My family were the proud third owners of a ‘71 Charger R/T for over 20 years. 440 Magnum, 3-speed Torqueflite with Slapstik console shifter, and loaded to the hilt with SE options - Rallye wheels, wider G60 x 15 tires, chrome exhaust tips, ‘tuff’ steering wheel, AC, cruise control, power front & rear quarter windows, covered headlights with washer brushes, factory AM/FM stereo with *cassette* player/recorder (not 8-track, cassette!), houndstooth cloth seats and black vinyl top…finished in GK6 Dark Bronze Metallic. Essentially a luxury muscle car. According to Charger registries, there are currently 10 known examples left of ‘71 R/Ts with this color and engine combination! My folks had to let go of the Mighty C about 14 years ago due to unexpected financial hardship, but she’ll always be a part of the family. Incredible, unforgettable vehicle that I was lucky enough to grow up in/around!
I love the nickname that you gave your car that’s awesome mighty C that sucks your parents got rid of it considering how rare it is I wonder if it’s still out there sorry for the late response I wanted to make sure that I read everything right been juggling a lot of things today
@@What.its.like. I have to say that you hold the viewer's attention very well. I'd like to see you expand to twenty-minute episodes. That might draw more subscribers too.
The 1958 Chrysler Imperial had the first oem cruise control dubbed the "Auto-pilot" system. Cadillac coined the ubiquitous term "cruise control" a few years later.
Had a 71 SE . There were 2 different 318 options. A red or blur block 318 depends which transmission it was bolted to. Also my SE had a target-like hood ornament that said SE in the center.
The performance editions of the Charger were special, because you could get a luxurious experience with a smooth ride, while giving up none of the straight-line performance of a Challenger. And ordering the automatic trans over the manual was not a penalty---the Torqueflite 727 was excellent, and snapped off shifts crisply. The Charger was ideal for the man who wanted to cruise around comfortably during the week, while taking it to the drag strip on Saturday night
I plan on doing more endings like that snippets of songs =) I’m a huge beach boys fan they were my favorite band when I was a kid born way too late I like the four seasons Beatles all the classic rock groups huge zeppelin fan too. The Who I like rock =)
@@What.its.like. Sweet! I am 67 and saw a few English rock bands in the 70'sc. And grew up with The Beatles. Thank you for sharing. I love your channel.
So this likely will never happen, but a bucket list buy of mine before I kick it (the bucket) is a fully restored to period '71 Charger with the Hemi, exterior painted a glossy dark cranberry or pomegranate, and the Aerosmith band logo painted in black on both sides. Would prefer the '72 Charger with all of this but no Hemi after '71. Man, I'm salivating....
Don’t give up on that dream Facebook marketplace is a great place to look for a car that might need fixed up or maybe you can find a good driver. They even sell good cars on there from time to time. A lot of times you can get lucky somebody doesn’t know what they have sell it for real cheap. People are always sending me bargain buys and a friend of the channel he sent me a 1948 Hudson big boy if you don’t know what that is it’s a Hudson pick up truck they came in halfton or three-quarter ton, they cost a fortune restored or in any condition really it was up for sale in Erie Pennsylvania for 6500 bucks. I don’t think it was on marketplace for any more than seven hours that was like the bargain of the century almost something unheard of… so just look never know what you’ll find
Hi Jay, in Australia we had a Charger, which was basically a highly trimmed out Valiant. The top engine was the hemi, and it killed a lot of people on our terrible roads of the time. By way of explanation, the annual state road death toll was around 1400 people, out of a population of around 2.5 million. With a pop of 7 + million, our death toll is now around 250. Our roads are much better and the cars are so much safer too. I had a local drive-in near my place, where I grew up looking at the rear of the movie screen. For a particular movie, like Steve Mcqueen in Bullit, they had two total wrecks of current cars. One was a black Charger with the hemi and orange stripes. It was the car that killed a local legend of football. Notably, and I will always remember this: The steering wheel was crashed together and met in the mid-point, resembling the figure 8, and apparently this was his final gasp of adrenaline when the car ran off the road and the car headed for some large trees at 90+ MPH. I stared at that Charger a long time. He was a top talent in my team, and it was a burden for a 10-year-old. It did seem that all the young guys were engine mad, and the amount of hot rod kits available for the local cars was large. Teenagers working on their cars from Friday till Sunday night was the norm, and we'd hang out watching and asking questions.
