Mopar Action

HEIGH-HO, MOPARINOS, 2022 is shaping up to be a year of major happenings for Ma Mopar, so either cheer or cry in your beer. You probably already know that Pa Stellantis is dismantling the SRT program. Back in February 2021, Stellantis announced that all the core elements of the SRT performance engineering team were integrated into Stellantis’ global engineering organization. “Stellantis will continue to sell and develop the next generation of Dodge//SRT-branded vehicles, as well as Jeep and Ram vehicles that utilize high-performance SRT technology”— that’s the official line from the company, and it leaves a lot of room for conjecture, especially in light of the French’s (Peugeot) side of the organization, who are really pulling the strings here, and have a strong affinity for small, electric-powered cars. It’s plain to…

WE GOT THE NEWS that singer Marvin Lee “Meatloaf” Aday had passed away in late January, and this column’s title paraphrases one of his best-known lyrics. Since I wanted to drive to Florida for the Mecum Kissimmee auction earlier in the month (coverage this issue), I had gotten ahold of my local rental place here in the mountains of east Tennessee and requested a mid-size vehicle for the week of the trip. When I got there, they were out of Camrys but had a huge Ford Expedition as an upgrade at no charge for me. As I contemplated this, my favorite employee, a car guy who goes by his first initial Q, drove in with a 2021 Charger SXT, a little road dirty and wearing Illinois plates. Sort of like…

I AM ALL FOR TECHNOLOGY and I can appreciate advancements… but, man, when does it end? When is enough going to be enough? You talk to a tech at any dealership, and they all sing the same song. These friggin’ engineers keep packing more and more crap into today’s cars with no idea on how to fix them when they break. How much further do we really need to go with technology and the automobile? Safety is one thing, but c’mon, man! You guys and gals know exactly what I’m talking about. You work a long day, with many of you looking at a screen as part of your job. It really doesn’t matter what you do, blue collar, white collar, no collar, odds are you working with technology. (Even Ehrenberg…

BACK IN THE DAY, everybody I knew who bought a Mopar with the crummy Inland A833 4-speed shifter (1966, ’67, and early ’68s) ripped it out—the Hurst was just so much better. Today, some folks weld the Inland lever to the Hurst “stub” to keep the stock appearance. Others, however—the purists—wanna keep the entire Inland setup (which is readily identified by the reverse lockout). I have received, coincidentally, four emails within the last few months asking how to adjust it properly. Three of these people actually made the tool described in the FSM—only to learn that it won’t fit as the FSM described. What’s up with that? Simple: The FSM had an error, the book said to make the simple tool out of 16-gauge steel ( 1/18" thick). This is too…

CRATE CRUNCH Richard–Other than Indy, is there a company out there that still makes big-block crate motors for sale, like 440, 500 cubic-inch and 500 horse power range? There used to be lots of them, now only one. I called Muscle Motors, but they don’t answer the phone one week, next week operator says line no longer in service, I’ve finally saved enough money for one for my ’69 Road Runner, but I find no motors out there. Carter Cincotta Ossipee, NH Carter–As of this writing, the Mopar Performance stock-type bare big-blocks are pure unobtanium, and have been for quite a while. This means crate engines are also unavailable, unless the supplier builds an engine from a used cylinder block. If you can scare up a good used 440 block, shops such as Hughes…

Address all queries to this address: RICHARD EHRENBERG PO BOX 302 MARLBORO NY 12542 Best bet: Online submission form at moparaction.com GROUND RULES: • If you want to submit your question via e-mail, please use the on-line submission form at www.moparaction. com. If we ask for more info, send back all existing text, or else! • Snail-mail must include a SASE and/or a cash bribe. • All letters, electronic or otherwise, must include a full name and a least your city and state. You can request that it be withheld, however, and, if we had any the night before, we might even honor your request. • “20 questions” letters instantly get shredded and the scraps forwarded to Mopar Muscle. So – ask one clear question please, we’re a sleazy magazine, not an encyclopedia publisher. We won’t tell…