Dumb Mopar moves - this should be fun

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1973dust

1973dust

FABO Gold Member
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Curious what do-overs you all would like to be given. My #1 was when a bought a 70 Challenger "parts car" in the early nineties for $500 and sold it for $250 to a kid that was going to use it as a BOMBER CLASS STOCK CAR!. Still makes me sick to think about. All I took from it were the Rallye wheels, 8 3/4 rear, back seat, and front bumper to use on my dad's car. 383 2 barrel car that, looking back, was still a a fairly straight solid car. I just couldn't have a second car at 18 years old. #2 was when the original 273 in my 67 Belvedere ate the mains, I sent the entire engine to the junkyard. Didn't even keep the probably forged crank or the adjustable rockers. I just didn't know better at the time. #3 was the 85 Diplomat police car that I bought for $100 solely for the 4 barrel intake and 360 heads. The 318 still ran well and I wonder now if it may have been a roller motor. I didn't even know enough at the time to look when I pulled the intake and heads. The trans was bad and, once again, I sent the rest of the car to the junkyard. I'd love to have that whole car back now. It was pretty solid.
 
Yes the 70 Challenger was a bad choice.

The 273 crank, rockers and a SB roller engine are low bux so no biggie.
 
1973dust said:
Curious what do-overs you all would like to be given. My #1 was when a bought a 70 Challenger "parts car" in the early nineties for $500 and sold it for $250 to a kid that was going to use it as a BOMBER CLASS STOCK CAR!. Still makes me sick to think about. All I took from it were the Rallye wheels, 8 3/4 rear, back seat, and front bumper to use on my dad's car. 383 2 barrel car that, looking back, was still a a fairly straight solid car. I just couldn't have a second car at 18 years old. #2 was when the original 273 in my 67 Belvedere ate the mains, I sent the entire engine to the junkyard. Didn't even keep the probably forged crank or the adjustable rockers. I just didn't know better at the time. #3 was the 85 Diplomat police car that I bought for $100 solely for the 4 barrel intake and 360 heads. The 318 still ran well and I wonder now if it may have been a roller motor. I didn't even know enough at the time to look when I pulled the intake and heads. The trans was bad and, once again, I sent the rest of the car to the junkyard. I'd love to have that whole car back now. It was pretty solid.
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And the transmission was a lock up 904. I got a 5th Avenue for free and pulled the roller Teen and of course scrapped the car. I wish I had that lock up 904 in my Swinger!
 
My Roadrunner quit running one night. It was rode hard in a previous life so I found a clean 383 2 barrel out of a Newport and put it in. I bet just the timing chain was out of the original engine. :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: :lol:
 
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The worst thing I think I ever did as far as a Mopar goes was leave the numbers matching 383 Magnum out of a near perfect condition 69 Roadrunner out in a field under a tree where I swapped in a 440 Magnum police motor.
Before matching numbers was a thing.
 
I passed on buying a 70 Challenger R/T, triple black, 440 4 bbl, automatic trans car with around 80k miles on it, all original, matching number unmolested for $5k in the late 1980s. Only thing wrong with the car was the transmission was blown.

:BangHead:
 
I wish I could have back a very nice, low milage one owner, garage kept, Top Bananna yellow with perfect black vinyl top, 71 factory big block Challenger w/air (Was not an R/T) & a super nice original 74 360 4 speed Duster. Two of the first Mopars that pop into my head right away, but I regret getting rid of a few more too.
 
There's a LOT of do-overs I would like back... selling my '68 340 GTS 4 spd., which the kid promptly wrapped around a tree.
My '72 Colt 340 4 speed bracket (and some street- wink wink nudge nudge) car, which I have no clue of it's whereabouts or ultimate fate. (Anybody know anything about a small-tire blue Colt called the "Nickel Rocket", campaigned at Union Grove, Lake Geneva and WIR in the late '70s/early 80's?)
My '79 AMX, 401 4 spd. My '66 Valiant, with too many different engine combinations to list.
I'm old enough that I could go on and on... Coulda shoulda woulda. Some of the stuff I parted/junked out back in the day would buy me a nice place on the beach in the Carribean today.
 
Passed on a 72 tripple black numbers matching 340 automatic Demon totally optioned out, appearance package, buckets, console, rallye dash, etc in a neighboring state. It was a rusted pos and way overpriced, but still.

And another one that haunts me, 68 big block automatic GTS, numbers matching tripple black. Total resto interior, exhaust manifolds etc. only thing not there were the exhaust tips and it had frame issues and it was in my home state. Pricey at 14k.
 
So far, I am feeling better about my oops, other that that Challenger. LOL
 
when i started getting into A bodies i bought a 70 Duster 340 project car, i started taking it all apart and noticed on the K frame that some idiot welded a washer onto it.... Well i said to myself get the grinder and get that stupid thing off of there! I really didnt see the sense of leaving it there cuz it served no purpose so off it went into the garbage... i stood there so proud of myself, i was on my way restoring this mopar and the first hurdle was behind me... hehehe what a dope !!!
 
Probably too many to count but;

1. At 14 or 15 years old, I bought a 56 Desoto with 330 hemi, and thought it was too rusty to save (it wasn't). Engine ran perfectly, until I tore it down. It went to the junk yard. (Yep, that's what they used to call them).

2. Trading my 69 Barracuda, 340 4spd Formula S for a new 72 Duster 340. What was I gonna do with "two" cars, LOL.

3. Passing up a beautifully restored 70 Roadrunner 440 for $8k in about 2001.

4. Passing on a 68 Cuda FB rolling chassis with a perfect body and an 8 3/4 rear for a grand in 2007. I said I didn't have any place to put it. It was much better than the 69 project I had in my garage.
 
