Dale added this interesting...
Dale added this interesting use of the Road Runner dust trail to the inside of the doors. First time we've ever seen that.
No race-only driver, this thing is completely street legal, and Dale has taken it out on several weekend jaunts since it was finished. Of course, like any good Mopar guy, he never drives it too fast when the road race circuits are closed.
The car almost got a Hemi
In June 2005, Dale bought a '67 Charger with a Hemi in it. It was built from a 361-powered version and had been sold by the deceased owner's relatives. Dale realized right away that the nice restoration included an unmolested '68 XS code elephant mill and K-frame from another Charger. The plan was to pull it out and begin making it into a stormer for the wing car.
Before that process began, he and Al Lutz got to talking one evening. Al had a '69 Hemi Charger up on the rotisserie getting ready for a full makeover. He had bought it with a 440 engine and standard RB K-member in the '90s; the factory motivator was long gone. The Hemi in Dale's purchase was a late build that could well have gone into a '69 car.
On a whim and a wish, Al asked Dale to go out and check the serial number on this engine. Armed with a flashlight and some cleaning gear, Dale read off the numbers. And you know the rest of the story-Al has gotten the original engine and K-member back for his Charger, and Dale is now chasing another 426-inch lung to make his bird fly faster.
FAST FACTS
Owner: Dale Kuehn, Caldwell, TX
Car: '70 Superbird clone race car
Engine: '69 RB 440
Heads: 906 style, ported
Camshaft: Crane 467/.494 lift, 222/234-degree duration
Crankshaft: factory '69 balanced
Rods: factory, rebuild prepped
Pistons: TRW forged
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Induction: Offenhauser twin carb intake with square-bore 650 Edelbrock carbs and custom air intake
Headers: factory EMO 440 hi-po cast iron manifolds
Transmission: '80s-era four-speed, .73 overdrive from a Dodge truck
Differential: 8.75 with 2.76 SureGrip
Wheels/Tires: American Racing 17x8 Salt Flat Specials, Kumho Ecsta MX 245/45RZ17; American Racing 17x10 Salt Flat Specials, Kumho Ecsta MX 285/40RZ17
Paint: Dupont Sublime by Image Paint
Graphics: Design and Sign
Best Performance: 160-plus mph on the street