KramerSwinger
Well-Known Member
This has been a long time coming! Ive been over on FABO for a few years but just acquired my dream Charger.
A little back story:
My Uncle, Gary, had just sold his 64 Impala (which the dumb kid wrecked shortly thereafter) and was in the market for his next ride. I estimate he was about 22 year old at the time, mid 1973. He at this point had gone through a series of GM products and had a decision to make. Buy a 1970 Chevele, or this 73 Charger. Well he decided that everyone and there mother had a Chevelle in town, and he wanted to be a little different.
The Charger was not a brand new car. The original owner (whom we would meet in the late 2000's at a local car show) had purchased a relatively basic Charger for his wife. An interesting choice for his wife. The car is a base model, equipped with the optional "High Performace" 400ci with the 4 barrel carb and an automatic trans. No A/C or really any other fancy options one would give his wife. Well, as it turned out, she didn't quite care for the car and so they put it up for sale with a mere 2-3k miles on it
Gary decided to pick this gem up. It would serve him as a daily driver from 1973 until sometime in the mid 90's. This was also his 1st step into the MoPar world, which he would never turn back (except for 1 freeby chevy Corsica which was what retired the Charger from daily use).
My Uncle, and this car, are the reason I am a part of the Muscle Car hobby, and why I am a die hard Mopar guy. I remember when I was very young, my uncle would babysit my sister and I, and we knew when he was coming from the rather loud growl of that big block cruising down the road.
The car spent 99% of its life garaged kept, with just 2 years being parked outside when he moved out of town shortly. Once it was retired in the 90's, it would lay dormant in my grandmothers garage until around 2007. My dad tried to convince Gary over the years to take it out and enjoy it, with very little reward. Then I came in the picture. I was becoming of driving age and had significant interest in that car. We convinced him to start taking it out, at 1st just some local cruise ins and small shows. Eventually taking it to some bigger shows but nothing too far from home. I tried for quite some time to get him to sell the car to me, and he would just laugh it off.
Over the years the reason the car wasn't driven much was due to Garys inability to. He has severly cripple ankles and has walked with a cain for longer than ive been alive. He loved that car but just could not do what needs to be done to keep it in shape. After a while I gained his trust and hed toss me the keys from time to time to put miles on it, or get some maintenance done here and there.
I joined the Marine Corps in Jan 2013 and since December of that same year ive been stationed in Okinawa. Some how, some way, my dad and I finally got him to pass the Charger onto me! Once I return to the states at the end of 2015, the car will be receiving quite a bit of maintenance and will return to the road as MY daily driver! I never thought I would be given such an opportunity! It's torturous now having so much time left before I can take her out as MY car.
And though this now means my 70 Dart project is goin to get pushed back yet again, I will be perfectly happy with everyday firing up that old 400 and travel back in time, to when my Uncle first bought the car. Luckily this also means he will be around to see the car fixed up and restored, since I have no plans of altering, only improving!
Here is the 1st time the car was driven in nearly a decade, My dad (shown) and I had just finished a 5-6 hour detail job on her. SO MUCH DUST!
Here is my Uncle Gary in Feb 2011 with the "Old Girl"
A little back story:
My Uncle, Gary, had just sold his 64 Impala (which the dumb kid wrecked shortly thereafter) and was in the market for his next ride. I estimate he was about 22 year old at the time, mid 1973. He at this point had gone through a series of GM products and had a decision to make. Buy a 1970 Chevele, or this 73 Charger. Well he decided that everyone and there mother had a Chevelle in town, and he wanted to be a little different.
The Charger was not a brand new car. The original owner (whom we would meet in the late 2000's at a local car show) had purchased a relatively basic Charger for his wife. An interesting choice for his wife. The car is a base model, equipped with the optional "High Performace" 400ci with the 4 barrel carb and an automatic trans. No A/C or really any other fancy options one would give his wife. Well, as it turned out, she didn't quite care for the car and so they put it up for sale with a mere 2-3k miles on it
Gary decided to pick this gem up. It would serve him as a daily driver from 1973 until sometime in the mid 90's. This was also his 1st step into the MoPar world, which he would never turn back (except for 1 freeby chevy Corsica which was what retired the Charger from daily use).
My Uncle, and this car, are the reason I am a part of the Muscle Car hobby, and why I am a die hard Mopar guy. I remember when I was very young, my uncle would babysit my sister and I, and we knew when he was coming from the rather loud growl of that big block cruising down the road.
The car spent 99% of its life garaged kept, with just 2 years being parked outside when he moved out of town shortly. Once it was retired in the 90's, it would lay dormant in my grandmothers garage until around 2007. My dad tried to convince Gary over the years to take it out and enjoy it, with very little reward. Then I came in the picture. I was becoming of driving age and had significant interest in that car. We convinced him to start taking it out, at 1st just some local cruise ins and small shows. Eventually taking it to some bigger shows but nothing too far from home. I tried for quite some time to get him to sell the car to me, and he would just laugh it off.
Over the years the reason the car wasn't driven much was due to Garys inability to. He has severly cripple ankles and has walked with a cain for longer than ive been alive. He loved that car but just could not do what needs to be done to keep it in shape. After a while I gained his trust and hed toss me the keys from time to time to put miles on it, or get some maintenance done here and there.
I joined the Marine Corps in Jan 2013 and since December of that same year ive been stationed in Okinawa. Some how, some way, my dad and I finally got him to pass the Charger onto me! Once I return to the states at the end of 2015, the car will be receiving quite a bit of maintenance and will return to the road as MY daily driver! I never thought I would be given such an opportunity! It's torturous now having so much time left before I can take her out as MY car.
And though this now means my 70 Dart project is goin to get pushed back yet again, I will be perfectly happy with everyday firing up that old 400 and travel back in time, to when my Uncle first bought the car. Luckily this also means he will be around to see the car fixed up and restored, since I have no plans of altering, only improving!
Here is the 1st time the car was driven in nearly a decade, My dad (shown) and I had just finished a 5-6 hour detail job on her. SO MUCH DUST!
Here is my Uncle Gary in Feb 2011 with the "Old Girl"
Seven posts in five years since you joined? 
aboard!
