Hey that’s my car! It was fun meeting you Zach and I’m glad to see you enjoyed reviewing my stripped out base model Challenger. Well it’s not entirely stripped, it has one extra cost factory option. The Go-Mango orange high impact paint color was a $15 upcharge. Brett
That's a cool and unique car for sure! That said, if it's real hot where you're at, nobody will hold it against you for installing an aftermarket under-dash or integrated air conditioner. Your health and comfort are important. And today in DFW, Texas, it got up to 110°! Get that a/c, man!
Every car show I got to I totally appreciate the owners who stayed dedicated to the 6 cyl model. Because let's be honest, just like today's 6 cyl Camaros and Chargers, those were the most common back then. That's what people really drove day to day. This fantasy that everything was a big block and everything was lighting fast is just wrong. People bought the base engines for the same exact reasons they do today.
A buddy of mine that I grew up with had a 71’ Nova with a 250cu. straight-six with a power glide transmission.That was a smooth,reliable,trouble free engine and trans combo.
I always thought Chrysler should’ve tried to make a V12 by having two Slant-Six’s or Australian Hemi’s sharing a common crankcase. That, or develop them into a DOHC I6.
This car looks unbelievably good. The orange is fantastic and that interior looks awesome. Everyone wants the 383s and big blocks so a survivor with the Slant 6 is incredibly rare. The Slant 6 is a good engine, reliable and makes respectable power. I've always liked the E-bodies so it makes me happy whenever I see one. Mustangs and even Camaros are everywhere but Challengers and Barracudas are almost nonexistent. Although, there's a yellow one with black stripes one buried in a garage a few blocks from my house. I'd take this over a '70 Mustang or Camaro. The coolest car I've ever ridden in was a 1971 Plymouth 'Cuda with the 440 Six-Pack and a pistol-grip shifter. I got to sit up front and my dad had to squeeze into the back. I came back 15 years later and the guy remembered me and still had the car, though it wasn't at his garage when I stopped by.
This is so cool, you never see old inline 6 muscle/sports/anything it seems like. Seems like everyone in the 80s and 90s when they were cheap just ripped them out and (sometimes poorly) slapped in a small or big block. I love these original inline 6 cars, the smoothness, the simplicity, it's just different. Really happy to see at least some survivors out there
I think this is the best looking car you've reviewed so far... and I think it's a testament to the original Challenger's design that it looks so clean and beautiful in its base form without any add-ons... maybe even moreso than the higher-spec models.
The car I drove in high school (mid 90s) was a 73 Charger with a slant 6 and 3 on the tree. It was base model, so no PS, PB, or AC. But it did have an AM radio. It also had shoulder belts that were separate from the lap belts, I only used the lap belt. It sat under a tree for a while, was dented all the way down the passenger side, and had holes in the rear floor board. Despite all that, I could still jump in through the driver's window like Bo Duke. That made up for everything else. 😁
I will add my voice to the chorus of ASTONISHMENT at the sight of this base model Challenger. 🤩For practical people, the Slant Six is the true legend among Chrysler engines. 👏👏👏👏
I wonder if 50 years from now V6 challengers of today will be looked at in this way. Provided they aren't all crashed or stolen by people with room temperature credit scores.
I agree. As a silly European, I drive GT AWD as daily and still I enjoy the car. It has the look, comfortable ride and in fact still not average power. Yes, she's more cruiser than real muscle car. And being blessed to have her bigger sister with 5.7 Hemi + shaker hood for nice weather weekends... that's already true muscle car with the magic sound and low-end torque of a V8, I can say BOTH cars make your day better:-) So I just hope the little modern V6's get some appreciation that they deserve.
You can definitely tell this one’s been restored, that jacking instructions sticker is way too straight. Most of them rolling of the line you were lucky if it was right side up let alone straight
Damn that engine bay looks like the freaking Grand Canyon there's so much space to work. This reminds me of my parents' '76 Plymouth Volare which was also a Mopar slant six.
This was my first car. Same color, same year with one difference. Mine had the hi-po 383 but it was a base model. The only option the the car had was AM radio and the hi-po 383 (335hp), auto w/3.23 gears. Great car for a high school student in the 70's.
@thesarethbreaks IKR? I just love it, I can’t explain it. It’s like, less is more. A classic car looks more original & mint with the original steelies & center caps than a classic with 10-spoke gargantuan aftermarket alloy wheels. You probably know what I mean. There’s 4 words to describe time-capsule basic classics. Beautiful, smooth, simple, & honest. I just love it.
My first car ever was a hand-me-down 6 4 and a 1/2. Barracuda with t. Huge Window in the rear with t. With this slant 6. They called the one with the 2 barrel. Carburetor the super six, and then the 27.3 V8 was an option.
Love this car! My Mom drove a 69 Camaro with a 250 inline, and a powerglide. She drove it, and loved it for 40 years. It got swept away in a flood. That car was so cool. Very similar to this Challenger. Put a glass pack on it!!! Inlines sound so good, with a glass pack!!
Dare I say it, I am firmly of the opinion that the 1970 Challenger (as well as the E bodies in general) is one of the most beautiful cars ever made and this stunning example affirms that.
I would love for you to cover a Slant-Six Charger if you ever get the chance in the future, most of the Challenger and the Charger Slant-Six models were V8 swapped from the 70's-90's which is understandable but also a shame. Same with the Inline-6 Camaros and Mustangs. They need to be preserved.
