars that started life in California but were relocated to the east 

coast at my hands. But wait, there’s more! As a hopeless car junkie, I bought a one owner, original paint 

Steve Mags Speaks - Problems and Solutions - Page 1 of 3 - MoparMax.com 

GT2 Corvette finally breaks cover 

Formula One will return to Montreal 

in 2010,… 

Schumacher continues preparations, 

Ferrari slams… 

ADVERTISEMENT 

Click for more AutoWeek stories 

www.TrailersPlus.com Ads by Google 

JOIN THE AUTOWEEK NETWORK 

’66 Barracuda (273 2-barrel, 904 Torqueflite on the column) from a source in nearby Connecticut as well as a clean ’54 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan 

from a seller here in Massachusetts. Now we’re talking ten cars. There is also a daily beater ’94 Dodge Stratus (that I’ve also written about here in the 

past) but it doesn’t really count as a member of the “fleet” since it’s little more than a transportation device for me. All the same, I’ve covered about 10,000 

miles since buying it in February and it’s still going strong. Not a bad little car. 

Wanting to be totally legal-eagle with my cars, I am in the process of getting them all insured, registered and inspected here in Massachusetts. The 

insurance part was amazingly easy. I shopped around and found a great policy with Haggerty Insurance. I have a reasonable agreed-value policy on each 

of the ten collector cars and my premium is just under a grand for a full year. That’s for ten cars, not just one! The only conditions are they want the cars to 

be stored inside a closed garage and none can be used as my daily driver. They insist on me having a daily driver that is insured with a regular 

commercial carrier. That’d be the Dodge Stratus via Farmers Insurance. Of course, a clean driving record is an integral part of the modest fee I pay - so far 

so good on that count.


Registration is also an easy process, just keep writing checks to the Mass. 

Department of Motor Vehicles and it goes real smooth! The vehicle inspection 

part is a little more complicated but so long as the lights, horn, wipers, turn 

signals and basic equipment are functioning properly, it’s all good. Best of all, 

there is no smog inspection in Mass. for cars built before 1996! Back in 

California your ride gets the tailpipe sniffer treatment if it was built after 1975, a 

major headache for many builders of later-model hot rods. 

As I go about the process of prepping each car for use in Massachusetts, some 

of the cars handle the transition smoothly while others deliver surprises. In the 

case of the Wilshire Shaker altered wheelbase Nova – complete with a 

full-manual Art Carr pushbutton Torqueflite, reproduction A990 seats and Super 

Stock battery from Jim Kramer and Mopar Performance S/S leaf springs 

invading its bowtie body (I love it) – a strange thing happened between CA and 

MA. 

Back on the billiard table smooth freeways and surface streets of the L.A. basin, 

it’s straight front axle and leaf springs delivered an amazing ride. There were no 

problems and it was nice to let straight axle nay-sayers drive the car for 

themselves so they could see how nice it tracks, corners and rides despite 

ill-founded rumors these cars are “death traps”. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

But once I hit the rough and raunchy roads near my new home in North Brookfield, MA, the car developed an un-nerving shimmy through the steering 

system that really got my attention. In a few cases the shimmy was violent and wouldn’t stop until I jacked the brakes and slowed the car. What gives? 

Suddenly the car was living up to the nasty myth. I figured to myself that it must need a little more positive caster since caster is a great aid in encouraging 

self-centering of the front wheels while the car is in motion. 

I called Summit Racing and ordered two pairs of Competition Engineering 2-degree axle shims. I wanted to be able to stack them and get a total of 

4-degrees or use them individually for a 2-degree change. I installed them between the axle pads and leaf springs and it was immediately obvious there 

was a whole bunch of extra positive caster. The tops of the king pins were well behind the bottoms of the king pins. This ought take care of the problem, 

right? Nope! It got worse. Where the shimmy used to trigger at about 40-mph after hitting a series of bumps with the front tires, the shimmy was now in 

effect at anything over 25-mph. I was giving axle cars a bad name and I didn’t like it. 

In the spirit of exploration, I spun the shims around 180-degrees to effect a negative caster change. Even if it was the wrong thing to do (removing caster) I 

wanted to see what the result was. Well guess what, the car calmed down and now even the roughest bumps and surface undulations fail to trigger a 

wheel shimmy at any speed. I’m a fan of knowing why changes have the effect they do so I bought a magnetic-mount angle finder. 

