1966 Hemi Satellite- Cross Country Trip
 

Race Car or Touring Car... perhaps both!

I love reading these old magazines, Steve. Those WERE the days. I was 16 and very aware of the cars being offered. To be able to go in a dealership and buy one new would have been a thrill.

----Drove my 1st Hemi Satellite back to college in 1969 from Cape Cod to southern Ohio (Ohio University), and it was trouble free. Shortly after I arrived though the clutch started to slip badly as the rear main seal failed. New clutch, new seal at the local Plymouth dealer, and back on the road. Car ran excellent for me until I lost second gear. I ended up selling the car as is to the service manager at that dealer for $1,000 and it was a really clean Hemi Satellite. He has it to this day. Oh well,,,Can't keep 'em all. Needed the money for the new 69 435 Corvette coup from Ed Stinn Chevy!....Bill S

In 1980, I bought a 70 Hemi Challenger from the OO, who I worked with. 4 speed, 4.10 Dana. He stopped daily driving it in 1975, but told me prior to that he piled his wife and 2 kids in the car one July and drove from the Chicago area to California and back during his annual 2 week vacation. Magazine article says they had to stop for gas roughly every 170 miles.....with a 3.23 gear. I'm betting gas stops were considerably more frequent than that in the Challenger :eek2:

$1195.00 for the Hemi engine option in January* '66 is a tad over $11,180 today, using the CPI inflation calculator.

*Chosen at random.

Interesting figures. For coincidental comparison sake, the 797hp Redeye engine option was an $11,600 on the 2022 Challenger.

In 1988 I drove a friend's newly purchased 1971 Hemi 4 speed Charger R/T (a Mr Norms car originally) from Miami to New Haven Connectut, non stop.

We had flown down there and only after he bought it did he tell me he didn't know how to drive a manual transmission. So I had to drive it the 1,400 miles.

The only glitch was the wiring melt down at the valve cover bulkhead connector for the alternator wire. A known issue with all hemi cars - the 12 gauge wire off the alternator drops to a 14 gauge wire at the second half of the connector. They melt under heavy use (night time driving with lights and defroster on).

Totally dead in the middle of the Tappan Zee Bridge at 3:00 AM. I had to rip the melted connector apart and hand-twist the burning wires together to get us running and off the bridge. I still have the burn scars on my thumb and forefinger from it 35 years later.

Here's the mandatory South of the Border shot.

Simply EPIC!:3gears:

thanks for posting this thread Steve. Was a fun read. I was lucky enough to end up with a car like this (67 hemi gtx 4spd that is factory silver w/ black stripes). The sound and drive like nothing else. I tell people that if you get to drive one, its like having a freight train engine experience out under that hood. The big blocks I own (L78s) provide a completely difference experience, just as cool, but so so different. Again, thanks for posting. These cars do look better with Cragars and jacked up a bit in back.

Looking forward to seeing the black GTX go through Mecum on Saturday!!!!!

So now we have AI Chatbots joining the forum? Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto.