| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
So...here's my mother in 1971, with her 1970 Dodge Charger 500.  She bought it brand new. She was teaching at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. Triple green - green paint, green vinyl top, green interior. Drove it till I came around (brought me home from the hospital in it), gave it to her brother's family...and my cousin totalled it in '75 or '76. We still don't speak to him. Fast forward to last Monday.  I drove to Gainesville (I know, right??) and picked up MY new 1970 Charger 500. Triple green (mine's light green, mom's was dark green), factory a/c, buckets, console...100% survivor car, no restoration, and ZERO RUST. Strapped it to a trailer behind my 265,000 mile '01 pickup, and towed it from FL to MD on Weds. 12.5 hours, cruise on 77 mph, and got 15.4 mpg out of the old diesel!  The paint is rough - it's been painted once, no idea why, all body panels are original. They all show the factory color (just a different shade of green from what's on top) and all the factory marks, and zero signs of bondo...maybe it just faded. I might be able to bring it back - see the before and after here:  But even when it shines (some), it's still stained. Apparently it lived in a garage most or all of its life, and it looks like it spent a lot of that time as a "table" - a flat surface covered in god-knows-what. Dark stains in the paint that look like oil, or rust, or organics...tools? Greasy rags? I have no idea. But it runs and drives. Doesn't smoke. Straight, solid...and real. No reproduction parts. No missing pieces. Original...EVERYthing - window glass. Light lenses. Trim. Chrome. Upholstery. Engine. Transmission. Hubcaps. It's. All. There. 40 years, I've been looking for a triple-green '70 500. And now...I've got it. Let the fun begin - gonna fix up all the stuff that doesn't work (a/c; heat; dash lights; horn; couple marker lights), keep buffing on the paint (I really don't want to repaint it - they're only original once!), drive it...and have FUN!  | ||
| Tootal |
Very cool! Now you'll need to start watching Nick's Garage video's on YouTube! | ||
| Ourdee |
Keep it away from the salt. | ||
| Aesquire |
Sweet! | ||
| Ducbsa |
What motor? | ||
| 1313 |
SWEET!!! What motor? We should all throw our guesses out, and whoever gets it right wins - something... Ah who cares about winning something. My guess is the 318. | ||
| Court |
That is 7 light years beyond cool! My bet would be the 318 as well. | ||
| Hootowl |
I’m going with 426 | ||
| Crusty |
I'm thinking 383. | ||
| Zane |
Man does that bring back some memories. My best friend growing up had an older brother. He drove a 70 Charger for 3 or 4 years. We cruised 100,000 miles up and down the beach in that thing. If I remember right the 318 was the standard motor but the 383 was a torque monster that would make a Charger fly. Thanks for bringing back some great memories. | ||
| Needs_o2 |
SERIOUS POTENTIAL!!!  | ||
| Griffmeister |
He said all original and it has dual exhaust so I would go with 383 also. I’m thinking around 1970 the 318 was not considered a performance motor and only came with 2bbl’s and single exhaust. But that was a long time ago, ahem. | ||
| Ourdee |
My guess is the 440 Magnum. Out of the 392 Charger 500s made only 67 had the 426 Hemi engine. | ||
| 1313 |
Out of the 392 Charger 500s made only 67 had the 426 Hemi engine. For the 1969 Charger 500, those are the accepted production figures. Joe's is a 1970. If it does have the 426 Hemi, the production figures I saw online indicate only 1 1970 Charger 500 was built with the 426 Hemi. Good call on the dual exhaust. If it's factory, I might have to up my guess to the 383... | ||
| Marksm |
Congrats, Very nice ride. | ||
| Court |
Rat. . . . . Congrats on joining the club. . . . I bought my “grown up revenge” car a couple years ago. . . . . I’ve wanted one since the day it was the first car I stole. I LOVE the vintage. Like my old Cushman ...if it has fuel, compression and gas. . . It runs. May run like crap but it’ll get ya home. Love the looks of it. I’d got with amending my guess to 383 based on the dual exhausts. | ||
| Hootowl |
“My guess is the 440 Magnum.” Pretty sure the 500 didn’t come with that motor. The 500 was sort of the base model. I think the R/T came with the 440. ‘Course, you could probably get any engine you were willing to pay for back then. | ||
| Ratbuell |
