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By: Sue Elliot-Sink
Photography: Courtesy of Overhaulin'
Reprint from OVERHAULIN' The Magazine, July 2006
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Page Two
e knew we were going to be doing a Mopar project at the SEMA Show," Chip Foose
says, since Mopar Performance volunteered to help sponsor the Overhaulin' effort
at the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association Show. "The movie Dukes of
Hazzard was just coming out, and it seemed like there was so much stuff around the
'69/'70 Charger. The General Lee was everywhere. So I wanted to do the previous
generation. I didn't remember seeing one done, so I said, 'Let's do one for the
forgotten stepchild.'"We're all for Cinderella stories, but Chip's request had to be easier said than done, especially within the structure of a show like Overhaulin'. Fortunately, the team got lucky. When they went through all the Overhaul applications, they found a'67 Dodge |
Charger that just so happened to be in Las Vegas, where the SEMA Show is held. The car was
in need of some TLC. Plus, it was owned by the 18-year-old great-grandson of the woman who
had bought it new, making it a family heirloom and a perfect Overhaulin' candidate
all around. Besides the unusual choice of vehicle, the thing that really set this build apart was its location. Overhaulin' set up a huge t ent on the grounds of the annual SEMA trade show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For the third year in a row, the team Overhauled a car in front of an audience of its peers—industry experts in aftermarket parts, design, and installation. As the Charger rolled into the tent Last fall, people from more than 2,000 exhibiting companies began rolling into town to set up their booths. By Day 5 of this Overhaul, the SEMA Show had |
opened to 100,000 members of the automotive-aftermarket industry. And from the get-go
right on through D-Day, the Overhaulin' tent's bleachers were filled to overflowing
with folks eager to get a glimpse of the proceedings. Some of those folks were skeptics who didn't believe a car could really be built in this kind of timeframe. Others were looking for ideas they could implement back in their own businesses. And plenty more were longtime Chip Foose fans—including a few celebrities who dropped by, such as ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and hip-hop DJ/automotive promoter Funkmaster Flex. What they all saw was a huge team of top industry professionals working—often around the clock—to transform a tired old Dodge into a hard-charging head-turner, all for the good of a deserving stranger. |
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> The Charger rolled in looking like a fairly clean daily driver. It had a little dent in the nose, but no major rust or damage. Of course, the brakes didn't work, but who needs brakes? As with most Overhaulin' builds, the 440 engine went back to the mark in case he ever wants to return the car to stock. > It wasn't show-quality, but compared with a lot of Overhauled rides, this custom interior was pretty darn clean. |
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| THE CAST OF CHARACTERS | |
 The mark, Merrick Veit, had never seen Overhaulin' before, so he was even more blown away than most Overhaulees. His reaction: "I can't believe it's this nice." He was amazed that a whole crowd of people would do all this work for someone they didn't even know. |
 > Merricks mon, Sheral Veit-Barney (second from left), was Overhaulin's insider, and family friend Scott Whitaker (second from right) was the accomplice. |
> The incredible build team included Project Manager Craig Chaffers, Sam Foose (Chip's dad), Scott Babson, Jake Bailey, David Barton, Frank Boughman, Shane Boulay, Mark Bowler, Ben Bright, Papa Jim Brutsman, Hector Cisneros, John Clark, Gabriel Corona, Efren Daguio, Mike Evans, Shawn Hengstebeck, Ben Holt, Charley Hutton, Tony Ixcoy, Steve Jones, Aaron Kaufman, Tom Kelly, Jimmy Kerlin, Kevin King, Fred Lynch, Chris Merrill, Zach Merril, Andrew Peterson, Austin Potter, Richard Rawlings, Tony Towe, Andreas Somogyi, Richard Waitas, Tim Walker, Brian Ward, Chad Weetan, and Michael West. |
Page Four
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> It's amazing how fast a car
comes apart when the Overhaulin' team descends on it like a swarm of locusts. As
Chip Foose said, "We are in Vegas. Let's strip it."
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> After A Strip Center media-blasted the
car and the metal was massaged, it was time to make sure everything lined up, then
slather on gobs of body filler and sand, sand, sand. The car finally headed over to
the spray booth for primer after 10 p.m. on Day 3.
