1970 Dodge Challenger R/T original numbers matching four speed Go Mango orange

1970 Dodge Challenger

First things first...obviously this is a used car and it is being sold as-is. Nowarrantiesand no refunds. Make sure you are ready to do this before you start bidding please. I will gladly work with your shipper and I understand the need for patience as you make final payment arrangements. A low $200 (non-refundable) down payment is required through Paypal within the first 24 hours to demonstrate your good faith. Hopefully though, we will have spoken before the auction ends.

UPDATE: I tried adding additional information about the car but it was against ebay rules. Call me at 8-0-5-4-0-4-4-2-2-6 and I can provide more.

Look past the exterior and you will find that this is a project worth having. The worst things you can encounter in any project are rust, bent frame rails, and an engine requiring a rebuild. This car has none of those issues. This is the type of project most any car enthusiast can finish on his/her own without nasty surprises and stay within a predicable budget. Unlike base model Challengers, this real R/T will increase in value over the years whether you finish it or keep it as is. 1970 is the most desirable and valuable of all five years of production.

This description is VERY lengthy because I want potential bidders to have every bit of information I know about the car, both good and bad. If you find any surprises in the car, it is simply because you did not read this description closely or communicate with me about the car. I welcome questions and requests for additional photos.

I highly encourage people to come inspect the car or hire someone to come inspect it.

I am not selling this car as a flipper. I have spent several hundred hours on this car fixing the big problems so that it would be a safe driver again. Nothing has been half-assed or cobbled together on the car. All work was done correctly with the belief that I would be keeping it for myself. For the most part, anything I removed from the car was restored and reinstalled correctly so it wouldn't need to come apart again. I have another 70 Challenger though and decided to let this car go to a new home since I don't really need two of them.

If you see this car relisted in the future, take the time to reread this description. It is my intent to continue working on the car until it sells so many of the items needing attention that I describe below may be taken care of in the near future.

I am open to trades but it would need to be a similarly valued Challenger T/A, 70-71 Cuda, 68-69 Charger, 69 Super Bee or 69 Road Runner.

Car -This car is a real 1970 Challenger R/T and it is a genuine factory four speed car that came in Go Mango orange with the 383 big block motor. Black interior and black vinyl top. The engine and the transmission are original to the car and have the matching VIN stampings on them to authenticate this. The original factory build sheets are missing which is typical of cars built at the Los Angeles plant like this one. The car is currently registered in my name and I have a clear title (pink slip) in my name along with California license plates. The VIN of this car is 100772 making it one of the earliest production builds out there. The original door jamb sticker shows it was built in August 1969 and in all likelihood, it was probably within the first couple weeks of August. Original door VIN sticker is still intact.

The original fender tag was missing when I bought the car. Because the car came to me in such an original state, I was able to figure out how it came from the factory and have a new fender tag made. In essence, this car came with very few options so it was not difficult to know what codes to put on the new fender tag. This car is technically not a "collector grade" car anymore in the purest sense but if you are concerned about a replacement fender tag, then this car is probably not the right car for you. If my intent was to fool anyone, I could have added a shaker hood option or other cool rarities and kept quiet about the tag not being original.

History -This car was once for sale in northern California 15-20 years ago and I have some pictures of it back then but I don't have any information about that seller or of the car's history prior to that point. I bought it from a guy in Los Angeles back in 2007 or 2008. He told me he bought it from a guy in Las Vegas. I have pictures of the car after I bought it and it appears to be the same as its earlier listing so the car was apparently being flipped without any significant work being performed.

Body -When I bought the car, it was obvious that it had suffered some sort of front end collision in its past. The hood, front fenders, and radiator supports were from a donor car. The inner fender walls were still original but wrinkled and poorly repaired. In addition, the hood hinges had once been pushed into the upper cowl causing cosmetic damage. The repairs looked like crap but the new fenders and hood were hanging on the car correctly with proper gaps, doors opened properly and the car drove nice and straight.

