March Car and Truck of the Month, 65standard’s 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T and Mopar78’s 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona #04739!

Congratulations to both 65standard and Mopar78 for
winning the truck and car of the month for March 2009!!

Mopar78’s 2005 Dodge Ram Daytona won over two other Rams, one owned by Off Road Teacher and the other owned by SeMiGoD.

65standard’s custom Magnum R/T won over dtjackten’s Neon and Carolina Magnum’s SRT-8 Magnum.

Mopar78’s Information
Here’s my 05 Daytona #04739 that has been recently freshened up with
some body mods and paint to include racing stripes. I have a few more
exterior mods to do, a drop and some light mods, then I am going after
the drive train. If all goes well I am planning on putting in a stroker
426 Hemi, performance transmission, Dana rear, and a big brake upgrade
when she’s paid off. I bought her back in 05 new and have been working
on the exterior over the past few years. She’s a project in the works
and I plan on keeping her for a while. She is a high mileage daily
driver and has performed quite well. I have been driving Mopars since
’78 and she’s one of my favorites.

65standard’s Information:
I would like to thank everyone that voted for me. I appreciate the jester and now, a little about myself.

I am 44 years old and live in the Chicago land suburb of Coal City. I
am a fabricator. This is the reason I have a few one off customs on my
Magnum. I first noticed the new Magnums in late 2004. I did my research
on them and decided to order a new 2005 Magnum R/T. So, on January 29th
2005, I try to place my order, but it was too late to order a ’05 model
already. I was then told I could order a 2006 magnum in a few weeks, so
I waited. Then on February 15th, 2005, I placed my order for the first
2006 Magnum R/T. Since custom orders are considered sold, they have
build priority and my magnum was the very first 2006 built on March 23,
2005 and delivered on April 8th 2005.

My very first modification was removing all the emblems and side
moldings. I did this in the first ten minutes after I got home from the
dealer. I have since blacked out the windows, lowered it 2.5 inches,
added a custom chin spoiler, made a custom formed mesh grill, added a
Hurst shifter and Katzkin interior, tried four different camshafts
until I found the one I have now, swapped the heads for some custom
heads, full exhaust, custom computer work, fabricated a true fresh
ram-air intake system, added some AAR ‘Cuda stripes, 20″ Boyd
Coddington wheels, custom ram-air hood, fabricated my own rear spoiler,
and finally welded up the rear gate handle, wiper hole, door handles
and side glass.

Right now, it has the power, sound, and look I want. Remember, there
were no SRT magnums when I ordered mine. I also have another magnum and
a new challenger.  Thanks again to all that voted for me.

65standard (tony)

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

Facebook   Twitter