Your craziest Charger story.

[73chgrSE]

I 'ld like to hear about your most interesting Charger stories here also. Here's one of mine.

When I moved out of state for college in 1990 I left my charger back home with my parents for a few years. My old man drove it to work once in while. They had a police scanner at his work and he heard there was a bank robbery in progress at the only bank in that small town. He could see right down Main St. from his work place and actually saw the described getaway car (some old hooptie) pulling out of the bank. Because there was no town cop in this town he took it upon himself to follow the car out of town in my charger! Apparently he had no trouble keeping up with them but stayed a safe distance back. In any case they tried to out run him on an old country road because they knew he was tailing them and they went too fast into a turn and lost control of the vehicle and wrecked! All 4 men got out and ran into the nearby woods. At this point Dad stopped and put it in reverse and rolled back a ways and waited it out til the cops and some local boys showed up with the dogs. During the chase a lady outside of town saw my charger speed by her house and called the cops and misreported me as the get away car driver! Haha I was 3 states away at the time. Anyway, they caught all 4 guys and got the money back   but 2 of them stayed hidden in the woods til the next day I think. It made the local paper but my Dad plays down his roll in it. Doesn't want the attention or any bad blood. Turns out 2 of those dudes went to school with me and I played football with one of them.

[HANDM]

Almost 30 years ago now, me and my wife were looking for a grille for the 69, answered and ad in the little nickel and went to check it out.
Dude had a pair of complete running rust free 69's in his driveway and a huge basement PACKED with 69 Charger stuff.

Said he would put us together a grill for 30 bucks, we said cool and agreed to come back the next day.
Come back and he has a complete drop in frame, actuators wiring and grill ready to go! We were floored as we were just expecting the plastic!

As we were leaving he offered us both Chargers and the hoard of stuff for 1500!!! We were young and could barely afford the 30 bucks for the grill so we had to pass sadly.....

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Once I went to look at a 1969 R/T SE with my best friend

Seller was a complete, absolute lunatic.100% crazy.

Anyways, we disagreed on the price and I was going to leave. Seller practically begged me to make an offer, and wine I said $9,000 he stormed away a half dozen steps and spun around, placing his hand in the waistband of his pants.

My best friend thought he pulled something from his pants, perhaps a gun, and got between us, yelling for me to look out.

I've since, never doubted my friendship with my buddy.


Seller died within the year and car was auctioned at an estate sale.

[RallyeMike]

I think posted this years ago..... It made me famous in high school. Its a good story, but I'll abbreviate it. I'm sure you can use your imagination to fill in the gaps typically of teenage idiotic behavior.

When I was 17 I drove like maniac in my 69. I got hassled a lot (deservedly) by the cops so I generally tried to avoid them. One day I pulled up behind one at light. I noticed he was trying to scope my plate in his rearview, so when the light turned green I started off very slowly and when it was too late for him to turn, I made a quick right at the intersection and sped off. He must have got my plate because after a spirited drive through many side streets he caught up to me a few blocks from home. To make a long story short.... I thought he was going to arrest me but instead he just said "your'e a hard man to keep up with", and then explained that he was actively looking for a hit and run driver in a green 69 Charger. He let me go because I did not fit the driver description and because "it obviously wasn't me - the dents in the car were not recent".

NEXT DAY (evening): Driving on a dreary Friday night in the rain with 3 passengers. Of course, the windows were all fogged. I noticed a lot of blue flashing lights but figured they were not for me. I could not see behind me or out the sides but I was being good, so I drove on. Then it hit me.... the hit and run incident from yesterday..... I better pull over. Windows down, cops approaching from both sides of the car with hands on their firearms, but not drawn... the officer said "do you know why I pulled you over?", and I brilliantly answered "for hit and run...?"     He looked pretty confused... and then again, to make a long story short.... Someone in a green 69 Charger had just pulled off an armed robbery and they were looking for them. Again, not fitting the perps description I was let go ..... AFTER throughly explaining why I had implicated myself for hit and run! 

So in 1981 there were some real world bad guys in a green 69 Charger. I always have wondered what ever happened to them and the car?

As for me: Eventually, I mostly straightened up and channelled my recklessness and bad habits into other things, and my 69 Charger was totaled by the next owner by running it full speed into a county bus.

