General Challenger

Modern automatic transmissions can trace their origins to a gearbox that was developed in 1904 by the Sturtevant brothers. This unit had two forward speeds, the ratio change being brought about by flyweights that were driven by the engine. At higher engine speeds, high gear was engaged. As the vehicle slowed down and engine rpm decreased, the gearbox would shift back to low. One of the key developments in arriving at an automatic transmission was the use of planetary transmission in the...

Racing stripes are usually a “must have” for owners of muscle cars. These stripes, originally called “go faster stripes,” first appeared on Cunningham race cars in 1951. Two parallel blue stripes ran from front to rear in the center of the white car body. Their main purpose was to help spectators identify the cars during races. They evolved from the traditional FIA registered U.S. Racing color of a white body and blue chassis, which dated from when racing cars had the chassis exposed. The...

All drag racers spin their wheels in a burnout before every race. The burnouts may seem to be pure show-boating, but there are real reasons behind all the smoke and noise. Burnouts before a drag race serve to heat the tires of the car, softening the rubber, providing more traction for the start of the race. The burnout also removes any debris from the tires. Spinning the wheels leaves a layer of rubber on the road surface, providing better traction in the future. The burnout is crucial for...

From its humble origins, the headlight has evolved from what was considered an accessory of the 1900s to a necessity safety feature (half of all deadly accidents occur at night). Since its first generation, headlights have traveled a long way from a simple flame to a high-tech laser. Carbide Headlights The first vehicle headlamps were officially introduced during the 1880s and were based on acetylene and oil, similar to the old gas lamps. Originally developed for mining purposes, Carbide...

Winning a car show is great satisfaction. The real reward, however, is having a group of knowledgeable people say that they respect your style, taste and hard work. If you’re one of those people that take car shows seriously, here are a few tips that might help you win. Before The Show The Build- Restoring or Modifying Your Car Some owners rack up their credit cards doing things to their cars for the sole purpose of “checking off that box” on the judges’ score sheet. The funny thing is,...

There are three different terms that are used concerning a car's weight- Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and Curb Weight. So how are they different? A car’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) refers to the maximum poundage your car can weigh to operate safely and without harm to its components. Put simply, it's the maximum weight before everything breaks. Manufacturers calculate this number by testing the structural integrity of your car’s suspension...

A component of any car or truck engine is an exhaust manifold for each bank of cylinders .In most production engines, the manifold is a cast iron assembly designed to collect the exhaust gas from two or more cylinders into one pipe. Engineers like cast iron because of its heat management properties and its superior longevity over any other type of exhaust outlet design. They also use the least metal, occupy less space and have the lowest production cost. Although these design restrictions...

Short for the Chrysler Motor Parts Corporation, Mopar made its first appearance in the late 1920s and became its own brand in 1937. The name Mopar was created by a committee to market cans of "Chrysler Motor Parts" antifreeze. From there, the Mopar catalog expanded to include waxes, cleaners, filters, engine parts and more. Now, in its 85th year, Mopar encompasses the full line of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles parts, accessories, and customer service, including Fiat and Alfa Romeo brands...

An ignition coil (also called a spark coil) is an induction coil in an automobile's ignition system. It transforms the battery's low voltage to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs to ignite the fuel. Early gasoline internal combustion engines used a magneto ignition system, since vehicles did not have batteries. The voltage produced by a magneto was dependent on the speed of the engine, making starting difficult. A battery-operated coil, however,...

In simple terms, a crankshaft is a shaft driven by a crank mechanism, consisting of a series of cranks and crankpins to which the connecting rods of an engine are attached. It is a mechanical part able to perform a conversion between reciprocating motion and rotational motion. In a reciprocating engine, it translates reciprocationg motion of the piston into rotational motion. In order to do the conversion between two motions, the crankshaft has "crank throws" or "crankpins"- additional...

Not so long ago, drivers had only the view provided by the auto’s windows, as well as their own judgment, to drive their vehicles. However, no matter how experienced and skilled a driver was, there was always the risk to misjudge the distance between the car and curb while parking or not to notice other auto’s maneuver on the road, especially when it was in the blind zone. All these led to numerous accidents in which no one could prove whose fault it was. The good news is that if you own a...

Hood pins are used as a secondary restraint for the hood and are attached by a pin and plate drilled through the hood. They were originally made for the racetrack to keep hoods buttoned down at high speeds, but found their way onto muscle cars of the late 60s/early 70s. Hood pins (two per hood) were most prevalent on Dodge and Plymouth muscle cars of that era (e.g., Challengers, ‘Cudas, Road Runners, Daytonas, GTXs, Super Bees, etc.). They were, primarily, a styling element used to give a...

The origin of the lowly Phillips screw is an interesting one. The history of metal fasteners go back to the 15th century. British toolmaker Joseph Whitworth devised the first screw in 1841 and American engineer produced the same in 1864. Screws were very hard to produce, however, and required the manufacture of a conical helix.. The brothers Job and William Wyatt found a way to produce a screw on a novel machine that first cut the slotted head, and then cut the helix. Though their business...

Performance vehicles are a Chrysler tradition. In the 1950s, an elite team of Chrysler engineers set out to extract extreme horsepower from existing engines. The team created new manifolds featuring long-tube intake runners. The innovative design helped engines ingest more air, translating into improved performance. The new induction system was called “Ramcharger,” and the team behind the technology adopted that name. The Ramchargers’ new engine produced enormous amounts of power,...