Is my Mopar friend crazy??

[TR Custom Parts]

Sold his 68 Dodge Charger, yes, it had a HEMI, for 68k. He wanted a street rod and after looking around he ended up with a street rod of sorts, a 2001 Plymouth Prowler with 3000 miles on it.

He is around 62 years old and was never very mechanically inclined so I think this was probably a good choice for him. It really is a cool little car. Saw it last nite at a cruise for the first time. He is already talking about taking off the ugly front bumpers. I sat in it and it's a bit tight for us bigger guys but not uncomfortable. Hope to get a ride in it one of these days. Too bad it "only" has a V-6 in it. Hey! Where have I heard that before??

He's going to end up having the same problem I have here in CT with cutoff dates at a lot of cruises.

I am going to finally check out the black 67 Chevy Nova this weekend for my possible hybrid project. Can you say NOVATIONAL?

 

[bruce]

Originally posted by BuickGn Boosted
Sold his 68 Dodge Charger, yes, it had a HEMI, for 68k. He wanted a street rod and after looking around he ended up with a street rod of sorts, a 2001 Plymouth Prowler with 3000 miles on it.
He is around 62 years old and was never very mechanically inclined so I think this was probably a good choice for him.

He's doing what he thinks will make him happy.
No craziness involved.

A Hemicharger isn't the nicest of street cars by any means. Their range animals and need lots of run to run as designed. In the old days the LA to Vegas run was a way to let one unwind, but that's an era, that's gone. While folks quipped the mopars didn't have enough gear out back, they were designed as Police Cruisers originally. Back in the late 60s, early 70s all the Nevada, and free range states used them, and that's why Mopar even bothered with them. It was fun for the hotrodders, but it was the fleet sales that let them survive. Lest that's how it seems to me.

 

[kh440]

Had a (not original ) hemi road runner a long time ago. They are brutal at the track, but a pain for regular driving. The "B" body cars (charger, road ruster, et.al.) had marginal handling capabilities in the first place-add the hemi and you really get a wildebeast of a car to drive, trust me. The prowler is a fairly cool car, has a certain "whatisthat" mystique, and at 62 yrs old, probably fast enough.

 

[azgn]

"and at 62 yrs old, probably fast enough. "


how old do you think Warren Johnson is?

you wanna race?

 

[86brick]

Originally posted by azgn
"and at 62 yrs old, probably fast enough. "


how old do you think Warren Johnson is?

you wanna race?

I'd race Warren....

































On foot! Old guys can race just as long as they can see the tree

 

[SinistrV6]

Prowlers are nice but....


NOT a Street Rod by any stretch of the imagination. They resemble rods like a Monte Carlo resembles a GN. For what it cost him, he could've bought a nice completed rod.

Whatever makes him happy. I just hope he doesn't take it to Cruise In's and other Street Rod events and expect to be greeted with open arms...

 

[Shane]

I didn't even read the thread.

Is your Mopar friend crazy? Yes. Of course he is, he's a Mopar guy.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Originally posted by Shane
I didn't even read the thread.

Is your Mopar friend crazy? Yes. Of course he is, he's a Mopar guy.

Yeah, he realizes it is not a "real" street rod and actually people were flocking around it at the cruise we both went to the other nite and the comments were pretty much all positive. I can see why you see a lot of Prowlers have the matching trailers behind them. There is NO storage space in the trunk at all.

BTW, are all the fiberglass cars out there really street rods?

 

[SinistrV6]

Originally posted by BuickGn Boosted
:...BTW, are all the fiberglass cars out there really street rods?

Depends on who you ask. I say yes, because they were hand built by the owner or the shop he paid to do it.

 

[John Larkin]

I like 'em but as you said there's no storage. And no spare tire. They have run-flat tires but the rears cost about $350 each! For peace of mind it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to stick a can of fix-o-flat and a plug kit behind the seat. I like the tiny Autometer tach. The car fits a person best who is about 5'10" and not much over 180 lbs. As for the front bumpers, they cost about $500 each to replace (done that once) and they break off real easy in an accident. They are basically only good for running into a pile of mattresses and not having the grille damaged. But heck, it's a Sunday car so it has a reason for being.

I'd like to hear the justification for it not being allowed at a "pre-date" show if it happens. A Gibbons-bodied rod built from 2000 and later is the same damn thing. Plus Plymouth is an extinct brand just like Hudson, Willys, Allstate, etc.

 

[SinistrV6]

Originally posted by John Larkin

I'd like to hear the justification for it not being allowed at a "pre-date" show if it happens. A Gibbons-bodied rod built from 2000 and later is the same damn thing. Plus Plymouth is an extinct brand just like Hudson, Willys, Allstate, etc.

I doubt there is a "logical" reason for it because what you said is 100% true. Unfortunately, that's the way it is. The argument that the 'glass bodies are reproductions of old bodies is lame too, because most of 'em are HIGHLY modified version of old bodies or new creation altogether.

 

[mark b]

I guess the other perspective is that he can drive the Prowler anywhere he wants vs. the hemi which would probably disappear pretty quick in CT. You can buy another Prowler a lot easier than the 68 hemi.

I don't think the Prowler will be a bad investment either. How long did he own the hemi for? I agree with him - he's probably had his fun and wanted a change. Few of us have enough disposable income to keep buying what we want and not have to give something up.

Here's the reverse. I have a friend with a 70 hemi Roadrunner. He's been waiting for the motor to be rebuilt by this nationally known hemi guy for over 10 years. The car was in excellent condition anyway, but he wants to built it from scratch into a 99+ point car. It's been almost 20 years since he bought it and he's only driven home from FL to CT.

Is that enjoying a car?

Anyway, if it's speed the guy wants, he can always find someone to make it go faster. You can make anything goes faster with money.
Except the kids cleaning their rooms

 

[Sleeper-6]

Now you have to try and talk him into spending the rest of the 68k he has left over to put a nice 426 Hemi into the thing.

 

[tracy]

Well being crazy can be a little subjective.

I rode in a Prowler last year and I got more looks in that than my '69 Roadrunner.

They are pretty quick for a normally aspirated v6. They do run 14 second 1/4 mile times because they are very light.

A nice hot rod if you ask me.

 

[dhauser]

I drove a Prowler a couple years ago.....didn't impress me much, although it was cool to be seen in. With the top up, I felt like I was peeking out of a sardine can.

Regarding the Hemi history being about open range police cruisers, show me that evidence, cuz I don't believe that is true at all. The 426 Hemi (which is the one we are talking about here) was a purpose-built race engine engineered specifically for drag racers back in the early 60s (with it's first release sometime in the 64-65 era). It effectively replaced the 426 "max-wedge" engines which were the hemi's immediate predecessors. The engine was later "detuned" to be able to be run on the street and be available as an optional engine for retail customers.

I believe most of the police cruisers of the time were running 413s and 361 Commando engines in their cars.