For years my bucketlist car was a 1969 Charger 500 Hemi 4 speed Dana-60
hell a 440 4 speed dana-60 would have done
I was always a dollar short or a day late...
When I was a young kid riding my bike still
I'd ride by some older gentleman's place in Concord Ca.
over by my friend Jeff's house, across town, had a perfect spotless
Hemi, 4 speed, dana, it was white & red stripe, black buckets interior...
Sitting in his driveway, old 1 story ranch style house, a moderate house
nice lawn, very well kept place...
I drooled over that car for 15+ years
He'd stop doing what ever & talk with me, show me stuff on the car
start it up for me, he knew I was Jeff's friend...
(Jeff's dad was local CHP Lt.)
One day he didn't live there anymore, some younger couple was living there
& no one knew where he or the car went...
I found one locally up here, I drove by it 150 times
69 Charger 500 white & red stripe (IIRC red interior, not a fan of red int.)
my preferred color is green/black, or green/white anyway...
I would have taken almost any color with a good body, re-doable interior...
#'s matching didn't matter either, but would've like it...
One day I finally stopped & I left a business card on the windshield
where the tattered car cover was literally falling/shredding off it, it was rough
no engine or trans, wrong rear end, body still looked pretty damn good,
interior was ragged out, but all still there...
By chance another one day, I was driving up the hill to see my cousin
now owns my Aunt's place...
I saw a younger guy pushing the Charger into the garage...
1st time I saw anyone anywhere near it or the shop door open...
I pulled up the 'steep *** icy driveway', asked if I could talk to him
& look at the car...
He said 'sure',
I told him "I admired it from afar for 20 years"
IT was his dad's old car,
he lived right up the hill, long *** driveway, behind steel gates, leading up there
it had been sitting outside his shop, a big old tin Butler building 10,000sgft
he did service work on mostly small engines...
Shop was a mess, hoarder like stuff...
I told him I drove by & never knew or saw anyone there or the door open,
for the 20 years I've owned property up here
I drove by it every time I went to my Aunt Joan's place, up-county a few miles
I never stopped or asked to buy the car (Until that day)
The kid said; he was waiting for it & he was going to restore it,
it was never going to leave the family,
but by then, it had no engine or trans
& the rear was replaced with a E-body 8-3/4", too wide
I may have dodged a 'Money pit', but I wanted one...
His dad was still alive back then too, just not very mobile anymore...
We talked for an hour at least, he showed me a stack of cards & notes
people left on the car that his dad had saved, of 100s of people
'wanted to buy the car, to call them'...
I don't know what came of it, it was taken down to the valley,
Oakdale Ca. area IIRC
I've basically, ultimately been priced out of them now...
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Not a fan of the dork dish/caps & painted wheels
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