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Rob's 1981 Dodge Challenger
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Rob Simmons
SL6 Racer & Moderator


Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Location: Elizabethtown, KY
Post subject: Rob's 1981 Dodge Challenger (Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:56 am) Reply with quote
Now that I've finally gone and picked up the Challenger from Norm Foster down in Dalton, GA it's time to start the offical Virtual Dragstrip thread for the car. Very Happy

This is a car that started out life as a 1981 Dodge (Mitsubishi) Challenger.

The story goes that there was a gentlemen by the name of Mike Robbins from Ringgold, GA who was into drag racing and was going to build a serious Slant 6 drag car back around 2003 or so.

He originally planned to build a Dodge Daytona and purchased a body and tube chassis from one of our fellow former Slant 6 drag racers, Dale Rose. Well, one of Mike's employees had this running and driving Challenger that was in pretty good shape...

Out came the tape measure and before you knew it there was a new '81 Dodge Challenger tube frame drag car under works! Very Happy

Who wants to build yet another Daytona? EVERYONE builds Daytonas! Rolling Eyes

When was the last time you saw a 1981 Dodge Challenger or Plymouth Sapporo at your local cruise or drag strip!? Shocked

Well, one thing led to another and before you know it Mike loses interest in Slant 6 drag racing and sets his sights on the much more common and boring Viper... Rolling Eyes Laughing

Luckily, there was another dedicated Slant 6 drag racer living just down the road in Dalton, GA. In steps Norm Foster, who at the time was racing a '73 Duster (see my other Virtual Dragstrip thread "GodsRods Duster II" - I have this funny habit of buying all of Norm's drag cars when he's done with them. Laughing )

Norm bought the Challenger "In-Progress" on 15 January, 2004 and finished things up on it, putting the engine from his Duster in the Challenger and proceeded to upgrade and refine the car. It became one of the best Slant 6 drag cars in our series and carried Norm to the National Championship in 2006. Shocked

In his Championship year Norm set and still holds the 1/8th Mile A/Alcohol E.T. and Speed records of 7.355 @ 92.39 MPH. Shocked

Norm continued to race the Challenger through the 2010 season and put it up for sale with no takers. I think it was just so cool and fast that it scared everyone away! Very Happy

Unfortunately, the car slowed down by about a second at a race in 2010 causing Norm to suspect a spun main bearing...

At this same time I was still stationed overseas and trying to get Norm's old Duster put together and ready for my return. Things weren't coming together quite as I had planned, but I did have a serious Slant 6 drag engine built by Gary Bruner...

The wheels started turning and Norm and I talked about me buying the Challenger. We had actually talked about it several times before, but this time the timing was right and we made the deal. Very Happy

I drove down to Dalton, GA on 9 September, 2011 and picked up my new prize. I will post more as I dig in and begin to figure out this next level of drag racing.

The Challenger has just about every bell and whistle there is and runs in the mid 11's in the 1/4 mile (7.3s in the 1/8th). I'm just a novice foot braker that has never been quicker than low 13's, so my learning curve is going to be fairly steep with this one. I'm really looking forward to the "Challenge"! Very Happy

I present for your viewing pleasure my 1981 Dodge Challenger drag car.

Huge thanks to Norm Foster for passing on this awesome Slant 6 drag car! You can race it any time you want Norm!












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Dart270
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Post subject: (Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:39 am) Reply with quote
Looking forward to seeing this great car back on the track next year! Congrats, Rob! Thanks for the rundown.

Lou



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Rick Covalt
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Post subject: Mason Dixon 1V (Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:09 pm) Reply with quote
Lou,

I think he should be ready for his debut at Mason Dixon IV in May 2012 don't you? Laughing I will have Ryan give him directions when he comes to Clay City in 2 weeks! Car looks great Rob. Congratulation!

Rick Covalt

PS. I know of 4 new cars that should be at Mason Dixon next year. Rob could make it 5!



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Joshua Skinner
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Post subject: (Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:06 pm) Reply with quote
Is the cage legal with the door bars bent like that?



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Joshua Skinner
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slantzilla
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Post subject: (Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:23 pm) Reply with quote
Did you get the toilet with it Rob?



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wvenable
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Post subject: (Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:55 pm) Reply with quote
I'm thinking the cage is legal. It's kinda like a girl's bicycle versus a boys. All Rob needs to do is put a basket on the front and those streamer thingys that fit into the end of the handle bar grips. Shocked



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Rob Simmons
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Location: Elizabethtown, KY
Post subject: Re: Mason Dixon 1V (Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:32 am) Reply with quote
Rick Covalt wrote:
I think he should be ready for his debut at Mason Dixon IV in May 2012 don't you?


I'm definitely gonna try Rick! The plan is to start tearing into this thing and start mixin' and matchin' parts right after Clay City.

I'll be bugging Gerald (and others here) to death with all sorts of questions about what parts will work together for the best possible package. It's really nice to have "options" for a change. Very Happy

Joshua Skinner wrote:
Is the cage legal with the door bars bent like that?


