Ramchargers Reborn: Karl Langefeld Runs Heritage Dodge 330 In NMCA

A lifelong enthusiast who has spent years tinkering with cars but only recently made drag racing a dedicated hobby, Karl Langefeld was so inspired after having watched the Nostalgia Super Stock class run at the 2019 NMCA season opener in Bradenton, Florida, that he went out and purchased a car of his own so that he could compete in the category, too.

At the time, Langefeld had entered his 1969 Plymouth Road Runner in the NMCA event’s car show. Realizing he was destined to take a different path, he sold the car and began searching for something else entirely; he found his current Ramchargers 1964 Dodge 330 online in the classifieds section of ForBBodiesOnly.com and made the purchase in April of 2020.

“I’ve been into ‘60s muscle cars since I was a teenager in the ‘80s,” shared the Florida-based racer, now 53 years old, whose first car was a 1969 Ford Mustang and who has owned many other cool cars over the years, such as a 2012 Chevrolet Corvette and 2012 Cadillac CTS-V.

Langefeld was originally drawn to the Dodge by its resemblance to the original Ramchargers team car from 1964. “Further research into the history of the car revealed that it was previously owned and campaigned by a member of the Mancini family,” he proudly noted of classic red and white liveried machine. With such a rich heritage, Langefeld was more excited than ever to start putting together his project so he could take it out to the track.

Working as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Temple Terrace, Florida, by day, Langefeld dedicated his free time to putting together the iconic 1964 Dodge. To start the process, he had a 10-point roll cage installed and took special care to ensure the rest of his handiwork was in-line with the requirements for NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock, “an index-style, footbrake-only class for the year models, body styles, and engine combinations, which accurately represent those cars, which raced in the A/FX and Super Stock classes of the ’60s.”

Under the hood, a bold, orange-accented 440 cubic-inch Dodge powerplant had been bumped up to a displacement of 512 inches, and compresses its air and fuel at a ratio of 10.5:1. The Wedge engine was paired with matching aluminum Edelbrock Victor Max Wedge heads, complete with Hughes rocker arms. The bottom end, meanwhile, was fitted with a Comp Cams solid roller cam and buttoned up with a Charlie’s oil pan fed by a Milodon oil pump.

Running in a naturally aspirated configuration as mandated by the NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock category rules, Langefeld installed an Edelbrock Cross Ram intake with velocity stacks, as well as dual Edelbrock 750 cfm carburetors. To ignite the fuel, he added all MSD componentry, such as a 6AL digital ignition box, Master Blaster ignition coil, Pro-Billet distributor, and complementary plug wires. Finally, the spent exhaust gasses are funneled out of the engine and expelled into the atmosphere via a set of 3.5-inch headers from TTi Performance.

Staying perfectly period-correct was important to Langefeld, both for personal reasons as well as to comply with the NMCA NSS rules. So, he selected a Chrysler TorqueFlite 727 automatic transmission built by TCI, a modern, 5,000-rpm stall speed PTC torque converter, Precision Performance shifter, and an aluminum driveshaft with a safety loop.

Given that no modifications which alter the car from its factory stock form are permitted, unless expressly specified by the NMCA rulebook for allowances such as safety, Langefeld made no major modifications to his Mopar’s suspension system. In the rear, though, he did add a simple Dana 60 rear end with a Strange Engineering spool and axles.

Additionally, Langefeld upgraded the car’s stopping system at all four corners with Wilwood disc brakes. He chose a more current traction technology, too, as a set of Mickey Thompson Pro Bracket Radial tires are wrapped around red and white steel rear wheels, while M/T Front Runners encircle a set of Bogart Racing wheels in the front.

Given how much Langefeld loved the Ramchargers paint scheme, he kept the chrome-accented rolling tribute alive and well with the white and candy apple red striped color scheme, as well as factory Dodge emblems and badges; the Dodge 330’s only exterior upgrades include a fiberglass hood, front bumper, and lexan windows.

Inside, Langefeld also kept things tastefully simple, as he chose to add tan-toned Dodge A100 van seats up front to match the clean carpeting along with five-point harnesses. Next, he removed the rear bench seat entirely, wrapped the roll cage with matching upholstery both for comfort and aesthetics, and finally incorporated some essential AutoMeter gauges into the factory dash cluster.

After two years, Langefeld was ready to start racing at NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock events. “The car drives like you would expect a car with 60-year-old technology to run,” he described regarding the visceral racing experience he regularly enjoys. “It is very raw and requires a great deal of driver attention and input.”

Although he’s admittedly still a novice and still learning, Langefeld is using every pass as an opportunity to improve. “I’m enjoying every minute of it,” proclaimed the man, who is joined by his wife and crew chief, Beth, at the NMCA events.

In March of 2022, Langefeld competed at the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem Presented by Holbrook Racing Engines at Florida’s Bradenton Motorsports Park. There, he qualified 13th in Quick Fuel Technology Nostalgia Super Stock with a qualifying time of 11.066 seconds on his 11.00 index. He ran a touch under in round one of eliminations, going 10.98 seconds in the 1/4-mile, and wasn’t able to advance to the next pair as a result.

Undeterred, Langefeld continued on to the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport North America at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina the following month. Running just a tick under his index once again, the 10.985-second qualifying effort put Langefeld in the number 16 spot. Unfortunately, it was a red light start that kept him from advancing past the first round yet again.

Langefeld wasn’t able to attend the next three events, but he made sure he was on the property at the 21st Annual NMCA World Street Finals Presented By Chevrolet Performance at historic Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana, to close out his season.

With a huge field of 77 entries, Langefeld was still a little bit too quick with his 10.983-second effort and ranked 66th overall at the start of eliminations. He found personal redemption in round one as his Mopar produced an 11.053-second time slip, but his overall package wasn’t enough to get the job done.

“I’ve run a personal best of 10.741 at 123.04 mph, but my goal is to run on a 10.50 index in NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock,” he shared. The beautiful 1964 Dodge 330 has also clocked a best 60-foot time of 1.465-seconds. “I’d like to thank the fellow NSS racers — everyone has been extremely helpful and made me feel very welcome in the class. I look forward to racing with them for many years to come.”