Read-ended, abandoned, and picked clean by parts vultures, this 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T in Broomfield, Colorado may tempt someone with a front-hit car to make one decent ride from two, or it may offer its remaining contiguous parts to help someone with a work in progress. Either way it can be yours for a winning bid here on eBay, where no one has mustered the vision to cast the $5900 opening bid as we go to press. Thanks to reader Larry D. for spotting this interesting classic carcass.
Sometimes Grandma gets the pedals confused and, I mean, who put that stupid telephone pole there? Sadly the no-doubt entertaining story of how this catastrophic damage occurred escapes the listing, but we certainly hope the car was damaged more than the occupants. I’ve played Dr. Frankenstein to repair a rear-hit car including part of the trunk floor, but this unibody Dodge will need frame straightening even if you annex a giant chunk of a donor car.
On the plus side, solid metal showing original Plum Crazy paint appears in nearly every picture, and the knowledgeable seller provides many pictures and a good run-down of the car’s good and bad. Original equipment on this true R/T included 383 cid (6.3L) V8 engine with automatic transmission, and this picture shows the original “Slap Stick” shifter mechanism in place.
Air conditioning kept this E-body cool, and the factory AC air box remains. Black vinyl top, hood, and stripes contrasted the Plum Crazy paint. Other features included the light package, power steering, power driver’s seat, and rally gauges. As the pool of potential buyers who drooled over these cars in their youth ages out of the market, we’ve probably already seen the high tide for sinking tens of thousands of dollars into a classic muscle-car restoration, and that flood is receding year by year. On the other hand, pony cars like this R/T pull the heart-strings of younger buyers who enjoy today’s super-powerful and capable Challengers, so if you’re going “all in” on a gamble, this might be a good one. Or, as I mentioned earlier, someone with a front-damaged Challenger may challenge their skills by making two sidelined classics into one runner. Is restoring this original R/T worth the effort?
Picked clean and fishing for 6K? I suppose there will be someone come along and think it’s a deal.
There’s a butt for every seat. With the work required,it’s the for the crusher. It’ll comeback as a Toyota, Hyundai,or Kia,so it will let be on. I hope the seller has good memories of it.
What a deal,they don’t make em like this any more!
Thank goodness. Though the whitewalls really make this one POP.
Not true. With climate change, they make them like this faster.
Blank canvas for a unlimited budget.
It really pops .
Probably will buff out and start right up
You’d have to be plum-crazy to give 6k for this hulk.
I’m almost surprised it still has doors.
All it needs to make it a driver is EVERYTHING…
I assume it has an intact VIN plate. Nuff said. Sad, but probably reality. In a perfect world where if the cars of our youth were affordable for the average guy, this would have been turned into a Toyota long ago.
Actually the VIN plate is attached to the dashpad on these and the dash seems to be gone, unless its stored separate. The A/C/heater box and one year only round stick Slap Stick are worth a few dollars but not enough to justify the price.
TWO-year-only round Slap Stik. It returned in 1974, as borne out by the factory parts book, the brochures, and every unmolested original ’74 Challenger I’ve encountered in 36 years of looking.
https://paintref.com/mopar/brochure/1974dartchallenger_04.jpg
Thanks for a good laugh! Such a deal. Not.
Semi devil’s advocate here…compared to some of the rusted out hulks that have been posted here, this one (excepting the damage) is in extremely good condition. BUT, having said that, the $5900k opening bid is insane!
$6 K. What a bargain. Some very rich person will buy it up quickly and spend a few years and dollars to put it back to show room condition. LOL
Jim
I’m not sure it could be buffed out.
I’m wondering why he has put that blue masking tape over part of the tag.
I looked at his other listings and there are a few tags like that.
Any thoughts on this?
There’s a butt for every seat. With the work required,it’s time for the crusher. It’ll comeback as a Toyota, Hyundai,or Kia,so it will live on. I hope the seller has good memories of it.
The blue tape covers up the last part of the VIN which would be in the bottom right corner.
Its a candidate for GraveYards car. Call them up!
Graveyard Cars just sent one to the crusher in this shape. What does that tell you??😜
Not sure how old it was when it got damaged but it would have been pretty easily repaired if it was almost new and still had good value, or lately when the value of these cars has gone to high levels. It looks fairly rust free, so if you had one that was very rusted you could use it for a parts car to restore this one, assuming the vin and fender tag are available, and you can do the work your self. It had the right color and some good options so if it was restored it would be worth a decent price, but the seller would have to get realistic on his asking price to make it worth the effort.
Put in a small block and enter it in county fair demolition derby. Should take about 5 minutes to finish it off.
The asking price is an insult. In fact the offering is an insult.
While $6k is high for a bent rolling shell, I could definitely see someone grabbing this and a rotted out shell from the rust belt and rebuilding them into one car.
I just watched a u-tube video of a repair on a rear-ended car that was MUCH WORSE than this one. I would call this one an ‘easy-fix’, compared to the repair that I watched. ‘Course, I agree with all the previous comments regarding the insane price. One has to really be devoted to the breed to tackle something like this. And, starting from free (or less than free) would not even be a good starting point.
no way is that worth 5900
if you look its a zero feedback bid. That should tell you something.That rear end accident must have been quite a ride! Good luck and happy bidding.
Cheers
GPC
99% of the people(myself included) will pass on this car. The other one percent have the skills to iron this out and have fixed much worse. Its still a Rt challenger.
If the frame can be straightened out, I could see this as a Pro Touring candidate, especially with the parts available today.
Speaking for myself, though, I wouldn’t tackle this unless I had the financial resources to do so.
I don’t even think dial a prayer could help this one!!
Well,
I bought this unfixable wreck, and for 1,500 I have the new trunk, drops, rear crossmember and lightbar ready to go. All the damage has been removed.
It still needs a lot of care but people have been fantastic helping me gather parts. Still looking for the original 383, or any date correct 383. It will return in about 4-6 months. so for all you naysayers, never say die with a Mopar!
In the words of Mary Poppins, “Well begun is half done!” Thanks for the update, Jeff, and we’d love to see pictures sometime. Maybe another reader can help you find a proper 383. Keep us posted on your progress, and best wishes!
The unfixable wreck, now has its entire rear repaired and ready to roll.
The quarters were saved, so original , the decklid is a donor, the lightbar an NOS piece, Filler panel, Crossbrace, Dutchman, Drip edges, trunk floor 1 piece, plus extensions, trunk floor support, all AMD. So basically now it is a rustfree body, needs front fenders, I have the R/T hood. 6 way non power seat,
Closing in on the rest of the parts required to bring it back. It will be a 383 period correct car. Just wish it had disc brakes.