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My restoration project (stolen for 22 years)

Started by no40jm, July 21, 2009, 07:11:08 AM

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no40jm

July 21, 2009, 07:11:08 AM
Well It's been 2 years that I've been on this site reading everyone's restoration projects, guess its time to show my own!!!!!

On Friday August 24, 1968 my mothers Charger was built at the Hamtramck plant in Michigan. In 1968, my Uncle and Aunt purchased my mothers 1969 Dodge Charger from a dealership here, in Detroit Michigan. My Uncle and Aunt drove the car from 1968 to 1976. On Thursday June 10, 1976 my Grandpa purchased the Charger from my Uncle and Aunt for $200.00 for my Mother to drive back and forth to work; it was her first car.
On Friday July 7, 1978 the car was stolen from the Hudson's parking lot in Dearborn, Michigan while my mother was working. I can remember when I was a kid, my father telling my brother and I how are mother used to drive a 1969 Dodge Charger. My father and mother always thought the car was stolen to be used in the Dukes of Hazard TV show; after that it was probably smashed and taken to a junk yard never to be seen again by our family.
On April 13, 2000 my grandpa received an interesting phone call from the Dearborn Michigan Police Department; they found my mothers 1969 Dodge Charger!!! Someone, who lived in Eastpointe Michigan, had purchased the car for $2000, . In February of 2000,  the Eastpointe police inspect the Charger due to the fact that the owner noticed the VIN number on the dash was glued, instead of riveted to the dash like the factory originally installed it. The Eastpointe police officer found the trunk rail VIN number did not match the glued VIN number on the dash, since the VIN number on the trunk rail can not be removed or replaced the police officer decided to investigate the VIN number on the trunk rail of the car to see if the car was stolen. The VIN number on the trunk rail came back as invalid VIN number in the stolen vehicle look up data base the officer used. So the officer decided to search on a data base that insurance companies use to check for old stolen vehicles, it's called the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The VIN number came back as a match to a stolen 1969 Dodge Charger. The search also reveled a police report number. Next the officer pulled up the old police report the Dearborn police department still had on file and called the phone number on the report. The phone number was my grandpa's current phone number. The officer could not believe that my grandpa had the same phone number for over 22 years. After talking with my grandpa officer decided to impound the car and returned it back to my mother. My mother, once again 22 years later was the owner of a 1969 Dodge Charger.
When my mother received the Charger back from the police, it was in bad shape, it was missing the engine, transmission and most of the interior plus it looked like it was drag raced at some point in time. I also think the car sat in a field for at least 10 years due to all the rust on the car.
Sometime after receiving the car my father's attorney did some investigating work on the VIN number that was glued to the dash of the car. The VIN number was from a 1969 Dodge Charger that was built 110 cars before my mother's car was built. It's very possible that it was built on the some day as her car. My father's attorney was able to find the owners of the car all the way back to 1988. After about a month of owning the car, my father decided he wanted to get the car restored. In May of 2000 my father started looking for some one to restore the charger. I was in high school at this time restoring my own classic car a 1972 Mach 1 Mustang. One of my teachers in my high school auto shop offered to restore the car for my father. So my father and I towed the car over to the high school shop and the restoration began.
In 2002 the car was still not done and my parents decided to get divorced. After the divorce my mother still owned the car but did not have the money to finish the restoration. My old teacher that was restoring the car let my mother store the car in the high school auto shop until she could buy a house with a garage to store it. In 2003 I graduated from college in Tennessee and returned home to live in Michigan. My mother still did not have a house and the car was still sitting in the high school auto shop. I asked my mother and my old teacher if I could start working on the car. They both agreed and the restoration started back up for about a month then I lost interest, so once again the car sat. In 2004 I bought my first house and moved the car to my four car garage and once again the car sat. In September of 2007 my grandpa and I had our last conversation together; he told me that he did not think I would ever finish restoring the charger. I told him I would but he just shook his head. Two days later my grandpa passed away. This is when I decided that I needed to finish restoring the Charger. The day after my grandpa's funeral, I went out to the garage and started the restoration back up. On January 30, 2008 after I had worked on the car everyday straight for 4 months my mother decided to give me her 1969 Dodge Charger. The title that my mother signed over to me was her original title that she kept for over 32 years. The title had her maiden name on it and also had my grandpa's address were she lived in 1976. I'm now the third proud owner of the Charger and currently restoring it to the way it was when my uncle, aunt and mother drove it so many years ago. When I finish restoring my charger I plan on driving it to where my grandpa's ashes are placed. AGSNF

Here's a picture of the car in front of my grandpa's house in 1972.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

chargergirl

#1
July 21, 2009, 07:39:36 AM
Amazing story!
Trust your Woobie!

