Mopar fans, feel free to elaborate - we couldn't find any more information on a raffling of a Petty Blue Plymouth Road Runner in 1971 than what the seller of these two 1971 Plymouth Road Runners was able to provide. According to the seller, Plymouth only built three petty Blue Road Runners that year, and these two for sale on Hemmings.com are No. 2 and No. 3, both 383 cars and both in need of restoration. They differ slightly in their specifications: The No. 2 car has black interior, an automatic transmission and a vinyl top, while the No. 3 car has blue interior, a manual transmission, and tank tread graphics.
It would make sense that Plymouth publicize their link to Petty in 1971. That was, after all, the year that Petty drove a Hemi-powered Road Runner in NASCAR, winning the Daytona 500 and 20 other races to take the Winston Championship and earning more than $1 million.
So if these are No. 2 and No. 3, then can we presume King Richard still has No. 1? Or is No. 1 yet another contest car that is yet to be found?
1971PlymouthRoadRunner_03_700
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Photo: Eric English
Photo: Eric English
That meant the only way to get a first-year Challenger with the 340 was via the A66 package, which was sort of an R/T without the badging. As first offered in late September 1969, the A66 consisted of the 275-horse 340, dual exhaust, a twin-scoop R/T style hood, heavy duty suspension, heavy duty brakes, 15x7-inch Rallye wheels with E60 tires and a collapsible spare, bumble bee tail stripes (which could be deleted), Scat Pack decals in the rear quarter windows, and wheel-lip trim delete. Weeks later the 15x7-inch standard wheel and collapsible spare were dropped in favor of more pedestrian 14-inchers shod with F70 raised white letter tires.
Dan’s ’70 A66 was built in early November - too late to have had the 15-inch Rallyes, but early enough to have two other unique features. These would be the 340 stickers on the hood rather than the cast metal callouts that began around January 1970, and “V-8” fender emblems that are thought to have been affixed to A66s only until late November 1969.
Finding The Challenger Forty Years Ago
It wasn’t until roughly the end of 1969, that Dodge was installing the cast-metal 340 hood callouts which most of us think of as stock. Early cars such as Dan’s were fitted with “340 Four-Barrel” stickers. Original sticker hoods didn’t have the holes that later hoods required for mounting the cast-metal emblems.
Photo: Eric English
Dan bought this car from the original owner in Renton, Washington, in 1981. It was sitting on the street with nearly flat tires near a girlfriend’s house, and Dan saw it regularly until one day it was gone. Shortly thereafter he drove by and noticed the garage door was open, revealing the car had been moved inside. “I stopped and learned that the owner wasn’t home, but I left my phone number, and he called later that day,” recalls Dan. “He bought the car from Tom Matson Dodge in Renton, Washington, and was inspired by a buddy who’d bought an In Violet 1970 ’Cuda 340. They both worked at Boeing, and he told me they liked to park the cars next to each other in the employee lot.
The original owner didn’t leave the car entirely stock for long, relating to Dan that the rusty Keystones that were present in 1981 had been installed shortly after the car was new. The ’Cuda owner had installed Cragars, and so the Challenger’s owner wanted something different—he’d ordered his Keystones in 15x6 inches in front and 15x10 inches in the rear, with Gabriel Hijackers to keep the rubber away from the rear wheel arches. The obligatory Lakewood traction bars were also installed to achieve the drag-racer look, though the Challenger was used simply as a daily driver until 1979.
Dan deviated from stock by installing a ’71 console and shifter in place of the original ’70 arrangement because he likes it better. The differences are subtle, but obvious to a knowledgeable Dodge E-body enthusiast.
Photo: Eric English
Dan was able to strike a deal with the somewhat reluctant owner and brought the car home. It wasn’t his intent, but the Challenger would stay in his garage until 2009, when a restoration was started in earnest. In the meantime, Dan was distracted by a litany of other Mopars, including a ’66 Hemi Coronet, ’68 Formula S Barracuda convertible, ’69 A56 ’Cuda 340, ’70 440-6 Sport Fury GT, ’70 340 Swinger, and others. But despite doing very little on the A66 Challenger other than some disassembly, Dan had the presence of mind to immediately begin collecting parts for the future restoration, purchasing a variety of NOS trim and other items from his local Dodge dealer throughout the 1980s.
This ’70 was originally fitted with a smattering of options beyond the A66 package, to include an automatic transmission, chrome racing mirrors, V5X side moldings, power steering, power front disc brakes, AM/8-track stereo, and an interior console. Dan believes the woodgrain applique surrounding the standard gauges was either dealer or owner installed, as it wasn’t an available option. Nevertheless, it does nicely complement the woodgrain steering wheel and woodgrain trim on the console.