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 > Trick technology: The Calypso WaterJet HammerHead literally used a stream of water to cut parts for this car out of solid metal, including grilles for the audio system. |
Page Five
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| HOOD Shaker hoods come on B-body Mopars, not E-bodies like this Charger. Since Chip Foose
had never seen one on a Charger before, he had to go there—cutting a hole in the hood
to let the scoop shake with the rumpety idle of this car's big Hemi engine.
BRIGHTWORK Chip and the team smoothed the bumpers and tucked them closer to the body. Artistic
Silver Plating and Cal Bumper handled the chrome work, and California Polishing did the
polishing.
PAINT The two-stage black and silver Carizzma ... From BASF R-M Diamont paint was squirted
on-site in AFC Finishing Systems' state-of-the-art downdraft spray booth, aka the Quadraft.
Kelly & Son's applied the red pinstriping that makes this paint job pop.
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WHEELS Haas Automation CNC-machined the Foose-designed wheels on-site, using material supplied
by MHT Wheels. They're 19x8 Challengers up front and 20x10s in the rear.
TIRES The completely unique BFGoodrich tires started out slick. Chip then designed a
Mopar-logo tread pattern, which was cut into each tire on set.
BRAKES Baer provided original-size DecelaRotor replacement rotors, front and rear, that are
cross-drilled, slotted, and zinc-plated. They provide better braking performance in a package
that would even fit the original wheels.
SUSPENSION Year One supplied suspension resto parts, including tie-rod ends and ball joints, and
Fatman Fabrications supplied a set of dropped spindles to lower the Dodge 2 inches without
adversely affecting ride and handling.
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Page Six
 > The BFGoodrich guys started with four slick tires. Chip designed a tread pattern, then they cut out a template, laid on the tires, spray-painted through it, and hand-carved the sweet Mopar-logo design. |
 > Bowler Performance Transmissions custom-built the 727 TorqueFlite, then added a Gear Vendors overdrive. To match the detail on the rest of this ride, Bowler smoothed and custom-painted the trans case, airbrushed on the Gear Vendors and Bowler logos, and installed polished 12-point stainless bolts throughout. |
 > Co-host Chris Jacobs and A.J. worked the crowd, building excitement, tossing T-shirts, and holding trivia competitions for Foose-autographed hats. |
Get Rid of the Ugly |
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> Working in front of an audience added energy and excitement—and pressure. After all, these were industry insiders keeping watch over the build. |
Page Seven
> It's a tradition: D-Day falls on the last day of the SEMA Show. Unfortunately, D-Day arrived and the interior clearly was not done. The fact that it was finished by the time owner Merrick Veit showed up is a testament to the hard—and incredibly fast—work of the Bill Dunn crew and the entire build team. |
> Overhaulin' regular Shane Boulay and Gabriel Corona from Bill Dunn One Stop Shop got the Cobra bucket seats ready for installation. |
> A parts car made it possible for the Kustom Kar Audio team to mock up the audio system while Merricks's car was away at the paint booth. That was hugely helpful, since the audio system couldn't actually be installed until D-Day. |
> With the headlights close, you can see why people refer to the factory grille as an "electric shaver." The smoothed and insert bumper and the Foose center cap in the grille really set off the Charger's front end. |
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| CRATE ENGINE The Mopar Performance 426 Hemi crate engine puts out 465 hp and 486 lb-ft
of torque. The all-new, very complete 9.0.:1 engine starts with a heavy-duty
cast-iron block with cross-bolt mains. It then receives a forged-steel crank,
forged pistons, cast-iron cylinder heads, a hydraulic cam (292 degrees duration,
0.524/0.543-inch lift), an aluminum dual-plane M1 intake manifold, and
electronic distributor, plug wires, a double-roller timing chain and cover,
and a 6-quart oil pan.
PERFORMANCE PARTS Summit Racing supplied the Holley carb and Russell fuel lines and fittings,
and Fluidyne provided a high-performance radiator to cool the big Hemi.
INSTALLATION PARTS Year One supplied a variety of underhood restoration parts, including the
wiring harness, fuel lines, and brake lines. Billet Specialties provided the
clean and tidy pulley system.
