Then came the 2 well documented years of Drag Week, which were an absolute blast, but the old engine was down on power, running hot on the street, and using oil. Then the ancient ported stock heads started sucking water.

That pretty much gives you the DNA of the car, now I'll briefly cover mine. I'm a very typical Mopar guy, a follower and I'm not afraid to admit it. Every buck I spend on a car has to deliver results, and every part has to be reliable, so I tend to stick to the well beaten paths of success. I was consuming automotive literature before I had a driver's license. My very first purchase from Direct Connection/Mopar Performance was the 960+ page "India paper" behemoth "Mopar Bible" that I still have to this day.

My first 440 had Sealed Power flat tops, 284/484 purple shaft, Moroso deep pan, stock heads, Torker II and 750DP. I drove the Mopar stalwarts like Jim Pierce crazy at Mokan, constantly questioning not only what parts they used, but why. I was late to MSD, Aluminum Heads, Nitrous, etc. Chuck Senatore's prolific articles brought me up to speed on my second 440, and watching the KOS pioneers advanced my love of big plate systems.

I've never been one to fall for the "Trick of the week" marketing that the whole Chevy aftermarket seems to thrive on...even if some of those tricks have been around twenty years!