Frankenstein's Mopar - 1952 Chrysler Saratoga
Combining two cars into one makes not a monster, but rather a slick Hemi-powered, '52 Chrysler
09/24/2018
In the annals of Mod Muscle, we have seen everything from the sublime to the outrageous, mild to wild, but what about a four-door sedan turned into a two-door coupe, with the appropriate hot-rod tricks thrown in for good measure?
Chuck Schoendorf, the owner of the 1952 Chrysler Saratoga pictured here, has been a fan of Hemi cars since the 1950s, when Chrysler marketed the first-gen powerplant as the FirePower V-8, stamping the name into the extremely wide rocker covers. While Chrysler generally reserved the Hemi for the higher-line and longer-wheelbase New Yorker and Imperial models, it created a bit of a performance car in the Saratoga. Built on the same chassis as the normally flathead-six-powered Windsor, the Saratoga featured the same 180-horsepower FirePower engine found in the heavier New Yorker.
That excellent power-to-weight ratio made the Saratoga a choice for racers in the U.S. and beyond. While Chrysler's exploits in the nascent NASCAR scene were writ large by the likes of Carl Kiekhaefer and his Mercury Marine racing team, at least one Chrysler Saratoga was entered in Italy's Mille Miglia, the famed thousand-mile road race. The Saratoga also saw action in Mexico. "A couple of years ago," Chuck tells us, "a book came out called Operation Mexico, and it was all about Chrysler two-door Club Coupes being raced in the Mexican road race, the Carrera Panamericana, back in the early Fifties, and it's always intrigued me."
Those two-door Saratogas were campaigned by none other than Kiekhaefer. Though he did not win, even with a driver lineup that included John Fitch and Tony Bettenhausen, the Carrera Panamericana put him firmly in the Chrysler camp, a relationship that paid off a few years later when his Mercury team won a couple of NASCAR Grand National championships with Tim Flock and Buck Baker behind the wheel.
Chuck's fascination, of course, led him to his own personal relationship with early Hemis. "About eight years ago," he says, "I bought a Chrysler Saratoga, but it's a four-door. It's a very good car and it's fully restored. The previous owner and I have driven it in Mille Miglias and it's a fabulous car, but it's a four-door. It's a family car. What I was really hoping to find some day was a two-door coupe built up in the Mexican road-race style."
When another four-door Saratoga came up for sale in New Jersey at a reasonable price, Chuck could feel it calling his name. "But I already had a four-door and you don't need two of them," Chuck says. "But what also happened, almost simultaneously," he continues, "a two-door Club Coupe came up for sale in Rhode Island. I saw that the body was largely intact. The fellow didn't want much money for it. It hadn't run in 30 or 40 years.
"So, I was looking at that and I was looking at this four-door that was available and it dawned on me that it just might be possible to take the best parts off the four-door and off the two-door, and merge the two to create a legitimate and authentic enough two-door Club Coupe. I showed the project to a vintage-car builder in Norwalk, Connecticut. They thought it was worth a shot, as I did. I gave them the job--to go as far as we could on a limited budget, to see if this was feasible. And it was totally feasible!"
It turns out that the two-door Club Coupe and the four-door sedan both feature the same wheelbase, and the same dimensions from the firewall forward and the rear section back. The only differences are the roof, doors, and doorjambs.
Starting with the "rock-solid" four-door sedan, Norwalk Vintage Fabrication started by removing the doors and all of the glass. Then they began making cuts, first at the A-pillars and next the rear of the roof, then they removed that section entirely. Norwalk Vintage next removed the doorjambs. They repeated the process on the Club Coupe, including bracing up the body, since it was "Swiss cheese," although solid enough in the roof and doors.
With cuts made at the same place on the A-pillars, and only a small patch piece required (it is quite hidden behind the drip rails), the car went back together surprisingly well, not appearing even remotely like the Frankenstein's monster it could have been. Fresh paint in the factory two-tone colors of the original sedan, Tuskon Ivory over Superior Blue, completed the look. Despite what was surely a careful process, Chuck makes it sound so easy: "So that's how the body came to be. The engine is another story."
In 1952, the original 331-cu.in. Hemi made good on 180 horsepower, a mild number by today's standards, but top dog then. Fed by a Carter two-barrel carburetor and squishing fuel at a 7.5:1 compression ratio, the engine didn't resemble much of a hot rod as we think of it. But Chuck and his engine builder had bigger plans for the Hemi.
