HARDENED WITH TIME

The DeNoble family fi nds that their fi nale of Volaré choices is a great solution.

ƬƭƨƫƲƚƧƝƩơƨƭƨƬ ƛƲ*(2))6781.$5' THE END OF THE 1970s means a lot of different things. Saturday Night Fever and Donna Summer. The Warriors and Zeppelin’s final studio album. Cookie cutter Camaros, the Lil’ Red Express and, yes, the Plymouth Volaré. The successor of Ma Mopar’s beloved A-body model line, the F-body Volaré and sister Dodge Aspen became the brand’s last-ditch effort at domestic mid-size production until the dark days of Chrysler’s bankruptcy, when it was superseded by the new front wheel drive K-platform for 1981.

For Tony DeNoble, the F-Troop members have just been part of the family all these years. Now a seasoned citizen, Tony’s first encounter with these Mopes had been back just after his

Three generations of the DeNobles, Tony, Ben and young Joseph, show off the latest iteration of the family’s long-time appreciation of the F-body Volaré. This ’79 is now reworked to hot rod status.

high school years, with a ’76 model bought in 1977 and used as family transportation until being replaced in 1981. In 2002, he had a chance to buy a rare production F, the 1977 T-top model with the 360 mill, which he hot rodded and ran 12.4 quarter-miles with. Alas, he sent that one down the road in 2010, in part because all those T-top pieces are harder to find then even most Hemi car components.

“I’ve always liked these cars,” he says, “and so I wanted another one as a father/son project. However, I decided it needed to be a hardtop this time.”

The car here came into the family in 2014, as Tony’s son Ben was now interested in cars as well. This one showed up as a 45,000-mile 1979 coupe edition, and once again, leaving well enough alone from the late 1970s was out of the question.

Named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in its debut season, F-body design replaced both fastback and coupe type A-body stylings and was built for five seasons (1976-1980). The FWD K-platform would be it’s successor.

The stock 318 is now replaced with a 410-CI stroker build, nicely complimented with black Mopar Performance cast valve covers and engine air cleaner, the bare-metal MP intake,TTi headers in white and a smattering of polish and paint. Stroker crank, Eddy heads and a Comp valve train are also unseen inside. On Dr. E’s no-no list, streeted Holley double-pump 750-CFM carb provides all the fuel mill could ever want.

Not leaving the 1970s is the factory’s posh deepcushion red interior, which retains a feel from back in the day (just sit in it to find out). Aftermarket gauges have been added, and yes, that is an MSD 6AL box bolted onto the tranny tunnel.

Another look inside shows light chrome trim and folddown arm rest. Interior is quite inviting and represents this era of American auto appointments in many ways. Do not drop that milk shake!

However, just glancing at that rich, red velour interior brings up memories of the way it was back then, in crazy rented prom suits and latenight activities. Today, the inside still remains stock save for the Autometer gauges and tach.

Nope, it’s under the hood where the action still takes place on this Mayflower mover. To that end, the factory 318 came out and Sloan Racing Engines in Sanford, N.C., built up a 410” LA-series stroker engine to go back in. With an 0.040” overbore and a Scat 4340-alloy steel crank, the bottom end is pumped by 11.0:1 pistons and a torque-focused 5600 RPM redline. A set of Edelbrock heads was reworked for the top of the mill, with port matching to the Mopar Performance intake and a Comp Cams hydraulic setup moving the valves up and down. A Holley 750-CFM carb blueprinted by Sloan is atop that, with TTi headers feeding the atmosphere and spark hitting it via factory electronic ignition, MSD and Mallory pieces, plus an Optima battery. A smattering of brightwork goes a long way to make it all shine when the lid gets flipped open.

And that was not all. The trans was reworked with a Turbo Action valve body and 3200-RPM B&M converter, while the fresh 8¾-489-case diff got treated to an Auburn Sure-Grip, 3.23:1 gearing and Dr. Diff axles when the factory 7¼” unit ended up in the parts pile.

Since this is a cruiser, not sprinter, the car is streetable fun, and that was addressed as well. Steering is now a quick-ratio manual setup, with KYB shocks mounted on all four corners. The OEM disc/drum package is fully rebuilt but works just as Mopar intended. Finally, the car rides on a set of Keystone Klassics with Cooper 245/60-15 radial tires.

Tony himself gets full credit for the well-done body and paint, which is in Spinnaker White with an added factory-design twin snorkel scoop and the OEM rear window louver inserts. Likewise, the graphics were also completed by him.

When we saw the car at Rockingham’s Mopars at the Rock, we didn’t walk away, as Joe Walsh had crooned. Tony, Ben, and third-gen fan Joseph were enjoying the event and, after a chat, we decided you would appreciate this hot Volaré from the past as much as we did. Even if you still prefer Donna Summer and T-tops…

Haul in the family, indeed, as Ben gets on it. “Gee, dad, can I borrow the keys?” View from behind nicely displays the body lines, graphics package and updated wheel/tire choices.

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