WANTED - My old 1970 Challenger

[pyro273]

I know I'm probably chasing a rainbow but I'm looking for someone, most likely a licensed private investigator, that can tell me a) if the car is still around and, if so, b) the VIN and c) put the owner in contact with me if at all possible.  Anyone out there successfully done this before?  Is it even possible?

I didn't know what I had then but I sure do now and I kick myself every day for getting rid of it; a lot of sentimental value to me and if I am going to spend a ton of money on a car, I'd rather it be this one.......

[70 Challenger Lover]

Ok you have me curious. What can you remember about your car? I think without a VIN or without knowing the full name of who you sold it to, it is a very difficult starting place for any investigator.

I know you won't want to hear this but I wouldn't bother. You will waste time and money. If by some miracle you find it, you will have one of three choices:

1. The car is nicely restored and not for sale
2. The car is not restored but the owner refuses to let it go because he plans to restore it "someday."
3. The car will be so far gone that it will be a $80k resto job.

All us car guys let some awesome cars go and wish we could get them back. But we still have great memories about them which is not too bad. I would build another car to the same specs as what you once had and start enjoying it now.

[xx88man]

I know I'm probably chasing a rainbow but I'm looking for someone, most likely a licensed private investigator, that can tell me a) if the car is still around and, if so, b) the VIN and c) put the owner in contact with me if at all possible.  Anyone out there successfully done this before?  Is it even possible?

I didn't know what I had then but I sure do now and I kick myself every day for getting rid of it; a lot of sentimental value to me and if I am going to spend a ton of money on a car, I'd rather it be this one.......

Can you provide more information on the car? Do you know the VIN or the options that the car originally came with? Where it was last known to be? Maybe an old registration or some other
documents that can provide clues.... anything might help. There are a lot of 70 Challengers around

[pyro273]

Thanks for questions.

I've been looking for any old docs on the car that may still be around but so far no luck.  It was a JH23L with a burnt orange exterior and interior w/ a white vinyl top.  Power windows, steering and brakes.  It had factory A/C, rally dash, 15" rally wheels, AM/FM stereo, and it had the A01 light group and C15 seat belt group.  Center console with slapstick shifter.  Drive train was a 383 4BBL, 727A and 3.23 rear end.

I blew up the 383 shortly after I got it, put a 1975 440 in it (why????) and neglected to put the A/C back together when I did the motor swap (left the compressor in place I'm pretty sure).  Also put a set of Hooker headers on it then as well.

I had it last registered in northern VA in 1983 when it went to a guy in MD (I want to say he was in Howard County but it also could have been Glen Burnie or even PG county).  He was a big Mopar guy and had several Mopars in his very big garage, some up on jacks w/ battery tenders.

I get that this is a fool's errand but like I said, there is a lot of sentimental value here.  If it's not for sale so be it and if it takes 80K (gulp) and years to put it back together then so be it as well (note that this is the ONLY car that I'm going to say that about).

[70 Challenger Lover]

Thanks for questions.

I've been looking for any old docs on the car that may still be around but so far no luck.  It was a JH23L with a burnt orange exterior and interior w/ a white vinyl top.  Power windows, steering and brakes.  It had factory A/C, rally dash, 15" rally wheels, AM/FM stereo, and it had the A01 light group and C15 seat belt group.  Center console with slapstick shifter.  Drive train was a 383 4BBL, 727A and 3.23 rear end.

I blew up the 383 shortly after I got it, put a 1975 440 in it (why????) and neglected to put the A/C back together when I did the motor swap (left the compressor in place I'm pretty sure).  Also put a set of Hooker headers on it then as well.

I had it last registered in northern VA in 1983 when it went to a guy in MD (I want to say he was in Howard County but it also could have been Glen Burnie or even PG county).  He was a big Mopar guy and had several Mopars in his very big garage, some up on jacks w/ battery tenders.

I get that this is a fool's errand but like I said, there is a lot of sentimental value here.  If it's not for sale so be it and if it takes 80K (gulp) and years to put it back together then so be it as well (note that this is the ONLY car that I'm going to say that about).

