1969 440 'cuda ~ Original Road Test

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Oh, so very wrong my friend.

That same story has been told by Mr. Norman Kraus for a very long time.

Same thing with the 'first' 383 in a 1967 A-Body.

No it's not wrong. I merely said what I had read. Not what I believed.
 
My error then.

What you read was 'not' completely accurate.

No. Wrong again. My statement was 100% correct and accurate. I said what I have read. That's an accurate statement. I have read that in just about every hot rod mag that ever talked about it. That is FACT. Now whether the subject matter is fact or not, I have no idea. But you seem to.
 
All these posts and no original pictures?

Not everything that was written was put into the article
do to editing.

The 440 'Cuda was > Green with Green Interior, with Deluxe Wheel Covers.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/z/NiMAAOxy0bRS-~Gm/$_57.JPG
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Bulit For One Thing Only,

According to Technical Consultant {Joe Wise}, the only Engine modification
to the '440 Super Commando' was,

'Ace' took off the Intake Manifold and Valve Covers. He replaced the 'stock'
Hydraulic Lifters with a set of .0005" Undersized Tappets, as to lessen the
lifter drag.

Then to ensure absolute correct Valve Lash, he installed a set of Crower
adjustable 'Chrome-Moly' Push-Rods.

'Ace' then buttoned up the Intake Manifold, but not without inserting a 'slice of copper shim-plate' beteen the heat cross-over passage
between the Cylinder Head and Intake Manifold.

'Ace' said that this little trick will limit heat transfer to the carburetor-base, and will provide better volumetric efficiency in the fuel signal under the heavy stress of the 440 during our test runs.

As 'Ace' stated, we want this 440 to run 'right', and not to be affected by
any improper settings from the Factory {which is a common problem}.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODQzWDYzNw==/z/-IQAAOSwDN1UR8SP/$_57.JPG
 
Jigs

There were several Drag Tests performed on the 1969 440 'cuda.

'Magnum-Royal Publications' had a best of 14.04 @ 104.0 MPH, with 3.91 Gears and running on puny E70 x 14" tires on a cold-day in late-March 1969.

But Joe Oldham and Crew ran 'additional tests' which I have yet to post.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Popular Hot Rodding' posted a best of .................... 13.84 @ 103.9 MPH

'Super Stock and Drag Illustrated' posted a best of ... 13.89 @ 103.2 MPH

'Car Life' posted a best of ...................................... 14.01 @ 103.0 MPH
 
Those seem to be very respectable times, for no traction car.
I'm assuming this was the same press fleet car passed around.
 
Can i play?????
 

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In early March 1969, and on a cold Saturday, we took the 'missle' to Westhampton Dragstrip out on the far end of Eastern Long Island.

I miss that track! Started going there when I was 8! :wack:
 
Jigs

There were several Drag Tests performed on the 1969 440 'cuda.

'Magnum-Royal Publications' had a best of 14.04 @ 104.0 MPH, with 3.91 Gears and running on puny E70 x 14" tires on a cold-day in late-March 1969.

But Joe Oldham and Crew ran 'additional tests' which I have yet to post.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Popular Hot Rodding' posted a best of .................... 13.84 @ 103.9 MPH

'Super Stock and Drag Illustrated' posted a best of ... 13.89 @ 103.2 MPH

'Car Life' posted a best of ...................................... 14.01 @ 103.0 MPH

Thanks for the cool info. That was good reading! I I didn't know about that test run in Westhampton! Are you originally from Long Island? That Rockville Center Dodge dealer was just up the road from Motion Performance. Lots of Long Island History. I like It! Keep it coming.
 
Those seem to be very respectable times, for no traction car.
I'm assuming this was the same press fleet car passed around.

No Mike,

'Cars Magazine' which is the 'full' article I'm posting, had a
Limelight Green {F5} Fastback with 3.91 Gears.

The Deluxe Wheel Covers on the 440 'cuda were actually 1968 units.

And the Tires, were Blackwall E70 x 14's.

This 1969 440 'cuda was 'not' a Press Test car.

'Magnum-Royal Publications' in Manhattan, New York got their
hands on this 'Limelight Freak' in March 1969.

The 'Photo Shoot' and 1st Drag Tests were performed on Saturday - March 15, 1969 at Westhampton Drag Strip out on Eastern, Long Island.
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

While in the shop at Rockville Centre Dodge, our 'Cuda was brought over to the 'Fuel Specialist', a fellow by the name of 'Monk'.

