1966 Dodge D/Dart ~ 'Mystery, Myth and Misconception'

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The two Riverview Dodge D/Darts. Ted Spehar and Ralph Costa's "The Politician" and the Ken Meade and Joe Schulte "Meat Ball #1" driven and wrenched on by Tom Nelson.
 

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Post 8715 talks about owning the Knoblock D/Dart

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nhra-junior-stock.201085/page-291

So Strickler, Jenkins, and Stiles were Chevy guys in the early 1960's.
Chevy drops out of racing in '63 and Strickler and Jenkins become the Dodge Boys. Bud Faubel owns Shively Motors and his 63 Ramcharger 426 Hemi is tuned by Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins.
Doc Burgess buys a '65 Plymouth from Bud Faubel with a Jenkins tuned Hemi and it is named after Bill Jenkins' parents boat (Black Arrow). Bill Jenkins takes the Black Arrow and wins the Winternationals in '65. Dave Strickler ends up with the factory Hemi car and Bill Jenkins goes back to Chevys. Stiles tunes the Strickler car. Somewhere there might be a Stiles tuned D/Dart in there?
 
Clroads said:
Post 8715 talks about owning the Knoblock D/Dart

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nhra-junior-stock.201085/page-291

So Strickland, Jenkins, and Stiles were Chevy guys in the early 1960's.
Chevy drops out of racing in '63 and Strickland and Jenkins become the Dodge Boys. Bud Faubel owns Shively Motors and his 63 Ramcharger 426 Hemi is tuned by Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins.
Doc Burgess buys a '65 Plymouth from Bud Faubel with a Jenkins tuned Hemi and it is named after Bill Jenkins' parents boat (Black Arrow). Bill Jenkins takes the Black Arrow and wins the Winternationals in '65. Dave Strickland ends up with the factory Hemi car and Bill Jenkins goes back to Chevys. Stiles tunes the Strickland car. Somewhere there might be a Stiles tuned D/Dart in there?
Click to expand...

Or,

Quiet possibly, a Jere Stahl 'prepared' D/Dart.
 
I don't think it would be Dom's car. He owned the Sunoco Station on Hill Rd., just outside of Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. I think Dom did all his own wrenching on the car.
 

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Dave Strickler's cousin posted that the owner sold off the 409 and bought one of the Bob Banning BountyHunter cars. Post #7. The photo has Grumpy and Dave in front of a Ammon R. Smith car. Post #9 has the Dodge Boys running at York dragstrip. Don't know if he would have any D Dart info? He frequented Stahl's shop also.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-and-c2-corvettes/3186580-drag-racing-in-the-1960s.html

Bob Banning's family may still have a dealership in New Carrollton MD (DARCARS). It looks like the one in Hyattsville may have recently closed (last summer).
 
Dave Strickler raced "old Reliable" for Ammon Smith Motors. The car was tuned by Bill Jenkins. The dealership was run by Vernon Smith, who became Dave Strickler's father-in-law in the early 60's. Bill Stiles worked at the dealership in the early 60's as a mechanic, prior to leaving in ~ '63. Bill Stiles returned to tune and build Hemi A/FX cars for Strickler after the Dodge Boys split up, with Grumpy going in with Doc Burgess and the Black Arrow.

Harry "Bud" Faubel (Stiverly Motors), who recently passed away (Dec. 2013 @ 84) and who was recently honored at the York Route 30 Dragway Reunion ( July 2014) remained an active drag racer, airline pilot and Mopar guy. Grumpy had tuned his car " the Honker" prior to forming the Dodge Boys with Strickler. Fauber's later Hemi Honker featured twin turbo-chargers and an inter cooler in 65/66 (pre-Vanishing Point). Drove his one AWB home from the factory.

http://bangshift.com/general-news/c...d-at-84-ran-well-known-honker-series-of-cars/

Bill Stiles got the 66 Street Hemi backing(?) from the factory, while Grumpy and Strickler went back to GM. Jere Stahl was there also from the Old Reliable days. Stiles Performance is still indicated in York. Probably some photos/ info there somewhere.

http://projectmopar.tripod.com/friends.htm
 
The 66 stiles Plymouth is indicated at Tulsa in 67 with sponsors Stiles Performance, Stahl Engineering, Stahl Moroso.

