Car Craft Q&A
Car Craft: Were you actually looking for a B-body Mopar when you found this Coronet?
Joe Cox: No, I was looking for anything old to build, be it a Ford, Chevy or Mopar. But I found this one-owner original Arizona car in the paper and liked what I saw. I spent a bit more than I wanted to, but rust-free makes up for it in my opinion. I wanted a comfortable street car that was hassle-free.
CC: B-bodies are big cars. Why did you choose to build a small-block over a big-block?
JC: I chose the light weight of the small-block over the cubes of the big-block. These cars are already nose-heavy, and a 440 would have made it worse. But, because it is a big, heavy car, I decided to build a big-inch small-block. It is much more balanced with a small-block. The aluminum heads were icing on the cake. It produces a lot of torque--enough to put this thing into the low 12s at 114 mph with a 3.55 rear gear!
CC: How often do you drive your Coronet?
JC: It's mainly a Friday and Saturday night car. I drive it to local cruises and try to race it a couple of times a month. It's a pleasure car mainly. I drag raced for 15 years, and I just want a street car now, but one that can get out of its own way.
The Details
Car: '67 Dodge Coronet
Engine: 408ci small-block Mopar
Heads: Edelbrock Performer RPM aluminum, 2.02/1.60-inch intake/exhaust valves
Induction: Holley Strip Dominator aluminum single-plane intake, 800-cfm Holley carb
Camshaft: Crane hydraulic roller, 236/240 degrees duration at 0.050-inch lift, 0.528/0.548-inch lift
Power: 475 hp at 5,500 rpm (est.), 520 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm (est.)
Transmission: Chrysler 727 TorqueFlite automatic, Dynamic 3,500-stall converter
Rearend: Chrysler 83/4-inch, Detroit Locker, 3.55:1 gears
Front suspension: Stock, urethane bushings, Competition Engineering adjustable shocks
Rear suspension: Stock, urethane bushings, KYB gas shocks, pinion snubber
Brakes: Stock 10-inch drums, front; stock 10-inch drums, rear
Wheels and tires: 15x6 Weld Draglites with BFGoodrich P215/65R15 Radial TAs, front; 15x7 Weld Draglites with BFGoodrich P255/60R15 Radial TAs, rear
Paint: PT Cruiser White, by Young City Auto Body
Best e.t.: 12.03 at 114 mph (quarter-mile)
Cost to build: $22,000