I enjoy doing metal work on these old cars as a hobby so I decided to repair the damage correctly. I removed the radiator supports and replaced both inner fender walls and also the upper cowl with aftermarket metal panels. I carefully grafted (welded) the original VIN stamping from the damaged upper cowl onto the new upper cowl before welding it back onto the car. It looks great and no one can really detect this but buyers should be aware of this repair. I reused the radiator supports that came from an original donor car rather than buy aftermarket ones. The VIN stamp on the top radiator support does not match this car (because it came off a donor car) but it is hard to read after I painted the front end so no one would really know unless you told them.

The only damage to the front frame rails was in the first 6-8 inches of each rail where the bumper brackets were bolted. While the car was dismantled, I suspended the car on level rails so I could accurately measure all frame dimensions and everything checked out great. I carefully cut away the front portions of the damaged frame rails and grafted new metal of the proper thickness back on. I have lots of pictures of what I did and it is very unlikely anyone could ever spot the work if I didn't disclose it.

After the front end metal work was done, I cleaned and painted the entire engine compartment with the correct Go Mango orange color. Black was added to the upper cowl and front areas like the factory did. The paint is a single stage acrylic urethane and the color is spot on to the original though obviously nicer.

There was rust around the lower edges of the front and rear windows. This is extremely common on all old cars. I cut away the rusted metal and grafted in new metal of the proper thickness to provide a quality repair that will last.

The roof had dents from people storing crap on top and this caused some distortion and "oil canning" that I could not ignore. Roof skin replacement is easy so I cut away the old one and spot welded on a new aftermarket roof skin. I was careful to duplicate the factory seam sealing and I also used lead at the A pillar joints and sail panel area (the C pillar where it meets the quarters) just like original. Before installing the new skin, I cleaned the metal braces that are normally covered and painted on a rust inhibitor type of paint to add protection. Although the factory did not paint the roof, I sprayed a quality metal sealing primer in and out followed by the correct orange paint used elsewhere. This extra protection should prevent future roof rot common in old vinyl top cars.

This car is an original black vinyl top car. I reinstalled a new and correct 1970 wide seam top from Legendary Interiors and glued it on after the roof was finished and painted orange. It looks fantastic! I polished all of the stainless trim and reinstalled it using the correct clips (all new). I polished the drip rails along the roof lines and put them back on. The weatherstrip rails were resealed underneath. I decided to reuse the original rubber weatherstrips along the roof line because they were so nice. All stainless on the upper half of the car is finished and looks really nice.

The interior of the car was very solid and without rust but I sandblasted the floor, sprayed in metal sealing primer followed by new orange paint. All seams were properly resealed prior to paint. New body plugs were installed in the floor.

The trunk had some rust pitting where water had once come in around the rear window. The pitting was significant but the overall rigidity of the floor was pretty solid so I decided to save the trunk rather than replace it. After fixing the metal around the rear window so water could no longer leak in, I sandblasted the trunk floor and then used a rust inhibitor paint to seal up any area with pitting. I sprayed in metal sealing primer throughout the floor. I then used some filler here and there to smooth out some of the pitting. I followed this with more sealer and then orange paint. Lastly, new body plugs were installed in the trunk floor. The trunk looks great. Still can see some pitting here and there but this is a nice repair which looks good and will last for a very long time.

Door and trunk weatherstrips remain on the car and are in nice shape.

While the car did not originally come equipped with a passenger side mirror, I decided to add one for increased visibility and of course looks. I used the same threaded studs riveted to the door skin just like the factory did. Both mirrors are actually 1971 styles with slightly longer bases but the distance between the screw holes is the same so you can install the correct 1970 style mirrors with no modifications needed. The 1971 mirror is a tiny bit larger than the 70 style and I liked that look better but you can easily swap them out for the correct 70 style anytime you choose.

When I put the dash back together, I cleaned, painted and installed the correct 3 speed wiper linkage andmotor end link inside the upper cowl. New seals were used so you need only add the wiper motor. The original date coded motor needs rebuilding and it is included along with a spare motor for parts. I put a nice painted 3 speed motor from another car in there just to fill the hole and make everything look nice. I don't even know if that donor motor works. For that reason, I did not connect the wiper arms to the wiper motor. The arms should not be installed until after the new wiper motor is in and reset to the proper resting point. The correct stainless wiper arms are included but not yet snapped onto the wiper shafts. These wiper motors and parts are worth a lot of money but I'm including them all with the car. You are getting three motors (one of the proper date code) and all the pieces you need to get it going again.

