1970 Chevrolet Camaro - Once An Addict

Making the Rounds, Quickly, in a Baldwin-Motion Camaro

Joel Rosen is an addict. There's no other plausible explanation for his proclivity to build terrifyingly fast automobiles that could be driven on the street. Velocity and brutish acceleration are harsh mistresses, and no 12-step program has ever cured the afflicted. Thank heaven.

Rosen got his start in Brooklyn in the late '50s, after serving in the Air Force as a reciprocating engine mechanic. He went in as a co-owner of a Sunoco gas station, Neclan Service Station, on the corner of Albany and Atlantic Avenues, twisting wrenches. In his spare time he raced first-generation Corvettes in a straight line as well as on road courses and hillclimbs, with considerable success.

Early on, it was clear that Rosen could extract maximum power from internal combustion engines. In 1963 he changed the name of the service station to Motion Performance, "borrowing" the Motion name from the company that built the Motion EI-4 CD ignition system that he used to boost horsepower. Rosen convinced his business partner that the shop needed a Clayton chassis dynamometer and an oscilloscope. There were only a couple of dynamometers in the entire Northeast. Using it in conjunction with a Sun diagnosis oscilloscope allowed Rosen to fine-tune an engine under load. Word got out that this guy really had the touch with engines, and business was good. But the neighborhood wasn't. Rosen says that "when they started shooting back instead of talking back" it was time to find new digs. In 1966 he headed out to Long Island's Sunrise Highway in Baldwin, New York.
Rosen and partner Jack Geiselman opened the new facility, and Motion Performance grew. Within six months, Geiselman didn't want to do the performance thing anymore, so Rosen bought him out. Rosen continued to work on customer's cars, using nearby Baldwin Chevrolet as a source of factory parts, and he became friends with the parts manager, John Mahler. Together with PR guru Marty Schorr, the three put together a presentation for a program that Rosen was kicking around. He proposed to Baldwin Chevrolet's owner that customers would buy a new car at the dealership then have it sent down the street to Motion Performance, where it would be outfitted with the exact speed equipment the buyer wanted, while still being a new car with a warranty.

2/6 “Subtle” is not what you would call this Baldwin-Motion Phase III Camaro. If ever there was a muscle car that looked fast standing still, this is it.

Strictly a mom-and-pop dealership, Baldwin Chevrolet was run by Ed Simonin, son of the founder August "Gus" Simonin, and David Bean. Baldwin was the kind of dealership that catered to the sale of mainstream vehicles such as the Impala and Chevelle. They wouldn't know a high-performance muscle car if it ran them over. But Rosen convinced them that if they would supply the cars, he would then set them up for performance, and Baldwin Chevrolet would become famous. And that's pretty much what happened.

Ironically, Motion Performance is well known for the Chevrolet muscle cars that ruled the road, but Joel Rosen got Motion's name national exposure in the early days by campaigning a Cobra. The famed King Cobra was massaged and driven by Rosen to good effect, crossing the lights at the end of the quarter-mile in 10.64 seconds at 131 mph. Pretty good for a street-legal vehicle.
As the '60s wore on, Motion Performance created a sizable number of four-wheeled missiles for customers. Rosen had a money-back guarantee on his top-of-the-line Phase III package. He recalls, "We thought so much of our Phase III supercars that we guaranteed they would turn at least 120 mph in 11.50 seconds or better with an M/P-approved driver on an AHRA or HNRA-sanctioned drag strip." In all of his years doing business, Rosen never paid out a dime.

---

3/6 Rosen designed new chromed side pipes for the second-gen Camaro to look like the exhaust used on road-race Corvettes.

Speaking of Phase III, Baldwin-Motion cars came in two flavors: SS and Phase III. The SS cars were given upgrades according to the buyer's needs and budget, such as installing a 454ci big-block engine in a Z28 Camaro. The Phase III cars, while (sort of) street legal, were little more than pure race cars with a license plate frame. So when a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier from the Bronx came into Motion Performance to buy a straight-line stormer, the only questions were, "How fast do you want to go, and how much money do you want to spend?" The deal was done, and in August 1970 this car was terrorizing stoplights throughout the New York Metro area, its LS6 hurling the $6,000 Camaro down the road like it was shot out of a cannon.

The Forest Green car ended up back in Rosen's hands, and he turned it over to his son to drive for a summer. The lad handled it like it muscle cars are supposed to be handled. He drove it like he stole it. At the end of the summer it was a bit frayed around the edges, but the drivetrain was still stout. It languished for a number of years and was eventually disassembled.

4/6 Rosen and his crew at Baldwin-Motion pretty much left the Camaro’s interior alone.

Dr. Mark Timken bought it from Rosen in the late '80s in pieces. The pieces were shipped Scott Tiemann's shop, Supercar Specialties in Portland, Michigan, for a full restoration. Tiemann worked closely with Rosen to ensure that the restoration was as accurate as possible. The engine was rebuilt, and on the dyno it generated 525 hp, more than enough to effortlessly merge into freeway traffic.

