A Car Stolen, Then Recovered

Both Meucci and his brother are still proud owners, and he says there is nothing as therapeutic as looking out over the massive hood and unleashing the big-block engine. On the morning of January 9, 2005, that same hood—as well as the rest of the car—was missing from the parking garage of his downtown Seattle apartment. The car was stolen, and he naturally thought he would never see it again, but four weeks later the Charger was involved in a car chase with the Washington State Patrol, as it was used as a getaway car linked to several local burglaries. The Charger was recovered, but the recently rebuilt 383 was toast, the quarter panels were smashed, and the factory interior was uninhabitable.

The Ultimate Custom Charger Build

It was then that Meucci decided to get the Dodge back into shape. He said that, having remained single with no children, his career (and a few credit cards) would afford him the ability to execute a lifelong dream: to build the ultimate custom Charger of all time. Desiring the shortest timeline possible, and realizing his time was most efficiently spent at the office earning money and researching parts, his first goal was to hire the ultimate build team.

Assembling a Dream Team

His search led him to Chris Odom, the owner of Extreme Metal and Paint in Anacortes, Washington. Odom suggested he should have a design to shoot for, and referred him to Jason Rushforth for the design work. He also suggested Scott Stratton of S&S Custom Upholstery for the upholstery theme. Don Gould of FBO Systems in Cottage Grove, Oregon, did the engine work, and Bill Reilly did the suspension work. Along with Chris Odom and his employees, Alan Mitchell, Rick Federmeyer, Jake Oatman, and Jason Pelkey, all worked on the car and became what Meucci considered the most competent build team in the Northwest.

Design Inspiration and Bodywork

The project had gotten underway when Rushforth finished the design work. He said Meucci was open to all his design ideas, but the first thing he did was to show him other customer cars that were built by other top-name builders. Rushforth also invited Meucci to attend the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, where he was able to see all the incredibly nice street machines, including those in the Pros’ Picks area. Meucci was suitably impressed and wanted a car that would be worthy of the Pros’ Picks. He wanted a theme and a style that would be fully capable, as well as functional enough so that he could drive and enjoy it, but one that would be a crowd-pleaser at car shows.

The body was in poor condition when it was recovered (after it was stolen), so Extreme Metal removed and replaced the rear quarters. The shop also shaved the side marker lights and hand-fabricated a chin spoiler. In preparation for the installation of large wheels and tires, the wheelhouses were stretched and raised, and the engine compartment fender panels were smoothed. The bumpers were also narrowed and smoothed to blend into the body better. A custom billet gas cap replaced the original. After the rear quarters were installed and the front fenders were worked over, the body required plenty of finish work to get it perfect. The body was coated with primer and then block-sanded until it was ready for paint. When it looked perfect, Extreme Metal applied the PPG Deltron graphite over silver paint with a red paint stripe.

Suspension and Wheels Upgrades

While the bodywork was being done, the suspension was upgraded. Laser-cut subframe connectors were fabricated and welded the full length of the floor pan. The rear springs were relocated and sunk into the frame so the Dodge could be equipped with wide rear tires. The Chrysler 8-3/4 differential was used, and it was narrowed and equipped with 3.55 gears and a Positraction differential. The original rear springs were replaced with a set from Calvert Racing, along with shocks from QA1. Reilly Motorsports installed an Alter-K-tion front suspension, complete with tubular A-arms, Varishock 550 springs, anti-sway bars, and QA1 adjustable shock absorbers. The original steering was replaced with a Flaming River Mustang-style rack-and-pinion. The brakes are from Wilwood, 13-inch in the front and 12-inch at the rear. After the clearance was allowed for, the Dodge was equipped with I-Forged Sprint three-piece alloy wheels, with 19×10-inch wheels on the front with Michelin 275/35R19 tires, and 20×12-inch wheels on the rear, running Michelin 335/30R20 tires.

Building Power: The Engine

There is no such thing as too much power, so Don Gould’s FBO Systems started out with a 440 Chrysler engine that was bored 0.060 inch and stroked to 4.15 inches, giving the engine a 500-inch displacement. Diamond 10.3:1 compression pistons running Total Seal rings fill the cylinders and hook to the crank with Manley H-beam rods. The block was outfitted with Mopar Performance aluminum heads that offer large ports and valves. A Racer Brown hydraulic cam was installed and offers a 0.571-inch lift with 238 degrees duration at 0.050 inch. Racer Brown 1.5:1 and 1.6:1 ratio roller rockers were used, along with Schubeck composite lifters. A Mopar Performance intake manifold is topped with a Barry Grant 825cfm Mighty Demon carburetor. When more power is required, the engine is also equipped with an Edelbrock nitrous system. A Mallory Hyfire 6 ignition system and a Comp SS 32-series distributor running prototype dual 5mm wires provide the firepower. Exhaust flows through TTI headers and a Spin Tech exhaust system. The engine also features beautifully detailing, and that includes the Indy custom valve covers and a Billet Specialties oval air cleaner. The engine was run on a chassis dyno, where it registered 387 hp at 5,300 rpm and 433 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm at the rear wheels.

Transmission and Drivetrain

The engine delivers the power to a ’69 727 Torqueflite transmission that was rebuilt by Pat Blais from Maryville, Washington. The transmission is equipped with a Dynamic Dual Pattern 2,600-rpm torque converter. Gear changes are handled by a B&M Magnum Grip Street Bandit shifter, and cooling is handled by a Be Cool transmission cooler. A Gear Vendors overdrive hooks to the rear of the transmission and effectively lowers engine speed by 1,000 rpm when activated.

Interior: A Blend of Style and Functionality

Scott Stratton’s S&S Upholstery in Kenmore, Washington, worked with Meucci to design a beautiful and functional red-and-charcoal leather interior. Stratton started with the original seats and re-covered them with red leather bolsters, with charcoal rolled-and-pleated inserts in both the front and rear. The dash was custom fabricated and features Auto Meter Ultra-Lite gauges and an AVIC-Z1 navigation system, along with Fusion Audio components. A Flaming River Cascades steering wheel points the Charger in the correct direction. The trunk area was upgraded with red leather and carpet and houses the stereo system as well as the nitrous bottle.

The Final Product

When Devin and the team were finished, the Charger was a far cry from the Duke Boys’ car, but we know they would appreciate how nice this one turned out. The Charger provides plenty of power for acceleration, and the upgraded suspension provides much-improved handling. When the Charger was finished, it was invited to be displayed in the Chrysler booth at the SEMA Show, but Meucci told us he wanted to test the Charger’s acceleration, and that the results were impressive. To do this, the Charger was driven to Bremerton Raceway, where it turned the quarter in 11.991 seconds at 113.67 mph without the nitrous. Indeed, the Dukes would have approved.