Re: Original hemi dart information
 

All "fan mail" cleared from Inbox! :)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

It pay$ to have friends in high places. :)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

so I went back into my old newsletters & found the list Hemi Moose is talking about. There is a LO car there as 297833. Could this be a misprint of numbers? Could it have been 297853?
As Pete Haldiman said in that same article: Quote " I would not put any faith in a list of numbers. I liken this to UFO sightings. If Jimmy Baker said he saw a UFO, I would take this with a grain of salt. However,, if 4 separate unrelated people claimed to have seen it. I might be convinced.": UnQuote

liteweight
ps Anyone know the number on Bill Flynns Yankee Peddler? PM me please

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

As per the old NHOA Newsletter,,,,,

Barracuda
BO29M8B299110
thru
BO29M8B299154

BO29M8B390659
thru
BO29M8B390676

Now,,,the Wickes Auto Sales Car out of Zainesville, Ohio,
which Arlen Vanke bought VIN #BO29M8B299126 is listed as
the #13 car,,,,,,,,,

That means (4) cars, between #299110 and #299125 were either
pulled, or not logged.

If Arlen's car was #13, and all Body #'s were in sequence,.
the first car would be VIN #BO29M8B299114.

Cars #110 thru #113 (4 cars are missing, or what) or
were 4 cars between 299110 and 290125 yanked.

pc

pc

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

moose i would not take offense to what he said or how he is handling it he is canadian! lol...... since the first time i spoke with daryl he struck me to be odd like that , not much trust in anything that anyone has to say and rightfully so these are hemi cars, as much documentation that is available they still cant be sorted out. i dont know why daryl still make remarks about the castaldo car that was in my dads barn that he thinks it was an illusion or not real. i saw it with my own eyes ,what happened with the dart in between my dads barn, paul pittman painting it and it coming back to my shop is any ones guess. the pictures of the white dart the way tim hennesey got it are the white dart i remember. unfortunatly all of the pictures (roughly 10,000) documenting the cars my dad had, dover dragstrip, englishtown etc. 1964-1995 managed to dissapear while he was sick . so to prove the castaldo car in his possession i cannot do anymore . further more i know someone from portchester ny that is in his 60's that was friends with castaldos crew and speaking of this with him in his own words he told me that charlie had at least four darts, i asked him if he was confusing them with different paint jobs and he said no way!!!!! i want to get to the bottom of this as well i know what was in my dads barn and something sinister happened .

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Hemi Moose
Not sure why your taking this so personally & making such an issue of it. You made a statement about the 297833 car, I replied to it. I didn't find the info the first time, so I looked again more thourholy(sp) & I found it. I replied to that saying so, using a direct quote from the same person you first made reference to that same information in the first place.It's not that I don't believe you, I believe that 297833 was put into print, I just "think" it's a misprint of numbers. I "BELIEVE" that number should be 297853 & it only makes sense by the run of cars & dates of manufacture of these cars. Is it possible that there is a car around with 297833, YES, is it likely, NO. But this is in my own personal opinion. nothing more, nothing less .
I have nothing to gain in discrediting you or your statements, that's not who I am, & I don't take satisfaction in doing so. I deal with only facts. I will look into information that is given out, analize it, & reply to it. If I'm wrong bout something, I will be the first to say so. I don't have an ego that needs to be filled.
So, I sure would appreciate if you would take this above info & rethink your statements about my intents to you, because, again, it's not meant to discredit you in any way.
No more personal attacks OK?? No one wins like that

lightweight

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Now for Jimi
What's with the "Canadian" & "odd like that" shot??????
Again, I am only dealing with the facts that have been presented to me. I have done a huge amount of background work on this thing, spending hundreds of dollars on long distance phone calls to find the history on my car. I don't know how many times I have to repeat this. I have spoken to Charlie Licatta, who was an actual crew member for Castaldo, not a friend of a crew member, on several occassions, & his info remains the same every time. Castaldo only had 2 original LO cars. One crashed as I posted pictures on which was scrapped, the other is currently residing on the east coast, again which I provided pictures of, through it's complete transformation including 2 different paint jobs, & many major mods. Due to these FACTS, it is physically impossible for my car to be any one of those two cars. As far as you having another LO Dart in your barn, I can't comment on, because I just don't know. Your not even sure yourself. You've posted that yourself. The only thing I have to go by is your word, & I have to & do believe you because you have nothing to gain otherwise. But the FACT of the matter is this. My car is not any one of those 2 documented cars of Castaldo's & according to Licatta those were the only 2 original LO cars Castaldo owned.
Believe me, I would love to have his name attached to my car, but it's just not so. I have alot more to lose saying it is rather than owning up to the facts that it's not. It would also be alot easier for me to go with the flow & say that it is Castaldo's, but I know it's not. And those are the FACTS. Nothing more, nothing less.
Again Jimi, I am not trying to discredit you, or your father in any way. I have great respect for both of you. I would appreciate if you would show some respect in return.

