Collector Car Corner; ‘Triple Play’ Dodge memories and tire pressure tips

Collector Car Corner; ‘Triple Play’ Dodge memories and tire pressure tipsThe very rare 1965 Dodge Dart GT Charger is the most valuable of the over 600,000 Darts built that year. Only 480 were ever delivered and it was the first-ever new car to be delivered from the factory with Cragar SS wheels. (Volo Auto Museum)

Two special Dodge memories

Q: Greg I wanted to thank you for your recent column on the Plymouth Barracuda. I have a friend in Florida who’s a huge MOPAR fan and I’m going to mail him the column that I know he will greatly enjoy. 

The ’65 Barracuda fastback reminds me of another Chrysler product from back then, the 1966 boat-tail like Dodge Charger fastback. My former wife had a bright red, inside and out, ’66 Charger when she was in college. She drove it back and forth between school in Pennsylvania and home in Minnesota in the late 1970’s.

I don’t remember what engine it had under the hood but guess that is was a V8. She kept the car for a few years until it spun out on black ice one winter. After that her grandfather bought her a ’73 Ford Pinto wagon; not quite as glamorous, for sure!

Fast-forward to 2016, and when we took a college exploration trip with our youngest to Bozeman Montana. I had reserved a Ford Taurus as a rental at the airport, but when we got there I was told by the agent that they didn’t have one available and said they could substitute a Dodge Challenger for the same price. After I picked up my jaw and eagerly agreed, the next thing I knew we were flying down the Montana highways in a bright red coupe with a Hemi engine.

Collector Car Corner; ‘Triple Play’ Dodge memories and tire pressure tips

In mid-1966 the all-new Dodge Charger hit the streets with unique fast back styling and four V8 engines to choose from. Included were sizes from 318 cubic inches up to the famous 426 Street Hemi. (Dodge)

I have never driven a car that garnered so much attention, and of course it was a total “guy magnet.” Whether young or old, random guys would talk to me in parking lots everywhere we went and of course I had to admit it was a rental.

When we drove on campus I would switch the performance setting to “sport” mode to accentuate the already vocal exhaust. Entire groups of male students would suddenly stop looking at girls and look up to find out what was coming down the road; this memory still makes me smile!

I just wanted to share my Dodge stories and thank you again for your enjoyable nostalgic columns. Todd Layser, Bloomsburg, Pa. 

Collector Car Corner; ‘Triple Play’ Dodge memories and tire pressure tips

A 2016 Dodge Challenger was utilized as a replacement for an unavailable Ford Taurus at a rental agency for this week’s reader, Todd Layser. Turns out it was one of the “very high performance” Challengers that car rental companies used to attract consumers. Be it Hellcat or SRT/392, it attracted lots of attention. (Dodge)

A: Thank you Todd very much. Let’s start with the 1966 Charger. Introduced mid-year, the Charger had four engine offerings; the base-model 318 V8, the truck-sourced 361 V8, the 383 4-barrel and the new 426 Street Hemi. The majority of 1966 Chargers were ordered with the 325-hp 383, which would go on to be the standard engine in 1968 Road Runners and Super Bees with a bit more horses at 335. The 1966 Charger sales number came to 37,344 units, which is very successful considering its mid-year introduction.

As for your Challenger Hemi rental, it sounds like the rental agency gave you a special Scat Pack/SRT 392 or maybe even a Hell Cat, both of which had sport mode exhaust options. I feel if people crowded your Challenger the way you indicate, it was a Hell Cat that put out over 700 horses back then.

Your Dodge Charger and Challenger experiences are both unique and thanks for sharing them with us.

Dodge Dart owner seeks tire pressure dos and don’ts

Q: Greg, my friend tells me that if I inflate my tires past the recommended number by just a few pounds I will get better gas mileage. Is he right? I don’t feel I should go past the recommended tire pressure. I own a ’65 Dodge Dart GT with a slant-6 engine and I love it. Paula L., Spokane, Washington.

A: Paula, your friend is correct, theoretically, in that more tire pressure will help gas mileage, but doing so may not result in your expected ride comfort. First, even though a few more pounds of air might increase mileage just a hair, the ride will become more pronounced and rough, and handling in turns would be reduced because the tire is “pumped up” too much, losing needed suppleness and adhesion. I will admit, however, I’m guilty of over pressuring my tires when I do my pressure refills.

Additionally, don’t feel that if you lower your pressure under manufacturer recommendations you’ll have a better handling car. My friends over at a nearby tire shop explained that tires under-inflated by 6 to 7 psi (pounds per square inch) increase tire rolling resistance by 10-percent or more, lowers fuel mileage, and increases tread wear rates and tire fatigue. I also add that under inflated tires raise temperatures inside the tire, which is not good.

Collector Car Corner; ‘Triple Play’ Dodge memories and tire pressure tips

Tire pressure is important regardless of collector car or modern muscle car. Most of the information is on the sidewall of every tire built. (Michelin)

I recommend the following in maintaining a proper inflation level and in checking tire wear. A vehicle’s proper inflation level can be found either on the door or in the owner’s manual or on the tire itself, the latter important when changing brands or sizes of tires from the originals that came with the car:

1 – Check tire inflation pressure (including the spare) at least once a month and before every long trip. Tires must be checked when they are cold; that is, before they’ve been run a mile. Also remember that in the dead of winter tires loose air pressure naturally the colder it gets, usually one pound per 10-degree drop in air temperature. Most of today’s modern cars have tire pressure indicators that make this job easy.

2 – If under-inflated, inflate the tire(s) to recommendation. If you err, a few pounds more are better than a few pounds less.

3 – Tires should be rotated at least as stated in the owner’s manual every 6,000-8,000 miles and the alignment should be checked once a year. I personally rotate every 4,500 miles or at every oil change.

4 – At least once a month the car owner should inspect the tires closely for signs of uneven wear. Improper inflation pressures, misalignment, improper balance or suspension neglect may cause uneven wear patterns. If not corrected, further tire damage will occur.

5 – If you own a collector car, the recommendations are the same. Most all muscle and collector cars do not have built into dash tire pressure indicators, other than the trusty manuals that plug into your tire stem.

Since I’m digging up production numbers, a total of 407,000 ’65 Dodge Darts were built in 1965, yours being one of 613,000 total productions of which the Slant-6 GT totaled 40,700. Engines included two Slant-6 varieties of 101 and 145 horsepower and two V8s, including a four-barrel 273 V8 performance unit that developed 235 horse versus 180 horses for the two-barrel 273.

Trivia? A limited Edition Dart GT Charger, of which only 480 were built, was the first new car that came from the factory with the wildly popular Cragar SS wheels. It also featured the Commando performance 273 V8 coupled to a 4-speed transmission.

Thanks for your letter Paula, and take care of your Dart GT.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader interaction and questions on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports at greg@gregzyla.com).

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