HOWdy LUCORE, Love me some MOPAR's ... My "GARAGE Neighbor" was a DODGE in his Garage guy he had a FAKE (tribute ? ) 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible " HEMI " with Shaker Hood Scoop & Trunk SPOILER with a 318ci V-8 but - he also had a "tubbed" Blue PRO-Street CHALLENGER with a 440ci V-8 and I built his TF-8 727 to hold it to the ground ... His pretty WIFE drove a "BEEP-BEEP" bright YELLOW 383ci ROADRUNNER His garage was stuffed FULL of Hi-Po MOPAR stuff 340ci / 360ci (Six-Pak) intakes & engines but 383 / 440 were his Go-To ENGINES Thanks for taking us along COOP ...
I love those old Challengers, my cousin bought a brand new 70 Challenger the day he made it home from Nam and he used to take me for rides in it. His was a 440 4 speed car, with unbelievable power and torque. What memories. Thanks Austin.
Its not the numbers you run that makes it fun(faster is usually better though), its the camaraderie and competitiveness you share with friends family and anybody you meet in the process.
I had a BLAST in 1983-86 in my 1971 Chevelle SS, I was only about high 12's - 13's in the 1/4. It wasn't the fastest, but it held it's own!! Some guys thought I had a little nitrous, I just knew how to shift an automatic transmission and after the burn out I made the tires stick as they usually sat there burning their tires, I'm grabbing pavement & gone, 2nd gear hard chirp & C-ya!!
Raced for decades in the 12.00 flat to 13.50 Heavy Bracket racing class for years (and not just my 60's era mopars that as you say, I am fiercely loyal to), and was highly successful at driving and winning with. It was capable of running low 11's, but no roll bar, so no dialing in below 12 flat. And there was never ever a better feeling, than driving the car there, prepping it to race (carried the slicks, and tow bar behind the front seats just in case, along with a ton of crap to fix it just in case also), winning with it uncorked and on slicks, then driving it home after a dinner or very early breakfast with a bunch of competitor friends afterwards. Pure fun. Chasing or being chased, fast or slow, nothing much mattered as far as speed, the competition, getting really good at it over time, and living the dream with a whole drag racing family is what it is about. Later, graduated to a Stock Eliminator car, going on the road a season in 1995, and traveling (did not trailer the slowest NHRA Stock Eliminator car in the country, I drove it from National, and Divisional events throughout the country from Northern, AZ, with about 1,000 lbs of stuff to tear down, repair, and service the car and myself....laundry basket in the passenger seat kinda fun brother). From here to FL, and Englishtown, N.J., and all points in between after trailering my bracket car for a few years, getting back to the most fun...Driving, winning, driving to next event location is the most fun on 4 wheels you can have, and the best budget ride around. The last 8 plus months have been spent getting the car from the slowest Stocker that was almost bone stock, to hopefully one of the fastest of the slowest budget Stockers and up 2 classes than it last raced in 97' much improved and invested in, -275 lbs lighter, and massaged and tweaked by every paragraph & page that the rule book allows today...Pistons due to arrive in a week, short block build follows, then we drop in the finally machined and improved short and long block and new head work, and get back to it after a 25 year layoff. Slow or fast (and I will be competing with Jeff Kovalik and guys faster than his Challenger, so some fast company as far as Stock goes), the speed is not what matters, the competition is. Especially with the hard and fast ruleset and limitations of Stock Class racing at places like Indy in "The Big Go!" The best fun ever is right where you are, and that run what you brung class, dialing in and bracket racing, driver to driver, not wallet to wallet. Anyone can throw money at others to build a faster car (and there will always be faster cars, no matter how much you can or are capable of investing, or do invest). Not everyone can win with it. Build well, build within your financial means, disregard how fast, or what others respect as fast, learn to make it as consistent as you possibly can, learn to drive it as consistently as you can, then slow it down in your driving it a tiny bit beyond pushing it as hard as you can, to make it last a lot longer than it would if you pushed it constantly at its current limits, (then quit attempting to go faster and faster, and live with it just below speed in E.T./MPH capabillities, and work on winning instead). I.E.: my old 63 Polara ran low 11's raced it years with a Ton of bracket wins raced at 12 flat including a Div. Bracket Championship in 84' and traveled same year to FL winter bracket series, and raced in a big money 250 car final round also against much faster competition trailering all but 1 in that final round lost by 3/10,000ths. Still won big bucks. Slap the dial on the car that you can comfortably drive it to round after round (hot lapping it), to the perfect .000/dead on with a zero package repeatedly, while keeping the car under you almost repair free while maintaining it fully for longevity and have a blast winning instead of wrenching it constantly, though thrashing to make the next round whenever it becomes necessary. Follow the above, you Austin, with the shop facilities you have available, will have a freaking blast!