lightweight

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

it was a joke :) not a shot!

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

i have also said in the past your car is not the castaldo car it cant be !!! it is a dart that was at our shop and i do remember specific things about it. it bothers me more that we had a dart at our shop that had castaldos name on it that was silver and red that had no trans tunnel . i will have to ask untill the end of eternity what car it was ?

and no disrespect intended when i said odd ,i mean odd the way you are going about the history of this car holding things back and all , i have not implied recently that your car is the castaldo car, two years ago i would have had a fist fight with you over it but now not so much! it is not a matter of national security its a dodge dart! if it were mine to research every bit of information would be out there for others to study and help with ,not bits and pieces like you have been adding for the last three years, unless i am wrong most of what you know you already had the information on before i spoke to you the very first time? eventually your car will find its origin.
just keep looking.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Say What?????
Jimi Would you care to elaborate on "holding things back & all". If there was any other way other than the route I've taken, I sure would be interested in hearing it
Every tid bit of info, as I found it, you have been informed on, either from personal emails from me to you, phone calls I made to you & your father, or on a public forum that all can read.
Dude, you gotta be kidding.

liteweight

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

calm down your hitting the chip again!

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Daryl,
You asked if I could share some of my stories of my time at Town*+ Country Dodge when Bob and Tim owned, wrenched, and raced the "Wild Fire" Hemi Dart. I have been considering what to say but with your permission I will go slightly off topic. Since this is the 42nd aniv. of the first moon landing I have been thinking of that evening 42 years ago. I was watching history being made via tv "one giant leap for mankind", when the phone rang. My friend Chuck was calling from a pay phone along Woodward Ave., he had blown his clutch disk while street racing and he wanted a tow back to his home in Southfield. I had to quit watching tv and another friend and I went and retrieved him and his broken car. So whenever I am reminded about the moon landing I am reminded how sometimes cars can be a pain and yet they can provide a framework for memories and events and people that would otherwise be forgotten. More (on the official topic) later.

Jim Shiels

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Thanx Jim

Nothing like a good ol story to get things back in focus again. Your a very wise man
Cool story!!!!!
Looking forward to more of your input.


liteweight

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

[QUOTE=Hemi Moose;270318]Calling Jack Arnew, has anyone contacted you lately about that black 68 Hemi Dart that you said you bought out of NY years ago that was posted earlier on here. If so can you tell that story again, because it would be very interesting to here it again and maybe you might recall a few more details about the car.

Do you remember what the 68 Hemi Dart looked like, was it the one in the black & white picture I posted a few pages back, #1031. And do you remember if there was any lettering on the car, or did it have Keystone Classic mag wheels on it, or did it have something else on it. Anything else that you can remember about the cars condition as well when you bought it?
HM
About the Dart I purchased somewere around 1975. The car was bought from a people who owned the thing or had bought it from someone who had it in a body shop that burned. Owner or owners were black and I picked the Dart up at a garage in Hampsted Ny.
Nice place, was told to get the car and be out of town before dark. Also if the traffic light at the botton of the hill was red too run it, do not stop at the intersection.
Dart was white . Fenders and hood were burned, but not to the point that they had to be replaced. Can't remember any lettering.Had body paint removed as soon as we got it home.Relocated rear subframes inboard 3 inches each side for clearence.
At that time someone made an offer that was too good to pass up so I sold it. Another great move on my part. If I had all the racecar I had ownedand sold I would be very well off, but thats another story.
Sorry no record of who I sold to.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Edit

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

On a lighter note,

January 15, 1968

Chrysler Press Release,

Chrysler Performance and Dodge have announced today with plans to go forth with a special drag race car program.