Then, with the speed of a Sea Otter ripping open a Mussel, 'Monk' pulled the Carter #4618 AVS Carburetor off the manifold, and did his 'thing'.

First was to re-set the Floats, and then change the Pump-Shots. And then the Secondary Jets {.095"} were stepped up one size with a
'secret change' in the Metering Rod.

For a 'bonus', Monk added a 'spacer-plate' between the Manifold and Carburetor.

As 'Monk' said,

If you guys are going to run the 'This Freak' in several
back-to-back runs, we need to dissipate the heat coming up from the Intake to prevent 'vapor-lock' of the Fuel.

Also, the added height of the {3/4" spacer} will improve the 'venturi-effect' of the vacuum secondaries of the Carburetor, which will improve Top-End Performance.

We all nodded,

'Yes, that is what we want'.
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

Before we left Rockville Centre Dodge, the 'Skunkworks Team' performed a few more minor 'tricks' to the 440 'cuda.

Which included, a set of 8MM Metallic-Core Ignition Wires to replace the factory set.

Then the Spark Plugs were switched out for a colder set of Champion J11-Y, with a double-checked gap of .035" by 'Leo' the Ignition Techncan.

'Leo' also added an 'Echlin' High Performance Distributor Cap to our Distributor, along with a High-Performance set of Points that had a higher tension-rate.

And for a quicker advance, he changed the counter-weight springs to a lighter-load set.

Then, 'Leo' set the timing of the '440 Super Commando' with a performance setting of > 34* @ 1500 RM's.

The 'Massive Cast Iron Wedge' immediately sounded 'crisper', and the throttle-response was much improved {like night-and-day].
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

With our special 'in house' treatment of;
* Valve Timing
* Carburetor and Fuel Pressuure improvements
* Ignition Timing

Our 440 Cubed ~ 375 Horsepower '600' pound Engine beast was near ready for another trip out to Eastern Long Island and on to the
track at Westhampton Drag Strip.

But before we left the 'trick shop' at Rockville Centre Dodge, the 440 'cuda was
taken by 'Jimmy D' the Drivetrain Expert, for a few more 'special tricks'.

The first task, was to replace the factory rear shocks with a set of 'Cure-Ride'
50/50 units.

Then, the front units were replaced with a set of 70/30 Shocks, which will improve
the much needed front-end rise, to help transfer the weight better to the light rear-
end of the 'Cuda.

'Jimmy D' then added a 'special' {3"} Extension-riser to the Pinion-Snubber, to prevent any rotation in the Rear-Axle housing during
'harsh' off the line launches.


For the final up-grade, 'Jimmy D' dropped the fluid-pan from the
Torque-Flite 727-B Transmission.

He then swapped out the 1st-to2nd gear control-spring with a
high-rate shift unit.ff the an ff the Trqe-Flte 727-B transmssn and
swaed t the 'cntrl-srng fr the 1st-2d gear transger. The heaver srng wll alw
the Trqelfte t rev hgher n 1st- Gear, befr bangng nto 2nd-gear.

The last change, was t the Gvernr Assembky. Jmmy D' swaed t the stck nt
fr a Hgh-Seed nt, wll allw fr hgher-RM shfts when the Trqe-flte s left n Drve
and shftng atmatcally,
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

With our the special 'n hse' treatment f;
* Valve Timing
* Carburetor and Fuel Pressuure improvemtns
* Igntn Tmng

Our 440 Cubed, 375 Horsepower, and 600 nd Engne beadt was nar eady for another
trip iot to Eastern Lng Inald at Westhampton Drag strip.

But before we left the 'trick shop' at Rockville Centre Dodge, the 440 'cuda was
taken by 'Jimmy D' the Drivetrain Expert.

The first task, was to replace the factory rear shocks with a set of 'Cure-Ride'
50/50 units.

Then, the front units were replaced with a set of 70/30 Shocks, which will improve
the much needed front-end rise, to help transfer the weight better to the light rear-
end of the 'Cuda.

'Jimmy D' then added a 'secal' 3" Extension to the Pinion-Snubber, to prevent any rtatn
n the Rear Axle hsng drng 'harsh' lanches ff the lne.

Fr the fnal grade, Jmmy D lled ff the an ff the Trqe-Flte 727-B transmssn and
swaed t the 'cntrl-srng fr the 1st-2d gear transger. The heaver srng wll alw
the Trqelfte t rev hgher n 1st- Gear, befr bangng nto 2nd-gear.

