If you care to read the long post, thanks...I had to vent a little about my car.
I have had a 72 Challenger for many years now. Its was restored back in the early 90's somewhat stock with several custom touches here and there. The last 5 to 10 years the car has taken a backseat to life, kids activities and other interests. The car always comes out a few times each year, not nearly enough though.
Anyway, through a series of events, I had the car running and drove it last night and today. While there is that old car cool factor, the ride quality and overall experience is lacking. There is this hard, rough and tumble nature of it. I cant put my finger on what it is exactly. My 1980 Buick Regal drove better than this thing ever has. While I don't expect the 72 to be like my 2013 Challenger, I do wonder if something is wrong with the car, or if my age and expectations of the car have changed.
While I would never sell the car, its been a big part of my life, it needs something. Just not sure where to go as the car starts okay, drives and brakes straight. Its not like I can point to one thing that would improve the experience.
Any body else feel this way?
Thanks!
I'm a perfectionist in a lot of ways, so I'm right there with you when it comes to ride quality and refined driving experience. I keep pushing my cars to get better and better on those fronts. I have a 71 Satellite, 71 Road Runner and 70 Challenger. Here's what I've found:
Your immediate inputs to the car are gas, brakes, and steering. What you feel/sense from the car are what you feel from the seat, the wheel, and what you hear. If the old car is in tip top stock condition (which most are NOT), what are usually sub-par are brakes, steering, and seats.
- Upgrading brakes are easy - 78 Magnum discs are one step under anti-lock and you can swap them out for a few hundred dollars.
- Steering is a little more complicated. A Firm Feel Stage 2 is nice, or Borgeson if you don't mind higher costs and labor.
- Seats are easy to upgrade and in my opinion make the car feel dramatically different! The stock seats in my Challenger suck. The aftermarket seats in my Satellite make it feel like a brand new car!
That's if the car is in great condition, which most aren't. If your car is like most, then perhaps you need a tune up, or a new carb, or your suspension bushings are worn, etc, etc. There's so much that could be in need of maintenance.
And then there's noise. There's good noise, like the exhaust of a 440, and there's bad noise, like the rattles under a 50 year old dashboard that eat away at your sanity one mile at a time. I spend a lot of time chasing after these squeaks, but it's worth it. Perhaps your car has lots of peripheral noise that is just plain annoying?
Anyway, your car looks great and you're lucky to have a Plum Crazy Challenger! I hope you enjoy it!
