Critiques Needed!

[1972Swinger]

Hey guys. I really need some input on something I wrote. First, lets say I am an aspiring Automotive journalist. Always been my dream to be able to make a living just looking and writing about cars. I have to write something for my English class at school, and the teacher said I could write a fake magazine article about a custom car. I decided to write this:

Jeremy's 16-Plug HEMI Sedan
A Not-So-Average Enthusiast Builds a Not-So-Average 4-Door

What does an average MoPar guy think when he see's a 4-door anything? "Wow, a 4-door at a show?" They are brushed off as cheap attempts at a custom and barely noticed. But Jeremy isn't exactly "average," so he asks why there aren't more 4-doors at shows. In order to get this idea across, he decided to build a badass 4-door to show those 2-door addicts what a sedan can do.

The guinea pig, a 1970 Plymouth Sport Satellite Sedan, was located by a friend in Idaho, and brought back to Jeremy's garage in Ohio. The original 318/904 drive-train was yanked immediately, to be replaced by something very unique-a 16 plug HEMI!

Now, before all you purists and historians go crazy about Jeremy using a set of rare, original dual plug HEMI heads in a sedan, listen. These are Indy heads machined for the dual plug setup. This was not only easier than locating original parts, it was also cheaper. No vintage drag parts were harmed in the making of this engine, so quit your whining.

This engine is somewhat amazing in its own right. The block, along with the crank and rods, are factory 1966 HEMI pieces. The pistons are Diamond products .030-over with 9.5:1 compression. Jeremy wasn't building this car for pure drag racing, as he wanted to be able to cruise with it too. As said, the heads are Indy parts, and the intake is a Holley Pro-Dominator Tunnel Ram capped with custom built Pro-Systems E-85 carburetors that somehow fits under the hood.

108 more cubic inches slid in pretty easy, seeing as 4-door cars used the same suspension as coupes and hardtops. A hole was cut in the floor for a 4spd shifter, connected to an overdrive transmission from a '80s truck rebuilt with 18-spline innards by Passon Performance. The rear was swapped for a factory DANA 60 with Moser Axles, a clutch-type Sure-Grip, MP pinion snubber, and 3.54 gears.

The front suspension is stock, except for a Firm Feel sway bar, Firm Feel 1.00" torsion bars, and reinforced lower control arms. Later style Disc Brakes replaced the drums, and 15x6 Rallye wheels fill the wheel wells. The rear suspension is likewise non-impressive with MP Super Stock springs, a Firm Feel sway bar, and Lakewood traction bars. A set of 15x8 Volare Super Coupe wheels shod with G60 street radials put power to the ground.

The exterior is mundane, just as stock. Some rust in the lower quarters was repaired, and the whole car shot with factory W1 Alpine White. A factory Road Runner Air-Grabber hood was painted flat black and put up front. A set of high-back black bucket seats replaced the stock tan bench. The vintage SW cable-drive tach was mounted on a tilt/telescoping steering column from a big New Yorker, and a Tuff wheel was adapted.

All in all, the car has shot down the quarter with 00.00's at 000mph. It has driven to Carlisle and back 2 times, and been cross country. A day at the dyno show 000hp at the rear wheels. Not to mention that Jeremy did everything himself but the bodywork. So, what does Jeremy's car show us? Well, never under estimate that 4 door sedan at the show. It just might be hiding a not-so-average HEMI and a not-so-average driver. +

Pic Captions:
(Front, Low Angle)-Jeremy nicknamed the car "Sedan Dan." Get it? We didn't either.

(Side)-The rake is thanks to a set of Super Stock springs, and cranked down Torsion Bars. Not much was required to bring the 4-door body back to rust-free condition.

(Rear)-Tail lights get shown to coupes regularly. The subframes are connected, and torque boxes keep it from twisting.

(Engine Pic)-Not exactly what you would expect under the hood of a Sedan, eh? The HEMI is dynoed at 000hp and 000ft.lbs. of Torque. Headers are TTI. Ignition is a custom MSD setup, with an Indy Distributor.

(Interior Pic)-The stock dash has a big vintage Kraco 8-track deck mounted underneath, along with a few gauges. Factory Tan interior is spruced up with black buckets and black carpet. Four point Roll-Bar keeps car strip legal.


I don't have actual pics of course. I just made captions for them.
I know it is sorts of weird. But recently I have really started to like Sedan's, and I have always been interested in the vintage 16 plug hemi's. What I need are some theoretical drag strip times and speed, a engine dyno horsepower and torque number, and a chassis dyno horespower and torque number. Anybody got any ideas?

Thanks a ton! Tips would be helpful too.:toothy10:

 

[homecloned]

In all honesty I lost focus about half way.............what were we talking about again. LOL

Im sure you will get a good grade on it. Did it have to be so many words?

I do like the way it is broken down. Good work.

