Sunroofs • The Dodge Challenger Message Board

by **seancb** » 30 May 2001 6:50

how many '70 challengers were built with a factory sunroof?

thanks

by **dave-r** » 30 May 2001 9:47

I give in. Tell me.

I don't know actually. Any one else know? There were not many. The best anyone might be able to find out is the percentage of Challengers that were built with one. All of the numbers that you will find about how many cars had this or that option are based on the percentage figures the bean counters at Chrysler used to decide if something was worth offering or not. All the actual figures were destroyed many, many years ago. So when you hear someone say (for example) that "only 4 cars were built with Option A" you have to realise that that figure is based on a document that says 0.001 percent of cars built that year had that option. No way can it be accurate.

Anyway. Does anyone know how many approximately were built with a sunroof?

by **dave-r** » 30 May 2001 12:38

Just for information;

The power sunroof (option code M51 on the tag) was only offered in 1970/71/72 and could not be had on the convertible (obviously!) or the 1970 SE or 1971 formal roof (code A78) Challengers.

All cars fitted with this sunroof also had to have a vinyl top to hide all the messy patchwork.

Any other type of sunroof a Challenger might have must have been fitted after production.

by **jen** » 16 Aug 2001 23:19

In the june 1998 issue of mopar muscle it has some production # for the 70 Challenger R/T 440 six pack. 82 sunroof cars made. I'll look around for some more later.

by rt » 17 Aug 2001 23:25

one 70 challenger T/A sunroof car known to exist.

by **Jack T.** » 18 Aug 2001 5:11

The 1970 production printout from Daimler/Chrysler says .2% of the Challenger series that year had sunroofs. I don't have the figures from them for any other year but Galen's book has these figures: 1 T/A, 114 Challengers and 82 R/T's had sunroofs for a total of 197 in 1970. 21 Challengers and 27 R/T's were so blessed in 1971 for a total of 48. His 1972 figures do not show how many sunroof cars were made, but between 1970 and 1971, there were only 245 of them built - a pretty rare feature.

by **Eric S** » 09 Sep 2001 2:58

I have a 1970 Challenger SE with a factory sunroof. The car came with the original production sheet to prove it and it is on the VIN. I'm still in the middle of restoring it and I'm trying to find out info on it. As far as I've found so far, this has been the only SE with a factory sunroof.

by **dave-r** » 09 Sep 2001 10:03

Acording to everything in all the Chrysler material I have, what you have is impossible.

Please print the Fender tag line by line for us so we can see what you have. If what you say is true I would like to ask a few questions about it.

by **Eric S** » 10 Sep 2001 3:07

I just went through all of my paperwork and decoded my VIN. It's not an SE because the third and fourth digits would be 29, if i'm understanding this page right. My third and fourth digits are 23. But the sunroof is still listed on the Chrysler corporation broadcast sheet so I know it's still a pretty rare car.

by **dave-r** » 10 Sep 2001 7:36

So it has a JH23 VIN instead of a JH29, a normal size rear window, no sepecial edition badges on the doors or roof pillars, and a sunroof, and yet you thought it was an SE? Mmmm. Think you had better do some more reading on my web site instead of just looking at the photos!

Well done on de-coding your VIN and tag though.

I had a guy writing to me a few weeks ago that insisted he had a Western Sport Special SE! Figure that one out!

by **Joel** » 16 Oct 2001 8:34

Whats with that small window that the SE Challengers came with? I am 5'7" and I had a hard enough time looking over my right shoulder trying to back out in reverse with a regular sized window. I was taught in driver ed to never to use your mirrors to see where you are going when in reverse, but to look over your right shoulder. However, when driving my Dakota with a canopy with tinted blister windows on the sides and of course the canopy door window, which is pratically the entire door on the piticular canopy that I use back, I developed the bad habit of using my mirrors, because I can't see much of anything looking over my shoulder. It is just not pratical to do so in my truck.

by **Christer (Christer)** » 06 Jan 2003 20:22

This is the only photo that I have ever seen,
of a Challenger with a factory sunroof.
Somewhere around 250 cars were made with this option.
Does anyone have a better photo?

by **LITEMUP (Von)** » 07 Jan 2003 17:16

Yes, I have one in a Mopar Muscle Mag. will post it soon.

by **James LeViness (Opey)** » 18 Jan 2003 14:48

I have a 71' w/ the M51 sunroof option. I checked the rear wheel wells and the factory drains are present, so it is factory. Unfortunatly, my sunroof is not operable. The lid was so rotted out it was thrown away, but he motor, tracks and switch are still there.

I would guess it is impossible to find parts, but if anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.

Considering my car is only a base model (non R/T) with a 318, it's probably not a valuable car. Especially, since the sunroof is not operable.

by **Christer (Christer)** » 20 Jul 2003 23:29

I found this pic among cars in barns. I could not resist posting it because of the good angle.

by **Bryan Eidins (Bryan)** » 21 Jul 2003 18:26

i have a sunroof fitted in my car,it is a full sliding metal sunroof,i have drain holes in each arch over the wheels it matched the headliner,it is not electric,it is manual,it is not coded on my fender tag,does anyone know if it could have been fitted by a dealer?

by **Bryan Eidins (Bryan)** » 21 Jul 2003 18:28

sorry its a `73

by **Graham Shortreed (Transma** » 21 Jul 2003 20:12

It is possible that the sun roof is a dealer installed item. When I worked for a dealership, we had a fair number of sun roof, t-bar roof installations done for us. Unless you knew how to decode the VIN plate, you'd never know it wasn't a factory job.

by **Dave-R (Roppa440)** » 21 Jul 2003 21:45

Dealers did this a lot when sunroofs suddenly became popular. Many owners had them fitted too as the fad took off. Even in the UK there were many small companies that did nothing else but fit sunroofs.