Sticking it to the top of each king pin revealed 7-degrees of positive caster after spinning the shims around in the “wrong” direction, right in the middle of 

the ideal range of 6 to 8-degrees. I figured I’d see a whole lot less then I checked my build notes on the car. While the axle supplier (Specialty Cars in 

Artesia, CA, now defunct) welded the axle pads to the axle tube to deliver the correct 6 to 8-degrees of positive caster, I failed to realize that the actual 

installed angle very well can be impacted by vehicle stance and whether the leaf springs are mounted on a true horizontal plane or are tilted one way or 

the other. I made the rookie mistake of assuming rather than actually checking. You know what happens when we assume, we make an ASS out of U and 

ME. Right? 

It turns out the car’s front leaf springs are not installed exactly horizontal with the ground so the existing positive caster designed into the front axle was 

exaggerated several degrees upon installation in the car. I had been running around L.A. with a whopping 11-degrees of positive caster. Now that’d be OK 

for a drag only machine or a land speed record car but it is excessive for a car that runs on the road. Typical problems include tire scrub on tight corners 

and during low speed maneuvers at full lock, the need for extra steering effort since the exaggerated caster creates a sort of over-center jacking action at 

high steering angles. When you turn the steering wheel, you’re also lifting the vehicle a slight amount, and you’ll feel it as extra steering resistance. And 

yes, you can also get wheel shimmy. Funny thing, despite the 11-degrees of positive caster, the car was very well behaved – back on the mirror smooth 

streets of L.A. 

Of course when I added the stacked shims to the formula, I boosted the positive caster reading from 11 to a nasty 15-degrees and the shimmy problem 

got worse. So my lessons learned are that too much caster is just as bad as too little caster, and never assume anything. Check it all out. Thanks to 

flipping those shims around, 7-degrees of positive caster resulted and the shimmy problem is gone. And to think, I was close to admitting defeat and 

buying a hydraulic steering stabilizer kit; a band aid fix that gives straight axle nay-sayers plenty of ammunition.


Another quirky problem surfaced as I prepared my ’54 Savoy for duty. Having 

sat in storage since 1983, the brake pedal felt spongy and I knew it was 

mandatory to dig in for a look. I ended up replacing all of the front wheel 

cylinders (two per side) as well as the master cylinder and the rubber flexible 

hoses. To get the car into my garage for work I started it up and drove it in. I 

remember being thrilled at how smooth the 217-cube flathead six ran. 

A month later, the brake job was complete and when I started the engine, 

suddenly it had a nasty miss and would barely stay lit. The rich exhaust fumes 

filled the garage and really stunk the place up. What happened? It went from 

running like a new car to sputtering like a junker because I overhauled the 

brakes? I once worked for a mechanic who had these wise words of advice; 

“things malfunction when they malfunction”. It was another way of saying 

sometimes things just crap out. When they do, think it over to see if there is a 

direct cause / effect relationship in play. But when there is not (like when a brake 

job triggers an engine miss) you don’t waste time saying “why me”. You just get 

it fixed. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

So I got an ignition tune up kit figuring the root cause of the engine miss was of 

the electrical nature. I did it all, cap, rotor, points, condenser and plugs. The 

spark plug wires tested OK so I kept them. I was happy to see plenty of soot on 

the spark plugs and figured I’d surely solved the miss. Then I twisted the key. 

Instead of the smooth hum I had experienced when I bought the car, it was still misfiring. This time I could hear a distinct clicking sound, the sound of 

metal and metal in close - but not steady – contact (the bad kind). 

The Savoy’s mechanical oil pressure gauge showed 60-psi so I optimistically ruled out some type of lower end / reciprocating problem. I must admit it was 

super a bummer. I bought the car based on how well the engine ran during the quick test drive. I would have certainly run away from the car had I known 

an engine overhaul was in the cards. But now I was making plans to stash the car away until a future date when the discouragement subsided and I felt 

like digging in for fresh bearings, piston pins, etc. Reluctant to admit defeat, I took the little Plymouth for a quick drive around the neighborhood to 

(hopefully) rekindle some of the romance – and get it turned around for long term storage in the back corner of the garage. 