In addition to engines for passenger cars, Chrysler also built Hemis for industrial and military use. They were used to power generators, agricultural equipment, and, yes, as you may have heard previously, air-raid-type sirens. Instead of "Fire- Power," these engines had "Chrysler Industrial" stamped into the rocker covers. Some builders liked using the Industrial engines because of low-rpm and low-hour use.
"So, here I had this Industrial engine and no particular use for it. I bought it from a fellow who was a race-car builder. He'd acquired it a long time previous and never did anything with it, but he told me that he got it from an irrigation pump. I know for example in the [Hemi] generators, they are governed to run at 1,800 rpm. And that's where they stay as long as you need them to put out water or electricity." Industrial Hemis used a very mild cam that was optimized for that constant, low-rpm torque. Often run on propane or natural gas in farm applications, they also ran much cleaner than the gasoline-powered versions found in cars. "When we've had them apart," reports Chuck, "we've found that to be the case. You find less wear in the cylinders."
Chuck contracted with Ralph Solhem of RSR Enterprises in Connecticut to rebuild the Industrial engine. The remake called for Egge pistons pushing compression to a more robust 9.0:1. The builders also installed an Isky 280-degree hydraulic cam. Additionally, they ported and polished the cylinder heads and installed oversized valves. RSR also mounted up a set of block-hugger-style headers from Hot Heads Research and Racing. A Pertronix electronic ignition system helps keep things humming along smoothly and reliably with lower maintenance. Chuck did keep the six-volt electrical system and its generator intact, but installed dual Optima six-volt batteries for double the amperage, a trick he picked up from the restorers of his four-door Saratoga.
But the real key to opening up the early Hemi's breathing came in the form of the aluminum Edmunds intake manifold now mounted atop the engine. Eddie Edmunds gained quite a reputation in the early postwar years, building high-performance intake manifolds for just about any engine out there, including Chrysler's early Hemis. His general formula was fairly simple: If one carburetor was good, then why not two? One of the hardest parts to find for the build, the vintage Edmunds intake on Chuck's Saratoga incorporates two Carter two-barrel carburetors of the type typically found on the standard 331 Hemi. Chuck estimates the output at a reasonable 250 horsepower, a significant increase over the stock 180.
Since all '52 Saratogas came equipped with Chrysler's semiautomatic FluidDrive, a dual-range/ dual-speed setup that only required the clutch for first, reverse or changing from low to high range. Chuck opted for another period hot-rod trick by having a Cadillac/ La Salle three-speed manual transmission installed. Known to be able to handle much more torque than competing gearboxes, the Caddy three-speed was favored by hot rodders of the day. Chuck found an adapter online for the transmission to work with the Hemi and also a Hurst shifter, leading to a slick, floor-mounted lever, complete with Hurst three-speed cue ball up top. "The only drawback--if it's a drawback--is there is no synchro in first," says Chuck. "You can live with that. It's actually so torquey that you can quite often start out in second unless you are on a hill, and then just come to a dead stop and put it back in first."
Given his extensive use of the car, including for long-distance rallies and tours, Chuck also opted to have a Gear Vendors electric overdrive installed. The overdrive unit, activated by a discretely installed button in place of the cigarette lighter, reduces engine rpm by approximately 20 percent in top gear. Though he reports that "It's great when you want to get better fuel economy," overall the mileage remains in the 9- to 10-mpg range.
While that marginal fuel economy might not scare a lot of musclecar fans, when you put a few hundred miles a day on a car, as opposed to a jaunt to a local cruise-in, or a few quarter-mile passes, a car's range becomes a pretty important factor. Chrysler installed a 17-gallon fuel tank in the Hemi-powered Saratoga; enough to get the typical commuter to work and back for a few days, but not enough for a road rally. So, Chuck had a 26-gallon fuel cell installed, ensuring excellent range for the modified Mopar.
Of course, a performance car that has been made to go faster is not complete until you get it to stop better as well. The Saratoga's hydraulic, ventilated drum brakes represented a pretty robust system for its day. But today, there are options. Chuck sought out the small Oregon-based operation, AAJ, which uses a mix of parts-bin bashing and custom-made brackets to create a four-wheel disc-brake system for early Mopars. The rears, for example, use Jeep Cherokee front rotors along with GM "metric" front calipers from a 1980s GM G-body. The front-disc setup on the Saratoga came from the Aspen/ Volare front-disc system from the 1970s. The whole thing is a clever use of off-the-shelf parts and minimum custom hardware.
In the suspension department, Chuck kept the same basic setup of independent with coil springs in the front and semi-elliptic leaf springs in the rear, but he sought out the beefier coils and leaf springs from the station-wagon models. He also sourced the heaviest-duty shocks he could find.
