My first car was a 1964 Oldsmobile F-85 sedan. My mother gave it to me to use, but it was considered mine. It was 12 years old and not eye-candy at all, but back then who cared when it was your first car? It lasted 6 months. I totaled it. Several months later, my mother gave me another car, a 1965 Dodge Dart sedan with the 225cid slant-six engine. I let my date drive one night and she crashed it. It was repairable, and I bought a junk '65 Dart for front-end body parts. I ran that old Dart into the ground, shame on me. It was finally scrapped. It was time to go off to college and Thomas was selling his 1970 Dodge Charger, a 318cid-automatic car. He gave me a family deal, $700. It didn't look like much, half-B5 blue and half-primer. I used that Charger for the next four years. It ran extremely well, the only car I've known to have white powder lining its exhaust pipes. I could achieve 25mpg with that 318cid. Sadly, it rusted away badly and was scrapped when the frame was beyond repair. The body was also full of putty. Nearing graduation, my brothers informed me of an estate sale of one of our customers. She had a 1973 Plymouth Valiant with only 8,000 miles on it in 1981. I was in school, so Andrew attended the auction and placed the winning bid for the old but like new car. I vaguely recall that it took $2,400 to win the car. It must have been reasonable, because the bank gave me my first car loan to pay for it. My mother graciously co-signed for the loan. You better believe I made sure I never missed a payment on that loan. She would've whipped me!
Then came a career, marriage, and children . . . a lot of children. There was no time or money to really enjoy cars for the next 20 years.
In 2001, I bought my first collectible car, a 1987 Chevrolet El Camino Super Sport. It was a beauty, burgundy and silver. In 2002, I bought my first antique car, a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, dark burnt orange metallic. A spectacular car to look at, but I made mistakes buying it and learned that the engine, transmission, and rear axle all needed rebuilt. It was drive-able, but that 440cid engine couldn't even burn rubber. I was discouraged and sold it in a few years. With all the children, the El Camino proved too impractical, and it was sold in a few years as well. My old car luck was about to change.
My older brother Thomas called me in 2003. I had learned that he was finally getting married, but I was even more surprised when he asked me to buy his 1966 Dodge Charger. He bought the car in 1973. It was well cared for by the first owner, and Tom, being a bachelor for many years and esteeming the value of an original car, kept his Charger well. I rode in it when I was just a kid. When I was 19, I worked up the courage to ask him to use it for a date. It was a big deal; she lived 45 minutes away. He handed me the keys. I would've never done that for me, not with my driving record! So, I went to his wedding in August 2003 with an auto carrier in tow, three of the kids came along, and returned home with a Charger from my youth that I wasn't even looking to buy. I enjoyed the Charger in the local show circuit for several years until a knowledgeable car-buddy saw it and told me about AACA's Historic Preservation of Original Features class of show cars. "You don't realize what you have here", he said, "this is rare". So, I tried it. The car was a hit. At my first national show, guys were lined up to photograph the original Charger. Engine bay, trunk, interior, even chassis photos were taken to help them with their restoration projects. I knew then that I should never restore this Charger; it is a template. Benevolently called the Gray Ghost by Thomas because the silver finish had faded away years ago, I was no longer tempted to have the car painted.
She's staying original.
361cid V8, A727 Automatic console shift, 2.94 rear axle gear, 93,652 original miles
It was 2014. I was now an empty-nester for over four years, really empty because my wife believed that she could live better without me. Alas, time proved her wrong. That's too bad. But, back to cars, my eldest brother Andrew called in October that year. I couldn't believe my ears. He asked me to buy his 1968 Dodge Charger. "My health isn't so good now, and I have three sons and a grandson that want the car", he said, "it just needs to go before it causes trouble". This decision took a little time and negotiation. Oh, it was a beautiful Charger: dark racing green metallic, black vinyl top and interior, magnum500 wheels, 318cid engine with air-conditioning, A904 automatic console shift, with a 3.23 Sure-Grip rear axle, only 58,306 original miles, and 35 gallons of undercoating. He bought it in 1972, it was in mint condition . . . then. Tragically, he wrecked it in 1990. He was broken-hearted. The car was towed to his home where he put it in a little shed and closed the doors. He couldn't bear to look at it, and he couldn't afford to repair it. Twenty-five years later, he's ready to let it go. The car was never moved or started in 25 years. He wants me to own it because he's seen how Tom's Charger is enjoyed and preserved in original condition. So, we agree to a ridiculous price, and I take delivery of the beat-up Charger in March 2015. Andrew did manage to get it running enough to drive it to our mother's house during the night for delivery. He didn't want his sons to see it go away.
The '68 Charger is being restored to "driver" status. The interior is in good condition, only needing a headliner, carpet, a rear package tray, and a console body. Not a mark or crack in the dashboard or steering wheel, thank goodness. An entire new front clip will be necessary, a new vinyl top, and a total re-paint. A little rust-through was found out of sight between the rear quarters and the trunk. The floor boards and trunk floor are solid. All the trunk accessories are missing. The chassis has been repaired with new brakes, shocks, a few tie-rod ends, some rubber bushings and such, otherwise it is being left in its existing, well-coated condition. The engine and transmission have been rebuilt and await installation. The rear axle was inspected and cleaned, as was the fuel tank. The air-conditioning system is on the bench now. Following assembly, the car will head off to a Mopar restoration specialist for the body work, then to an interior specialist to install a headliner. I can manage the console, carpets, and package tray.
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