When you race, it’s about smiles per hour. I had a blast racing in N stock at the AHRA Winter Nationals. Toyota bug eye pick up 20 second elapsed times. Fantastic.
Had a 97 Avenger I took to a smaller car meet in Washington state once many years back, got very mixed signals while there. Nobody was overtly rude except for a guy with a older Duster that I tried to park next to at first. He started yelling and I just rolled on, found a spot next to a guy with a Gen Lee Charger a bit later and partied with him all weekend tho. Most fun street car times... for me I guess that's the 10-11 second 1/4 range. Still mostly stock but ya had to put some work to it to make it go fast. Great video Austin, thanks for the show man!
@@RustyZipper I had like 5 people ask me about the Avenger that whole weekend, guy who owned the Charger had a line of people 10 deep most of the day each day. The Duster was far from stock btw, guy had made it into a fairly nice street/drag car. Owner didn't run it the whole weekend tho, just sat with it, polished it and drank himself stupid for 3 days straight.
On my opinion, once you get into the 11s the fun starts getting replaced by constant maintenance and endless spending. A twelve second car strikes the perfect balance of fast, fun, affordable and reliable. High 12s low 13s is drivable, fun, safe and affordable. Any quicker on the street tends to end in something "regrettable".
The answer is that it's the cars that have souls and bring you back to happy, carefree times before commitments and worries where what occupied all of your thoughts
My 74 sd-455 trans am ran 12.20's back in the day at National Trails on L60-15 TA radial street tires. it got 6 mpg in town and 13 on the highway (308 ring and pinion replaced with 372"s). As it was my only car, I could not make it less streetable than this. If I had another car then, then yes .. Go faster. Today, you could have both with a Dodge Demon of Challenger Super Stock, the only thing stopping you is the checkbook.
My son and I went on Saturday. I've gone almost every year since 1988 and I haven't owned a Mopar since late 2009. You miss out on some cars because a lot of people leave early Sunday to head home.
Great video and I was wondering if you had or know of anyone that could help me find a sun roof and tracks for a 74 dart sport hang 10 car by chance? Thanks for any advice and is your shop located off 33 and post road area by chance? The name of your company sounds familiar and I thought I saw a sign out front while I was driving by to my next job?
After the book below...When do you have the most fun, ordering parts, paying and waiting for them, wrenching on the ride....or, actually drag racing, and cutting perfect or near perfect lights and clipping a competitor by an inch, and collecting winning time slips and win checks to match? The latter makes the former easier to stomach.
Had a couple things stacked against us. 1) This was Sunday typically the lowest turnout day 2) Off and on rain showers throughout the day kept a lot of show/race cars home 3) There were a ton of other events going on this weekend including Roadkill Nights and AMC Nationals
HOWdy LUCORE,
Love me some MOPAR's ...
My "GARAGE Neighbor" was a DODGE in his Garage guy
he had a FAKE (tribute ? ) 1970 Dodge Challenger Convertible " HEMI " with Shaker Hood Scoop & Trunk SPOILER with a 318ci V-8
but - he also had a "tubbed" Blue PRO-Street CHALLENGER with a 440ci V-8 and I built his TF-8 727 to hold it to the ground ...
His pretty WIFE drove a "BEEP-BEEP" bright YELLOW 383ci ROADRUNNER
His garage was stuffed FULL of Hi-Po MOPAR stuff 340ci / 360ci (Six-Pak) intakes & engines but 383 / 440 were his Go-To ENGINES
Thanks for taking us along
COOP
...
AWESOME Austin! I appreciate them. And I consider Dodge Stealth, A Dodge. Old School Challengers are 1000% BETTER than new.
Thanks Lucore for taking us along for the ride!
I love those old Challengers, my cousin bought a brand new 70 Challenger the day he made it home from Nam and he used to take me for rides in it. His was a 440 4 speed car, with unbelievable power and torque. What memories. Thanks Austin.
Very cool Billy!
2:48 sweet Labarron drop top!
Sounds great
Its not the numbers you run that makes it fun(faster is usually better though), its the camaraderie and competitiveness you share with friends family and anybody you meet in the process.