"All of that gives the car a nice stance. It handles well, rides well," Chuck reports. Though, it should be noted, he has one more change to make in this department. From the factory, the front shock absorbers mount between the top and bottom of the control arms, not a very effective use of the dampers. His plan is to follow a path similar to the one Kiekhaefer's racers did in the Fifties by mounting one end of the shock to a fixed point on the chassis, giving the car more effective shock absorption.
The whole thing sits on a set of new machined-aluminum Circle Racing Gasser Alloy wheels, made to look like Halibrand kidney bean wheels, including the finish over the non-polished, "as-cast" surface. With long-distance driving in mind, Chuck got a set of Michelin XVS radials, sized 235/70HR15, for his homebrew Saratoga Club Coupe.
Though we've highlighted enough of Chuck's penchant for long-distance tours and rallies, he knows where the Hemi engine has made its name over the years, and in the late summer of 2016, he drove the Saratoga to our Musclepalooza event to take a couple of passes down Lebanon Valley Dragway's quarter-mile strip.
In the couple of years since completing this build, Chuck has driven his Club Coupe some 4,000 miles or so, including a recent New England 1000 tour. With other early Hemi-powered cars in the garage, he knows what he likes. And when what he liked turned out to be hard to find, he had one made. That's about as hot rod as it gets.
1952 Chrysler Saratoga
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
Block type: Chrysler Industrial "early" Hemi OHV V-8, cast-iron block
Cylinder heads: Cast-iron with hemispherical combustion chambers with oversize valves and ported and polished intake tracts
Displacement: 331 cubic inches
Bore x stroke: 3.8125 x 3.625 inches
Compression ratio: 9:1 (approx.)
Pistons: Egge Machine
Connecting rods: Unknown
Crankshaft: As factory installed
Horsepower @ rpm: approximately 250 @ unknown
Torque @ rpm: Unknown
Camshaft type: Iskenderian, hydraulic
Duration: 280 degrees
Lift: Unknown
Valvetrain: Factory configuration with oversized valves
Fuel system: Stock mechanical fuel pump with auxiliary electric fuel pump
Induction system: Edmunds aluminum intake with dual Carter two-barrel carburetors
Lubrication system: Full pressure
Ignition system: Pertronix electronic ignition
Exhaust system: Hot Hemi Heads steel headers
Original engine: Chrysler FirePower 331-cu.in. Hemi
TRANSMISSION
Type: Cadillac/La Salle three-speed manual, with Gear Vendors electric overdrive
Ratios: 1st: Unknown
2nd: Unknown
3rd: Unknown
Reverse: Unknown
DIFFERENTIAL
Type: Hotchkiss type, semi-floating rear axle with open, hypoid gears
Ratio: 3.73:1
STEERING
Type: Center-arm control with equal-length tie rods
Ratio: 18.2:1
Turns-to-lock: N/A
Turning circle: N/A
BRAKES
Type: Four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, power assisted
Front: 11-inch Mopar A-body/F-body unicast rotors; 1973-'77 Chevrolet Monte Carlo calipers
Rear: 11-inch Jeep Cherokee rotors; "metric" calipers from GM G-body
SUSPENSION
Front: Independent, coil springs, upper and lower control arms, hydraulic shock absorbers; anti-roll bar
Rear: Live axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs; hydraulic shock absorbers
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels: Circle Racing Gasser Alloy Series 02 aluminum alloy
Front/Rear: 15 x 4½ inches
Tires: Michelin XVS radials
Front/Rear: 235/70HR15
Smack dab in the heartland of America, Enid, Oklahoma is an exceptionally friendly small town with a triad of great car shows that occur in three consecutive weekends. The fun starts with the Boy Scouts Show, which is always the last Saturday in March, then the Corvette Expo on the first weekend of April. For 2024, there is a newcomer to Enid’s car show scene: the Shepherds Show & Shine, which lands on the second Saturday in April.
This mild custom 1936 Ford pickup features a chromed grille shell and a stock flathead V-8. Photo: John Gilbert
Harold Clay, owner of Clay’s Collision Center and Harold’s Hot Rod Shop in Enid, called me at home in California and asked if I could offer our mutual friend Tom’s daughter some tips on how to put on a charity car show for her church (St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and School) for its first attempt. I’m in Enid several times a year, so I knew the Boy Scouts car show is traditionally held on the last Saturday in March followed by the Corvette Expo always on the first Saturday in April. I Googled to see if April 13th was okay to hold Shepherds 1st Annual Custom & Classic Car Show & Shine and it looked like the coast was clear.
