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Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only #1555293
12/29/13 08:09 PM
12/29/13 08:09 PM
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north carolina usa
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beeson44 Offline OP
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I. know this sounds crazy but my local short track is starting a new class were you have to run cars made between 77 threw 88.I drive a nascar modified but may build one for my father to drive. It can have a 360 or 318 and we will run a 350 2bbl carb, the car has to be stock "appearing" as far as springs, shocks,ect. with a cage added and glass removed. I am thinking a aspen or police car from those years I have plenty of left over engine parts but have never raced a stock type car so any feed back would be great

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555294
12/29/13 09:13 PM
12/29/13 09:13 PM
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Nebraska
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Ex Police Diplomat.


Mopar to the bone!!!
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555295
12/29/13 09:58 PM
12/29/13 09:58 PM
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Oregon
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AndyF Offline
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Talk to Dick Ross at Firm Feel. He raced a bent bar car for a few years.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555296
12/29/13 11:05 PM
12/29/13 11:05 PM
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SoCal
MuuMuu101 Offline
I got lucky at Woodward!
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I'd say an Aspen or Volare.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: MuuMuu101] #1555297
12/29/13 11:06 PM
12/29/13 11:06 PM
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up yours
Supercuda Offline
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Quote:

I'd say an Aspen or Volare.




I wouldn't.

If you have to run a transverse Tbar car use the newest M body you can find. The early versions has durability issues, especially in police service. I'd imagine you'd want one with all the durability upgrades, which would not be any F body.


They say there are no such thing as a stupid question.
They say there is always the exception that proves the rule.
Don't be the exception.
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: Supercuda] #1555298
12/29/13 11:09 PM
12/29/13 11:09 PM
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SoCal
MuuMuu101 Offline
I got lucky at Woodward!
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Quote:

Quote:

I'd say an Aspen or Volare.




I wouldn't.

If you have to run a transverse Tbar car use the newest M body you can find. The early versions has durability issues, especially in police service. I'd imagine you'd want one with all the durability upgrades, which would not be any F body.




You could very well be right. I will admit I don't know much about this era mopar. However, I will agree with someone above is I have heard about a couple Diplomats that handle pretty well.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: MuuMuu101] #1555299
12/30/13 12:55 AM
12/30/13 12:55 AM
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up yours
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I used to have an 87 Diplomat. It handled fine for street duty, never raced it.


They say there are no such thing as a stupid question.
They say there is always the exception that proves the rule.
Don't be the exception.
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555300
12/30/13 02:14 PM
12/30/13 02:14 PM
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Pikes Peak Country
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Really depends on the track and the rule set.

High banked asphalt and you are sunk. You can't put enough spring rate under a mopar, bent bar or otherwise, for this.

Flat tracks, the traditional mopar suspension may work well with bigger sway bars, but the layout of a bent bar set up is not optimal for this either.

Dirt track you can make the FJM cars work because the toe on bump can be used to an advantage and soft suspension set ups are the norm for body separation and side bite.

The big wild card with the rule set is if you could put an earlier style suspension under the 77-88 skin. This was the premise of the kit car, early suspension, late model body. This does open up some options for torsion bars, but is a lot of effort for only a few additional t-bar rates. Firm Feel does offer two steps up in bent bar rates, but they are not cheap by a long shot.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555301
12/30/13 07:23 PM
12/30/13 07:23 PM
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Irving, TX
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We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind.
- Stu Harmon
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: feets] #1555302
12/30/13 10:47 PM
12/30/13 10:47 PM
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Speedway In.
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I spent a lot of time helping guys turn this era Mopar into street stockers. The best chassis by far is the late B-body cars (Cordoba /Charger /Magnum). While they were a little heavy they had excellent geometry and some parts availability. There have been some 43.5" bars available, earlier B-Body leaf springs bolt right in, and factory sway bars big enough to work. The big help is ridding the car of all the isolating rubber in the leaf spring shock plates, k-frame, and t-bar cross member. 41" T-bars can be used if you weld the sockets into the transmission cross member.

All the bent bar cars suffer from crap geometry and lack of parts as well as crap quality of the k-member. For a unit that was supposed to anchor the entire front suspension system it did a really BAD job. K-member failures are frequent and trying to find a good replacement is about impossible.


Dave Dusterberg
1979 Aspen R/T (soon to be #19 CAM/T)
2002 Ram 1500 SLT
2005 Magnum R/T
2005 Mustang GT SCCA CAM/C #19
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: IndyDave] #1555303
12/30/13 11:22 PM
12/30/13 11:22 PM
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north carolina usa
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beeson44 Offline OP
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I thought about the Late B bodies but thought they may be to heavy I need to get it as close to 3000lbs as I can with it striped down and the cage installed.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: beeson44] #1555304
12/30/13 11:39 PM
12/30/13 11:39 PM
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Fly Over States
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Quote:

I thought about the Late B bodies but thought they may be to heavy I need to get it as close to 3000lbs as I can with it striped down and the cage installed.




