This 1970 Dodge Charger 500 looks a little rough on the outside, but it will probably make a decent project for an ambitious restorer. It can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $10,700. Located in Weatherford, Texas, there isn’t any indication in the ad where the car spent the last fifty years, but it could probably tell its fair share of stories. Take a look and see what you think the next chapter will bring.
The most challenging part of this build will probably be the rust repair. As you can see from this photo, the rust has invaded the top and there appears to be major metal missing. The seller says they do have a spare roof from a donor car that is included with the sale. Other than the top, there are also a few other photos of concern in the ad like the quarter panel. Not only is rust present, but there also appears to be a thick layer of body filler that has cracked and fallen off. If you are seriously thinking about this project, a thorough inspection would be wise.
You can tell two things by looking under the hood. First, and most obvious, the drive train is missing. Second, you can see the remnants of the original Plum Crazy Purple paint. The car was born with a 383 V8 and floor shift automatic. The seller doesn’t say anything about what happened to the original engine, but the transmission is present. What engine would you put in this car if you were restoring it?
As you can see, the interior is stripped down except for the dash and door panels. The nice thing about this is you can see exactly what shape the floor pans are in. The ad does say that they have the console, front buckets, quarter windows, transmission, shifter, and floor linkage included.
Man, there’s something really cool about the hidden-headlights of these cars! They look menacing just by sitting still. Hopefully, this car will get a second lease on life, but as stated before, it will take an ambitious restorer to complete it. What do you think?
This car is just crying out for a modern electric drive train. Shut down all those posers at the street light, show them who rules the road! Quiet and deadly, thats’ the modern electric, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Time to wake up and smell the future children.
318 Poly swap. Period.
With turbo and fast gas, please!
I like to hear my engines- sorry I will be old school- cuz I’m old. 440 six pack and a 4 speed for me.
If that is for you, fine, but just so you remember that it is your choice to be looking at tail lights in a race. With the electric beating you, at least you won’t have to smell his exhaust.
In its current state, this car can’t stand the torque of an electric drivetrain. By the time you’ve completed the necessary work you’re massively upside down on what is an engineering exercise.
Dave, since when has being upside down (financially speaking) ever hinder a true Mopar fanatic?
True that! There are just some things you do out of love…
Ford ecoboost with a CVT!!
Am I mistaken or is that a later year steering wheel?
The roof is so shot and the seller is throwing in a used roof. A good body man could do this no problem, but for an amateur this is quite a job! up to 10k. SMDA, the time for electric cars is close by. I’m an old grey hair and am enlarging my carbon foot print 8 cylinders at a time. No electrics for this kid. Still don’t feel that the infrastructure is right if you want to take a long trip. Better take a long extension cord.
Cheers
GPC
Personally, I feel that gas/electric hybrids will be the most viable solution for the near future. Total electrics are making inroads, but (IMO) until a fully developed infrastructure exists, and battery technology advances, they will be range limited, AND unsuitable for areas with extreme temperatures.Now, get off my lawn, LOL!! :-)
How funny. Electric, now that is funny. Thanksgiving I saw many electric cars in Jean and Stateline, Nevada (tesla), lined up lookin for a solar or wind farm to get a charge. I got a charge from seeing that. Wait, they do not work 24 hours.
Why dont electricution cars have a wind mill or huge solar thingys to charge as they drive?
Does electricity grow on trees, as I would like to believe.
Oh, and just recently, 2 teslas crashed from a parking spot in front of a cafe to enter the cafe like it was hungry. Maybe it was served on a plate.
What happened to the avoidance system? Dead batteries?
Steering wheel is correct
Why would anyone have to look for a power plant (solar or otherwise) to charge? That makes no sense. They have these things called “transmission lines.” You don’t have to go down to the local nuclear plant to plug in the toaster… Maybe looking for a Super charger for a fast charge, but seriously what does your comment mean? They have 110 plugs too…
Because they need 1.21 Gigawatts of power?
Since the debate was started, I like to hear my vehicle just as much as I like to shift the transmission MYSELF, with a clutch pedal involved. One thing I hate is what you hear when a newer car goes by, tires on the pavement. Where is the exhaust noise? I don’t care what the 0-60 on a Tesla is, they are emasculated, and they certainly aren’t zero emission. Most people don’t even like cars anymore, they are just an annoyance. You are free to drive what you want though.
This Charger is the least desirable, to me, of ‘68-‘70, but it deserves to be saved. I would need to have a 440.
I myself happen to like silent cars. So do sleeping babies, nervous people, mothers with migraines…need I go on? Where did some people get the idea that they have the right to disrupt normal noise levels with unwanted harshness to our ears? The dinosaurs had to die so the more intelligent species could take over, perhaps it is time that some automotive dinosaurs passed too. The new species will be sleek, modern, much less polluting in both air quality terms and the quality of our peace.
Why are you in this site to begin with? Technology is impressive, and every day it improves, by the time you would get a electric drivetrain sourced to install in this, and functioning properly, that drivetrain would be so out of date it would be useless. You can claim electric doesn’t use fossil fuels, but those batteries, tires, paint, seating surfaces and safety devices are all made from fossil fuels, and touch them on every surface. Most people are on here for the simplicity and nostalgia, reliving their youth.
I don’t get it either… I think you are on the wrong site SMDA!
AAmodel, I am also geriatric, but even in the days I drove V8s, I never had a glass pack for a muffler. We used to have noise laws, what happened to them? Also, who says this is ONLY a nostalgia site? Is that written in stone? I assumed it was for a general automotive discussion, am I wrong? There seems to be many here that do not like people who disagree with their views. Guys, is this the playground in Kindergarten? Are not all adults allowed to have opinions, and are not all adults supposed to be tolerant of those opinions?
Maybe you should look for a Harley site- Those bikes arent that loud stock , but when they change those pipes (and it seems they all do it) its worse than listening to old stock cars with straight pipes coming off the manifolds !
Bone, you are so right. Those bikes are horrible. Rest assured, if I ever get a chance to make the point you just made, I will. Thank you for being a kindred spirit.
Well SMDA I’m actually 30 this year, I come here because cars like these are far more interesting and different than bland homogeneous, whisper quiet blobs we have now. My comment was just how quickly technology will surpass a hybrid conversion using what parts can be obtained today. It makes me smile when I see a Tesla for example and think how it looks just like a 2000’s Taurus.
Fossil fuel burning, internal combustion engines motivate my cars.
I’m OK with that.
Its really rough , but its a Charger , and that it was originally a one year only Plum Crazy purple color means this one will get restored.
Im open to the unfamiliar to me , but after driving a 6-71 dual quad 468 with an m-22, i might as well follow the dinosaur
Could be wrong, but I don’t think that’s a 500. They used a flush mounted Coronet style grill and a flush mounted rear glass .
The flush mounted glass & grille was ’69 only. For ’70, the “500” was just a trim upgrade.
Ended:Mar 18, 2020 , 6:54PM
Winning bid:US $11,600.00
[ 8 bids ]
Put a 383 back in it with overdrive automatic or A833 manual overdrive conversion. If you keep your foot out of it you’ll be able to get 20MPG on the highway. My 68 sport fury 383, 4 speed gets 17 MPG without overdrive and it has a 3.23 rear end. Of course, engine would need to have a pretty mild cam.