One year before your neighbor Fred could order up a 426 cubic inch (7.0L) 425 HP Hemi, Dodge and Plymouth supplied anyone who knew how to place the order correctly (mostly professional drag racing teams) with a special factory drag racer featuring the “Maximum Performance” Hemi engine in a lightweight A990 (Dodge Coronet or Plymouth Belvedere). This 1965 Plymouth Belvedere in North Ridgeville, Ohio bears a fender tag with the R11 Body code and Engine code 82 used on those cars. It’s located in North Ridgeville, Ohio, and is listed here on eBay. What an amazing find!
This car also features the Heater Delete code that was part of the A990 package. Plymouth built 160 of these cars, and Dodge made 200 of the comparable Coronets. This one came with the sturdy 727 three-speed automatic and (of course) a four-speed with Hurst shifter was also available. You can read more about these exciting factory drag cars in the book Maximum Performance: Mopar Super Stock Drag Racing 1962 – 1969 by Jim Schild.
The A990 cars had a one-inch reduced wheelbase to help with weight transfer under acceleration. To reduce weight, the bodies were dipped in acid, reducing the thickness of the metal as much as 60%. Doors and bumpers were mounted with aluminum hardware. Thanks to hemmings.com for some details.
Originally EE1 Dark Blue Poly with a L1T Tan Interior, this lightweight Mopar probably went through several livery changes before being retired. In 1965 the 426 hemi featured cylinder heads with the now-famous hemispherical combustion chambers, 12.5:1 compression ratio, solid lifters, and a magnesium cross-ram intake with twin Holley four-barrel carburetors. Spent gasses exhausted through tubular four-into-two-into-one exhaust headers, then into a truncated exhaust with and dual outlets with removable caps. Not your average factory setup! Surprisingly the seller has listed the original block separately, but if this car’s provenance checks out, the package deal would be worth more than the sum of their individual sales.
What might be factory dark blue appears beneath the black on this extremely well-preserved fender tag. Key codes are the AB=82 denoting a AB=82 (426 hemi 425hp) and BDY=R11 which only appears on the maximum performance A990s. In the middle row, D=5 for automatic transmission and E=6 is Delete Heater. According to the seller this car was wrecked and rebuilt with factory-correct (acid dipped) parts in the ’70s. The “extensive rust” described in the listing is no surprise considering those lightweight panels, and repairing them should be done with care. How would you put this high-performance machine back together?
Mark Worman should resort this one. I wonder how well he could recite those production numbers and codes from memory? GLWTS.
Either him reciting those codes or his buddy who is a Mopar restoration parts supplier, Tony ? I think his name is. These cars were awesome in their day.
I watched the show, he has all of the factory assembly manuals so there’s not much to have to remember. I concur that he’s the man for the job!
The ad clearly states this is not a factory A990 car. The original was destroyed, this car has been re-bodied using many original parts. That is why the seller has the engine listed separately. It might be bought and restored as a nostalgia race car/show car or parted to restore an original. I’ll lean towards stripped of its A990 specific parts, then re-sold to someone who will build it into a tribute/clone.
Steve R
Ehhhhhhh on the fence. He was told it was destroyed. I’d want to look into it personally. If it was totally destroyed how would the doors and other parts be salvageable.
If it can be verified it was one of the 160 built, it would definitely warrant a restoration , but looking at the one pic on Ebay that is not shown here, shows its going to need a ton of work. Theres not much left off the rear floors or the rear structure and I can only assume the front floors are as bad.
The ad says the car was rebodied. How could it be one of the original Factory A990 Car?
Acid dipped body. Wow. Clearly, automakers followed this example during the 1970s!
Yeah, calcium chloride does well at eating steel.
The paint scheme looks like a cross between a Ramchargers and Butch Leal car. Unfortunately, it looks like it’s pretty far gone.
If it was real there is no question someone would restore it.