[taxspeaker]

Great stories,, thanks!

[Kern Dog]

In 1982 I was riding my bicycle and saw a green 1970 Charger with a white vinyl top and a 318/auto parked with a FOR SALE sign on it. $1500. It had white sheepskin seat covers on it. I told my Dad about it....He knew how much I wanted a Charger. I had some money saved but nowhere near $1500. He didn't want to loan me the difference either.
In 1985, A buddy bought a 1970 Charger, Green with a white vinyl top. The engine had a miss so he replaced it with another 318. At this point, I had lost interest in Chargers for awhile so when he got tired of the car, he sold it.
2000. I saw an ad for a 1970 Charger, Green with a shredded white vinyl top. 318. Sheepskin seat covers too. I bought it and years later, I started remembering the other ones that I saw in the same color.
I know that F8 was a common color but it seems strange that I recall 3 separate 1970 Chargers in this town in the same color and engine.
Could this be the car that I kept seeing all of this time?

[bigdsul]

In 2003 I baught a 1969 RT/SE from a guy local to the area. Original motor trans interior paint etc. Had a pain keeping it running and with gas going up steadily every month in California I had to sadly find something more practical not even a year later. Tan interior car with a black vinyl top and black trunk stripe. Car always had a hard time staying in gear but would shift nicely  had a 4 speed floor shift. Miss that car way more than my ex wife lol. I used to have pictures of the car from an old disposable camera but lost them when moving several years ago. I remember paying 7500 for the car only to sell it not a year later for the same price.

Came across a 1970 b5 blue charger with a 383 4 barrel and 3 speed automatic. Blue interior with black vinyl top and the 500 trim package. Had the deal all finalized and the seller stopped responding to my calls and the bank said to keep my money. Turns out the car was sold to another buyer for a couple thousand dollars more. This was back in 2016.

Gave up on the hunt after buying a house but still want a car nonetheless lol. Now I'm just looking for a good body to start with and go from there. Seems like anything charger is worth 10 times what it was when I first had one.

[boys3rt]

I hope you folks like this story! It is around 1987 and because of the stock market crash people with money were investing in Muscle cars . As I had recently restored my 69 R/T the car did look pretty good. It was July 4th weekend and a big show in the Massachusetts area known as the Endicott Estates car show. I decided to take my two sons at the time (age 5 and 3). As I entered the show field people are coming at me with business cards asking me if the car was for sale.
I told them that I just completed the restoration and was not interested. I was sitting with my boys talking a break from seeing so many beautiful cars and having lunch. Next thing I know a young teenage boy comes up to me and asks if my car is for sale. He said that his father didn't speak english very well and wanted to know if I would sell it to him. I told him that the car wasn't for sale. Next thing I see is the dad pulling out a wad of cash and telling me that he used to own a 69 and really wanted my car. On the spot back then he offered me $28K . Needless to say that was a lot of money in 1987. My oldest son asks me if I am really going to sell the car.I said that his Mom would really like to have this money to help our growing family etc.
Then my son says but Dad, I was hoping that when I get older that I could drive the car! I looked at the man offering me the money and just said we are done here. "The car is not for sale"  The man then said "You aren't going to listen to him are you. I politely told him that the Charger was my dream car since I was a teenager and if my son has interest all the better. 
The rest of the story! "Fast Forward" - The same 5 year old boy above just turned 17! We have a family party and then he comes up to me and says "Dad - Im ready to drive the Charger" !  At 1st I didn't understand what he was telling me. Then he says remember when I was younger I asked if I could drive the car when I got older. I was floored as to how he remebered  that request so many years ago.
So I said Jason I am ok with this so let me get the keys! He then felt like he had to give me his itinerary as to where he would drive the car. Then he asked if I had any special rules to go over this with him.   I told him that he grew up around this car and was with me on my lap the very 1st fire. He was a great son I said that I was fine for him taking the car.
So off he goes ! 10 minutes later he comes back and he is a nervous wreck. His tee shirt was all soaked with sweat and I asked what's wrong and are you ok! His answer was Dad I just can't take the pressure knowing how much this car means too you and our family! He then asked if he could take my 73 Dart Sport instead. I told him go ahead and have fun. Today that little boy is 36 years old and recently married. As a parent what else could you ask for. Selfishly I have been so blessed with three fine sons with families of their own. My wife has been my biggest supporter in this crazy hobby and never would have allowed me to sell the car anyway! We have owned this car now for 40 years.

