Anyone Remember the Aussie Daytona???

[Ghoste]

Say John, is that Dart Girl?

[69_500]

You know John, the only thing I haven't figured out as far as your Daytona goes, is that they did all the fabrication work on the inside of the car making it right side drive and all. But somewhere along the lines you would have thought that someone would have made the windshield wipers right hand drive compatible as well. Having grown up in Thailand, and seeing many converted right hand drive cars, their wipers go the other way as well to make a clear sight line for the driver.

[OneBadSuperbird]

Say John, is that Dart Girl?

None other! 

Thanks for the kind words y'all.  If that car could talk, I'm sure it could tell some incredible stories of it's early days in OzLand.  Since I bought the car from the bloke's son, I never got a chance to hear any of the stories from the first few years of the car's life down under.  One of these days, I'm going to have to get a hold of his dad and see what all I can learn about all that.

Something else that is most likely lost forever is the car's first four years here in the States.  Oddlly enough, we stayed at a Motel 6 in Independence, Missouri on the road trip from L.A. to Detroit.  We cruised the Daytona around the streets of Independence in the hopes that some old timer would remember it but but it looks so different now (other than the nose and the wing!) that the car hardly got a second look from any of the locals.  We did stop at a couple auto parts stores which emptied out to check the car out but most all of the employees there weren't even born yet in 1969!

Here's a rather interesting pic from right after we unloaded the car from the container in Compton, California (yes, THAT Compton!).  The wing was taken off the car to make room for the other three vehicles that were crammed into the container.  The Daytona was on the makeshift second level sitting on planks!  It was a real nail-biter unloading the car that even required the use of a forklift.  We drove the car across L.A. at rush hour on a Friday afternoon to get the car to my buddy who handled the shipping's house in Garden Grove, California.  It's funny the odd looks a wingless right hand drive Daytona got on the L.A. freeways from some people while others were completely oblivious to it.  If you look closely at this pic, you will see another one of the Daytona's modifications to bring the car up to Australia's laws.  This pic was snapped as the left turn signal was blinking.  Australian law requires that all cars have amber rear turn signals so the center section of the Daytona's taillight was cut out and a amber lens sectioned in.  It looks very different at night seeing an olfd Charger with amber rear turn signals. 

[OneBadSuperbird]

You know John, the only thing I haven't figured out as far as your Daytona goes, is that they did all the fabrication work on the inside of the car making it right side drive and all. But somewhere along the lines you would have thought that someone would have made the windshield wipers right hand drive compatible as well. Having grown up in Thailand, and seeing many converted right hand drive cars, their wipers go the other way as well to make a clear sight line for the driver.

Danny, that is a very, very good question.  I just called my buddy Jeff in Garden Grove who handled the U.S. end of importing the Daytona and it just sio happens that his mate and business partner Peter is here in the States right now buying up cars and parts to ship over to OzLand and he answered the phoen at Jeff's.  Peter was the bloke who handled all the shipping on the Daytona when the previous owner drove it the 800 miles to where Peter is located.  Peter gave us the first reprt on the car's condition when it arrived and verified that it was in far better condition than we were anticipating.  Before loading it into the container, Peter took the car to a local cruise night where there was a swarm around the car the entire evening. 

Anyways, I figured who better to ask about the wipers than Peter seeing as how Jeff and Peter export a huge number of U.S. vehicles to OzLand.  Peter knew the answer right off the bat and explained it to me.  Back in the day when the Daytona was exported to OzLand, Australian law required a 78% sweep of the driver's viewing range by the wipers.  Apparently, the way it is met that 78% criteria.  Today, that number has been bumped to 88% and would have required changing the wipers around.  Exporting a vehicle 25 years or older to OzLand makes it exempt from requiring ANY types of modificatioons but all of the newer vehicles that are exported need to also have their wipers converted over.Pretty interesting stuff huh?

[dads_69]

I've read the notes from everyone here a few times about the car. I'm still in awe. That car is a trip. Its a piece of history for sure. I have a magazine somewhere around here also about it from not long ago. Wow comes to mind first, then, am I seeing things correctly, ha-ha. Awesome car.
Mark

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

Another car(70 challenger) from Running on empty, I wonder what happend to this one?

[OneBadSuperbird]

Another car(70 challenger) from Running on empty, I wonder what happend to this one?

Awwwwwwwww man, why did ya have to do that?  Seeing the pic of that car is like a kick to the gut.  The same folks who had the Daytona were very good mates with the bloke who owned that car.  As of the time I bought the Daytona, that Challenger was in the exact same configuration as in the picture you posted but had had some mechanical upgrades over the years.  It too had a mirror image RHD conversion.  It is also an original 440 Six Pack automatic car with it's numbers matching 440 Six Pack drivetrain still intact.  I could have bought that car as well for another $30K.  I broke the bank as it was to buy the Daytona and there was just no way I could get them both.  It would have been really nice to have the pair of cars from the movie and today, I wish I had found a way to swing it.  I'll always regret that one...

[charger Downunder]

Re wipers,changing the wipers around(opposite sweep) always makes your car prone to rust in the front cowl panel what use to be done sometimes was just move the right hand wiper across slightly to sweep nearer to the edge of the glass or better still dont move the wipers at all just put on a longer wiper arm and have it over sweep the glass,you can always change it back after its approved by the way who drives around  looking  at possums in trees.

[Charger_Fan]

by the way who drives around  looking  at possums in trees.

Probably Old Moparz.

[Ghoste]

Hehe, that was still one of the funniest things I have read on here (I'm easily amused I guess).

[Aussiemadonmopars]

 
Saw the Fox 1 Chally at a car show here in Perth yesterday, still looks awesome.

[OneBadSuperbird]

 
Saw the Fox 1 Chally at a car show here in Perth yesterday, still looks awesome.

Wow, cool deal.  Who owns it now?

[Old Moparz]

by the way who drives around  looking  at possums in trees.

Probably Old Moparz.

  Opossum.

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

I like it

[WingCharger]

I read about the Daytona in a magazine, and have been looking for pictures of it orange for a month or two. Thanks! 

It is awesome in both versions.

[aussiemuscle]

If you watch the movie carefully, they actually switch the challenger to a 'stand-in' for the explosion (it's a 70's Valiant  ). this 'switch' also was done for the main guy's Falcon and the yellow monaro that crashes at the start. (the burnt falcon is a 69 falcon instead of 71)