There were three Chargers in 1970 - Charger base (or just "Charger"); Charger 500; and Charger R/T. In '69, the 500 was a performance model with flush Coronet grille and flush-mount rear window - the precursor to the aero package on the Superbird and the Charger Daytona - but by '70 it was basically a trim package. 70 500s were built with one of two motors - a 318/2bbl, or a 383/4bbl. Mine's the same as mom's - the original 318/2bbl, with the A904 console-shift automatic and an 8-1/4" suregrip rear. The dual exhaust is one of the things that's been updated through 50 years of maintenance. It's a true dual - no crossover - and it has some drone-monster 2-chamber Flowmasters. They may very well go away. Sounds OK with your foot in it (and 230 factory HP isn't too shabby for a 3225-lb car), but DAMN does it drone at cruising speeds. I got real antifreeze in it last night, so at least I won't crack the block! Going to look into pulling the heater box and having the core and control valve rebuilt, so I can have heat. May throw a new condensor in for the a/c while the box is out - no sense pulling it twice - in case I ever get the urge to make the a/c work again. For now, though? Baby steps. Wiring. Get dash lights to work. Replace a broken motor mount I found last night. Work on getting those goofy strips off the sides. Pull the back seat and the interior quarter panels and lube up the back window regulators - they move, but they are CRUN-CHEE. Put the stock valve covers back on. And cut, buff, cut, buff, cut, buff, and polish the paint. Over. And over. And over again. Even with the stains, it looks good when it shines! I got the hood to look pretty decent with my random-orbit buffer, but the trunk is being a bear. I got some rougher-cut compound at the store just now ("rubbing" compound, as opposed to the "polishing" compound I've been using) to see if I can get it to come back. I'm guessing carport - the back 1/3 of the car is a TON rougher than the front 2/3. But...it's all part of the fun! | ||
| Pwnzor |
My father had a 1970 barracuda, in the exact same triple green color combination. Seeing pictures of your new car brings that right back to me. Congratulations on what must have been an expensive addition to your garage | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.legendaryautointeriors.com For any interior restoration needs. I worked there long ago, but it's still the best specialist folk for your Charger. They had all the original trim books, the internal dealer only code breaking information that so often is dead wrong in internet discussions. Products are top notch, the owner has a Charger. When I worked there, the odds were good that if you saw a trophy winner at a Dodge/Plymouth car show, Legendary had something to do with it. Between them and Year One ( who sold Legendary made stuff as well as their own & others ) that was the go to. Mention Patrick referred you & they might overcharge you...  But it'll fit and look like original. Marty ( the owner ) used to haunt old upholstery shops on the way to car shows. He found some NOS flower power vinyl, '69 only for Roadrunner, ( blue green flowers ) and Barracuda ( yellow ) used on vinyl tops and seat inserts on a handful of cars. He bought all he could afford and told the lady he'd be back for the rest in a few weeks. When he returned, she hadn't believed him & had turned the rest ( that he had found in her piles ) into hand bags. Probably the rarest vinyl in the world. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Yeah, that Mod Top stuff was COOL. I've only seen a couple of them in person, but they are super-neat looking. The Mod vinyl was on the seats as well as the tops. About the only interior pieces I need, are seat belts. Buckles are rusted solid. Everything else looks great. The carpet is faded to brown...but hey, that's originality for you! I'll try and get some interior shots today. Been wearing out my random-orbit buffer getting some shine back, but I need to focus on the inside now. Mainly, getting the dash lights working again so I can drive after dusk! (I may possibly upgrade to some Hella H4 conversion headlamps with DDMTuning HID's, as well...easily reversible, and great for safety). Good tip on Legendary, thanks. I knew about them, but now that I have an "in"....  They were already going to be my go-to if I decided to put a fresh top on it. I need to figure that out though. Fender tag and broadcast sheet both show painted roof, but damned if that's not an original (or close to it) vinyl top! But...the other thing that makes me wonder is, the Charger badges are in the wrong place. About an inch high, and about 2" too far back. I dunno. Gonna have to get it titled in my name (our motor vehicles department is "appointment only because of COVID" right now....stupid....), and send the information and photos to Galen to see what he thinks. | ||
| 86129squids |
