Previously, the passenger...
Previously, the passenger side quarter-panel skin had been repaired incorrectly. As a result, John instructed the crew at MCR to remove the panel and butt-weld the joints rather than lap weld the panels together. The top photo shows the result of the butt-welding. Body leading would follow prior to any plastic filler being applied.
Now, after restoring 140 customer cars, John has finally been able to set aside a portion of his shop's time to build the car that he wanted. "My trademark has been quality and craftsmanship remembered long after the price is forgotten," John notes. "I really have set my standards high and because of that, I have chosen not to play the pricing game, especially when it could reduce my own quality standards."
So with the success of a 10-year business and the 10-year drought of doing a car for himself, when it finally came to building this Belvedere, no effort was spared.
"I really wanted to build a car that I could enjoy," says John. Hence, this Race Hemi '64 Belvedere replica. "My drive for building this car was my love for the cars that Richard Petty raced. Certainly, the '64 Plymouth is a Petty silhouette even if he never raced a sedan," John points out.
Here, John leads over some...
Here, John leads over some dealer tag holes that he welded closed on the trunk lid. John says, "I always lead over all welded seams-if you only use body filler, pinholes in the plastic body filler could trap moisture, and later lead to a bubble in the paint.
"I have a personal love for that sedan body style. It takes me back to imagining the scene from one of my favorite old songs-The Little Old Lady From Pasadena. Especially the lyric 'Parked in her rickety old garage is a brand-new, shiny red, Super Stock Dodge.' The reality is that the '64 Belvedere does look like something your Aunt Esther might have driven-but not necessarily with a Race Hemi. Yep, it looks like a sleeper, but when you step on the gas, away it goes."
It really comes down to understated performance. That trips John's trigger. "I really like the sedan doors-that taxicab, low-line, cheapo appearance when fitted with the biggest engine available," says John. "In fact, it's not too far from what Chrysler did with the '6911/42 Six Pack Road Runner-the cheapest car with the biggest, most potent powerplant."
Of course, he could have held out for a gennie Max Wedge or Race Hemi car, but there is a reverence that rides along with having the original article. You simply cannot take it out and romp on it; you have way too much invested. John went the replica route in order to spare him the guilt when pursuing misguided performance antics.
The standard bore 426 Race...
The standard bore 426 Race Hemi fitted with a cross-ram made 512 hp at 5,200 rpm, and 500 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm, at Gary Schmidt's Wheeler Racing Engines. This testing was conducted with 92-octane, pump premium fuel. The 9.5:1 Hemi is fitted with a .525-lift hydraulic cam, and intent from the get-go was to build a potent street car, not a race car.
John also says that while Super Stock racing was certainly the mark that made these cars, for him "it's the Hemi that struck a nerve. It's a timeless engine, plus when you mate it to the Cross Ram intake, you certainly have something special. Then, when you take a Race Hemi to a show, there is the unmatched 'wow' appeal. The Race Hemi ranks at the top of that standard."
Over the year-and-a-half process of transforming the 318-powered Plymouth into the fire-breathing Race Hemi replica shown here, John leaned heavily on the pros that he employs. John notes, "While I paid the guys for each labor hour they worked, as they restored this car during normal business hours, my deepest heartfelt thanks go to them for their efforts and attention to detail. As a result of their passion, the Belvedere is everything I had hoped it would be."
One of John's MCR staff members...
One of John's MCR staff members custom-built the H-pipe using U-Bends and J-Bends provided by Hooker. These parts facilitated the process and when complete, the entire exhaust system was sent to HPC for coating.
As for advice, this is what John considers his most important step as applied to the '64 Belvedere. "Never buy rust. When you choose a car to restore, pay whatever you need and buy a car that doesn't have rust. You'll save tens of thousands of dollars in effort and time. This car was a rust free car from California and buying the right car paid off in the time and effort saved."
Plus, when you push the button and load the converter, the effort pays off in performance. The best e.t. since the Belvedere's completion in the Fall of 1998 has been a 13.30 at 108 mph with a downright lousy 2.501-second 60-foot time. "Yes, the starting line was certainly greasy-the car spun the tires all the way through First and Second gears." Since then, John has picked up a set of sticky Mickeys and hopes to run 11.0s this Spring after the Wisconsin thaw.
John says, "Part of what I...
John says, "Part of what I do as a restorer is find contacts who seek out cars for me and my customers to meet our specifications. I asked one of my contacts to keep an eye out for a rust-free Belvedere, and a couple of months later he contacted me regarding this car, which was in California (shown here, parked outside my shop)."
John removed the original...
John removed the original 318 Polyspherical K-member and drivetrain by lowering the car to the ground and removing the four K-member bolts and lifting the car over the assembly.
A bit of surface rust beneath...
A bit of surface rust beneath the carpet in the driver-side foot well area was the extent of the floorpan rust. Here we see the car prior to metal stripping, and after.
Final paint of the body, door...
Final paint of the body, door jambs, trunk, undercarriage, and engine compartment was accomplished on the rotisserie. John says, "I use three painters simultaneously to guarantee a shiny appearance to the underbody. By doing this, the entire painted area remains wet and prevents dry and overspray spots." PPG Delstar Acrylic Enamel is John's paint of choice.
This detail shot shows the...
This detail shot shows the effort that John went to in order to gain a concours-restored appearance with his truly modified car. This level of detailing focuses also on function and is found in every MCR restoration, whether seen or unseen.