1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE 440 Plum Crazy -- ALL ORIGINAL!

Thank you for looking at my 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE. Before we get into the description let's get the unpleasant details out of the way:No. I'm not interested in a tradeNo. I won't tell you the reserve priceDon't bid if you have less than 10 feedback or any negative feedback; I will block bids that don't meet this requirementThis car is for sale locally and I reserve the right to end the auction early if it sells before the auction endsThis is the third vehicle I've sold on eBay. including a Saab Sonett and Norton Commando; all previous buyers have been happy with their vehicles (and any other items I've sold) so you can trust my description of this car
Okay. with that out of the way let's talk about this very clean and original Plum Crazy Purple Dodge Challenger RT SE.
This was an original Chrysler VIP car picked up directly at the Lynch Road plant. You can see the "LYNCH 101" stamp on the original warranty card. Galen Govier saw this car at the Mopar Spring Fling a few years ago and immediately noted how original and loaded it was. But when I showed him this warranty card he sort of freaked out and exclaimed. "Woah! This was an original Chrysler exec car and picked up directly at the plant!" He then ran to the fender tag and said. "There should be a 'Q' right. there!" and he pointed to the "Q" in the lower right of the fender tag (it's the first digit in the "QOO823" series above the VIN -- it looks like another "O" in the photo. but trust me. it's a "Q"). I told him the original owner assumed it was a dealer demo car because it was so loaded up and the dealer sold it to him in March of 1971 with 9. 00 miles (for the low-low price of $3. 00. including license and registration -- see the original Bill of Sale -- those were the days. eh?).  
I bought the car in the spring of 2005 from the original owner and his story made sense to me. It certainly doesn't seem like just another Challenger. or even a typical R/T SE. given it's color and options. It wasn't until Galen saw it back in 2010 that I discovered it was an executive/VIP ordered car. Su-WEET!
The Challenger had 107. 00 miles when I bought it. I drove it from Iowa back to Denver. where I grew up and have Mopar contacts. They went through all the usual stuff (plugs. filters. fluids) and then I drove it back to Los Angeles where I live. Just the trip home made the purchase worth it. No mechanical issues occurred and the car got plenty of waves on Interstates 70. 80. 15 and 10.
In the past 8 years I've had the following work done:Small. all-metal patch panels from Sherman installed behind the front wheel wells and in front of and behind the rear wheel wells. The original owner lived on a farm and had a long gravel driveway. He kept the car inside from new. but the long drive on the gravel every day kicked up rocks. When I got it there was a grape-sized hole behind the passenger-side front wheel well and a palm-sized hole in front of the passenger-side rear wheel well. The was no visible rust on the driver's side but there were some small bubbles in the same areas. I decided to play it save and just have those areas replaced. on both sides. with metal patch panels to insure nothing came back later. Then I had the car's paint. below the side stripe. redone. This work was done by a local shop that my local Mopar restorer. Julius Steuer (of Mopars by Julius). recommended. The work was done in the summer of 2005 and as you can see from the pictures it has held up well.
I also had the hood painted. because the original hood pin cables had scarred up the leading edge of the hood after the plastic wore off them and the metal cables underneath scraped against the hood at higher speeds. That's the only body work done. The side stripe. all paint above the side stripe (except the hood). and the vinyl top is ALL ORIGINAL. Same with every body panel -- ALL ORIGINAL (except the small patch panels noted above).
