1970 Challenger T/A (B5 with a 4 speed 3.91)

[1 Wild R/T]

Gees...what a rookie mistake ! Who the heck is restoring this thing ???

You know Alan, the man admits he's not an E body expert, very few people know all the details of every car.....  You'd likely be completely lost about a small detail like that about a B body....  At least the guy picks up tools & does the work, He doesn't sub every major job out and only do assembly and spray bomb overhauling....  Not that there's anything wrong with that, somebodies gotta do it....

[anlauto]

Rattle-can Restorations at your service 

[HEMICUDA]

Rattle-can Restorations at your service 

You hit the nail on the head, leave all the hard and talented stuff to someone else.  

[anlauto]

 

[69CudaFan]

Okay, back on topic.

Test fitment on stuff to make sure it is well, and any potential snags are addressed. Ordering parts, waiting on parts, and general thrashing is happening! All while hoping to connect all the previous owners to see this car that was last registered for the roads in 1979!

There is a method to the madness, and this car will go to Carlisle come hell or high water—or if we are putting on parts down there in the hotel parking lot!

Couple big ticket items pending (c'mon TurboStart), but also a mountain of little odds and ends. Thankfully there were quite a bit of NOS parts and the majority of the hardware can be saved. Doing what I can do to help long distance, but I can't say enough about the "never say die" attitudes of @Mymcodebee and @Machoramcharger; not their first rodeo for sure!

[69CudaFan]

My heater motor was black. Heater box was never out of the car. It will go back to black.

[VermontMopar]

Over the past 20 years or so I've restored two Challengers -- and most recently, a '68 Charger RT   (Or... Perhaps I should say I  financed their restoration)     Anyway, I'm now at that time in my life when I'm probably done...... BUT -- then I started reading this post and the ole juices starting flowing again!   

Bringing one of these special cars back to life is a special treat.  If you strip away the $$'s ..... how cool is it to bring something back to "life" from its heyday some 50 years ago?    While my role was mostly to hunt for parts and pay the bills (I don't possess the talents to actually do what the craftsmen do) ....  it is still very exciting to be a part of the process -- and watch a restoration like this unfold.   

I think only those of us who have been involved truly understand.....  And while some totally appreciate the attention to detail and the "pickyness" of being absolutely correct in the restoration process -- others may not.   But --it matters not -- either way its a special thing and the end product is a thing of beauty, power, history -- and memories!   

I sure wish we could do more to introduce younger people to our hobby so that a little bit of our passion would rub off and they would truly appreciate what it means -- not just in terms of $$-- to bring one of these classics back to life to be appreciated, driven and enjoyed.   Despite the hard work, frustration, $$ invested,  and the fear that it will never be done..... they pale in comparison to the sense of satisfaction you feel upon completing a restoration.  It's a great feeling!       

Well Done -- and Carry on!

Vt Mopar

[69CudaFan]

 This one is for @anlauto 

[anlauto]

As I mentioned in my email....sometimes when you go against the "norm" because your car didn't come that way, you'll eventually get frustrated explaining to people why your motor is painted black and not the silver plating like what is considered to be correct.
In my opinion, it's just easier to go with the flow.

Different vendors, suppliers back in the day is certainly plausible, we've seen it countless times, however.....You did NOT buy the car new, you can NOT say the "heater box has never been removed" . So a lot can happen in 49 years...Who really knows, maybe the motor, or even the entire box was replaced at one time, maybe under warranty at the dealer who knows ?

You have a blower motor assembled in Sept 69 and the car was when April 70 ? Seven months later ??

[69CudaFan]

Well, before we go too deeply in this:

Every owner of the car is still alive and been spoken too at length regarding this car. I can gladly ask them all about this issue and ask if they ever had a heater problem that needed to be addressed by any of them during its limited life.

