73Rallye
New Member
Hello everyone. This is a slightly long story, but I think a good one!
My Dad has always been big into Mopars and has had quite a few. The one that mattered the most to me was his 1973 Challenger Rallye that he built in our garage while I was a teenager. He rebuilt the 340 himself and it was FAST! Hooked up the motor to an auto with a reverse manual valve body. He also changed the color (this is the important part) to a late 90's Dodge deep maroon/purple (I think it was called Black Cherry but am having trouble finding the match). My Dad, me, and my brothers drove the heck out of that car. Unfortunately, about 15 years ago he had to sell it and none of us were in the position at that time to buy it from him.
Recently I have been looking for an old Mopar (more along the lines of a '67 Coronet). Just last Wednesday I was flipping through one the freebie magazines and a color ad for a 73 Challenger that was the same color as my Dad's jumped right out at me. I have never seen one the same color. After almost convincing myself it couldn't be his I called the guy and it sounded more and more like his car. So I jumped in my truck and drove the 2 hours to see it. Long story short, I knew immediately it was my Dad's car. The seller was as excited as I was and gave me a very fair deal on it. I found my Dad's car! And it can still do one heck of a burn out!
So my brothers and I brought it over to him Friday without him knowing anything. And it was one of the greatest things I have ever been a part of. My Dad has never been quiet, but when we pulled around the corner with that car his chin about hit the floor! Great feeling to watch him put it all together in his head. He tried everything he could to buy it from me. I told him that he has a history of selling the car so I am going to keep it my name, but he can keep it at his house as long as he wants. The car is essentially unchanged (needs a lot of maintenance items and has more dings and scratches) so it was pretty much how my Dad left it. Luckily, he was able to drive it around the block (most of the way sideways) before it overheated and decided to not start anymore. We have a lot of gaskets to change and just a general run-though on the motor, but I hope it is still in pretty good shape.
And now it is sitting in my Dad's garage. Not for long though. It will take a second to get it back up to where it was when he owned it, but I look forward to working on it with him. Just need to keep him from spending his own money on the car - didn't buy it for him to fix it up without me. He already found the short in the starter and is calling me with the parts number for the new radiator!
I thought you guys would enjoy the story. I still can't get over it.
My Dad has always been big into Mopars and has had quite a few. The one that mattered the most to me was his 1973 Challenger Rallye that he built in our garage while I was a teenager. He rebuilt the 340 himself and it was FAST! Hooked up the motor to an auto with a reverse manual valve body. He also changed the color (this is the important part) to a late 90's Dodge deep maroon/purple (I think it was called Black Cherry but am having trouble finding the match). My Dad, me, and my brothers drove the heck out of that car. Unfortunately, about 15 years ago he had to sell it and none of us were in the position at that time to buy it from him.
Recently I have been looking for an old Mopar (more along the lines of a '67 Coronet). Just last Wednesday I was flipping through one the freebie magazines and a color ad for a 73 Challenger that was the same color as my Dad's jumped right out at me. I have never seen one the same color. After almost convincing myself it couldn't be his I called the guy and it sounded more and more like his car. So I jumped in my truck and drove the 2 hours to see it. Long story short, I knew immediately it was my Dad's car. The seller was as excited as I was and gave me a very fair deal on it. I found my Dad's car! And it can still do one heck of a burn out!
So my brothers and I brought it over to him Friday without him knowing anything. And it was one of the greatest things I have ever been a part of. My Dad has never been quiet, but when we pulled around the corner with that car his chin about hit the floor! Great feeling to watch him put it all together in his head. He tried everything he could to buy it from me. I told him that he has a history of selling the car so I am going to keep it my name, but he can keep it at his house as long as he wants. The car is essentially unchanged (needs a lot of maintenance items and has more dings and scratches) so it was pretty much how my Dad left it. Luckily, he was able to drive it around the block (most of the way sideways) before it overheated and decided to not start anymore. We have a lot of gaskets to change and just a general run-though on the motor, but I hope it is still in pretty good shape.
And now it is sitting in my Dad's garage. Not for long though. It will take a second to get it back up to where it was when he owned it, but I look forward to working on it with him. Just need to keep him from spending his own money on the car - didn't buy it for him to fix it up without me. He already found the short in the starter and is calling me with the parts number for the new radiator!
I thought you guys would enjoy the story. I still can't get over it.
