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| Farley's Dodge Diplomat Forum > The Garage: General Automotive Discussion > Mopar Magazine |
| Posted by: Bobbo May 11 2004, 10:13 PM |
| ive looked all over and cant find a way to contact them. heyre worried about that car coming off the ground and stuff yadda yadda yadda. Is what they need is someone who will do it just for the thrill of it. Ill take it to 160 if it can, then talk on my cell phone without a seatbelt(Would the belt help anyway?) ive read that theyre wooried about the car getting squirrely at those speads, install a parachute to the back of it just incase it does, and if it does ill be thrown into the dash and have 3 teeth left as a reminder of how fast i was goin. someone please find theyre phone number of somehtin. |
| Posted by: Mark Mullins May 12 2004, 07:37 AM |
| These guys are pros and they worry for a reason. Driving a car at 160MPH is no cakewalk Bobbo. I really don't think they want to wind up as contestents in this years Darwin awards. |
| Posted by: Patrick May 12 2004, 08:39 AM |
Bobbo You're young!!!!!  Wait until you get in your 40's, stuff hurts all the time, and you'll say "If I'da known I'd live this long I'd have taken better care of myself!!!"  I did a lot of crap that should have killed me that I'm paying for now, bad knees, back, shoulders......Man If I have known I live to see 40, I'd have taken better care of myself!!!! |
| Posted by: Bobbo May 12 2004, 09:18 AM |
yeah, but i dont wanna wind up being 80 years old wearing false teeth but i really old, and haggard wearing a colostomy bag in an old folks home that smells like urine while sitting in my rocking chair waiting for my next dosage of pills wondering how come the kids dont call wishing i had done more fun stuff when i was younger. get busy livin or get busy drivin. i had a dream last night that i met the guys from mopar muscle and i was to drive the car, and someone stole it off the back of the truck. More like a nightmare  |
| Posted by: Diplomat7987 May 12 2004, 01:12 PM |
| You only live once, realy who wants to be 80 years old anyways. |
| Posted by: Iggy May 12 2004, 10:19 PM |
| come on guys, 80's great. 233 is no picnic, but you take what you can get... -MH |
| Posted by: Reggie May 13 2004, 07:28 AM |
| When you young guys hit 50, you'll change your mind about 80 being so bad. |
| Posted by: Wild1_Robertson May 13 2004, 11:07 AM |
| Hello this is my first post here. I had to put in my 2c. When I was young and knew everything, I thought the best years were over I was devorced lost the farm, Sold the Road runner and challenger. I was in a 68 Dart GTS I had built the 318. CHPs were behind me I was on bridge at 110 I thought about the bad tires and my bad life and decieded to push it CHP said in court that he was doing 145 I was pulling away ( I ran out of gas in next county). Things I have learned in the 28 years sence, IMHO the world is better because I am still in it. Work wise and I had 2 kids ( my daughter is a MoPar nut too she is 16 and owns 2 65 darts ) As I near 50 life is not so bad I have a 33year old girl friend, and I still run and have fun like I am younger, I do not feel this old. I made one BIG mistake I drank a lot of soda and did not watch my suger intake. My advive to any one younger is: 1) If you are going to out run the CHP ( or just drive fast) have good tires and brakes and be willing to sit in jail a long time if you make mistake. 2) Control your intake of carbs and starches. Remember Suger it a Toxin it can make you blind and can end your sex life. Have fun |
| Posted by: Wild1_Robertson May 13 2004, 11:29 AM |
| Hi Back to the MoPar Muscle piece on Diplomat Sure Footed Flyer part 1 and 2 I lost the first part where there rebuilt and lowered the cop car. Is anyone thinking of doing the mods thay did. Have you all read the articals? William 89 Dip SE ( just bought it ) : |
| Posted by: Mark Mullins May 13 2004, 03:18 PM |
| Hey, welcome to the board. I read the article and thought it was cool, but I live in Michigan and like my ground clearance. |
| Posted by: Bobbo May 13 2004, 09:41 PM |
| i dont plan on outrunning any cops, i have the up most respect for the guys, i just wanna be the one in that diplomat when they go to test it. |
| Posted by: Marshall May 14 2004, 05:38 PM | ||
I'm with you, Mark. Most of the roads around my area are so battered after this past winter that the pavement's coming up in chunks. Better to have those extra couple of inches of height the 70 series tires afford! |
| Posted by: Diplomat7987 May 14 2004, 09:31 PM | ||
yeah your right, maybee i dont wanna hit 50 now eighther. hehe |
| Posted by: Bobbo May 17 2004, 10:47 PM |