http://www.thevintageracer.com/kasch/70's Pro Stock/slides/Stiles-Stahl 66 ply.html

The Stiles 68 Hemi Cuda is indicated in the top picture of post 8071 sponsored by the York Area Plymouth Dealers (5 or 6 former dealers). The car parked next to Stiles Cuda is the former Musser Brothers 61 Bon Zai repainted green (Rotunda) and with new wheels at its home track, Maple Grove, PA. The lady is not identified.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nhra-junior-stock.201085/page-270#post-6246852
 
D. E. Stetler & Sons
Dave Stetler retired after 36 years as the Owner and Operator of D.E. Stetler and Sons in York. He was a formerly a member and past President of the York Kiwanis Club, served as President of Dodge Advertising Association, and was a member of Dodge National Dealer Council. He passed away at the age of 88 in Dec. 2011. He may have been able to put together funding or sponsorship of a D Dart. I believe the dealership still exists but may have merged and relocated from downtown. Jack Giamblovo bought the dealership in 2008, ( per York Dispatch)

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/york/obituary.aspx?n=daniel-e-stetler&pid=155122289
 
D. E. Stetler still exists in name, but is not considered one of the original charter dealers, due to the sale to mega dealer Giambolvo in York PA. In 2008 they were one of only five remaining originally chartered Dodge dealers in the country. Don't know if any of the other four dealers were able to celebrate 100 years with Dodge. By 2008 Chrysler viewed the smaller dealers as a liability, so probably not, (see below), which was around they same time St. Louis plants and the Newark plant closed and were torn down. The first Dodge was built in November 1914. In 1966 Stetler's dealership would have been around 52 years already. And now 48 years later we celebrate 100 years of Stetler (and Dodge). Our local dealer is offering sunglasses with a test drive this weekend.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/08/24/3616478.htm
 
The photographer for the York Route 30 Drag Reunion complains he can never make it to Carlisle for the show. It looks like the Route 30 Drag reunion is again the same weekend (about 45 mins. South) The nostalgia nationals drags are in Beaver Springs north of Harrisburg, also scheduled for July 12, 2015.

http://www.yorknostalgia.com/pr.html

Photos from this year

http://www.beaversprings.com/results/2014/7-13 Nostalgia Nationals.htm

Mike Strickler is Dave's son. Dave Strickler and Bill Stiles were classmates.
 
Nice summary of the '66 season and rules. The Miles car looked almost factory stock (minus bumpers). It doesn't appear to be one of the factory Darts but the class was set up for low budget entries.

'66 Trans-Am History

Both the Barracuda and its Dodge "cousin" the Dart were early players in this series, which was the longest continuously running road racing series in the US. Note some of the significant pilotees:

Chrysler and the 1966 Trans-Am Season

In 1966, The SCCA introduced a new class that allowed for head to head competition between Dodge Darts, Plymouth Barracudas, and Ford Mustangs. The rules were simple: competition was allowed between "Production Touring Cars" with a max wheelbase of 116". There were two classes, the "2 litre and under" class and the "2 litre to 5 litre" class. The Trans-Am class rules allowed few modifications to a production car. Drivers were allowed to remove bumpers, rear seats, and floor mats. (Full interiors with functioning windows). Mufflers could be replaced with straight pipes and different rims could be used so long as the stock rim diameter and width were maintained. The 2 litre class saw competition between Alfa GTA's, Ford Lotus Cortinas, Austin Mini's, BMW's, Renault Gordini's, Volvo 120's, as well as entries of Volkwagens and Saabs. The 5 litre class hosted Plymouth Barracudas, Dodge Darts, Ford Mustangs, and Chevrolet Corvairs (out-cubed by the Ford 289 and Chrysler 273).

Mopar teams in the 1966 Trans Am season were:

Team Cars Drivers
Dart #9 David Pearson/Brock Yates
Team Starfish Barracuda #14 Richard Petty (a.k.a. Dick Petty), Charlie Rainville
Team Starfish Barracuda #15 Scott Harvey/Bruce Jennings/Les Netherton
Barracuda #16 Steve Durst/Albert Schall
Group 44 Dart #44 Bob Tullius/Tony Adamowicz

The first Trans Am race was at Sebring on March 25, 1966. It was the Dodge Dart driven by Bob Tullius that finished 1st in the "over 2 litre" class. Tullius would rank 3th overall in 1966, and would go on to have another 1st place and a 2nd place finish. Bob Johnson raced a Barracuda (before switching to a Mustang mid-season) and finshed 2nd overall in season points with 2 first place victories The overall (points leader of both the 2 litre and 5 litre classes) first place went to the Kwech/Andrey Alfa GTS team.

