Echothunder
Well-Known Member
So pleased to have located this awesome forum, and I very much appreciate the incredible library of information and glorious Mopar pics.
I am hopefully within 30 days of buying my 73 Charger I so long to have again. ~crosses fingers~ I have found the one I wan't just awaiting my tax return and the sell of my Trans Am to make it happen. Wish me luck!
My Story: Its a fantastic tale of passion and tears ~beware~
I once had my favorite dream car a 1973 Dodge Charger, I just dig the stance of the car, the furrowed brow of the grill and lights, and the up swept rear end. To me it just looks mean. And well like many other Mopars its pure beast mode.
I first found my passion for this car when I was 16, I had a 64 Baja Bug I built up, and a kid at my rival high school had a 73 Charger. He wanted to trade! He was very serious so I went over and placed my eyes on this machine I instantly knew I wanted one. Unfortunately, his Charger was barely running and would not drive down the block, as well all my tools were metric and my car ran great. Being that I was funding my self with a job at 31 Flavors ice cream shop I passed on the trade as I could not get the Charger home.
I kicked my self for the next 10 years....
But I never stopped looking for another Charger....
Then around 2000 my buddy bought a Cougar for his GF... I picked up the auto trader he had and started snooping. Low and behold what did I find?! Thats right 1973 Charger SE, and for an incredible low price. (there had to be a reason). No matter this time I would not let it slip through my fingers.
I went to see the owner, told him my story about my passion for this car; he agreed to hold it for 2 weeks so I could come up with the scratch to buy it.
Which I did...
How pleased was I?! The car's low price was due to the fact when you mashed the peddle the car literally went no where! The engine roar'd but it did not go. However if you eased onto the peddle the car drove fine.... Odd... So I limped the car down highway 1 and took it home.
The problem was the shifter had been moved from the column to the floor, and when they did the job the arm connected the vacuum advance was a bit to long after then bend where it connected to the tranny, so much so when you mashed the peddle the advance would push so far back it was actually hitting the shift linkage forcing the car into neutral! HAHAHAHHAA easy fix... I got that taken car of and omg what happened next was akin to a Mopar wet dream.
The car had a 400 in it with an offenhauser intake and a 750 double pumper on top. It woke up and screamed like a dragon and tore down the road. Oh man was a sweet moment, of which the car proved many embarrassing mustangs, and corvettes. I loved that car... I was known for telling GF's if you try to make me choose between them and my Charger I'd go sleep in my Charger and they could talk to me about it in the morning....
Then one day it happened.... I got the call.... it was early in the day.....I was told something happened to my Charger and I needed to come see it.... No one wanted to tell me over the phone... I arrived only to find the evil oak tree that I parked it next too had randomly decided to split its self in half and crush my car!!!! I was speechless... my family and my wife stood in silence watching me.... I stood in horror motionless for what must have been a half an hour or more.... No one spoke... I stared... inside I wanted to ball like a baby and burn the tree to a cinder... but I just stood and stared... remembered all the good times I had in the car... all the punishment I delivered to the road... the comments from my neighbors saying they could hear me tearing down the forest road a half mile away. The tree fell on it crushing it from the rear drivers side at the trunk across the roof to the right front corner panel... I was a Mopar Taco...With nothing that could be said or done I laid my Beast to rest with parting words of glory and tale.
Fast forward 10 years to today....
I have always still admired Chargers, all Mopars for that matter... I got my self a 2010 Challenger even, great ride.. I love it its a sexy machine...
With Tax season coming up I started snooping around thinking what if.. well maybe.. and well... I found a guy wanting to sell his 73 Charger, and I have a guy wanting to buy my Trans Am and a tax return coming.. soooooo.....
The waiting game starts for him to come pay me for the TA and for my Tax return to arrive then if the Mopar Gods are favoring me I can go get another 73 Charger provided it has not sold by then ~nail biter~ The owner said he has had few showing interest in it and that he will hold onto it if he can.... But who knows.
So thats my epic tail of passion and woe and hopefully getting to live the dream again... Wish me luck!
Will post more info about the car and pics if and when I get it..
