Mailbag
Our Readers Sound Off.
MOPAR® HEMI® DRAG TRACTOR
I’ve been a Mopar® fan since I was 16. My first vehicle was a 1969 Dodge Charger. I also had a 1974 Plymouth Road Runner. Many vehicles later, I’m now driving a 2002 Dodge Ram.
For 10 years I had a riding lawn mower that was a tribute to Dale Earnhardt. It was getting run down and needed to be replaced. When I came across another mower, my neighbors, Bob Theilman and Mike Townsend, said we should do something a bit different. With us being Mopar freaks, we decided on a “blown top-fuel dragster” mower.
First, we did a mockup of it, using cardboard and towels. Then took a display stand and cut it up for the back rail. Part of an old stop sign became the front spoiler. Mike just fabricated everything with the help of Bob Theilman, a service manager at Bi-State Bus. We used the same paint Mike used for his ’74 Challenger—Sub-Lime Green. Then we had the decals made up and installed them—including Mopar and HEMI® emblems. I bought a hood scoop out of a hotrod magazine. The back rear spoiler was donated by Buff Truck Outfitters in Festus, Mo. From there on, we winged it. I got a lot of ideas off die-cast cars, such as wheelie bars and the parachute on the back.
Why all this for a lawn mower? I don’t know? Maybe because we could—and it was fun!
Pat Shocklee
St. Louis, Mo.
Nice one-of-a-kind garden tractor, Pat. We noticed that you also shared this information at Chrysler’s corporate blog. Thanks for sharing your cool photos and story with Mopar Magazine.—Ed.
MOPAR WEARABLES
I was wondering where I can purchase an official licensed Mopar cap
Justin Cauley
Via e-mail
You can order Mopar caps online at www.wearmopar.com. This Web site is listed on Mopar Magazine’s Contents page (pg. 3) along with a number of other Chrysler owned Web sites.—Ed.
TECH INSIDER – EDITOR’S NOTE
Regarding the November/December 2009 issue of Mopar Magazine, on page 41, the decal shown for a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner is actually a decal for a 1969 model.
Bob Ike
Interlaken, N.Y.
You are correct, Bob. A black-and-white decal was used for most of 1968, with a color version appearing on the deck lid in late ’68, but not the version shown on page 41 of the aforementioned issue. That version (above) didn’t start appearing until 1969. Thank you for bringing this oversight to our attention.—Ed.
HEMI-POWERED ‘52 CUNNINGHAM VIGNALE C3 COUPE
We greatly enjoy receiving Mopar Magazine, and especially enjoyed the “HEMI Surf ‘n’ Turf” article, on pages 24–25, in the September/October 2009 issue. In our shop we’re currently restoring a 1952 Cunningham Vignale C3 Coupe—one of 26 built. This was Briggs Cunningham’s so-called production car. It has a stock 1952 HEMI 331-cubic-inch engine with the 4-speed Fluid-Matic transmission. It does have the four Zenith carburetors on a log manifold, identical to the engine pictured on page 25. We have rebuilt the HEMI and it really sounds great! Thanks for the magazine.
Ross Obermeyer
Allenton, Wis.
Thanks for the note, Ross. Some readers may not know that Chrysler engineers developed the FirePower HEMI especially for the Cunningham—C-2R road racers being the first to be HEMI-powered.—Ed.
What's On Your Mind?
Mopar Magazine encourages correspondence from anyone on any topic. Send your cards and letters to: Letters to Ed., Mopar Magazine, P.O. Box 2117, Farmington Hills, MI 48333-2117. Send letters to us by fax at (248) 553-2138 or via e-mail to mailbag@moparmagazine.com. Include your full name, postal address and daytime phone number. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
