Hello from Croatia

[Archialfa]

A year ago I bought a plum crazy 1970 Challenger in the Netherlands. It has been taken apart and is currently in the restauration process.

It was originally a 318 car, but it has been upgraded to 440 along the way. A727, A/C, AM/FM radio, drum brakes all around, 14" Magnum wheels.

It looked like it was in a nice shape but a lot of stuff was hidden, painted over or just invisible to the non-trained eye. I bought it at Pedal To The Metal car shop in The Netherlands. The owner Max Dorland was, as every used car salesman, very sweet talking until we signed the contract and he got the money. A lot of costly issues came up later and in the end I was just happy to get the car to Croatia and have no business with him afterwards.

Anyway, the plan is to sort out the rust, I bought new floor pans and US Car Tools chassis stiffening kit. I also got some stuff for the engine compartment: dual electric fan, water pump, gasket set, spark plugs, oil filter, 3-point seat belts etc. After taking care of the body and painting next step will be the brakes (discs all around), new wheels (18" US Mags Rambler), suspension upgrade, Vintage Air kit, new gauges (Speedhut), maybe overdrive... we'll see what tomorrow brings!

I don't want to do a pro touring car, I will go down the resto mod route and try to keep the muscle car soul enhanced with a few contemporary upgrades to make it safe and comfortable to drive in everyday traffic.

[Archialfa]

And a few photos...

[Archialfa]

Oh, yeah, I forgot: Cody, thanks for the 

[Roadman]

[soundcontrol]

Welcome Archialfa!   

[ChallengerHK]

Welcome. That's a nice-looking car. I hope the issues are not too serious and you can enjoy it.

[Archialfa]

Welcome. That's a nice-looking car. I hope the issues are not too serious and you can enjoy it.

Floors were really bad, firewall too... Everything was nicely repainted so there was no way to know what's underneath. A/C compressor was missing (my mistake, I didn't know where to look when I was looking at the car) and some other smaller rust issues.

I didn't really get a chance to drive it. As soon as I imported it my mechanic and I agreed to take it apart and start with the resto. I will not be driving her this year, but the plan is to have it ready for 2018. Or if I manage to earn enough $$$ to invest in the car AND refurbishment of the flat. 

[Cuda Cody]

Sounds like you're well on your way to fixing some of the issues and you're keeping a good attitude about the deal.  Sucks to find hidden rust, but when you're done it should be an awesome car!  Let us know if you have any questions or of there is anything else we might help with.  Glad to have you in our community! 

Thanks for the photos of your car.   

[RUNCHARGER]

Welcome.

[J-Code Jeni]

  @Archialfa, and my goodness- that's a beautiful car!  It sounds like you learned a lot in a short amount of time. I am glad you are still enthusiastic and moving her forward- she's worth the time and energy you'll expend getting her where she needs to be. Keep us posted on the progress!

[blown motor]

Welcome from 

[jimynick]

And another  from    Even though there were problems, you've got a nice start to having an even nicer car! 

[Rev-It-Up]

Welcome to the forum! From your pics it looks like a beautiful car! Unfortunate that there are hidden issues...but I think we all run into some form of hidden issues when we take our cars apart so we can all relate in some ways. Glad you found us. Keep us posted!

[303 Mopar]

Welcome!      Beautiful Chally!

[mopar thunder]

Welcome! The car looks great  and unfortunately things like that happen. Un-foreseen issues always seem to come up. It looks like a great start though.