I feel very fortunate to have these cars. I had to trade a nice '68 Hemi GTX for the Challenger project but it will be nice in the end. Hemi E-body projects aren't exactly growing on trees these days....

I have got a dated coded '66 Hemi (carbs, heads, .020 over block) that I will be screwing together for the '66. Nothing crazy but I am looking for 600 hp.

I have another "new" unused block (mid 1990's) that I will probably put in the '70. I have got a tunnel ram and a nice set of '65 aluminum K-heads that I will probably use on the Challenger as well. I will save the '70 block for when I decide to go "stock' with it. If I ever do that!!

Stan

Dan,
I do not have the IBM card for it but I should probably send for it. It came with two nice build sheets. I didn't pay much attention the SPD on the '66 until yesterday morning. I was looking at the BOM on the Dana and it had a May 16th date on it. I thought that was pretty late until I looked at the SPD. WOW! July 18th!

Stan

Still would be interesting especially if the date code was very close to the end of production or very near the SPD. IMO there would be no way to have a very late date code or one that was after the actual production date. The date code regardless would be days, weeks or even months BEFORE the actual production date not AFTER. The K-frame date code was probably the last hand or machine stamped date put on a part of a Chrysler closest to final assembly..........or is there some other permanent date somewhere else (decals, documents and paperwork don't count in this instance )

Mike

Stan, you can easily get the 600HP out of the motor. I might pull the 66 Hemi out of my Challenger. Would like to put the Challenger on more of a Diet and see if I can get it below 3100 lbs. I keep seeing the new KB Blocks and maybe Stage V heads and think that would put me close to under 3100 lbs with an all aluminum motor for the Challenger. I also have a 18 spline aluminum case 4 speed for the car and would take off the 12x15 inch steel wheels and put on some light weights. I do like your trios of hemis. I have them in the basement. Hope you bring it to Carlisle, I would like to take a ride in it. I was collecting 1966 Hemi Parts like motor, four speed, radiator. Always wanted a no frills 1966 B Body and they are reasonably priced for a roller.

This may be an interesting story to some but I believe I owned for a brief time the last hemi challenger built. I will give you the details from a car I bought in the mid 80s from the original owner.

The owner was a recluse high school dropout in west Los Angeles. He lived next to my high school and the car was always in the garage or if he took it out it was just for a race (high stakes) as he lost his license driving to a job at Mattel. It got raced on a few wednesday nights as it had a stack of mid 12 sec time slips in the glove box. Had 17k miles on it. Mint shape.

About the car..
Light blue metallic, blue interior. 4sp
Stock except cam changed to a racer brown, original went flat and headers
Options:
Shaker hood delete, I found 426 emblems in the inner rear fender wells
Standard hubcaps no rally wheels
4:56 gears
AM radio with 8 track you could record memos on
Had fire extinguisher, not sure if it was factory

Why I believe this may be the last
The owner ordered and prepaid for it in early 1971. They came back after a long delay and told him production was finished for hemi cars in june, 1971. His dad was a high powered lawyer and sent letters to Dodge management that he would sue them if they didn't produce the car. They listened and from the documentation I read they produced this car out of sequence after the production run was finished. I don't recall the number the car was but this documentation would indicate this to be the last for sure. Back in the day I sold the car to a collector and then he sold it to another Otis Chandler owner, at the time, of the LA Times.

Wonder where it is today?

I remember it from Chandler’s collection. I have pics of it somewhere.

Someone should have a fender tag info for it.

I believe there are other 71 Hemi stories like this.... ordering a car and waiting way late in the production year to get it. and salesman telling them it was not available.

I wonder if Troy from W. LA remembers this car. Did the guy have other cars?

The car is in the book on Chandler's collection. That's the only time I've seen it.

My 71 GTX has the 72 left front inner apron, 6/71 door sticker, door trim panels dated 6/28.
Car was ordered in April ‘71. According to the sales receipts he didn’t take possession until September.

I’m still digging up date codes.

This it?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UYwzRRZerBM

It was GB2.

I believe this is it. Same spot in museum as in video.

I think the guy pictured is the collector that sold it to Chandler.

That's the car. Has to have some of the most obscure options offered. Is the museum still intact?

Museum is long closed, so that cars whereabouts are ???
What are some of the 'most obscure options' that you mention Don.
You stated it has radio with cassette.....
Sounds like a neat car.

Excuse my ignorance, I am not as knowledgeable as you guys. So I dont know how many were built that went to this sleeper extreme. He asked for 426 emblem on hood delete but I found the in the trunk fender wells, maybe dealer? No shaker hood. Am radio, yes but it was 8 track iirc and it had a mike to record memos. Silver steel wheels and what looked like dodge van hub caps. The owner made it seem like this was all done by Dodge for him. I recall larger wheels and tires, polyglass, in the rear like G70 and F70 on the front. I had the sales receipt but can't remember if it listed all the options separately.

Don one of the problems everyone is having is you have no VIN or VON or SPD or Build Sequence that would be on the Broad Cast Sheet. An old ownership or insurance slip or what ever could help you with a VIN. The Car in the Video is said to be the Challenger. Hard to tell stuff from a picture. I know the person that took the Video, he is a Mopar guy from Quebec and knows a lot about Mopars and maybe I will have to phone him up and talk with him to see if he took a few better pictures of the sign or fender tag or broadcast sheet when he took the Video. One thing in the Video of the FM3 Cuda is I sold John Smith that Shaker Hood before he restored it. I think the Cuda had hit a deer. A lot of people have been asking me about this Challenger. I knew of its existence but have never seen it is person as it was always on the West Coast so I do not know the information I have on it is correct or even the same Challenger. Blue is pretty common on these car if that was the original color. So Don take a look around at old paper work and see what you have. I have a June Built 1971 Hemi Challenger, it is the last one built also for Canadian Sales but not the last one ever to be built. It is a loaded race car so not all drag cars lacked options. The Purple car has a 616 SPD and he has paper work saying it would be built and the paper work Chrysler sent him by June 23rd so after that date, so the FC7 Challenger from New York has a June Door sticker so it could of been built as late as Wednesday June 30th 1971. Another late Challenger has a SPD of 609 but is very close to the FC7 Challenger in Serial Numbers, this Challenger was likely pushed up to be built being an R Code Von but really you had to be in the plant to know what happened. All the numbers in the world including date codes does not tell a complete story on what day a car was built. You can get very close but you need paper work. Late 1971 Hemi Cars, had November 1968 casting dates, the FC7 NY State Challenger casting date for the block is Jan. 1970 the normal time most blocks were cast for 1971 E Bodies. So even looking at all this the is no common things happing with the E Body Build at the end of the Year. No sure if Chrysler really cared about a Lawyer or a Lawsuit. They have plenty of Lawyers on the payroll for just this kind of things if a person thinks they could sue and win a cast of a Challenger not being built.

No 8 track in 71 but you are probably thinking of the optional 71 cassette player which had a mic and the capability of recording memos. It would have been on the floor, either mounted on the console or just mounted on the floor between the seats if the car didn't have a console. You could get the cassette player with just an am radio in 71.