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Bob Sawyer's '68 Charger story.

Bob Sawyer

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Location
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I posted this story on another site in 2014 when I bought the car back.

I had the opportunity to buy this car from a local guy in my hometown (Bluefield, WVA) in the Fall of 1978. I waited too long to get back to him and he traded it in at the local International truck dealer. The day he traded it in, I contacted the salesman he dealt with and purchased the '68 in the videos for $1,600.00 on October 6, 1978. It had about 52,000 miles at that time. It is a numbers matching all original car. It has the HP 440, 4-speed & Dana 60. It is the B5 Blue with a white interior, with the AM/8-track radio. I pulled the engine and rebuilt it the following summer and freshened up the engine bay. I installed new tires and Cragar SS wheels.
In June of 1980 my wife and I (she was expecting our 1st child), and a friend (he was driving his '69 Charger R/T) took a trip to Indianapolis to the Car Craft Street Machine Nationals. Since we were of the first 500 entrants to the car show, we got to drive on the Indy track in our Chargers.
Well, in December of 1981, I sold the car to a relative so we could get enough of a down payment to buy our first home. I sold it for $1,600 with the agreement that I could buy it back for the same amount, once we got on our feet again. Well, we just couldn't seem to come up with that money and gas had just broke over $1.00 per gallon. I just could not see me affording the gas for that car. HA! I finally told the family member to sell the car to someone else. She sold it to her neighbor. He drove it around about a year and finally parked it in his garage and stripped the interior out of it, removed all the chrome and sanded it down. He put a coat of cheap primer on it and there is where it sat for the next 30 + years. We eventually moved on and things got better for us. The kids finished college, got married and we are now empty nesters. Over the years I tried many, many times to buy the car back, but he would not sell it. Finally, I gave up on getting it back and restored a '71 Chevy pickup. I could never get the Charger out of my mind.
On September 13, 2014, we received a call from the relative I sold it to. She told us that the neighbor was planning on selling the car and he would give me first option to buy. I immediately contacted him and we discussed the condition of the vehicle, etc. He said he was going on vacation and he would contact me in about a week. Well, it ended up a week and a half. That was the longest 12 days of my life. He finally called me Thursday September 25th and we agreed on a price and I told him I would be there Saturday around noon to pick it up. He actually kept the interior pieces and chrome work wrapped and protected.
The car now has 61,000 miles on it, it had 57,000 on it when he purchased it from the relative.
After I got it home and backed it out of the trailer, I could not get it started again. I thought it was out of gas, so I put about a gallon in it and it was all the way to the top of the filler neck. I siphoned about 19.5 gallons of 30 year old gas out of the tank. I put 5 gallons of fresh gas back in it, rebuilt the Holley 600 (that I installed new back in 1979). It runs now, but my plans are to pull it down this winter and start the restoration. I will be posting more videos and pics as we go along.
Sorry this story has taken so long. I am super excited to get this car back after 33 years and I am looking forward getting it back on the road.
By the way, I sold the Chevy pickup to a Chevrolet dealer in PA, and it's been sitting in his showroom since I sold it in 2014.
Fast forward 4 years. I am finally finishing the restoration and hope to have the Charger road ready by May of this year.
I have a youtube video "1968 Charger R/T Finally Home". It was taken when I got the car home and unloaded it out of the trailer.
I'll post more pics of the restoration in the near future.
So Kern Dog, that's the reason I haven't driven the car in 38 years.
 
:popcorn2:WOW :popcorn2:THAT .. is one hell of a story .. I'd sell the right one for a '68 :)
like to follow this build
 
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Sounds like the charger is in the "right" hands.......In the end it will be done the way you want it.....

Thanks for the story and keep us updated on the progress......
 
Cool story. I’m from Princeton WV. Nice to hear of some of the great cars from our area.
 
Awesome story! Very cool that you got your car back after all those years. Looks like you're only a couple miles from me, pretty sure I recognize that neighborhood! You planning to get out to any shows or cruise ins? The Tidewater Mopar Club is doing their all mopar show and shine on the 13th, I'm going to try and be there with my Sport Satellite.
 
Cool story. I’m from Princeton WV. Nice to hear of some of the great cars from our area.
Thanks! I lived in Princeton back in the '80's when we made the trip to Indy. My buddy that was driving the '69 Charger won the grand prize at the Car Craft car show. It was a fully customized 1980 Firebird. My wife drove it back from Indy. We lived in the Glenwood area-Kirby Addition.
 
Awesome story! Very cool that you got your car back after all those years. Looks like you're only a couple miles from me, pretty sure I recognize that neighborhood! You planning to get out to any shows or cruise ins? The Tidewater Mopar Club is doing their all mopar show and shine on the 13th, I'm going to try and be there with my Sport Satellite.
Thanks. I am off Hillwell Rd. in Chesapeake-Great Bridge area.
I'll try to be there. Good looking car you have there.
 
Great story, now get crack’n!
 
Great story, now get crack’n!
As of this month, here is a couple pics of its current status.

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I'm jealous, mine was born that color, now evil black. I always have a little regret when I see the blue ones.. VERY NICE!
 
Found this behind the bucket seat back panel while taking the seats apart.
Also a couple shots of the seat frames after stripping, cleaning & painting them.

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Console is finished. I hope I never have to do another one. What a pain getting everything to line up correctly.

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Here's a few pics of the Charger. I am polishing the stainless steel trim this week. Hope to have it on by next weekend. The tail stripe is next and then on to the front end alignment shop. Getting very close.

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Exceptional.. great to follow along.. .. I just picked up a '68, not like this........ BUT it's a '68 :) .........keep them coming.
 
Wow...great story, and what a beautiful charger. I love the color, and you’ve got it looking exceptional. I’m glad you were able to get it back!
 
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