Allen Johnson has been racing a MOPAR-powered Prostock car for 17 years and after all the blood, sweat and tears he can finally say he and his team are NHRA Pro Stock World Champions.

In the fiercely competitive “Factory Hot Rod” class AJ and the entire J & J Racing team have taken everything that has been thrown at them.

“We approached this season in a totally different way than we ever have in the past. We had an analytical and scientific-type approach to how we did things. We made better decisions and that really paid off. I stressed consistency all year, and we really had that after the first couple of races. We made a few mistakes early in the season and went testing and figured out how to not make those mistakes again. It was a total team approach in decision making and that way of thinking really paid dividends”, says Johnson.

During those tough 17 years AJ has had his family right beside him along the way, with his Dad Roy building the engines and providing all the MOPAR horsepower. Without the hard work and support of his Dad Roy, Mum Revonda, wife Pam and everyone in the J & J Racing Team they would not have finally achieved what they have done this season.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a much better season. The racer and competitor in me says we should have probably won a couple more races, but to set career highs in wins (7), No. 1 Qualifiers (10) and round wins (55) was pretty amazing” , AJ says.

Congratulations AJ and everyone at J & J Racing, your hard work has finally paid off and what a birthday present to give MOPAR in their 75th Year.

For years this car has been almost like an urban legend, with rumours calling it a Dodge Challenger, a Plymouth Cuda, a Hemi this, or a Nascar that. Greg Murphy’s 1969 Dodge Charger truly does exist, and it’s even better than what the rumours make it out to be.

Being a serial car build follower, I’ve known the truth about it for some time now, constantly finding excuses to pop into West Auckland’s Moselle Panel and Paint, where the car has been in the build, to check on progress. Seeing cars like this come along is one of the perks of the job, especially when they’re being built behind closed doors we’re allowed behind.

Those with a good memory may recall seeing the car in the Moselle marquee at the Kumeu Car Show a few years back. Hidden at the back of their stand, you either saw it and realised what it was, or walked straight on past.

When the car was unveiled in its current form at the recent triennial American Muscle Car Club show, walking past wasn’t an option. Even those who’d seen the car many times before couldn’t help (more…)

The next-generation Dodge Viper isn’t due for another year or two but that doesn’t mean Mopar can’t give you a taste of Viper power – if you have the cash.

Chrysler Group’s Mopar performance division has just announced the availability of a V10 crate engine at the SEMA show. It’s an impressive lump – it’s a hand built 512 cubic-inch (8.4 litre), aluminum block V-10. In terms of power it pumps out 800 horses and 941Nm of torque.

Mopar claims that the engine is designed for drag racing which may mean it has emissions issues for on-road use. There are future versions planned for off-road racing and circuit racing but don’t expect these crate engines to come cheap. (more…)

Buying a second hand engine or performing an engine transplant? We check out the facts and figures for some common options.

Ford Windsor

The Windsor was introduced in 1962, replacing the previous Ford Y-block engine. The name is derived from the factory in which the first engines were produced in Windsor, Ontario. In 1996, Ford replaced the 302ci (5.0-litre) pushrod Windsor V8 with the Modular 4.6-litre in the Mustang, although it was continued in the F150 till 1997 and the Explorer until 2001.

The Windsor uses a thin-wall cast iron block with a separate aluminium timing chain cover. This feature differentiates it from later Cleveland or 351-series engines, which use an integrated timing cover cast in the block.

There is often confusion about the name of the 2V and 4V Windsors. Although many people assume this to be the number of valves per cylinder, it actually refers to the number of barrels in the carburettor. Another simple differentiation between the Windsor and Cleveland series is the location of the radiator hose — the Windsor routed coolant through the intake manifold with the hose protruding horizontally, while the Cleveland had the radiator hose connecting vertically to the engine block. Until 1964 the Windor’s rods used an oil squirt hole to lubricate the piston pin and rings. (more…)

Aaron Jones may have sold his first muscle car due to lack of funds, but he’s gone on to create the Dodge Charger of his dreams.

