#s T/A block shows up 40 years after car is parted

I purchased my first 70 Challenger in 1978 and fell in love with the model, specifically the T/A. I was 16 and loved everything about it. The hood, the six pack, the exhaust, and the stripes. In 1979, on one trip to my Grandmother's in upstate NY I spotted and ad in the newspaper for a Challenger. It sounded like a TA and sure enough, when I went to see it, it was. It was everything I wanted including a 4spd, loaded with options, and EK2 Go-mango paint all for $1800, 0B307227. I talked my Dad into signing for the $1000 loan at 20% interest rate and the T/A was mine. It became my daily driver. A few years into ownership I decided it was time for an engine rebuild so I pulled the motor. When the motor came out it had a riveted tag on it that said it was a warranty block. I had heard about "matching numbers" and checked the raised boss only to find no numbers at all. I did find the VIN on the 4 speed tranny. I rebuilt the motor and enjoyed the car for a few more years but the upstate NY winters and salt had taken a toll on the body and it was badly rotted. I had the opportunity to purchase a nice clean T/A body so I did. I put my rebuilt T/A motor into my new T/A body and parted what was left of 0B307227 in 1986 and sent the rust hulk off to the junkyard.

So last week someone on Facebook posts a T/A block looking to see if the car was still around, the VIN? 0B307227, my old car! I couldn't believe it. I took ownership of the car in 79, just 9 years after it was new. I figured the original owner had an issue with the original motor and it was replaced at the dealer. I contacted the poster and he said he got it from a friend who got it for free after it was left at a house. No surprise, they were also in upstate NY, not too far from where I bought the car. I asked him if the block was damaged in any way and he never said.

I'm sure he was disappointed the car wasn't still around. I was so surprised to see the motor surface after all these years and it just goes to show you that even in their first few years of ownership these cars had much happen to them. I'll never know what happened here but hopefully the block finds its way into another T/A, even if it is not numbers matching.

Here is a picture of 0B30772 when I first saw her in 1979.

Cool story, thanks for posting

Great story!
KID

A member here just asked me what an original 727 was worth from a T/A he got in a parts deal, VIN 0B176977, told him to contact Barry...

That 727s VIN is way too early for a T/A. Probably a mid fall of ‘69 built car.

From something in the Barracuda lineup.

Way too early for a T/A (or AAR)

Cool story Jeff!

Did the car have engine warranty paperwork with it?

If replaced under warranty, the original engine could have gone back to Chrysler vs. just being somewhere else.

It’s too bad you junked it. Nowadays, it seems like everything is being saved.

It’s different times from then. Cars did not rust in Texas but they were still sent to the scrap yard sometimes when the motor blue up. I had the rear end out of a perfectly good A12 RR that was scraped. My bud bought a perfect body 69 RT for the Dana then another buddy bought it for the motor and trans and hauled it to the junk yard. I guess that why they are worth so much now.

Cool story though Jeff. When I bought my AAR back in76, it had a warranty motor with the same tag riveted to the block. I figured, like you, it was sent back to the factory for warrant purposes. Mine has never showed up. Kinda hope it doesn’t. I can’t afford it. Lol.

Barry, no paperwork, all I got was the title, but I did find 3 broadcast sheets in the car!

So true but back then I NEVER would have imagined that we would have AMD today. The car would have been restorable for sure today.

Back then it seems like every visit to the dealer parts would be unavailable. I got my first Challenger in 1978. Quarter panels were already gone by then. I probably bought 10 new fenders but they were gone by 1982. The new parts weren't cheap either and I was spending my entire paycheck (at $2.50 an hour) on Mopar parts

every time i remember how many collector cars i scrapped in my junkyard ownership back then, i think of how many of them could have been saved.
there were many that were complete rust buckets, but there were also some nice ones that went through the shredder because of mechanical issues with them, and no one wanted any usable parts they had.

I was in Ca. in the mid 70's to 94 and parted/scrapped a lot of 340 Darts, dusters, demons etc. because they had, OMG rust bubbles in the lower rear 1/4's. most were bought for 50 -100.00 some even ran

Then there were the 68 -9 Chargers that r-ped and pillaged for my 68 RT that I restored for a daily driver. they were also somewhat plentiful at the local pick and pull yards. I do have to check the numbers on the 340 in my 38. I pulled it from a 72 4spd cuda and sold the rest to a buddy who put it together for his son to drive. Think I paid 750 for it and drove it home

Great story! When dealer parts were mentioned, it reminded me of when I was restoring my '69 300 in the mid 80's. I needed a new front valance for under the bumper, since mine was bent and rusted out. I went to Roseville C.P. to see if I could still get one. The parts guy checked, and sure enough there was only ONE left in the system! After it came in a week or so later, he told me that particular part number had now gone NS1. I got extremely lucky when I ordered it at that time.

In 1987 I had a Lil Red as a daily driver. I needed a couple parts so I went to the closest Dodge dealer in McHenry, Illinois and they still had a complete engine wiring harness, plastic tubes for the air cleaner hoses, dash harness, and various little parts that were unique to the Lil Red. I should have bought all that was left...

I think that would still be a neat momento to have considering your history with the car and the fact you're likely the last one to ever own it.

My dad bought our 70' V code RR in 72' and it already had a 383 swapped in for unknown reason. Hopefully it's still taking up space in someone's garage or shed...

Great story Jeff. The previous owner that you bought it from had it jacked up like a 4WD....lol. I've pretty much lost track of the JH27HOB that I bought from your brother. Last account I had of it, was that it was in Maine. I have some nice pics of it on my work computer, sitting by some docks in a fishing village maybe.

Awesome story! Thanks!!

Well I'm the guy who has the T/A block "0B307227"
I have been out of town for the last 2 weeks and stayed away for the internet during that time, so I just saw this post.
Here are a few pics of the block...

Depending on the relationship the servicing dealer, and the phase of the moon, and I guess any current trends of failures Ma Mopar might or might not require any replaced item to be returned for inspection.

At 31-63436 usually there might be a request to hold the parts for inspection by who ever the current rep was out of Natick, usually low man on the totem pole, gotta break em in somewhere ... after he would glance in the box it would be "dispose of locally".

That was likely the case with this block, and instead of going to scrap, an enterprising mechanic (probably the one who did the replacement) kept it.