1969 Dodge Charger - All Business

Crisp handling is imperative... 

   

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Crisp handling is imperative in any g-Machine, and the Charger has the goods to back up its aggressive stance. U.S. Car Tool subframe connectors provide a firm foundation, and a Flaming River steering rack ensures accurate road feel. Up front, there are QA1 coilovers along with an RMS tubular K-member, control arms, and sway bar. Out back, Calvert Racing monoleafs and traction bars control the rearend motion.

To make sure the Charger would be appreciated for decades to come, Devin made a concerted effort to avoid things that he felt were too trendy. Hence, under the hood is a big-block Chrysler of the non-Hemi variety fed by a Barry Grant carburetor. "I'm all Hemi'd out," Devin comments. "Hemis are everywhere. I initially planned on stroking the original 383, but realized that for a little more money I could buy a 440 block, punch it out to 500 inches, and build a really stout yet streetable motor." Don Gould of FBO Systems spec'd the big wedge motor with a Mopar Performance crank, Manley rods, and Diamond 10.3:1 pistons. During the build, Devin got hooked up with Jon Clark of Mopar Performance who happened to be looking for a high-profile vehicle to feature a new set of aluminum heads and intake manifold. That relationship eventually led to a spot in the Mopar Performance booth at SEMA 2006. "It was a dream come true to have my car in the Mopar Performance booth next to cars I looked up to, like Bobby Alloway's Challenger." Make no mistake, this is no show-only car. Its best quarter-mile pass to date is 11.99 at 113 mph, which came after swapping to some sticky Mickey Thompsons. He says low 11s are in the cards once he hits it with the Edelbrock nitrous system.

Although Devin is extremely pleased with how the car turned out, what he's most proud of is how well the entire build team worked together. "I appreciate working with people who are humble and open-minded," he says. "What are the odds of putting this much time and money into a project without anyone having any hard feelings toward each other in the end? Every day there were a hundred different decisions to make, but the level of communication was so high that everything fell into place." That's fine and dandy, but those of us with more modest incomes will always question if any car is worth more than six figures. "More than anything this car is a story about friendships. Jason is someone I didn't even know two years ago, but he just asked me to be the best man in his wedding. It's hard to put a price on the car because I can justify it with the friendships I've made."