I'm doing this post over again with pictures direct since photobucket screwed everything up and tried to extort money out of people by holding their pictures hostage.
Here goes.....

The story of this Charger begins back in about July, 2001 when my son was about to turn 11. We had built some model cars in previous years that were getting him into the whole car thing. One of the models was a '71 Charger that we replicated to look like one of my old teenage days cars. Well, that July I decided we should look for a real car to build as a Father/son project. I looked in the Mopar collectors guide and saw a '71 Charger R/T,Very well opted! $4900. I called the gentleman only to find out that "the car had sold about a month ago" Dang! So not seeing any more interesting '71 Chargers in that section, I went back to the Super Bees. There I found a red '71 383 4 speed bench seat Bee. "That sounds interesting" so I began to dial the number, "this number looks familiar!" It was the same guy that I just called with the R/T. I explained that I assumed in the previous conversation, that it was the only car he had for sale but obviously not! " He said "the Bee had sold about a week ago" I asked if he had anything else. he said sure I've got all sorts of cars, and listed off a bunch of special interest cars (which I scratched down on a piece of paper,) but nothing more in the '71 charger department. "could I get any pictures of the cars?" His reply was "no, They are packed so tight in storage that the corner of a fender is probably the best I could get" I found out he was located in Oklahoma, So I asked if it would be possible to come see any of the cars if I were down that way. He said "sure, but call first. I'm always out looking for other cars, so make sure I'm here before coming". Well, I tucked that piece of paper in the collector guide and continued my search for a suitable project. In about mid October, my brother offered me a '68 GTX body that was rust free at the time. The '68 wasn't my favorite and I wanted to be sure I would be passionate enough about the car to stick with it. I thought if I could make it an open air car that would give it the pizzaz to hold the interest. I found a GTX convertible down in Michigan that looked to be a good donor candidate. I talked with the owner, Questioned him about the tops of the wheel tubs where the roof mechanism attaches and other convertible pieces I would be needing. He assured me it was all good. We settled on a price and off I went for the 12 hour drive to pick it up. When I got there, What I was looking at was an original 1968 GTX convertible that was so clapped out and rusty. Someone had hung quarters on it at one time but there was nothing to attach the bottoms of the panels to so they were flapping in the breeze. The crossmember was rusted at the torsion bar mounts. The tops of the wheel tubs were as soft and puffed up with rust as could be! But it did have a running 440 in it (that blew oil out of every orifice so bad the bottom of the hood was literally dripping oil). I told him he had grossly misrepresented the car and "would he be negotiable on the price?" I'm sure he figured "This guy just drove 12 hours dragging a trailer, He's not going back empty!" He stuck to his guns and wouldn't budge on price. After much consternation, I told him "Nope! can't do it" I went home empty. Wondering the whole 12 hours back, if I'd done the right thing. Well, The next morning when I returned home, My son was anxious to see our new "project". When I told him it didn't work out, he was devastated! I tried to console him and tell him "it just wasn't the car for us. But we'll find one." He wasn't buying that! So, I turned to Ebay to convince him there was stuff out there. When I did. There I see this rough but pretty complete '71 Charger R/T! It had one bid of $1500 and a "Buy it now" with no price. I contacted the owner, got his phone number and called to inquire. He said he was an Oldsmobile guy, He was selling it "because winter is coming and the wife wants her van in the garage, something has to go and it isn't going to be the Hurst olds!"
I asked about the "buy it now" Why it didn't have a price? he didn't know. I said the buy it now shouldn't go away until reserve is met. He said "Oh! thats why! I didn't have a reserve." I asked if he would be willing to divulge what the buy it now was? he said $3500. I said "OH! I'LL PAY THAT RIGHT NOW!!" He said he didn't want to do anything dishonest as he does a lot with eBay. I wasn't asking him to do anything dishonest. I was just willing to pay his asking price. We talked a while longer and I explained how I owned a B5 Charger in high school. The whole father/son thing and how my son was devastated with the GTX not coming through. He was a little quiet for a moment, then said "I'll tell you what. You cut me a check for $2500 and it's yours." SOLD!!!! I said. I had just told him I'd pay the $3500 he was asking!! But he gave it to me for the $2500, I couldn't believe my ears! I was so excited!
A few days later after working half of my 12 hour shift at work, I headed out around midnight for Carmel Indiana (another 12 hour drive). I was so pumped about getting the car, I hadn't slept in 38 hours and didn't even feel tired! Once I got the car settled in the garage. I started to look for what I would and could get for it. While lying in bed one evening, I was thumbing through the Mopar collector guide to see what was available. That piece of paper, that I had scratched down the guy's name in Oklahoma on and the cars he had, fell out of the magazine. My wife asked what it was. I told her how this guy in Oklahoma had all these cars. How I had called on the R/T but it was sold and then the Super Bee that was also sold. I told her "but the car I really was interested in was the R/T" and as I started to reread the listing for the R/T that I had read about 3 and a half months before, It started to sound very familiar............
"This sounds like my car!" I hopped out of bed, went to the filing cabinet and lo an behold! Here's that same guys name on the title! After all this. I had bought the very car that I first inquired about. Paid nearly half of the price it was listed for in Oklahoma and only had to travel to Indiana instead of Oklahoma! Sometimes things are just meant to be!

eBay pictures...