Connecting Highway

[Paul Ceasrine]

cammer427,
The 'Brooklyn Heavy' 68' Dart sure looks right. But if I recall, a
Tunnel-Ram was added. The rear wheels are properly set, indicating that it had a proper Dana rear (for the A-Body).
Joe Jill of Speedwin Automotive (Hauppauge, L.I) who prepped the
'Brookyln Heavy' Dart also had a 68' Hemi Dart (SS/BA car).
The 69' Cuda (not an original 68' Factory Hemi) Hemi was
Sox & Martins A/MP car, that Billy 'The Kid' Stepp drove.

As crazy as this sounds, only 3 (original purchased) 68' Hemi Darts ended up in the Long Island and Southern New York area.
Charlie Castaldo (4-speed), Scarsdale, NY
S & K Speed Shop (4-speed), West Babylon, L.I., NY
Joe Jill 'Speedwin' (Automatic), Hauppauge, L.I., NY
* One other that came through the area, but not accounted for
Cy Greene Dodge, Manhassett.
Paul

[FINESPLINE]

I don't know if the car was originally delivered to long island but george baptiste bought his 68 cuda in the jamaica,queens area.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by FINESPLINE

I don't know if the car was originally delivered to long island but george baptiste bought his 68 cuda in the jamaica,queens area.

George told me a funny story about how he had to hide the fact from his wife that it was a race car.He had it in a garage near where he lived in Jamaica (Queens) and told her it was a regular street driven car.Still has the car.Both he and it are in retirement.

[Paul Ceasrine]

68' Hemi Cuda's,
No one seems to know for sure if a true original Factory 68' Hemi Cuda
was delivered to any dealer and/or racer in Long Island or Southern New York in the spring of 68'.
Some mention of Brodlieb Motors in Woodmere, L.I. of getting one, and Idlewild Motors in Springfield Gardens, also getting one. No one has any photos of these cars.
The damn Chrysler Regional Reps kept poor records. If you were close friends with a Regional Rep, you could fork over some _ _ _ _ , and
get a 68' Hemi A-Body/A-Bomb for $4200. Racers price, but you had to go out to Ferndale, Michigan to pick up the car.
paul

[FINESPLINE]

And just like the dp cars thathave an engine but have no drivetrain, even though the 68 cars were complete ,you dare not try to race it until you went over" everything. "

[Paul Precht]

Originally Posted by Ed Fernandez

George told me a funny story about how he had to hide the fact from his wife that it was a race car.He had it in a garage near where he lived in Jamaica (Queens) and told her it was a regular street driven car.Still has the car.Both he and it are in retirement.

Hi Ed, were you there at the E town Nats that misty Friday night when George almost hit the wall. Knowing how unmolested that one owner car is could anybody guess what it's worth, Paul.

[Paul Ceasrine]

FINESPLINE,
Absolutely correct. They were not 10.60 machines 'right out of the box'
like some people think.
Engines came through with Heavy-slug 12.5-1 pistons, and the stock Hemi .475 solid lifter camshaft. If you raced the car in 68' the way it came out the factory, probably 11.60's.
Heard some of the cars left Hurst with blown engines too!.
Paul

[hemicop]

There was another Hemi Dart in the NYC area. Aording the "Barracuda/Dart authentication Guide" one was sold to "Manhattan Speed Shop". I don't remember such a place but in the mid-90s I built a clone car, sold it & according to the buyer Buddy Martin, Don Garlits & someone else thought it was that car. Trust me, it wasn't. The point is there were/are more mysteries floating around about these cars & the fact NYC streetracers used them fogs the stories even more & only increases their mystique and what went on back then.

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by hemicop

There was another Hemi Dart in the NYC area. Aording the "Barracuda/Dart authentication Guide" one was sold to "Manhattan Speed Shop". I don't remember such a place but in the mid-90s I built a clone car, sold it & according to the buyer Buddy Martin, Don Garlits & someone else thought it was that car. Trust me, it wasn't. The point is there were/are more mysteries floating around about these cars & the fact NYC streetracers used them fogs the stories even more & only increases their mystique and what went on back then.

Manhattan Speed Shop was for real.The owner was Joey Doto (sp?) and his father
owned it.They had two stores.The one on W. Bway was mostly speed stuff and the one on lower 3rd Ave. was retail and dealer/repair shop supply.They did machine work too.A lot of cars racing on Long Island came out of there.The W.Bway store closed many moons ago.

[mopar68]

Originally Posted by Paul Precht

Hi Ed, were you there at the E town Nats that misty Friday night when George almost hit the wall. Knowing how unmolested that one owner car is could anybody guess what it's worth, Paul.

Worse than almost hitting the "wall" was that George cut-up an un-cut, original factory 'Cuda for SS/A! I can see someone doing that in the 1970s and to a lesser extent in the 1980s--but the early 1990s? Don't get me wrong, I like George, he's a very personable fellow. Why, oh why, didn't he cut-up a wedge or six-cylinder A-body???

George told me and a buddy (circa 1991) during a Mopars at Englishtown event about the car. So intact and original it was, he said Chrysler offered him $250,000 for it (for their museum) but he declined; so he definitely knew what the car was worth before the transformation began.

Oh well, it's his car...



M68