Congrats on the new/old car, Joe! Given that I live so close to Gatlinburg/Sevier county, classic cars come and go several times a year around here... many right down the highway here in Maryville. I've always loved most any car built before the late 70's... grown to hate SUV's and their inherent blandness. Whatever you do (and I've SURE you will), PICS PHLEEEZZZZE!!! When I picked up the PC800 I got a good little dose of happy- you better watch out for OD'ing, buddy! | ||
| Aesquire |
One thing I learned is nothing is impossible in car options. A buddy ordered his Dodge van with the Street Van pkg. ( chrome bumpers, badge, and mirrors, the high back buckets in front, carpeted front floor & engine hump, but otherwise stripped, & the paper templates for interior walls and floors ) a rear heater, and a 440 four barrel. Ate Corvettes for breakfast. But generally, the fender tag and build sheet match. There were exceptions, and the dealer could install vinyl roofs, power windows, etc. & it's not on tag or build sheet. Carpet is reasonable, get the OEM molded style with built in jute padding, and you can deal with any corrosion after you pull the seats and carpet. Should be body color under carpet. Good time to run stereo wires, and the rear pkg tray can be replaced cheaply... I suggest a nice crate to put any removed original stuff, ( like rear drums if you do a disc conversion ) and consider it part of the car for resale, hopefully in a century of so. That crate is also a wonderful time capsule mystery for future generations. "It's every lousy part off a 65 Dart?" | ||
| Court |
Most of all… Just have fun with it. You’ll find there are endless restoration resources. I am amazed, in the case of my old car, I can get virtually any park… Generally within 24 hours. You can pick away at a little by little but never forget that the reason you bought it was fun… Go be happy. | ||
| Ratbuell |
 It will definitely be FUN!    The rear windows cranked up and down...but they were crunchy as hell. So, I went to pull the back seat, so I could remove the inner quarter panels, and attack the window regulators with white lithium grease. The grease lubed the windows fine, and they work like new now. But. When I knelt on the floor behind the driver seat, to remove the lower back seat...I went through the floorboard. DAMMIT. I peeled up the carpet and sure enough, that corner is all rusty. Under the back seat still had body color paint on it. Behind the passenger seat, still had body color paint on it. But that driver side rear footwell...dammit. And, I don't know HOW it happened - the door is rock solid. The quarter panel is rock solid. The rocker panel is rock solid. It makes no sense to me, how water could get TO that spot without rotting stuff on the way. I had a buddy come by to get a car he bought from me, so I called it a day after I finished the windows...but I'm going to pull the front seats and peel up all the carpet just to make sure the rest of the floors are as good as they're supposed to be. The seats don't rock; the floors up front FEEL solid...but now, I'm curious. And, nervous. But - like Court said - parts are plentiful. That rear floor *might* run me $100 for a restoration-quality stamping. I'll just add it to the list. Not like it's going anywhere anytime soon - I'm sure we'll have salt on the roads soon, and that locks down ALL my toy cars until spring rains clean the roads off. It's still the car I've always wanted. Fixing it up will truly be a labor of love. | ||
| Hootowl |
Kid spilled a soda, or multiple sodas over the years? | ||
| Griffmeister |
Steel is funny, that rust spot could have started from the outside in. Maybe a seam or body drain in that spot. The comment about saving parts reminded me of a coworker who is a diehard Dodge fanatic. His garage is lined with shelves of all sorts of D/C/P parts. He has his own code that we discovered when someone else saw an alternator with the tag “good but no good”. He had to explain that meant that the frame was intact but it didn’t charge, just in case he wanted a period correct part for rebuilding. He would also give driving directions using Dodge dealers for landmarks. | ||
| Ducbsa |
Could the floor rust come from salty snow falling off of the former driver's boots? | ||
| Ratbuell |
Nope, for 2 reasons - 1. it's the back seat floor. There's a hump over frame braces, under the driver seat, so nothing can roll back from the driver floor. 2. Wednesday was the first time in the car's life that it ever left Florida. | ||
| Buellish |
If you get a chance check out Roadkill's Junkyard Gold,episode 10 aired on Saturday 12-4 on Motor Trend TV. Steve Magnante goes through the evoloution of the Charger. |
