With open headers, it was LLOOUUDD, and had a resonating quality inside the passenger compartment. It was a little finicky, sometimes it would take a while to start, and other times it would start right up. The open headers would cackle and pop now and then until it got warmed up. In the cool winter nights of 2000 I'd start it up at night in the yard and lay on the hood watching the stars until I felt the hood warm up beneath me. I drove it a little, a couple miles at a time around the neighborhood fairly regularly. Once I took it about 9 miles round trip to fill up the gas tank. That's about it. It just never really felt reliable and I wasn't sure what to do to improve the situation.

I spent most of the next year learning everything I could about all the different Challengers & Barracudas. Differences between models & differences between years. Having one of each in front of me to study and compare helped immensely! I also read numerous books on engine building, both generic & mopar specific, automotive math formulas and the concepts of horsepower & torque, etc. Generally educating myself on things automotive, why they work, and how to choose what is best for your application, why you don't use race parts on the street, etc, how individual parts affect the system as a whole, and on and on... I managed to build up a small library of car info. Bodywork seems to be the area where my knowledge is most lacking.

I also built an overhang around 3 of the 4 walls of the shop seen in the previous pictures. The overhangs have concrete floors and are large enough to get the cars under. It makes for a much better work space, and regular lighting instead of a trouble light.

In 2001 I hired a bodyman to come over 5 days a week and work on my cars. 'Cuda first. I was hoping I'd be able to follow along and learn a few things. He disassembled and worked on the 'Cuda while I disassembled the Challenger. (looking back, I think I would have learned more disassembling the 'Cuda myself. I also would have ended up with more pictures of it that way.)

Also in 2001, I got a 1989 Chevy 1500 long bed extended cab with 375,000 miles on it. I had known the truck since 1994 when the previous owner got it. Finally, Freedom. I could go to the grocery store whenever I wanted. (It currently has about 480,000 miles on it and is being turned into a custom truck. Chevy contacted me a couple years ago because they were considering putting it in a TV commercial because it had lasted so long, but they seem to have lost interest when they found out it didn't have an old beat up original paint job.)

Here's several pics of what the Challenger looked like taking it apart.

Tav