Mopars in the Morning, Mopars in the Afternoon ~ The Automotive Archaeologist

Mopars in the Morning, Mopars in the Afternoon

I was returning to DeKalb from the Chicagoland Mopar Connections annual Mopar Car Show in Belvidere, IL. It was a perfect day for a drive, I did not want to return to the doldrums of school life and work.

Taking the long way home seemed much more preferable then continuing on a straight line home. And going through Northern Illinois, while mostly just flat farm land, has some very nice driving roads I found.

Going through Northern Illinois, usually going South, I made my way through farmers fields, small towns and anything in between.

I was Southbound coming to a road that goes East and West near DeKalb and Sycamore. I had heard a story that there was a Charger sitting around the intersection I was coming up too. I pull up to the intersection and looked around. I noticed some homes to the right, nothing to the left, and so I made the right.

Once I had made the turn, I began scanning the homes nice and slow, that's when I hit the jackpot. With the garage door open, there sat a 1970 Charger.

Pulling into the driveway in my Caprice, I parked at the far end, so not be intrusive. I walked up to the front door and rang the door bell. A nice woman opens the door and said hello. I mentioned I was driving by and saw the Charger and was inquiring about it. That I was a big Charger nut and was interest in the car.

She told me it was her Husbands and that she will go get him and went inside.

Her Husband came out and introduced himself, as did I and we began talking. I showed him pictures of my 69 Charger in almost the came color combination. He was taken back, it looked almost identical to his car, he had a good laugh on that one. I told him all about my adventures and travels around the Mid-West looking for cool cars. After divulging about myself for a while, he told me about the 70 Charger.

The car was his son's, who had died a few years earlier in some sort of accident. This was the son's project. And after he died, the car has just sat. The father was working on it a bit here and there, but it was still a project car.

While we were talking outside the garage, I had noticed that the tail panel had said "Charger 500". (NOT to be confused with the 69 Charger 500. In 70, it was just a basic option package.) The father told me that the panel was off a parts car, and that it was really a 70 Charger R/T! I couldn't believe it. I "ran" to the Vin Tag, and it said it all U-Code (440) Charger R/T. My jaw just about hit the floor. It had a non-original 440 and currently was an automatic car. And it was an automatic car originally. But someone had butchered the floor pans and put in a 4-speed. The father was slowly returning it to a correct automatic.

I pulled myself away from the Charger, not wanting to look completely pathetic. I talked to the owner for a while more about himself, like he is a big motorcycle guy, told me about the parties he had at his place, said I was welcome anytime. How he would cruise with his friends all over the place. Living up life the best he could.

I commended him for that, and we ended up talking for a few hours. It had gotten late though and the sun was beginning to go down, so I said my goodbyes to his wife and him and headed home. It was right down the road, so I didn't have far to go. I wish I had gone back there, but timing never really worked out. I do have plans to get back there this summer though. Should be interesting to see the old girl again.

Ryan
HemiPwr70@aol.com

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