life after Super Stock for the Hemi A-bodies?

[Hemi Moose]

Melvin Yow's '70 Hemi Dart Swinger...was it converted or a body in white.

[Hemi Moose]

Another earlier shot of Melvin Yow's '70 Hemi Dart pro-stocker...I also recall reading that this car was a converted '68 Hemi Dart, but it's been so long that I'm not positive.

[Liteweight]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

Liteweight, I've heard two different stories on the Larry Griffith '68 Hemi Dart, one that it was a converted car, and the other that it just got repainted but still had it's '68 sheetmetal...so I don't know which story to believe...but this '68 Hemi Dart was painted black with lots of chrome underneath before it got re-restored and lettered up in his name & colors again.

So, I got to looking at these pictures & came up with this. All 68 Darts came with black plastic door handle buttons. They changed to chrome in 69 & onward.
If you look at both Larry & Melvin's doors, both 70 cars appear to have black door buttons. So either they're original LO's or the doors came off an LO. But I do believe Larry's is his original 68 that was converted back when it was restored black.

I've been paying particular close attention to 70 & up Darts that might have had some surgery done on the tails lately.

liteweight

[Hemi Moose]

Here's a couple more old shots of Larry Griffith's '70 Hemi Dart pro stocker...

[Chris DeGidio]

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose

Melvin Yow's '70 Hemi Dart Swinger...was it converted or a body in white.

IIRC, isn't this the CPPA test car from years ago as well??

[Steve Stasko]

Originally Posted by Chris DeGidio

Converted. IIRC, isn't this the CPPA test car from years ago as well??

The CPPA car started off as Charlie Allen's '68 440 Dart. It is in PA being converted back to a '68.

[Chris DeGidio]

I read somewhere that the Melvin Yow car was converted. Just didn't know if it was the CPPA car,couldn't remember other than it was blue.

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by Geerhead55

He may not have had the record,,, but the early part of 1970 seemed to belong to Bill Jenkins and his '68 427 tunnel rammed Camaro, as he had back to back wins at the Winternationals and the Gatornationals, and also ran in the 9.90 range that day in Pomona, the first time Pro Stock was contested in NHRA national event competition. His opponent in each final was of course, Ronnie Sox in his Hemi powered '70 Cuda.
Danny Durham

From what I recall, Bill Jenkins ran a 430 cu. in. engine in his 1968 Camaro--not a 427--based on the 4.44" bore Can Am aluminum block and 3.47" stroke, i.e., big bore/short stroke/long connecting rod combo.

M68

[mopar68]

Hey, Chris...nice avatar.

M68

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by Geerhead55

That photo is curious to me, as there are no side markers, which of course the '68 cars had round ones. Is this car really a '67 made over? Also, I believe the Cragar Super Trick wheels came out in '71 and the Centerline Auto Drag wheels were around late '73. I've broken enough Super Tricks loose over the years for front half polishing to know that the wheels in the photo are Centerlines,, so, I'm curious as to when this picture was taken. Did Bob run one of these Darts in Pro Stock as late as '73 or is this a tribute car at a later event. Its a neat shot, but I'll admit its got me thinking.
Danny Durham

Danny, I'm 99% sure this photo is from early 1972. Though the front wheels look like Centerlines, they are not. Bob Lambeck had a Plymouth Duster by 1973.

M68