What would Don Garlits do ?!?

[j par]

It's now 2015 and Don Garlits is 16 years old.( hypothetically speaking of course) He saved a couple grand and time to buy his first car. He finds a 72 dart on Craigslist for $1500 firm. He buys it and the 318 has been taken out and someone's put in a 1976- 360 it maintains its original 904 transmission and seven and one quarter rear end. He needs to drive it to his job everyday but still wants to drive it to the drag strip on the weekends. He's got five hundred dollars left in the savings And the 360 has no modification except headers an aluminum intake and a holy 600 carburetor. Now each week he could put just a little bit more into it. he just working part time on a small budget living at home and still going to school, but remember he is who he is and he's trying to beat the competition. What would Don do?

 

[daredevil]

Probably look for a pair of junkyard turbos and use his mad fab skills.

 

[mguner]

Definitely upgrade the rear axle, find a larger carb.

 

[j par]

I was thinking he would go with an eight and a quarter rear axle as it would be readily available in the junkyard and very reasonable price.($250?) And maybe cam and lifters.($200?) B&M shift kit for the transmission.($50?) Find some old worn-out shocks for the front ?

 

[j par]

Probably look for a pair of junkyard turbos and use his mad fab skills.

now I would have thought he would use his mad skills to like port the heads or tweak the suspension in some manner?

 

[Dartnut]

Don Garlits would be looking for a cheap 8 1/4 rear end to replace the 7 1/4 and be yanking a Gen 3 Hemi out of a wreck for it as we speak.
He would then install it making his own mounts, oil pan, and headers.
He would do all of the other mods himself for the transplant and have it running and driving within a week.

 

[retroron]

We're talkin' Don Gartlits here, he'd pull the engine build an injected 392 Hemi and set it back 10%

 

[NC Engine Builder]

don garlits would be looking for a cheap 8 1/4 rear end to replace the 7 1/4 and be yanking a gen 3 hemi out of a wreck for it as we speak.
He would then install it making his own mounts, oil pan, and headers.
He would do all of the other mods himself for the transplant and have it running and driving within a week.

this

 

[daredevil]

I,d bet he would shorten a 50. truck rearend with low gears. He didnt need bolt in.

 

[j par]

Remember he's only 16 and he's still going to high school lol and he has a part time job at the local burger stand so he has money for the little things. he probably doesn't have a lot of tools and stuff like that but definitely can get into his dad's garage. It would probably all be in there ( talent, ingenuity, foresight, and the such )but still undeveloped?

 

[hangn0ut]

Tip that can. (Nitro)

 

[abodyjoe]

in 2015 as a 16 year old?? he would be smart and do it on the cheap..

probably buy a fox body mustang and put a LS motor in it. he sure as hell wouldn't be messing with a 40+ year old rusty dart and expensive mopar parts..

 

[fishmens67]

he would trade the dart for a crotch rocket.

 

[RustyRatRod]

A young Garlits in this day and age would do the same as he did back then.

He didn't mess around with old crappola. He got what was then NEW and still experimental. Something no one else had ever used for racing.......and actually put it in his tow vehicle. The Chrysler Hemi. Then he got the bright idea to stick it in his race car since it towed so well and it sped up. The rest is history.

He would do the same now. Find something obscure no one really liked or used and make it a game changer.

 

[skypower]

He is a mopar guy and he would start with the rearend first so he could keep it in one piece to drive back and forth to work. Save a little more and get an 8 3/4 with some 3.91s and a posi, find an old set of worn out shocks for the front and maybe a shift kit for the trans with a good used shifter. Now its time to get down to tuning the chassis, a good pinon snuber and a set of sticky tires will go along way to making the car work. After all that then its time to start tuning on the motor and converter to get a combination that will work consistently at the track and he would be at the track every time he could to practice leaving on the tree. Of course he would have a huge smile on his face every time he cut a light.

 

[abodyjoe]

If he is such a mopar guy there is no way he would put a "posi" in his car. Sure grip maybe.

 

[71gtdart]

he would use his $500 to put the car on e85, bracket race it just like it was for a few weeks, win a few races because of how consistent it was, and use the money to upgrade the car over time.

 

[66340SEDAN]

If he is such a molar guy there is no way he would put a "posi" in his car. Sure grip maybe.

I never knew he liked "teeth" that much....

 

[abodyjoe]

damn phone screwed me up..lol