23 years later...I'm Mopar of the month!!

Magnumcharger · February 26, 2009, 07:44:57 PM

I made the greivous error of selling my favorite car back in 1986.
I've been trying to track it down ever since!
Thanks to Dave at Maple Leaf Mopars, my quest has hit an new all-time high level for exposure!!
CHECK IT OUT HERE!

tan top · February 26, 2009, 07:52:16 PM

was that your challenger , remember watching that video a few years ago

69bronzeT5 · February 26, 2009, 07:53:25 PM

Congrats Robin!

My site was Site of the Month a while ago

In the first picture, man the car was beat-up in that one!

Magnumcharger · February 26, 2009, 09:19:38 PM

Yes it was certainly hard done by!
It was owned by an Army guy who used to pile his Army buddies into it, and drive out through the forrest reserve near the Base....as hard and fast as he could!
And he bought it off of another Army guy before that.
All the while, it retained it's numbers-matching drivetrain.

I was 23 when I let it go....and that was 23 years ago.

Here is the last shot I ever took of it...

bull · February 26, 2009, 09:36:17 PM

Cool. I found my old '70 Charger a year or so ago, the one I owned back in the 80s and early 90s, but the owner has not been very cooperative. All I want is a few pictures of it and he said he would send me some but never did. I sent him something like three emails since asking again and now he won't even reply.

69bronzeT5 · February 27, 2009, 12:45:06 AM

Quote from: bull on February 26, 2009, 09:36:17 PM
Cool. I found my old '70 Charger a year or so ago, the one I owned back in the 80s and early 90s, but the owner has not been very cooperative. All I want is a few pictures of it and he said he would send me some but never did. I sent him something like three emails since asking again and now he won't even reply.

That sounds firmiliar. I've contacted the 2nd owner of my car twice about getting some old pictures of it and he never sent them.

Silver R/T · February 27, 2009, 03:10:48 PM

That's a nice Chally

Magnumcharger · March 02, 2009, 08:16:47 AM

Yep...sure WAS! (Where's the ass-kicking smiley?)

Charger_Fan · March 02, 2009, 04:35:19 PM

Well, with all this major exposure, I hope there's a happy ending to this story.

Magnumcharger · March 02, 2009, 06:29:42 PM

I'm hoping it serves that purpose exactly!
And thanks to member UFO...my story may well be picked up by a major newspaper in Winnipeg!

dodgecharger-fan · March 02, 2009, 07:42:19 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on February 26, 2009, 07:44:57 PM
I made the greivous error of selling my favorite car back in 1986.

Magnumcharger · March 02, 2009, 07:55:46 PM

Yep...I do slap my head upon occasion. It seems as though it's dropped off of the planet!!
Here's a great pic...of me showing it off after I painted it. In my driveway.
Sure turned out nice.

Charger_Fan · March 03, 2009, 02:26:56 PM

That last shot reminds of that scene in Castaway, when Tom Hanks built his first fire. "Me make fire!"

So, in this case it's "look, me paint-um car!"

Mopar2Ya · March 03, 2009, 02:50:55 PM

I hope you find it. GL.

4cruzin · March 03, 2009, 03:39:49 PM

Nice find!! That must be very exciting!

Magnumcharger · March 03, 2009, 03:41:04 PM

Quote from: Charger_Fan on March 03, 2009, 02:26:56 PM
That last shot reminds of that scene in Castaway, when Tom Hanks built his first fire. "Me make fire!"
So, in this case it's "look, me paint-um car!"

Yeah, I was pretty proud. It turned out way better than I had predicted! Acrylic enamel...single stage....Centari.

Finn · March 05, 2009, 02:23:01 PM

Was that you "throwing" the hood up in the video?

I actually cringed haha.

Congrats and good luck in your search!

Magnumcharger · March 05, 2009, 02:30:04 PM

Quote from: Finn on March 05, 2009, 02:23:01 PM
Was that you "throwing" the hood up in the video?

I actually cringed haha.

Congrats and good luck in your search!

Yeah, showin' off...I was half my present age then.
And I restored the car myself, so I was pretty certain that the hood wouldn't fall off!

Magnumcharger · March 06, 2009, 06:36:03 AM

Here is the latest on my search!
http://autos.winnipegfreepress.com/index.php?action=news&step=blog&id=1122

UFO · March 06, 2009, 07:08:04 AM

Now that was fast.When I hear a certain car will be featured it shows up six months later.

Magnumcharger · March 06, 2009, 09:24:08 AM

Quote from: UFO on March 06, 2009, 07:08:04 AM
Now that was fast.When I hear a certain car will be featured it shows up six months later.

Yes, it helps to have a good story I guess!
Here's the other article:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/autonet/2009/03/06/8647071-sun.html

And thanks again for the good idea!

69bronzeT5 · March 06, 2009, 01:07:54 PM

"On a sombre note, while we would all surely like to see McQueen reunited with his long-lost Challenger, I'm not so optimistic. My thinking is that some redneck like me bought it, drove the hell out of it for a summer, pulled out the engine and transmission and sold them. The car then sat in the back 40 for a couple of years rotting away. A guy came by and bought the front fenders, then the racoons moved in. A few years later a towtruck was called, and it was hauled off to the big junkyard in the sky....Let's all cross our fingers that didn't happen."

