LO23, Poor Man's Race Car or Factory-Built Dragster?
- Buddy Faulk
- May 15
- 2 min read
Max Hurley's '68 Dart drag car isn't a basic family sedan or a backyard muscle car modified for drag racing; it's a factory-built dragster built by Chrysler. Grand Spaulding Dodge owned by the Kraus brothers originally sold it to drag racer Eddie Smith of Sandyville, West Virginia in July 1968. Max Hurley of West Jefferson, North Carolina, then. bought it in May 1969 and competed it. Max painted it a Metallic Orange, with a black interior, roll cage and Hurst shifter. Cragar SS wheels with drag slicks on the rear and narrow drag tires on the front. This remarkable piece of racing history is the first car he owned. The car currently owned by McGrath Keen and resides in Detroit Garage's racing collection.
Dodge’s lightweight Super Stock Dart "LO23." The VIN code LO23 decodes as the “L” indicates a Dodge Dart, the “O” signifies a Super Stock model (not the number zero, but the letter "O"), and the “23" designates a 2-door hardtop body style. only 80 of these LO23 cars were built by Chrysler’s Race Group at the Hamtramck Assembly Plant in Michigan. The production line car underwent some changes; the body had a “999” paint code, indicating primer-only. The rear wheel openings were enlarged, the front fenders were fiberglass, finished with unpainted black gel coat, and the side marker lights were omitted. The steel doors were stripped out, and the window mechanisms were replaced with long, adjustable seatbelt straps for lowering/raising. The side windows featured ultra-thin Corning Chemcor glass, while the quarter glass was non-functional. The hood and front bumper were replaced with a scooped fiberglass hood and a lightened steel bumper. The heater and rear seat were removed. All these changes significantly reduce the car's weight to 3,020 lbs. The LO23 MSRP was $5,146.00, plus destination charges. Mr. Norm Grand Spaulding Dodge invoices showing costs of $4,695. They sold 13 of them.
The 426 HEMI had a 12.5:1 compression ratio, cast-iron heads, an aluminum cross-ram intake, two 4160 Holley 770-cfm four-barrel carburetors, a high-capacity oil pump, a Prestolite transistor ignition system, a dual-point distributor with a cable-drive tach. A Four-speed transmission, heavy-duty 10.5-inch clutch with a safety steel bellhousing, a Dana 60 rear axle with 9¾-inch ring gear, and brutal 4.88:1 gear. Producing over 600 hp and Mid-10s on the quarter mile.
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