Timken sold the car to Les Quam in 2008, and it's one of the jewels in Quam's collection of muscle cars. What is it like to drive? I had the privilege of piloting it during the photo session, and I'm still trying to catch my breath. Firing up the huge engine results in a scramble for hearing protection. The side pipes are big enough to hide small animals, and when the blueprinted and balanced mill churns to life, there's no denying that a lot of large explosions are occurring a couple of feet away.
The clutch is pure 1970: It feels like I am pushing against a part of the frame. Goosing the throttle immediately swings the tach needle north with a corresponding increase of decibels. Side-step the clutch and mash the gas, and it sounds like the car has blown up. Wait, no, that's just the side exhaust trying to finish the deafening process. The rear tires are not as successful at their job; they've been transformed into smoke generators. The Mickey Thompsons don't stand a chance. The rear end weaves as the car lays down an impressive coat of rubber, and I saw at the steering wheel in hopes of keeping the car pointed in the (generally) right direction. The steering ratio is surprisingly slow, requiring a lot of turns to get the front wheels to change direction.

5/6 The balanced and blueprinted LS6 under the hood puts out 525 hp, 25 more than when the car was new.

It's soon clear that I'm just not going to get the rear end to hook up on street tires, so I lift off the gas and shut it down. The silence is deafening. But I'm still vibrating. On slicks, on a track, this car has pulled an 11.01-second run at 131 mph. Oh, that lucky better carrier! He must have been an addict too. MCR

---

At a Glance
1970 Baldwin-Motion Phase III 454 Camaro
Owned by: Les Quam, Las Vegas, NV
Restored by: Scott Tiemann, Supercar Specialties, Portland, MI
Engine: 454ci/525hp V-8
Transmission: 4-speed manual
Rearend: 4.88
Interior: Green vinyl bucket seat
Wheels: Cragar S/S
Tires: Firestone Wide Oval front, Mickey Thompson S/S Indy Profile rear
Special parts: Headers, high-rise intake manifold, electronic ignition, balanced, blueprinted

---

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby G.T. 500 - Northern Might

Ultra-Rare Shelby Rides Above the Border

Back in the summer of 1988, Mike Winchester, an electrician from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, set off to attend an annual classic car cruise in the nearby community of Three Hills. Mike is a longtime Maple Leafs–lovin' muscle car fanatic, having collected and raced several hot vintage rides over the years. And interestingly enough, you can say he was and still is a man without brand prejudice, having bought, driven, and sold numerous hot cars from each of the Big Three automakers. 'Cudas, Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles, and Challengers have all spent time in Mike's garages, making him a man who can see past the typical brand blindness that so many of us have witnessed (or been a part of) in the collector hobby.

Just before his jaunt to Three Hills, Mike got word that a certain local 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby G.T. 500 KR was for sale and was probably going to make its rounds at the get-together. It was a car Mike was well aware of, having drooled over the possibility of owning the rare Ford for several years and had even lost sleep over it. When he saw the yellow Shelby make its entrance at the show, he about jumped right out of his pants to get a head start cutting it off at the pass.

Once the pony car parked, Mike ran up to greet the owner, ready to make his best pitch for the Shelby's pink slip. Imagine his surprise when a good friend and car guru, Reg Nelson, stepped out of the driver's seat. "What do you think? I just picked it up," Reg said with a grin on his face. Needless to say, Mike's heart sank. He had lost out on the car. Mike reeled for a second, then offered Reg twice what he had paid. "Nope," Reg shot back. "I'm going to restore it."
And restore it he did, nut by nut, bolt by bolt, something pretty unheard of back in those days.

2/6 Even though the ’68 model year has the highest number of Shelby Mustangs, those 4,451 G.T. 350s, 500s, and 500 KRs were a drop in the bucket compared to the 300,000 or so ’68 Mustangs. A quarter of the Shelbys (1,053) were KR fastbacks like Mike Winchester’s. But just 86 of those were painted with the special yellow paint (code WT6066). So among rare muscle cars, Mike’s is rarer still.

The next time Mike, Reg, and the Shelby crossed paths was at the 1991 World of Wheels show. This was the first time Mike laid eyes on the beautiful restoration that Reg had completed. The car surpassed any of the other typical restorations owners did to their muscle cars back in the '80s. At the WoW event, Reg's Shelby took the trifecta of show awards, winning Best in Class, Best Restored, and finally Best in Show. The Shelby beat Mike's beautiful '69 Yenko Camaro in each of the three categories, rubbing more salt into Mike's still-open wounds.

Years passed, and unknown to Mike, Reg sold the car to the Canadian Paraplegic Society in 1997 for the organization to use as a fund-raising raffle car. For a year the car sat on display at the West Edmonton Mall, prompting people to give a few dollars for a chance to own the rare car and donate money to a good cause while they were at it. The KR was won by a lucky single parent who immediately sold it, knowing darn well it could bring a good price. After that the car changed hands several times, passing through several owners and collections.
In 2000, Mike once again got the itch to find the rare yellow Shelby. He tracked the car down to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a few hundred miles to the east. As luck would have it, the owner was interested in letting the car go. Mike knew that if he was ever going to own the car, he had to strike a deal now. After a short negotiation, the Shelby was loaded on Mike's trailer. Finally, the ever-elusive Shelby was in Mike's hands.

