FS: Preston Honea's 66' Dodge Dart "The Executioner"
Hi and thanks again,
The car I was involved with was originally the "Ramchargers Steel (Acid dipped Steel) Bodied Car" which we bought from the Ramchargers in November of 1967. The car came without an engine and we put Jack Convy's engine from his factory 426 Hemi in the car. That car was originally a factory SS/B steel front end car. The engine had spun a bearing and the crank was sent to Jewel Engineering in Detroit to be de-stroked. That was where Ted Detar's (The Kansas Badman) car from Kansas had it done, I believe. That was where Jack and the original group got the idea to de-stroke to 383 a Hemi. I was not part of the original group but came on board when they were going to rent my 37 Willy's to race using Jack's engine and with Fred Henze driving. That didn't work out but meanwhile I reworked my Willy's to run NHRA "B" Gass to accept the Hemi engine which J did and so I got to drive when it was completed. This was summer and winter of 1965 raced as a Gasser in 1966, I believe, I am not quite sure of dates anymore. Anyway that is how I became involved.
Jack, Jeff Solliday and I bought the 67 Dart from the Ramchargers and raced the UDRA circuit (based out of Chicago) that summer and the engine was a 426 Hemi that we de-stroked to 383 cu. in. The car was fairly successful as we finished the season second in points (each point was a dollar) for the year. We raced about 25 or 30 dates that year as a booked in injected, nitro burning, fuel funny car circuit. UDRA also had a blown circuit that year.
I remember Hale's car as a Hemi also, was I wrong? I remember Hale well and often wondered what ever became of him as by about the middle of summer I don't remember seeing him at the races anymore.
Thanks for the memories and tell your uncle I said "Hi". If you have any other pictures please post them. We (all us old racers) are dying and need a little help remembering how it was. I sure had a great time back then. We were truly blessed to of lived and raced in those times.