Growing up as a muscle car fan these days has both its advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, the internet has made finding parts a far simpler task than ever before. Hell, you don’t even need to actually talk to people, and you can do it while you’re pretending to work (apparently).

On the other hand, cars today are fetching a far higher price than ever before, but due to the internet we’re all well aware of what’s out there and it’s easy to fall in love with a car far outside your budget.

This was the situation Aaron Jones was in. Born a few decades too late to buy his dream Dodge Charger while they were going cheap, Aaron bought the next best thing, a VG Valiant. Owning such a car at a young age wasn’t an easy task. The maintenance required, the cost of upgrading parts and, ultimately, the blowout of a full rebuild got the best of him. While he didn’t want to let the car go, he simply couldn’t afford to keep it. (more…)

Over in the States the 2010 Mopar Challenger arrived last year and proved an instant hit. Mopar fans went crazy for the machine and with Chrysler only offering 500 copies of the model, they sold out rapidly. Now in 2011, the all-new Dodge Charger is filling up Dodge showrooms around America, and Chrysler aren’t going to miss a trick by not giving some special vehicles a Mopar makeover.

As a signal of intent, Chrysler has released a first teaser sketch of its forthcoming special edition model. The rendering shows off a black and blue color scheme similar to that of the Challenger, but the side stripes have been replaced with a stripe that stretches across the bonnet, roof and boot. The Mopar team has also dropped the bulbous hood scoop for the model, opting for a more streamlined appearance. (more…)

If you can’t get enough of all things Mopar then why not modify your iPhone with the latest Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth wallpapers from Cool Car Pics. A pack of 35 professionally photographed and designed V8 Mopar wallpapers are now available on iTunes in this latest Cool Car Pics offering. All it takes is a quick download to your iPhone or iPod touch and you have a whole bunch of premium shots of modified Mopar machines that will make your iPhone stand out from all others.

Here are some of the V8 Mopars included:

• Dodge Charger R/T
• Plymouth ‘Cuda with over 930bhp at the wheels
• 1929 Dodge Coupe dragster
• 1971 Dodge Challenger with over 1000bhp at the wheels
• 1972 Dodge Challenger
• 1999 Dodge Viper GTS-R circuit car
• 6-second Dodge Avenger Funny Car
• 1974 Dodge Challenger convertible
• 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T
• Dodge Dart
• Dodge Little Red Wagon
• 1965 Dodge Monaco
• Dodge Challenger SRT-8
• 1971 Chrysler Valiant
• 1965 Dodge Coronet 500 Funny Car
• 1968 Plymouth Barracuda Fastback Pro Street
• 1972 Plymouth Road Runner
• 1963 Plymouth Belvedere
• 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda
• Plymouth ‘Cuda convertible

All cars are either show cars or racing cars shot professionally for magazines.

Our wallpapers are available for iPhone4, iPhone 3GS/3G/2G and all iPod touch versions.

All pictures are downloaded straight to your phone. No internet connection is needed once you’ve got the images on your device – simply browse through them and add the ones you want to your lock or home screen. (more…)

Chrysler is drumming up nostalgia in its loyal fan base with the creation of the new 426 cubic-inch Generation III Hemi crate engine. When your past is filled with some of the most momorable engines to ever push a car around a track or down a drag strip, then it makes sense to cash in on it. So with that in mind, production of the 426 crate engine has begun.

This new Mopar 426 Hemi Crate Engine is an all-aluminum job and produces a solid 540 horsepower and 530 pound-feet of torque. It will sell with a heavy price tag of $13,675 USD in the States and made its debut at the recent Performance Racing Industry show in Florida. Chrysler is making a more steady attempt at keeping up with GM and Ford in expanding its aftermarket parts catalogue. Parts big and small, from valvetrain tie bars and cylinder head stud kits to aluminum engine blocks for the Challenger/Charger/300, are now being added to Chrysler’s stocks. It’s good news for Mopar fans the world wide.

Check out more images in the gallery below.