The grille is included and it's in nice shape but it needs to be cleaned and repainted. The R/T emblem in the grille is new. Front headlight bezels are decent originals but it might be better to get a new set rather than try to restore these.

The front bumper is new and the front bumper brackets are originals that have been sandblasted and repainted. The rear bumper is a straight original piece, though the chrome is a bit faded.

The tail lights are pretty nice but they need to be restored if you want them to be perfect. No cracks in lenses and they have been polished a little. Bezels have some light pitting but overall, they are very nice compared to other stuff out there. These bezels are a really great set for rechroming. I doubt you will find a nicer set of original unrestored tail lights.

Side marker lights at the back were cleaned and polished up. Not restored to perfection but overall very nice with no pitting. The front side marker lights and front turn signals all work but they really need to be restored and new pigtails installed.

The flip top gas cap is original.

The car still wears its original Go Mango orange paint on the back half. It's been cleaned and polished a bit but make no mistake, the car needs paint and minor body work. There is some paint cracking on the trunk lid but when I look at the backside of the trunk lid, I see no rust, dents or damage. The driver quarter panel has some minor damage that someone bondo'ed over decades back. When you look at the inside area in the trunk, you cannot see the quarter panel damage so this dent must be fairly shallow.

The passenger door has a little wrinkle where the front fender contacted it (probably during the accident decades back). Door looks excellent otherwise so should be an easy body shop repair. Both doors open and close nicely and the hinges are in good shape.

The hood is original sheet metal from a donor Challenger, a 71 or later because it was missing the holes in the front for the DODGE letters. Hood had no rust. I stripped the hood completely to bare metal in and out, sprayed primer sealer over the bare metal and applied the correct Go Mango color in and out. I added the DODGE letters after painting the hood.

The front lower valance is a replacement piece from Mopar. There was a decal on the inside that showed it was purchased from a dealership in the early 80s. It is still wearing the black E coating and is ready for sealer and paint.

The front fenders look like hell and need body work when the car is painted but they are rust and hole free so a good set of originals to work with. I got them with large dents and creases. I have worked most of the damage to regain the correct overall shape. The fenders need more work but it shouldn't be much more trouble than any other part of the body that needs a little work. These are original fenders and worth keeping. A body shop will encourage you to buy new ones to speed their work but ask any Mopar guy and he will tell you the original metal ones are far better.

I have a set of new side R/T stripes that go with the car for after it's painted.

I have been over every inch of this car including the underside. Unless you buy a fully restored car that has been chemically dipped, you will not find a more rust free car out there. The doors, quarter panels, trunk drop offs, floors, rockers and frame rails are all rock solid and perfectly rust free.

This car simply needs some basic body work and it's ready for new orange paint. It would be a mistake to judge the entire car by the front fenders alone. The front fenders are one area I simply didn't get to and I knew I needed to stop somewhere so I could turn my attention to other projects.If the car doesn't sell, I will eventually do the work myself and keep bumping up my reserve.

Engine -The person I bought it from had the original 383 motor fully rebuilt. The engine has a camshaft in it that is an obvious step up from factory original. I don't know what the specs are but it has a noticeable lopey idle and pulls very hard in the midrange. The original Holley carb is gone and a newer rebuilt Edelbrock 750 CFM carb is on there now. The car has its correct and original intake, heads, air cleaner, HP exhaust manifolds, etc., all redone nicely. The exhaust pipes and mufflers are older but still functioning adequately. The car could benefit from a new exhaust system but I found that I really liked the raspy sound of these older mufflers. Exhaust is very much open to taste so rather than put on a new system, I decided to let the new owner decide what sound he/she likes best. Aside from the exhaust, the entire engine is fresh with about 100 miles on it and it doesn't leak or smoke. I have recently upgraded the points to Pertronix electronic ignition.