---

3/6 Mike’s Shelby was first sold in August 1968 at Metro Ford in Calgary. Twenty years later—to the date—Reg Nelson bought the KR and began its extensive restoration.

Beginnings

This G.T. 500 KR fastback was sold new out of Metro Ford in Calgary on August 24, 1968. Exactly 20 years later—to the date—Reg Nelson purchased the car from the fourth owner for $7,500 Canadian, a pretty decent deal even back then. Yet the elusive pony car almost eluded his capture as well. Reg heard that the rare Ford was for sale in a small town called Red Deer, so he loaded his truck and went to take a look. Under a coat of dirt and dust was the bone-stock Shelby, which had been dormant for quite some time.

Unfortunately, there was a problem. Someone had beaten him to it. A trucker had stopped by and dropped a hefty deposit on the car. Well, this time luck was on Reg's side. The trucker blew the engine in his rig and had to take back his deposit to fix his only means of making a living.
So the rare G.T. 500 KR was soon on a hauler heading back to Reg's garage in Rumsey, a small farming town outside of Calgary. It was here where the Shelby was stripped to its birthday suit and ultimately restored to the beautiful condition you see here.
Reg handled 80 percent of the restoration himself, only farming out the bodywork and paint to Specialty Restorations in Dewinton, Alberta. Once the shop laid out the rare WT6066 special yellow paint on the Shelby, it made its way back to Reg's for a complete buildup. Reg handled all the mechanicals, from rebuilding the 428 Cobra Jet with its 427 heads, to refurbishing the rare automatic transmission, to taking down and rebuilding the 9-inch Traction-Lok rearend. He also contacted several past owners, who were happy to add many N.O.S. parts they had collected over the years while they had owned the car. This helped make the Shelby as near to original as you could get for a restored ride.

4/6 The KR was a midyear replacement for the G.T. 500, earning the moniker “King of the Road” thanks to the new 428 Cobra Jet V-8.

Reg completed the restoration in less than a year and at a quality level that was unsurpassed at the time, given the extensive use of N.O.S. parts and the fact that every inch of the car was taken apart, gone through, and meticulously reconstructed. It rides on the Shelby 10-spoke aluminum wheels that were on the car when Reg bought it. The car had some pretty nifty options on its build sheet too. The black interior is well accented with some key features, such the tilt-away wheel, 8,000-rpm tach, and factory radio. The car still has its original black carpeting, which was in good shape when the car was found.

And of course there is the paint. The WT6066 paint code, which Shelby factory records calls "yellow," was applied to just 86 of the 1,000 or so '68 KR fastbacks built, making this a truly rare and beautiful Shelby.
Current owner Mike keeps the Shelby in a beautiful custom garage that you have to see to believe, at his home on the outskirts of Calgary. Though the restoration is now 23 years old, it still looks like it was completed yesterday. Mike meticulously handles its preservation for future generations. It's a powerful statement of a man's hard work and dedication to keep a glowing example of American craftsmanship alive and well.

5/6 These 10-spoke aluminum wheels were an option on the Shelbys. Standard equipment was a steel wheel with a mag-style, five-spoke hubcap. Reg got a set of N.O.S. hubcaps from one of the car’s previous owners. Mike still has them.

Unfortunately this story takes a sad twist. Last fall Reg passed away due to brain cancer. Before his death, Mike told him that MCR was going to feature the car in an upcoming issue, which brought a smile to the car's restorer face. Hopefully Reg is looking down on us, glowing with pride. MCR

At a Glance
1968 Shelby G.T. 500 KR
Owned by: Mike Winchester, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Restored by: Reg Nelson
Engine: 428ci/335hp Cobra Jet V-8
Transmission: C6 automatic
Rearend: Ford 9-inch with 3.50 gears and Traction-Lok
Interior: Black vinyl bucket seat
Wheels: Shelby aluminum 10-spoke
Tires: F70-15 Goodyear Polyglas
Special parts: Rare WT6066 paint, tilt-away steering wheel, factory 3-point racing harness, factory rollbar, 140-mph speedo

---

6/6 The Shelbys became more posh in the ’68 model year, with interior appointments that included woodgrain vinyl inserts and a swing-away steering column to hold the T-bird–like wheel.

Street Shaker - 1963 Dodge Dart

Mike Toupin's '63 Dodge Dart GT Shakes it Hemi Style

Every person who's into hot rods has a particular story on what led them into the hobby. In the case of Mike Toupin of Fall River, Massachusetts, it was motivation to get perfect scores on tests at school from a very young age that sparked his inner magneto to life. See, for every flawless 100 test score he came home with, his dad would take him to the local hobby shop and let him pick out a new Matchbox car. As Mike tells it, then when Hot Wheels came out, he was really motivated to be at the top of his class. Of course having a dad who was a proverbial car guy didn't hurt either since he owned the local body shop as well as a hopped-up red '67 Mustang Fastback.

2/5

Wanting his own street scorcher, it was a maxed-out '73 Mach 1 packed with a speed shop full of go-fast goods. As years passed he started a family but never forgot the adrenalin rush he got from the early muscle cars. Wanting to take on something a bit off the grid, he began a search for interesting body styles that would look wicked with the right injection of venom. After looking at everything from Ramblers to Pontiac Tempests, and even an early El Camino, he came across an ad on the web for a '63 Dodge Dart GT. It was an original unmolested rust-free car from Arizona that was in a private collection in Michigan.

