The Dodge Challenger Message Board

This is for sale in the UK.
It is NOT my car so don't contact me about the sale.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C354518

It used to belong to my mate Trev Young so I know a bit about the car up to about 10 years ago. Factory 383 (rare) Sublime paint, manual brakes.

I still have the fender tag details on file;

E61 - Engine code. 383 cu. in. V8 2bbl. Single Exhaust (N.A. w/manual trans, or R/T)
D32 - Transmission (Heavy Duty Automatic)
J - Model (Challenger)
H - Price class – High (not an R/T)
23 - Body type (Two Door Hardtop)
L - Engine code (383 B-Block)
0 - Model year (1970)
E - Assembly plant (Los Angeles, CA)
128638 - Plant sequential number (28638th car of all types down the line that model year)

FJ5 - Body paint (Sublime – ‘High Impact’ paint)
H6X9 – Interior. H = High Grade, 6 = All-Vinyl bucket seats, X9 = Black.
000 - Full door panels (no interior color paint required on door frame)
108 - Scheduled production date (8th Jan 1970)
109026 - Dealer order number

V1X - Vinyl roof / Black
A63 – Molding Group A (standard SE). Belt Moulding, Front Splash Pan Scoop Molding, Cowl Moulding, Rear Astrotone-Painted Applique.
A91 – Western Sport Special Group (Released mid-Dec. '69 to Los Angeles and San Francisco regions) Western Sport Special decal, vinyl roof, woodgrain instrument panel applique, remote control mirror, rim blow steering wheel, sill moulding, belt moulding, front splash pan scoop, cowl moulding, rear Astrotone applique, pedals dress-up, bumper guards w/rubber inserts, F78x14 inch white side wall tyres, Rallye wheels.
C16 - Centre console
C55 - Bucket seats
G34 - Painted L.H. Remote Control Racing Mirror
H51 – Air Conditioner with Heater
M21 – drip Trough Moldings
M25 – Wide Sill Moldings
M31 – Belt Molding
N95 – Evaporative Control System
R11 - Music Master A.M. Radio
V1X - Vinyl roof / Black
V5X – Black Side Molding
26 – 26” H.D. Radiator
END - End of options list.

Nice car with a price like that I dont expect it to stay around for very long

I've spoken to the guy selling the car. Rust issues around the rear arches and on the rear deck panel below the window..... Also he let the original engine go about a year ago as it was too expensive to rebuild (apparently) and there is now another challenger engine in there that Dave Billadeau built for it? I cant see how that would have been cheaper but there we go ! Maybe a 'spare' engine that might have been spruced up rather than a full rebuild - I'll find out more in due course....... Might be worth seeing if the original engine can be retrieved. He seemed to think American Autoparts kept it at the time.............. He realises the mistake now in not holding on to the original engine !

Hello Raven68 welcome to the forum
I wouldn't get too hung up about original engine etc..... so many Mopars were gifted new motors by dealers and repairers during the course of their exciting little lives, same goes for a swapped in tranny etc.
Its probably fairly easy to find a 383 with roughly the right date stamped on it.
It's a good looking car and I reckon if you go for it you will really enjoy it
Won't find a better forum for challengers than this tho

Welcome Colin (hmm, wonder how you found the forum? )... from the pics you posted on facebook, the car is suffering from a few rust issues, but nothing you couldn't handle I'm sure. I would definitely check the trunk floor though, as it looks like there's been a lot of leaking through the panel under the rear screen...

It sounds like he bought a car he has no idea how to maintain himself. Dave-B can throw together an engine pretty cheap as he has a lot of used spares.

My mate Trev Young bare-metalled that car about 12 years ago and welded in new metal around the rear window. But it has not been well looked after by the two or three owners after him.

Here are the photos on the rust issues that I've posted on my Facebook garage page.
Not overly worried about these areas as everything is fixable one way or another. Like Andy says the boot area (and wheel tubs) need checking out and that rear window deck panel HAS to be leaking water into the boot.... Any other observations and comments welcomed !

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 714&type=1

Done the deal and bought the car so hopefully will be picking it up next Friday and driving back down the M4 to Bristol..... Definately see that the offside rear quarter has been replaced below the swage line and the nearside roof pillar has patch repairs on the inside which sort of explains the paint split and it looks as though the roof to rear quarter lead joints are pushing up, but from 10ft its a good looking car and one that you wont be afraid to use....

So we need a new pair of bumpers, rear chrome trims and a heater control valve to start with.... ! Where from........ ??



Worst piece of rusty is on both arches with the offside being the worst shown here. NOthing that a bit of metalwork cant sort out... !

E-Body cars often crack at the base of teh roof pillar. In particular if drag raced on slicks. It is a weak area and why many people fit chassis connectors.

What is wrong with the heater control valve?

I ask because the original was missing when Trev had the car and that one on the car is the control valve from my old 1970 440 R/T. I think he had to make a bracket to fit it?

The valve started leaking water out the top so the hoses have been disconnected and joined together to form a loop..... Your comment might explain why there is an old heater valve of a different shape in the box of bits I brought home.... !! Is this the original one as the bracket is an integral part of the whole thing?

I don't remember enough about it now as it was so long ago. I think I removed all the AC and heater pipework from my car in the early 90s.

Yes that valve is there to let heat in to the interior , so now with bypass tubes on the hoses you will have heat all the time , those are available in repop to make it work properly.

How does the trunk floor look? and the inner 1/4 panels look? from what I can see by the time you make up some patch panels you might consider replacing the whole 1/4 panel same amount of work for better results,just my 2 cents