Quote: Maybe in the next few days I will post the crazy story of how I bought the RR... and how it almost got away...
Thanks to everyone who posted… looks like my A4 Hemi RR is one of my rarer cars
For those that might like to hear the story of how I acquired the Hemi RR, here is a short(er) version:
It all started when some jerk smashed the rear bumper on my college car, a 1968 440 Magnum powered Polara. They took off without leaving a note offering to fix the damage. With money to fix the damage being in short supply, I decided to replace the rear bumper with a junk yard part, leaving the quarter panel damage for a later fix. After calling about a dozen junk yards, a small one in Bryan said they had nice bumper for my Polara.
When I arrived at the junk yard, I could see the Road Runner sitting forlorn in the distance. I checked in at the office and we went to look at the bumper they had. It was a nice bumper, in fact it looked real nice… on the 1967 Chrysler it was part of. The manager of the yard said he thought they were interchangeable… NOT!
As we walked back towards the office, I started to check out the Road Runner in the distance… trying to make out if the hood callouts were 383 or 440. Being new to the hobby at the time, I did not know that 440 4BBLs were not available in '69 RRs… and the possibility of it being a Hemi car had not even crossed my mind. I then noticed the trunk badge, but thought it was a dealer nameplate… as I mentioned before, I was a Mopar newbie. As we walked, I started to "side-step" to get nearer to the RR (we were still talking about getting a rear bumper for the Polara). About every ten feet, I would walk about 5 feet to the left… the manager would then notice and close back up with me.
Finally, I looked back at the hood callouts and for the first time I clearly saw they were Hemi badges. After regaining my composure, I "casually" asked about "that old Plymouth". The manager said that they had just acquired the car in a lot purchase at a salvage auction in Dallas. We now walked toward the Road Runner, and I asked if the car was for sale. He replied that they had planned to part it out, but he would sell it "as is" at a price of $350… explaining that it had a freshly rebuilt engine. Wiping away the startled look on my face, I asked to see the engine. Sparing me a heart attack, it turned out to be a rebuilt 383.
Making up a BS story about maybe putting the 440 from my "wrecked" Polara in another car, I asked if they would sell the RR minus the rebuilt 383 engine. He said they would sell the car minus engine for $150… a more affordable price for a college kid! I was hoping to do the deal that day, but the manager said it would take a few days to remove the engine AND to obtain the title which was enroute from the auction site. Then the wait began, with me calling every 2-3 days… only to be told the engine was still in the RR, and the title had not yet arrived. This went on for about a month, with me driving by the yard about once a week to make sure the car was still there… it was.
Then one day I called and their phone was disconnected… OMG… PANIC! I made the trip to the yard in record time, and found the gate locked and a sign saying the yard had been purchased by the largest yard in Bryan… Doggett Auto Parts. The yard was almost empty, with maybe a dozen cars scattered about in it… including the Hemi Road Runner! I took off to Doggett, a large dismantler that did not allow access to their yard, but instead had LARGE shelving units with well organized parts.
After arriving at Doggett, I rambled on to a counter guy about the closed yard and the car I wanted to buy. He said that he did not know anything about it, and asked if I would like to talk to Mr Doggett… I said YES! A few minutes later Mr Doggett came to the counter… in a crisp suit, looking like the Chairman of the Board. About halfway through my story, Mr Doggett stopped me and said: "I have spent most of my life trying to live up to the promises made by others, and don't try to anymore. If you want the car I will sell it to you for $150… with the engine… DO YOU WANT IT?".
I stammered out a "Yes!", and he went to check if he had the title. A minute later he was back with the title in hand!!! I wrote a check, got a receipt and the title, and was told the car would be delivered the next day (at 11:00 AM IIRC). At precisely the promised time the next day, a shiny new Ford wrecker pulled into the apartment parking lot with the Hemi Road Runner in tow. The driver expertly backed the car in the spot that I wanted in the first try. The driver was Mr Doggett himself… I SWEAR… in a crisp pair of overalls! As he lowered the car, he told me a story of being forced to a stop on the way over by two guys who wanted to buy the RR. He said that he gave them my name and phone number… PANIC AGAIN!
After he left, I called a hometown friend with a pick-up to flat tow the car to my parent's home with a rented tow bar. After a sleep-less night, we towed the RR the next morning. True story…
Aren't y'all glad that I didn't give the long version of the story?...