Also you state the Super Bee had a floor shift w bench seats. Flor shift only came with buckets. And the SE was not the only model that came w hideaway headlights....I know, I've owned eight different 71-74 Chargers.
There was so much conflicting information when doing this episode it was a really hard one to put together It was a long time ago. I'm probably going to go back and do it again and do it proper. I wish I knew where the information came from. I would link it but like I said it's been so long ago I don't remember
you gave the same bore and stroke specs for the 426 hemi as the 440...the 440 is 4.32 bore 3.75 stroke, and the hemi is 4.25 bore 3.75 stroke. I do believe the charger also had the options for a 340 up until 1972, a 360 from 72 to 74, as well as a 383 for 71 to 72, and a 400 for 73 and 74.
No problem I’ve waiting for a channel like this and it never came so I figured why not make one no one talks about specs price or engines that are in these cars =)
While the first gen, fastback chargers of 66-67 are my favorite of the breed, these early 70s fuselage models are a close second. While not as nice as the iconic 68-70 chargers, there's a lot fewer of these around (especially in nice shape), which makes them stand out more, and I appreciate it whenever I get to see one in person.
The 71 Dodge Charger was radically different from the previous Chargers, to me the quality of the interiors seemed plain & cheap!!! They did run well though!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!!! 👍👍
Thank you so much for watching =) I shot this one as well as some other 70s cars about a month ago just tiring to space everything out I did a really cool car yesterday but think that’s going up next week.. I’ll give a hint mid 50s Chrysler product =)
I'm not aware that the factory ever made a fiberglass Charger, but I'd guess it didn't take the aftermarket long to produce fiberglass body parts, which are still available today.
is there anything more '70's than a butterscotch Charger? no, there is not. people know me as a car guy, and when my well-meaning non-car guy friends ask what my favorite muscle car is, I say a '71-72 B-body big block, and they are like 'wha?' put a 383 in this 500 and i'd be all over it
I haven’t driven a charger from this time. So I couldn’t tell you.. The Challenger handles nice the chargers surprisingly much much longer than the Challenger is
I'm surprised someone wouldn't have put power brakes in it at any point. I'd love to have a 72 Charger with a 340 or a 318. Hell, even with a 225 Slant 6 I'd still feel like a bad ass. I'd take the auto with the slap stik (all autos had that?). Gotta love the huge window space when both windows are rolled down. These things are tied with third gen Thunderbirds and Karmann Ghias as some of the best looking cars in my opinion. Type 34 Ghias are also up there.
I had a 73 karman Ghia I wish I had that car now it got 32 mpg on the highway, it was like driving a high powered lawn mower =p that car we bought right after I got married as a flip project long story may share on here as an episode on day
@@What.its.like. I have a 74 Super Beetle and have since I was just about to turn 19. I love it. It's needed an alignment since I bought it, the never touched engine is consuming and leaking oil and the original muffler is starting to get pinholes in it, but that damn car just won't die and starts immediately. Great power too, I regularly go up hills steep hills and maintain around 55 in third. I can get the thing up to about 70-75 before it starts to lose power. Can't speak for MPG as I never really measured it and the odometer (and speedo) didn't work when I bought the car until I rebuilt the speedometer and put in two new cables (it ate the first), but I don't think it can be much worse than my 2004 2WD Tacoma. I think the one time I did check it it was around 28-30. Really love that car, bought it from the family of the original owner and I'm the third owner. Desert car its entire life too, so not a spot of rust. Sometime soon I'm going to replace those 30 year old tires, get the engine rebuilt and an alignment and start driving it when I'm not working again. Thing deserves it. If you'd like to share your car, that would be great. Ghias don't get as much love as they deserve.
