65 Belvedere - Roaring Orange

What is it about the '65 Belvedere, out of all of Plymouth's "Roaring '65s," that makes it appealing as a grocery-getter or all-out screamer? Ask the folks who've owned and built one or more, and they'll tell you it was the looks they liked, or their good experiences with other early B-Body Mopars, or the price was right.

Darryl Scott's '65 Belvedere post is definitely one that meets all three criteria. "I liked the looks of the '65 post car. I got hooked on it," Darryl says from his Elizabethtown, Kentucky, home. "I ran across this car 16 years ago and drove it home for $500 with a 225 Slant Six and a three-speed on the column. And it's a whole lot lighter than the four-door." By four-door, he means a dual-quad, 440-powered, 4.10-geared '64 Polara four-door street-racer, which was the donor for this Belvie's first V-8.

" I took everything out of my four-door and put it over into that car just to get rid of the four-door," he says of the Polara body, which was in good shape. That RB may have been its first V-8, but it was far from the last one. "I later had a 500-inch B1-headed motor in it, with a plate [nitrous] system on it." Darryl says that combo was good for 8.60 in the quarter, through the mufflers, on 10-1/2-inch slicks.

That rear tire size factored into the '65's current setup. It was built to run in a local heads-up, stock-suspension, 10-1/2-inch tire class at his local track. Right now, there's an RB that's been bored out to 451 ci wearing a BDS blower and Enderle mechanical fuel injection, with a fully plumbed nitrous-oxide injection system (good for 50 to 350 extra horsepower) barely hidden by the Dzus-fastened fiberglass hood. "It'll run 9.40s the way it sits right now, without the nitrous system, and that's with the blower pulleys' driven 1:1 ratio," he says.

No doubt helping its straight-line performance is the car's updated front end. The original stamped steel K-member and upper control arms were replaced by tubular pieces from LRT Chassis that shaved a bunch of weight off the front of the car (as did a rack-and-pinion steering setup). Those new chassis pieces-which not only save weight but also improve the B-Body's bumpsteer geometry- help the Belvedere's handling on and off the strip. "It's tremendous; it handles like a dream," Darryl says.

Factor in the weight savings from the fiberglass hood and front bumper, and you're looking at a onetime 3,800-pounder tipping the scales closer to 3,500 pounds now. Maybe not as light as a factory A990 or an altered-wheelbase '65 Belvedere, which Ma Mopar engineered (and had the crew that made Amblewagons do the conversion on), but it's still light for a big-block-powered midsize car.

True to its entry-level roots, Darryl's '65 doesn't wear a lot of trim, outside or in. The body was treated to a thorough prep by Darryl, aided by his father, stepfather, and stepbrothers, before the House of Kolor Orange Pearl paint went on. Inside, the original bench seats were treated to a gray tweed upholstering by Lewis Upholstery in Vine Grove, Kentucky. the stock dash received a set of Auto Meter gauges, and the rollcage was designed and built so its front uprights parallel the A-pillars and door openings (combining function with a cool look).

Darryl's owned other Mopars, and he has at least one more right now. "I've owned four Barracudas, and I had a '65 Coronet post. I have the '65 Belvedere and a '34 Plymouth coupe also." That '34 might end up getting the engine that's in the '65 now, if Darryl decides that it's time for another upgrade. He says, "If I pull it out [of the Belvedere], I'm going to put a Hemi in the car, probably a 572-inch or 604-inch pump-gas Hemi."

Fast Facts
'65 Plymouth Belvedere • Two-Door Sedan
Darryl Scott
Elizabethtown, KY

Mopar Power
Engine: A 451-inch RB engine, built by Sam Murphy Racing Engines, Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Hardware includes: Mopar block, Eagle steel H-beam rods, Venolia pistons (8.0:1), stock Mopar steel crank, Ultradyne cam (.552 lift, 312 duration, advertised 255 at .050) with Manley valves (2.14/1.81), Comp Cams valvesprings, ported and polished Edelbrock aluminum heads, BDS supercharger, Enderle mechanical fuel injection, MSD electronic ignition (10 Plus ignition box/coil, MSD boost/timing retard), Hedman Hedders (2-inch primaries into 3-1/2-inch collectors), Flowmaster mufflers, and 3-1/2- inch exhausts. Nitrous-oxide injection system capable of 50-350 extra horsepower.
Transmission: A 727 with Turbo Action shift kit, Dynamic 9-1/2-inch (4200 stall) converter, and B&M Pro Ratchet shifter.
Rearend: Not exotic, but it doesn't need to be. 8-3/4-inch with 4.30 Richmond gears and 35-spline Moser axles.

Sure Grip
Suspension:
Front: Original-type torsion-bar suspension with LRT Chassis' chrome-moly tubular K-member and upper control arms
Rear: factory Mopar Super Stock rear leafsprings.
Shocks: Front units are six-cylinder application B-Body gas shocks, while the rear uses Competition Engineering drag shocks.
Steering: LRT Chassis rack-and-pinion unit replaced stock manual steering box.
Brakes: Aerospace discs in front, drums in back, with a drag chute in rear license plate opening if needed.
Wheels: Weld ProStars, 15x3-1/2 in front, 15x12 in back.
Tires: Mickey Thompson, 28x7.5x15 front, 315/60-15 back.

High Impact
Body: Original '65 Belvedere I two-door sedan body, with WS Racing Fiberglass scooped hood, bumpers, and decklid replacing stock steel items. Firewall smoothed. Lack of chrome trim courtesy of Mother Mopar. Bodywork and paint prep by owner with help from his father, stepfather, and stepbrothers.
Paint: House of Kolor's retinal-refreshing Orange Pearl, applied by Herbie.
Interior: Stock interior upgraded with a rollcage, Auto Meter gauges, and a Grant steering wheel. Seats, headliner, and door/side panels were upholstered in grey tweed by Lewis Upholstery, Vine Grove, Kentucky.Sound system: See engine.