Collecting Parts For A Full Restoration
Most of the trim and lenses are NOS, purchased by Dan in the 1980s in advance of the restoration.
Photo: Eric English
Once the restoration was finally underway, whatever was left of the original Plum Crazy paint was stripped to bare metal and necessary body repair effected. Early Challengers, particularly with vinyl tops, had a propensity for rust in the narrow panel between the rear window and decklid as well as the trunk floor. The former almost always lead to the latter, and such was the case on Dan’s ’70. Both areas were repaired using a combination of NOS and clean donor-car metal. Beyond that, typical parking lot dents and dings were taken care of before the glistening two-stage topcoat was laid down in the original FC7-code Plum Crazy. Phil’s Finishing Touch in Seattle is credited with the bulk of the work, where the A66 emerged in 2015 as a painted shell. Dan and a buddy installed the vinyl top themselves, which is a correct “wide seam” version that was used on Challengers solely in 1970; Legendary Auto Interiors has only offered this as a reproduction in the last few years.
The interior of this Challenger was in spotty shape when purchased in 1981 - some good, some bad, but you’d never know it now. New reproduction seat covers from Legendary were installed by Dan’s Upholstery in Auburn, Washington, while the dash is a refurbished original from Just Dashes. New carpet and original door panels round out the cabin, but sharp eyes will notice a 1971 console and shifter. That’s because Dan likes the T-handle/flat stick of the ’71 shifter over the round ball/round stick of the ’70. Likewise, he prefers the very similar ’71 console because it doesn’t have slots for the seat belt buckles.
Ansen cast aluminum valve covers were installed by the original owner, so Dan repeated that touch in an otherwise stock engine compartment. Dan reports that even the spark plug wires are date correct/NOS which he purchased back in the ’80s.
Photo: Eric English
The original 340 and 727 Torqueflite automatic were freshened by Dan’s long-time rebuilder, to mostly stock configuration. The exception is the camshaft, which is a hydraulic Lunati with slightly more aggressive specs than the original 340 grind. No doubt this little upgrade accounts for buckets of fun in this car, which had a factory horsepower rating of 275 - a downright laughable number what with the 340’s 10.5:1 compression, 2.02/1.60 valves, and Carter 625-cfm 4-barrel. A more realistic stock number would be somewhere north of 300 (the NHRA refactored the ’68 340 to 310 hp for stock class racing shortly after its introduction), even before the extra lift and duration afforded by the aftermarket cam.
“It’s pretty strong” says Dan, “particularly considering it’s running through a 727 with 3.55 rear gears. I’ve almost always put headers on my high-performance cars, but with this one never having them and feeling plenty powerful with the original manifolds, I stayed stock.” Connected to those manifolds is a reproduction dual exhaust system from Accurate Exhaust, which ends in NOS exhaust tips that Dan squirreled away many moons ago.
The underhood view is full of “born with” parts, including those which were often discarded over the years, such as the original air cleaner and radiator. A couple exceptions include the carburetor and valve covers, but for understandable reasons. The original owner had replaced the original valve covers early on with natural aluminum Ansens, which were oxidized to the point that Dan didn’t attempt to refinish them. Instead, he found some NOS period Ansens, though in a black-crinkle finish, which he left as-is. The carb had been replaced with a rebuilt unit before Dan’s purchase, but he was able to find a correct date-coded Carter AVS that is identical to the one originally fitted.
Not A Completely Perfect Restoration
You’ve seen this before, but it's probably been a while. Period stickers adorn the rear quarter window, just like so many drag race wannabees of the early 1970s.
Photo: Eric English
“When I started the restoration in 2009, I intended to do it entirely stock. But as time went on, I decided on the mild Day 2 route since the car lived its whole life with a handful of mods.” First and foremost, in that regard is the wheel/tire combo that consists of Keystone Klassics measuring 15x6 and 15x8-inches. These are the currently available rims that Dan fitted with a set of vintage center caps for an authentic look. The wheels are uni-lug style, just like the ones the original owner fitted back in 1970, and the crowning touch are the re-pop Goodyear Polyglas tires, F70-15 and L60-15, for a subtle big ‘n’ little look.
In keeping with the Day 2 theme, Dan also hunted down a period set of Lakewood traction bars, and sprinkled a dash of orange paint here and there as was often done in the Seventies. More to the point, it was popular to paint brake drums orange or red back in the day [Editor's note: Chrysler even did this at the factory on some drum brake cars]. In this case, Dan got the same vibe by painting Mr. Gasket aluminum dust shields that slip over the drums and front caliper/discs. “It’s what was done back then, and I figured it’s such an easy change to go back to stock, why not?” Some more red paint found its way to the hood scoop inserts. “You think I got a little carried away with the block-offs?” he chuckled.
