E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

Welcome there RockyMtn, glad you signed up. Really love the pics of your car, she's a beaut. I also have a base model '70 Challenger in SE trim w/ SE black and gray cloth interior, Go-Mango color exterior. Again welcome aboard.    Thanks,   Al

Well I've been here 2 weeks I guess I can join the welcome wagon crowd lol. Welcome from TN. you have a very nice Challenger.

Welcome! Wow beautiful car, love the colour!  :bradsthumb:

 :wave:  Welcome to the site from  :canada: 

Welcome from B.C. Canada. I like your car!

By request, the long novel version:

I am a long time gearhead and a loooooong time admirer of the Mopar E-bodies (Challengers mostly). All my friends and especially my best friend (my wife) knew my fav ride is a 1970 Challenger. I am "Smitten" when it comes to 1970 Challengers. So, most of my experience has been tinkering around with small block Fords and Mopars. In late '98 I purchased a 1968 Mustang Coupe for show (Mostly around the state of AZ). This ride was what I called my 'revenge ride' (another story for another time). This pretty little high gloss, Ferrari Red coupe has won over 100 awards at various shows and - yes - to this day I still own it. The thing that I couldn't get my head around about this ride was at most shows it would be considered "Cute." LOL! Yeah "Cute!" Yet my walls and shelves is filled with a lot of cute awards.

So, around January, this year, I got the bug to buy a motorcycle. Of course, in order to have a successful, loving marriage, both of you should agree to the common cause of investment. I saw bike ownership as a means to ride the Rockies cheap and let that cool, clean, crisp air blow thru the hair, that is buzzed down short and only hangs around the back of my head. My wife saw it as a means to splatter myself on hwy 291 (what does she know?)! She kept referencing to a time in our 40 years of togetherness when I was into another means of two wheel transportation - 12 speed - and I hit the rear quarter panel of a cop car (pffffft! That was a long time ago when we were living in crowded, 'ole  Phoenix). So one day, in late January, I got her worked up into a tizzy. I wanted my bike (one with some "vrooooom")! That ensued into an argument, in which heated words were exchanged. Words like "I" and "Rather" and "You" and "Have" and "The" and "Challenger"...???!!!...I am here to say you could had knocked me over with a gentle breeze.  After a solid minute of stone cold silence and making sure I heard what I heard and making sure my feet were still below me - I said, "Ok." I was given the green light! After-all these years of working in a 'nickel and dime' career, she gave me the go ahead.

I started a massive nationwide, FBI style, Challenger hunt! I pulled out all the stops. My most wanted was a R/T with a 383 - four speed - painted Plum Crazy (It matches my personality). My friend, back in Phoenix, told me to go 440 (He told me that it would be a closer match to my crazy personality - Ha!). I searched every list this and every .com that on the web, only to find one after another that was already sold. I think it was around April, I let go some of my wish list requirments and yet still found most of the rides for sale were still sold. This included the '71s. The few, I did find, lacked what I would call show quality and to build one was out of the question since I simply don't have the space or convenient resources I once had. Around Mid-May, I was in a deep funk, after being told another ride was already sold. It was right after this, I was close to deciding to "Give it a rest", that I thought I would give 'ole clist a final shot...again (I gave-up on clist when it proved ineffective at how I was to search it and I hated it!). I started in California. First San Diego. Then L.A. . On to Sacramento. I lucked out! There, second listing, was the most marvelous E body Challenger I could ever want or need (The one I own now). I wanted to wake-up my wife since it was only mid-night! I want to, right when I first saw it, to tell her, "Get up and pack your bags! We're heading to California!" However, I was a "Nice Guy" and waited till morning. Plus, I needed to question the owner more about the ride, before making the 1000 mile journey.

Next morning I showed her the listing, she went, "Meh" and asked where it was located? Now I want to apologize in advance to everyone in California for the following. I said "California" and she said "Ummm, no and no way!" Both of us knew that the ride in California would involve long hours parked on some nameless freeway and drivers with short tempers. However, it turned out good and I did promised the wife a quick drive in and a quick drive out. The only thing I didn't know was, it has a 40 mile downgrade somewhere between Reno to Sacramento (Yeah! 40 miles of climb with 6000# tied on the receiver of my '08, 1500 4x4 HEMI truck). As I said it turned out good...Real good!

We met with the owner, did a little tire kicking, found out in conversation that the owner was extremely picky, test drove it (WOW comes to mind) didn't negotiate the price and drove out of California with the Challenger on a trailer. We made the trip back with one  stop at a resort in Nevada. I must had been a nervous wreck that night because my wife asked me, the following morning, "Was my new baby alright?" She is a light sleeper and counted 5 times when I got up to check 'er out from our room window. I'm here to say that I only remembered getting up once and that was around 5:30 am. I wondered how my glasses ended up on the floor?

We made it back home by the second day. Negotiating the continental divide (Monarch Pass) was slow and meticulous since it was dark and critters have a tendency to walk out in front of a moving vehicle. Another thing why it was good to be home...I was tired of saying "NO" every blessed time I stopped and someone would ask, "Is it for sale?"

Happy to show something other than "Cute" and something more with a streak of mean built-in!!!

The end.

Wow very nice ride  :welcome: from krazyfornia

Great looking Challenger and even better story!  I'm down in Aurora.  Hope you can make down to the Colo Mopar Show in August!

Welcome aboard!  Awesome story!   :wave:

Always room for 1 more !!
Welcome from Panama  :panama:
Glad you joined up , great story too  :wave:

that car HAS IT!!!!  :welcome:

Glad to see you joined up !  Welcome.

I've seen the car and it is everything those pictures show and more.  Absolutely awesome ride!!

Not many people have what it takes to wait for the right car for them.  Congratulation on finding the perfect Challenger for you.  Great story and so glad you shared it with us.   :clapping:

 :welcome: Good things come to he that waits!  :congrats: :twothumbsup:

Very nice, I love that color!

Thanks to all for the welcome and kind words about my ride. I am sure to have a few questions along the way. Had a little time, today, to lurk over some of the treads and believe it or not already picked up some great tips!

Much appreciated!!!