At one point, I had a high performance aftermarket Holley carb on there and the engine had crazy power. Enough that you could get the car sideways pretty easy if you weren't careful. I took it off only because the floats kept sticking and causing reliability issues. The Edelbrock carb on it now works great and it's reliable but if you want the engine to really scream, put a nice double pumper Holley back on it. You won't be disappointed. If the car doesn't sell and I keep it, that's what I plan to do eventually.

Transmission -When I was repairing the front end of the car, I had the engine and four speed transmission out as an assembly. I cleaned the exterior of the tranny and put in a new tail shaft seal, new rear mount and fresh gear oil. The transmission is not rebuilt but it shifts nice and makes no unusual noises. I disassembled the shifter and rebuilt it so it's nice and smooth. The chrome shifter has no pits and is very shiny. I put in new U-joints as well. The rubber shift boot is original and in perfect condition. The chrome ring around the boot has been rechromed. The grip panels on the shifter are fairly worn but new ones can be had for around $30 or so.

Once the car was back on the road, I noticed that the transmission sometimes popped out of fourth gear while cruising. I didn't get a chance to really drive the car before restoration so I am not sure if this is an old problem or simply that the shifter rods need a little adjustment. The problem comes and goes though. The other day, I drove it over 30 miles on the highway and it didn't pop out once so maybe it just needs to be driven more to loosen everything up inside?

I also found recently that the clutch will slip if you give it full power on a hard launch.

I wish I had put a rebuild kit in the tranny and replaced the clutch while it was out but I assumed it was all good to go. If you buy the car, understand that it will need a clutch eventually and if adjusting shift rods doesn't fix the other issue, you might as well have the tranny gone through while it's out. If the car doesn't sell, my long term plan is to just yank it out, put a rebuild kit in the tranny and also put in a new higher performance RAM clutch and pressure plate. The car drives well now though so none of this is high priority. I just want buyers to know what they may encounter down the road.

Rear end -This car has its original 8.75" rearend with 3.23 gears and limited slip differential. The limited slip works great and the rear end is quiet and smooth. The outside is very dirty though and the insides would probably benefit from a lube change. The drive shaft has new U-joints. The rear end is still displaying its original metal tag showing 3.23 gears.

The rear leaf springs appear to be original and it will need new bushings at some point. The rear shocks have seen better days and are ready for replacement. These items are on my immediate to do list if the car doesn't sell right away. I have a new set of leaf spring bushings I am including with the car.

Other mechanicals -The front suspension and steering gear seems tight but I cannot be sure if it has been rebuilt or not because it is pretty dirty.

The previous owner put in a new gas tank.

The previous owner also added front discs from a later model A body car (like a Dart) that had the correct large bolt pattern wheels (4 ½" X 5). As I went through the car myself, I added stainless brake lines up front and also an adjustable proportioning valve which disc brake cars really need.

The front wheels both have right hand thread lug nuts now. In 1970 only, the left hand side of the car used left hand thread lug nuts. The left hand thread lug nuts are still being used at the rear axle so you might want to switch them at some point so all wheels are consistent.

The rear brakes work fine and the wheel cylinders do not leak. The rear brake shoes are more than 1/2 worn though so it might be a good idea to change them in the next few thousand miles. Not an immediate concern but eventually you will want to do it.

The original 22" radiator was replaced with a nice 26" 3 row which has been cleaned out and looks great. I also added a shroud. The engine runs nice and cool down the highway even on the hottest of days. Like most performance cars though, it will get pretty warm if you let it idle for extended periods. It really wants good airflow.

I removed and cleaned the manual steering box, put in new lube and adjusted it. The car is an original manual steering car but it could be upgraded to power steering easily enough. Car is aligned, and drives nice and straight with no pulling.The primary concern with accident damage is getting the car back to proper alignment after all repairs are finished. This car has the proper amount of caster and camber so no nasty frame surprises to deal with later.

The wheels are the original 14" painted road wheels (sometimes called Magnum wheels) with chrome center caps and trim rings. I found a super nice set of used BF Goodrich tires. No cracks or dry rot on them and they have 90-95% of their original tread. I took the time to clean the surface rust off the steel wheels and I repainted the black areas. I also cleaned up the bright work. The wheels are not 'restored' but they look pretty nice.

