Roger Toppenberg

Adam So with Dodge having I believe four generations of Dakota pickups ( including the Ram Dakota ) exactly which stub by year are you indicating I should be searching for that will work the best with the 1951 Dodge car? Tread width, steering location, rail widths, frame ground height ( I also am a fan of down and dirty ) or what makes it the better choice than the others for the application? With your past experience doing the different cars and passing the information on to me is highly appreciated as I feel I only have one build at best left in me and am wanting it to be the best, cleanest and easiest. Best because what is more intimating than having a Hemi under the hood and easiest by starting off with using the correct components for the build however with the small engine bay the terms Hemi and easiest don't really belong in the same sentence do they ? We raced a 1967 Dodge Charger in the U.S.A.C stock car series in 1968 & 69. How I wish I still had one of the 426 Nicholes Engineering racing engines Chrysler had them build exclusively for the Dodge race teams we had back then. $5,000.00 a copy was a lot then but they ruled if you wanted to be competitive but that of course was only right up until something internally broke and then generally all you had left to use from that one for the next was the intake manifold and the carburetor. A new house only cost $20,000.00 during that time so quite obviously, we must have been considered as being retarded then and I don't exactly know what to blame having a Top Dragster for my son to compete in now on. At seventy-five I do believe they have a couple of terms I don't much care for the sound of used for a condition like this but oh well.

Thanks Adam. I have always thought the late Camaro stubs were plenty wide and shied away from them versus using the earl style or a Nova however they are getting to be as hard to come by as finding teeth in a chicken around here. On the bright side ( excluding the radiator issues ) the front steer is much easier to work with in most cases. With the boxing I wasn't able to tell what was going on where the stub and the existing frame rails came together so thanks for the info concerning that also. Still in the planning stages of this one as it definitely would be a different cat to skin so I am grateful for all of the information and photos you have provided. A Hemi has a way of luring one into maybe more work and expense than most are willing or maybe should be dealing with when the engine compartments are as small and short as these cars have. Thanks Roger

Thank you for the response. Nice workmanship is evident on both the clip installation and the recessed firewall. What year Camaro clip did you use and with the narrowed control arms will the tread width be close to the same as the stock 47's ? I'm curious about that due to the tire/fender lip clearance when turning as I am wanting too lower the front of my car around three inches from the factory height. Do the Camaro rails fit inside of the Plymouths at the point you joined them or did you choose to mate them there for other reasons ( transmission mount, header installation, ride height, etc. ) which brings up the question of have you been able to determine what the stance of the car will be when it is completely assembled yet? I'm guessing it would take a bunch of sandbags to duplicate the weight of that Hemi hanging out there on the nose. Thanks Roger

I want to upgrade the front suspension on a 1951 Dodge passenger car to include disc brakes and power steering. I am wanting to use a Dodge Dakota suspension if possible but others may be considered and am wondering if any others have accomplished this task in the past and can offer suggestions. I am also wanting to install a 1955 331 C.U. Chrysler engine and transmission in the car. Thanks