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EXHAUST Mopar Performance recommends mating this engine to 2.00-inch headers, and
Mopar exhaust specialist TTI was happy to oblige. The headers connect to a
one-off stainless steel exhaust system that MagnaFlow created on-site. It
starts as a dual 3-inch system flowing through a Tru-X pipe, then into two
5x8x14 offset-offset mufflers, exiting as a 21/2-inch true dual exhaust.
DRIVETRAIN Bowler Performance Transmissions fitted the 727 TorqueFlite with all
new-premium clutches, seals, gaskets, and bearings; a performance intermediate
band and new rear band; a billet Reverse servo; a new Low/Reverse sprag; and a
shift-improver kit. The company also custom-built a 2,100-stall converter and
added a Gear Vendors 0.78:1 overdrive. It sends power through a Driveline Inc.
driveshaft and a rebuilt 83/4 rearend.
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Page Eight
> The fold-down rear bucket seats and extended
console are factory features, dressed up beautifully with Keyston Bros. Leather by
Bill Dunn and a speaker grille cut by the Calypso WaterJet.
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Page Nine
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| INTERIOR Bill Dunn's team wrapped the interior in Keyston black leather with red
stitching, gray piping, and striking red insert. Even the dash wears red
leather.
RESTORATION PARTS Although only 15,788 '67 Chargers were made, Year One offers a slew of
restoration parts and pieces for them, including door rubber and seals. The
few items that weren't available came off a donor car, including the rear
center console, some dash trim and the interior moldings.
SEATS The Cobra Sidewinder seats from Subè Sports have a black fitted back,
and they recline and tilt forward for
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rear-seat access. When Bill Dunn's crew upholstered the seats to match the
interior scheme, they also stitched in the Cobra logo.
GAUGES Summit Racing supplied the Auto Meter Pro-Comp Ultra-Lite speedometer, tach,
water-temperature, and gas gauges.
SOUND SYSTEM Kustom Kar Audio designed and installed the stunning sound system, which
features ARC Audio subwoofers and speakers as well as a satellite- and HD-ready
Eclipse by Fujitsu Ten head unit that plays CDs and MP3s.
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SOUND DEADENING The whole interior was layered with Dynamat Xtreme to keep the car cooler in
the Vegas heat and dampen vibration—key with a thumpin' sound system.
ALARM Protek Resources installed an alarm system with an LCD on two remote controls.
The system includes door solenoids and a trunk release since the locks and door
handles have been shaved.
AIR CONDITIONING A Vintage Air A/C unit was a vital addition for a Vegas ride. The system also
includes a heater and defogger for those cold desert nights.
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Page Ten
> The trunk is filled with awesome audio equipment.
ARC's new Foose Signature Series 12-inch subwoofers usually get mounted the other way;
the ARC guys decided to invert them to show off the ARC and Foose logos and Chip's
signature on the back of the magnets. To really personalize this ride, owner Merrick
Viet's name appears under the Mopar logo on the top grille.
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> Removing the trim from the top of the quarter-panels,
tucking in the bumper, and then extending the fenders to match creates an amazingly clean
tail end, while the Foose center cap in the trunk emblem helps tell this car's tale.
