HOT ROD Power Tour

[HBarlow]

I received an email and the photos from old friends back in Texas this morning. They, a father and son, were loaded and on their way to Las Vegas where they were going to park the truck and trailer, pick up a friend, and drive the Nomad to SOCAL to join the 2023 HOT ROD Power Tour.

My old friend said, "wish you were here to go with us." Yeah, right. My vision is too poor to drive any longer and I'd get lost in an airport like DFW because I can't read the signs. It's tough to get old and watch the world go on without you.

The same friends and I did the HOT ROD Power Tour in 1998 driving my then '57 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe. We drove it from Lubbock to Pomona, CA, to Mt. Clemens, MI, south to see the Studebaker Museum at South Bend, IN and the Corvette factory and museum at Bowling Green, KY then back home to Lubbock.

The old Dodge C&C and the Kaufman trailer in the photos were mine since new. I sold both to them about two years ago when I quit driving. The '56 Chevy NOMAD is a beautifully restored classic. I think it has an LS3 motor and matching GM overdrive automatic.

 

[Admin]

 

[Mopower58]

Never did the Power Tour but always enjoyed Drag Week. I did try the Pump Gas Drags in 2008. At least you still have the memories to hold on to,though not nearly as fun. My car is on the far right, second one back. 67 Blue and White Coronet when I had the 501 ci wedge in it. Same car as my avatar before runnng the HEMI.

 

[HBarlow]

Yeah, I live in my memories a lot now. All things considered, I had a good life, traveled all over the world with a USN "travel guide", toured the entire US and Canada by rv and later by motorcycle. I feel fortunate to have reached 81 year and still aboveground.

I found your blue and white top Dodge in the lineup. Was the 501 a bored and stroked 440? I think the 383 and 440 were the largest of the family of motors MOPAR fans call a wedge.

What were your quarter mile ET's and speed?

 

[Mopower58]

Yeah, I live in my memories a lot now. All things considered, I had a good life, traveled all over the world with a USN "travel guide", toured the entire US and Canada by rv and later by motorcycle. I feel fortunate to have reached 81 year and still aboveground.

I found your blue and white top Dodge in the lineup. Was the 501 a bored and stroked 440? I think the 383 and 440 were the largest of the family of motors MOPAR fans call a wedge.

What were your quarter mile ET's and speed?

It was actually a .040 over 400, stroked with Indy Cylinder Heads. Our youngest son has it in his 71 Duster now. The quickest it ever ran was 10.20's @ 130 mph. That was street legal, through the mufflers with no nitrous. The 383 and 400 were considered low deck wedges and the 440 was considered a raised deck wedge. This is the son's 71 at the Mopar show at the Battleship where it won Best Modified A body. The USS Alabama

 

[HBarlow]

I don't remember a 400ci MOPAR motor but everyone knew of the 383 and 440. A 10.20 @ 130 mph in street trim is pretty fast in my limited experience.

That's a beautiful Plymouth Duster. As a kid and teenager I wasn't interested in Chrysler products. It was not until many years later I realized that the Chrysler line actually had superior engineering.

Other than an old beater '57 Plymouth work care I owned briefly in the '60s, I never owned a MOPAR until I bought a 2001 Dodge-Cummins 3500. I bought it for the Cummins engine and NVG six speed manual but soon realized the Dodge wrapper was superior in every way to the Chevrolets and Fords I had always owned.

I've visited that site where the USS Alabama and the WWII era diesel-electric submarine are located along I-10 several times.

Memories again.

 

[Blownzuki]

Very cool memories and photos gentlemen.

 

[Mopower58]

The 400 replaced the 383. Thank you for the compliments on the Duster. The youngest son bought it with money he earned mowing lawns. He bought it when he was 14 and it was a faded pearl white with small bolt pattern Cragars. Over the next couple of years we restored it inside and out. a .020 over 360 we built. The best it ran with a small block in street trim was 11.77 @114 mph. It now has Cal-traces with an 8 3/4 differential with 4.10 gears and the 501 out of my Coronet.
They have a Mopar Show at the Battleship in April of every year. We've been through the USS Alabama, the submarine and aviation museum several times. They are very informative.


The 400 cu in (6.6 L) B engine was introduced in 1972 to replace the venerable 383, and were power-rated via the net (installed) method. Chrysler increased the bore size of the 383 to create the 400. Its bore of 4.342-inch (110.3 mm) was the largest used in any production Chrysler V8 at the date of its introduction. All parts except for the pistons were interchangeable between the 383 and 400.

Crankshafts were made of cast iron. Three versions of this engine were available: a two-barrel/single-exhaust version producing 170 hp (127 kW; 172 PS) at 4,400 rpm and 305 lb⋅ft (414 N⋅m) of torque at 2,400 rpm, a four-barrel/single-exhaust version producing 205 hp (153 kW; 208 PS) at 4,400 rpm, and a high-performance four-barrel/dual-exhaust version rated at 260 hp (194 kW; 264 PS) at 4,800 rpm and 410 lb⋅ft (556 N⋅m) of torque at 3,200 rpm. All three versions used the same 8.2:1 compression ratio. The 400 was used in car, truck, and motorhome chassis. Horsepower and torque ratings gradually declined through the years because of the addition of more federally mandated emissions controls, until all Chrysler passenger vehicle big-block production ceased in 1978. For its last year of production, it only produced 190 hp (142 kW) (although a heavy-duty version was also available).[4]

Due to its large factory bore size, short (compared to RB engines) deck height, and bottom end strength that is greater than any other production B or RB engine due to extra material added around the main bearing caps,[5] 400 B engine blocks have become a popular choice for high-performance engine build-ups.

RB engines​

The RB engines, produced from 1959 to 1979, are raised-block (taller) versions of the B engines. All RB engines have a 3+3⁄4 in (95.3 mm) stroke, with the bore being the defining factor in engine size. All RB wedge engines share a deck height of 10.725 in (272.4 mm), and were fitted with 6.768 in (171.9 mm) long connecting rods, resulting in a 1.80:1 rod ratio. Bore center distance is 4.8 in (120 mm). All RBs are oversquare.

 

[HBarlow]

All interesting. I guess only born car guys could find that interesting.

In my teen years the 392 ci Chrysler hemi was, the largest and strongest performance motor I remember. Small block Chevies at 265ci were introduced in 1955 and were quick but the big time drag racers like Don Garlits ran a Chrysler hemi.

You clearly have the knowledge. Do you build performance motors yourself?

Your son's story of buying a future high performance car with his lawn mowing money is great! I admire that.

When I was 14 I bought a running '28 Ford Model A rumble-seat coup for $25. In 1956 a 14 year old could obtain a driver's license in Texas. The law was changed to age 16 later - probably because of the driving records of foolish kids like he.

A 14 yo boy of today would borrow the money from his parents and buy a new iPhone to sit inside his parent' home and watch his dad moving the grass in the summer heat while he sent clever texts and exchanged nude selfie's with a girl.

Times and interests have changed.

 

[Mopower58]

I used to build motors. Actually I owned my own diesel repair shop till I had my stroke in July of 2015. I did not build the Hemi that was in the Coronet but have built several small and big block Mopars. I have always been a gear head since elementary school. I love drag racing. 25 years ago I was looking to hire someone to help in my shop and finding someone dependable back then was hard. These days I know it would be difficult. I think driving age when the youngest got his was 15 1/2 you could get a permit for school and work only, then get full license at 16. It was 15 yo when I was driving. I was bushhogging for money in the summer at 11.