 

[pastortom1]

Great writing.......Keep it up, polish it, and you're gonna enjoy the fruits of your labors Young Gun.

As I was a school administrator for 18 years, I'll take a stab at this and say (from experience in seeing what kids your age USUALLY write like), you get an A on this one. :cheers:

 

[1972Swinger]

Great writing.......Keep it up, polish it, and you're gonna enjoy the fruits of your labors Young Gun.

As I was a school administrator for 18 years, I'll take a stab at this and say (from experience in seeing what kids your age USUALLY write like), you get an A on this one. :cheers:

Thanks!!:read2:

Thanks for the comments guys. Keep them coming! I have no idea for the numbers though.:toothy8:

 

[Snake]

Weres the pictures

 

[ocdart]

Hey 1972Swinger -
Good job - just a couple of corrections to both grammar and accuracy:


Jeremy's 16-Plug HEMI Sedan
A Not-So-Average Enthusiast Builds a Not-So-Average 4-Door

What does an average MoPar guy think when he see's a 4-door anything? "Wow, a 4-door at a show?" They are brushed off as cheap attempts at a custom and barely noticed. But Jeremy isn't exactly "average" so he asks why there aren't more 4-doors at shows. In order to get this idea across, he decided to build a badass 4-door to show those 2-door addicts what a sedan can do.

The guinea pig, a 1970 Plymouth Sport Satellite Sedan, was located by a friend in Idaho, and brought back to Jeremy's garage in Ohio. The original 318/904 drive-train was yanked immediately, to be replaced by something very unique-a 16 plug HEMI!

Now, before all you purists and historians go crazy about Jeremy using a set of rare, original dual plug HEMI heads in a sedan, listen. These are Indy heads machined for the dual plug setup. This was not only easier than locating original parts, it was also cheaper. No vintage drag parts were harmed in the making of this engine, so quit your whining.

This engine is somewhat amazing in its own right. The block, along with the crank and rods, are factory 1966 HEMI pieces. The pistons are Diamond products .030-over with 9.5:1 compression. Jeremy wasn't building this car for pure drag racing, as he wanted to be able to cruise with it too. As said, the heads are Indy parts, and the intake is a Holley Pro-Dominator Tunnel Ram capped with Pro-Systems E-85 carburetors that somehow fits under the hood.

108 more cubic inches slid in pretty easy, seeing as 4-door cars used the same suspension as coupes and hardtops. A hole was cut in the floor for a 4spd shifter, connected to an overdrive transmission from a '80s truck rebuilt with 18-spline innards by Passon Performance. The rear was swapped for a factory DANA-60 with Moser Axles, a clutch-type sure grip, pinion-snubber, and 3.54 gears.

The front suspension is stock, except for a Firm Feel sway bar, Firm Feel 1.00" torsion bars, and reinforced lower control arms. Later style Disc Brakes replaced the drums, and 15x6 Rallye wheels fill the wheel wells. The rear suspension is likewise non-impressive with MP Super Stock springs, a Firm Feel sway bar, and Lakewood traction bars. A set of 15x8 Volare Super Coupe wheels shod with G60 street radials put power to the ground.

The exterior is mundane, just as stock. Some rust in the lower quarters was repaired, and the whole car shot with factory W1 Alpine White. A factory Road Runner Air-Grabber hood was painted flat black and put up front. A set of high-back black bucket seats replaced the stock tan bench. The vintage SW cable-drive tach was mounted on a tilt/telescoping steering column from a big New Yorker, and a Tuff wheel was adapted.

All in all, the car has shot down the quarter with 00.00's at 000mph. It has driven to Carlisle and back 2 times, and been cross country. A day at the dyno show 000hp at the rear wheels. Not to mention that Jeremy did everything himself but the bodywork. So, what does Jeremy's car show us? Well, never under estimate that 4 door sedan at the show. It just might be hiding a not-so-average HEMI and a not-so-average driver. +

Pic Captions:
(Front, Low Angle)-Jeremy nicknamed the car "Sedan Dan." Get it? We didn't either.

(Side)-The rake is thanks to a set of Super Stock springs, and cranked down Torsion Bars. Not much was required to bring the 4-door body back to rust-free condition.

(Rear)-Tail lights get shown to coupes regularly. The subframes are connected, and torque boxes keep it from twisting.

(Engine Pic)-Not exactly what you would expect under the hood of a Sedan, eh? The HEMI is dynoed at 000hp and 000ft.lbs. of Torque. Headers are TTI. Ignition is a MSD setup.

(Dash Pic)-The stock dash has a big vintage Kraco 8-track deck mounted underneath, along with a few gauges. Factory Tan interior is spruced up with black buckets and black carpet. Four point Roll-Bar keeps car strip legal.


Just a suggestion, but I'd also add the name and contact information for each of the parts suppliers you mention in your 'article', just like the better magazines do.QUOTE]

 

[memike]

I like the story and I hope the HP is some where closs to 620 or above :read2:

 

[1972Swinger]

BUMP!