The fresh brakes worked great and the 3-on-the-tree manual gearbox shifted like butter. But that darned engine miss and clicking noise made it clear the 

fun would be short lived. But all of a sudden the engine cleared out and the clicking stopped. As if a switch had been thrown, the car was running great! 

My spirits lifted immediately and I had that feeling you get when you’ve just won an unexpected prize. 

But my mind also began to puzzle; what caused the engine misfire? Why did it suddenly cure itself? Sure, the car was originally owned by three nuns, but 

I’d hope any sort of miracles would be reserved for more important things in my life. By performing a sort of mental process of elimination I eventually 

settled on the probability that one or more valves or lifters had become stuck due to varnish in the valve guides / lifter bores. Once the running engine 

reached a certain temperature, the varnish released its grip and the valve spring / lifter was once again able to regulate valve action and 4-cycle order was 

restored to the ailing cylinder. 

Of course I worried that the problem could recur any time the engine was started from a dead cold state. So over the next several days I randomly twisted 

the key. Half expecting the misfire to resurface, each time the little flathead purred to life and ran flawlessly. Just to make sure, I added a few ounces of 

Sea Foam engine lubricant to the crankcase oil. It should dissolve remaining varnish and further prevent sticking parts in the future. 

So what have I learned through all of this? Never assume anything, and sometimes things malfunction when they malfunction. I’m still plugging away on 

the rest of my ten car fleet. The Hemi Dart has a new Art Carr / CPT torque converter installed and only needs final exhaust system and radiator 

installation before it’s ready for the road. The ’66 Barracuda has a dead brake pedal so it’s on the back burner for a month or so, the ’66 Dart GT has a 

dead cylinder (number 7) so I’ll yank it apart and expect to find burned valves in that hole. The Rampage Dart is the sweetheart of the bunch so far. It’s 

rugged Dodge A100 leaf springs and front axle (narrowed 5.5-inches for aesthetics) handle any and all pot holes with no sweat. I drive this one all over the 

place and people really love seeing what they think is a vintage match racer. I always tell them it’s a modern tribute but they dig it all the same. Who knows 

what adventures wait around the next corner?


Each year the faithful gather at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to see and be seen. 

Come along now as photographer Todd Dziadosz walks around the grounds. Sit 

back, relax and enjoy, while he ends up with the sore feet. 

Chryslers at Carlisle - Page 1 of 12 - MoparMax.com 

P h o t o s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n b y T o d d D z i a d o s z 

Dodge trucks all in a neat row.


The 1960’s were a weird time … even for car designers. Far out, man! 

ABOVE: We move on to the more modern Vipers. BELOW: This Crossfire SRT-6 has a custom JL audio package, cause you can’t drive around without your SOUNDS! 


ADVERTISEMENT

What better way to cruise the fairgrounds than in a 440? 


Do you want a yellow and black Rumble Bee Hemi Truck or a black and yellow one? 

This NASCAR-ized (is that a word?) 1978 Plymouth Volare 360 4-barrel is owned by Chris Romanishan and came 

with a No. 43 “Petty Street Car Kit.” 

Chryslers at Carlisle - Page 3 of 12 - MoparMax.com

This Challenger seems to have had a Grand Am influence. 

Chip Foose custom wheels accent this Hemi R/T. 



ADVERTISEMENT 

ADVERTISEMENT 

The Cervinis C440 has some nice lines, but we 

want to see it with the hood down.

Mancini Racing had this Super Stock Hemi Cuda on display. 

This turbocharged ’67 Belvedere takes a turn on the dyno. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

Mr. Norm (Norm Krause) from Grand Spaulding Dodge 

flashes a smile as he shows off pictures of races cars the dealership used to sponsor. (Note the street signs.) 


Many cars were displayed under the sheds. Here is 

the front of a 2008 Dodge Viper ACR owned by Erik 

and Gretchen Hoheneder. 

Indy Cylinder Heads had plenty of Mopar engines on 

display. 


John, Rachael and Pat from Empire Mopars in New York were part of the Indy 

Cylinder Heads display area with their twin-turbo 1971 Dodge Dart. 

There were many classic Mopars at Carlisle. 


ADVERTISEMENT


Frank Sgambati, Jr., is the owner of this ’70 Plymouth GTX. This 1970 Cuda is owned by Robert and Joan Conca. 

