Photo: carguy5739/eBay
Introduced for the 1970 model year, the Dodge Challenger was a big hit. The Mopar moved nearly 77,000 units in its first year in showrooms, outselling its Plymouth Barracuda twin by more than 25,000 examples. And like most classic cars that sold tens of thousands of examples back in the day, the 1970 Challenger is a common sight in junkyards and barns.
This yellow example wasn't abandoned in a junkyard but was neglected for over 20 years. The Challenger was reportedly kept in storage over the previous 15 years. Before that, it sat for a few years in a pole barn. It was parked there by the original owner, who rebuilt the engine and planned to perform a cosmetic restoration. Unfortunately, life got in the way.
More than two decades later, the car is in pretty rough shape. The lower areas of the body panels are plagued with rust, while the original soft top is gone except for the frame. Sadly, years of sitting under a leaky barn roof have also taken a toll on the interior, which shows a cracked dashboard and rusty floors.
The engine bay is the only section that has good news. Even though it looks like it just missed a deadly encounter with the crusher, this Challenger rocks a perfectly good V8 engine. The mill runs smoothly, and the seller posted a video to prove it. The unit is a four-barrel 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) small block, but it's original to the car.
It's a date-correct powerplant that replaced the original engine many decades ago. According to the VIN, this Challenger rolled off the assembly line with a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8. Rated at 230 horsepower, the latter was the least potent V8 unit at the time. The optional 340, on the other hand, came with 275 horses on tap. This Challenger packs an automatic transmission, but there's no info on whether it's numbers-matching.
A common Mopar at first glance, this 1970 Challenger is actually a rare bird due to its convertible layout. Of the 76,935 Challengers built in 1970, only 3,884 were ordered with the retractable top. Records show that 963 of these cars were R/Ts, so we're looking at one of 2,921 non-R/T models. If we also extract the slant-six vehicles, we're left with 2,543 V8 examples.
We also know Dodge sold 264 convertibles equipped with the 340 V8 and an additional 122 units fitted with the 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) big block, so this Challenger is one of 2,157 drop-tops ordered with the 318 V8. The automatic gearbox would likely lower the number to fewer than 1,500 units.
Granted, a 318-powered 1970 Challenger is nowhere near as valuable and desirable as a HEMI or 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB rig, but convertibles are getting increasingly harder to find nowadays. And given how rare these vehicles are, I think this Top Banana pony needs to be saved and restored. Keeping the 340 or opting for a different swap (maybe a HEMI tribute?) is a great choice as long as the car is returned to the road.
If it's the kind of project you've been looking for, this 1970 Challenger is looking for a new home in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, for $12,500 or best offer. What's your take on this sticker?
More than two decades later, the car is in pretty rough shape. The lower areas of the body panels are plagued with rust, while the original soft top is gone except for the frame. Sadly, years of sitting under a leaky barn roof have also taken a toll on the interior, which shows a cracked dashboard and rusty floors.
The engine bay is the only section that has good news. Even though it looks like it just missed a deadly encounter with the crusher, this Challenger rocks a perfectly good V8 engine. The mill runs smoothly, and the seller posted a video to prove it. The unit is a four-barrel 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) small block, but it's original to the car.
It's a date-correct powerplant that replaced the original engine many decades ago. According to the VIN, this Challenger rolled off the assembly line with a 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8. Rated at 230 horsepower, the latter was the least potent V8 unit at the time. The optional 340, on the other hand, came with 275 horses on tap. This Challenger packs an automatic transmission, but there's no info on whether it's numbers-matching.
A common Mopar at first glance, this 1970 Challenger is actually a rare bird due to its convertible layout. Of the 76,935 Challengers built in 1970, only 3,884 were ordered with the retractable top. Records show that 963 of these cars were R/Ts, so we're looking at one of 2,921 non-R/T models. If we also extract the slant-six vehicles, we're left with 2,543 V8 examples.
We also know Dodge sold 264 convertibles equipped with the 340 V8 and an additional 122 units fitted with the 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) big block, so this Challenger is one of 2,157 drop-tops ordered with the 318 V8. The automatic gearbox would likely lower the number to fewer than 1,500 units.
Granted, a 318-powered 1970 Challenger is nowhere near as valuable and desirable as a HEMI or 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB rig, but convertibles are getting increasingly harder to find nowadays. And given how rare these vehicles are, I think this Top Banana pony needs to be saved and restored. Keeping the 340 or opting for a different swap (maybe a HEMI tribute?) is a great choice as long as the car is returned to the road.
If it's the kind of project you've been looking for, this 1970 Challenger is looking for a new home in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, for $12,500 or best offer. What's your take on this sticker?
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