We’ve known for a while now that General Mayhem, Roadkill’s 1968 Dodge Charger, is more-than-likely going to be the first Hellcat Hemi swap in existence. We couldn’t think of a better car to get one besides our own, so no worries there. But that did leave the RV-sourced 440 and 727 that came out of the Charger in limbo…what should be done with a motorhome engine that was barely cleaned up and ran ragged? Despite McTaggart’s hints on the Roadkill Facebook page, the engine and trans weren’t sold to the most desperate viewer, but instead, in a distinctly non-Roadkill fashion, Freiburger decided to do the ecologically sound choice and started poking around his hoards of project cars to see which lucky one would come back to life.
If the name Steve Dulcich is familiar to you, it’s because the man is legendary with Mopar engines and is the current editor of Engine Masters magazine. He also has a pretty good collection of derelict Mopars on his farm (I seem to remember a Fifth Avenue that at one point in time was a stomper), but tucked away in a back corner was a 1970 Plymouth Duster that DF owns. Big-block A-body? Yes, please. One tweaked on by Dulcich himself? Oh, hell yes. The body is different, but the noise is still as biblical as it was before, and bet your ass it’s fast. Check out Roadkill’s newest creation: the Crop Duster.
Another awesome episode of RK! Still too bad they didn’t use the orange Duster.
Yeah, a pity that they didn’t revive the legendary Orange Duster. But the white Duster looks, sounds and runs great. And has anybody ever noticed that Steve Dulcich looks like one of the Baldwin brothers?
Steve Dulcich is a pretty cool dude. He and Frieburger have enough in common to get along well, but contrast in all the right places as well. Watching them wrench together was just a lot of fun.
The Youtube comments for this episode have been hilarious in their stupidity, too. More so than usual. People are going “oh, Dodge is sponsoring Roadkill now” and see F&F wrenching on a Mopar among a bunch of Dulcich’s other Mopars and are now militant keyboard commandos decrying how much Roadkill had “sold out.” It’s almost as entertaining as the episode.
It’s the Internet. People will bitch just to bitch, and won’t read any deeper than the surface. All anyone needs to know: a sideways-walking big-block Duster that runs 12’s with a questionable carb and sketchy bottom end and trans is great, and another bit of old iron back on the road is even better.
Just more proof that the majority of the human race are all bandwagon, blow hard, opiniated douchebags without the ability to think freely. And even if they did “sell out” who gives a shit as long as the content is entertaining. Typical “brand car guys” who cant think outside the box for a minute and get off their “my brand is the best and thats all I want to see” high horse. Besides, I wonder how many of these r-tards would stick to their guns and not sell out if somone waved a ton of cash and go fast parts in front of them like the proverbial carrot.
I’d be lined up, begging like Pavlov’s dog at the sound of the bell. Hell, I’d do that just to get some work done!
Right? I’d be first in line…you want me to be a brand guy…whats in it for me? 300 bucks and a new intake and carb? Toss in a set of head and cam and keep the 300 and I am in!!
Yeah, it was surprising to me how those Chrysler agency guys came over with a bunch of old broken down Mopars and artfully parked them all over.
Then, when the corporate suits insisted that I drive that clapped out old Dodge truck, it was almost too much. Sergio put his foot down, commanding “Drive this beater ’77 Dodge or the Dodge deal is off” Sometimes he can be a jerk, but you have to admire that Italian determination. They even sent some bums to steal the engine harness from Freiburger’s Muscle Truck Chevy to make sure.
Thanks for the writeup, Braub!
“Thanks for the writeup, Braub!”…ouch! LOL
You would’ve thought that the suits could’ve at least sprung for cupholders for the truck. Don’t they know how hot vinyl gets? That water would be lukewarm in minutes!
McTaggart, oops! Should have recognized the byline since I’ve read your junk since the days when you were just some random dude making halarius posts on various forums. Braub made the right move getting you on board!
So correction: Thanks, McTaggart!
If theyreally wanted to sell the beater truck aspect they would have called me. It is obvious they suits knew your truck was the one that would sell more Rams than any other truck on the road.
And it is painfully obvious that the placement of those Mopars on your farm and the camera angles were scientificaly calculated by Chrysler to subliminaly command vieweres to go buy a new Challenger or Charger….
Dont play coy with us…we know the truth…..
Just like when those Chrysler suits artfully unloaded a half-dozen flat fenders in Freiburger’s yard! It’s a conspiracy, I knew it!
In all honesty, it’s one of the most incorruptible shoe concepts in history, because what is it? Two or more guys wrenching on junk. Even if some brand handed them a Scrooge McDuck sack of cash and told them to advertise as much as possible, the show would remain largely unchanged.
I am a Chevy diehard but have no problem with the Chrysler suits filling Dulcich and Freiburgers yard with clap out old Mopars!
I bought that truck 19 years ago for $350 bucks, welded the frame behind the steering box back together, installed a pair of junkyard side gears in the 9 1/4 rear in the parking lot of my low rent 1 bdrm apartment, soldered the radiator holes shut, and daily drove it for ten years. Other than minimal maintenance, adding an intake, I never had to replace a part.
After letting it rot under a tree for several years, my son and I resurected it in a couple of days last winter, and its been my daily driver since. It.is the only running pickup I’ve got. Got to be the best 350 bucks I’ve ever spent.
Your $350 looks better than the freebie I keep dumping money into!
That’s a really cool story behind that truck.
I’m unclear how anybody could hate on one of those D/W series trucks, they’re just simple and honest and even full of rot, they look great.
Now I know what happened to the Car Craft Duster, that Duster was the guide I went by when I was building my ’75 Duster in Hawaii.
Steve, you need to get that Duster back together and put it back on the street / strip!
Bryan, the famous Chrysler 5th Ave I made fun of, and challenged Dulcich to race with the losers getting Grandma’s crocheted Afghan for their backseat, is in the background in several shots. By the looks of it’s nose high stance and facing tall weeds, I am guessing it’s no longer sporting the 360 Dulcich claimed was fast.
BTW, Dulcich, I still need to mail your loser trophy.
Hey, Scotty, I had you by a second and 8 mph! That’s why you still possess the “Afghan of Shame.”
Those were some fun times!
The 5th had run its course. Impossible to legally smog for rego in California, I just couldn’t stomach finding someone and paying half what I paid for the car for a “smog.” This ultimatly leads to deregistration, then the back fees and penalties stack to the moon. Pulled the engine and put in a 72 d100 truck that I posted the build on here, but it got hit and run. Not too bad, got all the metal to fix it now in the bed. Parts for these trucks are still boneyard material.
That’s a damn shame, that means that out of all the fast M-bodies I knew existed back then, two and a half remain: MM’s 5A, which is getting it’s own 451ci build, and the Stealth Bomber Diplomat. Your 5A qualifies as the half a car. If it were me, I’d be scouring Copart for a rollover LX to raid the 5.7/NAG1 for a swap. That’d shut up the smog cops nicely.
I’m a little sad at the fact that Mopar picked up Roadkill. I love the show and it’s sorta of grass roots style but I think Momma Mopar will kill the show. I’m a big fan of old Dodges having owned tons of them but still I hate the thought of Dodge wanting to put a new Hemi in the General.. I also noticed that they used a Dodge truck for the drive up to the Duster. So much for the Muscle truck. It’ll go down in the hole like the Dirt Cheap Dart and any other project car you gave a real crap about. I just REALLY hope that the do some more new car reveiws for Roadkill. Wouldn’t that rock. Just what we want to see. Some more new car crap. Hot Rod magazine sucks now. Hardly anything worth a ducks bottom to read in it. Once every three months they’ll put something in there to read.