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NMexChallenger

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Messages
33
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Location
Santa Fe NM
Hello All,

Long time listener first time caller here! I just finished a 2 year project to restore my dream car, a 1970 Challenger! Figured I would join as now I am really digging into the engine and trying to hone this in perfectly.

This car is a 1970 numbers matching 318 - 4 Speed, not R/T or SE just a basic coupe, nothing fancy. We ran the number on the rear diff and believe it came out of a T/A, the heads are marked with AJW 360 and look way too big (thinking it came out of a 360)

I found this car sinking in the mud in KS, up to the windows in earth. Haggled down to 10k for the vehicle and spent about 22k in restoration work including the frame off paint job at a fantastic shop in Denver CO.

James
challenger 1.jpg
 

moparleo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
7,097
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1,881
Location
So. Cal. Riverside area Moreno Valley
:welcome: Que' tal ? Nice looking. Does the name Tafoya ring any bells ?
You say numbers matching and then tell us all the things that don't. Interesting.
We have to get you up to speed on Mopar lingo.
No frame off work as there is no frame !
318/ 4 speed is kind of different. Fender tag or build sheet ? That is the only way to verify what it was born with.

Nice Mopar .
Wow, what a birthday. Hard to celebrate on that day.
 

NMexChallenger

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Messages
33
Reaction score
20
Location
Santa Fe NM
:welcome: Que' tal ? Nice looking. Does the name Tafoya ring any bells ?
You say numbers matching and then tell us all the things that don't. Interesting.
We have to get you up to speed on Mopar lingo.
No frame off work as there is no frame !
318/ 4 speed is kind of different. Fender tag or build sheet ? That is the only way to verify what it was born with.

Nice Mopar .
Wow, what a birthday. Hard to celebrate on that day.
It is very different! I bought this car from the original owner, I always assumed a 318 was stock with a 3 speed. He had the original receipt from the local Chrysler dealership which I have copies of in my file cabinet and the VIN does match up with a 318 motor. Aside from that the fender tag was lost to time, when I purchased this vehicle it was up to the mid windows sinking in mud (will make a full restoration post later on). Only paid 7500 to the owner in KS but as part of the deal he had to dig it out of the sinkhole for me.

His story to me was the insurance rates for a big block were too high for a recent high school grad so he got the smallest V8 they had at Chrysler, then at the dealership he added sway bars, 4 speed, and some sort of heavy suspension to make it handle more sporty I guess. He tinkered with the engine to make it sound louder, gave it to his son in the mid 90s and he swapped more parts on and off the engine. Unfortunately it is now a Frankenstein with a random cam, old EB intake, 360 heads its just all over the place so once I get this paint paid off I will be pulling the motor and starting over with a clean slate.
 
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