Paul Rossi’s Direct Connection Super Stock Challenger
3 years ago Gallery Owners + Clubs
Mopar® NHRA drag racer Paul Rossi’s name is definitely synonymous with high-performance Chrysler products. In the early days, he raced a brand-new ’63 Max Wedge aluminum front end car, stepped up to a ’64 car with the all-new 426 Race HEMI® engine-powered car, the A-990 ’65 Race HEMI car, and some years later after piloting 707 passenger jets, campaigned one of the original Hurst-built Super Stock ’68 Barracuda HEMI cars. This guy had done it all.
He had great relationships with the higher ups, the decision makers, at the Chrysler factory. The engineers and legends that made up the Mopar racing staff: Dick Maxwell, Dave Koffel, Tom Hoover, Bob Tarozzi, all the heavy hitters. Rossi did the very first development work on “active” intake manifolds for the cross-ram race HEMI engine-powered vehicle. His car ran in the SS/AA class, and as such did things that changed the power band way back before such technology was adapted for production engines. From front to rear, his attention to detail is what made his racecars perform. Included in his operating procedure was extreme valvetrain component preparation and setting the chassis up for getting down the 1,320 feet of the drag strip in the most efficient manner. It ran 9.70s at the time, unheard of! And he felt there was a lot more potential left in the package.
At the end of the 1975 racing season, he was asked to continue to stay on board with the Mopar race team, but now the focus would not revolve around a HEMI engine, rather it would be a big block wedge. The reality was that the Direct Connection program, which had launched in 1974 (a new identification for the “P-prefix” Mopar Special Parts line), was at this time a situation with an abundance of “wedge” “B” and “RB” big block parts and pieces, unsold and collecting dust inside the Chrysler warehouse. HEMI engines were no longer available in production cars, but the wedge engines were still offered in a variety of Chrysler vehicles.
The need came to promote drag strip activities, like racing, with the results to be increased sales of the 383, 400 and 440 components. The overall market was huge, and there needed to be a marketing program put together to make it happen. Paul Rossi was the man that could do it. Direct Connection had the parts and pieces, the product line was there. Now was the time to get going.
However his thought process was, at that time, that those HEMI engines were awesome, so much so that he really didn’t want to switch to wedge power. He didn’t want to go backwards.
“What? A station wagon engine? They put 440s in motor homes!” he remembered thinking at the time. Well, he finally relented and said yes to the wedge engine program. They sweetened the pot, and next thing you know, famous California chassis wizard Ron Butler was sent a Challenger for Rossi to race. This was 1976, they actually sent a rare T/A 340 Six Pak car to be converted into a big block drag car.
Rossi would drive the official “Dodge” Direct Connection car, while Butch Leal had the official Plymouth Direct Connection car, a Plymouth Arrow, tube chassis, Pro Stock style.
Here’s how he described it: “There’s just something special about those Dodge Challengers! I needed traction, did big, functional burnouts. Quickly staged. Vulcanized the starting line patch. Launched hard, pulled the front wheels big time! It turned out to be an important trademark of the car! I ran as quick as 10.20s. I made that car really to be like a ‘blue collar HEMI’ of sorts, something that people could relate to. I sold the car to England, the UK, around 1980. Moved on to new Mopar programs.” Fast forward to 2021. “Desktop Musclecar” John Yost, from the Chicago area, calls Paul Rossi. He wanted to do up miniature Paul Rossi Direct Connection 1:18 diecast Challengers. “Yes. Let’s do it,” Paul replies. Wait! And right then and there, the decision was made to bring it all back, to build a #2 Direct Connection 440 Six Pak Challenger! This one pictured here!
Author: James Maxwell
Paul doing one of his trademark “twisted” wheelies coming off a launch at the famed OCIR race track in East Irvine, CA, back in the glory days of the late 1970s. 
At a track somewhere, the car was campaigned coast to coast and hauled with that rolling billboard Dodge truck, done up with matching paint scheme. 
The burnout procedure was intense, get those slicks as hot as possible so to best provide for a violent, wheels-up starting line launch. 
Early May, 2022, the body shell is receiving the roll cage modifications and a new pair of front fenders. Paul Rossi had been through it all, race prepping a Dodge Challenger for drag racing exploits some 46 years prior! 
Early May, 2022, the body shell is receiving the roll cage modifications and a new pair of front fenders. Paul Rossi had been through it all, race prepping a Dodge Challenger for drag racing exploits some 46 years prior! 
At this early stage the front and rear subframes being tied together, the fitting of the adjustable front spring hangers. 
Just like the original car, a pair of “Super Stock” leaf springs used in the application, Part # P3412002 & P3412003. These are “A-body” length and were the units used on the ’68 S/S Darts and Barracudas. 
Competition Engineering rear frame rails, custom fabricated for this Challenger application. 
The 8-point roll age and related frame connections, all done with a combination of 1 5/8″, 1 1/2″ tubing, with shoulder harness bars 1 1/4″ tubing. All 4130 Chromoly material. 
The firewall saw the removal of the heater and wiper motor, and those areas were filled with sheet metal along with various holes no longer needed. 
Early May, 2022, the body shell is receiving the roll cage modifications and a new pair of front fenders. Paul Rossi had been through it all, race prepping a Dodge Challenger for drag racing exploits some 46 years prior! 
Here’s Rossi with chassis builder Phil Mandella, who’s also an experienced Mopar drag racer himself and a national event winner. 