Thanks for the opportunity to tell the story, I hope you enjoyed it.

[taxspeaker]

That is a great story, thanks

[Kern Dog]

Yeah, that was nice. Sometimes the best car stories are the ones about the people you knew when you owned the car, not the racing or the driving of the car.

[tan top]

awesome stories Guys !  makes for good reading   thanks  for sharing   

[chargervert]

In 1980 I looked at an F4 green 70 Charger R / T  The car was parked outside a rooming house on the rough side of town. I talked to the guy who owned the car, his name was Arthur.  At the time my parents also drove a green 70 Charger R / T SE.  Arthur was talking about possibly selling the Charger for $500.00 because he had gotten into some serious trouble with the law,something to do with a drug deal gone wrong, and he needed the cash to pay his attorney. About two weeks later my mom gets pulled over by the cops,they are looking for a green Charger that they have been chasing all over town, and the Charger got away. The cop took one look at mom and decided that this is probably not the Charger they are looking for.  They did question her to see if she had let anyone use the car,she replied that she had not. I was in the car,we were going to Church believe it or not!  As soon as the cop left,I said to my mom, that it had to be Arthur they were chasing, and he smoked them. I went by Arthur's rooming house,and he was sitting on the steps, I asked him where the Charger was,and he said, I'll show ya where it is. We went behind the building, and the car was covered with tarps and branches. He said that he out ran the cops,and drove through yards and fences to get away!  He said one yard had a built in pool, and he almost went swimming!  He told me that he also had a 67 GTX convertible that was even faster than the Charger. About a month later I found out that he sold the Charger for  $250.00 . I heard that he got 10 years in the joint because he tried to take out the guy that ratted him out on the drug deal.

[chargervert]

Arthur also told me how he got the Charger R/T from the neighbor across the street from the rooming house. He had a very rusty 70 Road Runner 383 post car. It was abused as hell, it was vitamin C orange with primer spots all over it. It ran good though.  It had a 440 engine from a C body in it. The neighbor had bought the Charger, and was trying to do a tune up on it. He didn't really know too much about cars,and pulled off the distributor cap rotor and wires. He couldn't get the car to run again after trying to tune the car up. After killing the battery trying to start the backfiring Charger, he believed that he ruined the engine.  Arthur watched the guy try for weeks to get the car to run. After the guy gave up on the Charger, Arthur offered to trade the ratty but running Road Runner for the Charger even. The guy traded cars with him,and as soon as the guy drove away with the Road Runner, he went over and put the cap and rotor on the Charger, and put the wires back in the correct firing order,the Charger was running about 15 minutes later!

[oldgold69]

 my buddies brother bought a 68 charger when he was in high school  was a blue 383 4 speed  the motors were know for making a lot of rust in the coolant  so the freeze plugs rusted out  so he tried to replace them but they kept popping out  the car sat in the garage for about 9 years his mom got mad and told him to get rid of it  my buddy called me and ask me if I wanted it or the were going to scrap it  he told me 500 bucks so I bought it  he tried to put the freeze plugs in backwards  I put them in the right way  added coolant  fresh gas fired right up   somebody did some body work to a dent in the rear quarter put about a 4 inch thick plug of bondo to fill the dent  I just wanted the car for a driver  so I gave a quick DuPont overhaul  and drove the crap out of it  I sold to a young kid a couple years later  he drove it  like the duke boys  I heard he hit  the rear quarter  everyone said there was this nice blue charger with a hole where the bondo plug fell out

[b5blue]