Upon arrival Mike wasted no time in tearing the car down in his home garage. The first area to tackle was in the suspension department. Mike wanted the car to be cranked down and handle like it was on 'rails so his research led him to get started by first adding subframe connectors of his own design followed by moving the rear leaf springs inboard to accommodate a larger rear tire combination. With that completed he then upgraded the rearend to a 9-inch from Currie Enterprises packed with 3.50:1 gears linked to 31-spline axles. To get the rear low, a set of fresh stock leaf springs were de-arched and complemented with a Hellwig Motorsports sway bar and KYB gas shocks. Up front for the ultimate in performance handling a Reilly Motorsports AlterKation front suspension was added, including their exclusive crossmember, spindles, sway bar, upper and lower tubular control arms, and QA1 coilover shocks. When the need for speed becomes the need to stop, fluid pushes through a Dodge Dakota master via steel lines to Wilwood 12.2-inch drilled and vented rotors with matching Dynalite four-piston calipers. To finalize the handling, a set of 18-inch rear and 17-inch front Billet Specialties Apex G wheels were capped with BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW tires.

For massive amounts of power and torque Mike chose an '05 Mopar 5.7L Hemi crate V-8 that came loaded with all the right parts right from the factory, including a fully balanced nodular iron crankshaft, roller cam, aluminum dual-plug cylinder heads, and sequential multi-port electronic fuel injection. Mike added Jeep SRT8 headers to a custom 2-1/2-inch stainless exhaust with Flowmaster mufflers along with a few other tricks to bump the power to 380 hp and let the bark be heard. Power moves rearward through a massaged Mopar 545RFE overdrive trans to a custom 'shaft from Dynotech.

When it came time to prep the body, Mike started by first replacing the beat-up front floorpans and followed by installing mini-tubs to accommodate the larger rear rubber. He continued by shaving the body clean, modifying and installing a '67 Camaro front bumper, and replaced the front marker lights with recessed driving lights. The original sheetmetal was then massaged to perfection by Mike who also laid down the seductive PPG Sage Green metallic vibe accented by satin black trim and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler. Inside a custom aluminum dash insert is filled with Auto Meter dials to monitor the vitals while a MOMO steering wheel plots the course and shifts move through a Hurst stick. Loads of comfort come from adapted Cadillac CTS-V front and rear seats in black leather and suede while tunes flow through Alpine. This is one Street Shaker with plenty of hard-edge power and handling to take on any rival.

3/5

4/5

5/5

---

Tech Tips
COMP Performance Group COMP Cams
How do you properly break in a camshaft?
Properly breaking in a camshaft is extremely important for both the camshaft and the engine you put it in. When installing a new camshaft, always use a high-zinc oil (such as the COMP Cams Break-In Oil) or a break-in additive package. Once the cam is installed, turn on the engine and vary the rpm between 2,000-2,500 for about 25 minutes. Never continually try to start the engine if you cannot get it to fire with the new cam in it.
FAST
Why am I losing 12V switch power when cranking?
This is a common problem with a simple solution. In most cases, the problem is that the power wire has been attached to an area that does not supply power when cranking. Simply use a voltmeter to ensure you are hooking the power wire up to an area that does maintain voltage during the cranking process.
Inglese

Perfect Syncing
A Weber carburetion system will not be right unless it's synchronized to ensure that each carburetor is performing exactly as the next. This procedure can either be a breeze or a nightmare, depending on your linkage system. The secret to a good linkage setup is that it must allow independent adjustment of each carburetor. The final idle mixture adjustment on each barrel is a simple adjustment that can be performed by ear. It's done the same way you do a single four-barrel, except in this case you listen to each cylinder separately. It may take you four times longer, but it's no more difficult. Each mixture screw, as it is turned, will have a noticeable effect on engine rpm, and the wrong setting will cause the cylinder to "go away"—it's just like pulling a plug wire.

1969 Pontiac GTO - Judge Him Not

A Ram Air IV Judge Steals the Show

"So, just how many GTOs do you own?" asked the interviewer.
Whether the long pause was due to slight awkwardness over his embarrassment of riches or simply the time taken to tally up a total is difficult to say. The answer came: "Fourteen."

That should put to rest any question of whether John Robinson is a true Pontiac man. Since he is a three-term president of Minnesota's Land of Lakes GTO club, this was never really a question anyway. "But," he hastens to add, "most of them are project cars or, in some cases, should really just be considered parts cars."

The 43-year-old metal-stamping industry CFO was a GTO fan from an early age. He acquired his first, a red '67 four-speed coupe, at just 19 years of age after seeing (and falling hard for) a coworker's father's '66 GTO. That he purchased a four-speed is particularly poignant because, at that time, young John did not know how to operate a manual transmission. So awkward was this that the used car salesman actually had to drive the car on the testdrive, and, ultimately, delivered it to John at home. Ouch. But at least he got to learn the intricacies of a stick driving his own car. His own GTO, no less. We should all have been so lucky.

2/8 If Carousel Red alone wasn’t enough for the Judge buyer, the rear-deck airfoil was certain to turn heads. Combined, the result was a sure looker.

