Changing a 70 challenger to a 71

Just trying to put a price on this. What's a grill go for, is it reproduced ? Does the tail panel need to be changed to accept new tail-lights ?

thanks

The tail panel does not need to be changed.

How correct do you want to get because there are a ton of things that are different?

Correct from about ten feet away. I'm building a car for stock eliminator, engine specs seem to be much better for the 71. Don't really want to do this, but I'm considering it. Car is painted and pretty much ready for a motor. 383 magnum

put a grille, rear tail panel, change the dash pad and seats,outside mirrors, along with the proper placement of emblems/decals/etc and your good to go for your 10 footer

OK - I'll assume a 71 R/T non shaker

Grill
Headlamp Buckets
Hood - no DODGE letters on the hood in 71
Side scoops
Tail lamps
Tail Finish Panel
Tail Lamp Wiring Harness
The impossible to get 71 DODGE deck lid emblem

You'll need to remove the sheet metal piece that goes between the tail lamps and the rear bumper as 71 does not have that.

That will get you a 10 foot pass

OK - I'll assume a 71 R/T non shaker

Grill
Headlamp Buckets
Hood - no DODGE letters on the hood in 71
Side scoops
Tail lamps
Tail Finish Panel
Tail Lamp Wiring Harness
The impossible to get 71 DODGE deck lid emblem

You'll need to remove the sheet metal piece that goes between the tail lamps and the rear bumper as 71 does not have that.

That will get you a 10 foot pass

Forgot about those dastardly R/T side scoop....but again he could build a base Challenger N code and forego the side scoops

That's true since they only add weight

I didn't cover the interior since at 10 feet you can't see inside but if you cared:

Seat belts
Center Console
Shifter (automatic)
seat backs
seats
dash pad
speaker grills (outer dash)
Radio (in some cases)
Vent knobs

He said it is a Stock Eliminator car! Just change the grille and taillamps. IHRA/NHRA wont care about the seat covers!
Brad

I agree with above, dash change......haha

Tail panel IS different, but you could hack out the dividers for the '70 lamps so that the '71s would fit. From the outside it would look fine, and if you did it neatly, not too obvious from the inside.

Grille is not reproduced. The two long brackets to the rad support are the same as '70. There are 2 short ones for '71, but they're not crucial. The tabs on the back of the grille for them are often broken/missing anyway.

Probably should have said accurate to 30 ft, not 10. haha. Grill and taillight should be all I would need. Cost is approx. $1200 for those 2 items ???

Anyone have a picture of a 71 tail panel ? If I modify 'he tail panel, would that prevent me from going back to a 70 ?

Here it is. hate to cut on it now.

A picture or two is worth a thousand words. Many pieces required. Once you cut the rear panel to fit the 3 light buckets per side, the only way to go back to the 70 tail lights is a new panel. Take a look.
Terry

Why not just sell it and buy a '71?

I'll sell you a 71 non-RT 340 4 speed

You'll end up having money left over, 70's are worth more.

Also if you wait till the end of the week I'll take a picture of a 70 and 71 tail panel for you side by side

Not that I don't know anything about Challengers

Well. Many years ago, I was building a 70 Challenger stocker. Long story but I never ended up finishing the car. I was advised to change it to a 71 as well. The grill is no big deal. Just swap it and the latch tray. You have to modify the rear taillight panel pretty severely. Remove a couple of the dividers and patch the one in the middle where the 70 back up light is. The bottom outside corners need to be cut bigger and you drill lots of holes for the panel that surrounds the lights. Send me your email and I'll shoot you some pictures of my panel that is modified. Of coarse by not racing it as a 71 stocker, I wish I had never hacked it up. I bought a tube frame car and raced it at my local track

I appreciate the info and pictures. After thinking about this, I'm not going to change it over. I bought this car as a $2500 rust bucket and have done everything to it except final paint. It's been a insane amount of labor, and I can't hack up the tail panel. I'm not convinced how much more power the 71 engine makes over the 70. The 71 pistons have valve notches and the cam is slightly better. For this project I'm not trying to qualify at the top or anywhere near it anyway.