Paging Jim Rhinehart (Rhinodart)

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dart4forte

dart4forte

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Hey Jim, have question that came up during a recent conversation.

We know that Norm Kraus threw together a 67 Dart with a big block to show the Chrysler execs it could be done. The question is what about the driver side manifold?
Did they hack a magnum manifold to make it work? If so, was it used as a mock-up for the 67 castings?

Figured you would know.
 
dart4forte said:
Hey Jim, have question that came up during a recent conversation.

We know that Norm Kraus threw together a 67 Dart with a big block to show the Chrysler execs it could be done. The question is what about the driver side manifold?
Did they hack a magnum manifold to make it work? If so, was it used as a mock-up for the 67 castings?

Figured you would know.
Click to expand...
That story is a fairy tale. Plymouth was already putting 383's in Barracuda's from the start of the '67 model year. All Dodge had to do was use the same DS manifold as Plymouth to put a 383 in a Dart (same engine bay). I'm sure the Chrysler engineers could have figured that out. They didn't need Norm for that.
 
The way i heard that story was that Mr Norm was the first to put a 440 in a dart, to prove to mopar it could be done. If memory seves, he used modified a-body 383 headers.
I heard that story lots of years ago, i could be wrong on the details.
 
Heres a link from Hemmings with some background. It gets confusing...GSS, GTS, Mcode...lol. Your reasoning makes sense Darwin as you could factory order the 383 on the 67 S cuda. Why would they need Norm to do the exact same thing to a Dart?
Hemmings link has no mention of the 383 Barracudas.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2013/07/01/mr-norms-marks-50-years-of-making-mopars-faster
65Val said:
That story is a fairy tale. Plymouth was already putting 383's in Barracuda's from the start of the '67 model year. All Dodge had to do was use the same DS manifold as Plymouth to put a 383 in a Dart (same engine bay). I'm sure the Chrysler engineers could have figured that out. They didn't need Norm for that.
Click to expand...
 
I have a book that talks about this and the book reads more like the op. That mr norms built the dart to prove to Chrysler it could be done.
 
I think that Mr. Norm wanted to sell some BB Darts, so he had the parts guys get what was needed and they put it together. I think the magazines took the story, added some drama and ran with it. All the parts were there, anyone could have done the same, he just got the ink. Not knocking Mr. Norm, glad he did it.
 
Hyper_pak said:
I think that Mr. Norm wanted to sell some BB Darts, so he had the parts guys get what was needed and they put it together. I think the magazines took the story, added some drama and ran with it. All the parts were there, anyone could have done the same, he just got the ink. Not knocking Mr. Norm, glad he did it.
Click to expand...
Not knocking him either...he just never denied the story and rode it to some notoriety and $$$. Just bothers me every time I hear the "story" and know its bunk. It just amazes me how the story keeps going and is never widely corrected.
 
Weather he did or not he became the go to guy for miles around. His dyno tune became so famous that the brand X guys came there got the tune. He sold more cars out of his dealership than others could ever dream of.
 
65Val said:
That story is a fairy tale. Plymouth was already putting 383's in Barracuda's from the start of the '67 model year. All Dodge had to do was use the same DS manifold as Plymouth to put a 383 in a Dart (same engine bay). I'm sure the Chrysler engineers could have figured that out. They didn't need Norm for that.
Click to expand...


Given the story is bunk or not how was the driver side manifold developed?
 
oldkimmer said:
Weather he did or not he became the go to guy for miles around. His dyno tune became so famous that the brand X guys came there got the tune. He sold more cars out of his dealership than others could ever dream of.
Click to expand...
Kim...not slagging him for his dyno-tuning, which was top shelf, or, his putting 440's in '68 Darts for the GSS thing, showing Mopar it could be done.... just that the '67 Dart 383 story is just that...a "story"!
 
65Val said:
I would say it was engineered by the factory as other parts were.
Click to expand...
Old thread however I just stumbled upon it so anyway.. Born a buckeye and bleeding scarlet & gray, I know the answer to your question quite well. Credit for the left side big block A-body exhaust manifold (originally designed in '66) BELONGS to drag racing GodFather, Arlen Vanke, from Akron Ohio. R.I.P. "Akron Arlen"
 
dart4forte said:
Hey Jim, have question that came up during a recent conversation.

We know that Norm Kraus threw together a 67 Dart with a big block to show the Chrysler execs it could be done. The question is what about the driver side manifold?
Did they hack a magnum manifold to make it work? If so, was it used as a mock-up for the 67 castings?

Figured you would know.
Click to expand...

Old thread however I just stumbled upon it so anyway.. Born a buckeye and bleeding scarlet & gray, I know the answer to your question quite well. Credit for the left side big block A-body exhaust manifold (originally designed in '66) BELONGS to drag racing GodFather, Arlen Vanke, from Akron Ohio. R.I.P. "Akron Arlen"
 
Ok buckeye, where is the proof for that claim?
I am a fan of Arlen as well, but casting manifolds for street cars seems like a reach.
 
ur·ban leg·end
/ˈərbən ˈlejənd/

noun
noun: urban myth
  1. a humorous or horrific story or piece of information circulated as though true, especially one purporting to involve someone vaguely related or known to the teller.
 
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