| Still dont have a way to contact them |
| Posted by: Diplomat360 May 18 2004, 10:17 AM |
| I was pretty excited when they started doing the series on the M-body cop car....(heck, if you look on pg. 90 of Mopar Muscle July 2004 issue you'll even see they printed my email about the project I sent them...yippie....finally published!!!)....but I digress...anyways, the project has in my opinion taken a turn where not many of us can relate...at least I can't. All these mods they are doing really cost some high $$$ (if you are in doubt check out the prices of the Quickor sway bar setups....ouch), and who will actually go ahead and do their M-body like this...I wish they stayed with something more relevant to the "masses" of M-body fans...this is a good exercise in theory, but not really that appliable to everyday imrpovements you and I are making to these cars! |
| Posted by: IronBrick May 18 2004, 12:04 PM | ||
You're so right. The problem is when you have money to spare, the imagination comes to a screeching halt. Recently the washer hose Tee from the pump to the sprayers broke. I fixed it without finding a junkyard part, or the auto parts store, or aftermarket. I fixed it for free with coffee stirrers. I cut them up, used a razor to cut a hole in the middle of one and with a candle and some rubber cement I fashioned a new plastic Tee. I even flared the ends of the tubing to ensure a tight seal. Just a matter of how crazy you are. |
| Posted by: Marshall May 18 2004, 12:26 PM | ||
I love those affordable build-ups magazines like "Hot Rod" do. Sure they're affordable when companies give you a Chevy 502 big block for that Nova project car just to advertise it in the magazine. Concerning the Diplomat project in MM--I've been following it since it's inception. What they're doing is fine if you've got deep pockets (or a magazine to pay for the parts) but for most of their readers who are on a budget (because of real life things like mortgages, kids and college funds)those bits and pieces are unobtainable due to cost. I value the performance mods people here at Farley's have come up with over the years more than some high buck magazine write up because our cars are used in that real world, most of them everyday. I have a feeling that once the Diplomat MM's doing has run it's race it'll sit in the back of some shop in south Florida the way most magazine cars do, when finished... |
| Posted by: Wild1_Robertson May 18 2004, 02:16 PM |
| IMHO I have not seen a lot of expencive parts just a lot of work and welding for now I plan to do all of part 1 and replace the k member bushings ( found a 8 1/4 and sway bar set up for the back of my SE from a imperial M body looks like cop parts, anyone know? ) |
| Posted by: Reggie May 19 2004, 12:32 PM |
| Congratulations on getting published Dariusz! I saw your email on pg 90 of MM. Pg 72 of that issue has nice info on the mods needed for the 360 swap - including a shot of the 360 block driver's side mounting lugs and the spacer needed to make up the difference from the stock 318 mount. They used a piece of an old alternator spacer which would be fine for a stock 360 but I think it would probably stress the rear lug on a built 360 due to the added torque. For a HP application I would go with either the correctly spaced stock F or M-body 360 mount (if you can find one), or use some type of spacer with the same outside diameter as the washer shown in front of their alternator piece. I think this would minimize possible flexing/twisting of that rear bolt. I have heard of those lugs actually breaking off with enough torque - especially on BB engines. - RR |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 12:38 PM | ||
Or, say, $1500 worth of porting on a set of 302 heads?  The 340/360 mount is actually pretty easy to find--it's the same as the '73-up A-/B-body piece. There are lots of 360-2v Cordobas sleeping peacefully in the boneyards around here...  |
| Posted by: Marshall May 19 2004, 01:23 PM | ||
Tell me about it! The Tv shows on Speed Channel or SPIKE are just as bad; they start out talking about affordable builds and the next thing you know they're dropping in a $10,000 engine, a $5,000 tranny and $2,000 rear end. I'm still waiting for that show where people with real bank accounts do mods to their cars with used parts, off the shelf items and car crafting expertise! |
| Posted by: Reggie May 19 2004, 01:38 PM | ||||||
I hear you guys on the $1500 porting job and the free donor parts for a cheap promo. Don't forget about the neat HP parts that "just happened to be laying around in the shop".  Very convenient. They don't usually figure the cost of buying those parts in their buildups either.
