Original 1971 Challenger R/T, 340, 4 spd car, 1 of only 313 made. This one was also Factory Plum Crazy purple, so it is a fairly rare beast. Unfortunately the original engine and trans are long gone. I decided to build a 440 and run a Tremec 5 spd overdrive trans... It will also return to it's original Plum Crazy color.
Date(s): September 4, 2010. Album by Adam Ellison. 1 - 16 of 258 Total. 10107 Visits.
1 As delivered. The Hood, roof, Driver's side floor, Trunk floor, trunk lid, lower 1/4s & fenders will be replaced. This car sat outside for 8 or 9 years with no window in the drivers door.
2 This side doesn't look too bad.
When you open the picture you can click on "original" size for a large view.
3 Trunk lid is really bad, lets water into the trunk. Im sure the trunk floor will need to be replaced too.
E55=340 4 BBL D21=HD 4 Spd Trans N41= Dual exhaust FC7=Plum Crazy R26= AM/Cassette
7 Update: Here is my reproduction fender tag, completely accurate to the original.
8 Passenger side floor looks good.
9 Driver side floor has serious rust. There are several holes and the metal is paper thin in spots.
10 Rallye dash and steering wheel with no cracks! 92,575 original miles.
11 Serious rust under the wiper cowl. Seems solid underneath. Will remove the wiper cowl and see.
12 Drilling out the spot welds to remove the wiper cowl.
13 Hmm, rust all the way through. I may have to patch a small piece of the firewall.
14 Wow, this thing is rotten from one end to the other! I made some holes just by scrubbing the loose rust with a wire brush. No way can this be sandblasted clean.
15 I decided to remove and replace the entire firewall. I drilled out the 200 or so spot welds with a spot weld cutter. I bought a quality spot weld cutter and it easily lasted the entire time. I've bought cheap (Chinese) ones before that didn't last for 6 spot welds.
16 I sandblasted, acid washed and etch primed the fender wells. The K frame and suspension have been removed, blasted, painted and rebuilt with poly bushings. I used paint remover and a putty knife to remove the undercoating before sandblasting.
Great job Adam. Who says you have to have a covered garage to do a good job with a home resto. Looks pro. A LOT of work, obviously. Leo - Leo, Wed, 21 Feb 2018 2:29PM