I would gladly show that the heater box was in remarkable shape, save for the foam seals which turned to dust. Further, given the car was up north it's entire life and driven sparingly solely in the summer, I suspect the answer to that question is again "no". I will gladly chat with them and verify. The last time this car saw a road was 78-79. I have the sticker for the 79 year.

Pictures are worth 1000 words, which is why I have saved tons of them (only a fraction make it to on here. The gasket on there is likely older than I am, but rather than delve into detailed forensics, this decision was mine to make, and I feel it is reasonable informed one that it will stay black.

It it not beyond belief that it is 7 months earlier. Just relieved it was not later which would certainly indicate something was amiss.

All in all, still fun, and will make for great discussions with anyone that loves to point out things rather than enjoy the fact this car has a wicked cool story, is being saved, and corners are not being cut. We are doing the very best we can with what we know, can find and prove, and what secrets the owners and the car share with us.

[anlauto]

I'm not debating what you found, I'm just saying that 49 years after the fact and several owners later....you can not say much with 100% certainty...and that's just my opinion.

I'm guessing the original owner is in his 70's ?? so if he can remember every detail that happened during his ownership, that may have been very insignificant at the time, 50 years later....God bless the mans soul   I can't remember details of last week


Can't wait to see the car at Carlisle   

[69CudaFan]

Alan,

With all due respect, these guys I have talked to know the impact such a cool car had on them. They know intricate details of this car and have awesome stories they have shared; each one of them. They tell it so vividly, it is like a time machine back into their twenties. They are in their 70s and 80s...but I would never doubt the veracity of their stories when you hear them tell it. One owner proposed to his wife (to this day still with him BTW) in his car. It is a close knit family of people that I am grateful to have met. They are nearly as excited as I am to see it done.

That is why this car is cool, and I know you know it will be when we are done with it. Here is what I can promise: it will be better than the assembly line ran it through back in April of 1970. I actually get excited by how excited they are to see it done. We all are too. There are not many that end up getting the treatment this car deserves. This is one, no doubt.

Each owner only had it couple of years before it was shelved. That is for sure. That is why their memory of the car is so vivid. We can debate over a beer at Carlisle. My word is golden on that, and bring Erik too. I will gladly tell both of you the stories of this car. It is amazing.

[Chryco Psycho]

I will be more than happy to help you in the parking lot if it comes to that 
Love the progress you are making with it 

[6bblgt]

  my cars are for me, they are what I want (or can afford)

these cars don't have "Hoyle" rulebooks in many aspects of a restoration,  I'm of the mindset if authentic is the goal "don't change anything that can't be proven to be incorrect" sometime that proof is hard to come by but  IMO a part that's been on the car for ~49 years may have earned its right to be there even if it bucks the "norm"

[69CudaFan]

Just got done talking with Owner #3 (who I have had the most contact with). He then spoke to the remaining 3 owners who drove the T/A on the highway and might of needed to use the heater. They all say, and owner #3 also stated, "that no owner ever had issues with the heater or the heater motor, and it was never out of the car." He also stated it was always black and he spent plenty of time under the hood leaned over that passenger fender to know. Car was always put away for winters until owner #4 used it briefly as a daily, but quickly realized that car was "hard in the snow". He then started to take it apart when he and buddy were applying Body Schutz to his Impala, and decided to coat the T/A too. Sat from 1979 to 1987 when he sold it to owner #5 who just sat on it until 2016.

Between that and the pics I have, that is beyond good enough for me.

Owner #1 stated to me "it was not a fast car, but it was a quick car. I remember trying to rip that pistol grip through the goddamn floor when I needed to." He raced it at Winterport Dragway, Oxford Motor Speedway and hit the cruises on Friday nights with his wife Pam to race the car. Took down an AAR because it was an automatic, and took down a Hemicuda because he broke out and he hit his dial in time directly on the nose. He sold it to his buddy in 72 or 73 so he could buy a farm truck.

All (4) owners that drove this car worked for the local power company and they are all friends or relatives by marriage.

Car is going to have a really sinister look to it no doubt about that.