Original hemi dart information

[davezinn]

Paul, i've read that there was a shortage of the 8 3/4 axles and many of the second run automatic cars got the Dana 60's for that reason.

it's interesting to note the front suspension problems. i've seen where Ronnie Sox had said that the cars they got were "pretty good right out of the box" and i find that very interesting. i don't think thier cars were any different then everyone elses, at least before they got into them. afterwards, well that's pretty obvious.

how many Barracuda's did they get from Hurst? so far with what i've found just one, the second one. the first came to them unfinished right from the Hamtramck plant so i've read and the third? was built by them.


Dave

[Paul Ceasrine]

Dave and Daryl,
Check out page 36, post #358.
Great shot of side-by-side cars at the 69' Springnationals in Dallas.
Rear view of Gene Snow's SS/BA car on left, and Vera's Automotive SS/B
out of Corpus Cristi, Texas on the right.
Tires are even with fender-well.
Gene's car had the 8 3/4" rear, Vera's Automotive had the Dana.
Both had Cragars. Both cars appear to have the same rear tire width.
Paul

[davezinn]

Paul i'm taking a guess here that you may be questioning whether the cars had A-body rear axles or B-body rear axles. far as i know, which aint far, all the LO23 and BO29 cars used B-body 8 3/4's or Dana 60's. the shortage so i've heard was with B-body 8 3/4 axles which makes sense to me since they needed them for more B-bodies then they would have had a need for Dana 60's in those same cars. i believe the standard rear axle for all B-bodies in '68 was the 8 3/4 with the Dana being used only in the Hemi cars.

if you look at the pics of the Hemi Darts and Barracuda's from before '70 you will see that they all were running positive offset wheels with shallow offsets. this kept the tires and wheels for the most part under the fender. the stock steel wheels included on the cars from Hurst have that special offset too. it looks like after '70 or around that time when pro stock hit that the axles started to get narrowed or maybe even swapped to A-body 8 3/4's and deeper offset wheels were more common.

one of the reasons i started the "life after super stock" thread was to establish a time line for when things started to change and for what reasons with the Hemi A-bodies. i do have an interest in that, that maybe others don't but i was hoping too it may help with finding the history on some of these cars like Daryl's. the information on the Mancini/Gratiot cars that came out in this thread is exactly what i'm talking about too and to me that information is huge. does it make the cars that werent Hurst built any less interesting or desireable? not to me, but i'm also one of those who thinks that a cars history is many times what gives a car it's "value".


Dave

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by davezinn

Paul, i've read that there was a shortage of the 8 3/4 axles and many of the second run automatic cars got the Dana 60's for that reason.

it's interesting to note the front suspension problems. i've seen where Ronnie Sox had said that the cars they got were "pretty good right out of the box" and i find that very interesting. i don't think thier cars were any different then everyone elses, at least before they got into them. afterwards, well that's pretty obvious.

how many Barracuda's did they get from Hurst? so far with what i've found just one, the second one. the first came to them unfinished right from the Hamtramck plant so i've read and the third? was built by them.


Dave

M68

[Paul Ceasrine]

Daryl,
An article by Bob Tarozzi (Engineer on the Hemi Program).
quote;
"The program was not without its problems.
A front suspension/handling issue developed, and modified pieces were sent to 'SOME' racers who had already picked up their cars in
early-March."
I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was the upper control-arms and a steering linakge unit.

Paul