Kim and Liz Price's stunning 1935 Ford cabriolet glowed at the Boy Scouts Show. The Ford is painted in a knockout Gold Metallic. Photo: John Gilbert
Famous last words. On January 28, 2024, I posted Shepherds Show & Shine flyer on Clay’s Collision Center’s Facebook page to help promote the new show. Immediately the proverbial poop hit the fan. Folks had misread the flyer and erroneously thought Clay’s Collision Center was the promoter of Shepherds show, so Clay’s phone started ringing off the hook with people asking for show information. Who knew Easter would fall on March 30, 2024? I couldn’t find it announced anywhere online that the Boy Scouts Show had moved their date from late March to April 13, 2024, one week after the 32nd Annual Corvette Expo came to Enid.
Sherwin Ratzlaff’s grandfather bought this 1962 Chevy C10. Sherwin restored the 283-powered C10 in 2010.Photo: John Gilbert
The wheels were motion and it appeared that neither party would back out, so consequently both car shows were set to take place on the same day. The early morning of April 13 started out a little stressful and then as the morning progressed plenty of cars, pickups and motorcycles started rolling into Shepherds 1st Annual Custom & Classic Car Show & Shine. A great success, the Shepherds show was an absolute nostalgic time warp. St. Paul’s church was built in 1926 and the beautiful old houses in the neighborhood circa 1927 set the mood. It was a good scene, the adjacent fenced schoolyard to the car show grounds was packed with children playing and dogs on leashes were everywhere… classic rock ’n roll music filled the air.
Harold Clay's 1960 Chrysler New Yorker was on display. The big Chrysler features a chopped roof and to the delight of anyone lucky enough to ride in it, ice-cold air courtesy of Vintage Air.Photo: John Gilbert
At 1:30pm Harold and I jumped into his chop-top ’60 Chrysler New Yorker and headed over to the Boy Scouts show that was hosted by the Enid Antique Auto Club at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center. Just like the Shepherds Show & Shine, admission for spectators at the Boy Scouts Show was free to all. Interestingly, the cars shown indoors at the Boy Scouts Show were mostly of a different style than the cars that rolled into Shepherds Show & Shine held outdoors, so the number of show cars was high at both locations. And Harold and I noticed a lot of the spectators we spotted at Shepherds were also present at the Boy Scouts Show, so apparently all that is well, ends well.
BMW’s inline-six engine will live on through another model year in the 2025 BMW M4 CS, the German automaker’s latest track monster. The lightweight coupe is turbocharged to hit 543-horsepower and is slathered in carbon fiber-reinforced plastics for additional strength and weight savings.
The 2025 BMW M4 CS will reportedly sport the S58 inline-six-cylinder engine under the hood, the same engine that powers the M4 GT3 race car that driver Sheldon van der Linde earned his first winning title in during the 2022 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) Championship. BMW states that it cranked up the turbos in the M4 CS to 30.5 psi, which gives it 20 more horsepower when compared to the M4 Competition Coupe. A maximum 479 pound-feet of torque hits all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, while a 7,200 rpm redline encourages high-revving, spirited driving.
An active M differential automatically shifts power to the outside wheel in tight turns and also counteracts with the loss of traction during high-speed lane changes. In addition, BMW’s intelligent xDrive AWD system uses your driving data to automatically relay power to individual wheels for optimal traction and control.
In the new production model, cooling is further improved by using a 3D-printed cylinder head core. BMW also updated the oil system for better lubrication, which is said to provide more consistency when hitting high revs and driving around quick, tight corners. Speaking of racing around fast corners, BMW implemented plenty of chassis reinforcements for responsive handling. Further supporting superior handling is an M4 CS-specific adaptive M suspension system which offers adjustable damping settings. The forged alloy wheels can be wrapped with track tires or ultra-track tires at no additional cost.
BMW says the G82 M4 CS has a curb weight of 3,902-pounds; 77 pounds lighter than the M4 Competition xDrive. To achieve such a weight savings, the automaker used carbon fiber and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic on as many components as possible, including the full-carbon roof and carbon-plastic hood, front air intakes, mirror caps, rear diffuser, and rear spoiler. Eight pounds was dropped from the exhaust system by utilizing a titanium muffler.
For the 2025 BMW M4 CS’s interior, BMW wrapped the steering wheel in Alcantara leather and fitted the driver and passengers with tight-fitting M Carbon Bucket Seats upholstered in Merino leather. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and 14.9-inch touchscreen displays all the information the driver needs via BMW’s iDrive 8.5 infotainment software.
BMW is on schedule to start building the 2025 M4 CS in July 2024 in Dingolfing, Germany. The 2025 BMW M4 CS is said to start at $124,675.