On February 18, Dodge will be building '60' special performance
drag race cars for the NHRA Super/Stock class.
These cars will designated for the SS/B or SS/BA class.
Chrysler has petitioned the NHRA to class these cars in the top class of SS/A or SS/AA , but the NHRA has reserved the top class for the
possibility of another manufacturer building an even lighter and higher horsepowered car.

The Darts, will be designated in the weight class and horsepower rating of 6.00 to 6.99 weight-to-horsepower.
These specially built cars will carry approximately 3000 lbs,. and
will be powered by a special 500 horsepower Race Hemi engine.

Specifics of the engine have not been revealed.

Currently, the '60' proposed cars will be available in both a race
automatic transmission or a special manual 4-speed.

At the moment, '35' cars will carry the special automatic transmission
with a race-ready 2600 RPM stall torque-converter.

The other '25', will be equipped with a Hurst 4-speed shifter, and
modified manual transmission, with the removal of the syncronizers,
for speed shifting.

All cars will have lightened body parts, to reach the lowest possible
weight, which includes fiberglass front fenders and hood, and thin-steel doors.

Included will be special .080" thickness lightweight side glass panels.
Corning Glass Corp, of Corning, New York will supply '60' sets of single-layer
thin glass,,,,,

Currently on board,,,the Chrysler Performance/Dodge Race Team
includes veterans Bill Flynn, Dick Landy, Gene Snow and Shirley Shahan.
These racers will be getting their cars first, to perform advance testing.

Bill Fynn from the northeast, Dick Landy and Shirley 'Drag-On-Lady'
from the west coast, and Gene Snow from the south, will help cover the
corners of the NHRA sanctioned tracks.
A list of current Super/Stock and former A/FX drivers has been compiled, in an attempt to get the best possible drivers for these
race-ready Hemi cars.

Times are expected to be in the 10.80 range, with speeds up to
130 MPH.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

That's awesome Paul.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/3775/89483704.jpg
(Jonathon Russell photo)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Any idea who this is?

http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/1454/playthingb.jpg
(Jonathon Russell photo)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

I'm sure it's old news to the experts here, but I remember Plymouth providing a similar release on the Barracudas.

I bought a 273/235 notchback in 1967 and there was a card attached to the owner's manual soliciting membership in the National Barracuda Owners Club. Being young and impressionable, I sent off my money mostly to get the decal they promised.

After too many household moves it's long gone, but I strongly remember a newsletter from them explaining about the B029 cars, their specs, price, and what to do to get further info. Unfortunately at that time the car could have been $50 and I couldn't have afforded it.

I've lost or thrown away lots of interesting stuff over the years, but that piece of paper is one I wish I'd been smart enough to save.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

edit

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Hemi Moose
The offer stands. I head to the US with my car on Occasion, probably Carlise next year. If your there, stop by, I always have cold beer on tap. I'll take you for a ride.

Daryl

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Hey, I want a ride too! :)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/5...tickdodgeb.jpg
(Jonathon Russell photo)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

removed.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

M68
You got it!!!. Ride first then the coooold beers. I think this probably would be the better sequence to do huh???

liteweight
ps just to get the drool goin. Next season it'll have a 14-1 500 cube , a "decent" sized" . roller, with a modified Rat Roaster crossram. Oh ya the trans brake makes my buddies squeel like little school girls. Giddyup!!!!

http://i1115.photobucket.com/albums/...-HemiPower.jpg

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

The #929 Hemi Power is, I think, Tommy Smith. Sponsered by Kelly Chrysler-Plymouth of Marietta, GA. They had another racer there, Larry Abbott. Ran a 69 340 stocker called the Sherry Rene (sp) after a daughter who passed at an early age if memory serves me. Looks like Bill Tanner on the front fender. He was one of the 4 U.S. Mopar Clinic guys. Sox, Landy, Groether and Tanner.
Tanner had a shop in Norcross, GA and Warren Barnett used to do some work in part of the shop. When Tanner quit around 71 Warren took over the shop and that was Barnett Racecars/Performance. Was there until they moved to down town Atlanta after buying BCI, Bob Callaham Inc in the 80s. Many think the B in BCI is Barnett but not so.
Just a little history for those who care.
Also Harold Dutton aka Drag Hag who had an original 68 Cuda is still alive and doing some Ford stuff here east of Atlanta. He didn't stay with Mopar too long though he was an original owner of a car that Mopar talked him into. Had a lot of motor problems so went back to Ford. Still see Harold once in a while.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Cool info Stewart. Liteweight and I know of an original 70 hemi cuda , always a racecar, that went thru Barnett's shop. original green with black bench, column shift. Cool racecar that ended up being restored back to stock without tracing it's racing history...

