Sometimes you find the Demon....

After ending my studies at Western Illinois University, I moved to Northern Illinois University to start my future as a journalist. Hoping to one day be one of the best in automotive journalism.

After moving in with some of my friends, the new hunt was on. It was a completely new area to discover and explore. Who knew what lay around the next bend? Well, as I soon found out. Not much.

Therefore, I made a post on www.moparts.com about if anyone knew of anything lying around in the area. I didn't get much in the way of a response, except for a few here and there. One response sounded pretty good, a Dodge Demon sitting in a driveway, rotting away. The problem was it was near Joliet Illinois.

I had forgotten how far Joliet was from DeKalb and made a day to go find it. Deciding not to take any major highways, I had decided to plot my own course to the area of the Demon. It was a BIG mistake. A little over two hours later, I was finally in the area where the Demon was supposed to be.

The directions given to me were a bit sketchy. After another hour, I finally came upon the Demon. It looked in good shape. I made my move and knocked on the door. The owner of the car was there and we chatted for a while.

He let me go through the Demon completely, and it was for sale! The Demon started out as a basic slant six car, nothing overly special. Once I got into it more though, it needed more work then I could do on a students salary.

I had my 71 Challenger and other projects to think of. So I had to pass on it, and I now regret it. It would have been a fine vehicle for me with gas going up. I had visions of a little slant six Demon, stick shift, 20 MPG or better. Now I'm trying to find another one, to do the same thing all over again.

I returned to DeKalb, never seeing the little Demon again. I hope it went to a good home, somewhere warm.

Ryan
HemiPwr70@aol.com

Return the the west....

After a few months, I talked to my friend that I got the gas tank for my 72 from about the car I had discovered lately. I told him about the yard that I had found and told him about a few cars that could be bought.

So he and I met up at the yard and we chatted with the owner for a bit. Being a college kid, I didn't have the money the guy was asking for the car.

I showed my friend the dart by the front of the yard, the blue one in the previous post. It was not very rusty, complete stem to stern, just had a collapsed quarter from something leaning against it.

He decided to buy it, so I helped him load it on the trailer. That was an adventure in and of itself! However, once we got it on the trailer, we headed out to his place again. It was almost a 2-hour ride to his place to where the car was bought at, but it was a nice day for a drive, so I thought, what the hell.

We got to his yard without incident. The Dart stayed where it was suppose to the entire time. We grabbed some lunch on the way. We pulled into his yard and he had another few surprises for me, some new cars!

On the trailer next to where we put the Dart was a 71 Barracuda Gran Coupe. While a rare car, not overly desirable. Apparently, it was found on a farmers land, down a hill, and it took him and some of hit friends almost a full day to get it up the hill and onto the trailer. Sadly, the car was not savable, and was parted out.

Next thing he had was he picked up a few Chargers, one being a true 69 Charger R/T, but with very little left of it except some sheet metal and other odds and ends. Another 69 Charger came along with it, but was savable, and last I heard it was saved.

It was nice to sit and hang out for a bit. He had a cat that followed him around everywhere. The cat was in the cars, on the cars, just followed him wherever he went. Moreover, he told me the cat was just a stray that showed up one day. It also decided it liked me, and was hanging out with me for a bit.

I left that day not knowing if I would ever see my friend again. I transferred schools and began the next chapter in my life. I lost touch with him, and then I found his business card a while back. I sent him an email asking how he was and what he had been up too.

He had decided to sell off most of his stuff and move west. He is out in Montana now with a new collection of different cars. I hope to run into him again some day.

Ryan
HemiPwr70@aol.com

Gotta love them Swingers....

Sometimes the guy gets the girl, or in this case, two hot Swingers. It isn't what you are thinking though. These are Dodge Dart Swingers, a 1972 and a 1974 that I picked up from a junkyard.

In my first year at WIU, I became fast friends with the local junkyard owners. Very nice people that I had mentioned in another blog earlier called "Friends in Good Places: Oct 2007".

