Old Car Smell

Yes, I did. Here is the story and what I did.

I had my first '79 Dodge Magnum that was a total pig when I got it. To make matters worse, the N.Y. Gov. at the time first agreed and then tried to back out of it when the car guys flipped out on the new standard's put in place. The Fed's said they hold money back if he backed out. Everyone ate it that year.

The whooping 10 mpg hwy. was slaying me. So a few parts were needed to help this poor old SOB out. This however made the car illegal technically, though the bottom line with the newly installed "Big Brother camera's" would be simply, the car passes the pipe test.

For the engine, I added a Carter 625 4bbl. on top of a OE iron EGR intake and a MSD that was triggered by a vacuum advance distributor that replaced the lean burn.

Off the exhaust manifolds I ran mandrel bent 2-1/4 pipes into a "H": pipe, twin cats, hi flows from Summit racing, into a pair of Thrush mufflers.

The car did get up to 20 mpg's and passed emissions just fine. Now being optherise stock as a rock, with the 904/2.76 gears and 235/60/15's, the car could almost keep up with the Stangs in the early 90's.

OK, the Stangs were not power house's in any way shape or form, but against a late low compression smog engine in a 3800 lbs. car designed more so as a sporty cruiser? Running a carb, MSD, no cam change,nothing!

Doesn't say so much about a 302 roller motor w/modern F.I. and OD tranny's in a much lighter car now doesn't it.


The real key is tune that carb, dial in that distributor, re tune that carb and it'll be good to go. This is where the smell is coming from in large. Un burnt fuel.