As a 16-year-old kid back in the summer of 1992, John was saving EVERY PENNY he could to buy his first car. Not any car mind you, it had to be a muscle car! He actually had his choice of 3 cars in town that fit his $1000 budget. A 1969 AMC AMX 390 4 speed, a 1970 AMC Rebel Machine 390 4 speed, and a 1968 Plymouth GTX. John wasn't loyal to any particular brand, and admits that he had never even heard of a GTX. He wanted the AMX, but his buddy got to it first and bought it out from under him. The Machine had a spun cam bearing and the necessary repairs would not fit his budget. Obviously, we know what car John bought!!

He and his father went to pick up the car and Dad was able to talk the seller down to the paltry sum of $890 for the GTX! With the deal done, they pushed it home (2 miles) and put it in the garage. Johns father isn't really a car guy, but he took the time out to help him with the GTX, as John really didn't have the slightest idea about what he was doing. As John tells it, "I'll never forget the day I came home from shopping 2 weeks after getting the car, to find my Dad leaning over the fender of the GTX shaking his head. He tells me that I never should have wasted my money on this POS". When his Dad leaned over and turned the ignition key, the 440 barely turned over and fired right up, settling into a nice, healthy sounding idle. 

John spent his junior year of high school working and saving every penny for a paint job during the summer of '93. At some point he realized that there was no way he'd be able to save that much money. So, what's a 17-year-old kid to do? He Picked up a Hot Rod "how to paint your car" magazine and went to work. The results of his effort looked "good enough" and he learned a lot in the process. In fact, it actually inspired John to attend the local Tech school after graduation to learn how to paint professionally. 

He drove the GTX during the summer of '93, doing what any 17 year old would do to a 440-powered car. That's right, he beat the living daylights out of it. At the time, it had a non-HP 440 with a vacuum secondary 750 Holley, and a set of Cyclone headers which he installed himself. Otherwise, it was stock with an automatic and 3.23 gear. It would run 13.90's @ 98 mph which was quick enough to beat that 390 AMX that he had originally wanted so badly!!! 

That is how the car stayed until the winter of '96. John was working in his first year as an Auto Body technician and finally beginning to make some decent money. About that time, the 440 wiped a lobe on the cam, instead of just repairing the engine; John got a little carried away. EVERY SINGLE NUT AND BOLT was removed from the car. He cut out and replaced the rusty trunk floor and lower quarter panels. Once again, dad was shaking his head, but this time he really meant it! 

After massaging the GTX's sheetmetal to perfection, John painted the car in 1992 Chrysler Light Spectrum Blue Metallic and covered it with 3 coats of Sikkens clear. During reassembly, he also did all of the engine and upholstery work himself. The only thing he farmed out was the engine machine work. The reborn Plymouth was all finished by the summer of '98. 

With the exception of the Weld wheels, the car still looks just as it did in '98. Originally the GTX rolled on blue painted steelies with dog dish hub caps. John has added many NOS parts including wheel lip and rocker moldings as well as a NOS trunk finish panel that he "paid dearly for!" 

The drive train has benefited from some recent upgrades. Two years ago he freshened up the 440 with TRW forged pistons, a .491" lift bumpstick from Comp Cams, aluminum Edelbrock RPM heads, Performer RPM intake and Speed Demon 750 carb. Spent gasses are expelled through TTI 1 7/8" ceramic coated headers, a TTI 2.5" exhaust system with an X pipe, Dynomax mufflers and Stainless tips. The 727 was replaced with a Tremec 5 speed manual transmission and hydraulic clutch from Keisler. Rounding out the drivetrain is a new Drivetrain Specialists Dana 60 with 3.54 gears. 

To bring the chassis up to Johns high standards, the Dana 60 was installed on a pair of Super Stock leaf springs and  KYB shocks grace all four corners. For improved brake performance, John also upgraded to 4 wheel disc brakes. The wheels are Weld Pro Star 15x6 front and 15x8 rear with 275/60/15 BFG Drag Radials.  

The interior is mostly stock with the exception of Autometer gauges to keep tabs on the engines vitals. A six speaker Pioneer sound system with an MP3 player input mounted in the glove box provides tunes when he's out cruising. 

The car has run a respectable best of 12.91 @ 109 with a traction limited 2.3 60' time. John has driven to car shows as far as 250 miles (one way) in 90 degree heat without incident. He says "It definitely is a great car to drive, combining plenty of power mixed with all the drivability of cars that are much less modified."

Future plans include a new wheel and tire combo and replacing the white GTX stripes with a set of Peacock blue stripes. He also plans to make the '69 Air Grabber hood functional. John has decided that this will be the last season for the 440. Originally the plan was to add a Procharger supercharger, but now he says you can expect to see Hemi between the fenders by the summer of '08! 

John remarks "I have a lot of time, money and most of all, memories invested in this GTX, and I am sure there will be many more."