possession of the car and from whom I bought it. It was a very complete car, not running, with just a bit of rust in the foot wells." (Cracked rubber around the windshield had allowed rainwater to settle in the floor area.)

Pearson wanted a dependable, modern drivetrain, but he wanted to keep the vehicle all Mopar. Instead of a crate motor, he went with the 5.7-liter Hemi from a 2006 Dodge Charger R/T mated to the heavy-duty five-speed automatic out of a Ram pick-up. Having retired in 1991, Pearson had the time necessary to get everything to work, a challenge that included adapting all the modern electronics using a plug-and-play wire harness from Street &Performance.

Pearson's friend Rod Davis undertook the welding required to widen the frame two inches to accommodate the engine and transmission. At the same time, the radiator was moved forward four inches and the firewall was reshaped, allowing two more inches of clearance. The results, as the photos verify, look as if the 5.7-liter Hemi was factory fit. Checking under the hood, you'd think everything visible had been engineered by Dodge.

Pearson has experience with Mopar A-bodies; he's now working on a 1967 Dodge Dart, the primary reason he's offering the Wayfarer for sale. So, he secured a front K-member from a 1976 Volare to replace the original ox-cart front suspension with something a bit more contemporary, and that would meet his highway-driver requirement.

A variety of aftermarket and junkyard sources provided the rest of the needed components. Ididit supplied the custom tilt column, and the Banjo T-style steering wheel was picked from the Grant catalog. The Dodge Omni power rack-and-pinion steering rack came courtesy of Unisteer, while Hot Rod Air provided the air-conditioning system so necessary for summer driving in southern Utah. The power windows, cables, and the electric wipers are from Specialty Power Windows. The updated gauges are from Dolphin.

Upgraded underpinnings included adjustable KYB Gas shocks at all four corners, augmented with anti-sway bars front and rear. The stock rear axle was unsuited for the quadrupling of engine output (the stock 103 horsepower was a gross rating; the 390 h.p. from the modified Hemi is a modern net rating). Pearson sourced an 8.75-inch rear axle from a 1969 Charger with a final drive ratio of 3.55:1, which allows the engine to loaf at highway speeds. He reports that mileage in excess of 21 m.p.g. is not uncommon when cruising at 80 m.p.h. with the Wayfarer's AC going full blast.

For the seats, Pearson sourced a set of fully adjustable six-way buckets from a late-model Volvo C70 convertible (one of the car's few non-Mopar components). A Dodge Durango donated its six-disc AM/FM/CD player, which was concealed in the Wayfarer's glove box. Jose Navaro of Bellflower, California was tapped for the two-tone