FC7 R/T SE

[RusTy/SE]

I've owned my Challenger R/T SE since purchasing it 1994. Sold new as a 440-4 car at Hunter - now Oakland - Dodge on W. 14 Mile in Madison Heights, Michigan, the Challenger was used, abused, likely street raced, then put up wet, finally being picked up by the Royal Oak Police Department as an abandoned vehicle March 1993.

The fellow who won the ensuing police auction is who i purchased the Challenger from through his ad in Hemmings Motor News.

The original motor and trans had been replaced but along with the front suspension have now been rebuilt, mostly reassembled, and wait to be reinstalled; the dash and door panels were still there along with vinyl seats (from a 70 318 Challenger according to the Broadcast sheet found in back of the driver side bucket) but the rest of the interior is m-i-a. My goal from the outset has been to end up with a reliable cruiser. She's going back to how she was ordered new along with several upgrades. US Car Tool frame connectors, fresh wiring harnesses, poly-urethane suspension components, 15" wheels and tires, ss lines, interior and all mechanicals rebuilt, restored, or replaced as available funds allow.

The fun has begun!

1971 440 (needed a .030 overbore), 1969 Chrysler 727 trans, and some of the front suspension await their once and future home...

Fresh plum crazy paint begins appearing for the first time in 40 years...

 

[AlleyoopMgv]

Looking pretty good! Keep us posted

 

[ramenth]

Very nice work. Like seeing the engine and suspension mated together on the dolly like that. Too few people remember that's the way the car was put together at the factory and go through the aggravation of dropping in through the hood and worry about scratching the paint in the engine compartment.

 

[340RT]

Keep us posted,looks good.

 

[nickschallenger70]

man wish i had the money to this to my car

 

[cudaRB]

Lots of hard work, looks to be going well, , nice to see progress right?, good luck with it , keep the pics coming!!

 

[knickerbocker57]

our wives might see junk but we see a diamond in the rough!

 

[moparal]

Hey Russ, looks like yer getting close so we can go cruisin together. Im thinking summer

 

[RusTy/SE]

man wish i had the money to this to my car

Piece of cake; just do a couple of mortgage refinances, one or two personal loans, and use a credit card when possible

Seriously though, don't follow my example. When she's closer to coming home to my driveway i'll explain the many mistakes i've made along the way. I have no regrets although this project is putting me through the ringer. However, the education is priceless and my next mopar will progress juuuuuust a bit differently. Always learning

 

[RusTy/SE]

Hey Russ, looks like yer getting close so we can go cruisin together. Im thinking summer

I'm looking forward to that Al

 

[moparal]

Have you got your exhaust yet? I know you got the manifolds. I'm removing my complete system

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Looks like great progress!

 

[dge74]

me next

rusty when you have time i'm sure a lot of us would like to hear about the mistakes so we don't have to repeat them ourselves. so far she's looking good love to do mine but no money, 3 kids, morg but i won't let her go i've had her since i was 18/54 enough said.

 

[RusTy/SE]

To update everyone here on my Challenger, this past August the shop which had been doing the work delivered the car to a storage unit close to me. I expect it will remain there for a few years in a 'roller' state. What happened is that it had turned into my own personal horror story.

Hindsight being twenty twenty there were two facts from the very beginning which combined to halt things where they are. I consider them both my fault as no work would have begun without my permission. Simultaneously they were that the car went to a collision center rather than a dedicated restoration shop and no contract laying out the specifics of what was to be done. Even though they are Mopar folk through and through, quick turnover collision and insurance jobs had to be given priority - it is after all how they meet payroll and day to day operating expenses. As my attorney friend so succinctly put it, the fact that "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on." gave me little recourse to speed things up. So four years later the rolling chassis occupys a rented storage unit and the forseeable future will be spent paying down life's normal bill$. I'm still on good terms with them however my car will be completed at a dedicated restoration shop when the time comes. Fortunately I have all the important pieces safely back at home; the complete dash with vin, grille assembly, seats, front and back glass, and the SE specific trim/mldgs.

Basically the shop had most of the metal repair work completed, motor and trans rebuilt, and most of the front suspension r & r'd. There had been good intentions but poor follow through on my part. You know how they say location, location, location when buying a house? Well substitute the word contract in there when restoring a musclecar.

Anyways, after four years of squeezing myself, i'm paying my bills down and basically putting myself in the position to correctly finish my car. My original plan still stands, that is to have a dependable driver rebuilt according to the fender tag and i'll be sure to post updates when the work resumes.

The pics are of the day the car left my house in 2006 and when the car left the shop in 2010.