This 2008 Mr. Norm’s Dodge Ram is one of 100 built by Mr. Norm with a 

550-horsepower 392 Hemi. It is owned by R.B. and Vickie Dickson. 

Which came first, the tattoo or the painting? Nice work on both. 


ADVERTISEMENT


This ’71 Cuda owned by John Randall appeared on the TV show “Nash Bridges.” 

The “Half a Hemi” 1965 Dodge Dart GT is owned by John and Laurie Mercurio. 

There must be something you need in the parts section. 


How to Modify Your 

Mopar Magnum 

V-8H... 

Larry Shepard 

New $17.05 

Big-blk Mopar 

Php1302 

Chuck Senatore 

New $13.57 

How to Hot Rod 

Small-Block Mopar 

Eng... 

Larry Shepard 

New $14.93 

How To Build 

Big-Inch Mopar 

Small Bl... 

Jim Szilagyi 

New $16.47 

The Mopar 

Six-Pack Engine 

Handbook H... 

Larry Shepard 

New $9.99 

How to Rebuild 

Small-Block Mopar 

Eng... 

Don Taylor 

New $13.57 

Privacy Information 

Mastercool 

MSC52224A 

Infrared Thermo... 

Mastercool 

New $43.99 

Equus 3030 Innova 

Diagnostic Code 

Re... 

Equus 

New $59.99 

MICHAEL 

JACKSON 

SILHOUETTE - 

Vinyl D... 

Graphix-FX 

New $0.95 

Peltor H10A 

Professional Noise 

Cance... 

AO Safety 

New $20.28 

Battery Tender 

021-0123 Battery 

Tend... 

Deltran 

New $22.43 

The Absorber 

Synthetic Drying 

Chamoi... 

Clean Tools 

New $9.99 

Privacy Information

Tim Hennessey’s 1965 Dodge Coronet A/FX is called “Déjà vu.” 


GT2 Corvette finally breaks cover 

Formula One will return to Montreal 

in 2010,… 

Schumacher continues preparations, 

Ferrari slams… 

ADVERTISEMENT 

Click for more AutoWeek stories 

www.BookSurge.com Ads by Google 

JOIN THE AUTOWEEK NETWORK 

Not the most exciting color, but classic lines for 

Gary and Pamela Jo Beineke’s Plymouth GTX. 



The Auto Trader Classics Pavilion had some sharp Mopars for sale, like this white 

Scamp. 

And now, for something a little different, the Plymouth Gran Turismo. 

Gull wing doors really set off this red Charger Daytona. 

Ah, what memories… a 1949 Plymouth. 


ADVERTISEMENT 

ADVERTISEMENT 

www.yourcarbailout.com Ads by Google

Yes, these are modified SRT4 Neons. Can’t you read the sign? 

An old drag car, this Cuda is for sale. 

Bill Stiles had both his duster and Barracuda on the main 

stage. 


ADVERTISEMENT 


7th Annual Ross Pistons NMCA 

Muscle Car Nationals 

March 27-29, 2009 - Bradenton, Florida 

8th Annual NOS NMCA 

Muscle Car Nationals 

May 1-3, 2009 - Bowling Green, Kentucky 

7th Annual Kook's Custom Headers 

NMCA Muscle Car Nationals 

June 5-7, 2009 - Reading, Pennsylvania 

4th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super 

Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing 

July 16-19, 2009 - Joliet, Illinois 

Inaugural NMRA Ford Nationals / 

NMCA Hot Rod & Muscle Car 

Nationals All Star Nationals 

August 6-9, 2009 - Charlotte, North Carolina 

View Full Schedule 

15th Annual Nitto Tire 

Spring Break Shootout 

March 5-8, 2009 - Bradenton, Florida 

9th Annual NMRA Ford Nationals 

May 15-17, 2009 - Atco, New Jersey 

6th Annual Aeromotive NMRA 

Ford Nationals 

June 12-13, 2009 - Milan, Michigan 

4th Annual NMRA/NMCA Super 

Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing 

July 16-19, 2009 - Joliet, Illinois 

Inaugural Nitto Tire NMRA / NMCA 

All-Star Nationals 

August 6-9, 2009 - Charlotte, North Carolina 

View Full Schedule



ADVERTISEMENT 

This 1969-½ Road Runner is the former Project Six Pack for Super Stock magazine.


