Now we were running an 'par' with the '426 Street Hemi' with nothing more than 4.10 Gears and
some intelligent Timing improvements and Carburetor adjustments.
Though we had to return car back to Chrysler within two-weeks, we still had the opportunity for
one more modification by Rockville Centre Dodge.
At the Dealership we saw a set of Doug's Headers, but we couldn't hack up the exhaust system
on our 'Test Car'. The crack staff suggested a few more subtle modifications that would go
undetected by the Chrysler Executives.
The first task, was to make some harsh adjustments to the 727 Torque-Flite. What they did was
replace the 'Governer Assembly' which would increase the shift points by approximately 800 RPM's.
Then they installed a shift-plate kit, and changed the 'Control Valve Spring' to up the shift point
between 1st and 2nd.
Then for suspension, they installed a tall-nose rubber bumper on the pinion snubber, and added
clamps to the front portion of the leaf-springs.
And before we left, they gave us a set of 8.50 x 15" Cheater-Slicks mounted on a set of 15" x 6"
Dodge chromed-trimmed road wheels that matched the style of the Charger R/T's wheels, along
with a small scissor jack.
Once we got to WestHampton Raceway the next day, we immediately went to work, by adjusting
the timing and installing the slicks.
A good power-brake warmed up the slicks, and now we would be shifting the Torque-Flite 'manually'.
And instead of coming off the line at 'Idle', we would now be leaving at a 2500 RPM power-brake.
The 'first run' was a thrill, as the Charger R/T left the line with vociferous sound, and shot out quickly.
Shifting into 2nd-gear at 4600 RPM's came with a solid-bang, instead of the stock smooth hit. And
at 4700 RPM's we shifted into 3rd with another hard-slam. The Charger R/T was flying.
The result, an eye-opening
13.27 @ 107.9 MPH
Though we didn't need to go any further, we still made 6 other runs with different shift points, resulting
in a best of
13.22 @ 108.4 MPH