Turning back the clock

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I spoke with Gary Hansen last night......Gary built the car while employed at Ron Butlers shop . It appears the car has more creative engineering than I originally thought.

Gary will be a great help in getting the Duster as close to the way it was originally built in 1975.
 
Very cool you got to talk to Gary. Sounds like you will hear first hand how to get the car returned to correct.
You know we need details on this creative engineering.
 
It appears the car has more creative engineering than I originally thought.

Ha, I knew it! May not have been a 'Pro' level car but it was built by pro level people for a pro driver. Can't imagine they built it just to mess around.

Not saying I knew that but it just seems to make sense given some of the other mid-70s Mopar efforts. The level of engineering that went into some of those cars was pretty remarkable.

Very cool though, looking forward to hearing about some of the stuff they did if you are willing to divulge that info.
 
I am as anxious as all the others that are waiting to see the modifications that they'd made to the car. The amount of ingenuity guys used to give them an edge over the competition always amazes me. Sometimes it's cheating. Sometimes it's just a matter of how you interpret the rules. Sometimes it's working within the boundaries of the rule book. - But it's always fascinating.

I remember hearing Richard Petty talking about a small rubber block he had attached to the bottom of the hood of one of his race cars. The assumption was that it was there to prevent the hood from vibrating against the air cleaner. It had a hole in the center of it that aligned with the stud that held his air cleaner. - He admitted that the air cleaner stud was hollow and that they ran nitrous through the rubber block straight into the top of the carbs. - Ingenious! When they limited fuel cell size they ran bigger line and wound it around so that it was as long as possible. - No rule broken but a great example of working around the rules to get an advantage.
 
I would suspect he was referring to the difference in the chassis/body between Prostock and Modified production cars. The prostocks got tampered with
to a whole different level.
 
I don't quite understand that statement. It was a factory race car.

What I meant was it wasn't a "Pro" Stock car. MP cars were sportsman level cars.

Leal had been a pro driver for a long time already but was driving a MP car.

To my knowledge, Hemi Dusters were factored out of Pro Stock at that point or somewhere around there and Mopar was moving more towards the Colt. Does not mean they were not involved in all types of racing but MP is/was a sportsman level class.
 
I spoke with Gary Hansen last night......Gary built the car while employed at Ron Butlers shop . It appears the car has more creative engineering than I originally thought.

Gary will be a great help in getting the Duster as close to the way it was originally built in 1975.

Cars like this feel like archeological finds. The level of research done to replicate the original condition has got to be a lot of work in itself.
 
That thing is about as slick as taco ****. I love it. I love the old crazy paintjobs and sticker look.
 
Yeah, I doubt most would have gotten the joke about putting the 'glass doors to the curb... if it was meant as one...
 
Removed the entire front end, batteries and battery boxes and cables, sill plates,
fuel cell and lines, instruments and dash pad. steering column, seat belts, seat, weight
bar, windshield, doors, deck lid, battery and fuel pump cables to trunk, etc. etc.

Tomorrow, the deconstruction will continue.

LEAL%20060716%20049_zpswgsalrsl.jpg

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LEAL%20060716%20046_zpsrxrmshi9.jpg

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the entire original cage is there......some bars were added that were mandated for safety after it changed owners and classes. It is getting attacked tomorrow with the sawzaw to remove all the not original (B/MP) bars. We will be removing all bars forward except the original shoulder high side bars that pass thru the dash and firewall ending at the front of the K.

from the roll bar rearward....just gets some holes filled and a re-paint.......it is all there, rust free.

I love this car.
 
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Awww, they cut the front sheet metal away.
Your off to a good start. I would love to restore an old racer with some history.
Its an a body with a Hemi as a bonus.
It don't get any better.
 
Awww, they cut the front sheet metal away.
Your off to a good start. I would love to restore an old racer with some history.
Its an a body with a Hemi as a bonus.
It don't get any better.

easy peasy.....I have a 75 just waiting to donate the core support and inner fenders....just waiting until Gary confirms that is his tunnel work....if not, I will include the firewall.

I am just glad they did not touch (butcher) the important pieces (Garys work)....a little sheet metal rebuild is cake....especially with the all the help we got.
 
the entire original cage is there......some bars were added that were mandated for safety after it changed owners and classes. It is getting attacked tomorrow with the sawzaw to remove all the not original (B/MP) bars. We will be removing all bars forward except the original shoulder high side bars that pass thru the dash and firewall ending at the front of the K.

from the roll bar rearward....just gets some holes filled and a re-paint.......it is all there, rust free.

I love this car.

Good deal, sounds like you're on the way already.

Pretty great you guys got to talk to the guy that built the car already, that must have been really cool!
 
Damn you guys must have "unlimited" money. Good luck, the coolness meter is pegged

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These are some of the coolest mopar pictures posted.
Right up there with the Tom Myl restoration.
You can't top a genuine racer.
 
The last picture of the trunk tells it all.....once the added on hardware is removed, The California Flash is beginning to look like its former self.

For some us us, we start getting a little chub.
 
Damn you guys must have "unlimited" money. Good luck, the coolness meter is pegged

6a00e552250bc98834019b01723268970b-pi.jpg

Not so much money.....but a hell of a lot of passion for the 60's and 70's Mopars.....There are a lot of us out there, no wonder Chrysler is trying to tap into it.
 
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