A few of my favorite things – riding shotgun with Rob Schatz in an injected Hemi 

altered wheelbase car. It’s street legal, but it gets it done with just a pair of slicks! 

(action photo – John Stunkard) 

W o r d s b y G e o f f S t u n k a r d 

P h o t o s b y T h e S C r e w ( G e o f f , J o h n , a n d J o e l 

S t u n k a r d ) 

Road trip. If you are into the Mopar subculture, you probably have one 

event or another that will cause you to crank up the jams, get the credit 

card handy, and get you runnin’ down the highway. The Mopar 

Nationals, Carlisle’s All-Chrysler Nationals, Mopars at the Strip, and 

others are now more ‘happenings’ than simple ‘gatherings.’ For myself, 

one of the big ones has been the annual York US30 Reunion and Nostaligia Nationals in south centralPennsylvania, which is a multi-make racing 

celebration, car collection, drag race and reunion all rolled into one big weekend. 

The biggest challenge for a Mopar guy has been that it is also held the same weekend asthe Carlisle extravaganza, which is about 40 miles away. I have 

covered the York celebration for a variety of magazine titles for several years, working with Darwin Doll to help create post-event press and serving as the 

official media photographer for it. As some of you may have heard, I took over the editorship of Mopar Enthusiast magazine in the beginning of July (I 

could have asked Burk for a real big raise, but didn’t), so my attendance at York this year was a little bittersweet as 2010 will likely find me tied up in 

Carlisle; not a bad thing, but not the same as a whole York experience. 

What makes York special? Well, let’s see what I was able to there. Spending an evening with legendary racing announcer Jon Lundberg, hearing stories 

about Bakersfield in’63 (and the ‘outlaw’ fuel races that were going all night off the official racing surface in another part of mile-square ‘patch’), the drag 

racing riots in St Louis during a mid 1970s IHRA race, and theories about how Ford may have produced some of the 427 wedge Falcons of 1964-1965. 

Hanging out with Rob Schatz and the Performance King AWB Plymouth and cruising the pits in Beaver Springs in the shotgun seat. Talking with readers in 

my little vintage photo sales booth. Having the front row head-on view along the guardrail-less apron of the dragstrip as the Bob Rosetty-owned Rollin’ 

Stoned 1973 ‘cuda gets sideways on the burnout. 

Summer Heat - Page 1 of 11 - MoparMax.com


As always, Doll had put together an impressive selection of cars for the indoor display at the York Fairgrounds; this years focus was on Ford, so there was 

a notable number of them, but that did not change the fact that town native Dave Strickler’s 1965 altered Dodge made its first return to the York environs in 

decades (thanks to new owner Nick Smith). Kenny Warren debuted his restored 1970 Challenger funny car that was the quickest in the nation for a time. A 

low mileage Hemi 1971 Road Runner was displayed by Ricky Greer. There were several Super Stock Hemi cars from all eras, plus other street and race 

cars as well as serious Hemi motivation in a number of all-out competition machines. 

But York is more about people, it really is. Arlen Vanke, Ed Miller, Bud Faubel, Dick Oldfield (of Motown 

Missile fame), Tom Sneden, and Kenny Montgomery were all among the Mopar guys, but there was 

also Wally Booth (who had a Hemi Dodge Super Bee in 1969), Phil Bonner, Bruce Larson, and other 

guys who made it all happen back then. Every year, as much as we really hate to say it, that pool of 

historical personalities gets smaller and smaller, which makes it all the more important to say ‘hi’ and 

spend even a few minutes together. 

Then the racing started. My son John had actually gotten over to the Quarter Aces track near Carlisle on 

Friday and came back with some nice stuff; Sunday the reunion event transitioned up to the country 

atmosphere of Beaver Springs Dragway, located in one of central Pennsylvania’s trademark betweenmountain 

plains. As we’ve recalled in previous years’ coverage here on MoparMAX, this is likely the 

most historic non-outlaw raceplant in the nation. It is WAY up there, about two hours from York, but I 

always tell people that if you are into 1960s racing, this is one day you do not want to miss and well 

worth the road time. Beaver Bob McCardle had three separate Stock and Super Stock eliminators 

(Nostalgia, NHRA-Legal, and Junior), plus brackets, gassers, and exhibition nitro and alcohol machines. 

