Best handling classic Mopar platform?

Between A, B, and E bodies, I can see advantages and disadvantages that each one might have but it's unclear which set of attributes comes out with the best formula.

Regarding stock or stock-ish classic Mopars, I'd look to the B-Body ('68-'70 in particular) as probably has the best mix. It has the better (stiffer?) chassis than the A-Body and generally more room for tires, heavier duty OEM equipment and the stability from the longer wheelbase which seems to be a big help in many road course situations while giving up no real weight advantage (if any) to the stockier otherwise similarly massive, similarly equipped E-bodies.

Assuming that we're sticking with a stock style torsion bar front end/leaf spring rear, and building an otherwise optimized protouring car, I'd suspect a toss-up between the 108" A-body coupes and the 111" Darts, beating out the B-Bodies thanks to being significantly lighter while having essentially the same suspension. The Duster/Demon/Sport coupes have quite a bit more room for rear rubber and (IIRC) tend to be a bit lighter...but again, the longer wheelbase tends to be a boon to stability.

What do you guys think? Any thoughts (and corrections to my assumptions) are very welcome.

All A, B, E cars have very similar unibody structure. Just stretched here and there.

B and E interchange suspension wise. Just e-body rear springs have 1” shorter rear segment so the spring doesn’t poke out the rear valence.

A bodies interchange B/E spindles, steering gear, bushings, ball joints (year & brake dependent). And most suspension piece look very close to B/E bodies but vary 1” or less deminsion wise.

The true post cars are a plus. But 67-69 Abody posts have the same poorer wheel room as the 67-72 Darts

108" WB
70-72 duster demon
67-69 Barracuda coupes

Can fit 245/45/17 tire front with right backspacing. 275/40/17 if you simply cut/fold the bottom front corner. And same size or larger rear. On the two model groups above.

E-bodies can fit 275/40/18. I think Ariel got 305’s on his Cuda with just lipping

Imho, the best light/strong chassis would be the 63-65 valiant sedan at 106" wb. But you'll have to fender flare it. Next would be the Dart of same era.

I don't see why something like a massive 112" wheelbase is an advantage over the extra 200 lbs of a 68-70 B-body on a road course. There's Miata, 911, and smaller wb that perform quite excellent. IMHO, 108 and 106" WB is long.

I wouldn't say there is one best as it depends on what your doing with it. This is why most sanctioning bodies have wheelbase limits within their classes and Pro touring is such a catch all, it could be anything. I;d also surmise that depending on if you lean more towards the pro or touring side, weight could also be a factor. Pro implies light weight and high speed, touring implies creature comfort.

The wheelbase length of a B body would make a better land speed racer and would not be as good for a cone crusher like an A body. Similarly, the narrow width of the A would work good for both. The short wheelbase of the A would be good for cones but not great for high speed. The width of an E isn't bad for autocross, but isn't great for high speed. Of course then you have to consider the chassis ability to absorb all the particulars you want to shove into the car depending on which side of the equation you want to emphasize. Large tires, drive lines, seating, weight, comforts, storage can all factor into the selection.

Well said Tony.

well-----dont forget the data derived from lapd/chps testing all advertised police cars and grading them out---it included a body b body and c body mustangs camaros lt1 caprices-----for 40 years #1 was a 1968 polara 440------they missed on doing the e body as it was never advertised as a police car-----the 68 record was barely exceeded by a 2006 hemi charger awd w/traction control......

You sure they tested Mustangs and Camaros? I thought if a platform wasn't available as a 4-door it was ruled out for police fleet use? (Maybe a unit here and there, but not fleets and I wouldn't think they would bother testing the platform)

I have 275-35-18s on my 70 Duster and I had to only push the support strut out on the front and replace the hex bolt with a pan head for the fender brace in the front. The car has the MP offset shackle kit in the rear and that's it...and I have a mile of room to the springs now.

I think the 70-76 Duster/Demon/Dart Sport is the car that's easiest to get there. I doubt you'd even have issues at high speeds, given that Vipers are much shorter. You'll need to get the caster way up (I have +7) and my car loves going straight at high speeds. More caster is one of the things that modern cars have much more of than an older stock vehicle.

the michigan state police also maintained a performance file but they would only test 4 door cars that met the criteria they set out---certain weight--4 door--engine size--and i think only american made------the california guys tested every car that was advertised as a police car--city cops ran 4 door cars but alot of state cars and sheriff cars were 2 door sedans---plymouth and dodge offered c body 2 door sedans until about 1973? colorado ran the big 2 door sedans until they were phased out by the factory....

just looked up an archive with photos at------ STP::Colorado State Patrol------vintage photos from the mid 1940,s----also i am trying to contact a guy that has an oregon state patrol 1969 fury 2 door sedan for sale so they must have used them as well.....

CHP has used Mustangs (5.0 LX) and Camaros as pursuit vehicles.

At one time the CHP specs included a 122-inch wheelbase. That's why they used Dodges and not Plymouths.

another good read is the Allpar "history of mopar squads" from the 1930's till modern times---also my mistake it was the 1969 polara that held the records until beat by the 2006 hemi charger-----it also said in 1969 85% of squads in north america were plymouth-----the california market was so important to chrysler that chp had a custom cam grind available only to them....the mopars graded out better because they had heavy duty suspensions--bigger brakes and skid plates.......