If anybody wants a "fake" article written about their car, I need the practice. Post a link to a resto thread or something with info about it.:read2:

Thanks.

 

[1972Swinger]

So I wrote this after being bored out of my skull in 4th period English. This wasn't for anything, I just wanted to write. Follows the life and times of a '68 HEMI Dart turned street racer.


Cincinnati Dart

By 1967, Chrysler had pretty much taken over the Super Stock brackets. With everything from 413 Max Wedge Polaras to altered wheelbase Nitro-burning HEMIs, you had quite a choice as to how to smoke the competition. Combine those ultra-high power strip terrors with drivers such as Dick Landy and Ronnie Sox, it is no wonder that no GM or Ford product, even factory super-stockers, could keep up.

However for 1968 there was competition brewing in the form of big block COPO Camaros, and the upcoming HURST AMXs. In order to keep Dodge and Plymouth competitive on the Super Stock playing field, an even bigger terror than the A990 Coronet was necessary. And with all that engineering know-how that had kept Henry and the General in their dust, would Ma MoPar ever let you down?

The result was the 1968 HURST-converted HEMI Darts and Barracudas. Only a few hundred of these mighty A-Bodies were ever produced, yet they are still considered to be the high-water point in factory Super Stock racers. Motivated by a cross-ram 426cu.in race-HEMI V8, and lightened with the use of prevalent fiberglass, a driver able to swing the cash for one and a set of slicks could smoke anything that dare challenge Chrysler superiority.

One such car is what you see here. This was the 126th HEMI-Dart produced, and like almost every other like it, lived most of its life on the 1320. Very little is known about its early life, other than it was ordered by a small dealership in southern-Ohio, and raced by the original owner till 1974. Then it was sold, minus HEMI and 4spd transmission (still in factory primer), to a high-school kid named Roy Watson. Watson dropped in a 383-wedge engine backed by an A-833 4spd, and street raced the car.

Watson painted the car in white IMRON paint, installed a roll bar, slapped a set of Keystone Klassic wheels on the rear, added a pair of Ansen "Ground-Grabber" traction bars, and changed the factory 4.88 gear ratio to a more-streetable 3.73. This is how the car lived it life through the '70s, and the very early-'80s. Watson then sold the car to another teenager named Lonnie Rayson.

During Rayson's ownership, the car has a big hole cut in the fiberglass hood scoop filled with a hi-ram tunnel-ram installed on the 383. Dual Holley double-pumper carbs and gold-anodized velocity stacks topped it off. Rayson drag raced the car locally at Cincinnati's Edgewater strip, (a timeslip found under the back seat showed a ET of 12.70@110mph), and daily drove it through the week.

Sometime during the late-'80s Rayson killed a rear axle bearing, and parked the Dart in his garage. Luckily he kept the car maintained, starting it often and changing fluids regularly. And that is how it sat through the '80s and '90's. In 2004, Lonnie replaced the bearings and drove the Dart again, having no idea how rare his vehicle was. At his first show, believing his car was a factory 318 Dart with aftermarket fiberglass, five people offered to buy the car, none of which were successful.

Two years ago, the Dart changed hands yet again, this time going to Rayson's MoPar-nut nephew Mitch Wilson (A High-School junior. See a pattern here?). Mitch rebuilt the carburetors and fuel system, replaced the tires (now runs 275/60-15 Radial T/A's), rebuilt the front brakes & suspension, and overhauled the 8-3/4" rear end. Other than that, the car remains pretty much how it looked in 1985. With its first registration since 1987, the car has racked up a ton of driving time between both Mitch and Lonnie. Mitch says he plans on keeping the Dart exactly how it looks now, and says all those who disagree can build their own.

We agree 100%. +


Picture Captions:

Front Low-Angle Pic: White IMRON paint is late-'70s vintage, and isn't going anywhere. Rear wheel wells were expanded at the factory on all cars. Body has never even thought of rusting.

Side Pic: 15x8 Keystone Klassic wheels in the rear, and 15x3.5" Slot Mags in the front make for an interesting combination. Aggressive rake is result of factory HD springs, and vintage Gabriel air shocks.

Interior Pic: Roll bar was added by second owner. All factory SS A-Bodies had Bostrum van seats on aluminum rails, as seen here. Vintage Sun tach on steering column still works great. Stereo was added in late-'70s, as was the Superior "500" steering wheel.

Rear Pic: Vintage bright red traction bars hang from the 3.73 sure-grip rear. Full 2.5" exhaust with Thrush glasspacks takes out the trash.

Engine Pic: Quite a looker, eh? Weiand tunnel ram, Hooker headers, Sig Erson camshaft, and Scheifer clutch helped the 383 run a 12.70 back in '84. MSD 6A ignition box and Accel Super Coil were added by current owner.