I don’t have the Ghia anymore I’ve been looking for one to do they are rare around here I’m friends with the lady I sold my Ghia to but she’s a private person and doesn’t want me to do it =( kinda sucks but have to respect their decision. I put HID head lights in and it had a generator vacuum wipers and key would only go in one way.. the lights were hilarious when at idle they were about as bright as candles in jam jars. At speed they were good but not when driving 25 they where super dim because of the generator. I didn’t have to do anything to that can mechanically all the work it needed was cosmetic.
Thank you for that added information I left out 6 pack Option as well lots of chargers available for 71 I’m sure we’ll get to come back to it in the future =)
well i really like mopars from the 60s and 70s and i have to say. most interiors where just not good looking or good quality. just like most muscle cars, but in a personal opinion, chrysler in general really had a bad time doing it. best ones where on luxury models, and that still being just a very few interiors. i think most people will agree with me if i say the first gen charger has the best interior of any charger. and some more will agree that rust was a very common problem on any car of this era
Their interiors in the 50s weird tho and nothing comes close in terms of space in mopar products not sure when it started going the other way 62 savoy has loads of space 70 challenger not so much
@@What.its.like. i agree, and you gave me a good example. you look the car is a beautiful savoy 62 and you are super happy with the car so you get inside to go for a ride and... where is my shifter? wha what? buttons? sometimes they where just too wild trying to innovate. some options where actually super cool and others just kinda not for anybody. imagine offer power sunroofs on the 60s. that was very visionary for non luxury cars like the charger
FYI, BHP translates to base horsepower as opposed to brake horsepower as incorrectly stated by the narrator. Overall, a fine most descriptive product presentation.
1971 was the last year for the 426 Hemi and 440 six pack engines. I like the 68 model myself.
My family were the proud third owners of a ‘71 Charger R/T for over 20 years. 440 Magnum, 3-speed Torqueflite with Slapstik console shifter, and loaded to the hilt with SE options - Rallye wheels, wider G60 x 15 tires, chrome exhaust tips, ‘tuff’ steering wheel, AC, cruise control, power front & rear quarter windows, covered headlights with washer brushes, factory AM/FM stereo with *cassette* player/recorder (not 8-track, cassette!), houndstooth cloth seats and black vinyl top…finished in GK6 Dark Bronze Metallic. Essentially a luxury muscle car.
According to Charger registries, there are currently 10 known examples left of ‘71 R/Ts with this color and engine combination!
My folks had to let go of the Mighty C about 14 years ago due to unexpected financial hardship, but she’ll always be a part of the family. Incredible, unforgettable vehicle that I was lucky enough to grow up in/around!
I love the nickname that you gave your car that’s awesome mighty C that sucks your parents got rid of it considering how rare it is I wonder if it’s still out there sorry for the late response I wanted to make sure that I read everything right been juggling a lot of things today
I LOVE THIS CAR
I would LOVE to go back in time and buy a brand-new Charger 500 FULLY LOADED!!!
I’d love to go back in time and by cars as well packards 1936-37 packard would be cool
@@What.its.like. Yes Packards were cool!
@@What.its.like. BEST Packard for me would be the very last year Packard Hawk with automatic, posi-traction, and fully loaded...
Good video. It seemed much shorter than the time. I love all the fuselage body cars from Chrysler Corp.
Thank you glad you digged the video
@@What.its.like. I have to say that you hold the viewer's attention very well.
I'd like to see you expand to twenty-minute episodes. That might draw more subscribers too.
Thank you it means a lot I’ll try and make them longer some cars there is more to talk about then others.
The 1958 Chrysler Imperial had the first oem cruise control dubbed the "Auto-pilot" system. Cadillac coined the ubiquitous term "cruise control" a few years later.
Awesome thank you so much for that =)
Had a 71 SE . There were 2 different 318 options. A red or blur block 318 depends which transmission it was bolted to. Also my SE had a target-like hood ornament that said SE in the center.