John's collecting tendencies began to show themselves shortly thereafter. Within 18 months, he had added a second GTO, this time a '66 model. Unfortunately, a disapproving fiancée quickly put paid to his collecting, issuing the timeless edict every car guy dreads: "It's me or the cars." While the love affair eventually faded, John's obsession with GTOs had not. Soon he was back in the market for another car. In 1994, he bought the car that has become the anchor of his collection: a striking black, worked-over, and nasty 1969 Pontiac GTO model.

 

 
This Ram Air IV Judge's history remains mostly obscured by the mists of time. What is known is that the car, already restored, found its way to a fellow LOL GTO club member by way of Duffy's Collectible Cars in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That the restoration is now at least 15 years old speaks to the high quality of the work. According to Pontiac Historic Services, the car was purchased new in Mason City, Iowa, with a sticker price of $4,660.55. This suggests the car has spent its entire existence in the upper Midwest.
After a few years of ownership, John's club mate started making noise about selling the Judge. "He didn't enjoy driving it, mostly because of the 4.33 gears," relates John. He knew the rarity of the car, of course: 297 RA IV Judges were built, 239 of which were four-speeds, and certainly just a fraction of those were so heavily optioned. "I was very interested in the car but frankly didn't have the money, and he wasn't quite ready to let go. So we kicked it around every time we saw each other, to the point it almost became a running joke."

3/8 The Ram Air IV 400 has been rebuilt to stock specs and runs just as sweet as on day one. The points-style ignition is still in place, as are the ever-desirable Ram Air exhaust manifolds. The only deviation from OE is a small cam, roller rockers, and a pair of Flowmaster mufflers. The engine churns out 399 hp at 5,400 rpm and 430 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm.

Just when it began to look like the transaction would never take place, John learned of an inheritance headed his way, and his club mate finally decided to sell. Fate had stepped in and timed its arrival to perfection. Finally, the Judge was his.

Four years have passed since John purchased his RA IV Judge, and he is still as passionate about his GTOs as he was all those years ago. Granted, his driving skill has improved markedly, but the enthusiasm lives on. Though he does show the car five to 10 times per summer, he admits it doesn't see as much use as one or two of the others. Why? "The 4.33 gears are no fun on the highway." Even so, he's quick to point out that he does drive it to the shows; it is never trailered.
It's no surprise that John's Judge is often the star of whatever show it attends. Carousel Red on a Judge is always a crowd pleaser. The Ram Air IV engine, combined with the plethora of options, is appreciated by those in the know. So while there are those who will accuse him of stealing the show, not a court in the land would convict.
At a Glance
1969 GTO Judge
Owned by: John Robinson, Crystal, MN
Engine: 400ci/399hp Ram Air IV V-8
Transmission: Muncie M21 close-ratio 4-speed
Rearend: GM 10-bolt with 4.33 gears and Saf-T-Track differential
Interior: Black Morrokide bucket seat
Wheels: 14-inch Rally II
Tires: 195/70R14Goodyear Eagle ST
Special parts: 1 of 297 RA IV Judges, 1 of 239 4-speeds; highly-optioned for RA IV car, including Judge package, power disc brakes, power steering, heavy-duty battery, tinted glass, rally gauges with clock, hood tachometer, and tinted glass

---

4/8

8/8 The 15-year-old restoration on John Robinson’s Judge is still in excellent condition. John shows the GTO regularly but never trailers it; it is always driven to the shows.

1974 Plymouth Duster - Crazy Like A Fox

Brian Mimken’s 1974 Plymouth Duster

If Mopar guys are a different breed, then the ones fixated on the Slant Six "tower of power" might just as well be from another planet. So when we found out about a wacko Slant Six 1974 Plymouth Duster with rear-mount turbo system prowling the backroads of North Carolina, we figured the owner would come off something like Brad Pitt's character in 12 Monkeys, and that we'd have to make sure he took his meds before meeting us.

Fortunately, owner Brian Mimken wasn't mumbling to himself or gesturing wildly when we caught up with him. He wasn't adjusting a tinfoil hat, either, and his wife even let him wear shoes with laces for our photo shoot. All in all, he seemed perfectly normal. Then again, how normal is it to channel one's energy into a hair-dried Slant Six? Just to be safe, we kept our arms low, in a non-threatening manner, and didn't mention a word about those satellites watching our every move.

Brian says the vision for building the car didn't come from the voices in his head, but the experiences of fellow Slant Six nut jobs—enthusiasts who built dual-purpose street/strip cars. So he went out and found a $500 project car that, in his words, barely ran or stopped. It was a start.

2/12

"The Slant Six is a great engine, and I wanted to keep the six in the car," he says. "I also wanted to do something other than just swapping in a V8. That's been done before, and an intercooled turbo system seemed like a great way to make a statement."

Although we're not qualified or licensed to stamp "sane" on Brian's papers, we have to admit that pressurizing the 225ci Slant Six isn't necessarily the craziest idea we've ever heard. It was never an outright powerhouse in regular-production form, but the 30-degree slant of its cylinder case—designed to enable a lower hood line in Chrysler's original compact cars—enabled uncompromised intake and exhaust systems. In fact, the manifolds' bends had large radii with no airflow-killing corners, and the intake and exhaust tubes were nearly equal in length. That ensured excellent, equalized mixture delivery to the combustion chambers and basically tuned exhaust. Not bad for an entry-level engine.
   