Back in the mid 80's I bought a 72 Challenger with 318 A/C and rally dash. I paid $150 for it, but it was a rust bucket and there were no repo parts available at that time so took the dash and wiring and very little else. That was for my 71 Cuda that I put it in. There were so many good parts I could have taken, but the junkman gained it. Who knew back then these cars would be coming back to life. The gas crisis was the ruination of these cars and also the Govt., as usual.
 
Bought a 71 cuda for $50, ran and drove, my house burnt down with the title, had to part the car out, the guy that bought the engine, drove the car around in the back field of my house before we pulled the engine. I thought I made out at the time, because I got $100 out of the engine, sold the rest of the sheet metal to another guy for $500, which included the grill and rubber bumpers. Stuffed a bunch of junk in the car and took it to the scrapper.
The car could have used a trunk pan, but the rest was rust free.
 
And another screw up, I gave a $100 deposit on a 70 Challenger R/T 440 6-pac 4-speed, went to get the car and pay the $900 I owed the guy, the flood of 85 hit WV.
I called the guy 1/2 way to his house, his wife answered, she said we will refund the deposit, the garage the car is setting in is under water.
 
ch1ll said:
Passed on a 72 tripple black numbers matching 340 automatic Demon totally optioned out, appearance package, buckets, console, rallye dash, etc in a neighboring state. It was a rusted pos and way overpriced, but still.

And another one that haunts me, 68 big block automatic GTS, numbers matching tripple black. Total resto interior, exhaust manifolds etc. only thing not there were the exhaust tips and it had frame issues and it was in my home state. Pricey at 14k.
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Y’all liking my post but I’m close to tears.
 
mad dog said:
when i started getting into A bodies i bought a 70 Duster 340 project car, i started taking it all apart and noticed on the K frame that some idiot welded a washer onto it.... Well i said to myself get the grinder and get that stupid thing off of there! I really didnt see the sense of leaving it there cuz it served no purpose so off it went into the garbage... i stood there so proud of myself, i was on my way restoring this mopar and the first hurdle was behind me... hehehe what a dope !!!
Click to expand...
I did the exact same thing to my Duster. Had no idea what it meant at the time.
 
My buddy and I got jobs at this big horse farm when we were teenagers. Sitting under a tree on the farm was a 69.5 a12 Superbee, orange and black, 4 speed car. I asked if it was for sale, yep, $400, and better yet I could work off the car. We busted our asses all week, digging holes for porta John’s, digging fence posts for the riding arena, and all manner of other tough tasks that teenagers weren’t ready for. They were having a big horse show that Saturday, and our job was to get the whole place ready by then. When Friday came they gave us our first weeks pay…$20! My buddy and I met up town that night and I asked him if he was going in the next day to work the horse show, we both resounded with a HELL NO! The was the end of my possible a12 ownership, we never went back!
 
I bought a 73 Duster, 340 four speed from a guy who owned a gas station in the area I worked in. It was sitting in his junkyard near his house. I gave him $75 for it in the early 90's. It ran, but the 8 1/4 was toast. I told him it would be a few weeks before I could haul it off, and he said that was fine.....it wasn't eating anything. I went back with the trailer about 2 1/2 weeks later and the entire junkyard was empty! The IRS had raided his place and seized all the cars in the yard and crushed them for the scrap money to pay his back taxes. He barely stayed out of jail. I didn't even ask for my money back, because if I'd gotten it when I bought it, I wouldn't have lost it like that! :BangHead:
 
1990 - was about ready to fork over $12k for a "real" 440-6 4-speed Dana 4.10 70 Cuda. Everything checked out on the car and it was in great shape but I only had a 2-car garage and I already had my 69 Charger and my 71 Demon. Wife and I waffled back and forth trying to decide and...we walked! Big oopsie!! Heck, I could have retired sooner!! :BangHead: (Nah, I never seem to be able to sell these old cars!)
 
Passed on a mint condition low mileage(14k or so) charger 500, like $2000. Ugh why'd you make me remember this!!

Also passed up a 1940's dodge power wagon, completely working, ex-military, $4k. Dammit
 
Not many can beat me. I passed on a mint 1964 aluminum front end Plymouth Max Wedge car for $3,000. Original intake and carbs, 4 speed and automatic. Car was named "Compose" and paid for itself the first year, street racing near Chicago. Had Cartoon charactors on the sail panels. In my brilliance I figured I already had a 64 Barracuda with a 4 speed and a hot 273 plus a 68 Barracuda 383 fastback. Why would I want a big old B-Body. Top that! I'd hate to tell anyone how many A-Bodies and 360's I scrapped.
 
66fs said:
Not many can beat me. I passed on a mint 1964 aluminum front end Plymouth Max Wedge car for $3,000. Original intake and carbs, 4 speed and automatic. Car was named "Compose" and paid for itself the first year, street racing near Chicago. Had Cartoon charactors on the sail panels. In my brilliance I figured I already had a 64 Barracuda with a 4 speed and a hot 273 plus a 68 Barracuda 383 fastback. Why would I want a big old B-Body. Top that! I'd hate to tell anyone how many A-Bodies and 360's I scrapped.
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Convertible 70 Roadrunner for $500, my dad didn’t think it was a good idea!

Superbird $450, every panel was completely banged up, sat for years there until the owner passed and it got scrapped, along with a 67 Chevelle that sat next to it.
 
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