1965 Plymouth Belvedere II
1965 Plymouth Belvedere II| Phil writes: Well, my Belvedere is finally on the road — three and a half years after my Cuda was destroyed. It was worth the wait! My brother, Bob is the genius behind building this car. He built the engine, painted it and offered invaluable advice, guidance and direction. I also received a lot of help from my dad, John, and my nephew, R.J. |
 |
 |
The Plymouth originally came from the California high desert. The Mopar was straight and completely rust free. When we peeled the old carpet back, the floor boards looked brand new! All that was needed was a little block sanding before Bob sprayed on the Porsche Guards Red paint. |
| The Sure Grip uses 4.10 gears. Super Stock Springs and Competition Engineering Drag shocks help the Hoosier Quicktime DOT tires stay hooked up. |
 |
 |
New stainless steel brake lines and 3/8 inch fuel lines from Inline Tube were installed. |
| The 727 transmission was gone through and set up for street/strip usage. The TCI Street Fighter 3200 rpm stall converter helps the Plymouth launch hard. It is shifted with a Hurst Quarter-Stick. We made our own subframe connectors. |
 |
 |
There was no other choice for me but Cragar S/S wheels. There are 15 X 8s on the rear and 15 X 4s on the front. Manual disc brakes from a 1969 Roadrunner make a huge difference in getting the Belvedere II stopped. |
 |
The 440 is poked out to 448 cubic inches. It includes an Edelbrock Performer RPM Power Package, which consists of a 480/495 grind cam, Performer RPM intake, 800 cfm. carb and aluminum heads. Crane 1.5:1 roller rockers push the valves open. An MSD 6AL ignition controller fires the plugs via an MSD Pro-billet distributor and an MSD coil. The computer model says the big block makes about 520 horsepower. |
 |
 |
Doug's fender well headers add some attitude under the hood as well as behind the front tires. Exhaust fumes continue on through 3 inch pipes and Magnaflow mufflers. |
| I detailed the '65's dash myself. The seats and door panels are from Bob's Belvedere that got wrecked with my Cuda. A headliner and carpet kit made everything look new. |
 |
 |
 |
| The Mopar gets a great response at car shows, cruise nights and from people on the street. I get a lot of compliments at stop lights, gas stations and parking lots. Bob and I often show our cars together. He has a 1965 AFX Hemi car that was featured in Mopar Muscle Magazine and was Mopar of the Month on this Web site. |
 |
 |
In the 2004 car show season we've gone together to shows all over California and Utah -- as well as Las Vegas, NV and Grand Junction, CO. It is a lot of fun to have the two Belvederes together. My dad carries a picture of both cars in his wallet. Instead of showing off his grandkids, he likes to show off the two Plymouths! |