Sponsorship support help is vital and among the companies that participated are ARP (Bob Florine), Mr. Moparts (Mark and Mike Chentfant), and Goodyear Tire Company. In addition to these logos, Harlan Sharp provided their rocker arm assemblies, Holley and MSD stepped up with carburetors, fuel pump and ignition came courtesy of MSD Ignition. Steve Morrison provided the Milodon oil pan and oiling system. Special thanks goes to all who contributed! 
1350 cfm atop a Weiand high-rise six pack manifold, ported by Shane Studley, Precision Cylinder Heads, Cedar City, Utah. 
Process includes color sanding after paint is applied, buffing to a high luster. Here the 28-inch tall Goodyear front tires and 15x 4-ich center spaced front wheels by Bogart were fitted, behind them is a Lamb disc brake assembly with 4-piston rotors, and Lamb master cylinder. 
The rear wheel openings were opened up some 2.5 inches for clearance of the Goodyear Eagle 32.0 x 14.5-15 slicks. The wheels were manufactured by Bogart Racing Wheels and are 15 x 14-inch in size, polished, and with 4-inch backspacing. 
As the car was coming together it was starting to look the part of an all-out drag car! Inside is a pair of Kirby Race Buckets, a B&M ratchet shifter, Lamb brake pedal assembly, and custom carpet and upholstery job done by Edgar at Collins Upholstery, Montclair, CA. 
Working on a Dodge, it’s only proper to use the correct fender cover… 
Sturdy Hi-Torque axles from Mark Williams part of the Dana 60 package. 
Faithful to the Direct Connection old school way of doing things, an adjustable pinion snubber is used and this version has a screw motion to obtain the desired position. 
Dana 60 measures 44.5-inches drum to drum, updated with 5.12:1 Motive gears and Mark Williams spool. 
Setting up the engine in place prior to the headers being fabricated to fit. 
Greg Holman, REF Headers, did a fantastic job in re-creating the original set of headers that Jack Davis did back in the day at Hooker. REF is based out of Kingman, AZ, and he came over to the California shop for the project. The “step” design of the headers uses 2-inch and 2-1/8-inch primaries with 4-inch diameter “torque tubes” that measure 18-inches in length. 
Greg Holman, REF Headers, did a fantastic job in re-creating the original set of headers that Jack Davis did back in the day at Hooker. REF is based out of Kingman, AZ, and he came over to the California shop for the project. The “step” design of the headers uses 2-inch and 2-1/8-inch primaries with 4-inch diameter “torque tubes” that measure 18-inches in length. 
It was an all-out effort by the PMR (Phil Mandella Racing) crew, shown here is Tony Mandella. This late-night image was taken right as the car was loaded up for delivery to get the lettering applied. 
A ton of hard work by all involved, the last night of prep and assembly a PMR saw the car up and rolling and ready for the final touches, all to come! 
Those headers are positioned identical to the headers fabricated back in 1976 and the stance is the same, the front end will drop slightly with the extra weight of the radiator and other components yet to be fitted. 
PMR is a full-service Race and Speed Shop, specializing in sportsman cars and the crew consists of Phil, Tony. Ryan, John, Charles, Phil Jr., Rocky, Eddie and Dave. There was an all-out effort to get the Direct Connection Challenger done on the deadline that this crew did it!!! 
Andrew from Proline Wraps, Chatsworth, CA, did an excellent job on all the graphics and it is amazing just how that process works, the modern era of computer aided lettering and decals…it really brought life to the car and it gave it the “rolling time capsule” appearance instantly! 
Andrew from Proline Wraps, Chatsworth, CA, did an excellent job on all the graphics and it is amazing just how that process works, the modern era of computer aided lettering and decals…it really brought life to the car and it gave it the “rolling time capsule” appearance instantly! 
Andrew from Proline Wraps, Chatsworth, CA, did an excellent job on all the graphics and it is amazing just how that process works, the modern era of computer aided lettering and decals…it really brought life to the car and it gave it the “rolling time capsule” appearance instantly! 
The diecast car and the #2 car together, a fun and nostalgic throwback to the 1970s! 
The diecast car and the #2 car together, a fun and nostalgic throwback to the 1970s! 
The timing of this entire project worked out very well, as the car rolling into Carlisle with boxes and boxes of the Commemorative Edition of Chrysler Power, which details he entire motor sports career. 
In addition to the Desktop Muscle Cars Challenger diecast, there’s also a “Paul Rossi 1970 Dodge Ramp Truck” with Mopar and Direct Connection markings, as Paul is showing here. 
Here’s a rare shot of the car when it was first debuted. At that early stage it was under the paperwork budgeting of the Butch Leal “California Flash” team car program, and soon thereafter it was changed to a full-fledged separate Paul Rossi Direct Connection / Dodge program. 
A licensed 1:18 1970 “Paul Rossi Direct Connection” Dodge Challenger from Desktop Muscle Cars, complete with opening doors, hood, deck lid, functional hood pins, working steering, extended header tubes. 
A licensed 1:18 1970 “Paul Rossi Direct Connection” Dodge Challenger from Desktop Muscle Cars, complete with opening doors, hood, deck lid, functional hood pins, working steering, extended header tubes. 
A licensed 1:18 1970 “Paul Rossi Direct Connection” Dodge Challenger from Desktop Muscle Cars, complete with opening doors, hood, deck lid, functional hood pins, working steering, extended header tubes. 
Here’s the cover 2 of the MP catalog from 1989, Paul Rossi highlighted with Don Garlits and Roland Leong, not bad company to keep.