I would start by contacting local car clubs in the area where you think he might have taken the car. I'd send out fliers with old photos and descriptive information like you gave us. You just never know...if it's a smaller community, a noticeable car like that might be known to the local car gurus. Even if it changed hands, they might point you to it's current home or offer info about who might have last owned it. It's as good a starting place as any.

[pyro273]

I really apologize for resurrecting this thread after so long but I finally located the VIN and it's apparently still titled in MD (titled in 1986, so several years after I sold it.)  It was, in fact, the 390th Challenger built at Windsor in 1970 so I am kicking myself even harder now.  Any chance someone here can help now that I have a VIN and state of title?

[6bblgt]

JH23L0B100390 would've been a "Dealer Introduction Show" PROMO car - they were not built in assigned VIN order - the PROMO cars were built later during the month of August - they were built in Hamtramck, MI - originally a 383 2bbl Challenger - Dodge would've built a number of identical (or near identical) cars for the 21 dealer shows across the country

here is JH23L0B100423 it was on eBay a few years ago

[pyro273]

Interesting, thanks! So I don't have the registration in front of me (the VIN was given to me over the phone) and I've been wondering as well if that "R" should have been a "B", but is there a chance that this car could have been built in Windsor? The other thing that doesn't make sense to me is that the 383 had a 4 BBL Thermoquad and the but with an L it should have been 2 BBL. I'm guess that someone could have swapped it out, but the setup looked pretty stock an the color of the intake matched the engine. I really don't remember if it had a single exhaust or dual before I put the headers on it.  I'll see the actual registration next month to see if that R" is really a "B".
If this was a promo car, I find it strange that it was optioned the way it was, with a rally dash and power windows.

[cuda hunter]

I really apologize for resurrecting this thread after so long but I finally located the VIN and it's apparently still titled in MD (titled in 1986, so several years after I sold it.)  It was, in fact, the 390th Challenger built at Windsor in 1970 so I am kicking myself even harder now.  Any chance someone here can help now that I have a VIN and state of title?

So, is the vin JH23L0B100390  ?     

Windsor? 

[mtull]

I finally located the VIN and it's apparently still titled in MD

Can you share any info on how you found the VIN and determined it was still titled in Maryland?  Does Maryland allow a title search that far back?

Thank you
M.

[pyro273]

The VIN, as dictated to me, was JH23L0R100390. It came from an old VA registration slip that my parents found while cleaning out their house. I ran the that VIN on Bumper and it found one title record in MD dated 3/7/1986 and says it's still current. The veracity of that info is up for debate.  Running the VIN with a "B" instead of an "R" returned two title records in MD with a date of 11/13/2013 and mileage of 84,682 and current. There's also a title brand that seems to indicate that the mileage is not correct as the odometer can't reflect actual mileage. Again, the accuracy of all of this is still up for debate.

At this point,I'm going to guess that my registration was wrong or read wrong to me but I do find it interesting that there could have been a title with the "R" VIN at some point after I sold it.

I'm guessing that this car is still around as I sold it to a Mopar guy in MD as I said below. I really want it back.....

[7E-Bodies]

Hoping to follow this thread because i'm in virtually the same boat. A 70 Challenger RT that had roughly 30k miles on it when I mistakenly let it go. Ton's of sentimental value. A JS23U0B3***** and yes, that's all I remember as all paperwork later was destroyed in a total loss fire at my place. I've always been in IL and the car went to Vermont. I've exhausted every known means of finding the total vin. It was a F4 color with AC and green vinyl top/interior and slaptstick 727. How I'd love to find the rest of the vin because the facebook group called "lost muscle cars" is proving to have some clout in locating cars, but the vin definitely makes it more possible. As for your "R" id say that's definitely a "B" for Hamtramck MI plant. Give that facebook group a try. He's having a lot of success. Can you share how you found someone to give you your vin?

[pyro273]

Can you share how you found someone to give you your vin?

I got lucky and my parents found an old VA registration slip from when I owned it.  I'll definitely check out that Facebook group.

[erik70rt]

I would love to find my old U code R/T as well.  JS23U0B283903.  Top Banana, black top, black interior, no stripes, 4 spd Super trak pak. 

[7E-Bodies]

@erik70rt again, the facebook group "Lost Muscle Cars" is really helping a lot of people.