Fourth Place contestant was Matt Doyle's '73 Challenger which was
on back up. Mike Potts' Belvedere had a trans problem and was stuck in 1st gear.
(What a bad break, I know he was excited to have it there.)
This car only had a total of 200 miles on the clock when we strapped it to the Chassis
Dyno. Matt turned a stout 290.97 hp and 333.10 out of a 440 he built himself for
under 4,000 dollars INCLUDING the 727 transmission. Not bad!
Matt was quite nervous about beating his new powerplant, but she
sounded great and held up just fine. See the rest of the videos and pics at our Horsepower Shootout
Pages.
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A little bit about Matt:
Click image for full sized view:
"Our membership coordinator of the club is Matt Doyle of Williamstown.
Matt is a die hard Mopar fan which is clearly reflected in his collection of cars
and parts. Matt's current project is a '72 Chalenger that he purchased at the age
of 15 for $425."
"This car has been disassembled for 27 years, but is finally
undergoing a restoration. His plans are to turn this car into a 440 cubic inch rocket,
complete with a 5-speed transmission and a 3.91 positraction rear differential."
Click image for full sized view:
Click image for full sized view:
"With any long term vehicle restoration process, Matt decided
he needed something tocruise around while his '72 is still in pieces. In 2001, he
bought this '73 Challenger for $4000. Smart move!
It originally had a 318, but the previous owner slid in a 340 with a lumpy cam. It's
backed by an automatic and 3.23 posi. Matt refers to this car as his "pacifier"."
"He's since decided to keep the '73 longer than just a temporary
cruiser. Matt now has a 383 on an engine stand ready for machine work to replace
the 340 which will be coupled to a 727 Torqueflite.
Matt's been with us on 2 cruises with this car and has attended a few shows as well.
Chaz Pinkerton and Kerry Moyer met up with him at the "Cops and Rodders"
show in Lykens this past September and he seemed to be enjoying the activites."
Click image for full sized view:
"Other items in Matt's Challenger collection?
Matt also has a '72 440 auto car that runs and another '72 and '73 for parts.
Another part of his Mopar collection is a '77 Dodge Aspen. He says it's 98% original
with only 43,000 miles on the odometer. He bought the slant-six, auto car from his
father and it's been in the family for over 15 years. Ironically Matt used to service
this car when it belonged to the original owner while working at Roadcap Dodge as
a senior in high school.
In 2005 Matt also purchased a '91 Dodge Ram 4X4 from his father who didn't like it
because it rode too rough. With only 40,000 miles showing it looks and runs like
new."
Click image for full sized view:
"An interesting note is Matt's son Tom (pictured second from left) won the giveaway
car at the 2005 All Chrysler Nationals held at Carlisle. It's an '83 Dodge Mirada
with 70,000 original miles.
Matt's son Tom was recently awarded the Eagle Scout badge, scouting's highest honor.
Kerry Moyer attended the ceremony and also helped Tom with his scout project. It's
great to see young people with goals. Tom might join us next season on the Saturday
night cruises in his Mirada."
"Matt's garage is a good indication of his motorhead backround.
A 32' X 40' which he boasts has a larger foundation than his house.
It's stocked with a long list of gearhead goodies including
a 2-post lift."
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