Good info Dr. Jass. So those pieces have the lower frame mounting bolt running from front to back like the F/M bodies? - RR |
| Posted by: Marshall May 19 2004, 01:49 PM | ||
I want that kind of shop! |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 02:55 PM | ||
Right you are... the following pictures should be of interest to everyone on the board. First up: here's a 340 block I pulled from a 1973 Duster 340, with the factory mount still bolted in place (easy to keep track of what it fits that way  ). Hard to see, but I tried to enhance it in Photoshop so you could read the 340 in the casting number: |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 02:56 PM |
| Now, here's a 360 block I pulled from a 1977 Cordoba... again, with the Photoshop enhancement: |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 02:59 PM |
| Considering a big-block swap? I'm told that by doing nothing more than switching one mount bracket to the other side of the block lugs, it will bolt to a small-block K-frame like it was born there. In fact, a guy on a different board just did this on his '73 Charger (which uses the same spool-type small-block mounts as F/J/M-cars). Here's a partial shot of a 400HP engine I pulled from a '78 Cordoba, concentrating on the LH motor mount, of course. Notice it's the same spool-type arrangement we're used to: |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 03:01 PM |
| Here's a big-block 1973-79 B-body K-member... those mounting tabs should look familiar to anyone who's ever had the engine out of their M-body: |
| Posted by: Reggie May 19 2004, 04:02 PM | ||
So for the BB swap, you would just relocate the mounts to the front side of the block lugs based on the shown? Kewl. Good info as usual Dr. Jass. - RR |
| Posted by: Marshall May 19 2004, 04:57 PM |
| Good stuff Dr.Jass! |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 19 2004, 05:18 PM | ||
Actually, if memory serves, it only has to be done on the passenger's side. The driver's side is a drop-in. I may dump a 400-based stroker in my LeBaron at some future point after I've pushed the 318 to its limit... maybe next year. |
| Posted by: Reggie May 20 2004, 12:47 PM | ||
Kewl! Do you plan on using that '78 Cordoba 400 in the pic for your stroker? Are you planning a 451 or 470? That setup should really fly in that 2-DR body. Better keep a spare set of Fruit of the Looms handy!  - RR |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 20 2004, 01:49 PM |
| No, I still have the complete '72 400 Magnum out of my Road Runner... I'll be using that. I think I have that 400 in the picture sold, actually... a feller from another board tells me he's coming to pick it up on Saturday. If not... I could always put it in the Fifth Ave.... hmmm.... nah. I plan on doing a 474, though originally I was all about the 499. More cubes are always better, but I changed my mind after looking into the differences in rotating and reciprocating masses. The 499 would surely make more torque, but the 474 acts like an enormous 340... and I like 340s. I'd probably lose to an identical 499 but I think I'll enjoy the quick revs of the 474. Nothing cast in stone yet top-end wise, I'm just sure it'll be a pump-gas 474-cube 400... backed up with a 4-speed. |
| Posted by: Diplomat360 May 20 2004, 06:21 PM |
| Thanks Reggie....yeah, I got pretty excited...was sitting on the "throne" when all of a sudden I start reading the letter section and think to myself "...gee...that sounds pretty familiar..." LOL....almost fell off the crapper!!! Jass: Talking about the stroker combos, etc....how do plan on hooking all the power to the ground? Certainly slicks, if not maybe mini-tubs? I have been thinking of doing that...not ready yet, but when the time comes I'm not quite sure how I'd need to modify the back end... For my part I wish I started gathering parts for my combo like a year or 2 later...would have probably gone with the 408 stroker.... |
| Posted by: Wild1_Robertson May 21 2004, 04:25 PM | ||
Hi in the Challenger i just sold I built up a nice 451 but I would change a few things I used ARIAS forged pistions E4711030 with Reverse deflector tops they had a lot of slop i used it as a daily driver and at 25K miles or so had visable groves on 2 cylinders and low compresssion on 3 cylinders.. I have a few 400s laying around one is for the power wagon. Here is driving empressions from the 451 WOW it revs fast and was strong over 4 K after the 3 rd time the heads were ported ( first when I got them the 906s had a port 2nd I put the larger valves in that you can run with a 451 then I ported them and the team g intake and WOW) plan for power wagon is Keith Black pistons and for now ported 906s what heads are you planing to run on the 474 ? If i could get a 451 smoged in my 89 dip  |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 21 2004, 08:31 PM |