That's one of the planned fixes in the future Josh. Norm has been running the car this way at many different NHRA and other tracks since 2004 without issues that I know of.

The car is not "certified". That is where the sticking point is. Gerald has given me some pointers on this and I'll be looking into having it inspected for an official "Gig List" to have fixed.

I've got a couple recommendations for good chassis builders in the area.

The cage will be one of the many "Challenger Updates" in this thread.

slantzilla wrote:
Did you get the toilet with it Rob?


Yep! Just like it is in the pictures (although the parts are on the floorboard now Laughing ) Will PM'd with the same question and said that when he had it on his car at 2,200# it ran 11.20s I believe. So there's plenty there to go as fast as I'm comfortable with. Shocked

Norm has a full 55 gallon barrel of Methanol waiting for my next trip down there. I'm a little nervous about running Methanol, but it's all part of the steep learning curve. I hope I'm up for the "Challenge".

wvenable wrote:
I'm thinking the cage is legal. It's kinda like a girl's bicycle versus a boys. All Rob needs to do is put a basket on the front and those streamer thingys that fit into the end of the handle bar grips.


Laughing Laughing Laughing Wayne, you crack me up! I love it! Very Happy



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sergio G
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Joined: 01 Sep 2009
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Post subject: (Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:52 am) Reply with quote
By the looks that cage is good to 10.00,dont need to certify till 9.99.Leave it alone and race it,otherwise about 5 years from now we will be reading about 15/20 items left to do to get it race ready. You can run the toilet on gasoline with pill and nozzle change,I dont know you Rob ,just kidding and really admire your devotion and support of sl.6 racing. Glen Terry talked about this car for months, he was just short of making a deal for it a couple of years ago.I even volunteered to drive to Georgia with him to get it but he wouldnt pull the trigger.
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Rob Simmons
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Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Location: Elizabethtown, KY
Post subject: (Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:18 pm) Reply with quote
Hey Sergio!

Thanks for that feedback! I don't plan to dip into the 9's with this thing anytime in the near future. Shocked Just runnin' 11's is gonna keep my hands full for a good long while.

Very good point about not fixing what isn't broken. And I DO like the ease of entry with this design. Wink

Also great to know about the toilet! Very Happy That will make things a lot more flexible. There is a local racer that I've heard is a Flyin' Toilet Guru and runs on Methanol, so I'm going to see if he'll take me under his wing a little.

I knew that Glen and a couple others were interested in the car, so I held back for the longest time. Norm had it for sale for a long time and it didn't look like anyone was going to buy it. He was very close to trading it for a V8 street car. If I hadn't bought it when I did he said he would have done that deal. He's really glad that it will stay "In the Family". Very Happy

This is a big step for me. I'm thinking this will be the last race car I'll ever have for myself. I hope to build a few more GodsRods race cars over the years though... Wink



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Last edited by Rob Simmons on Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
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wvenable
Turbo EFI


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Post subject: (Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:24 pm) Reply with quote
Congrats on the car Rob! Well deserved. Can't wait to see it in person. That cage will make it alot easier for all of that cross dressing you do on the weekends. Shocked



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raPoM
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Post subject: (Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:30 pm) Reply with quote
That is a cool little car!
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Rob Simmons
SL6 Racer & Moderator


Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Location: Elizabethtown, KY
Post subject: (Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:03 am) Reply with quote
Thanks raPoM! I'm really excited about this car. Very Happy


Wayne,... Wayne,... Wayne,... I just really don't know what to say to you... The girl's bicycle comment was cute and fitting to the topic...

This cross dressing comment, however, causes me to question your true motives for posting it... Confused

Did I hurt your feelings by calling you out about your stalled Front Engine Dragster (FED) plans...?

Or perhaps my comments pertaining to you having more Slant 6 engines than most of us and not having an actual vehicle to put them in...?

Or maybe it's my repeated comments about you teasing me with all these Road Trips and always leaving me hanging...?

Oh wait! I know,... It was my late night phone call to your wife during last year's awards banquet that got you in so much trouble! Shocked

Perhaps it's a combination of all these things... Confused

Nah! It's probably just because you're a Rush fan! Shocked Aren't all Rush fans cross dressers? Razz

(Editor's Note: No one was hurt in the posting of this message. These posts are submitted by trained professionals in the art of "banter" and in no way reflect reality or true intentions of harm to one another. Do not attempt this at home. Laughing )



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wvenable
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Post subject: (Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:12 am) Reply with quote
And you my friend are a true artist - I bow before the master! Laughing Laughing Laughing Now to wipe the coffee off the monitor....Man I love this forum!



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slantzilla
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Post subject: (Sat Sep 17, 2011 2:43 pm) Reply with quote
Shocked



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Rob Simmons
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Location: Elizabethtown, KY
Post subject: (Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:43 am) Reply with quote
slantzilla wrote:
Shocked


Well 'Zilla,... If you and Possum ain't gonna banter back and forth no more, I s'pose it's up to folks like me and Wayne to carry the flag... Wink

What do you say Wayne? How's 'bout we call it,

"Poser v. Poser" Shocked Laughing



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