What better way to publicize the availability of engine kits allowing 5.7- and 6.4-liter Mopar crate engines to slip harmoniously under the hood of pre-1976 street-rod projects than to build a few? That seems to be the rationale behind three vintage-Mopar customs at the 2016 SEMA show: a 1950 Dodge pickup, a 1975 Dodge Dart Sport, and a 1971 Plymouth ’Cuda—from which we’re hard-pressed to pick our favorite.
Taking the last first, the ’Cuda is the work of vehicle restorer Mark Worman, from TV’s Graveyard Carz. One of Worman’s personal cars, the ’Cuda is a largely stock build, with the exception of the 392-cubic-inch (6.4 liter) Hemi crate engine, here mated to a six-speed Tremec manual transmission.
The Dart Sport, its matte finish an interesting twist on Chrysler’s iconic Plum Crazy purple, is by Speedhunters. Dubbed Project Yankee, it features the 354-cubic-inch (5.7 liter) Hemi paired with a manual transmission stirred by a Hurst shifter. Project Yankee is a custom build and features a McLeod Racing clutch and flywheel, an 8.75-inch rear end, a Yukon limited-slip diff and Yukon axles, Baer front and rear brakes, a Hotchkis suspension, and Rays 17-inch wheels, among other aftermarket items. But the best detail may be the Japanese license plate.
“Patina” may be an overused term in classic-car circles, but the 1950 Dodge D100 pickup, by Detroit’s Saldana’s Speed Shop, almost looks as if it was just pulled out of a Nebraska cornfield. Well, except for the Ride Tech air suspension that drops the body low over the 20-inch Detroit steel wheels, which are powder-coated white. Under the two-piece, center-hinged hood sits a 392 Hemi crate engine, again mated to a manual transmission. Inside the cab, the restored gauges sit in the original—and definitely unrestored—dash; the factory bench seat has been reupholstered in gray suede, which also appears on the headliner, but we love that the rusty bare floor was left intact.
In fact, we might have been wrong when we said earlier that we were hard-pressed to pick a favorite. Among these crate-engined creations, it’s pretty hard to top the D100.
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