Was it worth the wait?

[mopar0166]

It would say absolutely!  I drove my 69 charger for the first time this weekend, after putting a years worth of work into it after buying.   All that hard work certainly was worth it, nothing like driving a mopar around town!   it was a way different experience then driving a chevy or corvette.    Thanks to  everyones help through the continuing process of getting my car to where i want it.   ill hopefully be in ocean city in hemi orange for the cruisin show may 14- 17

[sound5262]

congradulations, enjoy as much as u can..

[Ghoste]

It is a good feeling isn't it?  Congratulations and to everyone who is deep into a project and wondering why they did this, pay attention to this man!

[ryan053]

pictures please

[skip68]

   Yah baby !    When I got my car about 4 years ago, it was a blue shell.  It sat for a year and then I started working on it.  I'm sure you have used some of the same bad words that I did but now you can see what my car looks like below.     It was worth all the late nights, finding parts, feeling hopless and never getting it done and all the clothes and some of the wifes towels that you should'nt use  that got ruined from oil and other fluids.   I still have some stuff to do but it's Lic. and I can drive it and enjoy it.      pics pics pics.       Chuck........

[Back N Black]

Congrats...... I will be driving mine in a couple of months, 4 years into the restro.

[Tilar]

   Congrats! That has to be a good feeling. I bought my 68 when I was 29 years old. That was in 86. I had to put it out back and out of mind or I would have rushed through it and probably stopped once I got it to driveable condition. Plus raising a wife and kids tend to put things on the back burner. Now that I'm 52, The kids are grown, no more women to eat up the bank account and the new has almost worn off the car. I think I can get all the way through it now.   

[mopar_nut_440_6]

Congratulations. That is always a great feeling.

I am 3 months into my resto and feel overwhelmed at times but keep picking away.

Pics please?

[mopar0166]

Ill post some pics of it tonight, although its only primer gray right now its heads and tails from where it came from.  the engine for now is  318 auto but it has been steroided up with a performance cam and lifters, 650 double pumper, dual plane high rise intake, worked over 302 heads, HEI ignition distributor, low Resistance wires and so on.   

except for a minor issue with the voltage regulator which i plan to upgrade this week, it was a lot of fun to drive, i could only imagine what it will be like when my big block 440 gets done. 

Even though alot of the above was true with my story,  the thrill of driving it for that first day and really enjoying all the time, and money spent to make it some thing specail.   I'm hoping with the warm weather to have it sprayed maybe Friday or Monday.   Hemi orange of course!     Again that's to alot of good threads , members general knowledge of these cars and the website i completed my charger on time for the criusin show in ocean city Maryland,    see ya there!   

[Fitz73Chrgr]

6 years into our resto...but it's picking up speed, can't wait to feel that feeling!  Congrats.

[69*F5*SE]

Congrats     Drive the hell out of it!  Post pics. 

[Silver R/T]

congrats, post some pics

[Dans 68]

  Yah baby !   ...It was worth all the late nights, finding parts, feeling hopless and never getting it done and all the clothes and some of the wifes towels that you should'nt use  that got ruined from oil and other fluids.   ... Chuck........

Having seen the above described chaos first hand I can attest to Chucks determination.   And Lisa's understanding.    Very cool to get it on the road after sooo much work. 

Dan

[bull]

Just curious; how would you say it's a different experience compared to driving a Corvette?

[captnsim]

Bull...Have you ever driven a vette? Especially a 70 to 80's model? They handle...well odd till you get used to them. 

[Tilar]

They handle...well odd till you get used to them. 

Sorta like steering a turd through a crowded parking lot? That's the impression I got from a 72 that I wanted to buy till I drove it.

[mopar0166]

Yes i have driven a couple of vettes 68, 76, and 81, id still take my charger over them.  Never really grew to love them.  I think the charger handles good for the street and is a great car to drive around town.   the new suspension makes a difference i guess, never drove it with what it came with.   

[Brock Samson]

     IMO:   

  Vettes rattle and creak allot, they also get quite warm, - that's just my impression,.. the latest one I drove was a late '80s ZR-1 which was pretty quick but still felt allot like a plastic,   the only one i really liked driving was my buds' '70 1/2 gold LT-1 Convert. it still rattled but with the stereo waaaay up blasting Wars' Low Rider,.. it sure attracted lots of tail...   It also ran like stink, of course it was heavily massaged.. 
They were my favorite car, till i got old enough to know better,.. probably around '1966/67..
As far as waiting to get the charger on the road,.. i knew in 1969, that the '69 Charger R/T was my dream car, the car I would someday own,.. just knew it.. so my wait really started then, it wasn't till i could start working a real job though, in 1982 that I could really begin the process of acquiring my dream car... i was saving my ducat$ towards the R/T by working two jobs, i started a moving service with the van I bought first,.. living at home was the only reason i was able to fund the R/T.. Thanks Dad!   i had a $3,000 charger fund when I heard about this black car with a white stripe wrapped around the back in a junk yard, a few days later i had acquired a '70 318 engined 500 for a drivetrain donor for $500.oo. and with the help of a few friends she the '69 R/T was smoking and crabbing around the streets and highways two weeks later, with black duct tape to cover the rust all over the cars fenders.. hence the monicker Skunkenstein my buddy gave her..
after that I repaired her in $2k increments intill i took out a loan Thanks Dad!   for $10K to git her painted in '89... then i was collecting BB parts till i got them installed in '99... pretty much she was a driver the entire time though,.. few folks even remember what i started with, they still ask questions like "Original?" or "Did ya buy it like that?"
I think my experience is quite far removed fro what most folks go through, or are going through with their projects...
But having a garage queen/show car was never even a consideration, it had to be a "Runner" and I wasn't waiting any longer then I absolutely had to..   but that's me...
When i ran out of money/Patience/steam I'd go to a car show or read a MOPAR magazine and get back on track,..
High Performance Magazine should get allot of credit for getting her back on the road along with a particular Purple Hot Wheels Charger I had when I was 12 or so...
there was no internet when i did my charger, but then again you couldn't buy decent '69 parts cars for $500 bucks either... 
I have one word for you,..

"Shear Force Of Will!!!!"

[bull]

Bull...Have you ever driven a vette? Especially a 70 to 80's model? They handle...well odd till you get used to them. 

I understand that because the Vette front steering geometry is goofy but I wasn't asking for information on the Vette. I was looking for HIS explanation as to why he made the statement. The way he wrote what he wrote I got the impression that he gets different reactions between the two cars when driving them from people on the street. That kind of thing.

When I rode in a wing car I can tell you it was a very odd experience, almost like being a celebrity. You get some big reactions in a regular Charger but those wing cars seem to make some people go crazy.