By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Some weekends are busier than others, and this weekend was a challenge. It started Thursday night shooting a 1950 Dodge wood-bodied station wagon here in Temecula wine country. This was followed Friday evening and all day Saturday with three more woodies. Throw in a Sunday morning VW show in Carlsbad in the shadow of Legoland and concluding Sunday night at the Taco Station in Riverside to photograph this very special car. It’s a fully restored and supercharged Plum Crazy 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger. Best of all, you can win this car and contribute to a good cause in the process, as it was built by the Inland Mopar Car Club for the Alumni Association of the California School for the Deaf, Riverside (CSDR). It’s their annual raffle car, and it could be yours for as little as five dollars. Continue reading at Automotive Traveler

By David Belau

dartslantsix

So, I decided to do a little weekend project on the Slant Six. My dad picked up a 2bbl manifold and carburetor known as the “Super Six” package. I spent a couple nights rebuilding the carb and painting the manifold. After that I was ready to install it and fire up the car. It’s the kind of project that should only take a couple hours.

But the Gilligan complex overtook my car. What should have been a three hour tour turned into a never ending project from hell. I gingerly removed all the nuts holding the intake on and when I got to the last one, it gingerly broke off. That’s right, I broke off a stud down inside the head. At this moment, little horns grew out of my head and my eyes burned red. My voice dropped into a lower range than is humanly possible as a guttural growl emitted from my throat. My wife popped her head into the garage when she heard the noise, but she retreated when she smelled the burning sulfur and saw the savage beast under the hood of the Dart.

So tell me, have any of your projects not gone as planned? A full write up on my Super Six conversion, complete with colorful adjectives, is coming soon.

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to foster appreciation for cars that might’ve escaped your notice. The Dodge Dart was all new in the 1967 model year, with crisp lines and enduring engineering that would last the next decade. The design was both timeless and modern, but can it be called a Muscle Car? Well, let’s take a look at a rare Mopar, the very muscular Dart GTS 440.

Continue reading "CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot: The 1968 Dodge Dart GTS 440" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Last week the Dart got sent packing. So who goes home this week? First three CarDomain members to correctly guess who gets eliminated in episode four before the show airs get CarDomain beanies!

By David Belau

dartslantsix

If you followed my independent rear suspension build, you know that I wasn’t happy with how the brakes were working. I decided that what I needed was a smaller-bore master cylinder. This would provide more line pressure and enhanced braking power. Instead of going back to an original master cylinder with a smaller bore, I chose to install a late-model aluminum master. This one’s from an early Dakota, and offers a few advantages–it’s much lighter and it doesn’t leak like the old style.  So what does all this have to do with fabrication? The new cylinder uses 2 studs to mount, whereas the old one uses 4 studs. An adapter plate is needed. These are available from a number of vendors for about $40, but what fun is that? I’ve got more skills than money. Follow along as I make an adapter for about $6.

Continue reading "How to: Simple Adaptor-Plate Fabrication, or How to Save $34" »

By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

Episode II of Bullrun aired last night and although I still don’t like the new format, the show is getting better. The participants are beginning to come out of their shells and tensions seem to be heating up. Most of that heat, though, is directed towards the EVO. So far, aside from Chris being overly obnoxious, I really don’t find them that bad, in fact I kinda’ like them for the sheer entertainment value they provide.

Elvis and Steve from Team Strange are also up there on my fun to watch list, as Steve is just plain funny in a very understated way. Elvis, well… I just have to respect a guy who doesn’t give sh*t and flips the bird to conformity. I really hope these guys hang in there for awhile. Then there’s Brooke and Amanda, the two cuties from Arkansas. Brook swears like a NYC dock worker which is funny as hell, and Amanda knows her way around a map, which is why Team Lexus won last nights stage. I’m diggin’ these two chicks.

Continue reading after the jump.

Continue reading "BULLRUN Episode II" »

By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

It’s been two years since the first season of Bullrun aired on Spike TV. It was met with mixed emotions by car enthusiasts. Some thought it was kind of goofy for a car show. Others, however, loved it. I have a soft spot for it because, well… I was on it. From an experience standpoint, it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. From seeing parts of the country that I never dreamed of, to doing things to my car that I NEVER thought I would do, to simply experiencing how a big budget TV show is made. All of it was a great experience.

I just finished watching the first episode of the new season on Speed TV and it looks as though some things changed for the better and some for the worse. First off, there’s WWE superstar and Bullrun host Bill Goldberg. In Season 1 of the show I think everyone felt that Bill was WAY under-utilized. He just didn’t have enough participation in the show and with the cast. This season it seems as though he’s more involved in the action, which is a really good thing. Bill is a no BS guy who just tells it like it is. If you screw up, he’ll tell you. If he doesn’t like you, he’ll tell you. And if he REALLY doesn’t like you, well, then you’d better move far away.

Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "Bullrun Season II First Impressions" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

This cool vert is one of none, since Dodge didn’t build a Dart convertible in 1970. Jerry is in Seattle, but I don’t remember seeing it at any local Mopar shows—maybe I was too busy looking at B-bodies. Check out Jerry’s ride page to read more about what went into building the car and see pics of it done!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’m not talking about Lambos and Veyrons. I’m talking about cars you are actually planning (scheming?) to acquire in the vaguely foreseeable future—let’s say in the next six months to ten years. But let’s leave daily drivers out of this. Also, you don’t have to own all of them at the same time (though of course that would be nice). But if you’re like me, it’s probably gonna be tough to limit yourself to just one or two. Limiting yourself to five is work enough. So anyway, here’s my list.

1. 1968 or 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Ideally I’d want a post car with a black bench seat interior (a 4 speed would be cool, too, but pricier and harder to find). I prefer the ’68 cause it’s my birth year, but ’69s are a bit more plentiful and just as cool. Obviously I’m talking 383 cars cause the 440-6 cars and Hemi cars are WAY out of my league. Doesn’t mean I couldn’t get a crate Hemi or build a A12 clone later, though…

See my next four picks after the jump!

Continue reading "What Are Your Top 5 Semi-Realistic Dream Cars?" »

By David Belau

dartslantsix

Last week I talked about all the little details that make this thing go and stop. If you’ve been waiting to see if all this nonsense actually performs, this is your week. I’ll show you the good, the bad and the ugly.

Before I get into this week’s post, a couple people have asked what the weight difference is between this set up and the live axle. I gained about 100 lbs, but I also upgraded from a wimpy 7.25 rear end to a stronger 8.8 Ford. If I redesigned the structure, I think I could lighten it up by at least 25 lbs.

My family has a long history of going to car shows. One in particular I have always enjoyed more than the rest. It’s a Father’s Day show at the Yreka, CA fairgrounds put on by the Siskiyou Cruisers. It’s in the shade, under the trees. Everyone drives down early in the morning and has breakfast. In short, it’s a great time. I had a goal to finish the car about a week before the show-to work out any bugs. (Murphy loves me for some reason.) I met that goal. Continue reading…

Continue reading "1966 Dart GT IRS Project Journal Part 5" »