Top Eliminator” Awards
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Contact: Patricia Georgevich Mopar® Will Display Seven Privately Owned Vehicles at the 2007 SEMA Show as Part of its “Top Eliminator” Awards Mopar® developed the year-long program to recognize and showcase the most passionate and skilled enthusiasts and their restored or modified vehicles The SEMA Show, the annual showcase of technology, trends and products representing the $36.7 billion automotive parts and accessories industry, will be held from Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, 2007 The vehicles will be displayed in the Mopar booth (#42427) located in the lower South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center October 28, 2007, Center Line, Mich. - Mopar® will display seven privately owned vehicles in its booth at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show as part of its ‘Top Eliminator Awards” program. The annual showcase of technology, trends and products representing the $36.7 billion automotive parts and accessories industry, SEMA will be held Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Mopar, Chrysler LLC’s original equipment (OE) parts manufacturer, developed its Top Eliminator awards program to recognize and showcase the most passionate and skilled Mopar enthusiasts and their restored or modified cars. Mopar chose four Top Eliminator award winners at events throughout 2007. The editors of Mopar Muscle,Mopar Action and Mopar Collector’s Guide each chose a winner during the year as well. “All seven Top Eliminator award winners did an outstanding job modifying or restoring their vehicles,” said David Hakim, Program Manager – Mopar Performance Parts, Chrysler LLC. Hakim added, "The work done on their vehicles shows the passion, quality and innovation that Mopar wants in a Top Eliminator award winner. We want to identify true enthusiasts who put their heart and soul into a project — people who do much of the work themselves.” Mopar Winner – Don Petco Don Petco of Shelby Township, Mich. restored a rare 1964 Dodge Ramcharger 330 that he displayed at Autorama in Detroit in March 2007. One of approximately 50 original factory lightweight 1964 Dodge 330 “Package” cars with a 426 HEMI engine, the front end and doors were stamped in aluminum to make the car lighter to dominate in super stock. Petco’s restoration was a complete disassembly. The interior and exterior were blasted and painted. He painstakingly detailed each replacement piece during the vehicle’s construction. Performance and rear suspension upgrades (ladder bar with adjustable coil over shocks), wheels and tires and a roll cage for safety are the only departures from the original. From the outside, it looks like it just rolled off the line. The interior looks like new. For the area between the wheel tubs, Petco had panels made to match the new door panels rather than use the original cardboard ones. In 1989, he sold the car to a friend. Petco commented, “Then I spent the next 11 years trying to get him to sell it back to me.” He ran the Ramcharger with its original motor. It ran a quarter mile in 9.59 sec. at 137 mph. Now, it has a HEMI stroker that displaces 526, churning 820 horsepower and 730 lb.-ft of torque. He can’t wait to run it again to see the new results – the old engine had less displacement, horsepower and torque. Mopar Winner – Rob Lelakowski Rob Lelakowski of Buckeye, Ariz. restored a rare 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T that he displayed at Mopars at the Strip in Las Vegas in March 2007. Purchased from a friend (Gary Gignac) in 1999, Lelakowski’s goal was to restore the Coronet to its original stock form. Over the last two years, the complete disassembly took most weekends and Saturdays. While Lelakowski did most of the work himself – several friends did assist with the body (Brad Saari) and interior (Curtis Jenkins). He knew his biggest challenge would be finding all the ‘67 parts he needed for the restoration. He was lucky. The Coronet has many rare parts. A really rare find was the white plastic windshield wiper motor cover.\ Inside, the pearl white bucket seats contrast the black console, carpet and dashboard. The roomy interior offers the driver and passengers plenty of road view. Most of the interior parts are original pieces that he restored. The Coronet’s exterior is distinctive. Lelakowski believes the ’66-’67 Coronets were some of the best B bodies ever produced: basic without being bulky. The Coronet glides on its redline radials – with the ‘red’ accenting the R/T’s ‘red’ emblem above the quarter panel. All the body panels are original and rust free. The glass is original with the exception of the windshield. Endless hours went into refurbishing the stainless steel and chrome accents. Best of all, the Coronet came with four rare hubcaps: simulated magnesium wheel covers. The Coronet’s 440 Magnum® engine pushes 375 ponies with 480 lb.