Speaking of original. let's cover what else is original:Dashboard -- ALL ORIGINAL and in perfect shapeRear Seat -- ALL ORIGINAL and in perfect shape (no cracks in the upper vinyl that usually gets baked by the sun)Passenger Seat -- ALL ORIGINAL and in perfect shapeDriver Seat -- ALL ORIGINAL and in very good shape. but some small tears have formed on the seams (the original owner never had a family. so nobody every used the other seats)Gauge Cluster -- ALL ORIGINAL and in very good shape -- the gauges all work. but the tach is a little optimistic and the clock is a typical original clock -- works intermittentlyRadio -- ALL ORIGINAL and works. but the driver's side speaker is the only one that works. the center and passenger side don't (I usually listen to AM talk radio. so one speaker is good enough for me)Engine -- ORIGINAL AND NUMBERS MATCHING -- starts easily and idles immediately; had it tuned by Bob Jennings Dyno in North Hills. and he made it run even better than it ran when I drove it homeTransmission -- ALL ORIGINAL AND NUMBERS MATCHING -- shifts fine. works greatRear-end -- ALL ORIGINAL AND NUMBERS MATCHING -- has 3. 23 gears and is NOT a Sure-Grip rear end -- this can be a problem when you floor it (even with the wider rear tires it's wearing)Floor pan -- ALL ORIGINAL -- no rust. see picturesTrunk pan -- ALL ORIGINAL -- no rust. see pictureSide glass -- ALL ORIGINAL -- and in great shapeSpare tire -- ALL ORIGINAL -- not sure I'd drive on it. but it still looks newExhaust manifolds -- ALL ORIGINAL -- but the rest of the system has been replaced. including new exhaust tipsTitle -- Yes. I have the ORIGINAL title because California used to let you pay extra to keep the original title while still processing a new one; they don't do this anymore (I tried for another classic car recently and they said "No")
Now let's talk about what has been changed:Air conditioning compressor -- the A/C actually worked when I picked the car up. but the bearing went out a few weeks later so I had it switched to a new compressor with R34 -- but I kept the original compressor and it goes with the carAir Clearer -- the original air cleaner is pretty faded. but I kept it and it could be restored. and it goes with the carIgnition -- I converted it to electronic ignition. but I used Petronix so the distributor looks original and there's no ignition box mounted under the hoodWindshield -- replaced before I bought the car. and it's pretty chip-free as a resultRear window -- replaced before I bought the car. not sure why but the replacement looks fineCarpet -- the original carpet was pretty threadbare in driver's area. so I replaced it with Year One carpet but I kept the original carpet and it goes with the carDoor sills -- these were pretty faded/dull so I replaced them with Year One units but kept the originals and they go with the carWindshield washer reservoir -- the original was dried and cracked. but I kept it and it goes with the car (this was probably not necessary to keep. but I did)14 x 5. 5-inch Road Wheels -- these original wheels were on the car when I bought it and they come with the car; they are in great shape but I wanted to put Torque Thrusts on my 1970 GTX in high school and never got around to it. so I put these 16 x 7-inch wheels on the car shortly after I boughtFuel System -- the car would starve for fuel under full throttle because of (I'm assuming) 35 years of debris in the fuel tank; I replaced the tank. lines and fuel pump (and it does NOT starve for fuel anymore. )Passenger-side taillight -- this was cracked when I bought the car. so I put one in from another Challenger that my friends in Denver had (it wasn't NOS. but it was in great shape)Timing chain and oil pump -- the oil pressure dropped suddenly last year and I turned the engine off immediately; turns out the oil pick-up was clogged with nylon that came off the timing chain; Julius Steuer did the work and he said it was definitely the original timing chain. but it wasn't a double roller chain; he said he'd never seen this before but it's possible this engine got the wrong chain originally (all 440 Magnums should have come with a doubler roller chain. but this one didn't -- weird!); anyway. Julius replaced the chain and oil pump and re-degreed the cam; the engine runs as good as before. but now the oil pressure gauge (which ran between 1/4 and 3/4 before) never drops below halfway. even at idle (it pegs out when first started and usually sits around 3/4)Front brakes -- this Challenger had front drums when I bought it. but I wasn't satisfied with its stopping power so I converted it to discs; I kept the original drums and they go with the carIdler arm -- the steering felt a little loose/clunky and Julius replaced the idler arm -- THE REST OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION ON THIS CAR IS ORIGINAL. AND IT DRIVES/STEERS VERY CONFIDENTLY AT SPEEDS UP TO 90 MPH (I haven't gone faster than that in it. but it had plenty left)Shocks -- the original shocks were a little floaty when I got it. so I put on new shocks that keep it much flatter around corners (but the ride is still not harsh)Exhaust system -- everything past the exhaust manifolds was replaced back when I bought the car in 2005
I also have an extra. NOS piece of chrome that sits at the base of the windshield. The original chrome piece is still there but when the windshield was replaced (before I bought the car) whoever did it pounded on the chrome to get the lower windshield in place. and dented it (boneheads. ). The original piece could be restored (the dents are pretty minor; you have to look close to see them). but the NOS piece comes with the car.