The performance editions of the Charger were special, because you could get a luxurious experience with a smooth ride, while giving up none of the straight-line performance of a Challenger. And ordering the automatic trans over the manual was not a penalty---the Torqueflite 727 was excellent, and snapped off shifts crisply. The Charger was ideal for the man who wanted to cruise around comfortably during the week, while taking it to the drag strip on Saturday night
It took everything for Chris to do a burnout with that car 318 automatic but it’s possible and we didn’t use tide.
Thank you so much for the information! I just acquired an all original 71 base and really appreciate all the detail!
Thank you for watching =) lots more cool stuff coming
You left out the 383 4bbl rated 300 hp and the 440 Six Barrel rated at 385 hp.
Thank you so much for that added information I really appreciate it =)
I used to own a 71 Charger & I live in the UK!
Sweet =)
Thanks 😊
Beach Boys ending is good for me.
I now like this car more than I ever did when it was new.
I plan on doing more endings like that snippets of songs =)
I’m a huge beach boys fan they were my favorite band when I was a kid born way too late I like the four seasons Beatles all the classic rock groups huge zeppelin fan too. The Who I like rock =)
@@What.its.like.
Sweet!
I am 67 and saw a few English rock bands in the 70'sc.
And grew up with The Beatles.
Thank you for sharing. I love your channel.
Thank you it means a lot =)
excellent!
Thank you =)
So this likely will never happen, but a bucket list buy of mine before I kick it (the bucket) is a fully restored to period '71 Charger with the Hemi, exterior painted a glossy dark cranberry or pomegranate, and the Aerosmith band logo painted in black on both sides. Would prefer the '72 Charger with all of this but no Hemi after '71. Man, I'm salivating....
Don’t give up on that dream Facebook marketplace is a great place to look for a car that might need fixed up or maybe you can find a good driver. They even sell good cars on there from time to time. A lot of times you can get lucky somebody doesn’t know what they have sell it for real cheap.
People are always sending me bargain buys and a friend of the channel he sent me a 1948 Hudson big boy if you don’t know what that is it’s a Hudson pick up truck they came in halfton or three-quarter ton, they cost a fortune restored or in any condition really it was up for sale in Erie Pennsylvania for 6500 bucks. I don’t think it was on marketplace for any more than seven hours that was like the bargain of the century almost something unheard of… so just look never know what you’ll find
Hi Jay, in Australia we had a Charger, which was basically a highly trimmed out Valiant. The top engine was the hemi, and it killed a lot of people on our terrible roads of the time. By way of explanation, the annual state road death toll was around 1400 people, out of a population of around 2.5 million. With a pop of 7 + million, our death toll is now around 250. Our roads are much better and the cars are so much safer too.
I had a local drive-in near my place, where I grew up looking at the rear of the movie screen. For a particular movie, like Steve Mcqueen in Bullit, they had two total wrecks of current cars. One was a black Charger with the hemi and orange stripes. It was the car that killed a local legend of football. Notably, and I will always remember this: The steering wheel was crashed together and met in the mid-point, resembling the figure 8, and apparently this was his final gasp of adrenaline when the car ran off the road and the car headed for some large trees at 90+ MPH. I stared at that Charger a long time. He was a top talent in my team, and it was a burden for a 10-year-old. It did seem that all the young guys were engine mad, and the amount of hot rod kits available for the local cars was large. Teenagers working on their cars from Friday till Sunday night was the norm, and we'd hang out watching and asking questions.
That’s crazy thank you so much fir sharing that information
I had a 74. Passenger side front you have plenty of legroom. Not so much on the driver side because how far back they had the pedals.
Also you state the Super Bee had a floor shift w bench seats. Flor shift only came with buckets. And the SE was not the only model that came w hideaway headlights....I know, I've owned eight different 71-74 Chargers.
There was so much conflicting information when doing this episode it was a really hard one to put together
It was a long time ago. I'm probably going to go back and do it again and do it proper.
