making a 74 into a 70 or 71 challenger?

[440SCOUT]

i have owned my 74 since 1994 (i was 17) ut i really like the look of both the grille and taillights of the 70.. i was already planning on swapping to the early bumper brackets and it needs body anyway. the floorboards are all solid its never been in wreck, but it does have minimal rust, one quarter sized hole on the drivers quarter, and it must have rust around the rear glass the trunk is always wet after it rains.
anyway back on topic
has any one done this already , i would assume with the price of original 70-71s that this has been done before.
i assume the rear panel has to be cut but all the grill assy should be bolt in.. is that correct ??
what other parts will i need?
my car is not, and will never be a show car or a perfect clone, so im not worried about the seat belt being wrong or the sidemarkers (i will remove them all together..)
any pics would be nice too..
thanks
doug

[miketyler]

This has been discussed several timess; replace the tail panel for the rear. If I recall the front is a little more entailing as the headlight buckets are different on the later 72-74 cars. Also the front grille attachment locations are different.

[MJS73]

From memory, you will need at least the following from a '70: grille, removal of header panel, hood edge and front of fender moldings, front fenders, front side markers, rear panel, taillight lenses and housings, taillight trim, modify taillight wiring, front and rear bumper brackets and bumpers.  That's all I can remember.

[ChallengerHK]

The thing with the front is this: the headlights not only mount in a different place, but in a different way. In the 72-74 the metal headlight buckets are screwed to the plastic header panel. In the 70-71 the metal headlight buckets are welded (I think) to the fender inner structure. You've got your work cut out for you to change that. A long time ago I had a 71 Challenger grille from a salvage yard and I had similar plans, but once I saw what was needed I changed my mind.

[Carlwalski]

I would personally keep it as a 74. It will always be a 1974 Challenger regardless of modifications. Plus, I think it will look oddball and cheap if you only do it half arsed. If you do, do it, go all the way and make it a "70" and make a real nice job of it. It'll be worth it even if it takes longer and costs a little more. Or, trade the 74 in and get yourself a 70. 

[71ChallengerSE]

In the 70-71 the metal headlight buckets are welded (I think) to the fender inner structure.

I have both the 70 and 71 grille and they both mount very similarly (slight changes for the top of the 71 grille) the headlight buckets can be removed but your best bet would be to change the front fenders and front end entirely for the proper look.

[360 'CUDA]

The 74s are few and far between and they really look awesome when restored so I wouldn't change it but you can if you want....

Plus I love the tail lights on those cars.  So different then anything else out there. Really cool when painted argent silver.  I love blacked out tail panels but the '72 up Dodge argent tail panels just scream '70s Muscle ...  IMO

[440SCOUT]

now i dont know.....
i was going to just do a rallye with mine but i really like the look of the 70-71 rt...
i wonder how much i would have to spend to get all those parts i would need to do that swap?? used would be fine, anyone have any of these parts they would be willing to part with
i would probably just get the early fenders instead cutting up mine that are in fair condition (dents but no rust) goodmark has repops now right? how are they ? i have thier hood and its a little thin imho...

[72bluNblu]

I've got some of the parts already for a conversion for my '72. Its going to be expensive, even with used parts. A good '70 grille in driver condition with set you back anywhere from 4-600 bucks, depending on how nice it is. A '71 is even more. The header panels usually go for around 50 bucks, latch support 25-40 bucks. Then there's the headlight bezels, which I've seen go from around 100 bucks all the way up to 700 bucks depending on condition. Then you need the headlight buckets. B/E and A restoration sells the mounts for 245, but I think you'd still need some brackets fabricated to get them mounted. The fenders new for a '70 are about 1K for a pair. I've seen the patches to change the marker lights over, B/E and A sells them, but I've seen cut outs of original fenders/quarters on ebay for not much, 10 to 20 bucks each. Near as I can tell, even on the cheap (no new parts at all, and no complete fenders) it will cost well over 1K, probably more like 2k for even half decent driver quality.

Originally this was a "must do" for me, but with about half the parts acquired I'm not so sure. I still buy stuff if I see it at a reasonable price, but I'm taking my time as getting the car mechanically sound is the priority.

[440SCOUT]

heres an "im an idiot" story for you..
about 5 years ago a friend of mine tells me about a 70 challenger for sale "cheap" . now my friends know what i consider cheap so i was excited .. i went and looked at a blue (might have been b5 ?) 70 challenger last registered in 1988, it was a 383 4 speed car, no options, manual steering and brakes, drums all around, no sway bars.
the bumpers were missing along with the front and rear valances the engine and the front seats . the transmission and bellhousing were in the trunk.the paint was faded, never wrecked and the only rust it had was on the drivers front fender above the headlights. any way i end up getting it for $500 i was excited but didnt really have anywhere to put it.. i knew it was worth more than that but being that i had only paid $700 for my 74 and that i wasnt really in touch with the mopar community as much back then i decided to sell it.. i got $3000 for it and i was stoked ...
just a few months after i sold it i saw a rolling shell in worse shape than mine with no title sell for $6000 .. 
bummer...

[kmyles]

Can you help me out? I have a couple questions.
Take a look at my thread.
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=56910.new;topicseen#new

[challengermaniac]

Hi Doug,

Just for reference, I have owned a 1973 & 1974 Challenger and now a 1970.  I have seen where a couple of guys have done exactly what you are thinking, although as noted, the question is:  where to stop with the modifications and at what cost?  The harsh reality is, my 74 Rallye Challenger (all matching numbers, rust free b5 Blue) was a real show stopper, but my heart was set on getting a 1970.  I worked hard to get the 74 sold, but that was before the market fell and unfortunately, as rare of a car as it is, it just never commanded the big bucks/investment.  Of course, it's your car and you should do what you want (hey, I'm cloning my 70 to a TA for heavens sake), but I would recommend keeping it as a 74 or selling it and buying a 1970. 

I wish you the best, Charlie

[Scat Pack Fever]

Hello Doug,
I am currently cloning my 74 into a 70. The back of the car was so rusty, I had to replace all of the rear sheet metal. I used the 70-71 fenders and quarters. I went with the short base mirrors because of the T/A stipe. I also have the dash with the seat belt warning and the 74 seatbelts, but I had to draw the line somewhere and stop cloning. It would be very expensive to replace the seatbelst, dash etc. I did leave the dash the same because of the vin plate. I'm not hiding the fact that it is a 74. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Robert