This should get you to the weight you need:
http://chem-strip.com/

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: feets] #1555305
12/31/13 01:37 PM
12/31/13 01:37 PM
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NW Chicago suburban area
Mopar Mitch Offline
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I've always liked the Daytona fastback body styles.. too bad they never put a factory V8 into them. Also, I've always liked the SuperCoupe/Voplares with the 360 package and 8" wide rims, as well as the Magnum GT with the 8" rims... heck, even the areodynamic Chrysler Imperial of its day and the smaller Magnum body, too.

The IROC series was very cooolll with the Dodge Daytonas running on the road courses and big tracks.


Mopar Mitch "Road racers and autocrossers go in deeper and come out harder!"... and rain never stops us from having fun with our cars... in fact, it makes us better drivers! Check out MOPAR ACTION MAGAZINE, August 2006 issue for feature article and specs on my autocross T/A!
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: Mopar Mitch] #1555306
12/31/13 04:16 PM
12/31/13 04:16 PM
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central CT
cudazappa Offline
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Quote:

I've always liked the Daytona fastback body styles.. too bad they never put a factory V8 into them. Also, I've always liked the SuperCoupe/Voplares with the 360 package and 8" wide rims, as well as the Magnum GT with the 8" rims... heck, even the areodynamic Chrysler Imperial of its day and the smaller Magnum body, too.

The IROC series was very cooolll with the Dodge Daytonas running on the road courses and big tracks.




The Magnum GT came with 15x7s. The 15x8 slots were F-body exclusive. Also, the Mirada was the successor to the Magnum.

I'm in the late B camp. There's always places to remove weight, especially in a race car.


1971 Challenger
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: feets] #1555307
12/31/13 05:03 PM
12/31/13 05:03 PM
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DemonDuster Offline
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Quote:









that's from the 90's
I had a couple 88 Daytonas though. In the early 90's I went to a couple of IROC races at Michigan International speedway when they had a Chrysler Invitational car show in the infield before the race.


Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: DemonDuster] #1555308
12/31/13 09:20 PM
12/31/13 09:20 PM
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Irving, TX
feets Offline
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Quote:

Quote:









that's from the 90's
I had a couple 88 Daytonas though. In





Yes, it's from the 90s but there were Daytonas and Chargers in the 80s.
I was thinking he might be able to get away with it. If not, stuff a bigger turbo on the 2.2 and have fun.


We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind.
- Stu Harmon
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: feets] #1555309
01/01/14 02:08 AM
01/01/14 02:08 AM
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Pikes Peak Country
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yeah, but that doesn't really match up to the V8, correct wheel drive requirement of the rule book.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: Mopar Mitch] #1555310
01/01/14 12:07 PM
01/01/14 12:07 PM
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Michigan
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I can't speak from a competition standpoint, but there is a lot of parts available for these cars that certainly look stock. FF just released 300# rate t-bars a couple years ago; I run them in my 5A. The only way to tell them from stock bars is the FFI stamping on the hex end, and that isn't visible when the bar is installed.


1987 Fifth Avenue - 512/518/D60
Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: TC@HP2] #1555311
01/01/14 09:18 PM
01/01/14 09:18 PM
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Ontario,Canada
brads70 Offline
super stock
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Quote:

Really depends on the track and the rule set.

High banked asphalt and you are sunk. You can't put enough spring rate under a mopar, bent bar or otherwise, for this.

Flat tracks, the traditional mopar suspension may work well with bigger sway bars, but the layout of a bent bar set up is not optimal for this either.

Dirt track you can make the FJM cars work because the toe on bump can be used to an advantage and soft suspension set ups are the norm for body separation and side bite.

The big wild card with the rule set is if you could put an earlier style suspension under the 77-88 skin. This was the premise of the kit car, early suspension, late model body. This does open up some options for torsion bars, but is a lot of effort for only a few additional t-bar rates. Firm Feel does offer two steps up in bent bar rates, but they are not cheap by a long shot.




It's going to be tough to compete on a paved track with a bent bar car. So much is available to the GM crowd.

Re: Best handling mopar from 1977 to 1988 V8 only [Re: brads70] #1555312
01/02/14 12:17 AM
01/02/14 12:17 AM
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NY NY
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340duster340 Offline
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does it have to be RWD? dodge shadow with the turbo cheap and easily modded

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