Tazet's 69 Dodge Charger.

[tazet]

This is a reply to my thread on the MMA, (Mopar Muscle Association), from a guy called GeneralWee, who owned my car 3 owners ago:

This is not all the history of the car, but it stood for a long time on a drive and then in a garden in Bredbury, Stockport, near Manchester. I aquired the car whilst helping a mate at his garage, "Just US".
He was commissioned by a chap called Richard, from Devon/Cornwall way, supposedly a film maker, to build a pair of cars to reproduce the Bullit car chase. We did the Mustang, (which was in American Car World), and the Charger was to be sprayed up black and smashed up. I just couldn't let this happen. The cars were loaded and ready to be delivered, but thankfully this Richard chap, just couldn't come up with the money at the last minute. At this point I jumped in and had to pay double what had been paid for the Charger, to secure it. The Mustang was ebay'd.
The Charger had been standing for years outside, and the white vinyl roof had completely gone, but we got oil pressure up, put fresh fuel in and got the old girl running. We even drove it as the brakes were still up -although they were pants!! The motor wasn't bad, with 60 psi on tickover. It must've been stood about 12 years -there was a ticket inside from drag racing, (think it was from York?).
I started on the worst bit first -the roof was red raw rusty. So I bought a shot blaster and sand blasted it in the drive. Did a bit of welding around the sail panels, (either side of the rear window), and back of the roof, but decided it was too far gone for me when I found the front chassis leg and bulkhead were bent. Around the same time, the one I have now came up, and that was it. I sold it to a young chap who made a video of it, revving it up in a garage, then he stripped it. He then sold it in bits.
Will find out more from the locals up here, because there is more to tell. I know it had an accident and met a bloke once who had repaired it. I believe the guy who laid the car up used to travel to and from London regularly in it, but when fuel got expensive, parked it up at his Mum and Dads' house.
It was jacked up at the rear when I first saw it with some big wheels on -someone used the wheels on a rod before I got to it.
Also have some photos I will dig out and post soon.
But well done on the resto so far!!

I have some photos he emailed me of the car when he had it and will post them later once I've shrunk them.

[poprodder]

amazing history.
cheers chris.

[tazet]

He's posted this today too

Found out a little more about the car from the lads in the pub last night, some of whom used to work for the likes of Moggy Mills etc.
Apparently it went through the hands of No.1 American some years ago, which was owned by Barry Moran (whose name was on the bottom of the front number plate) and Ernie Wright - I believe they may have been responsible for the yellow paint job, and maybe can shed some light on the accident damage that it had to the near side. Ernie is still very much in business in Ashton, and advertised in Classic American.
It was also seen running at the Pod I believe.

[tazet]

Here are some photos from when this guy Tim, (GeneralWee) had it.

[tazet]

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[Manky Monkey]

We nipped up the road to Bordon in Hampshire this evening & collected Taz's latest Ebay buy. Another small part in the jigsaw. A 35 quid filler cap. These are usually around 100 quid for new reproductions. The chrome outer ring appears to be genuine Charger, but the cap itself is from something else, redrilled to fit the surround. Very similar, but the orignal '69 ones had the word "fuel" in raised lettering on them. Maybe it's from a later, 70s Charger? The catch was knackered on Taz's original. As it's not being built as a 100% perfect, all original Charger, this is fine. We might powder-coat the cap to match the bodyshell & leave the surround in chrome.

[yanto]

wow just read this thread wish i could do this
it would be a choice between the 69 charger or a 69 mustang
doing a great job well done

[tazet]

Thanks. Still go a long way to go but we'll get there in the end.

[Manky Monkey]

We can't really take any credit for it yet as JC Refinishing are doing all the work at the moment. Our job starts when the completed bodyshell comes home.

[tazet]

Here are some more photos from the guy who had it before, from around 2003.
Just had an email from America saying that the parts will be ready to ship off to us on Tuesday. This is hopefully our final big order.

[tazet]

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[tazet]

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[tazet]

I do have more photos but have to shrink them first so will post them tomorrow.

[Manky Monkey]

Bit of a mess isn't it. The guy who emailed the pictures to Taz says the accident damage was already there when he got it. We don't care who did it, we'd just love to know exactly what happened.
After this owner, the car went to a young lad who pulled it all apart, then sold it to the lad we bought it from. You can see the driver's seat in that last shot. The car left the factory 40 years ago painted blue with a white vinyl roof & blue upholstery. The seats still have their dark blue coverings but the patterned infill panels have been replaced with a lighter blue. We'll get them re-upholstered in black.
Jack's Autos in New Jersey ship the new body panels direct to JC Refinishing's workshops, so we don't get the fun of unpacking them. Would love to be there for this last shipment though. It'll contain an entire roof skin, a new bonnet, both B pillars, (the door jambs), the inner rear wheel arches, the rear light panel plus it's reinforcing brackets, a battery tray plus a set of door hinge pins. Think that's all. That's gonna be a hell of a big box. Think of all that bubble wrap to play with!  

[poprodder]

all i can think of is £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££.....................