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Project Overview:
The car was purchased in Pleasant Valley, Nevada in August of 2001. Our E-body (Chrysler's answer to the Pony muscle car market) was a long time California resident prior to its arrival in Nevada. Jeff rescued the Challenger from a locally well-known Mopar restorer in Northern Nevada area who was getting ready to turn it into a drag project.
The Challenger body is in very good condition. The sheet metal is straight, there is no evidence of extensive collision damage and there is very little rust present. The mechanics are in need of complete restoration. This muscle car left the factory in 1974 with a 360 cubic inch V-8 and an Automatic 727 transmission with a Slapstick shifter.
The 1974 model year was the last year for the Chrysler E-Body and saw its lowest production numbers. There were a total of 11,354 Challengers built in 1974. Of these, only 6,063 Challenger Rallye Editions cars were produced.
During its life, our Challenger had been previously converted to a 4-Speed Manual Transmission and then converted back to an Automatic transmission. We discovered this when two pieces of evidence showed up. First, there is a rectangular well around the transmission hump, and the clincher is the presence of a clutch pedal ball stud is already bolted into the frame. Jeff and Steve have decided to convert Project Challenger from the current Automatic back to a 4-Speed Manual transmission complete with a rare Hurst Pistol Grip shifter.
Our goal with Project Challenger is to build a reliable and head-turning "daily-driver", classic muscle car. To that end, we will not be performing Concours-style restoration. Rather, the Challenger will be an expression of what we would like it to be.
In order to ensure that we have a reliable daily-driver, we'll be installing a Mopar Performance Parts 360 cubic inch V-8 Crate Engine rated at 380 Horsepower and 410 foot pounds of torque at 4400 RPM. The engine will be backed up with a Centerforce clutch assembly and a professionally rebuilt A833 4-Speed Manual Transmission. We'll round out the major drivetrain pieces with a new driveshaft and a rebuilt 8 ¾ Rear End. To ensure reliability, we decided that the 28 year-old wiring had to go! So, Project Challenger will receive all brand new electrical wiring harnesses, seven in total.
We plan on grabbing a lot attention when going out to cruise with a new paint job, aftermarket wheels and a healthy exhaust note. We are planning to shoot this car in the eye grabbing color of bright 3M/Chrysler, Citron Yellow.
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