The 1971 model year was the last of the uber-powerful Mopars. The 426 Hemi and the 440 6-Pack were discontinued, victims of rising insurance premiums and engine detuning. In the Charger camp, the Charger R/T was replaced by the Charger Rallye, which traded a 440 cubic inch 4-barrel for a 318 V8 as standard fare. The seller has a ’72 Rallye for sale, but the photos are confusing in terms of what the current condition of the car is (one looks like a Barn Find, the other a show car). Located in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, this somewhat deflowered muscle car is available here on craigslist for $18,000.
In 1972, when you specified the A57 option, you got the Rallye package instead of an R/T. The goodies it included were fake door louvers, a “power bulge” hood, blacked-out trim, and sway bar fore and aft. The 318 was included, but you could go for a 340, 400, or 440 powerplant for more scratch. The seller’s car has its original 318, but we’re told it sounds beefier thanks to an upgraded exhaust. But a 340-badged air cleaner sits atop the engine. Confusing.
The seller says this is an unrestored auto, yet the photos chosen show both extremes. The car’s prior owner bought it in Germany while in the service and had it shipped back to the U.S. Its taillights were borrowed from a 1971 Charger R/T (same body style), and the Charger has a wing in the back and a spoiler in the front (they appear in “fresher” photos but not when the car was rougher in appearance).
We’re told the interior needs restoring, and some of the materials needed are provided. There are photos that show a solid body, while another reflects a hole from corrosion. We assume the show photos are how the car appears now, though the seller could have been clearer in his description of the car’s condition. Some extra parts will be included with the 125,000-mile machine. Thanks for the tip, “Curvette”.
The paint polished well for the pictures in the ad, but there are a lot of issues shown and not shown. The idea if buying the car with the purpose of performing an engine swap means you are paying $18,000 or close to it for a roller. Unless this YMM is your dream car there are better deals to be had by someone willing to put in the work.
Steve R
Are we even sure these pics are of the same car? Doesn’t make sense that he would say it needs to be restored, yet add all the decals and rebadge the engine and take it to car shows with its own info book and marketing if work still needs to be done. Me thinks the nice one is just a similar car he found at a show.
something just does not seem right.
I agree with the comments that there should be more of a story. So many times we wish for the before photos but here they only conjure up questions. I find it funny that dealers and customers order the aggressive looking package with the entry/lo-po motor. It’s like ordering a Heavy Chevy with a 307 and a ‘glide.
Not confusing at all . Ya just spend $18,000.00 on the rag car he’s washing and It might look like the show car pictures after you have spent that much money . He just showing you, your before and after dream car. For those who cannot visualize the finished product.
It’s the same car, if you look closely at the roof and the leading edge of the RF those areas are a mess. This car may look good in a picture, but up close through a pair of functional eyes it won’t look nearly as nice. As a friend once told me, just because a car is entered in a show doesn’t mean it’s a show car.
Steve R
Thank you Paul X for understanding how I found this car and how I cleaned it and scrubbed it to make it look much more cleaner….it hasnt even been buffed with a buffer. Show car, boys, it is not. I did have an extra ’71 Charger R/T decal stripe set left over from my ’71Charger R/T restoration. I thought the ’72 Ralley looked rathet plain so I added the stripes, spoilers,15×7 Ralleys to make it look alot meaner if I was going turn this pig into confusion for the Chevy boys. No friends, when I bought this pig from the original owner, he let it languish in his back your for 18 years without cover or starting. Steven R. : I’ve read your comments about cars for sale, never really positive full of hate and/or jealousy….a sad, sad man you are. What kind of real, collector cars do you really own…your supercharged Yugo does not count…ha ! At the shows people at the shows know this car, and I freely let them know it is a 318-2 barrel but it is basically a survivor car. Dont like it. Peel off the decals, throw away the 15×7 Rallye wheels, cot up the spoilers, return it to a single exhaust, all fairly easynto do, I dont care. But since I bought this pig for cheap, and thought Id drive around looking a little more ” muscle car-ish” my car my, decision, I don’t give rats a** what you think. I can be contacted, call me if can answer any questions you may have, Karen.
18k if the car had new paint and interior was nice…He is talking about an engine swap, so I assume the 318 is shot.
I buy/sell classic cars and the 318 with a 4 barrel are quick,14 second range 1/4-mile rides unless you have 2.45 rear axle ratio. Yes, I had a 72 Charger S.E with a 318 that ran perfect, I added a 4 barrel with a LD 340 intake manifold and high flow exhaust manifolds from a 1969 340 with a 750 Carter carb…The car had a 3.55 axle ratio with an 8 3/4 rear end…I did that as it was my daily for 2 years..It was factory black/black with magnum 500 wheels…I also added dual exhaust.
To do a Big Block swap you need a better rear end most 318 cars had an 8 1/4 not enough for tire burning big block power/torque or even if you go 340 or a built 360 or build the 318 up more! 8 3/4 is the perfect rear end as you can easily swap the gears in under 1 hour go from hwy gears to low gears for racing…The 9 1/4 is strong but if you dont have over 600 hp stick with the 8 3/4.
You can make a 318 stroker to 390 plus c.i and they do make 450-500 hp without sneezing! I always wanted to build one…I have a few 318’s I pulled out for a few years now…
I had this 72 Charger in 1998-2000 as a daily,was reliable and put 60,000 on it…No idea what the original miles were,but it looked and drove like new! I did paint it,never rebuilt the 318…
No friends, the engine is not “shot” you can drive it with no worries, I drove it to California Spring Fling earlier this year without a worry…lots of people thought it was a cool, survivor ride. As far as the chrome air cleaner lid goes, I borrowed it from my Lil Red Express truck, get over it, it just a decal….rip it off if you dont like it, ok, if you’d like, I’ll put the stock 2 barrel intake back on with the stock single snorkel air cleaner and remove the Edelbrock intake & 4 bbl carb. I’ll also remove the vintage Mopar Performance chrome valve covers and put the stock ones back on. Would you like me to put on the dreadful looking 14″ steel wheels with matching dreadful looking full wheel covers ? Removing all I have added would make it look and run like a Charger no one would want….except for Steve R. RRRRRRR that would make him gay with glee.
This car would be a nice place to start , for a project. To have a nice looking driver you will stick another $10000 to $15000 into it . As for the 318 in it , it’s good for about anther 20000 miles . After that rebuild or replace . That will cost another $15000 at least . I think the asking price is a bit much knowing what has to be spent on it . A far price would be more like $5000 to $8000 as is .