Time has also proved the Slant Six to be durable as all get-out, and its all-cast-iron construction and low compression ratio make it an ideal candidate for forced induction. For that, Brian kept true to the project's unconventional nature and consulted Squires Turbo Systems, the company known for unorthodox rear-mount designs. Mounting the turbocharger out of the engine compartment drastically reduces underhood temperatures, which allows for lower intake air-charge temps and makes changing jets and tuning changes on the carb much easier on a hot engine. It also made the project more attainable and practical, because a custom exhaust manifold wasn't required. In the Duster, the turbocharger is mounted just behind the rear axle, and the stock fuel tank was replaced with an offset fuel cell to make room for it.

3/12

"Make no mistake, the plumbing and routing wasn't easy," he says. "There's no kit, so it was something we just had to figure out by trial and error."

The exhaust tubing had to be reconfigured several times during the build due to inadequate planning for things such as the driveshaft loop and the need to relocate the intercooler and turbocharger more than once. Brian also had to run oil supply and return lines for the turbo, using braided stainless hoses for durability. There were front-end mods to support the intercooler system, too, and countless hours were spent on a chassis dyno to nail the tuning and ignition system. After all, who do you call about the intricacies of a blow-through turbo system on a Slant Six?

After more than three years' work, Brian says the turbo Duster matches his original vision perfectly. He also made good on the plan to run it on the strip, where it has delivered a best e.t. of 15.40 at 90 mph—with a race weight (including driver) of 3,600 pounds. In an era of 1,000hp, LS-powered street cars, that's hardly an impressive quarter-mile time, but when it comes to originality and ingenuity, the Duster has them beat by a country mile.

4/12

"I knew from the very start it wasn't going to be the fastest car at the track, but that wasn't the point," he says. "Building something original and seeing my idea through to completion was. This car gets tons of attention, and it's a blast to drive. There's a real kick to the turbo system, too, and I can take nearly 15 psi with minor changes. It's fun in every sense of the word."

Insanity and inspiration are simply different sides of the same coin. Building a 1974 Slant Six–powered Duster may not seem rational to many, but everyone reading this understands that another car guy's affinity for certain cars and engines has little to do with logic and everything to do with emotion. Instead of a conventional V8 'Cuda, this guy built a turbo Slant Six. In that regard, Brian Mimken might just be crazy.
Tech Notes
Who: Brian Mimken
What: 1974 Plymouth Duster—aka "Sixy Beast"
Where: Etowah, NC
Engine: The original tried-and-true, 225ci Slant Six features 0.030-over pistons, a stock forged crankshaft and stock rods. Compression is kept to a boost-friendly 8.4:1, and the stock cylinder head was treated to a three-angle valve job and fitted with 1.70/1.44-inch stainless valves. The camshaft is a Mopar Performance "244" stick, with 244 degrees of duration and 0.436/0.436-inch lift. Squires Turbo Systems supplied the GT35 turbocharger, which is mounted behind the rear axle and blows about 7 pounds of boost through a Holley 390-cfm 4-bbl, modified for forced induction, into an Offenhauser aluminum intake manifold. A pair of Clifford Slant Six shorty exhaust headers feeds a 2.5-inch flow tube to the turbo, with exhaust routed to a 3-inch outlet. An air-to-air intercooler adapted from a late-model Nissan 350Z helps cool the intake charge. The engine also uses the stock distributor, along with an upgraded coil and a timing retard controller. All told, the turbocharged tower of power produces 250 hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Don't snicker—that's a 240 percent increase in horsepower and a nearly 185 percent jump in torque over the stock 105hp/180–lb-ft output.
Transmission: The stock slushbox probably wouldn't have been capable of handling the high-pressure Slant Six, so Cope Racing Transmission built a street/strip version of the A904 three-speed automatic and fitted it with a 2,500-stall PTC torque converter, which helps the Duster get off the line quickly.
Rearend: Nothing trick here—just proven, durable components, including a Mopar 83⁄4-inch axle fitted with a Sure Grip limited-slip differential and 3.23 gears.
Suspension: Who knew Hotchkis made handling parts for Dusters? This car's got 'em, including front adjustable upper control arms and a thick, 1.25-inch sway bar. There's also QA1 shocks up front, along with the stock torsion bars. In the rear, it's the stock leaf springs, QA1 shocks, and a Hotchkis 1-inch sway bar.
Brakes: Factory-style 11-inch disc brakes up front and simple 10-inch drums in the rear.
Wheels/Tires: One of the car's best features is its set of reproduction 15-inch Keystone Klassic wheels, which look period-perfect. They're wrapped with 215/60R15 Firestone tires in front and 235/60R15 Goodyear rubber in the rear.
Paint/Body: Eagle-eye Mopar fans will notice the owner had the Duster's original taillight panel replaced with the sleeker-looking panel from a Dodge Demon—a subtle but labor-intensive modification. The side-marker lights were shaved, too, while the chrome bumpers were painted black—along with the hood and Mopar Performance hoodscoop. And that bitchin' rear spoiler? It's a super-rare Mopar piece originally offered in the Direct Connection catalog more than 30 years ago. The Winning Collection, in Asheville, NC, did much of the bodywork, including changing the car's original drab brown color to bright red.
Interior: It's pretty much stock black vinyl, except for a custom gauge cluster insert with a full complement of Auto Meter instruments. Just Dashes also created the custom dashpad that incorporates a nicely integrated gauge pod. It's filled with an air/fuel meter, fuel-pressure gauge, and boost gauge.