Just depends what you are trying to accomplish. The A body cars are smaller and lighter. With a late model Hemi install they would be very potent. But they might be a little on the small side if you want something to actually drive in. Especially if you're planning on having a buddy or a wife or someone with you and maybe take some luggage along.

If you're going to build a Pro Touring car that actually gets out on the highway and goes somewhere then I'd step up to a B body car. If you want a real challenge then go with an early B body car. My '65 Coronet isn't a lot bigger than my Duster but a big block drops right in and there is a little more space inside the car and in the trunk.

Not to hijack, but......
I’m in the middle of my 69 Bee resto and I’m looking for a good suspension component recipe????

So based on the series of comments above, a 4 door C body is the best handling Mopar platform? If we're heading down that path, than a station wagon is the ultimate pro-touring body because of its ability to handle multiple suitcases worth of luggage, multiple coolers, and allow on the road sleeping arrangements while having the underpinnings or other popular body styles..

I'm pretty sure there is a reason why most competitive enterprises limited their classes to allow either A, B or E bodies, but not all of them at once.

I like Andy's suggestion of an early B body for the same reasons.




Yea, your kinda high jacking things since that topic has been well covered multiple times. Hotchkis or Firm Feel will solve all your problems. Build all at once or as budget allows. That's the beauty of these two companies product lines.

Out of the box:
The AAR and T/A were the best
Next would be an A body with factory front/rear sway bars
Then 71 B body with factory front and rear sway bars.

Lessons learned from 20+ years at Watkins Glenn prove it does not matter what you brought it's how well it's set up. I ran a wicked AAR Cuda but with no welded in reinforcements etc, a well built, highly welded reinforced but HP limited 70 Charger R/T. An R body [79 4 dr] with "stuff" Cop torsion bars/ sway bars etc-that is one stiff 4 dr out of the box btw, way more rigid than a stock B or E body. Fun but not like something with performance seats and seat belts.

The charger out-handled the AAR but could not keep up with it [HP]

If hemi shaker wants some real world advice on what to do please PM me and we will discuss this outside of the thread....I might have a good recipe...

Today's car would be a duster demon with lots of welding, partial cage, reinforcements etc etc modern hemi and passon 5 speed with 4.10s.

i think the question is not about how you can build the 68-70 platform------but how did they run with all stock components------stock bars--stock brakes--stock motor---------the stock C body police unit with the big brakes---the big torsion bars--the big engine (and sometimes with special police carburetors and cams) is clearly the winner---and remember they competed against the hot B bodys with similar equipment-----if you remember the 69 belvederes were nicknamed 4 door roadrunners well because they ran like them----and the stock 69 police polara beat that belvedere on a pursuit road course backed with a pursuit city course-----and before we go into a dark place about a good driver had a good day and skewed the results---the LAPD guys had 4 drivers lined up and each ran the same car 8 laps then handed off the hot car to the next driver----so all 32 laps were run on an extremely hot car---sometimes so hot the brakes caught on fire---then that car went immediately to the braking test area where the panic stops and others were recorded-------i would say this test was an acid test on the equipment--------on the wagon quip----yes our PD had a couple big fury wagons with a load of crime lab equipment and one particular technician named dave foster would get out and run those big police chases just as fast as the patrolman.......case closed----maybe--maybe not....

Dilbert is Tom Quad...?
Why change the screen name?

This was the original parameters. Its hard to know what sort of use is really meant by the OP. Protouring is a look and a general concept but what platform is best will depend on actual intended use. Some of you guys covered that pretty well.


I find stuff like this - how they performed with the stock available equipments is interesting and informative.

I'd suggest a new thread with what you want to use it for, and how close or far from a restoration you are willing to go. Try to be specific - Dukes of Hazzard streets are quite different than say southern California freeways.

Some related threads to look at:
youtube-of-my-brothers-stock-68-road-runner-at-track-day
Sway-bars and then rear leaf and axle steer
Super Bee recomendation in Whats-a-better-car-to-build-for-handling-b-or-a-body
Beginer Suspension Upgrades

Gotcha... Thanks

For the PRO-TOURING scene, IMO, its more "artwork/design" rather than performance... and image rather than proven function.

I'd lean towards a B-body (any year) for comfort (front and rear seating room, trunk storage space, longer wheelbase, etc).

Properly modified stock suspension setups will almost always out-perform the expensive and radical non-stock setups (ie: coil springs, 4-links, etc).

There is nothing wrong with factory style suspension when it comes to handling, Hotchkis sells practically a bolt-in kit, fully-tuned for 68-70 B-Body Mopars. This test proves you can make these cars handle, when the Hotchkis 70' Satellite runs the test track one-second faster than a BMW M3 on identical tires. Don't try this with a factory Hemi car on polyglas tires.



The difference with a simple TVS system (sway bars / leaf springs / UCA) and tires on an A-body. (.62g's to .85g's):