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AFC FINISHING SYSTEMS Oroville, CA 800/331-7744 www.afc-ca.com ARC AUDIO Modesto, CA 209/543-8706 www.arcaudio.com ARTISTIC SILVER PLATING Signal Hill, CA 877/427-0113 www.artisticsilverplating.com A STRIP CENTER Las Vegas, NV 702/791-0352 BAER BRAKE SYSTEMS Phoenix, AZ 602/233-1411 www.baer.com BFGOODRICH Greenville, SC 877/788-8899 www.bfgoodrichtires.com BILL DUNN ONE STOP SHOP Huntington Beach, CA 714/848-3985 www.bill-dunn.com BILLET SPECIALTIES La Grange, IL 800/245-5382 www.billetspecialties.com BOWLER PERFORMANCE TRANSMISSIONS Lawrenceville, IL 618/943-4856 www.bowlertransmissions.com BURR KING Warsaw, MO 800/621-2748 www.burrking.com Grinders and polishers CAL BUMPER Long Beach, CA 562/436-1203 |
CALIFORNIA POLISHING Huntington Beach, CA 714/847-2166 CALTIME METALS Huntington Beach, CA 714/892-3307 www.caltimemetals.com CALYPSO WATERJET SYSTEMS Dallas, TX 972/488-8661 www.calypsowaterjet.com CARIZZMAN ... FROM BASF 800/825-3000 www.carizzmacolors.com CLASSIC AUTO APPRAISER Mission Viejo, CA 800/454-1313 www.classicautoappraiser.com COBRA SEATS/SUBČ SPORTS Huntington Beach, CA 714/847-1501 www.subesports.com DRIFTMODE Bend, OR 541/322-9184 www.driftmode.com Automotive service covers DRIVELINES INC. Irvine, CA 800/963-7483 www.drivelinesinc.com DYNAMAT Hamilton, OH 513/860-5094 www.dynamat.com ECLIPSE BY FUJITSU TEN 310/327-2151 800/55-ELIPSE (dealer locator) FATMAN FABRICATIONS Charlotte, NC 704/545-0369 www.fatmanfab.com |
FIVE STAR GAS AND GEAR Los Nietos, CA 888/885-STAR www.fivestargas.com FLUIDYNE Ontario, CA 800-FLUIDYNE www.fluidyne.com FOOSE DESIGN Huntington Beach, CA www.foosedesign.com GAS MONKEY GARAGE Dallas, TX 972/243-MNKY www.gasmonkeygarage.com GEAR VENDORS El Cajon, CA 800/999-9555 www.gearvendors.com HASS AUTOMATION Oxnard, CA 800/331-6746 www.haascnc.com IRON CLAD GLOVES El Segundo, CA 888/314-3197 www.ironclad.com KAESER COMPRESSORS Fredericksbrug, VA 540/898-5500 us.kaeser.com KELLY & SONS THE CRAZY PAINTERS Bellflower, CA 562/867-0511 KEYSTON BROS. Roswell, GA 770/587-2555 www.keystonbros.com KUSTOM KAR AUDIO Boulder, CO 303/447-3398 www.kustomkaraudio.com |
LINCOLN ELECTRIC Cleveland, OH 216/481-8100 www.lincolnelectric.com Welding equipment MAC TOOLS Westerville, OH 800/MAC-TOOLS www.mactools.com MAGNAFLOW PERFORMANCE EXHAUST Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 800/824-8664 www.magnaflow.com MHT WHEELS La Palma, CA 800/378-0007 www.mhtwheels.com MITTLER BROS. MACHINE & TOOL CO. Wright City, MO 800/467-2464 www.mittlerbros.com Metal-fabrication tools MOPAR PERFORMANCE www.mopar.com MOTHERS POLISHES • WAXES • CLEANERS Huntington Beach, CA 714/891-3364 www.mothers.com NORDIC TRADE Huntington Beach, CA 714/847-9954 www.nordictrade.com Coffee OAKLEY Foothill Ranch, CA 800/403-7449 www.oakley.com Safety glasses OPTIMA BATTERIES Aurora,CO 888/8OPTIMA www.optimabatteries.com |
PERFORMANCE BEVERAGES Byrdstown, TN 877/742-3278 www.drinkthebeat.com The Beast energy drink PROTEK RESOURCES Irvine, CA 323/382-3808 QUALITY TOOL & EQUIPMENT Temecula, CA 951/296-3860 Mobile lift ROYAL PURPLE Porter, TX 281/354-8600 www.royalpurple.com Synthetic lubricants SATA Spring Valley, MN 507/346-7102 www.satausa.com Spray equipment (primer and paint guns) STEADY RACING Akron, OH 800/230-3030 www.summitracing.com 3M AUTOMOTIVE DIVISION St. Paul, MN 888/364-3577 www.3mautomotivetape.com Body supplies (tape, masking paper, sandpaper) TUBE TCHNOLOGIES INC. (TTI) Corona, CA 951/371-4878 www.ttiexhaust.com VINTAGE AIR San Antonio, TX 800/TO-COOL-U www.vintageair.com YEAR ONE Braselton, GA 800/YEAR-ONE www.yearone.com |