WHEN you're digging on the gleam at car shows, it's hard not to be drawn to the bumble bee stripes, shaker hoods, and Wide Oval skins of an original-spec muscle car restoration. Correct can mean cash, as in the millions for numbers-matching, low-mileage trailer queens. They're pretty to look at, but Rick Lumsden knows from personal experience that they don't drive that way. The revelation for his next restoration came from drive time with his 1975 Dodge Dart Sport 360. "I built it completely stock, which meant that it drove like a 1975 car," said Lumsden. "It wasn't very pleasant." Consider the most basic attributes of the modern automobile; front disc brakes, rack and pinion steering feel, and fuel injection simplicity. As the Sunday night cruise approaches, the thoughts of trading all that in for drum brake fade, persnickety carbs, and Super-Slop power steering seems anything but fun. "This car will have the full-meal deal," said Lumsden. "It will look the part of a 1970 Charger, but it will drive like a new car." This particular Plum Crazy Mopar has just as colourful a history. It was purchased new from Century Motors, originally equipped with a 383 and (ugh!) white vinyl top. (A black one will be taking its place.) Various members of the Manitoba Mopar Association have played restoration Hacky Sack with this Charger, most recently with longtime member Pat Kaniuga. "Pat was going to turn it into a Daytona," said Lumsden. "But everyone in the club gave him a rough time about it." Much of the body and chassis detail had been completed when Lumsden acquired the car, though a previous stab at rear quarter-panel installation revealed body lines held together with half an inch of filler. Oakbank Auto Body returned the flanks to the proper line. It should be noted that it's always a treat to see a factory colour such as Plum Crazy duplicated without the razzle-dazzle. On a Mopar, it simply doesn't need it.

The 383, which had seized up solid thanks to damp storage, will be replaced by a potent 440 Wedge with Ken Murray goodness. The new displacement is just shy of 500 cubes. The Wedge will be topped off with Edelbrock heads, as well as an Edelbrock Performer Pro-Flo EFI setup. The Edelbrock system employs the common batch-fire injection programming. "I want to get down to individual injectors," said Lumsden, who definitely knows his way around computers thanks to the day job with Pro Data Inc. "Throwing a laptop on this will be second-nature for me." Expected output for the Wedge should be in the neighborhood of 550 to 600 ponies. In the transmission department, Lumsden addressed every component of the 727 Torqueflite prone to failure from high-performance inputs. Vancouver-based TCS Performance Products provided Lumsden with everything from input shafts to pressure plates. He added a steel pinion from local supplier King-O-Matic Industries. A Gear Vendors overdrive upgrade is currently on the wish list. Speaking of Vancouver, Lumsden found the solution to his steering woes with a new steering box from Firm Feel Inc., located in Vancouver, Wash. The Firm Feel gang is Dodge material; they specialize in suspension upgrade parts for vintage Mopars. Firm Feel builds three levels of snug into their steering boxes, which starts with a remanufactured Police-Spec OE unit. Lumsden chose the Level 2 box, which best mimics the performance of a rack and pinion. The trick is resized worm gear assemblies, and special reaction springs. The next step was revised upper control arms. "The problem with the stock pieces is you can't get enough caster to get a nice feel on the road," said Lumsden, who was a licensed mechanic for 17 years before he traded in his ratchets for RAM. Tubular uppers from Magnumforce allow for added adjustability. The front end will easily have shed about 150 pounds, with aluminum tie rod sleeves and Wilwood 12-inch, four-piston disc brakes. Torsion bars have grown to almost an inch in diameter. Suspension bushings have been upgraded to polyurethane compounds. The rear suspension had already received quality revamping when Lumsden acquired the car from Kaniuga. The Sure Grip axle hides 3.91 gears, held in place by Mopar performance-spec springs. With an Addco sway bar, this Charger might want to consider dropping some jaws on the autocross circuit. The shopping list includes the classic Cragar S/S 5-spokes, though in a 16-inch size. Other noteworthy bits include a Be Cool aluminum crossflow rad, which is kept even cooler by twin Spal electric fans. Unibody flex is diminished with Mopar Performance frame connectors, and the driveshaft loop is the most obvious hint that Lumsden will be hitting Gimli for confirmation of all his hard work. Lumsden gave a tip of his MMA hat to Otto's Custom Upholstering in Beausejour, for the bucket seat restitch. It will take about another year to reassemble the Charger, just in time for the Piston Ring World of Wheels show in 2008. His plans are to take the Charger on tours that actually leave dents in the odometer. "It's kind of a waste to spend a Sunday sitting in a hot parking lot," said Lumsden. Now there's a Plum Crazy idea worth getting behind. michael.clark@ freepress.mb.ca