Should I Get This 74 CHARGER?! Please Look

[nvrbdn]

yes again ghoste is right, if you use a dolly, pull the drive shaft. pulling that car with the rear wheels turning will damage the transmission. so if you can find a yolk to shove back into the transmission and wire tie into place great. if not,good thick plastic zip lock bags over the end of the transmission ,after you pull the drive shaft, and duct tape the crap out of it to hold the bags in place to keep from dripping transmission fluid all over everything while in tow.

[72Charger-SE]

Could a person drain the trans fluid as a alternative to wrapping and duct taping? Then replace the filter and fill with fresh tranny fluid?

[nvrbdn]

when the rear wheels are spinning, the drive shaft is spinning. the transmission tail shaft will be turning.it will damage the trans. i had a chevy wagon that i was going to pull on a 500 mile trip. the pull vehicle was too light in the front with the weight of the wagon with all its cargo, so i switched the vehicles on the freeway. so i didnt pull the drive shaft. when i reached home, the transmission was toast in my impalla.

[ajay716]

okay lol thats out of the question, but i have another question. when i go on the uhaul website and type in the 73 charger it says that its not recomened. will they still rent me the trailer if i tell them what car its for? has anyone that has a charger went with the uhual auto transport?

[nvrbdn]

read this:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,55776.0.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22023.msg239109.html#msg239109

these should answer all those questions.

[nvrbdn]

i also sent you a pm about this.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

ajay716,
Towing a vehicle on a trailer seems like a simple task that anyone could do, but it can get very ugly very fast for a number of reasons.
The trailer not only needs to be up to the task, so does the tow vehicle, and THE DRIVER OF THE TOW VEHICLE.

Unless your driver is experienced in trailering a car, and the equipment is up to the task, I suggest you seriously consider hiring a professional to transport your car for you! 
Think about it.

[cudaken]

Jay, spend the money for a Pro. It would suck to wreck it on the way home by towing.

I tried to tow my 68 Road Runner with a U haul tow bar when I moved to St Louis 30 years ago and the Road Runner was all over the road. After 35 miles of it we pulled over and I drove the Road Runner too St Louis. Luckily Road Runner was road worthy so no problems.

Cuda Ken

PS, still have the Road Runner, been 40 years now.

[72Charger-SE]

Jay, I agree with the others.  UNLESS you have a lot of experience towing trailers and such get yourself a professional to bring your Charger home.  I grew up on a farm and have ALOT of towing experience with trailers hauling hogs, cattle, hay, tractors, etc.  I admit I was a bit out of my comfort zone towing my Charger 500 miles home.  (I bought mine in Southern Missouri (Lake of the Ozarks area). In hind sight having it brought to me was not really an option since I needed to inspect it before paying for it.  I know that is a concern of yours as well.  But...  if you just drive there with your car, inspect the car and make the buying decision you can then schedule a professional to pick it up and bring it to you. 

You don't want to have a 'bad experience' towing your Charger.  You will never forgive yourself if something happens.  Ultimately it is your decision and I am praying you choose wisely.

[ACUDANUT]

Whatever you do, do not use a Tow Dolly.  The car is too heavy for it.

[41husk]

several years ago I went with a friend from the stlouis area to near Richmond VA, with a uhaul trailor.  We picked up a 72 Road runner and towed it home through the mountains with no issues.  That is similar in size length and weight to the charger.

[Ghoste]

I think everyone would have a differing comfort level to a point.

[71_Charger_R/T]

I towed my '71 Charger R/T from Indiana to Minnesota (700 miles) with a 1/2 ton Dodge pick-up and a car dolly with no problems whatsoever! YES, REMOVE THE DRIVESHAFT!!! You will lunch the tranny if you leave it in. I unbolted my driveshaft and wired it up good and high in the rear so it wouldn't tangle with the spinning pinion. (left the front yoke in the trans.) One of the other things to consider with a car dolly...... you won't be backing around any corners! (next to impossible).
Congratulations, Good luck.... travel safely!

[nvrbdn]

im on the side of doing it myself and towing. i always use a car trailer.(my own) i absolutely love the road trips. half of getting the car is going after it. towed the 67 gto from oky city to the st. louis area. towed my 454 suburban from dallas, 65 coronet from northern indy,72 charger from wisconsin. they all were fun trips. just take your time, make sure that the trailer has been serviced. and i prefer the trailer over the dolly.
      i pulled my impalla from georgia with a regular tow bar that attaches to the front bumper of the tow vehicle.(man i was daring)

[Sublime/Sixpack]

I think everyone would have a differing comfort level to a point.