I had a BLAST in 1983-86 in my 1971 Chevelle SS, I was only about high 12's - 13's in the 1/4. It wasn't the fastest, but it held it's own!! Some guys thought I had a little nitrous, I just knew how to shift an automatic transmission and after the burn out I made the tires stick as they usually sat there burning their tires, I'm grabbing pavement & gone, 2nd gear hard chirp & C-ya!!
Lol, that hat so fits you brother, makes me smile everytime Austin! Outside rain is good.
Thanks Lucore for sharing 🇺🇸 Virginia, USA
Sorry to see the weather so rainy. It really affected the turn out. But, thank you buddy for sharing!
Right on dude 👍
AMC, the red headed stepchild.
Raced for decades in the 12.00 flat to 13.50 Heavy Bracket racing class for years (and not just my 60's era mopars that as you say, I am fiercely loyal to), and was highly successful at driving and winning with.
It was capable of running low 11's, but no roll bar, so no dialing in below 12 flat. And there was never ever a better feeling, than driving the car there, prepping it to race (carried the slicks, and tow bar behind the front seats just in case, along with a ton of crap to fix it just in case also), winning with it uncorked and on slicks, then driving it home after a dinner or very early breakfast with a bunch of competitor friends afterwards. Pure fun.
Chasing or being chased, fast or slow, nothing much mattered as far as speed, the competition, getting really good at it over time, and living the dream with a whole drag racing family is what it is about.
Later, graduated to a Stock Eliminator car, going on the road a season in 1995, and traveling (did not trailer the slowest NHRA Stock Eliminator car in the country, I drove it from National, and Divisional events throughout the country from Northern, AZ, with about 1,000 lbs of stuff to tear down, repair, and service the car and myself....laundry basket in the passenger seat kinda fun brother). From here to FL, and Englishtown, N.J., and all points in between after trailering my bracket car for a few years, getting back to the most fun...Driving, winning, driving to next event location is the most fun on 4 wheels you can have, and the best budget ride around.
The last 8 plus months have been spent getting the car from the slowest Stocker that was almost bone stock, to hopefully one of the fastest of the slowest budget Stockers and up 2 classes than it last raced in 97' much improved and invested in, -275 lbs lighter, and massaged and tweaked by every paragraph & page that the rule book allows today...Pistons due to arrive in a week, short block build follows, then we drop in the finally machined and improved short and long block and new head work, and get back to it after a 25 year layoff.
Slow or fast (and I will be competing with Jeff Kovalik and guys faster than his Challenger, so some fast company as far as Stock goes), the speed is not what matters, the competition is. Especially with the hard and fast ruleset and limitations of Stock Class racing at places like Indy in "The Big Go!"
The best fun ever is right where you are, and that run what you brung class, dialing in and bracket racing, driver to driver, not wallet to wallet.
Anyone can throw money at others to build a faster car (and there will always be faster cars, no matter how much you can or are capable of investing, or do invest). Not everyone can win with it.
Build well, build within your financial means, disregard how fast, or what others respect as fast, learn to make it as consistent as you possibly can, learn to drive it as consistently as you can, then slow it down in your driving it a tiny bit beyond pushing it as hard as you can, to make it last a lot longer than it would if you pushed it constantly at its current limits, (then quit attempting to go faster and faster, and live with it just below speed in E.T./MPH capabillities, and work on winning instead).
I.E.: my old 63 Polara ran low 11's raced it years with a Ton of bracket wins raced at 12 flat including a Div. Bracket Championship in 84' and traveled same year to FL winter bracket series, and raced in a big money 250 car final round also against much faster competition trailering all but 1 in that final round lost by 3/10,000ths. Still won big bucks.
Slap the dial on the car that you can comfortably drive it to round after round (hot lapping it), to the perfect .000/dead on with a zero package repeatedly, while keeping the car under you almost repair free while maintaining it fully for longevity and have a blast winning instead of wrenching it constantly, though thrashing to make the next round whenever it becomes necessary.
Follow the above, you Austin, with the shop facilities you have available, will have a freaking blast!
When you race, it’s about smiles per hour. I had a blast racing in N stock at the AHRA Winter Nationals. Toyota bug eye pick up 20 second elapsed times. Fantastic.
...cool video - one of my coworkers was there with his truck - goes every year & loves the event - thanks for posting !...
