Darrel Arment Photography

My current automotive project is a big one. I have the 1983 Chrysler Imperial that was Shirley Muldowney's corporate car when she was factory-backed. I am in the process of implanting a Dodge truck V10 engine and AOD transmission in a space presently occupied by the 318 smog engine and three speed TorquFlite trans. The first step in the process was to find a donor chassis so I could make all my fabrication changes without disturbing the original car. My friend Larry Pontnak, owner of Mo-Par City in Oregon IL, supplied the entire front 1/3 of an 83 Imperial for mock-up purposes and has also contributed heavily to other modifications, like the creation of a custom oil pan and pickup tube. He also helps with misc parts aquisitions.

Tim Strange at Strange Motion Rod & Custom in Cambridge IL fabricated the one-off rack mount and modified the K-Member to fit the combination. Now it's time to get busy replacing all the frontend components with new bushings, joints and a pair of Magnum Force tublar A-Arms. Then I installed the big rotor/six piston caliper Wilwood disc brakes. At present all of the front suspension components have been freshened with new bushiings and ball joints and a larger diameter anti-sway bar added. The components have been powder coated or painted and joined to the K-Member forming a completed subassembly. I also have all the engine parts that aren't going to be painted powder coated and put back in place and a new cam shaft has been istalled to gain a bit of power. Then I set everything back into the K- menber and fitted it to the donor chassis so that the radiator cables and hoses could be installed.

With all of the mockup work out of the way it was time for Strange Motion Rod and Custom to get involved again. Now the car is in their hands and the final engine transfer is being made. At this point the engine compartment has been stripped of wiring and paint and is ready for a fresh coat of black paint and the V10 engine with an AOD transmission. It looks like the rebuild is well on its way. When the engine was installed in the car we found that it would be necessary to raise the center portion of the hood 1 3/4" to clear the intake. The metal work and finish bodywork have been completed at this time.

In order to get the car to sit right it was necessary to have Eaton custom build a pair of rear springs that would lower the car a full two inches, then to keep the handling extra crisp A custom 1" inch anti sway bar replaces the original 5/8" piece. Of course one thing always leads to another and when the springs were in place and a large diameter wheel/tire combination were bolted in on the assembly, it looked wrong in the wheel opening. So the entire assembly had to be moved back 7/8" so that it would be properly centered in the opening.

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The car is finally back in Missouri and is presently at Jim Montgomery's shop in Cuba, MO where the final work will be completed. Things are kind of up-in-the-air right now about what path to take. This project started ten years ago and a lot of technology has come our way in that time. There are tubing K-members, and much better engine and transmissin combinations available so we are in the middle of some rather large decisions. What I really want is a nice high-speed touring car that has sharp, crisp handling and ample power. When we get it all figured out, I'll put a new paragraph in here and let you know where we're headed.
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Well I finally figured it out, after a lot of discussions the decision was made to pull the plug on the V10 project and go with newer tecnologies that will yeald a better all around automobile.

A 6.1 Hemi will replace the V10 and it will be backed by a four speed automatic transmission. This combination will be much lighter (485 lbs. compared to the 650 t0 700 lb. V10 and about 10% lighter than the original 318) than the V10 I had planned. In addition I have opted for a Modern Muscle k-member with tubular a-arms and coil over shocks and a nice stiff antiroll bar to replace the extreamly heavy transverse torsion bar / k-member assembly. This move will allow us to fine tune the suspension to our spacific handling needs with a minimal amount of effort. This assembly is also lighter (between one and two hundred pounds)than the bulky factory hardware which will improve the balance of a car that was on the nose-heavy side of the balance beam from day one.

Most of the parts are here; the engine, k-member, wiring harness, computer and engine accessories. All we need is a transmission and it's time to start bolting things together. More later.

I have been doing freelance automotive writing and photography for 20 years now. Some of the magazines that you will find my work in: Street Rodder, Kit Car, Vette, Rod & Custom Classic Trucks, Collectible Automobile, Ol' School Rodz and Car Kulture DeLux. Over the years some of my photographs have been used used in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art book that corresponded with their "Made in California" exhibit, Pat Ganahl's book entitled "The American Custom Car," "Hot Rod & Custom Chronicle" by the auto editors of Consumer Guide and "Dodge & Plymouth B-body Muscle 1966-1970" by Jim Schild.