  When I bought my 70 25 years ago it was pretty rough. A retired drag race only car (trailer to the strip for the last 8 years) the rusty hood had a 6 pack scoop covering the hole cut for the TM-7 high rise/Holley. The Mopar grapevine found a good hood in matching B5Blue but I had to ditch the TM-7 for it to fit.  As luck would have it 2 days later the guy who sold me the hood got a 6BBL from 2 guys claiming their brother was sick and needed money for a doctor.
  So basically I ditched a 6BBL hood scoop and installed a 6BBL under the correct color replacement hood. Several years and many miles later I was at my friends battery shop with the hood up. (We were trying to sort out the weak idle charging problem.) I guy pulls up sees the 6BBL and shares a story about his 70 GTX. Owned for many years his 6BBL GTX was needing a bunch of repairs. Seems there were these 3 brothers constantly bugging him to sell it so they could restore it. Sold and let go for a partial payment the boys took the car, got it running and raised hell on the streets (Illegally on the road.) till the cops caught one and locked him up. His brothers sold the 6BBL to get him out of jail. He was offered the car back but by then it was stripped of running gear and seats so the car was scrapped. Clear to me it was his 6BBL I asked what was owed to make it right? He said he was just glad a bit of his GTX was on the road and wished me well.   

[Johnnyu]

When I was a sophmore in high school me and a friend are riding around with a couple in a 1969 Charger RT.The driver was going kinda fast but didn't really bother me back then.Then he starts driving faster and faster and blows a couple of stop signs.Then he drives through a red light at about 60 + mph on city streets.I ask my friend why he is driving this way and he says that the driver just took a couple hits of acid for the first time. I asked him to let me out because I needed to go to the bathroom.Then I walked home. It was winter and I was a couple miles from home. But I was safe.

[chargervert]

People on ludes should not drive!

[Ghoste]

Thats for sure.

[70B5Cuda]

3.5 years ago, I bought a 1969 charger survivor that had been off the road since 1986. I got it running and took it for cruises and ice cream runs with my girls.
On Christmas Eve 2018, my wife and my kids were all sick with the flu. My wife asked me to pick up a gallon of milk from Walmart which is only about 6 blocks away. It was such a nice day, that I decided to take the charger. I parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot and even took a picture of the car....it would be the last picture of it running. On the way home, I decided to drive 1.5 miles south of town to a buddy's where I planned to turn around and head home. I made it about a mile before a young guy in a late model GMC Sierra tried to dart across 4 lanes of traffic on K15 highway. Because of two turning vehicles between us, we never saw each other and he T'd me in the left front fender while I was doing 55mph. I was bruised, cut, and sore but I declined medical attention at the scene. My wife convinced me to go to the emergency room where x rays found bone cancer in my right arm. After locating a cadaver bone, I had a major surgery to remove the top third of my right humerus and graft in the cadaver bone. 10 months later (one month ago), I had another bone graft. I still can't lift my arm above my shoulder but I'm happy to be alive. The charger was a blast but it was well worth the sacrifice.  

Here's the thread if you want to see the whole story with more detail and lots of pictures of the purchase, cleanup, car accident, and medical procedures.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,124057.0.html

[chargervert]

Yours is the story of the Charger that saved you twice!  I had the opportunity to buy a beautiful 70 Charger R / T SE  B5 blue 32,000 mile survivor. The guy had passed away, and his son was selling the car to help his mother. They had every piece of documentation from the day the car was bought. I passed on the car because I didn't believe I had a safe enough place to keep the car, and you couldn't really drive the car,because if anything happens to the car, it would no longer be a survivor. As you found out with your car,the worst can happen when you actually drive a survivor car. The good news for you was finding out about the cancer before it got worse.  Your Charger may not be a survivor any longer, hopefully who ever bought the car will get it reconstructed, but you are the survivor, and that's more important than any car,even a Charger.

[Kern Dog]

3.5 years ago, I bought a 1969 charger survivor that had been off the road since 1986. I got it running and took it for cruises and ice cream runs with my girls.
On Christmas Eve 2018, my wife and my kids were all sick with the flu. My wife asked me to pick up a gallon of milk from Walmart which is only about 6 blocks away. It was such a nice day, that I decided to take the charger. I parked in the furthest corner of the parking lot and even took a picture of the car....it would be the last picture of it running. On the way home, I decided to drive 1.5 miles south of town to a buddy's where I planned to turn around and head home. I made it about a mile before a young guy in a late model GMC Sierra tried to dart across 4 lanes of traffic on K15 highway. Because of two turning vehicles between us, we never saw each other and he T'd me in the left front fender while I was doing 55mph. I was bruised, cut, and sore but I declined medical attention at the scene. My wife convinced me to go to the emergency room where x rays found bone cancer in my right arm. After locating a cadaver bone, I had a major surgery to remove the top third of my right humerus and graft in the cadaver bone. 10 months later (one month ago), I had another bone graft. I still can't lift my arm above my shoulder but I'm happy to be alive. The charger was a blast but it was well worth the sacrifice.  

