{"id":53180,"date":"2021-07-21T21:00:27","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T01:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=53180"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:21:09","slug":"pages-from-the-past-no-way-t-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/heritage\/2021\/07\/pages-from-the-past-no-way-t-a.html","title":{"rendered":"Pages From the Past: No Way T\/A"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Follow-up albums can be a tough thing for rock ‘n roll bands. The initial spark of genius behind the debut album usually took years to manifest into reality. And often, the band\u2019s best efforts were spent on the first go \u2018round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the 1970 Dodge Challenger T\/A, Dodge\u2019s effort to homologate the Challenger for duty in the SCCA\u2019s Trans Am Sedan road racing series \u2013 and to grab a chunk of the corner-carving pony car market launched by the 1967 Camaro Z28 \u2013 was a one-year effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1970<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here, \u201cthe band\u201d (namely Dodge product planners and engineers) came out swinging with perhaps more base-level, standard-issue equipment than any of its competitors (note: much of the following also applies to Plymouth\u2019s sibling offering, the 1970 AAR \u2018Cuda).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While other SCCA Trans Am series homologation packages retained conventional full-length dual exhaust (Camaro Z28, Mustang Boss 302, Firebird Trans Am and Javelin Mark Donohue edition), Challenger T\/A delivered outrageous side-exit dual exhaust with first-ever blunt-end mufflers (the inlet and outlet were at the leading ends of the mufflers). And where others equipped their offerings with properly sticky tires and upsized 15-inch rims, only Challenger T\/A rocked the industry with America\u2019s first \u201cstaggered size\u201d tires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1970<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mounted to suitably large 15×7 inch wheels (stamped steel on base models, W21 Rally type as optional) were fat E60-15 Goodyear Polyglas \u201cboots\u201d up front and out back, even fatter G60-15 tires of the same make. And to make the nose down effect of the different diameter tires even more stark, specific \u201cincreased camber\u201d rear leaf springs lifted the T\/As saucy tail even higher off the ground. And to solve the matter of what to do in the event of a flat tire, the first collapsible \u201cSpace Saver\u201d tire went into the trunk just in case. As for rotating these mismatched tires for maximum tread wear, Dodge rightly assumed people so \u201csquare\u201d as to worry about wringing every last mile out of their tires weren\u2019t buying T\/As anyhow. Tire rotation was \u201cnot recommended\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"1970<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

No other Dodge muscle cars went this far, not even the heavy\nartillery Street HEMIs and 440 Six Packs. Taking things even further, the T\/A\ngot its own aero package consisting of a slick trunk lip spoiler (and optional\nJ78 front chin spoiler for $28,95) with aggressive body-side tape stripe\ngraphics running along the front fenders and doors before abruptly terminating\non a jaunty diagonal angle triggered by the inner line of the roof\u2019s B-pillar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in typical Mopar\u00ae<\/sub> fashion, the driveline wasn\u2019t ignored.\nThanks to an SCCA rules relaxation for the 1970 model year, carmakers no longer\nhad to whip up special 5.0-liter (305-cubic-inch) V8s to meet the on-track law\nlimiting racers engines to 5.0 liters. These street-going homologation cars\ncould now go big. And they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Pontiac\u2019s 1969 Firebird Trans Am got an early \u201ceasement\u201d in \u201969 allowing the Ram Air 400 for street-going T\/As, for 1970, the Camaro\u2019s Z28 went from 302 to 350 cubes and Ford got ready to poke and stroke its Boss 302 into the Boss 351 for 1971. As for Dodge, the natural Challenger T\/A (and AAR \u2018Cuda) engine was the high-winding 340.