Words & Photos: Tommy Parry
The first move Rob made in his ‘50 Dodge Coupe build was a smart one - lowering and centralizing the engine. Moving the motor back 4” and dropping it as far as possible without the oil pan scraping helps get the old Coupe to rotate nicely, and the upper and lower bars are angled so that the rear end stays centered throughout the suspension travel.
With Ford Model A gas shocks, Firestone 226Cs and bags at all four corners, the car could alternate between stock ride height at full inflation and 3.5” of ground clearance with the bags at their minimum.
Then Rob had the rusted holes filled in with a speck of Bondo. He decided to keep the paint as it was, in a shade of dark green-blue and complete with dents, gouges, and scrapes. This was meant to be a functional and comfortable build, not a glitzy show car. It was also meant to be very fast, so it didn’t matter how glossy the blur would be.
With a 496cu stroker, the 610 horsepower and 596 lb/ft of torque on-hand are more than enough to shred the tires at any speed. That earth-moving grunt comes as the result of a forged 4.25” crank, forged pistons and rods, full Comp roller valves, SS roller rockers, Ferrera race valves, a full MSD system, and MaxWedge aluminum heads, among other goodies. This build was surely never short on grunt! However, a miscalculation concerning the compression ratio led to a blown head gasket. Thankfully, there was no damage to the rotating assembly. In light of this mistake, Rob swapped his pistons for -20cc dished items which will change the compression ratio to 10.6:1 and save some fuel.
The transmission was built to withstand the abuse, with an equally-burly 2600-stall Street Fighter and a 727 with kevlar bands, and Kolene steels. Everything was cryo-treated and/or case hardened, capable of repeated, brutal, 900-horsepower blasts and more than enough for the already-astonishing amount of power on tap. What’s most impressive is not the selection of parts, but the effort and craftsmanship that went into the drivetrain - Rob made most of it at home or during the unnoticed hours at work.
Thankfully, that sort of grunt can be quelled with a custom set of brakes up front, in this case consisting mainly of Diplomat drums/hubs mated to Dodge single-piston calipers; the rear kit is Scarebird’s Mopar Dana 60 using Mark V rotors and Cadillac calipers. The axle at the back of the Coupe is a ‘70’s Mopar A-body spanning 55”, and is flanked by two 15x10” steelies.
Continuing on his productivity at work, Ron made four-link bars out of 4130 chromoly tubing, as well as rod ends and brackets. Hopefully the boss didn’t notice, but with his knowledge of the subject matter, it’s likely it didn’t take too long. Fixed with polyurethane bushings, the entire package offered plenty of traction and comfort enough for daily driving.
A rack and pinion steering system from an 87-91 Cavalier was used, offset within the frame, and mounted so that the engine would not come in contact. This is ensured by Moroso solid motor mounts, which keep engine movement to an absolute minimum. The beauty of this item is that it allowed for usage of the factory steering arms while employing Cavalier tie rods and steering links, making the installation fairly simple with a few homemade brackets. The steering column was sourced from a late ‘60s Mopar auto.
After struggling with the idea of having someone else build the exhaust and coming to the realization that any local shop was going to gouge him, Rob decided to use the parts he was going to provide and do it himself. The finished product is a couple of 90s and straight pipes running back to the mufflers.
Next came the air ride system, which is made up of Viair 400C air compressors, Accuair air management, and Airrides Big Red valves, all plumbed with DOT ⅜” lines. A bit of sound deadening and thermal material on the trunk floor where the system was laid, and the airbag setup was complete.
However, the highly-strung powerplant proved troublesome once again, grenading and chucking the whole cylinder from the block. After that minor explosion, a ‘65 383 replaced the old mill, salvaging the heads while using a new Howards roller cam. While the new motor is about 200 ponies shy of the old 496, with bronze paint it looks just as intimidating.
Putting this potent Dodge together was a trying experience, showing that sometimes going for big power isn’t always worth the effort. With a little conservatism employed later after a few mistakes, the subtlety of this build came through, still with plenty of power in reserve. It’s a great way to devise a project: with quality parts and an intelligent, balanced approach that does not stress one aspect too much. Add an understated exterior, and this Dodge Coupe might be one of the classiest sleepers seen in a while - though with the amount of power it has, it moves a little too quickly for its classiness to be fully appreciated.