I had found a 74 Swinger sitting in the yard, looking rather depressed. It was green with a black top. Rusty and beaten. The poor dart needed a lot of work. So I asked my friends what was the story on the Dart, and it was sent to the junkyard when it had become too rusty for the owner.

I politely asked if I could buy it from them, and they said that I could, just let them know when I would like to pull it out of there, and they would get it up front for me. In the meantime, I could work on it there.

It was nearing the end of my first year, and had no way to get the car home. They said that the Swinger was no trouble, whenever I could get it out of there is fine, it wasn't in the way.

So I returned home for the summer to work on my 71 Challenger and other miscellaneous items.

I came back to WIU for my second year and in one of the first weekends returned to the junkyard. I was surprised to find yet another Dart sitting there, this time the 72. It was yellow with white top, 318 small block V8, Power Steering, Power Disk Brakes, and the "rare" large 8 3/4 rear end. It was a sweet little car.

I walked in, my friends were chit chatting, and we all talked about the summer and what had occurred. Once the main talking was done, they said, "So we got you another Swinger".

I almost had a tear in my eye. Apparently, the owner couldn't get it running anymore, the gas tank had rotted out and the car wouldn't start, but would turn over.

We made a deal and both cars were mine for a mere $500. The 72 had a title, but the 74 did not.

I spent the next few months working on the 72, getting a gas tank, as in the last blog, and trying to figure out the ignition issues.

By Thanksgiving Break of that year, I still could not figure out what was wrong. I had gotten my 93 RamCharger and was able to bring the 72 Swinger home. The truck had no heat or defrost, and I came home in a snowstorm of course. That was a very interesting ride.

Upon returning home with the 72, my father and I got to work on it. We finally figured out that the points were shot, we got some new ones, a few pumps of the gas and the car started right up.

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep the car, college bills were pilling up, and I wanted to get my Challenger going, so the 72 went to a good home, and I made some money for the Challenger.

The 74 I never got out of the yard. I never could get it running right, and it was stuck to the frame rails in mud. I left it where it was at the junkyard. I told my friends that I would return someday, crush it if you want, it did not matter to me.

I transferred to Northern Illinois University that following semester and haven't been back since.

Ryan
HemiPwr70@aol.com



















Here is a picture of one of the yard cats, trying to help me, while I'm helping a kid there with his Camaro.

Going for a ride, for a gas tank

I had recently bought a 1972 Dodge Dart Swinger, 318, auto, 8 3/4 from my friends at the local junkyard for next to nothing. Only problem was, the gas tank was missing... and a lot of rust.

Therefore, I put out an A.P.B. for a cheap gas tank on http://www.moparts.com/. I instantly get a reply from a nice guy about an hour from me, that he has a ton of them lying around and that I could have one cheap. That was the extent of the conversation. I had no idea what would await me.

I make my way west out of Macomb and then almost directly south. It was about an hour from school, but I loved to drive, even though I did not do it that much.

I had to go down these little roads to get there, but once I did, I knew I was in Mopar Heaven. There in his field were rows upon rows of Mopars. Challengers, Chargers, Darts, Dusters, C-bodies, a little of everything was in his field.

There was the owner smiling, as I pull up he says to me, "Thought you might like to see the rest of the collection." So we walked around his yard for a few hours. Only two e-bodies at the time, a few 66-67 Chargers, a rare 69 Dart GTS with Mod Top, a 63 Nova SS Vert, 68 Camaro SS, Road Runners, etc...

He had a little bit of everything there. He showed me the yard vehicle, a bare 74 Monaco Chassis with two seats. He let me into his barn and showed me some of his projects, the ones he was cutting up, and the ones he had cut up.

Out back was the rusted remains of a 70 Coronet R/T and a few others.

I spent most of the day out by him, but I wanted to get back before the sun went down, so I paid him the little money he wanted for the gas tank, he offered me the 73 Challenger for $5000 (should have taken it), declined it, and continued on back to Macomb.

I returned about one year later, but this time I was helping him out, but that is for another blog.

Here are all the picture, with a few choice ones below.

West Central Mopar Parts


Ryan


My 72 Swinger, more on that in another blog....