Chrysler Nationals Event Manager showcases car at SEMA
CARLISLE, PA – Carlisle Events is known around the world as one of the top presenters of classic and collector car entertainment. Carlisle’s shows are quite similar to the SEMA…
CARLISLE, PA – Carlisle Events is known around the world as one of the top presenters of classic and collector car entertainment. Carlisle's shows are quite similar to the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Just like at Carlisle, classics and collector cars are on display at SEMA, while vendors are on-site promoting the hottest items coming on to the market.
The two worlds collide in November as Carlisle Chrysler Nationals Event Manager Ed Buczeskie takes his 1967 Plymouth Belvedere to be showcased at SEMA as a way to highlight how an average enthusiast can take a car with miles on it, transform it, yet still not go broke doing so. Powered by a HEMI, direct from MoPar, a suspension system from Hotchkis Sport Suspension and additional parts from TTi Performance Exhaust and Headers, Mancini Racing and Schumacher Creative Services.
The Belvedere will be worked on in a small Pennsylvania shop. There won’t be cameras, unlimited resources or top of the line products coming in from companies around the world, but there will be a true-blue enthusiast wrenching on his beloved classic, all while doing so on a budget that includes some donations and discounts, but more than anything else, time and energy from a passionate car owner.
The goal of this project is to show what can be done with what most enthusiasts already have. In other words, rather than buying a project and building a car from the ground up, this project is taking an existing car and doing just an engine swap. In typical hot rodder fashion, Buczeskie (and friends) are taking what they have and making it better. Long before the high-end restoration shops and custom builders, guys took the cars they were driving and swapped out small blocks for big blocks, 383s for 440s and just about anything for a HEMI. The biggest advantage to the late model HEMI swap is the ability to get an increase in power AND an increase in gas mileage and overall drivability. That was never the case in the past.
Of course, there’s nothing stopping an enthusiast from going farther. Buczeskie is simply showcasing the basics that are involved with the engine swap. Enthusiasts often get discouraged with their projects as they become too big and/or too expensive. Anyone with a complete car that’s in good shape can look at this as a way to make it better. There are also plenty of cars out there with a solid body but missing the drivetrain. Either of these would be a great platform for a late model HEMI swap and the new kits from MoPar include the wiring and computer to allow you to add a modern, fuel-injected engine to pretty much any older MoPar.
The car will debut at SEMA starting October 30th and be on display as part of the Carlisle Events booth throughout the week-long event. In the meanwhile, anyone interested can follow the build via social media at (https://www.facebook.com/BelvedereRustomod/) or call Ed Buczeskie with questions at 717-243-7855 x131.
Carlisle Events is a partner or producer of 12 annual collector car and truck events. Events are held at the Carlisle PA Fairgrounds (Carlisle, PA), Allentown Fairgrounds (Allentown, PA) and the SUN ‘n FUN Campus (Lakeland, FL). The season schedule includes five automotive swap meets of varying size, four auctions, as well as individual specialty shows featuring Hurst branded machines, Corvettes, Fords, GMs, Chryslers, trucks, imports, tuners and performance sport compacts. Founded in 1974 by friends Bill Miller and Chip Miller, events hosted at Carlisle attract more than half a million enthusiasts annually from all corners of the globe. More information is available via www.CarlisleEvents.com or www.CarlisleAuctions.com.
