'72 Dodge Charger
Farmer's Fancy
Many of us are told early in life to find a job that's secure and lucrative enough to support their family; having passion for a job is a secondary condition. Dave Hall served his years in college to collect his degree in computer science, and worked for 15 years beside the leaders of several successful companies. He was a partner in a software development firm and very successful in his field, but that didn't satisfy him. He always tinkered with his beloved muscle cars when he had time off the clock, but didn't get the amount of work done in that time to make him happy. One day, Dave said enough to the clickety-clack of the keys in the white-walled office, and left the computer biz.
Dave was thrown into the automotive industry by his father, owner of a used car dealership with a full-service shop. He worked there as soon as he was old enough, and got really interested in cars. He remembers his girlfriend in high school had a '68 Firebird to match her father's '69, and Dave was jealous as he helped her work on the 'Birds. He had an '84 at the time, but it wasn't quite the same. He finally got a '72 455 four-speed HO Firebird-his first expedition into a real restoration job on his own. He kept it as a hobby though, because that was the smart thing to do at the time.
Five years ago, Dave started a business called Restore a Muscle Car. It started as just him and a good friend working part-time doing bodywork to finish a couple projects, and evolved into a full-time gig. The 15,000-foot shop in Lincoln, Nebraska, was just enough to swallow the explosion of business three years ago.
Wayne Heine bought this '72 Dodge Charger new off the showroom floor almost 40 years ago. For the last two decades, the Charger was left in a barn to have the internals eaten away by mice. Heine is an old-school farmer, who doesn't take many trips out into the populated parts of the state, but the hour-long drive to visit his car at Restore a Muscle Car was getting him back on the scene. He asked Dave to keep the car looking original, but with modern touches to make it more fun, and it looks like they are doing just that.
| BY THE NUMBERS |
| '72 Dodge Charger |
| Wayne Heine • Waco, NE |
| ENGINE |
| Type: |
6.1L late-model Hemi |
| Cooling: |
'07 Charger radiator and electric fans |
| Fuel system: |
dual electric fuel pumps |
| Exhaust: |
TTI headers, 3-inch exhaust, MagnaFlow polished mufflers |
| Fasteners: |
Ring Brothers |
| DRIVETRAIN |
| Transmission/shifter: |
six-speed manual from ProMotion |
| Driveshaft: |
PST 4-inch aluminum |
| Rear axle: |
Ford 9-inch with 3.73 gears |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension: |
RMS front K-member |
| Rear suspension: |
RMS rear four-link |
| Brakes: |
Wilwood four-wheel disc brakes |
| INTERIOR |
| Seats: |
recovered Sebring convertible buckets |
| Dashboard: |
'07 Charger gauge cluster with RedLine gauge adapters |
| Stereo: |
Mazda touchscreen inside '09 Challenger console, Kicker speakers |
| Column: |
'07 Charger steering column |
| Comforts: |
Vintage Air A/C, power windows and seats |
| BODY/PAINT |
| Body: |
welded subframe connectors, custom floor tunnel for trans clearance |
| Paint: |
Hemi Orange base/clear |
| ROLLING STOCK |
| Wheels: |
Wheel Vintiques Magnum 500, 17x9 |
| Tires: |
Nitto; 255/50R17 & 275/50R17 |
Mothers Picture Perfect Award
Our Hometown Hot Rodding column is not appearing this month because our 25-page Homebuilt Muscle story is taking its place. We normally award a nice assortment of Mothers car care products to the best car photo appearing in Hometown Hot Rodding. If you'd like to enter to win the Mothers swag, please send us some photos (a CD with digital images and companion prints) along with a detailed spec sheet to us at Popular Hot Rodding, Attn: Hometown Hot Rodding, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870. Please remember that all photos need to be a minimum of 3,000 x 2,000 pixels. Be sure to include your contact information and address so we know where to send your Mothers!