I went through the roll up windows and everything rolls up and down well. The rear window mechanisms were removed, cleaned and regreased so they are great and need no further attention whatsoever. I would recommend going through the front ones in the doors though as they need new rollers and bumper stops, etc. I examined the door windows, adjusted them, and greased the tracks so they would work properly. They may work for years without a problem but since the rest of the car has been reconditioned, I would recommend doing them at some point. The door window whiskers need replacement but the rear quarter window whiskers are fairly nice.

Door locks are new and are keyed with the ignition, which is also new. Trunk lock is new as well.

Interior -On the inside, everything has been done. I rebuilt the heater box, clutch pedal assembly, E-brake assembly, airboxes, glovebox, etc. I restored the entire dash frame assembly while it was out. Everything has been nicely painted before reattaching it inside the car. Firewall insulation was put back in where the factory had it originally. The dash top is new and has a steel core.

The gauges are VERY nice from another 70 Challenger. I tested them and they all work perfectly including the 8K tachometer and the original clock! The speedometer, however, stopped working shortly after getting the car back on the road so it will need to be rebuilt or replaced. Fortunately, that gauge is easier to access and remove in the car than the others. The ammeter also works great however I bypassed this gauge for safety reasons. The original ammeter is a fire hazard on old Mopars so I bypassed the gauge in a safe manner and added a thicker charging wire from the alternator to the starter solenoid in the engine compartment. These are common and highly recommended modifications for safety reasons and also allows for better battery charging while driving. I can better explain how I did it and why it's so important if you give me a call. The modifications I made do not show and can easily be undone in minutes if you want return the car to its original state.

All the little things work well like the horns, key in warning buzzer, reverse light in the dash, dome light, brake lights, turn signals, headlights, high beams, gas gauge, heater fan, clock, etc.

The seat frames were sandblasted and rebuilt with correct original style materials along with new foam. The covers are Legendary Interior covers and they fit and look amazing. Seat tracks were rebuilt and slide nicely.

The door and rear panels are a nice original set taken from an SE car decades ago and safely stored. All of the other interior plastic trim is very nice.

Carpet is new. I completely rebuilt the steering column (including the coupler) and it's all like new. I put in a new ignition switch and harness in the column. Ignition key and door locks are new and keyed alike. Turn signal wiring harness is original but the turn signal cams work properly. I put on a really nice black steering wheel because I prefer the look but I have a wood grain wheel with no cracks that I can put on if you prefer. Just needs final refinishing. The R/T came with a wood grain wheel and the black wheel was for lesser optioned cars. Let me know which wheel you prefer and I'll put it on after you buy the car.

A new headliner was installed and it looks fantastic. The rear glass is original but it is clean and nice. I reinstalled it with the correct butyl strip sealer. The front windshield is new and also correctly installed. The trim clips for the front and rear are new. I polished the trim for both front and rear windows and they look great. On the inside, all window trim was cleaned and repainted the correct satin black.

The radio is original. I cleaned it up and polished the chrome buttons. It looks great. It needs rebuilding though. It turns on and hums but no sound comes from the dash speaker. The antenna is missing for this car. The reason is the replacement front fenders were from a radio delete car which had no antenna hole. New antennas are inexpensive but I decided to allow the new owner to decide whether to drill a hole in the front fender. I think it's way cleaner without the antenna and if you are rebuilding the radio anyway, have it converted internally to Bluetooth or an auxiliary music jack. No one wants to hear anything on the AM band through an old fashioned antenna.

Electrical -The dash wiring harness is original but it's in very nice condition. The front lighting harness and the engine harness are also original but in nice condition and function well. The rear light wiring harness is new. As stated before, the headlights, high and low beams, turn signals, side marker lights, reverse light in the tail panel, horn, dash lights all work the way they should.