-ft of torque. The 727 automatic transmission delivers power to the 8 3/4 rear end with 3.23:1 sure grip. The oversized 11-inch brakes stop her. His restoration included one exception to the original Coronet: power steering, to accompany the vehicle’s power brakes. He did save all the original manual steering components so he could change it back quickly – to please the ultimate purists. Mopar Winner – Mike Ege Mike Ege of Cornelius, N.C. restored a 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 that he displayed at Mopar Nationals in Columbus, Ohio in August 2007. Ege purchased the car from his parents in 1974 on his 16th birthday – his parents had purchased it used in 1970. From 1974 to 1977, he was a regular Friday night cruiser on ‘E’ Street in San Bernardino, Calif. On Saturday nights, he would it drive to the Orange Show Speedway. The Dart became such a part of his life that he could never sell it. He and his wife even had their first date in it in 1982. After putting the Dart in storage in 1989, he began its restoration in 2003. The term “the real McCoy” takes on a whole new meaning for Ege’s restoration. He calls the two-year project, “rotisserie restoration.” His goal was to turn back the clock to 1969. Every effort was made to restore the Dart to “OE/Factory” specifications – the way the dealer would have received the Dart after it rolled off the assembly line. He used very few reproduction parts on the Dart. If new-old-stock (NOS) parts weren’t available [factory parts built by the original manufacturer], then he used a high-quality reproduction part. His attention to detail paid off. At the 2006 Mopar Nationals in Columbus, the vehicle won Best of Show – the first “A” body to realize that achievement. It also was awarded OE Gold certification – only the second “A” body vehicle to achieve that status. The interior is stock and includes factory floor mats, plastic bags covering the seat belts and an engine-starting procedure tag hanging on the turn indicator lever. The engine and drive train were restored to OE specs as well. Even the odometer was reset to zero (before the restoration, the Dart had 117,000 miles). It’s painted R4/bright red. A Mopar fan since 1966 when his father started racing Plymouth and Dodge cars, Ege estimates the restoration cost him over $100,000. But the praise he receives on the project is worth every penny. Mopar Winner – Matt Gaisbacher Matt Gaisbacher of Charleroi, Pa., restored a 1973 Plymouth Barracuda that he displayed at Chryslers at Carlisle in Carlisle, Pa in August 2007. Gaisbacher is a 17-year-old high school student and Eagle Scout. In summer 2005, Gaisbacher bought the ’73 ‘Cuda because he liked its sleek and smooth styling and also because he didn’t want an import tuner like his friends. Gaisbacher works at the family business, Russell’s Body & Frame Service, and did most of the restoration himself with guidance from his father and shop employees. He completed the two-year restoration on June 2, 2007, just in time for Chryslers at Carlisle. The ‘Cuda was originally built with a 340 cubic-inch V-8 and four-speed transmission. However, the vehicle no longer had its original motor or transmission. So, rather than restore it to its original condition, Gaisbacher converted to a 451 low-deck stroker motor with a four-speed overdrive transmission. The 400 c.i.d. engine bored over .03 has a 440 crank, Eagle H beam rods, Ross pistons, Edelbrock Performer RPM heads with a Mopar Performance dual plane intake, COMP Cams valve train, Edelbrock Performer carburetor and Mopar Performance electronic ignition. The ‘Cuda’s 75,000 odometer miles had caused severe rust damage to its quarter panels, fenders, doors and cowl that needed repair. The door panels, carpet, headliner and dash were still in good condition. On the interior, Legendary Auto Interiors assisted Gaisbacher with custom-upholstered and two-tone black/charcoal ‘Cuda seats. Redline Gauge Works made a custom silver-faced gauge cluster. On the exterior, Gaisbacher’s most significant changes included: barbed- wire grille inserts, flush-mounted turn signals on the front bumper, shaved bumper guards and side marker lights. He removed the trunk- and door-chrome trim and added FOOSE Nitrous Two wheels and a smooth lower rear valance. Gaisbacher used the ‘Cuda’s stock taillamps but added speed bright driver headlamps in the front. He turned a flat hood into a Shaker hood and replaced floor-fit frame connectors, 1½- inch lowering springs and tubular upper control arms and adjustable strut rods. After Gaisbacher graduates from California Area High school in California, Pa., he plans to attend college and open his own vehicle-restoration business.