Main Page Feature 6
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Background:During the dark disco and low horsepower days in the late 70s, the Dodge Magnum was a beacon of sunshine.
History:Originally designed to become the 1978 Charger, the radical frontal styling reminiscent of a Cord from the 30s scared Dodge's management into hedging their bets and to continue the Charger while renaming the intended replacement the Magnum. The Magnum was an overwhelming success and the Charger was discontinued for 1979. In 1979, Dodge also released a 4-Dr version on the new R Body platform called the St. Regis. However, the oil embargo and gas shortages caused Dodge to drop the B Body platform for 1980 -- and the Magnum was replaced by the smaller J Body Mirada.
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Technical:ClassMid-Price Platform
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Magnum GTFor those who thought that the Magnum XE wasn't quite hot enough, there was the optional GT package. The GT package included subtle fender flares around the wheel openings, GR60 X 15 raised white-letter tires on 15 X 7-inch Magnum wheels, which were exclusive to this package. The GT also got you heavy duty shocks, leather covered steering wheel, firmer feeling power steering, and engine turned appliqués on the instrument panel and passenger vent panel. In 78 there were 861 GT built. Available colors were Pewter Gray Metallic, Starlight Blue Sunfire Metallic, Tapestry Red Sunfire Metallic, Classic Cream, Eggshell White, Bright Canyon Red, Black. For 79 the GT package was back, basically unchanged from last year, new colors included, nightwatch blue and teal green sunfire metallic. In addition to last year's options, this year's GT package included heavy-duty front and rear sway bars, heavy-duty torsion bars, and heavy-duty rear springs. If you wanted the 360 cid four-barrel V-8 engine, you have to either order the GT package, or order the Trailer-Assist package. More |
BK (short for Big Kahuna -- a name friends gave him back in the early 90s) is the Administrator of MoparStyle, which he started in 2001. He's a semi-retired business executive/owner who now spends with his family, drag racing, and maintaining a slew of web sites and a gaggle of collector cars. Childhood Eldest of five boys and three girls who grew up in poverty living in a 2 bedroom apartment. Born in Michigan, but moved to Texas in 1961. Moved again to New Jersey in 1966, New York in 1970, and back to Texas after completion of Military service. Grew up with very little supervision, as his family was so large. His father always worked three minimum wage jobs concurrently, and his mother was too overwhelmed to keep up with all of the kids by herself -- so Dave pretty much grew up on the streets -- getting into a lot of trouble with the law as a kid. He always had a job of some type as a kid, from paper routes to washing dishes. Education He was a D/F student until leaving high school by mutual agreement at 16. Later attended various colleges in the evenings under the GI Bill, with a focus on business and computer science Military Service Dave enlisted in the USAF in 1972, shortly after turning 17, and was the youngest to be serving at the time he arrived to Basic Training in San Antonio, Texas. He spent three years active duty driving trucks, and exchanged his last year active for two years Active Reserves (under Palace Chase) to teach others to drive trucks. Dave spent the next ten years attending college in the evenings under the GI Bill. He is a service connected Vietnam Era disabled Veteran. Employment Career After he completed his military service, he (in order) drove taxi, Tractor-trailer, and dump truck; laid blacktop, roofed, and repo'd vacuum cleaners; was a bill collector, a carpet cleaning salesman, and a draftsman; a postage equipment repairman, a mailroom equipment salesman, and a computer repairman; a computer salesman, Executive VP of two large collection agencies, and owned a collections agency; owned a distress debt buying business, a software company, and a web hosting company; owned an race engine building company, and he now designs web sites. Dave and his eldest son (Dallas) recently started a Motorcycle Tour business by the name of Texas Motorcycle Excursions. Favorite Quote A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage. Favorite Mopar
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