WT: I really like the '67-'69 Dodge A-Body size, shape, and styling. It has that sleeper look and yet is capable of serious handling and performance without much difficulty. It has appealed to me since day one. A '69 Dart Swinger 340 was my first Mopar and saw me through many youthful adventures and therefore has a special, personal attraction for me.
CC: We know those Hurst Hemi cars were pretty brutal; John changed a lot to make it streetable. How do you like the way this car rides compared to, say, your Hemi convertible?
WT: This car is still pretty brutal compared to something like my Hemicuda convertible, which seems almost civilized relative to the Dart. The modern, streetable modifications greatly assist in handling, shifting, and braking, but the overall experience is one of overwhelming, raw power. There's no substitute for cubic inches. It's a stiff, noisy, all-encompassing ride guaranteed to bring on perma-grin lasting much longer than the ride itself!
CC: Do you plan to try and race the car at all?
WT: I have no plans to race it, but I'm planning a trip to the track just to see what it's capable of.
CC: It seems like car guys in Canada build and own some pretty cool stuff. Tell us a little about the street scene in Edmonton right now.
WT: Considering our short collector car season here in Edmonton, the number and variety of really nice cars never ceases to amaze me. Our Edmonton Mopar Club (http://members.shaw.ca/radels/) has about 130 members, many with more than one car. Numerous other clubs also meet regularly all summer with cruise nights, as well as show and shines or perhaps a bigger show almost every weekend. You can pretty well see it all up here, from prewar rods to musclecars of all types to current-day highly modified imports.
The Details
Car: '68 Dodge Dart Super Stock SS/A street replica
Owner: Wayne Tunis, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Builder: John Balow, Musclecar Restorations, Chippewa Falls, WI
Engine: 528ci MP Hemi by Ray Barton
Block and heads: Mopar Performance, massaged
Induction: Original '68 Super Stock intake with two Holleys
Camshaft: Barton custom solid lift 0.583/0.573, 257/263 at 0.050
Power: Lots
Transmission: Keisler/Tremec TKO II
Rearend: Dana 60 with 3.54 SureGrip
Front suspension: Upgraded torsion bars, Hemi K-frame, Quickor Suspension 1.13 sway bar
Rear suspension: Relocated Super Stock springs, pinion snubber
Brakes: Baer 11-inch discs on all corners
Wheels: Stockton TQ w/225/70R15 Radial TAs (front) and 315/70R15 Drag Radials (rear)
Body mods: Carbon-fiber parts, Super Stock equipment installation
Paint: PPG Viper Red basecoat/clearcoat, by MCR
Interior: Year One '68-era, radio delete plate, Electric-Life power windows
Cost: More than an original SS/AA car brings today!