Bob Tullius' race team was called "Group 44" and had a good sponsorship with Quaker State for several years. Tony Adamowicz was hired as a 3rd driver for the team with Tullius and Martinshop. Group 44 raced Triumphs (TR4's, and later Spitfires) as well as the 1966 Dodge Darts. The team won the 1966 Marlboro 24hr Endurance race in car No.4, a 1966 Dodge Dart, driven by Adamowicz and Tullius.

For 1966, Darts and Barracudas were campaigned with good success in the series overall, and, for the most part, dominated the "over 2 litre" class. The cars raced were Dart 270 model coupes or GT coupes with 273/4bbls. Rules allowed for the use of any engine component available over the dealer parts counter, but this allowance was not utilized by the manufacturers in 1966 like it was later in the 60's by Ford and Chevrolet.

For whatever reason, Dodge and Plymouth dropped their factory backed Trans-Am support for the 1967 season. It was possibly due to the small cash winnings, or the fact that road racing crowds were a fraction of the size of the NASCAR and the drag racing crowds. It has been said the reason Chrysler pulled its factory support was that Mopars gave away too many cubes to the competition, but this an unlikely reason because Mopar dominated the 66 season! At this point GM had no involvement in the class (other than privateers racing corvairs), and only competitor was Ford, who was racing a 289. It wasn't until 68/69 when everyone maxed the cube limit. Chevy, Ford and Mercury each witha 302cid V8, AMC with a 304cid V8, and Ponitac with a destroked 303cid V8.

(From Slotforum.com post 16, 2006)
 
Thanks for the history lesson! I wonder how many over the counter "D Dart" parts were used to build those engines that did so well? tmm


"For 1966, Darts and Barracudas were campaigned with good success in the series overall, and, for the most part, dominated the "over 2 litre" class. The cars raced were Dart 270 model coupes or GT coupes with 273/4bbls. Rules allowed for the use of any engine component available over the dealer parts counter, but this allowance was not utilized by the manufacturers in 1966 like it was later in the 60's by Ford and Chevrolet. "
 

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ddartdude said:
An altered wheelbase, 2 door sedan, with fiberglass body panels was a "D/Dart Experimental" vehicle? Sounds like a MYTH to me.
Click to expand...

Did it have the 275 hp. 273 in it?
 
Thanks for posting the photos. Here are the Trans Am results.

[ame]http://www.1966shelbynotchbackmustang.com/TransAmResults/1966TAresults.pdf[/ame]

In race #4 VIR brought in several NASCAR drivers to increase the crowds. #14 Barracuda is driven by Richard Petty. Finished 34th.

Ron Gable was brought in as a back-up driver for '65 Marlboro race, and is listed as a driver for races # 6 and #7 in the '66 season.

Here is his story with the second '66 factory Trans Am Dart.

http://vintageracecar.com/pages/thismonth.cgi?magid=12&magiid=24

The Miles car may be associated with regional level Trans Am SCCA events or tracks.
 
Clroads said:
Thanks for posting the photos. Here are the Trans Am results.

http://www.1966shelbynotchbackmustang.com/TransAmResults/1966TAresults.pdf

In race #4 VIR brought in several NASCAR drivers to increase the crowds. #14 Barracuda is driven by Richard Petty. Finished 34th.

Ron Gable was brought in as a back-up driver for '65 Marlboro race, and is listed as a driver for races # 6 and #7 in the '66 season.

Here is his story with the second '66 factory Trans Am Dart.

http://vintageracecar.com/pages/thismonth.cgi?magid=12&magiid=24

The Miles car may be associated with regional level Trans Am SCCA events or tracks.
Click to expand...


The #88 car driven by Ron Grable (USA) and Miles Gupton (USA) in Trans Am events was a Dart 270 like the Tullius Group 44 Darts. It wasn't a D/Dart.
 
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