That guy is really optimistic

UFO · March 06, 2009, 07:38:41 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on March 06, 2009, 09:24:08 AM
Quote from: UFO on March 06, 2009, 07:08:04 AM
Now that was fast.When I hear a certain car will be featured it shows up six months later.

Yes, it helps to have a good story I guess!
Here's the other article:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/autonet/2009/03/06/8647071-sun.html

And thanks again for the good idea!

I like steak.

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 05:57:23 PM

Quote from: UFO on March 06, 2009, 07:38:41 PM
Quote from: Magnumcharger on March 06, 2009, 09:24:08 AM
Quote from: UFO on March 06, 2009, 07:08:04 AM
Now that was fast.When I hear a certain car will be featured it shows up six months later.

Yes, it helps to have a good story I guess!
Here's the other article:
http://www.winnipegsun.com/autonet/2009/03/06/8647071-sun.html

And thanks again for the good idea!

I like steak.

Brian...when I'm in Winterpeg...we'll drive out together to see it!
JS23N0B207912...for the record.

I just talked to the owner!

69bronzeT5 · March 08, 2009, 06:03:28 PM

UFO · March 08, 2009, 06:11:35 PM

Are you serious !! You found it!!

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 06:17:03 PM

The article(s) in the Free Press and the Sun did the job.
(Willy wasn't pleased that I went to the other guys too!

)
I've been gone all weekend, and came back to find an email that said: "your search is over, call this number".
So I did, and the owner verified some details about the car...and it matched.
Obviously, it's had some hard times (as would be expected), but it's still present and accounted for!!
Now, to figure out a plan of action!!

UFO · March 08, 2009, 07:25:38 PM

If I had to choose between the two guys I would have just sent you to Willy.
Didn't think both would pick up the story that fast.
Anyway glad you located it.

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 07:32:42 PM

Quote from: UFO on March 08, 2009, 07:25:38 PM
If I had to choose between the two guys I would have just sent you to Willy.
Didn't think both would pick up the story that fast.
Anyway glad you located it.

YUP...Willy has been just fantastic!! He called me again tonight, I'm sure he was just as excited about the discovery as I was!!
Here's a pic: I term it "priceless"...

69bronzeT5 · March 08, 2009, 07:36:02 PM

Awesome picture Robin

UFO · March 08, 2009, 07:37:11 PM

Quote from: 69bronzeT5 on March 08, 2009, 07:36:02 PM
Awesome picture Robin

I agree

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 07:39:09 PM

And here's a couple of before and after!

UFO · March 08, 2009, 07:40:25 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on March 08, 2009, 06:17:03 PM

(Willy wasn't pleased that I went to the other guys too! )

I have a couple more idea's for feature's.I'll just give them to Willy to help smooth things over.

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 07:46:07 PM

back end...

Magnumcharger · March 08, 2009, 07:47:34 PM

Quote from: UFO on March 08, 2009, 07:40:25 PM
Quote from: Magnumcharger on March 08, 2009, 06:17:03 PM

(Willy wasn't pleased that I went to the other guys too! )

I have a couple more idea's for feature's.I'll just give them to Willy to help smooth things over.

Willy's cool about it all now...we talked on the phone...I'm buying him a steak too!
He wants to come out with me to see this guy if and when I go see it!

Stretch · March 09, 2009, 02:37:54 PM

That's some sweet news. Do you plan to try and buy it back or were you just curious to see if it was still around?

Magnumcharger · March 09, 2009, 02:59:14 PM

At first, I just wanted to see if it still existed. Law of averages dictates that it should have.
And it proved itself correct.
Now I want to see if he's interested in letting it go!

69bronzeT5 · March 09, 2009, 05:16:27 PM

Good luck Robin! People who say finding an old car is tough...it can happen! You found the Challenger and I've just about found my dad's GTO.

Magnumcharger · March 09, 2009, 05:19:05 PM

Quote from: 69bronzeT5 on March 09, 2009, 05:16:27 PM
Good luck Robin! People who say finding an old car is tough...it can happen! You found the Challenger and I've just about found my dad's GTO.

I'll need it Cody.
Good luck with the Goat!
(Now you know what to do!)

69bronzeT5 · March 09, 2009, 05:23:48 PM

I managed to track it down to Squamish. It was spotted at a show last summer there so I'll be hitting that show this year to see if it's there.

mopar_nut_440_6 · March 10, 2009, 01:51:50 AM

I sure hope you get it back. I sold my 68 (purchased in 86, I was 18) in 95 and bought it back 3 years ago. I sold it so I could insulate the house I was building I was fortunate as I sold it to a good friend and our deal was if it was ever to sell I would get first dibs. As it was I had just signed papers on selling my home and had the money to get it back. Timing is everything.

I just started working on it at the end of January and am doing a rotisserie resto on it. Hoping to have it done by next spring.

Good luck on the hunt!!

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 07:45:14 PM

A bit of an update....article from the Winnipeg Free Press, courtesy of UFO (Brian).

