OLD IRON NEVER DIES
My name is Chris and I was a Chevy addict. Three years ago that changed when I admitted to my husband Gabe that I wanted a Mopar. Thinking that this might end in divorce, I was happy to hear that he wanted one too! I set a goal to own a Mopar by the time I turned 41.
On July 1st I sold my Corvette and we drove 10 hours to purchase a 1973 Challenger that was painted Panther Pink. When we got there, the car was in such poor shape for the huge asking price that we walked away.
Walking away without buying the Challenger sent me into a month long depression as all of the other Challengers I found were out of my price range. I decided that I had to open up the possibilities of “other” Mopars if I was going to meet my deadline. Gabe had spotted a 1974 Charger listed on Craigslist that he referred to as a “hidden gem”. The seller only answered my call because he recognized the phone prefix from working in this area. When we arrived, I saw potential in the car and my paint and bodyman Jim Crabb agreed to work on it for me. The car had been painted white; had a vinyl top that had completely rusted the roof; a blown tire had destroyed the driver’s rear quarter panel and it had velour seats. I knew that I could build a nice car with the money I made from selling the Corvette, so just two days before my birthday I decided to “settle” on this Charger.
Besides the roof skin, the car was very solid. Once we got it home, we discovered the “hidden gem” that it really was; it had Hotchkis front and rear sway bars, Hedman headers, 2 1/2” dual exhaust system, stainless brake hoses, Mopar performance cam shaft, Crane gold roller rockers and a quick ratio steering gear box. It was a complete running and driving car with a 360 small block, a 727 automatic transmission and a 8 3/4 3:23 gear suregrip posi. I found out later that several people wanted to buy the car just for the bulge hood, but the seller never answered their calls.
My goal was to build a true 1970’s era car that resembled a full size Hot Wheels car. I was originally going to have the car painted Plum Crazy Purple but decided to go with Green Go. I just love the retro styling from the 1970’s; skinnier wheels up front, white letter tires, splash guards/mud flaps, spoilers and lots of eye appeal. When my painter did a complete color change, I also had him spray the dash and console top plate green which really ties the car together. I put American Racing Outlaw wheels on, wrapped them in Cooper Cobra tires and then added rear splash guards.
Gabe re-upholstered my front seats with new covers from Legendary. I purchased the Rallye side strips, hood stencil, rear Go-Wing, and a front spoiler which gives the car its genuine Hot Wheels stance. Jim Davis from Davis Upholstery put the new vinyl top on and we painted all trim pieces black including the opera windows. A few of the interior pieces were missing so I traded a motorcycle tire to a friend to make my upper door and sail panels. I had the “Super Charger” emblems custom made from a guy I met online. The windows were already tinted and the icing on the cake will be when I find a set of rear window louvers.
I just had my blue Chevy bowtie tattoo covered up with a MOPAR tattoo. I am officially all Mopar; in 2014 I shocked everyone when I sold my ‘78 Z/28 after 23 years and purchased a 1973 Rallye Challenger. In true ‘70’s fashion, it is getting painted flat black so that I can hang a Dyer’s blower out of the hood.
While my original goal was to own a Corvette before I turned 30, I ended up owning three of them before I turned 29. I bought my first Vette, the ‘81 on minimum wage and I have now turned that investment into a super sweet 1974 Dodge Charger. Most people don’t like the third generation Chargers (71-74), but I have built a car that grabs people’s attention.
I am super passionate about spreading my love of vintage cars and motorcycles to everyone, young and old, male or female. I want to let people know that if you have your priorities straight, you can accomplish almost anything! I live my life to the fullest, not just for myself, but also for others by constantly promoting people and products that I believe in.