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

A couple of State Border cars;

Billy Welker, 'Lone Star II'
SS/BA
Out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky / Clarksville, Tennessee

and

'Rumble Bee',,,,,,SS/B
Thurman Callaham out of Chickamauga, Georgia
northwest corner of Georgia, along the Tennessee border
called the Chattanooga/Chickamauga Zone

'Rumble Bee; sponsored by Cogdill Motor Co. out of
Knoxville, Tennessee,,,,,
They may have had a second dealership in Chattanooga.

pc

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

According to one of the first press releases,,,,,
it was determined that the Alcoa-produced Aluminum Cylinder Heads
would not be installed on the A-Body Race Hemi's.

The high cost of producing the cylinder heads, was not worth
the weight saving of 70 lbs.

That's how Corning Glass Co. got involved.

pc

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

One thing I've always wondered was about so many cars running Keystone wheels. I think they look great but that in that era the Cragar SS was king. I don't remember very many Fords or Chevys with Keystone Kustoms but as we can see from the photos there were a bunch of Mopars running them.

Did Mopar have a deal with them? I know the cars didn't come with mags as built by Hurst and would think that if Hurst had something to do with it they would have used their own wheels.

Was it just a matter of style, was everybody copying Sox & Martin, or were they made in a special offset?

Of course, I'm talking about the period before the Supertricks came out and revolutionized the race wheel market.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

These sound about right for the 1968 LO23 Hemi Dart

Build Date; February 18, 1968 (First Run)

#LO23M8B297853
thru
#LO23M8B297908

Cars built = 56
--------------------------------

Build Date; March 21, 1968 (Second Run)

#LO23M8B323844
thru
#LO23M8B323857

Cars built = 14
-------------------------------

Build Date; May 25, 1968 (Third Run)

#LO23M8B391715
thru
#LO23M8B391727

Cars built = 13

Total Built: 83

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

A low # car
#LO23M8B297857,,,,,,,Gene Snow
#LO23M8B297859,,,,,,,Dick Landy (stick car, but tagged an automatic as per VIN)
#LO23M8B297862,,,,,,,Don R. Brewer Dodge (driven by; Gil Clark)
#LO23M8B297866,,,,,,,,Dick Landy (automatic car)

A high # car
#LO23M8B323850,,,,,,'High Roller',,,,,ex-Dick Panter Dart

The mystery Charlie Castaldo question.
Charlie Castaldo's first car (4-speed) had a higher VIN # than his
second car, the Tom Crutchfield 'Palmer Dodge' (automatic) car.
The Crutchfield/Palmer Dodge car was built earlier, VIN # wise.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Hey, I really appreciate that. I haven't been to Chryslers at Carlisle since I last attended the 25th anniversary of the Hemi A-bodies show in 1993.

Without a doubt! :)

Just don't take me on a "terror ride." It always seems the car accelerates twice as hard and goes twice as fast when you're in the front passenger seat! :)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

I've always felt it was an aesthetics thing, especially so when the Sox & Martin Plymouths were such a dominant force during that era. Chevys to me looked better sporting Cragar S/S mags (plus that's what the Grump's Chevies had on them) vs Keystone. However, Landy's Dodges were a natural for Cragar wheels. Other cars that looked good with Keystone Klassic mags were Fords and Pontiacs.

"It's all a matter of taste," said the dog as he proceeded to lick his..." LOL

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

I can't fully make out the name on the door. All I can decipher is: Gene's (something or other) speed equipment.

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/2...equipmentb.jpg
(Jonathon Russell photo)

M68

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

removed.

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

This Pic was on the Team Chevelle forum from a dragstip called Green Valley in North Texas.
Hope this works...
Gary

Re: Original hemi dart information
 

Some rare shots there, Wayne. Thanks for sharing.

M68