73 Challenger change over

[ceedog]

What would be the changes needed to change a 73 to a 70?

 

[moparleo]

Depends on how much you sell the 73 for. And buy a 70. kidding but many things were one year only in 1970.
Depends on how far you want to go. If it is just cosmetic like the front and rear and sidemarkers.
Front fenders, everything forward of the radiator support, rear tail panel and graft in the rear side markers.
You can buy all new sheetmetal from AMD or find a parts car.

 

[Xcudame]

It's pretty complicated other than the obvious things Moparleo mentioned. 1970 had a lot of unique parts and some even changed mid-year. Bucket seat backs, seat upholstery, clips, moulding. The list would be really long!

 

[ceedog]

Just thinking of making a 70 NHRA stocker, more engine choices for that year. Doesn’t have to be exactly perfect, like said cosmetic

 

[NoCar340]

To do just the exterior cosmetically, you'll need a tail panel, taillamps, '70-'71 fenders, the grille & all its attendant parts, side markers, and bumpers with mounts. Up front all you can really re-use is the valance and the headlamp mounts. The latter won't be correct but will fit. It's not an easy weekend job, nor will it be inexpensive, even with reproduction parts.

From the "been there" camp, though I've not converted years: The tail panel's a bastard to change. You're not going to make the '73 fenders work. Well, not without buying '70-'71 fenders of some kind anyhow. On the '72-up fenders, the headlamps were in the front fascia so there's no provisions to mount them (or the bezels) in the '70-'71 arrangement. Nobody sells the conversion parts. '73 bumper mounts protrude quite a bit compared to a '70, and the face bar bolt locations are different if memory serves.

You'd probably be way ahead in both the cost and fun factors by working within the class into which the '73 best fits, or racing it as a '74 which gets you the longer stroke of the 360. You'd be racing sooner for much less investment. Racing's expensive enough--even in NHRA stock classes--without dropping a couple of grand just to change classes.

 

[ceedog]

To do just the exterior cosmetically, you'll need a tail panel, taillamps, '70-'71 fenders, the grille & all its attendant parts, side markers, and bumpers with mounts. Up front all you can really re-use is the valance and the headlamp mounts. The latter won't be correct but will fit. It's not an easy weekend job, nor will it be inexpensive, even with reproduction parts.

From the "been there" camp, though I've not converted years: The tail panel's a bastard to change. You're not going to make the '73 fenders work. Well, not without buying '70-'71 fenders of some kind anyhow. On the '72-up fenders, the headlamps were in the front fascia so there's no provisions to mount them (or the bezels) in the '70-'71 arrangement. Nobody sells the conversion parts. '73 bumper mounts protrude quite a bit compared to a '70, and the face bar bolt locations are different if memory serves.

You'd probably be way ahead in both the cost and fun factors by working within the class into which the '73 best fits, or racing it as a '74 which gets you the longer stroke of the 360. You'd be racing sooner for much less investment. Racing's expensive enough--even in NHRA stock classes--without dropping a couple of grand just to change classes.

Thanks you’ve convinced me to go another way