Chrysler guys were famous for engineering and tweaking behind the scenes. Nevermind the Hemi, one of the more entertaining results from the late 1950s was the cross-ram intake system. The system used 30 inch runners and two four-barrel Carter carburetors. The carburetors themselves would be positioned above one bank of the engine and the runners would feed the opposite bank. The idea was to take advantage of the action of the air within the length of the intake runner…when the valve was closed, the air bottled up and when the valve opened, this buildup of pressure acted like a low-boost supercharger. By messing with intake runner lengths, a B-series big-block could either gain a mid-range punch, which would work for passing power, or by using 15 inch runners, have an off-the-line advantage. There were a few long-tube intakes sold under Plymouth’s SonoRamic Commando branding, and the short-tube intakes are very rare items indeed.

What isn’t as rare of an item is a tired, worn and brown 1970s Chrysler Corporation product, in this case the kind-of sporty Dodge Magnum. With the Charger nameplate having been reduced to two separate and visually yawn-tastic cars (a Cordoba clone with a different grille and taillights and a 1975 Fury Sport ripoff with a different grille), it was becoming clear that if Dodge wanted to keep any kind of sporting momentum going, that something had to be done. Enter the Magnum, with it’s clear-lens hideaway headlights, sloped nose, and promises of NASCAR-inspired performance. Guess what went bust in both sales and racing? Yep, the Magnum…Richard Petty hated the way it handled and Kyle Petty pretty much wrecked every one he got to drive. Finding one in any kind of condition today is kind of noteworthy, but this Sporty ‘Doba has two things of note: a 440 where no 440 was ever sold (biggest engine for a late-B Mopar is a 400ci mill) and on that RB engine, sits long-tubes and dual quads. To say that our interest is piqued is an understatement. Who thought this system up, and how close is the Magnum to an operable condition? All we see missing is the windshield wiper motor (probably due to the problematic wiper linkage main bushing failing) but if this thing runs and moves, we’d be real interested to see what the older tech does on this big brown tank. Can’t be any worse than the smogged-out lump that was here before, can it? The visual impact alone is worth the price of admission!

eBay Link: 1978 Dodge Magnum SE

(Courtesy: The House of Muscle)