---

5/12

1965 Plymouth Satellite - Perfect Plymouth

After a career of working on Mopars, Frank Bentz finally found the ideal piece of muscle machinery in this ’65 Satellite

When you see Frank Bentz's 1965 Plymouth Satellite from a distance—even in a sea of extraordinary Mopars—it stands out like a diamond in a coal mine. Deep obsidian paint is set off by trim so bright and new, you wonder if it's a mirage shimmering in the summer sun. And then there are those body lines. As the first official year of differentiation between Chrysler's midsized B-Body and fullsized C-Body cars, Plymouth was eager to lure in buyers with its top-of-the-line intermediate Satellite, built on the 116-inch B-Body floor plan. Its faceted greenhouse has a sleek shape; its inverted C-pillar sits atop a slender body with flowing lines that move uninterrupted from front to rear. A peaked grille with a precision mesh is bookended by single headlights set in squared-off nacelles, and taken together with the body, make the futuristic statement that this '65 model is elegant, understated, and fast.

2/20

It must have made quite an impact when it hit dealer showrooms in the fall of 1964—and it's still making an impact now, at least with those who have an affinity for early B-Bodies. For 1965, the Satellite, and its lower trimmed Belvedere I and II stablemates, had an agile, athletic appearance that later B-Bodies never quite rivaled, in spite of having similar underpinnings and outstanding aesthetics. You would be quite right back in the day to single out any of the '65 Plymouth intermediates as both a practical family transporter and a serious street performer. Back then, car buyers also understood without saying that styling was subject to yearly change, sometimes quite dramatic, so if you liked what you saw on the lot, you better shake a leg real quick. Eager to please, Plymouth offered its '65 B-Body with virtually any engine in the Chrysler lineup, save the race-only Hemi—everything from the indestructible fuel-sipping Slant-Six all the way up to the 426 Super Commando big-block wedge. (Satellites, however, were all V-8 equipped.)

Those who didn't grab one when they had the chance usually aren't lucky enough to get another chance years later, and the opportunity to get one as nice as the one shown here almost never happens. Nevertheless, such was the case in 1998 when Frank Bentz was combing through the swap meet's car corral at Chryslers At Carlisle—arguably the world's largest and most prestigious non-racing Mopar event. Even for a lifelong Chrysler lover like Frank, it's not a foregone conclusion that you'd have the presence of mind to pull the trigger on a car like this, yet that's exactly what he did.

Frank's finely tuned Mopar sense comes not just from a lifelong appreciation of mechanical history and design, but from wading waist-deep under the hoods of an endless string of Chrysler products. Fresh out of high school, Frank started as a grease monkey at a Dodge dealership in his hometown of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. That was in the magical year of 1969—one that saw an incredible stampede of Chrysler performance machinery. As the kid in charge of prepping cars for the showroom and customer delivery at Ruano Brothers Dodge, a young, wide-eyed Frank doted on factory fresh powertrains, ministering to the mechanical and cosmetic needs of vehicles that would soon be enjoyed by their lucky owners.

3/20 Some 23,341 Satellite two-door hardtops were produced by Plymouth in 1965—but all you gotta have is one of ’em to appreciate their appeal. Frank Bentz’s example is one of the hottest examples we’ve seen.

Our story obviously ends in Frank's love affair with this '65 Satellite, but it begins innocuously enough with a '60 Dodge Dart two-door hardtop—that's right, the original fullsized version. One jab of the Dart's push-button shifter and Frank was hooked—but it hardly slaked his thirst for cool Pentastar machinery. That first year at the Dodge dealership doing prep work provided Frank with the opportunity to see many factory street machines, and to rapidly form an opinion on what he needed to do next. When a like-minded salesman bent his ear about a B5 blue four-speed '70 Super Bee at a dealership nearby, Frank jumped at the chance to get a good-guy deal. Of course he did, you say, but please remember that in 1970 none of us had the benefit of hindsight to inform our decisions; what Frank had was foresight.

The summer of 1970 was a heady time for a gearhead with a fresh 383-powered muscle machine. With his younger brother Fred in tow, Frank prowled the streets, enforcing the Mopar code, hitting cruises and racetracks throughout the fertile performance turf of Eastern Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Frank's mechanical learning curve was rocketing upward like an F-105 on full afterburner. He quickly went from prep boy to full-fledged mechanic. When the Ruano Brothers dealership went out of business sometime in the 1970s, the surviving service department became one of the most popular service stations in town—and Frank stayed on to spin wrenches. In 1983, the chance to buy the garage came along, Frank took the dive, and Bentz's Service Station was born.

