Jim,
waht does the little tag on the right with A1 on it mean? Is it supposed to be there?
Jim's Road Runner
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Dave-R
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Yep. EN1 just as I thought.
Jim. You could always do your own research.
I have well over a thousand Challenger owners on my message board alone. I also work hand in hand with the T/A and Hamtramck registries. Between us we have access to a huge number of these cars. Including a lot that have been kept in the family from new.
Myself and Barry Washington have been looking at 340 package cars for years now because we were finding so many with R/T badges fitted.
Your are correct that of course the badges are not on the build sheet. That's one reason the cars may have recieved them. But what are the chances that 95% of the Hamtramck 340s we know of all have R/T badges fitted and non of the LA built cars?
I used to think it was possible that all of the 1970 340 convertibles got the badges but after seeing your car I suddenly thought about the body moulding. Digging around has produced two other Hamtramck cars (both hardtops that didn't appear to get the badges. They both had the moulding your car got and they both went down line one.
The A66 hardtop with the flat hood was LA built and has no code for the performance hood on the tag.
As I am sure you are aware most R/T Challengers went down line two as did most A66 Challengers.
While researching this we found several WSS 340 cars that should not exist. We also found several WSS cars built at Hamtramck and they were supposed to be all built at LA.
My main problem is that too many restorers are removing the badges during "restoration" because they are not "correct". As far as I am concerned, if the car left the factory with them they should stay on the car. I know of two cars for certain where the owners didn't fit the badges even though they came with the car. The holes in the front fenders should have given then a clue you would have thought?
Yours is obviously correct though so you don't need to worry. I just wanted to make sure you had found no evidence of badges ever being fitted on yours so I could fit another piece into the jig-saw.
Jim. You could always do your own research.
I have well over a thousand Challenger owners on my message board alone. I also work hand in hand with the T/A and Hamtramck registries. Between us we have access to a huge number of these cars. Including a lot that have been kept in the family from new.
Myself and Barry Washington have been looking at 340 package cars for years now because we were finding so many with R/T badges fitted.
Your are correct that of course the badges are not on the build sheet. That's one reason the cars may have recieved them. But what are the chances that 95% of the Hamtramck 340s we know of all have R/T badges fitted and non of the LA built cars?
I used to think it was possible that all of the 1970 340 convertibles got the badges but after seeing your car I suddenly thought about the body moulding. Digging around has produced two other Hamtramck cars (both hardtops that didn't appear to get the badges. They both had the moulding your car got and they both went down line one.
The A66 hardtop with the flat hood was LA built and has no code for the performance hood on the tag.
As I am sure you are aware most R/T Challengers went down line two as did most A66 Challengers.
While researching this we found several WSS 340 cars that should not exist. We also found several WSS cars built at Hamtramck and they were supposed to be all built at LA.
My main problem is that too many restorers are removing the badges during "restoration" because they are not "correct". As far as I am concerned, if the car left the factory with them they should stay on the car. I know of two cars for certain where the owners didn't fit the badges even though they came with the car. The holes in the front fenders should have given then a clue you would have thought?
Yours is obviously correct though so you don't need to worry. I just wanted to make sure you had found no evidence of badges ever being fitted on yours so I could fit another piece into the jig-saw.
Blimey Dave.
I am very sure mine is as it should be. It's a shame i couldn't leave the body unrestored with the original paint. - But it was just too bad.
Here's a puzzle for you Dave: Look at the pics in CA. See if you can spot the deliberate mistake in the restoration of my Challenger. There is something incorrect (aside from the tyres). A clue: It's on the outside of the car for all to see.
I am very sure mine is as it should be. It's a shame i couldn't leave the body unrestored with the original paint. - But it was just too bad.
Here's a puzzle for you Dave: Look at the pics in CA. See if you can spot the deliberate mistake in the restoration of my Challenger. There is something incorrect (aside from the tyres). A clue: It's on the outside of the car for all to see.
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Dave-R
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Blimey Jim!
This is testing me without my material from home to fall back on.
Well lets see if the tag can help me.
You have the code for the wing. Body protection group gives you the rubber in the bumpers...
I am sure A66 cars got the standard fuel filler cap so it's not that.
One mirror is correct...
Argent grille is correct.
Dunno.
The only thing that sticks out is the lack of black paint on the flange under the sill. That is not correct and would look better painted as it should be.
I will keep looking and see if anything else springs to mind.
This is testing me without my material from home to fall back on.
Well lets see if the tag can help me.
You have the code for the wing. Body protection group gives you the rubber in the bumpers...
I am sure A66 cars got the standard fuel filler cap so it's not that.
One mirror is correct...
Argent grille is correct.
Dunno.
The only thing that sticks out is the lack of black paint on the flange under the sill. That is not correct and would look better painted as it should be.
I will keep looking and see if anything else springs to mind.
You got warm, and then strayed away.
When i got this car it had R/T black hood treatment and black stripes above and below the V5X body moulding. I asked Richard not to repeat these during the restoration as they looked like later additions. What do you think?
Anyway, that's not the answer to my puzzle. You need to re-look very closely.
When i got this car it had R/T black hood treatment and black stripes above and below the V5X body moulding. I asked Richard not to repeat these during the restoration as they looked like later additions. What do you think?
Anyway, that's not the answer to my puzzle. You need to re-look very closely.
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Dave-R
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- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 04 11:23 pm
- Location: Dave Robson lives in Geordieland
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The black-out and stripes you describe would not be stock.
You do need to consider the black paint on that "downstanding flange" under the sill as Chrysler describe it. The guy that painted the radiator support black did those bits too. I have some photos of a completely original challenger where you can still make out the paint there. Trouble was it was shot over fresh paint and came off quite easily.
Also I am not sure if the grille is exactly correct. I am more sure about the black R/T version.
They used a mask over the center section to prevent paint getting onto the "floating" grille bit. The mask also blocked paint getting onto the adjacent metal around it so there should be a chrome unpainted bit around the outside of the center section.
Worth keeping in mind next time you see any unrestored or true survivor cars. It is always worth photographing them.
You do need to consider the black paint on that "downstanding flange" under the sill as Chrysler describe it. The guy that painted the radiator support black did those bits too. I have some photos of a completely original challenger where you can still make out the paint there. Trouble was it was shot over fresh paint and came off quite easily.
Also I am not sure if the grille is exactly correct. I am more sure about the black R/T version.
They used a mask over the center section to prevent paint getting onto the "floating" grille bit. The mask also blocked paint getting onto the adjacent metal around it so there should be a chrome unpainted bit around the outside of the center section.
Worth keeping in mind next time you see any unrestored or true survivor cars. It is always worth photographing them.
-
Dave-R
- Posts: 24752
- Joined: Sun Apr 18, 04 11:23 pm
- Location: Dave Robson lives in Geordieland
- Contact:
On the subject of the power buldge hood.
It appears that the J54 code for the hood did not appear on the LA tags until sometime on or before 129 ( Jan. 29, 1970).
We have found an A66 car and an R/T both fitted at LA with flat hoods.
Hamtramck did similar things with the J54 code as well, since it was standard on the R/Ts and A66 cars it was not always coded.
It must have led to some assembly line confusion or they would not have started coding it at both plants sometime around mid model year.
It appears that the J54 code for the hood did not appear on the LA tags until sometime on or before 129 ( Jan. 29, 1970).
We have found an A66 car and an R/T both fitted at LA with flat hoods.
Hamtramck did similar things with the J54 code as well, since it was standard on the R/Ts and A66 cars it was not always coded.
It must have led to some assembly line confusion or they would not have started coding it at both plants sometime around mid model year.
