Originally Plum Crazy: 1970 Dodge Charger R/T 440

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In the market of Muscle Cars, the second-generation Dodge Charger, produced for the 1968 through ’70 year models, is a rather hot commodity in just about any form. When you run across a factory R/T model that left the St. Louis plant with a 440, the desirability factor goes up a few more notches.  Add one of Chrysler’s High-Impact paint colors to the bill and it sweetens the pot even more.  If you’ve been in the market for a mostly complete B-Body that meets those qualifications but could use some attention, this 1970 Dodge Charger R/T would definitely be worth taking a look at.  Located in Eustis, Florida, you can find it here on Craigslist with an asking price of $39,000.  Barn Finds wants to thank reader Gunter Kramer for another great tip on this one!

The seller of this Charger is a man of few words, and not a whole lot of pictures either.  Fortunately, the information and photos that are provided seem to do a decent job of presenting a potential buyer the scoop on about what to expect here, and although the fender tag has kind of deteriorated there is another photo here with a printout of the deciphered codes.  The seller’s claims do seem to check out, and while it looks like many years have passed since the car was purple, the FC7 code does indeed indicate Plum Crazy paint.

A 440 from the factory checks out as well. tag code E86, but there’s no mention of whether or not the engine is original to this car.  It’s also equipped with a 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission, code D32, but again no word on if it is numbers matching or not.  The seller does say that the car runs and drives, but does not elaborate on how well it does either or if the drivetrain has ever been rebuilt.  I’m also curious why only the hood hinges are still Plum Crazy- the corrosion around and on the fender tag makes me think it probably hasn’t been transplanted, but the hinges did throw me for a bit of a loop.

Looking inside, it seems almost everything is still present, sans radio, but in need of a good refreshing.  Reproduction parts are plentiful, which is always a plus when considering the purchase of any vintage vehicle.  This Charger originally came with quite a few options as well, including 3-speed windshield wipers (J25), cruise control (N88), power windows (P31), air conditioning (H51), and a few other goodies.  I wish that the original AM/8-track player (R22) was still in the dash.

Overall, this Charger seems like it has plenty of good things going for it.  It would be great if the seller had included a few more photos of the body, but from what we can see it looks pretty good and rust doesn’t seem to be a big problem.  Inside the door jambs look pretty solid, and the one photo from underneath doesn’t show anything that causes immediate concerns either, although the gas tank has obviously been replaced.  What are your thoughts on this 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, and its $39,000 price tag?

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Comments

  1. Moparman MoparmanMember

    (IMO) With all the vagueness concerning how the car runs, the interior/instrument panel requiring a complete refresh, missing A/C components, and the somewhat crusty looing areas; this one is a bit overpriced. Remember: rust you can see is only a precursor to that which you can’t! Buyers, be careful. GLWTS!! :-)

    Like 18
    • 8banger 8bangerMember

      And it’s sprayed in the very cautionary, good ‘ol Resale Red!

      Like 11
    • Big Bear

      I agree with you. But did you notice the color of the engine? It’s not orange! My 70 Challenger R/T has a orange engine. This could be a 73 motor down on horsepower. And the rust that I see. Oh boy imagine what the front end looks like. Way too much money for this ride! 🐻🇺🇸

      Like 21
      • 8banger 8bangerMember

        Ya, I spotted that too. Suspect.

        Like 5
  2. Sam Shive

    How about we start at $3,900.00 and go up from there?

    Like 22
    • Mark

      Sam Shive 3,900 a bit high….. that area around the fender tag is really crusty, so X100 = the underside!…ad in the wrong colored engine (was the tent swapped out at the same time, rear and too?).
      I think I’d just spend 1800 on the rust free daily drive Kojak car that just sold.
      Back in the day I had a 68 charger rt, turned out the entire drive line was swapped from a Newport, the original went into a dragster I found out a few years later……so in went a 70 440 6pack, rebuilt 727 that could handle the power and a distant posi rear end. That car was rust free and worth it, I have my doubts on this one though. I’m40 years smarter now and no need for a 150 mph car.

      Like 6
      • stanley j kwiecinski

        The 70 super B i got as a punk in 75. had a 361 in it how old i didn’t know or care! put a 440 from a 66 imperial in it. painted the eng. Mopar green? went faster with the paint! i swear. LOL

        Like 3
  3. Poppy

    Plum Rusty

    Like 19
    • Steve Clinton

      You beat me to it. I was gonna post ‘Originally Plum Rusty’.

      Like 7
    • Howard A Howard AMember

      I thought “Plumb Loco”,,,it’s clearly a red car. Not sure where the purple hood hinges came from, a plum crazy parts car,,,as if.

      Like 10
  4. Melton Mooney

    Too few pedals, too many dollars.

    Like 15
  5. Rbig18

    I am no Mopar expert. I would expect to see some purple coming through by that fender tag. Maybe that whole fender was transplanted onto this car? Maybe a Mopar guru can point to other things that prove it is or isnt.

    Like 3
  6. steve

    Anyone notice window crank handles coming out of the power window door panel cut-outs?

    Was really cool………when new.

    Like 5
  7. Bick Banter

    Sorry, I thought plum crazy was in reference to the price!

    Like 10
  8. Robert Sykes

    I see a bit of Purple come through on the inner fender on one pic where the red has flaked/chipped off.1970 is my fav year for Chargers but the prices for rusty unoriginal cars are too insane now.

    Like 7
  9. Jim Bach

    I thought tags were installed with rivets? Why is this one fastened with screws. Tag swap??

    Like 0
    • Vern

      VIN was rivets,fender tag, screws

      Like 2
  10. Clarke

    Your article says power windows, but I clearly see a window crank in the photo.

    Like 3
  11. Troy

    Wow she is rusty being from Florida I’m not surprised but someone is going to be very disappointed when they go to sand blast the paint and the car disintegrates into a pile of dust

    Like 3
  12. al

    More like Patina Crazy.

    Like 2
  13. Vern

    Huge demand for second gens. 39K maybe a bit optimistic from what I see there. A 68 in that condition would bring that money.

    Like 2
  14. jeffrey m davis

    drivers door panel looks like the hole was power window switch and they did not want to pay to fix the electric window problems so they put a manual window regulator in yes or no

    Like 2
  15. Gerard Frederick

    Rust is like rats, if you see one rat, there are 200 hiding in the rafters. It would be best to stay away from this.

    Like 3
  16. George Mattar

    Really optimistic seller. Will the Mopar madness ever end? What I could do with $39,000.

    Like 0
  17. charlie morrison

    At first I thought maybe it’s the sun that makes it look or maybe that’s the way purple fades either way didn’t seem right. Although the car looks original I’m betting that it’s not. Chrysler in those days paid attention to detail when it came to options on a vehicle, meaning you could tell if something is not right meaning swapped out. Over all looks nice but I hate to be the one buying it then getting to Florida and seeing that it’s not what it is. Moving on to the price again looks good but these cars are high in demand and I’m sure buying original or modifying it will cost what the seller is asking at minimum. Being on the fair side it’s still very desirable car but I think between $5 and $10,000 should or could be the price

    Like 0
  18. PRA4SNW

    The days of getting a second gen Charger R/T with a 440 for anything close to what any of us would pay are LONG gone.

    This one may be overpriced, but it will still sell for scary money.

    Like 1
  19. Steve Werkmeister

    Car may be worth $39,000 after you spend $
    50,000 to restore it….

    Like 1

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