Yep, and a differing degree of wisdom.

[ipstrategies]

I agree with the trailer over tow bar, tow bar may be fine for those experienced with them. I used one to pull a 95 Chrysler LHS Columbus to Canton  and  I prefer renting a uhaul trailer local. They would let me PU at close on Friday and it was one day rental if I had it back by open Sunday, worse it was 2 days rental if returned it Monday.

I have pulled multiple 3rd gen Charger with my 99 Durango 5.9 and uhaul trailer (the charger fits ok and the surge brakes really helped) my 71 was around 500 miles each way through mountains.

I have also arrived to check out a car after pulling a trailer 800 miles to find out the seller did not disclose condition of car, and  banking on the fact I pulled a trailer 8-10 hours so I was buying. They did not bank any of my money that day, and it is a bummer driving back empty (be prepared to leave empty if the deal is not right.)

This is how I ended with the 71 I am working on now, I came home empty and bummed and got an email from the owner of my car (I had tried to contact him over a couple months and we made arrangements for me to drive down) I got there and saw what he had described exactly and so we loaded it up and pulled it home.
2 weeks after that thanks to help of my mechanic brother and dad, we were driving it around the neighborhood.

[Ghoste]

I think everyone would have a differing comfort level to a point.

Yep, and a differing degree of wisdom.

Whats foolish to one isn't necessarily to all.

[ajay716]

yes guys i am using the trailer i convinced him so we should be good, im pretty handy and he has towed things before so i dont think we should have a problem. thanks for eeveryones tips! 

[ACUDANUT]

Make sure that trailer has brakes.

[Sublime/Sixpack]

So, did you go through with it?

[nvrbdn]

last on was saturday. im wondering the same thing.

[ajay716]

sorry guys, i was too busy playing around with the charger to tell you guys how it went lol  so, i got it lol.
i will post pictures later, but i love it. the body is pretty clean except those 2 spots that he pictured, theres a little rust on the under areaa but its just surface..the whole thing is solid including the floor pans and the trunk pan!! interior is amazing, and vinyl top is still in perfect condition. it came with the manual and options sticker/price sticker. it says it has tinted glass but i dont see it lol. the options are as follows..disc brakes, electronic ignition, vinyl split bench seat w armrest, dual horns, deluxe wheel cover, cigar lighter, wheel lip, drip rail and sill mouldings, day/night mirror, carpets(lol) rallye type instrument cluster, body side paint stripe(gone), belt moulding, hood, deck and reveal mouldings, power steering, torqueflight, power brakes, radio am, light package, remote control mirror left-chrome, standard size whitewalls(gone), 3 speed winshield wipers, deluxe wheel covers, bumper guards, undercoating w/ hood pad(which is what i believe helped keep the car so clean), inside hood release, defogger rear, air conditioning, and a rear single speaker. the radiator has a little crack in it that just leaks steam, the power steering pump cap is gone, the paint job is mediocre but will work for now, i dont think the temp. guage works, or the front or rear defroster, the winshield wipers need to be replaced(with refills?). the car runs decent and the tranny shifts good, but it was hard to start when cold(im not used to carbed cars lol) and if you gave it too much gas it would bog and sometimes backfire, untill it got warm, even once awhile when it was warm it would do it too. i think the carb just needs to be cleaned. it only has 47,000 on it so i dont think anything has even been done except oil changes the paint job and he put an aftermarket chrome air filter on it. there is a tube coming out of the exhaust manifolds that i believe the air filter hooked to? will this be a problem? i think theres a few other things wrong with it that i cant think of right now but when i get the pictures up i will tell you guys the rest, i love her tho even with the low compression its still pretty quick  . thanks for all your help guys but i will be needing more believe that, i ended up getting it for 5150. let me know how you guys think i did. 

[ajay716]

oh i forgot one more thing for right now, when im pressing the accelerator there is a pretty noisy clicking...i dont really know exactly where its coming from but you can definately hear it, maybe something with exhaust? i dont know but its something that i definately want to get fixed because i dont know what it is and if its bad lol. help?

[ACUDANUT]

Why are you lol all the time  . Seriously...enjoy.

[nvrbdn]

the ticking under acceleration could be an exhaust leak. one tool that i love is a stethascope. they make them for auto use. they arent that expensive, and as you touch around the engine/trans/exhaust you can hear everything without outside noise distracting you. i use mine all the time when diagnosing peoples noises that they cant find. i think if you are happy, you did well. the price isnt bad and it gives you a project without being a total rebuild.