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But being the chronic over-delivery specialists they were \u2013 and continue to be \u2013 Dodge drivetrain engineers replaced the 340\u2019s single 4-barrel carburetor with a pint-sized version of the 440 Six Pack using a lightweight aluminum 6-bbl intake manifold from Edelbrock \u2013 but with the 440-sized (1,350 cfm) trio of 2300-series Holley 2-barrel carbs mounted in tandem. Power went from 275 to 290, but everyone knew the reality was the 4-barrel 340\u2019s real-world 310 horse rating jumped to around 340 with the extra breathing potential. The new and improved 340 Six Pack (340 6BBL in Plymouth-speak) was so new it even got its own in-house Chrysler engineering designation. While the 1968 340 4-barrel was the A105, the 1970 340 Six Pack became the A340).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there was more. Though many mistaken historians have claimed the Challenger T\/A\u2019s 340 Six Pack had a special solid lifter camshaft, all the better for higher rpm capability before valve train flutter, they were confused by the fact the specially prepared 340 Six Pack also got special cylinder heads. Though functionally identical to the excellent 340 head castings, these new heads were cast with thicker port walls to allow for major porting work to be done. The level of material removed from a standard set of 340 head castings would have cut through to air and scrapped the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the extra metal on the A340 (T\/A) heads allowed cylinder head magicians working with the SCCA race teams to hog out the ports to the volumes needed for race use. Because the added metal was on the outside <\/em><\/strong>of the port walls, the push rods would have made contact and rubbed. So to wiggle the push rods\u2019 tubular mass outward the small amount needed, special offset rocker arms were devised. Though the standard 340 (A105) rocker arms were simple stamped steel items of one-piece construction, for the new A340 (Six Pack) items, Dodge (once again) overdelivered with stiffer forged steel rocker arms, drilled and tapped to accept adjustable pivot balls and locking nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The locking nuts were a nice bonus. Though totally unnecessary with the 340\u2019s self-adjusting multi-piece hydraulic lifters, SCCA Trans Am racers uniformly discarded these low-rpm \u201cstreet\u201d items and replaced them with aftermarket adjustable rocker arms that opened the door to much more radical aftermarket (and factory) camshafts with race-winning specifications. Happily, the 340 Six Pack\u2019s forged rocker arms came equipped with the needed adjustability thus saving race teams the several-hundred-dollar investment in aftermarket rocker arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 340 Six Pack\u2019s engine block was also different. Though\nequipped with the same durable two-bolt main caps as the 340 4-barrel, like the\nspecial cylinder heads, engineers added metal to the bearing bulkheads that\nallowed race teams to drill and tap them for four-bolt main bearing caps, a\nnecessity when racing on the professional level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, as if all of these goodies weren\u2019t enough, power\nfront disc brakes were included and Dodge whipped up a special fiberglass hood\nfor the Challenger T\/A that fed cool, dense, outside air to a special ovoid air\ncleaner mounted in a rectangular metal tray sealed to the underside of the\nfiberglass hood skin with a thick rubber gasket. Rolled together (plus a fast\nratio steering box, rear anti-sway bar and more), these goods elevated the\nalready potent Challenger into the legendary Challenger T\/A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dodge offered the Challenger T\/A upgrade package as A53,\npriced an extra $865.70 on top of the base Challenger V8\u2019s $2,953, for a total\nof $3,820. This price got buyers all of the special 340 Six Pack goodies with\neither a 4-speed or 727 TorqueFlite\u00ae<\/sup> (buyer\u2019s choice, either transmission was\nincluded in the A53 T\/A package with no external charge), the unique tail-high\nsuspension, crazy side-exit exhaust, sinister body graphics and yes, that\nwicked snorkel-like hood was part of the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, a base Challenger R\/T with a 383 Magnum and floor shifted 3-speed manual transmission cost $3,266, $554.70 less than a T\/A. If the 383 Magnum\u2019s 330 horses and 425 ft\/lb wasn\u2019t enough, for $3,591 the 440 Magnum\u2019s ($130.45) 375-horsepower and 480 ft\/lbs could be had. Since the 383 Challenger R\/T\u2019s base A230 3-speed manual gearbox wasn\u2019t tough enough for the tall deck 440 Magnum, 440 buyers were forced to choose between the 4-speed ($194.95) or 727 TorqueFlite ($227.05). Sweetly, the big Dana 60TM<\/sup> monster axle was included in the 4-speed\u2019s $194.95 price tag, the deal of the century for axle fetishists. But thanks to the 727\u2019s cushioning effect on upshifts, 440 Challenger R\/T\u2019s retained the 8-3\/4 rear axle (unless one of two extra cost Track Packs were specified which put a Dana behind the 727 TorqueFlite).