I wish I knew where the information came from. I would link it but like I said it's been so long ago I don't remember
@@What.its.like. aw....your good!
My high school neighbor had this car with a automatic and a slant six. Kinda like owning a Caddy Fleetwood with a 3 on the tree.
Yeah I got to drive it it handled like a boat that one had floaty ride
Don't forget that the super bee ,became a charger because all coronets became 4 doors , in 71
Thank you so much for that ad I totally forgot about the super bee Dodge offered a lot of cars and 71
Actually I am partly wrong! 3 spd floor shift was possible w a bench seat but not w a console...all mine were automatics and had consoles...sorry :(
I try to run this channel as a community because a lot of the information that's out there is wrong so you guys keep me in check which is great.. =)
you gave the same bore and stroke specs for the 426 hemi as the 440...the 440 is 4.32 bore 3.75 stroke, and the hemi is 4.25 bore 3.75 stroke. I do believe the charger also had the options for a 340 up until 1972, a 360 from 72 to 74, as well as a 383 for 71 to 72, and a 400 for 73 and 74.
Thank you so much for those corrections =)
@@What.its.like. awesome video none the less...I love seeing these old cars get the attention they deserve. Thank you for the content.
No problem I’ve waiting for a channel like this and it never came so I figured why not make one no one talks about specs price or engines that are in these cars =)
The 383 2bbl and 4bbl ended in 1971.
While the first gen, fastback chargers of 66-67 are my favorite of the breed, these early 70s fuselage models are a close second. While not as nice as the iconic 68-70 chargers, there's a lot fewer of these around (especially in nice shape), which makes them stand out more, and I appreciate it whenever I get to see one in person.
Totally agree I’ve seen more challengers then chargers
First Cruise Control was Auto Pilot, optional on 1958 Imperial.
Awesome thank you so much for that added information I didn’t know they offered that and 58 that’s crazy
@@What.its.like. Check out my avatar. You recognize it?
Hideaways we’re offered on the 500, Super Bee, SE and the R/T I believe. Not sure about coupe
Awesome thank you for that correction =) I only saw the R/T with hide away
Yes the hideaways were optional on all chargers , but were standard equipment on the special editions
Yeah, I had a '71 Charger SE that had the hideaways. Also had a 383 big block with the 4 speed manual trans. Awesome car! First car I ever bought.
The 71 Dodge Charger was radically different from the previous Chargers, to me the quality of the interiors seemed plain & cheap!!! They did run well though!!! Thanks for sharing another fun video!!! 👍👍
Thank you so much for watching =) I shot this one as well as some other 70s cars about a month ago just tiring to space everything out I did a really cool car yesterday but think that’s going up next week.. I’ll give a hint mid 50s Chrysler product =)
@@What.its.like. thanks, I really enjoy all of your videos!!!
You stated the 71 Charger SE focused on sport rather than luxury...you got it backwards...R/T was performance, SE was luxury!
Thank you so much fir that correction
When did they start making the front end out of fiberglass?
Not sure
I'm not aware that the factory ever made a fiberglass Charger, but I'd guess it didn't take the aftermarket long to produce fiberglass body parts, which are still available today.
On the base models I cannot see any difference between 'Coupe' vs. "Hard Top" ?
It’s really hard to tell the difference.
Is the glass and roofline actually the same? and it just is that a Hard Top is a higher trim line?@@What.its.like.
is there anything more '70's than a butterscotch Charger? no, there is not.
people know me as a car guy, and when my well-meaning non-car guy friends ask what my favorite muscle car is, I say a '71-72 B-body big block, and they are like 'wha?' put a 383 in this 500 and i'd be all over it
It was so impressive that it had a 318 automatic and could still do a burn out it was a one wheel peel but still burn out nonetheless. =)
What handles better a charger or challenger?
I haven’t driven a charger from this time. So I couldn’t tell you.. The Challenger handles nice the chargers surprisingly much much longer than the Challenger is
At low speeds I would bet on the Challenger, at NASCAR speeds the 3rd gen Charger was one of the all time greats. