Many of us spent their nights thinking or dreaming about a muscle car build completed on a really tight budget. And the 1974 Dodge Charger sitting before us is an example as good as any.
The said year was not only the final one of the third-gen Charger, but also marked the end of the all-out muscle era - while the nameplate continued as a B-body for its fourth generation (1975-1978MY), this was more of a luxury proposal.
Then again, there was nothing lavish about the life of this example, at least between the late 80s and 2018. That's when the Dodge spent its years in neglect, with a family of squirrels nesting inside it, as Cole Lamberts, its current owner explains.
Fortunately, while the vehicle's previous owner was reportedly willing to send the Charger down the dirt track path, the said gearhead saved the machine for no more than $1,000. And, after spending one more winter in its poor condition, the muscle car finally received some attention last year.
Apparently, it only took three days to drop a 318 from a 1973 Plymouth Satellite into the engine bay of the Charger, along with an A727 Torqueflite three-speed auto. And that's when the time for burnouts came, as you'll notice in the brief YouTube clip at the bottom of the page. Apparently, the slab of America also received fancier shoes meanwhile.
For the record, this used to be a green car, but, somewhere along the line, it received a Petty Blue finish, a tribute to the 1974 Dodge Charger the legendary driver used to grab NASCAR laurels back in the day. So all its current owner had to do was add Petty's #43 on the doors.
This Mopar machine is still rough around the edges, as the owner explains: "It's still running off of a 3 1/2 gallon jug ratchet strapped behind the grille, root beer bottle as an overflow, and yeah... the radiator is just hanging there by another ratchet strap,"
Nevertheless, its current situation still makes for a serious improvement over the time it spent out in the wild.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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