One look at Mac McGinley's '73 Challenger tech sheet was all it took for us to figure out what kind of a guy he is. He built his Challenger to show and cruise--short distances or long. Despite its great looks, this one's a driver and no trailer queen.
Purchased from his nephew in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a project that never quite got off the ground, the decision was made by Mac and wife Kay to build their version of a Mopar musclecar. In a nutshell, they decided they would modify everything and anything they saw fit. Though the aging E-body was drivable, it was in poor shape. The high-mileage 318 had served the Dodge well for many years, but was retired to a corner of the garage in favor of torque production. A 440 was procured and treated to a .030-overbore, and filled with KB hypereutectic pistons squeezing a pump-gas friendly 9.75:1 compression ratio. The cast crank the RB was delivered with was deemed adequate for the planned power level, so it was cleaned up and dropped back in. A Comp hydraulic cam was chosen to bump the valves .474-inch. Comp roller rockers handle valve actuation, and the top-end was fitted with a Mopar Performance M-1 dual-plane intake topped with an 800-cfm Edelbrock carburetor. Expulsion of spent gases is the responsibility of a set of tti headers dumping into a tti 3-inch mandrel-bent exhaust system equipped with Walker Dynomax mufflers. All that usable power is channeled through a Custom Transmissions of Boise, Idaho, built 727 featuring an 11-inch 2,400-rpm stall converter to an 83/4-inch rearend.
Jeremy Hefner was commissioned to iron out the aged sheetmetal to prepare it for the stunning Sunset Pearl base/clearcoat paint. Custom modifications include shaved door handles and remote door locks, and the subtle removal of the side marker lights. The overall effect is very smooth. The suspension was rebuilt to stock specs and American Racing 17-inch wheels were mounted with Falken 245/45R17 and 275/40R17 tires, front and rear respectively. The equally stunning interior was modified and stitched by Big M of Meridian, Idaho. Ultra Leather was chosen to cover the Nissan Pathfinder-sourced bucket seats, and the A-pillars, console, and dash. Light brown carpeting covers the floor, and a Clarion stereo provides the tunes.
The McGinleys built their E-body for pure enjoyment. The goal was a show car that could be driven virtually anywhere without a hitch. After all, what's the point if you can't drive it? For the McGinleys, that was out of the question.