Hi everyone,
My name is Rich (aka Rooster) and I was just introduced to your site by a C&C member...unfortunately I don't know his C&C handle at this time. I have since been digging through all posts I can to learn about the community and get a feel for the current members. I have got to say this is a great site.......the passion you all have for these old Mopars really makes me want to step-up my efforts to restore my old Chally.......I wish I would have found this site long ago, if I had then maybe my baby wouldn't be in such a bad way.
Short and Sweet Bio:
Age: 31
Location: Belleville, IL
Occupation: BioTech Quality Assurance
Family: wife and a baby boy
Car: 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, 440 mag 4-speed with 4:10 dana rear-end.
For those of you who are interested, I will provide some background on myself...for those of you who aren't feel free t skip the next section.
*******************************
I purchased my challenger when I was 17yrs old from the biggest drug dealer in my home town......(it would still probably send a drug dog into a fit). It needed some minor body work at the time (mainly a new trunk pan, and some fendor/ quarter panel work), but I was too young to afford it and did not fully appreciate the benefits of getting the body in good shape to prevent further damage...........instead I rebuilt the motor with what money I did have and started driving it as soon as I could.
Tragedy struck about a year after I got it road ready when my older bro came home from Chicago.....he had not drove a car in over a year, much less one with that much horsepower and a sure-grip rearend……I am still not sure of all the details, but from what I understand he got on the throttle expecting it to react like his '71 corvette with a 350......as you can imagine he ended up skidding off the road in a place that had a steep drop off instead of a shoulder. The damage was considerable for not having hit anything....what went from a $5000 restore job jumped to >$7500....well it might have as well been a $1,000,000 because I was in college and was broke as a joke.
Since then the car sat at my parents house tarped until recently when I took the tarp off it to move it........I like to think of that day as "Black Sunday"............I can not explain fully explain the feeling I had when I first looked at it after ~10 years, but it felt like someone just killed my dog, then drop kicked me in the stomach.
***********************************
I am looking to start restoration immediately, but it will be a slow process........unfortunately for my chally, the best hope for it not rusting to pieces is if I learn how to do some of the work myself.......I have much to learn and look forward interacting with the rest of you.....thank you for this opportunity!
Kindest Regards,
Rich
BTW - I have pictures but I am too embarrassed to put them up......it would make any Mopar enthusiast start crying uncontrollably.
