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Amazing Survivor: 1970 Dodge Charger R/T

Bumblebee Stripe

UPDATE: Be cautious with this one guys! The mileage may be higher than advertised.

If you’re in the market for a Mopar muscle car, this is the one to get! It doesn’t have a Hemi, but it’s claimed to be all original with the exception of consumables. That’s almost hard to believe when you see how nice the paint and interior appear to be. Then again, it could all be true if the 66k showing on the odometer is accurate. Throw in the fact that this highly-optioned Charger is painted Hemi Orange and fitted with a 440 V8 and you have one heck of a find. We hope that the claims are all true for the buyer’s sake. This one is located in Happy Valley, Oregon and is listed here on eBay where the bidding ends Thursday!

Charger SE Dash

Wow, if you thought the exterior looked good, then you should see the inside! This thing was very optioned out at the factory, at least as far as muscle cars go. The Special Edition package added bucket seats, a special steering wheel, light package, and more. The seats almost looked too good to be original, but then I noticed that someone had checked the leather seat option box. This was a serious cruiser!

440 Magnum

It had the power needed to haul some butt too. That big block has a four-barrel on top and was good for 375 horsepower and a tire spinning 480 foot pounds of torque. Whoa! Hemi-equipped cars may be to ones to collect, but this is the one to drive. It doesn’t have as much power as its big brother, but it’s a lot cheaper to buy and run. Not that this one will get driven much, but it would be fun to take out on the occasional cruise.

Option List

Checkout that option list! These are the things that make or break a muscle car. We already talked about the interior, but this has some other nice additions. Power disc brakes are a must if you plan to go fast. The air conditioning and AM radio should keep you comfortable and entertained. Finally, the bumblebee stripe and vinyl roof add some flash.

1970 Dodge Charger RT

This Charger is about perfect. I’d lose the door edge guards and source some stock rims, but other than that I wouldn’t change a thing about this high-speed cruiser. It looks like the seller may have used the wet method when photographing the car though because there were a few beads of water in the door jams. That doesn’t mean it’s not a nice car and couldn’t be buffed up nice, but it might not be as shiny as it appears in the photos. That’s probably just be nitpicking though because I couldn’t find much to complain about here. Either way, I’d be very happy to have this beast sitting out in the garage this Saturday morning!

Comments

  1. Avatar J Paul Member

    From the Ebay description:

    “Both owners were oriental”

    Huh?

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    • Avatar Woodie Man

      Means they drove the car s l o w l y

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  2. Avatar Rick

    No engine shots, no underbody shots… and a relatively poor feedback rating. Still.. one of my all time fav cars, regardless of previous ownership :-)

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    • Avatar Stephen

      There is at least 1 engine shot.

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      The seller’s feedback rating is questionable, but there are multiple underhood shots and even a couple of the underside.

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    • Avatar David

      (scroll down on the eBay posting, lots and lots of pictures) These pictures are more detailed than most and show the imperfections, the bad with the good.

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  3. Avatar Fred W.

    Wow- this level of originality and condition is hard to fake. I think the “oriental” thing is a compliment, he is saying they were fastidious about it’s care. I once rented a home to a Japanese couple who made me remove my shoes before entering, and it looked the same the day they moved out as when they rented it 3 years earlier.

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  4. Avatar doug6423

    One document in the photos has the mileage as ‘159,000’???
    Maybe repainted a couple of decades ago and now has ‘petina’ (how it’s spelled in the listing).

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      Good eye Doug! The service stickers looked convincing…

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      • Avatar doug6423

        Thanks Jesse.
        This is a kind of car I wouldn’t be taking to Wal-Mart for an oil change.

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      • Avatar Scott

        Seriously you have a muscle car that’s worth probably north of 50 G’S and you take it to Walmart to have the oil changed? Are you kidding me!!! I’m surprised the drain plug didn’t fall out on the way out of the parking lot. Before everybody pro-Walmarts gets there panties in a bunch, I’m not dogging there tech’s up, must be why they close so early on weeknight’s wouldn’t want them late for school the next day.

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      • Avatar Dave Wright

        This is not a 930 Porsche. It is barely more complicated than a Dodge Pickup. The most important thing is to get the oil changed. Penzoil is the same wherever you buy it……..if the technition screws up Walmart can afford to make it right…….unlike some small speciality shops.

        Like 1
    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      But this Application for Title is dated 1982 and clearly shows an odometer reading of 159,000. Hmm… That’s not good! I hope all the people bidding have looked through the paperwork and realize that they may be getting an older restoration.

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      • Avatar Scott

        I’m telling you guys, ask the seller what city, county & state it was last legal in, property tax is all public records. My problem is this, about the typo is this, if I were the seller I’d get a copy of the last regirstration showing it was a typo and I’d include it with this wrong one, that would explain the typo & make the seller a whole lot more trustworthy, especially with a so-so eBay rating. Sounds like I don’t trust this guy, when your talking that kind of scratch I’m not trusting anyone.

