Booklet:  Journey Through Hemiland —
The 426 Hemi, Altered Wheelbase Mopars in 1965

This booklet will discuss various aspects of the Hemi powered, 1965 altered wheelbase cars created by the Chrysler Corporation during the period from about August 1, 1964 to April 1, 1965. Of primary interest is the sequence of events leading up to and the broad construction features incorporated in these first drag racing Funny Cars.

Today the terms "clone" or "A/FX" are incorrectly used to describe many 1964 and '65 B body Dodges and Plymouths. Unfortunately most people should use "a reasonable facsimile" instead of the word "clone". Most people who use "A/FX" don't really know what they are talking about. In this booklet you will generally see more specific terms especially 2% (the NHRA legal 1965 A/FX cars) and 10"/15" (the 1965 altered wheelbase cars with wheels moved 1 0 inches forward in the front and 15 inches in the rear). The 2% cars were the only legal A/FX cars; they had altered wheelbases. The 10"/15" cars were never legal A/FX cars; they also had altered wheelbases. To my knowledge no one who has tried to build a replica of these cars has used the word clone (they know better), but the media loves this word. Clone, means exact copy; the state of the art is not there yet.

The main purpose of this booklet is to help show that the Chrysler Corporation was responsible for designing and building the first cars to be called "Funny Cars" and it was through their persistence that we have the Funny Car class in drag racing today. To be sure, a number of individuals were to contribute many absolutely brilliant ideas to further the concept of the radically altered wheelbase vehicle. It was the Corporation though which first tolerated, then nurtured and finally promoted the 10"/15" idea and it was the Corporation that funded the whole scheme.

There are many secondary reasons for this booklet to exist. Chief among these is that Chrysler's altered wheelbase efforts don't seem to be garnering the praise being lavished on some of their lesser products. Some E bodies are today valued in the high six figure range, why? Does low production numbers equal historical importance? How can you write a book on the 426 Hemi engine and make only scant reference to the 1965 altered cars? Maybe more education of the Mopar nation will add prestige to Chrysler's 1965 accomplishments. Obviously, this booklet can only hint at what we know today but hopefully we will advance one more step up the learning curve.

While we long for the day when the Dodge and Plymouth altered wheelbase cars get their own 20" x 30" coffee table book we must admit that this booklet format has proven most satisfactory. With no editor, publisher or target audience (i.e., 8th graders) we are allowed to speculate, prod, foment and spread rumors to our hearts content. At this stage of our collective education it is probably as important to show what is not known, as it is to state what is known. Another advantage to this booklet format is that it can be easily revised. If we could gather up some more information we could make corrections and additions every couple of years. (There is no need to call that green '69 Roadrunner a '68 into the next millennium!) It would be great if one or more of Chrysler's insiders would write their tell-all memoirs, but that seems unlikely. Nearly everyone with the proper credentials is retired and therefore still receiving checks with the pentastar logo or else they are yet "consultants" or otherwise obligated to Mopar. We will probably have to make do with our Petty and Garlits books and be thankful we lived with all the Mopar greats.

FORWARD   (Page 1) CHAPTERS The A/FX "Problem" and a solution   (Page 3) Landy's 1964 Dodge - Trial Balloon? Smoke Screen?   (Page 11) Christmas in September   (Page 14) The Technical Report and the Drawings   (Page 16) Murphy's Law   (Page 18) Roger Huntington Gets the A/FX Scoop - Sort Of   (Page 19) The NHRA Pulls the Plug   (Page 21) The Program Becomes Two   (Page 23) The 1965 Super Stock Parts Cars   (Page 27) NHRA Legal- The 1965 2% Mopars   (Page 32) Outlawed - The 10"/15" Altered Wheelbase Mopars   (Page 36) AHRA Winternationals - The Shot Heard 'Round the World   (Page 39) NHRA Winternationals - Who Cares?   (Page 43) The 2%'s Become 10"/15"'s   (Page 46) April, 1965 - The "Experimental" Program is Complete (Page 47) After 1965, New Games   (Page 49) APPENDIX INDEX   (Page 52)

How to Order

• Booklet: Journey Through Hemiland - The 426 Hemi, Altered Wheelbase Mopars in 1965. 72 pages, 27 photos. In the summer of 1964 Chrysler started a program to build about a dozen cars for the NHRA's A/FX class. By April of 1965 those cars were complete, the Funny Car had been born and drag racing was changed forever. This booklet offers insight into the construction of these machines. Send $16 to Pete Haldiman. Price includes shipping!
  Pete Haldiman
  Dept. 62-65 Mopars
  44850 County Road 25
  Pierce, CO 80650-9712