1965 A/FX DODGE CORONET

 

This Dodge Coronet spent most of its life as a slant-6 Deluxe sedan. That is until vintage Funny Car enthusiast Richard LeFebvre located it in early 2004 and kicked off an intense build. It included an altered wheelbase and shaving a pair of the car's doors, making it a coupe.

The new 2-door profile now has fiberglass fenders and  bumpers that were ordered from  Fiberglass Plus Inc. And now features a 1960s paint scheme, which is why 1965 Dodge gold worked so well under the vintage hand-painted graphics. 

For the last 12 years, Richard has been driving this Coronet as a  faithful tribute to race cars of a by-gone era. 

At the front of the car, the black-trimmed grille hangs a Moon Equipment fuel tank between clear parking lamps, a painted fiberglass bumper and halogen headlights.

And at the back of the car, a Dodge branded trunk bends around stylish taillights, a small kill switch and a  painted fiberglass bumper.

 

 A look into the fender-less engine bay and you'll find 511 cubic inches of stroked Hemi with 10.5 to 1 compression making 488 rear-wheel horsepower. The massive engine is currently tuned for max drive-ability. The Hemi features a 1965 Chrysler iron block that's filled with a billet Winberg crank, billet Manley rods, forged Ross pistons and an Indy solid roller cam. The Hilborn mechanical fuel injection has been modified to accept EFI and it was filled with 40lb./hr. injectors. Those injectors are commanded by a Holley  Ecu.

An electronic Chrysler distributor with an MSD Blaster coil and MSD Super Conductor plug wires directs the current . 

 Hooker headers feed a 3-inch exhaust system that's finished with  Flowmaster mufflers. Cooling is simple, with a Mopar Performance high-volume water pump and a 22-inch radiator. The oiling system consists of a trick 7-quart pan and a high-volume Milodon pump.

 

The chassis features  a 111-inch wheelbase, shortened five inches from the factory's specifications,  the car's front spindle center-line was moved ten inches forward while relocating its rear axle fifteen inches forward.  That configuration places 55% of this Dodge's static mass on its rear tires at rest. Naturally, the chassis rides on a massaged suspension, which is led by a 1966 Dodge A100 front-axle that's been set on custom springs . At the rear 3,800lb MP leaf springs complement extra-length MP shocks. 

The Hemi twists its power through a 1965 Chrysler A727 3-speed that is equipped  with a 2,500RPM B&M converter with a reverse manual valve body. That transmission is connected a Dana 60 axle, with 4.10 gears.

 Stops come courtesy of a full set of A100 drums, which are pumped by a Mancini-installed Mopar Performance dual-reservoir master cylinder.  

Everything rolls on timeless American Racing Torq -Thrusts, which spin 7.75-15 BF Goodrich Silvertown's in front & 275/60R15 Mickey Thompson's ET Street tires on the rear.

 The interior was retrofitted with A100 bucket seats, a Coronet branded steering wheel and a factory column mounted shifter, which features rearranged gear-quadrants that suit the transmission's reverse-pattern valve body.

---