And the glue was there. I am ashamed to say that I missed getting some of the monster wheelies on 

camera, but it was great to witness it regardless. A number of cars that had been at York showed up, 

while others had towed in just to go racin’ on Sunday. For the first time in a couple of years, a Sunday 

storm did not interrupt the action, which was still going hot and heavy when prepared to leave for a 

five-hour trip to Delaware in the early evening. 

As for next year? Well, I am planning on being at Carlisle MOST of the time, but I imagine sliding over to 

York for an afternoon will be on the agenda regardless. Check this out… 

Summer Heat - Page 2 of 11 - MoparMax.com 

ADVERTISEMENT 

Dave Strickler’s 1965 altered wheelbase Dodge returned to York for the first time since the 1960s thanks to Florida collector Nick Smith. (Joel Stunkard photo)


Among the gems was the original Pro Stock Dodge once raced by the THT Team in AHRA GT1 heads-up single-four-barrel Pro Stock. Bob Wagner of 

Maryland owns the unrestored car, complete with mural paint. (Geoff Stunkard photo) 

As always, Mike Goyda had a large selection of primo racing memorabilia on 

hand; that’s 1967 NHRA World Champ Ed Miller in the orange Hemi hat on 

the right; Goyda is sitting on the left. (Geoff Stunkard photo) 


One guys who has recently been making the show rounds is Akron Arlen 

Vanke, always ready with a smile and a good word. A photo of the rare 

single-four-barrel Akron Arlen Hemi intakes is in the display board behind 

him; check it out if see Arlen. (Geoff Stunkard photo) 

Among the hundreds of cars on the outdoor Cruise-In showfield was Hal Huss’ 1971 383 

‘shaker’ ‘cuda. According to the window sticker, this thing had a list price of $4300.00+ plus 

back in the day; with coin like that needed, no wonder they are scarce now (Geoff 

Stunkard photo)


If you like ‘em a little more radical, how about this blown Hemi in a ’67 Barracuda. Dave Brown of Maryland is the 

owner. (Geoff Stunkard photo) 


Tom Sneden and 

Dave Reitz of 

Bob Banning 

Dodge fame were 

among the 

drivers and 

celebrities signing 

autographs. The 

1964 Dodge was 

on display, but 

the touches are 

being applied to a 

tribute of the 

1971Challenger 

funny car. (Joel 

Stunkard photos)


Percy Johns leaves the building on Saturday night as the show winds down. The car is going to loaded up and we 

will be racing tomorrow at the Beaver… (John Stunkard photo) 

This shot gives you an idea of the Beaver Springs facility; not the sort of place some of the modern NHRA racers 

would consider great, but perfect for nostalgia drags. (John Stunkard photo) 

Dan Householder got left lane top honors for this first round of qualifying wheelstand; the Bob George entry got the 

right lane honors moment later. (Householder –Geoff; George - John Stunkard) 



Bob Roles’ ‘Savvy Savoy’ went six rounds to post runner-up honors. (John Stunkard photo) 

Ronnie Hart broils ‘em in his 1966 Coronet before another round of action. (John Stunkard photo) 

Here is the Bob Rosetty / ex Joe Jacono ‘Rollin’ Stoned’ Barracuda getting ready for another run on Sunday. 

(John Stunkard photo) 


The Raddest Ride Wins! 

Add / Edit Rides 

View My Garage 

Edit Profile 

My Comments 

Friends (1 pending) 

Logout 

My Block List 

View My Stats 

My Settings 

Invite Friends 

New 

Inbox (1 New) 

Sent 

ADVERTISEMENT Click NEXT PAGE to skip ad 

Van-Nuys-Cruise | Car 

Offline 


Offline 


tripod32 | Car 

Offline 

Offline 

vgate440 | Car 

Offline 

Invader | Truck / SUV 

Offline 


Offline 

robrossi3604 | Car 

azza | Car 

Offline 

Offline 

vipermike93 | Car 

Offline 


Offline 

MoparMax.com 

Search Advanced Search 

RATE All | More Categories | New Rides | Raddest Rides | Read Comments 

Display: With Pictures 


Offline 


Offline 


Offline 

ozwild | Truck / SUV 

Offline 


Offline 


Offline 

Rodders_Life | Car 

Offline 

383demon | Car 

azza | Car 

Offline 

Offline 


Jeezer | Car 

Offline 

Offline

Print This Issue! - Mopar Max Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?