no40jm

#2
July 21, 2009, 07:40:11 AM
Here's what the body looked like in Sept 2007.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#3
July 21, 2009, 07:40:34 AM
Thanks
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

b5blue

#4
July 21, 2009, 07:42:51 AM
 :2thumbs: Now that's a Charger story! Good for you!

no40jm

#5
July 21, 2009, 07:43:08 AM
Lead work
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#6
July 21, 2009, 07:51:45 AM
built a rotisserie out of two Harbor freight engine lifts
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#7
July 21, 2009, 07:56:31 AM
Installed sub frame connectors from Us Car Tools, hemi front and rear torque boxes from Auto Rust Technicians, Hemi leaf spring shackle torque plates, hemi leaf spring hanger reinforcement mounting plates and hemi reinforcement pinion plate
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#8
July 21, 2009, 08:01:13 AM
Trunk pictures
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#9
July 21, 2009, 08:06:51 AM
At some point in time the car was hit in the passenger  side. Here's some pictures of a used rocker being installed.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#10
July 21, 2009, 08:19:46 AM
Some pictures of the engine bay. I also added the bigger 26" right hand side radiator core support.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

no40jm

#11
July 21, 2009, 08:21:00 AM
All set for the enigne. When I get one that is.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

Troy

#12
July 21, 2009, 08:41:04 AM
Cool story! What sort of engine are you looking for?

Troy
Sarcasm detector, that's a real good invention.

FlatbackFanatic

#13
July 21, 2009, 09:10:25 AM
Great story with a happy ending. looks great :2thumbs:
Flatback Fanatic, Kurt  , MN

no40jm

#14
July 21, 2009, 09:25:59 AM
Think I will be going with a 440 engine and a 727 trans.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

Hemidog

#15
July 21, 2009, 09:30:06 AM
Looken really good!  :2thumbs:

PocketThunder

#16
July 21, 2009, 09:35:24 AM
Yes great story and good work on it so far!   :2thumbs:
"Liberalism is a disease that attacks one's ability to understand logic. Extreme manifestations include the willingness to continue down a path of self destruction, based solely on a delusional belief in a failed ideology."

694spdRT

#17
July 21, 2009, 10:08:44 AM
Nice to see a story with a good ending! Keep us posted on your progress.  :2thumbs:
1968 Charger 383 auto
1969 Charger R/T 440 4 speed
1970 Charger 500 440 auto
1972 Challenger 318
1976 W200 Club Cab 4x4 400 auto 
1978 Ramcharger 360 auto
2001 Durango SLT 4.7L (daily driver)
2005 Ram 2500 4x4 Big Horn Cummins Diesel 6 speed
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7 Hemi

1969chargerrtse

#18
July 21, 2009, 10:16:25 AM
Dude you are the man!  Great work.
This car was sold many years ago to somebody in Wisconsin. I now am retired and living in Florida.

Old Moparz

#19
July 21, 2009, 10:20:00 AM
Now that was a much better ending than some of the other stories that have been posted about stolen cars.  :cheers:

The color combination of red & black is just like the first Charger I had, a '69 SE with a 383-4V.

Since the original VIN tag was gone, what did you do, or will you have to do, for the VIN tag on the dash now? Will it be a state issued tag? I'm just curious since there are so many people who refuse to own a car unless it has an original tag.
               Bob                



              I Gotta Stop Taking The Bus

Blown70

#20
July 21, 2009, 10:27:22 AM
Quote from: Old Moparz on July 21, 2009, 10:20:00 AM
Now that was a much better ending than some of the other stories that have been posted about stolen cars.  :cheers:

The color combination of red & black is just like the first Charger I had, a '69 SE with a 383-4V.

Since the original VIN tag was gone, what did you do, or will you have to do, for the VIN tag on the dash now? Will it be a state issued tag? I'm just curious since there are so many people who refuse to own a car unless it has an original tag.

Unless I miss took what he said there was just a fake or other tag glued over the dash tag?  Should not have to do anything as the original is still there just remove the one glued to it?

Tom

no40jm

#21
July 21, 2009, 10:31:33 AM
no the VIN tag was missing. I had a VIN tag made for $300.
"If you chop your own fire wood it will warm you twice."
"The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right." HF

Back N Black

#22
July 21, 2009, 10:35:00 AM
Awesome story and great progress! That story would make a great movie. :2thumbs:

skip68

#23
July 21, 2009, 10:50:38 AM
Great story.   :cheers:   The car is looking nice.   :2thumbs:
skip68, A.K.A. Chuck \ 68 Charger 440 auto\ 67 Camaro RS (no 440)       FRANKS & BEANS !!!

moparstuart

#24
July 21, 2009, 11:19:18 AM
just awesome story  please keep us updated and more pictures   :drool5: :drool5: :drool5: :drool5: :drool5:
GO SELL CRAZY SOMEWHERE ELSE WE ARE ALL STOCKED UP HERE
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