The last change, was t the Gvernr Assembky. Jmmy D' swaed t the stck nt
fr a Hgh-Seed nt, wll allw fr hgher-RM shfts when the Trqe-flte s left n Drve
and shftng atmatcally,

What happened to your spelling?
Is there something wrong with you? Are you okay?
This is not like you........
I for one, am enjoying this thread a lot.
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

With our special 'in house' treatment of;
* Valve Timing
* Carburetor and Fuel Pressure improvements
* Ignition Timing

Our 440 Cubed ~ 375 Horsepower '600' pound Engine beast was near ready for another trip out to Eastern Long Island and on to the
track at Westhampton Drag Strip.

But before we left the 'trick shop' at Rockville Centre Dodge, the 440 'cuda was
taken by 'Jimmy D' the Drivetrain Expert, for a few more 'special tricks'.

The first task, was to replace the factory rear shocks with a set of 'Cure-Ride' 50/50 units.

Then, the front units were replaced with a set of 70/30 Shocks, which will improve
the much needed front-end rise, to help transfer the weight better to the light rear-end of the 'Cuda.

'Jimmy D' then added a 'special' {3"} Extension-riser to the Pinion-Snubber, to prevent any rotation in the Rear-Axle housing during 'harsh' off the line launches.

For the final up-grade, 'Jimmy D' dropped the fluid-pan from the Torque-Flite 727-B Transmission.

He then dropped the Valve-Body, and swapped out the 'stock'
1st-to-2nd Gear shift-control valve spring with a high-rate shift unit.

The High-Performance 'heavier rated' spring will provide for 'harsher' shifts between 1st and 2nd Gear.

The last change, was to replace the Governor Assembly. 'Jimmy D' swapped out the 'stock unit' for a High-Speed unit.

The 'High-Speed' assembly will allow for higher RPM shifts, when
the Torque-Flite is left in 'Drive' for automatic shifting.

Correction
 
The bottom right photo of the 1969 440 'cuda

The car was Limelight Green. The 1969 Dog Dish 'hub caps'
were switched over to 1968 Deluxe Wheel Covers for the photo shoot.

Also, the Red Streak E70 x 14" Tires were reversed, to show only
a Blackwall side.

click

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/z/NiMAAOxy0bRS-~Gm/$_57.JPG
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

Saturday ~ March 22, 1969

At 9:00 AM, we picked up our 440 'Cuda at Rockville Center Dodge.

The first thing we did was head East, and out to 'Motion Performance' in
Baldwin, Long Island.

There, we were to pick up; 'timing equipment', a floor jack, Valvoline Racing Oil,
a Fram Oil Filter, and a set of Goodyear Slicks.

At 'Motion Performance', we had a set of Goodyear {9" Wide} Slicks mounted
on a set of Keystone Wheels {14" x 7"} with an A-Body Mopar 4" both-pattern.

We had used these 'D3' Compound {medium} Slicks for a previous test with a
1969 'Cuda 383.

The 'D3' compound was soft enough for the 'cold weather', but slick enough
for an Automatic with 3.91 Gears.

After we left 'Motion Performance', we pulled the 440 'Cuda into 'Sunrise Sunoco'
and filled the Gas Tank with 'Sunoco 260' {102 Octane} Super-Premium Gas.

Then, we jumped on Sunrise Highway {Route 27}, and headed out to Eastern Long Island, for our 1-Hour {55-Mile} trip to
{Westhampton Dragstrip}.
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

Recap >

When we 'first' took the 440 'Cuda out to Westhampton Dragstrip
last Saturday {March 15th}.

The weather was 'briskly tit-twisting cold' at 40*.

The 440 'Cuda was taken to the track, just the way it left the
Dealership, with no Timing changes or Carburetor adjustments.

And with the puny E70 x 14" {6.25" Wide} tires on the rims.

And 'stock is stock' as we left the Air-Cleaner lid-cover in place.

We ran the 'Limelight Green Freak' like we picked it up, to see
what it could do.

Unfortunately, the '4' times that we went down the Track, the car
would 'not' hook up off-the-line, no matter what we did.

For our test, {Driver; Cliff Gromer} just left the Torque-Flite in
'Drive', and staged at 'Idle' {1100 RPM's}

When the Chrondek Tree Lights came down, Cliff left
the line the best he could, and let the 727-B Torque-Flite
do the 'shifting' {somewhat too quickly}.

1st-to-2nd Gear ....... 4000 RPM's
2nd-to-3rd Gear ....... 4500 RPM's

The cold-weather {40*} sure didn't help either.