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    • Avatar Jesse Staff

      I just heard from the seller and he claims that the number on the app for title is a typo. He said that he will stand behind that figure and even let you call the previous owner if you don’t believe him. The car is in good condition, but the seller’s feedback rating makes me nervous. He may stand behind the claims, but that doesn’t mean much unless there’s a written money back guarantee if they prove to be false.

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      • Avatar Scott

        Its real simple, a subpar rating, a supposed typo, and a promise that you’ll get a refund if it doesn’t checkout. The seller can promise all he wants the proof isn’t there, the legwork should be done by the seller & if it pisses the seller off so be it. Call any auction house and I’m not even talking Mecum’s or Barrett Jacksons there is no way in hell they would touch it without some provaneance. Better yet take it to a classic car appraiser with just that story & a handful of phone#. I’m not calling out the seller, but facts are facts, he can get pissed all he wants a third of a classic or muscle cars value is in the documention.

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      • Avatar Scott

        Even with a written notarized money back guarantee, it wouldn’t be worth the court cost. Wow I hadn’t realized our country was this full of gullible people, there’s a ton of money to be made here!! WOW!!!

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  5. Avatar chris lawrence

    very nice, but not original paint. price is approaching the high end, but I do like it. If it meets it’s reserve under 45k it would be a good deal.

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  6. Avatar Jeffro

    I was always told a well tuned 440 would best a 426 hemi. Any thoughts on that?

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    • Avatar John

      Well tuned 400 6 pack is what I heard. Seems like keeping the 8 barrel hemi in tune wasn’t the easiest thing to do.

      Like 0
    • Avatar M B

      The magazine road testers of the time claimed that for a street car, the 440 would get off the line quicker and could put a little distance on a 426 Hemi in the same car, was easier to live with, plus could be had with factory a/c. But by the end of the quarter mile, the 426 HEMI was in front. There were many 440 vs. 426HEMI road test comparisons in the later 1960s. HEMI always won by the end of the quarter mile. Back then, and now, I’d rather have factory a/c.

      ONE nice car. The “leather”, as on the Barracuda Gran Coupe, was only on the front buckets. Everything seen in the interior pictures can be had “repro” from accurate vendors, if that matters. If that mileage is “66K”, rather than “166K”, a closer inspection can reveal if it’s accurate and/or an older restoration. “Restoration” being used in the normal definition, rather than “rotisserie” restoration, for example.

      A HEMI Charger would have had factory power disc brakes and rhe matching 15×6 wheels. The only real thing this particular car needs is the 15×7 Rallye wheels to look great, for me, although it is good as is.

      Why no prices on that window sticker?? What about the data tag under the hood?

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Oriental – geez that sounds 19th century – looks the goods – wheels = skip – apart from that – wow – should go off

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Jeffro

    The seller has 2 other low mileage cars that look nice

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  9. Avatar Jumping g

    Would look good in my garage. Just wondering why 2 different license plates. If you trying to hide something than don’t show your phone number on your cell.

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  10. Avatar Nick Maher

    The Special Edition package didn’t add bucket seats, they were standard on an R/T as was the 440. The Special Edition package got the seats covered in Leather & Vinyl, and other doodads as the window sticker shows and the SE badgeing on the B pillars.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar Bob's your uncle

    In the photo of the driver’s side door jamb you can see what look like mig welds where the quarter lips over and that’s not right.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Alan Brase

      Those short MIG welds near the top? RH side jamb has one too. I’ve done some resto on steel cars of this period and you might find 5 different methods of welding: Spot (the major type), Brass (brazing), MIG, Stick arc and Gas fusion welding.
      I think they are original.
      WRT the rust stains on the trunk mat- maybe refinished the trunk floor. Maybe washed the rusty stains off with mild vinegar? I lean towards touch up paint on the trunk floor.
      Nevertheless, this is a NICE car. I’m convinced it is mostly original paint. Gotta look in person, but if it’s touched up, it is well done. Well optioned, good color, excellent documentation. Pretty believably presented as well. If he didn’t believe it was low mileage, he could have just left the title off the pics and hid that 159,000. (BTW, it does not LOOK like a 159k car, either, but careful ownership can make those miles show very little.)
      We will see!!
      Al

      Like 0
  12. Avatar Glen

    There can’t be too many cars this age, and in this condition, that weren’t restored to some degree. It looks great, and it sounds even better. I want it!

    Like 0
  13. Avatar CATHOUSE

    For a car that is supposed to be so nice you would think the seller would have at least sourced a proper battery hold down.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar SquirrleyGig

    I don’t know exactly where I stand on believing “complete” originality? I’m thinking mildly refreshed.
    My #1 question is in the shot of the trunk mat pulled back. Why does the bottom side of the mat show somewhat significant remnants of rust, yet the trunk floor itself appears to be minty fresh?
    The close up shot of the grill (showing the charger & R/T emblem). Why does there appear to be a bunch of crust on the inside edges of some of the slats?
    Last question(for now). Why the significant wear on the climate control buttons for the off & A/C buttons. No other button, knob or surface shows that type of wear. Even the ones you would expect?
    To me this type of originality, if true, could only be obtained by a climate controlled environment for the majority of it life. Maybe maybe not?
    To many “what about’s” for me to be certain!

