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There are plenty of instances where perfectly good—and often rare—cast iron cylinder head and engine block castings are scrapped due to the presence of a hairline crack in an external surface. Often these fractures result after a freeze. Remember, water volume expands 10 percent when frozen—the jacking force can snap even a sturdy Hemi block in the blink of an eye.

We all want our Mopar to look fantastic and stay looking great for years to come, and modern base/clear automotive finishes make this task easier than ever. Unlike single-stage paints which contain the pigment, solvents, and protective chemicals all mixed and sprayed together, base/clear paints involve a two-step process in which the pigment, or basecoat, is applied first, and then covered by a protective clear coat. This two-step process not only provides a deep glossy finish, but also offers more protection than single-stage paints. But even though modern paints will last longer and stay looking better than outdated auto refinishing products, they still require routine, preventative maintenance using the proper car care products to stay looking their best.

Of the many attributes of steel, the major component used in construction of the body and structural members of all but some of the most recent Mopars, one downside of this product is certain: Steel will rust. And if the Mopar you’re driving or restoring is like some of the ones we’ve seen lately, chances are it suffers from a rust hole or two in one of the body or floor panels. Even with the best paint job, a tiny imperfection due to a rock chip or scratch can allow water to migrate to the metal, causing rust, which if left untreated can lead to panel rust-through.

The majority of Mopars produced during the '60s and '70s were equipped with the standard bench seat, usually covered in vinyl. And while these bench seats are soft, springy, and offer a great way for your date to sit close, when it comes to performance driving the bench seat is not just uncomfortable, but downright scary. Even when strapped in with the safety belts, taking corners fast in a bench seat equipped car results in the passenger sliding around, grasping at the dash and armrest, and uttering choice words directed at the driver. For the driver, aggressive handling in a bench seat car again produces sliding, and tight grasping of the steering wheel and shifter to hold him or herself in the driver seat.

The new generation Dodge Challenger's platform gives us a chance to relive the horsepower wars of the '70s. There are many of us who were not around to see those days and now have a chance of owning a modern-day muscle car. In the Sept. '11 issue of Mopar Muscle, we went into detail about how to install a replacement shifter handle for the automatic-equipped Challenger, Charger, Magnum, or 300 to mimic the classic look of a Pistol Grip shifter. One thing that owners cherish most is the ability to have full control of the way the car shifts at any given time. In this issue, we show some love to the owners who have a six-speed manual transmission. Our '10 Challenger comes with a 6.1-liter V-8 and a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual.

Have you ever thumbed through an automotive catalog of aftermarket parts and been overwhelmed at the number and variety of items available for your Mopar these days? It seems manufacturers have heard the complaint that many Mopar owners have stated for years, that there just weren't any quality aftermarket pieces available for Mopars in comparison to other brands of vehicle. Times have changed, however, and numerous companies are now providing everything from factory replacement parts to exotic race items for our Mopars. And while it is nice to have choices these days when it comes to building our cars, picking the correct pieces from this plethora of parts can be a challenging proposition.

In the December issue of Mopar Muscle, we introduced this project, a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi car once raced by the legendary team of Sox and Martin, and described how honored we are to be working on such a historic piece of Mopar drag racing history. Owned by central Florida car collector and Mopar enthusiast Todd Werner, this Barracuda is one of the original BO29 coded Hemi A-Bodies assembled by Hurst, and was driven by Ronnie Sox during the 1974 racing season as the team honored Chrysler's request to boycott the Pro Stock class. Known as the "Protest Car", this Super Stock Barracuda was fitted with specially engineered suspension components at Chrysler's direction, and mechanics Dave Christie and Jake King assembled the car while Jake himself handled building the engine(s). And while the car is a beautifully restored piece, that Jake King Hemi had long been replaced by a tired, worn out street engine unworthy of such a noble home.

Have you ever thought about replacing the factory breaker-points distributor in your Mopar with modern electronic ignition but haven't wanted to mess with re-wiring your car? We all want the convenience and reliability of modern electronic ignition, but there are several obstacles when it comes to installing most aftermarket ignition systems. First, ignition boxes can be cumbersome, and require drilling holes and a mounting location away from heat sources but still convenient enough to wire the unit and make adjustments. Second, ignition systems can require additional wiring or hacking into the factory wiring harness, something most of us are hesitant to do. Fortunately, MSD has a great distributor available for Mopar big-blocks, small-blocks, and Hemis that contains the electronic ignition components inside, making it ready to run with only three wires to connect.

Each year at Mopar Muscle magazine we host a contest for engine builders across the country to highlight their skills by competing in the annual AMSOIL/Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge. The challenge begins at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, where the rules are outlined and applications are handed out. Engine shops then have two months to apply to be in the contest, and we choose eight competitors to build engines, which are then delivered to the Mopar Nationals, and tested on the engine dyno at Comp Cams the following month.