Elapsed Times
* Run #1 ....... 14.17 @ 102.9 MPH
* Run #2 ....... 14.12 @ 103.1 MPH
* Run #3 ....... 14.04 @ 104.3 MPH
* Run #4 ....... 14.06 @ 104.1 MPH
 
Yeah road test car with Joe was green....wonder where this car is now???
 

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BB Dave

Excellent addition to the thread.

'Thanks'

The 'Limelight Green' 440 'Cuda was based out of New York City.

As per the License Plate ..... 4N-2843

The '4N' designates New York County, New York.

The 440 'Cuda was equipped with 'optional' Front and Rear Bumper Guards,
and the 'Light Package' with the famous Hood 'turn signal lights'.

Also, the 'Rallye Sport Package', with the 150 MPH Speedometer
and 'center positioned' 6000 RPM Tachometer.

The 'original' Hub Caps were changed for 1968 Deluxe Wheel Covers, as they
photographed better than the 'Dog Dish' units.

The 'Red-Streak' tires were reversed to the Blackwall side, so that the
440 'Cuda would more like a 'Sleeper Performance Car'.
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

Saturday ~ March 22, 1969

We were back at Westhampton Dragstrip. Track Owner; Earl Grandell opened up the track for a 'second' Performance Test.

Again Cliff Gromer would be the driver. And Sonny Falcone {from Rockville Centre Dodge} would provide the fine tuning on the 440.

I would take the photo's and log the any information pertaining
to the 440 'Cuda and it's performance.

And Fred Mackerdodt would again manage the Chrondek Timing along with Earl Grandell.

The weather was again brisk {48*}, but 8* warmer than last week when we were here.

The 'first-task', was to change the Oil in the 'Beast Wedge'. We brought along Valvoline 30W Racing Oil. Due to the chilly weather, we felt that 30W had the best viscocity for the climate. We drained the oil, and popped on an new Fram PH8A Oil Filter.

Next, we double-checked the Timing which was set at 34* @ 1500 RPM's.

And our 21.5 Ounce {Breaker arm-tension} single-point set was set with a gap of .018".

The E70 x 14" tires were then set with 24 lbs. of air-pressure on all 4-Corners.

We again, left the Air-Cleaner top-lid on the Base.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cliff then 'fired-up' the 440 'Cuda, let the Engine warm-up for 3-Minutes. Then he took the 'Freak' to the burn-out area.

Cliff warmed up the E70 x 14" tires by doing a 'Power-Brake'
burn-out for 20-Seconds.

Then he pulled up to the line, and staged with the Torque-Flite
left in 'Drive', and the Engine at 'Idle' {1100 RPM's}.

Fred Mackerdodt then gave Cliff the signal, and he 'flipped the switch'. The lights on the Chrondek Christmas Tree came down.

Once the bottom light hit 'Green', Cliff feathered the 440 'Cuda
out-of-the-hole to prevent from lighting-up the E70's {6.25" Wide}.

Once the 'Cuda got rolling, Cliff punched the gas-pedal and
the big 440 opened up along with spinning the Tires thru 1st-Gear.

Cliff let the 'Limelight Green Freak' roar down the Track, while
the Torque-Flite was in control of the shifting.

We watched in awe, as the Green Fastback finally 'hooked up'
at the end of 1st-Gear, and then screamed down the big-end.

POW .............. 13.73 @ 105.7 MPH
 
1969 440 'cuda

This Car Was Built For One Thing Only,

While we were somewhat satisfied with our pass of 13.73 @ 105.7 MPH,
that was only Test #1.

When Cliff brought the 'Cuda back to the Starting Line, Sonny Falcone popped
the Hood and pulled off the Air-Cleaner Lid, to allow for more
Fresh-Air into the Carter AVS.

And then, he drew out his trusty Timing Light and 'advanced' the timing 2*, to 36* @ 2500 RPM's.

Cliff was quickly back to warming up the E70 x 14's with another
20-Second Power-Brake burn-out.

This time, Cliff was going to stage while keeping the 440 Engine
revved at 2800 RPM's, to give the 'Cuda a pre-load for its line-launch.

Again, Fred Mackerdodt gave him the signal.

And once the Chrondek lights came down, Cliff came off the line smoothly, but still spun the puny E70's.

The Torque-Flite was again left in 'Drive' for automatic shifting.

1st-to-2nd 'banged in hard' at 4600 RPM's. Then 2nd-to-3rd
whacked in at 4700 RPM's.

ANOTHER POW ............. 13.53 @ 106.6 MPH
 
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