    Like 0
  15. Avatar Alan (Michigan)

    Good eyes.
    No way that the trunk has not been repainted, the part under the mat is way more glossy, and a different tone than the fender arches and the rest of the trunk. Mystifies me why someone would not bother to clean the rust off of the bottom of the mat. So blatant. Quite a few pinstripes missing on the left side of the car.

    And CATHOUSE… That has me laughing. Really, bungee cords, as battery hold-downs on a $50K car? ROTFL!

    While I am at it… doug6423 and Jesse… Did you notice the “Taxable Value” when that document was made? $300. Hahahahaha! Even then, a 12 year old, extra-nice car should have been worth a heck of a lot more than that. Cheat the taxman, maybe? I wonder what the basis for taxes was that the dealer/flipper paid in the last transaction, when buying from the last “Oriental”?

    In 1982, I’m shocked that any license and title bureau would allow the use of a P.O. box for the purchaser/new owner of a car. I can’t believe that would fly now, anywhere. Tough to accept that it would even then.

    The seller is perhaps a little mixed up, as the year of the title transfer between the original owner and the second is 1982, not 1979.

    And I did go and look at the other items for sale. There is a Chevelle SS I’d nearly lust over, except that the same kind of bunk seems to be with it. Claimed original paint, but I think not, just based on the photographs.

    As for the seller: While I read the voluminous material, it seemed to be that the eBay lister and the 3rd owner are not the same person. The one writing the eBay description is, I believe, an employee, just typing information and puffery as told by the employer.

    This IS a nice car. So, why the need to inflate with hyperbole? Slays me that sales gimmicks are so prevalent, and very more evident in the Chevelle auction. An old tried and true technique is the “Buy it now, before I change my mind.” AKA “If you don’t buy it, I’m sending it to (the big Scottsdale auction house) and you’ll have missed your chance!” Incredible. Tacky, even.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Murray Member

    Ya. Send to that big auction in Az. It is a no reserve auction and the fees are super high. Squeeze your but and pray that it bids real high. Sellers are usually pretty disappointed with what their cars bring and what they net out after the dust settles. Good luck

    Like 0
  17. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Astrophonic radio? Sweet!

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  18. Avatar G 1

    Tried to buy one from the local Dodge dealer in 73 with a 4spd.. He wanted $1850 outright for it. To much money. Wouldn’t give me squat for my 67 Charger. traded for a 70 GP. Wished I’d bought it but better that I didn’t.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar Doc

    As far as which engine will best which? It all depends on who is tuning it and who is driving it.

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  20. Avatar Tony Carter

    Looking at the pics the paint on the left rear quarter shows some ‘orange peel’ that should have been wet sanded out after final paint, unless it’s 2 pak, even then it shouldn’t show.
    Perhaps I’m being too ‘picky’ it is a nice car from 10 feet away.

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Dave

    Stick-on bulk length wheel lip moldings, not original screw on factory. Plus plenty of other detail items everyone seems to be missing. Nice car but chances are it has been misrepresented.

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  22. Avatar stillrunners

    And I complain about arm chair quarter backs……

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  23. Avatar Fiete T

    I know this car. It’s real…came out of the Port Angeles area of Washington was at a friend’s shop in Bothell.

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  24. Avatar Bobby

    I live in small town and we do not have mailboxes. I have received my titles, registrations, etc in the mail since I moved to Gilbertville, Mass in 2003.

    Like 0
  25. Avatar Scott

    First things first, check the documentation & see if there are phone#’s, if even one say the dealer is out of business, I’ve ran into this before,find out when, back check all this with the city, county & state it’s all a matter of public record and if something throse up a red flag peel back, another layer back. I’ve seen phone # giving & they were somebody the saler knew. Paperwork won’t be hard to track, if the saler catches a case of butt remind them it’s a lot of $$$.

    Like 0
  26. Avatar Rspcharger

    I predict reserve is WAY above this cars value, which IMHO was already overbid at $40K. Great car, as I have a 69 in similar condition, but it ain’t worth what’s being bid….then again, cars are worth what people will pay for them, so maybe I’m full of S.

    Like 0
  27. Avatar Scott

    Depends on the package, post a picture of it Rspcharger if it’s in the shape of this one I’ll buy them for $30,000.00 all day long.

    Like 0
  28. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Reserve not met at $ 57,000.00. 74 bids.

    Like 0
  29. Avatar 77SW

    It rains in Ore we all take wet pix

    Like 0
  30. Avatar Mike

    No Sure-Grip. Nice one-wheel peel.

    Like 0

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