Steve R
Well personally i don’t have any interest when some separates original engine and tag!
If your selling the body alone then in my opinion a ruff possible non original body and vin removed is worth nothing.
The highway robber approach is the walk away factor to this guy…
“Original 426 Hemi block for sale in seperate auction. Extensive rust will need complete restoration. vin tag and bill of sale will be provided to buyer. Thanks.”
You should let everyone know if the air in the tires are extra along with non title which mid west states don’t look to kindly too. Police inspection and haggle for engine, bolts in engine blahblahnope. 🤑
It’s not only the engine he has separated. He is also selling the crank separately.
How many cars like this are left to find. The whole idea that a light weight mopar is to far gone to restore is idiotic. Someone take the time, and of course a wallet full of money, and bring it back into the living. Weve all seen way worse cars brought back to life.
The car had been rebodied.
Wondering about the acid dip removing “almost 60%” of the metal thickness? You had better hope nobody ever leaned on it when it was in the pits. Or dropped a wrench on it. Wow.
One of those was imported here to Australia in 1964. Somewhere i have pics of it sitting on the wharf in Stydney with little lables stuck on iot telling people not to lean on the fenders or hood because they were both alloy and very thin steel .Rust could mean it’s mostly the original body though,because the acid kept on working long after the car panels came out of the tank.
The cars in Australia were ex- Milne dealership 63 and 64 Maxwedge cars, NOT A990 Race Hemi cars. I know one of the current owners and gave several period pictures.
had acid dipped cars in the 60s . Nelson, White and Jones cars . couldn’t put a manual on some spots .
and he wants 7k for the just the block LMAO
Glad you find that entertaining. He’ll actually get that much for it, priced fairly for an early SS Hemi block.
Wonder if this was Kenny Montgomery’s wrecked triple nickel 555
As Will says, this does bear some resemblance to Butch Leal’s california Flash car. Its hard to tell from the pics, but do you guys think this was an altered wheelbase car? Not Sure if Butch’s Mopar was awb. Too bad this one is so far gone. Good luck and stay safe.
Cheers
GPC
The ad says it was re-bodied in the 1970’s from the wreck of an original A990 car that had its wheelbase altered when it was turned into an A/FX car. Whoever built this car did so with its stock wheel base.
Steve R
Acid tripped or acid dipped? Does my head man.
The old vintage photograph of it racing sure enough it’s blue. The faded paint scheme on it now looks like the famous white and red Ramchargers, but I thought those were Dodge only.
Great to see one of these Mopars even in this shape, real, rebuilt, or whatever…..probably one of the worst nightmares for the guy in the other lane.
Why waste money and time on acid dipping, Just drive it in a Wisconsin winter and it’s losing weight already.
I believe this is the same car that was a point of discussion years back on Bangshift when it came up for sale.
Hell and I thought Smokey Yunick had thought of this all by himself. Turns out he was just copying Chrysler.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2016/02/18/the-unfair-advantage-1968-sunoco-team-penske-camaro-heads-to-auction-in-florida
Smokey Yunik made a smaller scale 66 chevelle. It was like 20percent smaller. Took a while for NASCAR to catch it. Because of that little stunt. Inspections got a lot more intense.
Kevin; Smokey did a lot of innovative things with the Chevelle but it was still the size of a normal Chevelle, although the body was moved back two inches on the chassis for better weight distribution.
I always ask this when somebody says that Smokey’s Chevelle was 20% smaller than original: Where did he get wheels and tires that were 20% smaller?
A990’s were not acid dipped check further than you did. They did have light weight glass and many other tricks (a steel shot packed muffler mounted horizontal at the rear bumper, 1 3/4 inch single exhaust). I know, and not from Mark Worman’s files, I Owned one! Bought it from Cy Green Motors, Bayside, New York, in 1965.
I believe you are correct. The front ends were actually aluminum as were the ’63 Chevy Z11 Impalas.
The acid dipped cars were the A/FX cars.