Pleasure to meet you all and hope to be trading info and tips n tricks soon!
I am hopefully within 30 days of buying my 73 Charger I so long to have again. ~crosses fingers~ I have found the one I wan't just awaiting my tax return and the sell of my Trans Am to make it happen. Wish me luck!
My Story: Its a fantastic tale of passion and tears ~beware~
I once had my favorite dream car a 1973 Dodge Charger, I just dig the stance of the car, the furrowed brow of the grill and lights, and the up swept rear end. To me it just looks mean. And well like many other Mopars its pure beast mode.
I first found my passion for this car when I was 16, I had a 64 Baja Bug I built up, and a kid at my rival high school had a 73 Charger. He wanted to trade! He was very serious so I went over and placed my eyes on this machine I instantly knew I wanted one. Unfortunately, his Charger was barely running and would not drive down the block, as well all my tools were metric and my car ran great. Being that I was funding my self with a job at 31 Flavors ice cream shop I passed on the trade as I could not get the Charger home.
I kicked my self for the next 10 years....
But I never stopped looking for another Charger....
Then around 2000 my buddy bought a Cougar for his GF... I picked up the auto trader he had and started snooping. Low and behold what did I find?! Thats right 1973 Charger SE, and for an incredible low price. (there had to be a reason). No matter this time I would not let it slip through my fingers.
I went to see the owner, told him my story about my passion for this car; he agreed to hold it for 2 weeks so I could come up with the scratch to buy it.
Which I did...
How pleased was I?! The car's low price was due to the fact when you mashed the peddle the car literally went no where! The engine roar'd but it did not go. However if you eased onto the peddle the car drove fine.... Odd... So I limped the car down highway 1 and took it home.
The problem was the shifter had been moved from the column to the floor, and when they did the job the arm connected the vacuum advance was a bit to long after then bend where it connected to the tranny, so much so when you mashed the peddle the advance would push so far back it was actually hitting the shift linkage forcing the car into neutral! HAHAHAHHAA easy fix... I got that taken car of and omg what happened next was akin to a Mopar wet dream.
The car had a 400 in it with an offenhauser intake and a 750 double pumper on top. It woke up and screamed like a dragon and tore down the road. Oh man was a sweet moment, of which the car proved many embarrassing mustangs, and corvettes. I loved that car... I was known for telling GF's if you try to make me choose between them and my Charger I'd go sleep in my Charger and they could talk to me about it in the morning....
Then one day it happened.... I got the call.... it was early in the day.....I was told something happened to my Charger and I needed to come see it.... No one wanted to tell me over the phone... I arrived only to find the evil oak tree that I parked it next too had randomly decided to split its self in half and crush my car!!!! I was speechless... my family and my wife stood in silence watching me.... I stood in horror motionless for what must have been a half an hour or more.... No one spoke... I stared... inside I wanted to ball like a baby and burn the tree to a cinder... but I just stood and stared... remembered all the good times I had in the car... all the punishment I delivered to the road... the comments from my neighbors saying they could hear me tearing down the forest road a half mile away. The tree fell on it crushing it from the rear drivers side at the trunk across the roof to the right front corner panel... I was a Mopar Taco...With nothing that could be said or done I laid my Beast to rest with parting words of glory and tale.
Fast forward 10 years to today....
I have always still admired Chargers, all Mopars for that matter... I got my self a 2010 Challenger even, great ride.. I love it its a sexy machine...
With Tax season coming up I started snooping around thinking what if.. well maybe.. and well... I found a guy wanting to sell his 73 Charger, and I have a guy wanting to buy my Trans Am and a tax return coming.. soooooo.....
The waiting game starts for him to come pay me for the TA and for my Tax return to arrive then if the Mopar Gods are favoring me I can go get another 73 Charger provided it has not sold by then ~nail biter~ The owner said he has had few showing interest in it and that he will hold onto it if he can.... But who knows.
So thats my epic tail of passion and woe and hopefully getting to live the dream again... Wish me luck!
Will post more info about the car and pics if and when I get it..
Pleasure to meet you all and hope to be trading info and tips n tricks soon!
aboard!