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if the 440 Magnum\u2019s single 4-barrel carburetor wasn\u2019t extreme enough, for $3,710.50 you\u2019d have a 440 Six Pack ($249.55), 4-speed ($194.95), Dana 60 (still free with the 4-speed) Challenger R\/T sitting in your driveway. This was still $109.50 cheaper <\/em><\/strong>than the Challenger T\/A\u2019s $3,820 price tag. For the ultimate in forward acceleration \u2013 and cruise night status appeal \u2013 for $4,239.70 ($419.70 less than <\/em><\/strong>the Challenger T\/A) you had King Kong, a 4-speed HEMI engine-powered Challenger with the 425-horsepower Street HEMI engine ($778.75), 4-speed ($194.95) and Dana 60 (yep, again it was free with the stick).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all of this choice \u2013 and its rather high price tag \u2013 Dodge still managed to sell 2,399 Challenger T\/As in 1970, 989 with 4-speed transmissions and the rest (1,410) with TorqueFlite automatics. Ok, so that brings us up to date on the 1970 Challenger T\/A. So what\u2019s the deal with this month\u2019s Pages From The Past magazine advertisement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depicted for all of the world to see in numerous car magazines in the late fall of 1970 was an 8-page, full-color pull-out ad for the 1971 Dodge Scat Pack lineup. On the fifth page, between pages devoted to the Challenger R\/T and Demon 340, appears this fascinating item. Perched motionless at the apex of a corner that\u2019s obviously at a race track \u2013 perhaps somewhere within Dodge\u2019s exclusive Chelsea, Michigan, Proving Grounds \u2013 is what appears to be a 1971 Citron Yella Challenger T\/A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While major external differences between 1970 and 1971\nChallengers are minor, the key detail are the twin rectangular grille inserts.\nA close look at the magazine image leaves one with the distinct impression\nthey\u2019ve been added with an artist\u2019s air brush. The small \u201cDodge\u201d logo on the\ndriver side is obviously highlighted a bit for clarity. Perhaps it was a\nregular 1970 T\/A standing in until actual 1971 production commenced \u2013 with the\nobsolete 1970 details covered up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But beyond the grille, the rest of the car looks legit, right down to the boundary effect hood scoop, hood pins, side-exit exhaust trumpets, rear-mounted radio antenna (needed because of the fiberglass hood\u2019s inability to shield it from ignition system electronic interference from the ignition distributor and spark plug wires), big-and-bigger E and G series Goodyear tires, tail spoiler and base-level 15×7 steel wheels with center caps and trim rings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Newspaper<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The ad copy claims it\u2019s the \u201cend of the road for the Do-It-Yourself Kit\u201d (which echoes the message of the classic 1968 Charger R\/T \u201cRamrod\u201d magazine which touted: \u201cCharger R\/T just arrived. End of the road for the do-it-yourself kit, Charlie<\/em>\u201d) and says the Challenger T\/A is built \u201cjust the way you\u2019d do it yourself. If you had the time. And the money. Yeah, the money. Frankly, it would probably cost you more to do it yourself. So why bother with do-it-yourself dreams? Check out this bargain for the man who\u2019d rather be moving than building<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ad continues with a list of standard equipment that\u2019s unchanged from the ingredients list applied in 1970 \u2013 with one glaring (and easily overlooked) exception. The first item is listed as \u201c340 4-bbl. V8\u201d. Woah! Wait a second\u2026the \u201c4-bbl.\u201d refers correctly to the same high-winding 340 small block used in 1970, but is not <\/em><\/strong>the same as a 6-bbl. Is it possible Dodge planned to de-content the second-year Challenger T\/A by eliminating the exotic Edelbrock \/ Holley Six Pack of 1970? It seems so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere in the 8-page advertising supplement, a close search reveals no mention of any Six Pack other than the 440 Six Pack, as offered in the Challenger and Charger R\/T at extra cost. Mention of the 340 4-bbl. is limited to the Challenger R\/T page (\u201c\u2026A few words for the hearty\u2026340, 440 Six Pack, Hemi\u2026See your dealer\u201d<\/em>) and the Demon 340 (\u201c340-cu.