| Arias pistons are notorious for piston slap, particularly when cold... but that loose fit sure helps at 7,500 RPM. Under no circumstance would I ever put a hypereutectic piston in a serious performance effort. For a truck? OK... A daily-driver with some oats? Fine... but if I'm dropping more than a grand in the short block, it's forged or go home. For me to fully explain this to you would require me to have two things: a videotape of a certain LA360 I watched come apart on the dyno, where two rods, a piston, and a large chunk of crankshaft made a hasty retreat from the dyno cell through a cinder-block wall; and the apparently-successfully-buried TRW Engineering paper, done prior to the Federal-Mogul buyout, explaining why TRW would never manufacture a hypereutectic piston. It was very enlightening, somewhat-technical SAE-type stuff.... Of course, once Fed-Mog bought TRW lock stock and barrel, all those guys were canned--and the paper seems to have mysteriously disappeared from the face of the planet. For the moment, my only plans for the rear suspension (when I upgrade to a big-block) include a leaf-spring relocation into the rails, a set of Super Stock springs, and my trusty adjustable snubber. The leaf-spring move allows some truly-enormous rubber to be fitted without mini-tubbing or other molestation. I might trim the wheel lip a tad, too. I have a friend clocking 11.20s in a pump-gas 500-inch Charger with just such an arrangment and sticky D.O.T. tires. I'd be happy to go that fast! If I somehow find that I'm getting beyond my ability to hook up, I'd probably look into a leaf-link arrangement... ladder bars and four-links are getting a little beyond my intentions. This is, and will remain, a driveable street effort. I don't plan to run slicks, as I like my performance numbers to be real-world. To me, it's no fun telling people at a cruise-in you ran 11.90s if you did it on race gas & slicks, with the exhaust uncapped, half the interior removed, and the swaybars disconnected. If you can't duplicate it on a moment's notice--on the street--in my opinion, it's wasted effort unless you're seriously bracket-racing your street rig. As far as the top end goes, I'm really not sure yet...
My heart says "Max-ported MP Stage 6 heads with a mechanical-secondary Six Pack setup!"--gotta love that look, and just such a setup gave me some great 1/4-mile times in my '72 Charger... My wallet says "Look forward to an awful lot of time in the garage with the die grinder, bur bits, and sanding rolls, playing with a set of factory 452 castings, Chuckles..." My fiancee says "You'd better be damned happy with that 318, bucksnort--because I don't want my wedding reception to double as my retirement party."  |
| Posted by: Diplomat360 May 21 2004, 10:06 PM |
| Hmmm....I can understand your reasonning behind not wanting to do anything "drastic" to the rear end...and I partially agree....but if you do come to a point where you just can't make 'em hook...well, you need to find a way to do so. Here's what I'm basing my musings on...previously, my other coupe had a mildly built 360 motor....3.55 SG rear end, about 2700 stall converter...it was a fast, fun daily driver. My problem always was trying to hook it nice...the back end would tend to move on me (could have been axle alignment though), but mostly I would get a lot of wheel spin. I was running 255/60-15 tires, so not the biggest meat you can stuff under there by any means... With my current build I have not really done anything different to the rear suspension setup...but the driventrain combo is much stouter. A 360 with a 3200 converter and 3.91 SG rear. I am pretty certain there will be traction problems...maybe this is something that a DOT approved slick would help out with...not sure...I have never ran these kind of tires before....but if the tire makes the difference and I do not have to re-engineer the rear suspension I have to say I'm inclined to give them a try. As to the hyperutectic comment...I'll let you know how it comes along! I'm running the Sterling H116CP piston, and I really do not see the problem with doing so. I do not plan on running nitrous, and if anything, would think that the real tight cylinder bore to piston skirt clearance would help tremendously in keeping the piston rings square , which by itself goes a long way to making power. Out of curiosity, what exactly caused the dyno engine to blow? |
| Posted by: Dr.Jass May 21 2004, 10:15 PM |
| Too much timing. Admittedly, it was an 11-second motor, but still... what would have caused a divot in the crown of a normal cast piston caused the hypereutectic(s) to explode. One thing that makes a huge difference in traction, that not a lot of guys think about, is eliminating the iso-clamp setup on the rear of these cars. It's great for a nice ride, but it screws with the handling (as does the oval front spring eye) and makes for some groovy disco-rrific butt-sway motions out of the rear. It really hampers hooking up on the launch, too, since the rear isn't solidly anchored to the spring. If you don't eliminate it, at least get the polyurethane or polygraphite pillows, and run a couple of bolts through the holes in the oval spring bushing to stiffen it up some... both make a noticeable difference. |
| Posted by: Bobbo May 27 2005, 07:23 PM |
| yep... still got no way to contact them...j/j im bumping the post due to bb swap info |
| Posted by: Bobbo Aug 12 2005, 06:45 PM |
| big block in possesion. |
| Posted by: Marshall Aug 13 2005, 11:09 AM | ||
Good to hear Bobbo! (Sounds like you're gonna' be having some fun there, man!) |