I started this second career by working exclusively for MoPerformance Magazine, later called Chrysler Car Enthusiast. After two years learning the ropes there, an old friend of mine named Doug Marion, then editor of Popular Hot Rodding magazine, published some of my work - which got me started with Argus Publications - which would eventully become Primedia. Incidently, my friendship with Doug began in 1979 when he shot and featured my 68 Plymouth and my 68 Dodge racecar in Popular Hot Rodding.

Cars have been my abiding interest from Day 1. As a kid in the 50's I had a smorgasbord of beautiful (and some say outlandish) cars to grow up around in central Iowa. I went from teenage street racing with my 55 Chevy in the 1960's to organized drag racing in the 1970's and 80's. I raced hard for five years, ran out of money and walked away far better for the experience.


In the late 80's I started laying the foundation for my magazine work and by 1990 was busy cranking out articles from my home base in St.Louis, MO. I cover several major events in the Midwest each season in addition to a lot of the smaller events in the St. Louis metro area. Then there are the occasional road trips that offer something very special at the end of an extended drive/flight.



CURRENT ARTICLES IN PUBLICATION ARE:




Currently on the bookstore shelves is a new book from the editors of Consumer Guide entitiled HOT ROD & CUSTOM CHRONICLE by Thom Taylor. I contributed photos of eleven different 50's customs for the effort and was thrilled to see the quality of the full-sized hard bound book. Some of the photos I contributed were brand new pics taken speciifically for the book and some were from my files. I think any hot rod or custom car enthusiast would love to own this book.

Also re-issued in soft back for your consideration is Pat Ganahal's "The American Custom Car." This release of the soft back has a cover photo shot by me several years ago. That cover pic is the Barris-built Rev. Ernst Chevy owned by Burns Berryman.


Last year's Goodguys Custom of the Year is the subject of my article entitled "Elegance Under Glass" that appears in the June 2008 issue of STREET RODDER. The car started as a limited-production Minotti 37 Ford coupe. The two toned coupe is a streamlined, elegant, luxurious, fun to drive winner owned by Doug Hoppe.

Just out is the June/July issue of MOPAR ENTHUSIAST with my coverage of the invitation-only 3rd Annual Super Stock & A/FX Racer Reunion. Held at Greg Mosley's Plymouth-Dodge Collector Car Museum in Moline, IL last summer, this reunion seems to grow in both the quality of interesting old race cars and the personalities they attract. The event and racer interviews were preserved on video by a crew from the JR Thompson ad agency, led by Clay Thompson. Lots of pictures in this article, a must-see if you are interested in these treasured 60's race cars.

The August 08 issue of CAR KULTURE DELUXE features my pictures and article on Larry Watson's 58 Thunderbird owned by Jack Walker. The Watson Thunderbird changed the face of customs in the 50's with the use of paint rather than with body modifications. This is truly an eye-catching set of pics.

More T'birds - The August 08 issue of MODIFIED MUSTANGS AND FORDS features my article on Jim & Diane Hatcher's 56 entitled "Boosted Flight." The title refers to a mild custom with a Supercharged engine. The Hatchers have produced a string of great cars and this one is as good as it gets.

Three of my photos were selected for use in a COLLECTIBLE AUTOMOBILE article tracing the history of the 1975 thru 1979 Lincoln. My contrubution was a 1977 Continental with the optional, fixed glass moonroof that was very simular to the mid-fifties Ford Skyliner and Crown Victoria models. The car was a well-preserved unrestored car owned by Dale Wojtkowski.

The December 2008 issue of ROD & CUSTOM has my four page article on Kurt McCormick's beautifully restored 1941 Harry Westergard modified Cadillac. The article covers some Westergard history and traces this particular car through its past owners to its present. This car was in very sad shape when Kurt aquired it, so seeing it today - a perfect example of where the custom movement got its start - is a real treat and a testament to Kurt's dedication to the preservation of our custom car history.