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 , which  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 directly 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, a black-trimmed grille hangs a Moon Equipment fuel tank between clear parking lamps, a painted 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.

 

 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 aluminum fuel injection has been modified to accept EFI ,  and 40lb./hr. injectors. Those stacks are commanded by a Holley  control module.

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, that massaged chassis rides on a massaged suspension, which is led by a 1966 Dodge A100 front-clip 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, f 275/60R15 Mickey Thompson's ET Street tires for the rear traction.

 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.

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