Luv this. So glad it was restored as-is. Many years ago I had a barracuda with the 225, no pwr steer or brakes, but a torqueflite. Oddly it had every trim option so was quite lux with its frosty green exterior and white interior. Great car, drove forever until the rust got the better of it. Back then we didn't save them, darn it
Back in the late 60s to early 70s, Mopar was all about the wild colors. Besides Go-Mango and Hemi Orange, you had Top Banana, Sub-Lime, Plum Crazy, Tor-Red, Panther Pink and many others.
The shifter is hard because of the transmission. In 1970 (maybe it was 71) they switched the sidecover with the shift levers to what they called the "double interlock" style. The older "ball and detent" style shifts WORLDS better. The clutch shouldn't be tough at all unless it's misadjusted or they put the wrong clutch in it. The old Mopar factory clutches were 3-finger "Borg and Beck" style, and do need more foot pressure than the Ford (Long) or GM diaphragm style cutches did.
Love your description of the cup holders! Our '70 2 door Newport had those as well and we totally used them for our drinks at the A&W drive in. Thanks for the great review!
Good job on upgrading it to the 4 speed trans. If he could get a 5 speed trans for it would do the engine more good. Heck even get a 6 speed if there was one for it. Love this car.
Back in 1975, when I was 16, I got my first car. My dad financed it, but I made the payments. I had a weekend job. It was a 1970 Dodge Challenger. Pretty much a base model. It did have a 318 V8, but it was a 2 barrel with a single exhaust. It certainly wasn't fast. It was dark green with a white vinyl top and a black interior, front bench seat with split backs and a fold down armrest. It had a column shifted automatic. And it came with Torque Thrust style grey 5 spoke real mag wheels and Goodyear Polyglas GT RWL tires. I had that car for 7 years, and finally blew the engine when all the teeth sheared off the PLASTIC cam sprocket. I sold it cheap and bought a '72 Chevy Rally Nova.
What state did you live in , I bought a 70 with a 225 in it in around 1983, I think it was last tabbed in California , it had a slap stick and plain hood , base model a ssume. I never believed the225 was stock and original paint appeared to be plumb crazy ... I bought it from G&G auto brokers in puyallup Washington state for$1200... $200 down $50 bucks a month on a handshake no paperwork and there was a 357 snub nose revolver sitting on the salesmans desk where i plopped down the 200 bucks . I was 15 and a half years old no learners permit , just big kahunys i guess .. It was re-po'd twice but I made payments and always got it back. I guess the the old cuss liked me , I paid off in just over a year drove it through high school and first quarter of welding school GRCC, and mom made me sell it cause I kept getting my license suspended. Was talked into selling it to a close friend on a buy ba k promise but he lauched it off the road into a huge Boulder folding up in a big L. Face surgery for passenger and I lost track of the car. Still won't forgive myself for letting mom make me sell it , had a 383 rebuildng on motorstand when I sold it , probably why it got totaled cause ew owner Tod Campbell put it in and, well you know, fffffuuuu. LuvD
@@user-mx8ih3jf3t I lived in AZ, and still do. About 20 miles southeast of Phoenix. We bought the car from a franchised new car dealer. Must have been a trade in. It was my one and only Mopar. After I bought the Nova, I became a Chevy guy, and fell in love with the small block Chevy engine. The 225 slant six was indeed an option in the '70 Challenger.
It's not true that cars of that era all have sloppy steering, if they do it usually means that the steering box needs to be adjusted, and, or ,there is wear in the steering components, I've got two old mopars, and they steer tight as a drum .The slant six was in production longer than you stated ,it was 1959 to 1997 ish ,even longer in Mexico.
Well, a Six does not a muscle car make! But, if you wanted fuel economy in 1970, and wanted to look good while saving gas, then a Challenger with the 225 Slant Six and factory 4 speed was one way to accomplish that. And you had decent power too. Edit: Oh! It was a 3 speed originally? Still, it's a manual. Was it column shift or always a floor shift?
The stick was at the floor, 3 speed with unfortunately short gear ratio and final drive even on the V8. Btw back in the day the challenger was a pony and not a muscle car along eg Mustang etc. It was the size that determined the segment and not the engine whatever the capacity. ❤
Doge or Stellantis ended production of the Challenger and Charger at the end of July as they plan to electrify them. This means there are no cars in Dodge's lineup.
Zack! You tested a perhaps unique car, a restored Challenger six, and DIDN'T focus on the sound at all!!?? That car without a V8 sound is what it's all about, the only thing that sets it apart from EVERYTHING else. You missed the whole point.
Hey there, I had a 225 w/ torqueflite auto in a Plymouth Valiant Duster. It absolutely hated to start in cold, rainy weather. And, it always had a slight vibration/shake when idling. Did your Dodge exhibit any of those characteristics?
The steering has slop in it because the steering gear box is worn. Cars then had worm steering gear boxes and they were wore out especially mopars. Fords and GM far outlasted mopar.The 60s and 70s did not come from the factory with all that play and slop so why is he saying it supposed to? Let me guess...this guy grew up strapped in the back seat of his momma Honda Civic and has never driven a new car from the 60s or 70s.
In the day, no one EVER called a six cylinder a muscle car. And no one EVER called a base model a "stripper" car. After "awful" I gave up on this nonsense video.
Major credit to you for keeping this beautiful Challenger original. A very rare car nowadays and I love the Go-Mango! That's coming from the owner of a 1970 Challenger R/T 😉