One minor issue I want to advise on is in the turn signal switch inside the column. It is the original switch and also has the hazard switch on the opposite side of the steering column. The hazard switch (the pull out knob on the right of the column) is defective so the hazards are the one area of electrical not operational. (basically the knob is loose and not making solid electrical connections) In addition, if you jiggle the hazard switch, the brake lights may stop working. The hazard circuit is supposed to disengage the brake lights to make the rear lights flash. Because that knob is loose inside, it can affect the brake light circuit. If the brake lights ever fail, you need only jiggle the hazard switch on the column to correct the problem. The proper fix would be to remove the steering wheel and replace the turn signal switch assembly at a cost of about $50. This will completely restore the hazard light functions and you eliminate the possibility of the brake lights going out. If the car doesn't sell, this is on my immediate to do list of continued repairs. It's really a simple fix really but I need to move on to other projects.

Basically, if the goal is to finish what I started, you would be looking at:

1) Minor body work and a nice paint job

2) Rear leaf spring bushings (included) and a nice set of shocks on all four corners

3)Rebuild wiper motor (correct one included)

4)Transmission rebuild and clutch (assuming shift rod adjustment doesn't cure the problem of popping out of gear)

5)Rechrome or replace rear tail light bezels, rear bumper and side mirrors

6)New speedometer or rebuild existing unit

7)Restore front turn signals and front side marker lights

8)New turn signal switch in column

9) New window whiskers on both doors

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Obviously, you could take it to the next level and do more things but that would be if you wanted a show car and not just a high quality driver. Everything I did to this car was with the emphasis that I'd keep it so I tried to do things right as I moved it along.

My plan is to spend the next year or so trying to sell this car. As time goes by, I intend to continue working on the car fixing everything I outlined above. Obviously the price will be adjusted as I put more time and money into the car. At some point though, I may just keep the car. I have several cars now and it wouldn't break my heart to hold onto this one. I won't give the car away so let's not waste each other's time with silly low ball offers.

·1970 Dodge Challenger R/TJS23N0E100772

·Very early production car - built in early August 1969

·Original numbers matching 383 big block engine - Rebuilt to look original with upgraded camshaft - exhaust system functional but pretty old and raspy - Rebuilt Edelbrock 750 carb.

·Original 4 speed manual transmission - Cleaned but not rebuilt - New gear oil - Shifts well but sometimes pops out of gear. Might need a rebuild and the clutch disc is starting to slip under heavy launching.

·Original chrome pistol grip shifter - Rebuilt - Original chrome is nice shape - new rear tail shaft seal

·Original 8 ¾" rear end - Not rebuilt - 3.23 gears with limited slip differential - new U-joints - needs new leaf spring bushings and shocks

·New gas tank

·Manual steering box cleaned - New lube and adjusted

·Original Go Mango car - repainted correct color in trunk, eng. comp., interior,roof in and out, and hood in and out

·New roof skin, inner fender panels, and upper cowl

·New correct wide seam vinyl top from Legendary Interiors. All stainless trim is straight and polished

·Front brakes upgraded to factory discs - adjustable rear proportion valve

·Radiator and opening upgraded to 26" - 3 row Mopar radiator

·All new interior including dash, Legendary seat covers and foam, carpet, headliner

·Dash assembly completely stripped down, repainted and rebuilt.

·Rallye gauges very nice and function properly but not rebuilt - needs new speedometer

·Steering column stripped down and rebuilt. New ignition switch

·Pedal assembly stripped down and rebuilt

·Heater box assembly stripped down, repaired and rebuilt with new gaskets

·New windshield - all other glass original to car

·All window mechanisms gone through and lubricated for proper function

·All lights and other electrical items work properly

·Tail lights are originals and have some pitting but very good candidates for replating

·New AMD front bumper. Rear is original to car but straight

·3 speed wipers - correct switch in dash, correct linkage rebuilt inside cowl, correct date coded wiper motor plus a spare for parts included but not rebuilt or installed.

·Included in sale is new rear leaf spring bushings and new side R/T stripe package

• Make: Dodge
• Model: Challenger
• Year: 1970
• Mileage: 100000
• VIN: JS23N0E100772
• Color: Orange
• Engine size: 383
• Transmission: Manual
• Interior color: Black
• Vehicle Title: Clean
Want to buy? Contact seller!