Here's the thread if you want to see the whole story with more detail and lots of pictures of the purchase, cleanup, car accident, and medical procedures.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,124057.0.html

Oh, Shit.....Looks like you are the top contender in this contest. It is interesting how freak incidents have resulted in an early detection like yours.

[70B5Cuda]

[/quote]

Oh, Shit.....Looks like you are the top contender in this contest. It is interesting how freak incidents have resulted in an early detection like yours.
[/quote]

Very true. I choose to believe it was divine intervention. My right humerus bone was so eaten up that when it was removed and sent out to pathology, they found that it was already hairline fractured and hollow...and I couldn't feel a thing. If it had broken, the surgeon said they would have amputated my arm and I still probably wouldn't have made it past 5 years. That type of cancer does not respond to chemo or radiation; it can only be cut out.
I was fortunate and I thank God frequently.

[dual fours]

All are a good read. Next up. Come on somebody else has to have a story to tell.   A short sentence, maybe one a few chapters long?

[timmycharger]

I posted this story on my build page but since we are talking about crazy Charger stories, I think it fits.  Back in 2001 or 2002 I took my car (pre restoration) to a Mopar car show down in Smithfield, RI.  I thought it would be a good idea to enter the burnout contest with my 68, which is a stupid idea since I was about an hour from home with no spare  ..  Regardless I entered the contest anyway and did pretty well. Below is a pic of that day, I have a grainy 8mm video of it somewhere that I plan to post on YouTube.   

What I didn't know was that prior to the contest, my wife and sister in law walked across the street to a store and she (my wife) bought a dress.  She put the dress in the trunk of the Charger without me knowing. 

I did my burnout which was a beauty by the way and since my Charger was rotted to hell, my trunk floor was full of holes and all that smoke got into the trunk ruining that dress, it stunk like rubber and eventually she had to return it, never able to use it. The thing is, even if she had told me about it, my 27 yr old self probably still would have done it!!

[stripedelete]

First One:

I'm going to try to condense this one in order make it a little less tedious to read.   The executive summary is this:  In the summer of  1985,  Unbenost to the other two parties, I stumbled into a street race between a 5.0 Mustang and late 60's - early 70's Corvette.

Memory fails me as to why, but, I was driving my Charger on an undivided 4 lane, not long after sunrise, on what I think was a Sunday or a July 4th morning.   ( I know I was coming home but where had I been so early??)  I crested a train overpass and less than 1/4 mile ahead was a Vette and the 5.0 Muskrat side by side at a red light.   Of course, there no other traffic in sight due to time, day  and unpopulated area.

I was shocked as to what could be happening.  But I knew that it was well known where the 1/4 mark was, so it had to be....  I floored it.   I don't think I had closed half the distance when the light changed.  It was a race.   The Vette only edged out the Muskrat at 1/4 mile, but he didn't let off.    I can still see the guys face in the Mustang when I pulled up along side of him at 80mph.  Not only did he not know I was there, but of course,  I was driving a Silver 1969 Charger R/T and it 7am on a holiday/Sunday morning.

I didn't lay off gas when I hit about 105mph I filled the review mirror of the Vette.   He did mother of all shocked double takes.  He didnt know I was there either!  He hit the gas! As I started to push the accelerator THE ONLY oncoming traffic caught my eye.   I was in deep shit!!  Ohio State Patrol?  Nope.  Worse.  Dad!  I shut it down.

There a several things I'll never forget;  1. The crazy coincidence/timing that put me there at that moment in my Charger.  2.  Looks on the other drivers faces.  3. My dad never having said a word when he got home.

My advice to you young guys is, don't go over 100mph  and put a list together of the stuff you want to ask your parents when you're older.  And then ask them.  I wish I had.

[stripedelete]

Second One:    I call this my "Jon Voight's Lebaron story"  or my "Brush with Greatness story"  You Seinfeld and 80s Letterman fans will get the references.