That's it other than typical service items (plugs. wires. battery. filters. fluids. etc. )
This Challenger starts. stops and steers very well. I have put 8. 00 miles on it since I bought it. and I love driving it. If my commute wasn't 50 miles I'd have driven it regularly to work. but $4 premium gas makes that an expensive proposition.  
In my opinion it's the perfect car because it isn't a low-mileage. mint example that shouldn't ever be driven. but it isn't so worn out that it's undependable (or even dangerous) to drive. It's a great restoration candidate. though once that happens every stone chip and door ding will cause agony. Right now the car looks perfect from 20 feet and it drives great. However. the original paint has enough flaws (door dings and chipping/fading) that you can drive it without concern. Of course I keep it garaged so the vinyl top and dash won't get baked by the sun (I have a fitted. cloth cover that sits on the dash. but it's not attached in any way so you can yank it whenever you want. like I did for these photos).
This is what needs fixed on the car:The air conditioning works but the cable for the temperature slider is worn out and needs to be replacedTwo of the speakers don't work. as mentionedThere's an exhaust leak between the manifold and the collector pipe on the driver's side; I tried to fix it once but I need a lift to really get at itThe driver's seat should be recovered if you want it to be perfect. but the foam in the cushion is still in good shape -- the seat is very comfortableThere's a clunk in the rear passenger-side when going over bumps -- I think the shock needs to be tightened
You can decode the fender tag in the photo. but the car's major options include:Air conditioning -- works but the temperature control needs to be fixedRear defrost -- worksRim-blow steering -- worksChrome mirrors -- driver's side and passenger sideChrome window moldings -- in great shapeHood pins -- new hood pins and cablesAM/FM radio -- works. but two of the three speakers need replacedLight group -- these all workSide strips -- you can see dings and scratches from being 43 years old. but they look good from 20 feetCenter console -- very clean. near mint. but the original wood grain is just slightly separating on the edge in a couple places
The SE group includes the following items:Smaller rear windowOverhead console (only the Low Fuel light works; I've replaced the bulbs for the Door Ajar and Fasten Seat Belt lights but I think there's a ground problem for the door switches. and I'm not sure what's wrong with the seat belt light)Houndstooth cloth/vinyl interior
This was my dream E-Body when I found it. For a long time I wanted a car with high-impact paint (preferably Plum Crazy). the biggest engine offered while still having air conditioning (that's the 440. no Hemis or 6-packs had A/C). and as many options as possible. The fact that this car was an SE model. and an original VIP-ordered car. was just a bonus.
However. I have to relocate for a job and that means I need money for a down payment on a new house (I want to keep my old house as a rental). so something has to go. I have some other vehicles I can sell so if this one doesn't go I'll consider selling something else.
Thanks for looking. and good luck bidding. Please email me any questions. I will happily deliver the car within 50 miles of Los Angeles. but otherwise the buyer will have to deal with all details related to pick-up/shipping. I would suggest driving it home if possible. Of course there's no warranty on the car. but I would personally drive it hundreds of miles without any concern (except maybe gas money. ). It cruises happily at 70 mph.
Thanks for looking. and good luck bidding!

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