December of 1999, It had been a year since I bought the Challenger. I had gotten it running, but didn't want to put much more money into it unless I could get a title and actually drive it around. Turns out Pedro couldn't get the mechanics lien for the title. As an apology he offered me a 318 engine. It had been rebuilt nicely and was supposedly the hottest 318 around. It was in a 1973 four wheel drive Dodge truck that was rolled about 5,000 miles after the engine was put in. Turns out I needed an engine, so...

I took a trip back north to get the engine and track down the Challengers previous owner Bob, and offer him $1000 for the title. He would've rather had the car back, but he didn't have a place to put it, had plenty of other cars around to work on, and couldn't come to Florida to get it. He accepted but said he would need a few days to get the title from his mothers lock box where he kept all his important papers. I spent the time looking around for another vehicle just in case the deal with Bob didn't go through.

What I found was a 1970 'Cuda. FY1 Lemon Twist with black interior, 340 with 727 trans. In 1980 a guy my dad went to school with had bought an AAR without an engine. Then he bought this 'Cuda for the 340. This 'Cuda had been sold to another racer without the engine as a parts car and stored inside for 11 years before the AAR was totaled in a wreck racing. When the AAR was totaled, the 340 engine came back home to this 'Cuda that it had come out of, along with some other AAR parts (trim, spare wheels, etc.). With the engine & car reunited, the car was sold to a chevy guy that wanted to restore it. He had rebuilt the rear end, had the heads done, and cleaned the engine block up and set it out to dry. When he came back the next morning, the engine block had been stolen. He thinks he knows who took it, and that it's racing around circle tracks now, but the police couldn't help much and in the end he found another 1970 340 engine for the car, but had lost interest because it wasn't the matching engine. Car was for sale, $2,500. So I bought it. If the deal with Bob didn't go through, at least I'd have something else cool to work on, and most importantly, the car knowledge I'd already learned would still be applicable.

The deal with Bob went through just fine. I bought the Challenger again that year, for $1,000 this time. And for the second year in a row found myself hauling home a cool Mopar.

Here's the 'Cuda the day I found it...
Nice to find a building full of cars. I was told there was an old Chrysler back there with an early Hemi, but I only had eyes for the 'Cuda.
The 'Cuda is done being restored now. Maybe I'll have another thread for its story someday, but for now I'm going to keep this thread about the Challenger.

Tav