The restoration stretched over many years due to a variety of factors, but the A66 Challenger was finally back on the road in 2021, some 40 years after Dan’s purchase. Since then, there’s been a bit of sorting, some enjoyable driving, and any number of car shows. Your author used to street race with Dan back in the mid-’80s (Shhh... don't tell anyone) and had no idea that the A66 was resting silently in his garage at home. That is, until the summer of 2023 when a chance meeting at a car show introduced me to Dan’s long-held E-body. Resplendent in its original color and unmistakably a fine restoration, the Challenger was an inspiring sight. It was a long time in coming, but totally worth the wait!
Specifications - 1970 Dodge Challenger
Photo: Eric English
PRICE
Base price.............................. $2,953.00
Price as profiled..................... $3,894.45
Options on car profiled.......... A66 340 pkg. $258.90; TorqueFlite automatic transmission, $216.20; power steering, $90.35; power brakes, $42.95; disc brakes, $27.90; bodyside molding, $29.45; chrome driver mirror, $15.15; chrome passenger mirror, $10.95; console, $53.35; 8-track stereo, $196.25
ENGINE
Type....................................... Chrysler LA-series OHV V-8, cast-iron block and cylinder heads
Cylinder heads....................... Chrysler cast iron, 2.02/1.60-inch valves
Displacement......................... 340 cu.in.
Bore x stroke......................... 4.04 x 3.31 in
Compression ratio.................. 10.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm............... 275 @ 5,000 rpm
Torque @ rpm....................... 340 lbs. ft. @ 3,200 rpm
Valvetrain.............................. Hydraulic, flat-tappet with shaft-mounted rocker arms
Fuel system............................ Carter mechanical pump, Carter AVS 625-cfm four-barrel carburetor
Lubrication system................ Full pressure, gear-rotor type pump
Electrical system................... 12-volt
Exhaust system ..................... High-flow cast-iron manifolds, dual pipes, resonators, and mufflers
TRANSMISSION
Type....................................... Chrysler 727 TorqueFlite three-speed automatic
Ratios..................................... 1st/2.54:1 … 2nd/1.45:1 … 3rd/1.00:1 … Reverse/2.21:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Type....................................... Chrysler 8 3/4 with Sure-Grip differential
Ratio...................................... 3.23:1 (Currently 3.55:1)
STEERING
Type....................................... Recirculating ball, power assist
BRAKES
Type....................................... Hydraulic, power assisted front disc/rear drum
Front.......................... 10.7-in vented disc
Rear........................... 10 x 2.50-in drum
SUSPENSION
Front...................................... Independent, unequal length control arms, torsion bars, tubular shocks, anti-sway bar
Rear....................................... HD semi-elliptical leaf springs, tubular shocks
WHEELS & TIRES
Wheels................................... Chrysler stamped steel (Currently Keystone Klassic steel rim/aluminum hub) Front: 14 x 6 in (Currently 15 x 6 in)
Rear: ......................... 14 x 6 in (Currently 15 x 8 in)
Tires....................................... Goodyear Polyglas
Front:......................... F70-14 (Currently F70-15)
Rear: ......................... F70-14 (Currently L60-15)
PRODUCTION
It is believed that roughly 4,500 A66-equipped Dodge Challengers were built for 1970, including 200 to 300 convertibles.
PERFORMANCE
¼ mile ET.............................. 14.55 at 96 mph*
*Taken from a test in the March 1971 issue of Speed and Supercar Magazine, of a 1971 Dodge Challenger with 340 V-8, TorqueFlite automatic, and 3.55:1 Sure Grip
Gallery - 1970 Dodge Challenger
Photo: Eric English
YouTube / Kleps Garage
YouTube / Kleps Garage
Many muscle car enthusiasts will argue that the classic Dodge Challenger’s muscle car status was diminished after 1971, when Chrysler ended high-compression big-block V8 production. As a result, the 1970 and 1971 E-body Challengers, which shared a platform with the third-generation Plymouth Barracuda, are the most desirable model years for the first-generation Dodge Challenger.
The first-gen Dodge Challenger convertible, only offered in 1970 and 1971, may not have been the most popular purchase in its time, but the low production numbers make it all the more rare today. In 1970, only 3,884 Dodge Challenger convertibles sold. Those numbers dropped to 1,870 total convertibles sold in 1971.
If this example ran when parked, it doesn’t run now, but the good news is that the numbers-matching 318 cubic-inch (5.2-liter) small-block V8 is still intact. Dodge produced just 1,323 convertibles with this engine. Combine that with its automatic transmission, and this Dodge Challenger is one of 1,230 made in 1971.
Fortunately, this example has been rescued and will have a new lease on life. Watch here as the team from Kleps Garage rolls the 1971 Dodge Challenger Convertible into the daylight, showing its current condition before loading it onto a trailer to take it away.
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