After four decades in the shadows, a 1971 Dodge Challenger saw the light of day again. The story starts at a nondescript garage where this muscle car, donning a radiant ochre paint, has been sitting and gathering dust, waiting for its next adventure. Though it only boasts 19,000 miles on the odometer, the passage of time has left its marks, some more profound than others.
The team from WD Detailing were the brave souls tasked with giving this vehicle its first wash in 40 years. At first glance, the Challenger seemed promising. Apart from a missing rear bumper and peeling vinyl top, the exterior seemed fairly intact. However, a deeper look revealed that the tires had long surrendered to the weight of time.
Under the hood lies the 318-cubic-inch (5.2-liter) V8, which, interestingly, was the Challenger's smallest V8 option back in the day. Classic car enthusiasts might fondly recall the heavier 383-, 440-, and 426-Hemi V8 engines that the Challenger could be equipped with.
The real challenges (pun intended) started to emerge once the car arrived at the WD Detailing workshop. With the tires unable to hold the vehicle, jack stands were swiftly employed. As the power wash stripped away years of grime, the Challenger’s exterior, barring missing door handles, gleamed.
But when the doors swung open, the interiors narrated a more somber tale. A trunk filled with forgotten parts and debris was just the beginning. The seats, mysteriously adhered to the carpet, revealed a shocking truth beneath. The floor, especially on the driver's side, had vanished. To add to the vehicle's growing list of quirks, stools were needed to support the dangling seat after a sizable section of the floor was cut out.
While the team painstakingly cleaned the vehicle, they didn't venture near the engine, leaving its operability a mystery.
The Challenger, by the end of its detailing journey, looked like a paradox: a shiny exterior concealing an interior that has seen better days. For the team, the consensus leaned towards envisioning this car as a potential donor for parts. With intact body panels, seats, and door panels, it could breathe life into other restoration projects. However, considering the evident wear and tear, a full-blown restoration for this particular Challenger might just be a tad too ambitious.
