It's an automotive legend that most of us know by heart. Amid the height of corporate-sponsored drag racing and in an effort to extend Mopar's already sizeable lead over the competition, Dodge and Plymouth would blitz the NHRA with specialty-built, low-production, Hemi-propelled, econo-bodied rocket ships.
These Hemi Darts were such a limited production that enthusiasts would convert more stripped-down A-Bodies into big-block, tire-melting, street and strip machines. One person with the means and know-how at the head of this trend was Mr. Norm Kraus, proprietor of Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. His auto dealership enjoyed abundant success as a haven for performance-oriented Mopar enthusiasts, offering dealership-modified, 440-powered Darts-the M-Code GSS-after prototyping the 383 GTS a year earlier. In fact, it would be Mr. Norm's performance development team that would inspire many modifications that Chrysler would implement on factory vehicles.
A decade later, in 1977, Norm would sell his interest in Grand Spaulding Dodge, but he was nowhere near the end of his involvement in Mopar racing. Over the next twenty years, he would be inducted into the Mopar Hall of Fame and the A/FX Funny Car Hall of Fame, as well as crowned the King of High Performance, which noted his dealership for selling the majority of Hurst/Campbell-modified Super Stock Hemi Darts in 1968.

Melding the Super Bee logo...

Melding the Super Bee logo with Grand Spaulding Dodge's iconic ram's head emblem makes for this custom bumblebee tail stripe.

Interior accommodations range...

Interior accommodations range across the board. This example is brandishing leather-wrapped seats with Mr. Norm's GSS logo embroidered in matching orange. Since Blue Moon's Motorsports is a full-service shop, if your dreams include competitive racing, they'll be happy to fabricate a full race-prepped cage for your Dart.

The standard Mr. Norm's GSS...

The standard Mr. Norm's GSS Dart comes with a 426 Hemi stroked to 472 cubes erupting out 600 hp and 525 dyno-rated lb-ft of torque. Starting with a MP standard bore block, a billet-steel 4.150-inch stroke crank spins H-beam rods topped with forged slugs. Inside, a custom-ground solid camshaft and lifters command the large valves, putting the aluminum heads to work.
In 2007, Norm Kraus would apply his name to the most daring of high-tier, specialty-made performance machines. Teaming up with vehicle builder Blue Moon Motorsports of Winter Springs, Florida, Mr. Norm is going back to his roots-insane performance-bred Darts.
Blue Moon starts with a straight, original '68 Dart and promptly tears it apart, noting what needs to be replaced and what can be salvaged. Of course, if parts aren't available, Blue Moon has no problem fabricating the needful component. Once dismantled, the Dart's shell is media-blasted, using new water-jet technology. This process means the body is stripped down to bare metal using a solution treated with a potent rust inhibitor. This ensures that while the body is being hosed down at thousands of psi, water won't saturate the sandwiched panels and cause future corrosion.

Custom white-face gauges with...

Custom white-face gauges with "Mr. Norms GSS" screened onto the face helps add a bit of flair to the definitely nonstock Hemi Dart.

Topped with a cast-aluminum...

Topped with a cast-aluminum cross-ram from Mopar Performance and dual Holley four-barrel carburetors, each custom-ordered Dart GSS is tailored to the client's individual tastes. Though standard with wrinkle black valve covers, this No. 001 vehicle sports chromed covers.

Not nearly as crude as the...

Not nearly as crude as the original '68 Hemi Hurst-built Darts, the rear wheels' oversize wheelwell radiuses are cleanly trimmed, raised, and smoothed to make them look nearly factory original.
Now left with virgin sheetmetal, the body team is able to attack the car in full force. Blue Moon strictly adheres to the mantra of zero filler and holds to it, refusing to use any body filler, instead preferring to bang out every square inch of steel perfectly straight. Although labor intensive (approximately 400 hours of body prep), the process is to ensure the body is better now than when it left the assembly line forty years ago. Once straight and to the qualifications Blue Moon has established, the body is coated in an epoxy primer, allowing even more body sanding and adding more rust prevention.
Blue Moon's all-inclusive facility houses its own paint booth, where each Dart is then painted in sealer, basecoat, intermediate tinted clear, final clearcoat layers, and then baked at 150 degrees for thirty minutes. Once out of the booth, the body is left to naturally air dry for 48 hours before wet-sanded with 2,000-grit paper. This rigorous recipe pays off when the fully-assembled and custom-ordered drivetrain is bolted in place. This is followed by the upgraded, modern suspension, cooling system, brakes, and electrical. Reassembled by hand and now on its own wheels, the Dart is all but complete. A custom gas tank with new plumbing is installed to feed the dual-quad Hemi while the interior is being fitted into the cabin.
Using all new materials, the interior is anything but the Spartan accommodation's signature of the original Super Stock A-Bodies of yesteryear. These Darts are now fully furnished and dutifully amended with available accoutrements, including leather-wrapped bucket seats with custom embroidered logo stitching and bolstering, custom white-faced auxiliary gauges, five-point seat restraints, heat and air conditioning, power windows, locks, a security system, and topped off with a Sony Explod AM/FM/CD sound system thundering out of six speakers, dual amplifiers, and a subwoofer for an additional $20,000 above the base $149,900 asking price.
Each individual client selects their choice from four different Hemi plants (two iron-block and two aluminum-based engines, either 472 ci or 528 ci) and transmission. There is a choice of a race-prepped 727 TorqueFlite or a hard-shifting Bowler-built four-speed automatic. For those that like banging their own gears, an A833 four-speed is also available. Both gearboxes come with Hurst shifters and are backed by a bulletproof Dana 60 with 4.10 gears. The differentials are supported by Super Stock springs, custom perches, traction bars, and a pinion snubber, all rated up to 850-plus horsepower regardless of your engine choice. Overbuilt, race-ready, and nicer than anything Dick Landy or Herb McCandless every campaigned, these newly-badged GSS Darts are an enthusiast's street-legal dream come true.

Purchase of one of these GSS...

Purchase of one of these GSS Darts includes automatic membership into the Grand Spaulding Dodge Sport Club with the documentation to prove it.

Purchase of one of these GSS...

Purchase of one of these GSS Darts includes automatic membership into the Grand Spaulding Dodge Sport Club with the documentation to prove it.

This is what Blue Moon starts...

This is what Blue Moon starts with. This super-straight, blue-on-blue Dart was originally a Slant 6 cruiser with an unimaginably clean interior. Components not used for the restoration were quickly pulled and bagged for posterity.

Each Dart is meticulously...

Each Dart is meticulously stripped down to bare steel, then the bodies are laboriously beaten and pounded until perfectly straight, utilizing zero body filler. Believe it.

The firewall is relieved to...

The firewall is relieved to accommodate the massive cross-rammed Hemi that will occupy the vast majority of the engine compartment. In addition, the master cylinder, which was crudely moved in 1968, is properly mounted away from the valve covers.

Back from media-blasting and...

Back from media-blasting and coated in a rust inhibitor, the rotisserie-mounted body goes in for the final body prep.

Here is the first finished...

Here is the first finished car with Norm Kraus at the '06 SEMA show in Las Vegas. It's official-Mr. Norm is back, and you can get his over-powered darts . . . again.

While in bare trim, the drivetrain...

While in bare trim, the drivetrain is trial fitted into the Dart to ensure the final installation will go off without any complications.

Patented to Blue Moon Motorsports...

Patented to Blue Moon Motorsports is their signature Control Freak Suspension package. This custom-fabricated tubular K-member features coilover suspension, tubular A-arms, rack-and-pinion steering, and saves weight compared to the factory torsion bar setup.