-in. 4-bbl. V8 premium fuel<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History has proven that exactly zero Challenger T\/As were sold to the public in 1971. Unfortunately, the 1970 offering was a one-and-done deal. But the existence of this high-profile, full-color magazine ad for the car that never was has triggered much confusion in the collector car world. In fact, there are folks who still insist that 1971 Challenger T\/As were built \u2013 as they point to this magazine ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all goes to support the fact that fine print at the end of many \u201cofficial\u201d advertising materials is the only item that can be taken at 100-percent face value. In this case, it reads: \u201cAll product illustrations and specifications are based on authorized information. Although all descriptions are believed to be correct at publication approval, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Some of the equipment shown on product illustrations is optional, at extra cost. Dodge Division reserves the right to make changes from time to time, without notice or obligation, in prices, specifications, colors and materials, and to change or discontinue models.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This ad was created in August of 1970 and appeared in the November 1970 issue of Car and Driver <\/em>magazine. Clearly, Dodge was still gung-ho on the Challenger program. But as Dodge looked back on the 1970 sales year in early 1971, the numbers showed that Dodge Division sales had slipped by 10.75 percent versus 1969 (543,020 vehicles versus 608,452). The all-new Challenger E-body was struggling for recognition amid a flooded pony car marketplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going up against the Mustang-Cougar-Camaro-Firebird-Javelin stampede, Challenger entered a highly competitive, 6-year-old pony car marketplace that had already peaked by 1970 as baby boomers started having their own kids and sought larger cars than the essentially 2-seat pony cars that got them in trouble in the first place. And with in-house competition coming from Plymouth\u2019s also-new E-body Barracuda, just 83,032 Challengers were built in 1970 (and only 50,617 Barracudas \/ \u2018Cudas), a disappointing tally that certainly must have stifled corporate interest in model proliferation of cars like the T\/A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And so it was that 1971 never delivered on the promise of a follow-up to the mighty 1970 Challenger T\/A. Oh, what could have been! But was this the end for the Challenger T\/A? Not so fast \u2026 well actually, yes, very fast<\/em><\/strong>. <\/em>The 2017 model year brought us a revived Challenger T\/A based on the third-generation LC-platform Challenger. Though the 340 small block, Six Pack induction, staggered tires and side exhaust weren\u2019t resurrected, Dodge wisely reserved the T\/A package for HEMI engine-powered models only, adding Hellcat-style inner headlamp Air Catchers, retro-inspired graphics and spoilers and, truthfully, far more power and performance capability than any vintage Challenger – the mighty Street HEMI included \u2013 let alone the 340 Six Pack (especially when the outrageous modern 392 T\/A with 480 horsepower is considered).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retro or new, the Challenger T\/A is a desirable machine.\nJust don\u2019t let anyone try to convince you Dodge built any in 1971\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Follow-up albums can be a tough thing for rock ‘n roll bands. The initial spark of genius behind the debut album usually took years to manifest into reality. And often, the band\u2019s best efforts were spent on the first go \u2018round. In the case of the 1970 Dodge Challenger T\/A, Dodge\u2019s effort to homologate the Challenger for duty in the SCCA\u2019s Trans Am Sedan road racing series \u2013 and to grab a chunk of the corner-carving pony car market launched by the 1967 Camaro Z28 \u2013 was a one-year effort. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":53188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2622],"tags":[2948],"class_list":["post-53180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heritage","tag-dodge-classics"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Feature.png","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53180"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53203,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53180\/revisions\/53203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}