Good evening Austin nice footage of cars and racing, but please explain the thrill of running a jeep compass down the strip!🤪
There's no explaining it because there is no thrill
Awesome
Have to admit my favorite Mopars are the later model Darts and 71 Satelitte looks wise
Had a 97 Avenger I took to a smaller car meet in Washington state once many years back, got very mixed signals while there. Nobody was overtly rude except for a guy with a older Duster that I tried to park next to at first. He started yelling and I just rolled on, found a spot next to a guy with a Gen Lee Charger a bit later and partied with him all weekend tho.
Most fun street car times... for me I guess that's the 10-11 second 1/4 range. Still mostly stock but ya had to put some work to it to make it go fast.
Great video Austin, thanks for the show man!
I’m betting that the General Lee brought you far more attention than a stock Duster would have
@@RustyZipper I had like 5 people ask me about the Avenger that whole weekend, guy who owned the Charger had a line of people 10 deep most of the day each day.
The Duster was far from stock btw, guy had made it into a fairly nice street/drag car. Owner didn't run it the whole weekend tho, just sat with it, polished it and drank himself stupid for 3 days straight.
If he was drinking himself stupid, then sitting and shining is right where he belonged .....Not driving or making passes on any drag strip! PERIOD.
On my opinion, once you get into the 11s the fun starts getting replaced by constant maintenance and endless spending. A twelve second car strikes the perfect balance of fast, fun, affordable and reliable. High 12s low 13s is drivable, fun, safe and affordable. Any quicker on the street tends to end in something "regrettable".
I just wanted to say thanks for all your great videos, you and your brother are the best.
Old-school playing with carb and timing , dwell ect I just showed my age. More fun back then.
I'm no Dodge guy but I say yes on the stealth
Definitely a mopar guy, oddly enough, with no mopar
MoPar or NoCar 🤣
My only Mopar is Cummins powered... 91 Dodge pickup. I feel yer pain here man!
@@Loki13M - no DEF required 🇺🇸
@@RustyZipper Facts!
I think the most fun you can have is no prep small tire or big tire racing!
The answer is that it's the cars that have souls and bring you back to happy, carefree times before commitments and worries where what occupied all of your thoughts
I like the ones that can still drive on the street but a badass at the track sleeper type cars
Enjoyed!!!!! 👍👍👍👍
My 74 sd-455 trans am ran 12.20's back in the day at National Trails on L60-15 TA radial street tires. it got 6 mpg in town and 13 on the highway (308 ring and pinion replaced with 372"s). As it was my only car, I could not make it less streetable than this. If I had another car then, then yes .. Go faster. Today, you could have both with a Dodge Demon of Challenger Super Stock, the only thing stopping you is the checkbook.
My son and I went on Saturday. I've gone almost every year since 1988 and I haven't owned a Mopar since late 2009. You miss out on some cars because a lot of people leave early Sunday to head home.
Bring the Avenger out, as long as you appreciate it, and you will, that is all that counts.
😎
Only good Mopar was the lil red also I seen a gremlin 4 sale near Pittsburgh pa
once youve been one time it's good enough.
moparnationals looks the same as it did in the 90's.
Great video and I was wondering if you had or know of anyone that could help me find a sun roof and tracks for a 74 dart sport hang 10 car by chance? Thanks for any advice and is your shop located off 33 and post road area by chance? The name of your company sounds familiar and I thought I saw a sign out front while I was driving by to my next job?
I believe it is, not sure what is all done there. First video watching of his but I do recall seeing their sign same area your speaking of.
@Steve Johnson wondering why no reply for? Probably way too busy.
Also notice 1 more thing, the majority are keeping their pretty machines off the guardrails too! Lol.
Heads up no prep is for guys that own a repair shop and a body shop...as each car is destined to need both...often.
10 seond is where i remember thing's being when i got started in the late 80's.. 11 and above was not all that much of an aspiration..
After the book below...When do you have the most fun, ordering parts, paying and waiting for them, wrenching on the ride....or, actually drag racing, and cutting perfect or near perfect lights and clipping a competitor by an inch, and collecting winning time slips and win checks to match?
The latter makes the former easier to stomach.
And a shidtload more affordable.
Lastly...side by side finishes are flat exciting, ask Old man Bill, it really is in his blood. Though so is the gangsterism of the street.
Where was everybody ? Low turn out ?
Had a couple things stacked against us. 1) This was Sunday typically the lowest turnout day 2) Off and on rain showers throughout the day kept a lot of show/race cars home 3) There were a ton of other events going on this weekend including Roadkill Nights and AMC Nationals
Bigger issue; same weekend as the #woodwarddreamcruise. Just sayin'.....
If you don't like drum solos stay away.