My Charger was purchased from the ordinal owner in California, in the late '70s,  by a serviceman from northern  Ohio.  He came home,  got a divorce, and sold it to a guy across the street.   I bought the car from him in 84.

It came with a box of old receipts and personal information that would be shredded today. It was a different time.
The box was relegated  to the upstairs of barn until the late 2000s.   With the help of the Internet and the fact one of the owner's daughters who took it in for service once, had a less than common first name, I was able to triangulate and learn a great deal about the cars original owner(s).

He was highly regarded neurosurgeon.  Impressive enough.  He was also the last person to commission Frank Loyd Wright to design and build a house.   Frank was in his 80s or 90s at the time.   There is a website that tells the story and how it all came about.  Very interesting if your into that kind of thing.  I am.

Now back to Jon Voight's Lebaron.  Instead of the pencil with bite marks, I picture the Doctor checking out the job site and then saying, "Hey Frank, let's grab lunch".  And Frank Loyd Wright hops into the passenger seat of my Charger....
Dare to dream....

[HANDM]

OK, I got another one. Same car that we bought the grille for was basically a ratty driver that needed all of the usual charger rust repair including the door latches and catches (both sides were torn to shit and needed serious repair) car was a 383-4 triple black and had a perfect interior
Looking through the little nickel again, we found another Charger for 1100. Went and looked, saw it wasn't nearly as rusty as the black one plus it ran and drove, albeit poorly. Car is a 383-2 SE. The plan was to swap the perfect black interior and grille from the triple black and anything else the SE needed, put the ratty tan into the black and sell it.

Two days after we get it home a storm passes through and a HUGE tree smashes the black one across the right A pillar, door and hood. Totally fixable by todays standards but back then, well you know

Then the wife asks.......Is the grille ok  it was

Wound up swapping the interior over, stripping everything else and sending the shell to the scrapper 

[70 sublime]

Second One:    I call this my "Jon Voight's Lebaron story"  or my "Brush with Greatness story"  You Seinfeld and 80s Letterman fans will get the references.

My Charger was purchased from the ordinal owner in California, in the late '70s,  by a serviceman from northern  Ohio.  He came home,  got a divorce, and sold it to a guy across the street.   I bought the car from him in 84.

It came with a box of old receipts and personal information that would be shredded today. It was a different time.
The box was relegated  to the upstairs of barn until the late 2000s.   With the help of the Internet and the fact one of the owner's daughters who took it in for service once, had a less than common first name, I was able to triangulate and learn a great deal about the cars original owner(s).

He was highly regarded neurosurgeon.  Impressive enough.  He was also the last person to commission Frank Loyd Wright to design and build a house.   Frank was in his 80s or 90s at the time.   There is a website that tells the story and how it all came about.  Very interesting if your into that kind of thing.  I am.

Now back to Jon Voight's Lebaron.  Instead of the pencil with bite marks, I picture the Doctor checking out the job site and then saying, "Hey Frank, let's grab lunch".  And Frank Loyd Wright hops into the passenger seat of my Charger....
Dare to dream....

No black Charger stories ??

[JimShine]

Mine goes like this:

I was a little kid, circa 1983, riding his school bus and one day this house I always looked forward to seeing because they had a '68 Charger suddenly had a white with black top 1969 appear in the driveway. I always loved the 1969 more, so I was even more excited to ride past that house in the morning. I looked forward to it every day. One day the white Charger isn't there..and I never saw it again.

2003 I decide to buy a 1969 Charger. I buy one on ebay running, driving..all primer black. It is a full day trip. Get there, exchange cash and title..guy asks where I am headed to now. I tell him I am going to stop in at my Fathers house in Waterbury Connecticut and visit on my way back home. He tells me that is where he bought the car years before. I still didn't think anything of it.

Later when I started pulling the car apart, I found a bunch of papers wedged in between the seats and console. There were garage receipts describing it as "white and black" . More digging I found one receipt for exhaust work, for the address I used to see that white Charger at from my bus. Dated the same year. Sure enough as I got to sanding the car, the white paint was there under the black primer. It was THE car. And I didn't even try to find it. It found me.

[Kern Dog]

Shoot, man...You WIN.  That is great!