4/20

Other things were born as well, like Frank's family. The Super Bee now took a back seat to things like diapers and formula. The muscle car had to go, however, Mopars were still doing the transportation duty—one of them holding the clue to what was to come: a '65 Plymouth Belvedere four-door. As a four-door shop parts chaser, there could be no possible harm in toying around with it, so in went a mild 273 with some glasspacks. It sure beat the Volare it replaced, but moreover, it got Frank thinking about driving something a little more exciting. As the owner/operator of one of Birdsboro's top repair shops, Frank had worked on a number of local hot rods and vintage cars—none of them his. Then he saw a '33 Plymouth coupe for sale at a used car lot of all places. The knee-jerk purchase soon lea to the quest for parts—a quest that brought him to Chryslers At Carlisle.

...if something is meant to happen, you will know it'stright the moment you feel it. This was one of those moments.

That brings us to 1998, and Frank's random meeting with Dave Allen. Allen's '65 Satellite radiated energy like a beacon from across the field, and Frank was immediately drawn to it. Whatever trinket he was sniffing out for the street rod instantly became insignificant as he approached. The Satellite was for sale and Frank couldn't stop staring at it—its stance, its Cragar racing wheels, and its mile-deep black paint were irresistible. And then came the knock-out punch: the car's owner was looking for a street rod, and Frank's '33 Plymouth coupe fit the bill perfectly. For those who don't believe in fate, take this to heart: if something is meant to happen, you will know it's right the moment you feel it. This was one of those moments.
This is the part of the story where we normally regale you with tales of major repairs, paintjobs, driveline swaps, and big boxes of parts showing up on the UPS truck—but not this time. In this case, Dave Allen's '65 Satellite was so perfect a match for Frank that the new owner elected to keep it largely the same—even 16 years later. That's saying a lot for a mechanic of Frank's experience. Minor upgrades and repairs, however, have proceeded gradually over the years, including a complete refurbishing of all the chrome and aluminum anodizing. Along the way, the original engine was replaced with the 440 and 727 automatic from a '70 GTX, and the 2.73 open rear was upgraded to a 4.10 with a limited-slip diff. ("I had to have something a little quicker out of the hole!" Frank says.)

5/20

Frank is also quick to credit Layson's Restorations for helping him raise his Satellite to the highest level. "I sent the dash out to Layson's Restoration in Washington State. They had it cleaned, painted, and chromed. I was happy as a lark at the way it looked. That was well worth the money." We must admit, the interior of Frank's Plymouth is stunning, so we sit up and take notice of any outfit that helped get the job done. Likewise, YearOne also gets kudos for much of the face-lift.

Like Frank did 16 years ago, we walked through the field of cars at Carlisle and locked onto it immediately. The '65 Plymouth Satellite is a very special car, made even more memorable by perfectly applied 20-year-old paint, pristine brightwork, laser-straight body lines, and a period-correct stance that demands attention and inspires the gearhead in everyone. We humbly submit you will agree!
Fast Facts
1965 Plymouth Satellite
Car Owner: Frank Bentz, 63 Birdsboro, PA
Engine
Type: 375hp Chrysler 440ci RB wedge big-block
Block: 1970 vintage, cast iron
Oiling: stock
Rotating assembly: stock, cast crank, forged rods, flat-top 9.7:1 pistons
Cylinder heads: stock cast-iron, 1970-vintage open-chamber, 2.08/1.74-inch valves
Camshaft: stock, hydraulic flat-tappet
Valvetrain: stock with double-roller timing chain
Induction: dual-plane Edelbrock Performer 440
Ignition: Mopar Performance electronic ignition, Mallory coil, Taylor 8mm wires
Carburetor: Edelbrock 650 cfm
Exhaust: Hedman 1¾-inch long-tube headers, dual 3-inch H-pipe exhaust with glasspack mufflers
Cooling: Flow Kooler aluminum water pump
Output: approx 390 hp

Drivetrain
Transmission: rebuilt TorqueFlite A727 from '70 GTX with 3,200-stall converter and B&M Quicksilver shifter
Rear axle: Chrysler 8.75-inch rearend with 4.10:1 Direct Connection gears, and Sure Grip differential, custom aluminum driveshaft

Chassis
Front suspension: stock with Hemi torsion bars, PST rebuild kit, KYB shocks
Rear suspension: stock re-arched leaf springs with added second leaf (Super Stock style), Gabriel air shocks
Brakes: stock power brakes, rebuilt 10-inch drums front and rear, '67 dual master cylinder
Wheels & Tires
Wheels: Cragar forged racing wheels 15x7 front (4-inch backspacing), and 15x8 rear (4.5-inch backspacing)
Tires: BFGoodrich, 215/70R15 front, 285/70R15

---

6/20 Satellite owner, Frank Bentz: “I love the show up at Carlisle. I drive it up the turnpike—it’s almost exactly a hundred miles from my house to the fairgrounds. At 60 mph, it tachs right at 3 grand—those big tires in back help those 4.10 gears out. The motor sounds so good right there. We don’t even have the radio on; we just enjoy the ride.”

13/20

20/20 Since purchasing the Satellite, Frank has gradually spruced up the exterior, fixing and polishing trim as time and money allows. His crowning swap meet find? This tricolor NOS grille badge, which set him back $350.