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 08:05:05 PM

Last month, I drove out to Alberta for a number of reasons, some of which will be mentioned in another thread...soon.
On my way back, I stopped in to visit Walter to see my old Challenger.
I had fully intended to pick up Brian along the way to share this auspicious occasion with me, but Walter pretty well kiboshed the idea, claiming it would violate his need for privacy.
Whatever.
So I made the journey to his place and lo and behold there it sat. It was almost unrecognizable at first, as the purple paintjob I had labored over so many years ago was only visible where the trim had covered it. A new set of quarterpanels and a new AMD hood adorned it...and not much else. I recognized the welds I had done on the cowl area where the inner fenders had seperated. Walter also produced some more familiar items, such as my pistol grip shifter, the gas cap without the trim ring, and the infamous backup light without the 'E' in Dodge.
Of course it still had the original transmission with the shortened input shaft, but the original engine was long gone.
The seats I had recovered in a different grained and colored vinyl were still exactly as I had left them.
Walter had fixed the rear frame rail where the tie-down mount had pulled through, and had done considerable metal replacement on the floors, cowl and driver's side rocker panel.

It was a weird feeling seeing this car again after half of my lifetime's duration. To be honest, it made the hair on my arms stand up (which I made a point of showing Walter).

After spending most of the afternoon shooting the breeze and having lunch with Walter and his charming wife Suzanne, I had to leave.
Before I did, I wanted to impress upon them how much this car meant to me, even after all these years. Walter wanted to make a point to me as well: he's owned the Challenger for the last 11 years and has a degree of attachment to it as well. In fact, he's not even sure if he wants to see it go anywhere. But he did concede that if he were to let it go, I'd have first dibs on it.
I wasn't about to twist his arm to sell it either, as it's in good hands and he's doing things the way they should be done.
And besides, I've got a Charger just begging to be reassembled and used, so I have some priorities to attend to before I gather more projects.
Maybe someday I'll have my Challenger back.

I'll be keeping in touch with Walter, that's for sure!

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 08:14:18 PM

A few more pics...

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 08:15:31 PM

And one more.
Are ya happy now Cody?

69bronzeT5 · June 10, 2009, 08:18:03 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on June 10, 2009, 08:15:31 PM
And one more.
Are ya happy now Cody?

Yep! Glad to see it's in good hands and it's safe and sound. Awesome pictures Robin, must of been a great experience for you to see it again.

I'm excited on the hopes of seeing my dad's old GTO next month. I've heard tons of stories about it but I've never seen the car. My dad sold it right before I was born.

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 08:22:10 PM

Here's a couple of vintage shots of my old ride....
One when I got it...the other after I fixed it up.

UFO · June 10, 2009, 08:29:43 PM

At least now you know it hasn't been turned into soup cans.

Magnumcharger · June 10, 2009, 08:40:14 PM

That's a good thing, 'cause I don't like soup!

moparstuart · June 11, 2009, 12:55:25 PM

very cool robin , glad you found it . now just keep in touch and who knows .

Tilar · June 11, 2009, 02:03:08 PM

Thats a cool ending to a good story...

You should have talked him out of the old hood since he's replacing it. You could hang it on your garage wall and still have a piece of it.

Magnumcharger · June 11, 2009, 02:34:29 PM

Funny how you should say that!
I offered to buy the old hood as I was there, just for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the hood was at his buddy's house, along with other cast off parts...too bad.

69bronzeT5 · June 11, 2009, 03:14:17 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on June 11, 2009, 02:34:29 PM
Funny how you should say that!
I offered to buy the old hood as I was there, just for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the hood was at his buddy's house, along with other cast off parts...too bad.

Was he interested in selling it though?

69*F5*SE · June 11, 2009, 03:19:14 PM

Very cool story. Thanks for posting it.

Magnumcharger · June 11, 2009, 05:06:39 PM

Quote from: 69bronzeT5 on June 11, 2009, 03:14:17 PM
Quote from: Magnumcharger on June 11, 2009, 02:34:29 PM
Funny how you should say that!
I offered to buy the old hood as I was there, just for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the hood was at his buddy's house, along with other cast off parts...too bad.

Was he interested in selling it though?

Hard to say...getting a straight answer out of the fellow was like pulling teeth.

UFO · June 11, 2009, 06:15:57 PM

Quote from: Magnumcharger on June 11, 2009, 02:34:29 PM
Funny how you should say that!
I offered to buy the old hood as I was there, just for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the hood was at his buddy's house, along with other cast off parts...too bad.

If you get him to say yes.I can store the hood for you.Gives him less of a chance to change his mind.

Magnumcharger · June 11, 2009, 06:20:47 PM

Quote from: UFO on June 11, 2009, 06:15:57 PM
Quote from: Magnumcharger on June 11, 2009, 02:34:29 PM
Funny how you should say that!
I offered to buy the old hood as I was there, just for that purpose.
Unfortunately, the hood was at his buddy's house, along with other cast off parts...too bad.

If you get him to say yes.I can store the hood for you.Gives him less of a chance to change his mind.

Thanks Brian! When next I talk to Walter I'll see what he says.

News:

23 years later...I'm Mopar of the month!!