The Dodge Challenger Message Board

i read some where about the ifs and ors of when then change was but i cant remember the details. alot of pics show the round style, mine came with a t handle. is it a date of build thing or something else?
fred

itsfred wrote:i read some where about the ifs and ors of when then change was but i cant remember the details. alot of pics show the round style, mine came with a t handle. is it a date of build thing or something else?
fred

round style = 1970
t-handle = 1971-1974
...if you ask me.

(I have heard stories about guys who are saying that some ´71-´74 cars came with round shifter knobs, but I don´t agree with them.)

Yeah some '74s seem to have the round knob. Can't explain why. It was a 1970 only item.

Christer wrote:round style = 1970
t-handle = 1971-1974
...if you ask me.

I spent ages looking into this one, and I think Christer has it right.

my dad bought his '74 brand new and has had the round knob since the factory. never changed.

cant say i know for sure but i would assume my car ('74) has had it all along as well.

i would bet, however, my dads is original.

Remind me what the production date of your two cars is again?

I think this was a late production thing as they were winding down just before they ceased production.

It would have been silly for them to order a new batch of t-shifters if they knew they were shutting down in a few weeks or something. I guess they must have had a batch of the round shifters left over from the 1970 model?

My two owner 74 has the round knob, as does a fellow I know with a 74 cuda. With the winding down of the e bodies, Chrysler probably used whatever they had in stock at the time.
transman

as far as i know its original. when i took it apart it had years of stuff in it. is there a date code on shifters?

i have the original 1974 challenger sales brochure next to me, no round-shift knob is mentioned...nevertheless, mine does'nt have the t-handle...but the round knob...curious ain'it?

dodgefreak wrote:i have the original 1974 challenger sales brochure next to me, no round-shift knob is mentioned...nevertheless, mine does'nt have the t-handle...but the round knob...curious ain'it?

not on the list, but look carefully to the interior picture...see the shifter?
http://challenger.mpoli.fi/forum/viewto ... challenger

i gues the search is over right ?

ahh dave. your wisdom shows through again. they are both late production cars.

dodgefreak wrote:

dodgefreak wrote:i have the original 1974 challenger sales brochure next to me, no round-shift knob is mentioned...nevertheless, mine does'nt have the t-handle...but the round knob...curious ain'it?

not on the list, but look carefully to the interior picture...see the shifter?
http://challenger.mpoli.fi/forum/viewto ... challenger

i gues the search is over right ?

I had never thought I would see a visible proof like this. I am stunned. It is never too late to change your mind, is it? Great job, dodgefreak!!!! Many guys who are saying the same thing independant of each other and even a pic in a sales brochure is by far enough evidence for me. Now I question if it really was just a few of the ´74 challengers who got the round knob. When it even is on the sales brochure, I get the feeling that quite many of the ´74 Challengers got it. Maybe we shall turn the question the other way around. How many of ´74 cars got the t-handle?

Other reasons for making this change are that the quality level of the t-handles were not as high as wanted. Don´t the t-handles use to get cracked, for instance? Another possibility is that these quality issues maybe led to the danger of beeing accused of causing an accident or two, I don´t know?