Gallery Page 178
McClafferty's 1977 Ramcharger SE Father & Son Project
Doug JR. has been hooked on old Mopar trucks since he was given a '78 Red Express die cast that looked like his dad's '79 LRT. If his booster seat could talk, it would tell stories about being strapped into many great Mopars: a '68 Super Bee, '66 Belvedere, '75 Cordoba and multiple Ram trucks. Having the Mopar bug and searching for his first ride before he was 16, Doug came across many decent candidates here in Phoenix until he found this '77 R/C and wouldn't let it rest until his Dad took him to inspect it. This S.E. was the most complete and unmolested they had seen in their search. The original 440 was under the hood but it had been driven to death and had a bad head gasket, the transmission was hammered and the transfer case was full of ground-up metal. They rescued it and began disassembling and parts searching. The replacement 440 was built by 5 Star engine exchange in Glendale. Doug JR. found MoparTruckParts.com to supply the interior and under hood wiring. Just 16 days short of a year, they had it running.
There has been a lot of long hours in the garage and countless trips to the parts stores (where they outlasted many employees!). This father and son team have laughed, argued, hugged each other at times of success, stormed away angry over miscommunications abd dripped blood because they wouldn't give up on the truck or each other. Most kids Doug's age have been given a turn-key vehicle to drive when they turned 16. Doug is proud to say he built his. He'll use this Ramcharger to cruise around town, hang out with friends and take the family hunting in the desert. So far they have to thank: Mom, sister Paige, G-pa and G-ma for their support.
If you want to know more about their project Doug and Doug JR. can be reached at:
McClafferty.Doug@jobcorps.org
Are you proud of your Dodge truck or car? Want to show it off? Please email me a pic along with a description of your vehicle and I will add it to the Gallery.
Joe Leonard 2009-07-22