2012 AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Numbers Don't Lie Showdown - Ben Leonard

Ben Leonard
Addison, Michigan
'70 Charger
267 Horsepower

What's a guy to do when he grows up watching the Dukes of Hazzard? Buy a Charger of course. This time, the Charger is a 1970 model, and is owned by Ben Leonard, owner of a vending business. Ben has owned his Charger for close to 10 years, and the older paint work was done by Precision Paint & Restoration, in Osseo, Michigan.

The 440 is a mildly rebuilt mill, with durability and enjoyable driving in mind. The .30-inch over bored cylinders are filled with Ross pistons that are connected to the stock connecting rods and crankshaft. Altogether, ben's Charger displaces a mild 10.0:1 compression ratio. Like we said, enjoyable driving was the goal. A Comp Cams Extreme Energy stick works the valves in the ported 906 heads, and feeding it all is a Demon carburetor on and Edelbrock dual-plane manifold. TTI headers with 3-inch Flowmaster mufflers finish off the sound.

The transmission is definitely geared towards enjoyable driving. Ben had SMR transmissions build him a 727 and mount a Gear Vendors under/over drive unit to it. Finally, the 8-3/4 rear is filled with a Sure Grip, and a set of 3.91 gears. If you like the wheels, then you like American Racing's Torque Thrust II's. These ones are 15 x 7, and 15 x 8 inches, and are wrapped in Dunlop radials measuring 235/60-15 and 265/50-15, and fit the car perfectly.

Although the air conditioning robbed some of Ben's horsepower, we're certain that it's worth the sacrifice in order to be cool and enjoy the ride.