Kind Of A Touchy Charger Topic

[Old Moparz]

I used to keep tabs on what I was spending years ago & I did it on my first Charger, my Satellite, my Scamp, & also for my wife's Duster. I did mostly for maintenance reasons to see what & when I changed something. I'd also see what year cost the most to keep it going & my wife's Duster was the cheapest when it went 4 years consecutively, with only an alternator crapping out.

Once I stopped driving them regularly, I stopped adding up what was spent. I do save the receipts in a folder for each car, but adding it up doesn't interest me as much as knowing I found a good deal when I bought the part or paid for a service. Off the top of my head, the money I have into my Charger as of today, including the car I listed below. A few parts as well as the drive train, I've had for years.

1968 Charger shell (With all new sheet metal installed) ............$1200
1969 Parts car (Price paid minus resale) ...................................$400
1970 Fenders (Converted for Daytona nose) .............................$600
1973 New Yorker (Running/driving car w/ 440 & 727) ................$225
Rebuild on 727 .......................................................................$600
9-3/4" Dana 60 Rear ...............................................................$300
Reproduction Daytona parts (All, except front valance) .............$3700
SE Leather interior...................................................................$200
Misc. parts off ebay & at swap meets........................................$800 (+/-)
Aluminum Offenhauser 2x4 intake...............................................$75
Automatic console (From Satellite parts car I resold) ..................Free
1968 Grille (Traded a 1969 grille I had from parts car) ................Free
1970 Hood (Saved from parts car I resold) ................................Free

Total so far .........................................................................$8100

Of course there are more parts I still need, but that will be somewhat minimal compared to what it would have cost if I had bought a rot box from the beginning, or decided that I had to have an R/T instead of a base car. (It was just a 383-2V) I anticipate spending about $3500 to rebuild the 440 & the Dana rear, & maybe the same or less on the finish body work & paint. If the nickel & dime items I'm still missing don't turn into quarters & half dollars, I should have the car done & have a very presentable car for under $18,000.

That number can go even lower if I sell off all the parts I won't need, like the stock '68 nose, once it has the Daytona parts installed. I'm aware that it would take a lot more money to make it a show car as nice as some I've seen on this site, but that's not my goal. All I want is a reliable, rust free cruiser that looks a lot shinier than my primered Satellite, & not a PITA to drive. The fun I get from the car hobby, as well as meeting & making friends with a lot of the people in it, seems well worth it.

[chargerboy69]

I have right around $16,000 in mine, and that includes the $3500 I paid for it. Now when I took off parts I sold them when I got the new ones so I would really get to take some off of the total. . . .

[472 R/T SE]

My Chally is the only car I ever paid more than 20k for. 

[MOPARHOUND!]

$23,500, counting my labor as free.

Iincludes 3 engine failures  :'      (cam died on break-in 0 miles, spun rod bearing 7100 miles, cam lobe went flat 9800 miles).  I've removed and installed the engine 4 times, as the engine had a bad wrist pin and cracked crank when I bought the car.  Funny thing is I enjoy working on the Charger, just wish it was under different circumstances.........LOL.

And now, the 20 year old paint is about ready for a re-do.   

If I had skipped the 496, aluminum Eddy heads, and TTI exhaust mods, and went with a stock rebuild, more like $15,500.00.

[69charger2002]

i have $11,900 in mine. that includes $3000 the first go round for body and paint, and another $2000 to replace windshields this time and a new paint job..
trav

[CB]

13K and still spending...

[JimShine]

I have around $10,500 into my car at this point. The body is almost where I want it. Interior is almost done (need to install the carpet and stock seats). After that the 383 will be overhauled for it. So the real engine stuff has yet to be started.

[mally69]

well i have about 16,000 in my 69 Charger R/T i started it 2 1/2 years ago and i still have wheels and tires to buy

[rare69]

$30.000.00 IN PARTS! and just starting the body work. I'm hoping less than $45.000.00 when complete.

[69bananabeast]

got about $30K in mine but almost done .  I think all that's left is to re-paint along with body work and maybe a Dana 60 In the future havent decided yet.

[WINGMAN]

   Well i have 11k in my 69 500, and a big 50k in my daytona. Both cars look nice for unrestord cars. I hope i can get that outa them some day But if i cant then i might sell them a peace at a time on e-bay   JR

[chrisII]

ive got right around 2 grand in mine, a lil under. it runs and drives and gets TONS of looks..