WRONG. There were 4 1964 cars with a factory 2% alteration.
In 65, Amblewagon was contracted to build 11 hardtop cars, with one Dodge sedan built by Dick Branstner for ‘Wild’ Bill Flynn with 10” and 15” wheelbase alterations.
Clearly the author did NOT read Jim Shilds book. 😡
That is less then ten minutes away from me. With all that’s wrong about it, I don’t think it’s worth it.
I’m guessing ? the original body was so hacked up, changed to an AF/X car, that the car was rebodied ( transferring sn, body parts) , retaining the original sn, RO51xxxxxx, which is an original A990 car. Dodge and plymouth built I think 101 each, total 202.
Since this car was rebodied I don’t see the connection to a factory hemi Belevedere A990 car?
If its rebodied its not real never will be
Thats a rusted 65 body, that’s all it is.
It is not an aluminum fender, no cotter pin in the front end, lightweight bumper, altered wheelbase, thin carpeted, mean mother f*#%ing race car.
My friend had one for awhile in the late 90s, early 2000s, it was a 1964. Stu Paer from NJ. The car was Reverend MR Black III.
It had something like 600 miles on it when he got it and I watched him drive it on the street……
Now that was incredible. He had a great deal of knowledge about the cars there were so many different things they did at the factory I can’t remember them all.
Did they make a 65 with aluminum fenders or where they just dipped? Cant tell when they rebodied the car if it remained altered wheelbase. If the frame is original then I would guess so or the wheels wouldn’t look right, Neat find for sure! I would hope whoever buys it gets the motor too and builds it back to the Hammer that it once was. Original? No. Still cool as heck? YEP
when you go to sell it, you may have a problem. No dmv/auction will let you go through it with a screwed on data tag!
@ Chillywind, RE: Chrysler Corp. data tags, almost all of the ones I’ve ever seen were screwed on from the factory. Was that Reverend MR Black lll from Paterson ?
Hey boss!! where do you want me to put this driveshaft???
ahh just throw it in the trunk.
OK boss, but I think it may be too long……..I will get it done don’t worry.
the 1964 super stocks had glass / aluminum body panels. NHRA implemented new rules for 1965 requiring steel body panels, which is why all 1965 super stocks had acid dipped panels. The 1964’s had cast iron hemi heads. The 1965 hemi heads and water pump were aluminum.
All I can say from what I read is “Greed” parting the car out will bring much more than the whole car and buying it to restore part by part would be ridiculous especially if it were a bidding situation and someone needed a specific part for their build!! I wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole!! Rebodied or not chances are this car will never get rebuilt once the parts get scattered throughout the country or even the world!!!
Back in the late 60’s in Queens my friend Red had a light weight 65 Plymouth, the Hemi was changed out for a 413 when he bought it. He was rear ended on Sunrise Hwy on the way to the drags one weekend and it ruined the front aluminum sheet metal when he went into the back of another car. Even with a stock wedge it was a quick car, if I remember correctly it had Corningware glass and it came with more leaf springs on one side
The “GOOD OLE DAYS”, run what you bring. Then came the rules. Don’t get me wrong, safety is important, but all the other ????
https://www.rkmotors.com/vehicles/3750/1965-dodge-coronet-a-990-tribute
$69,900
I always ask this when somebody says that Smokey’s Chevelle was 20% smaller than original: Where did he get wheels and tires that were 20% smaller?
Grumpy did the same acid dip on his cameros back then. This altered wheelbase car would of been an absolute terror back then,and for what it’s worth, worthy of a “factory stock” restoration.Put into perspective, a 1 of 160 cars built. A piece of racing history.
This car can get you out in jail. If they pulled the vin plate off the wrecked A990 car and put it on this one it is a felony. There are numbers all over cars that match the vin, cowl, core support, under the package tray, frame rails. This car is a rebodied six cylinder car that is only good for what little parts are good.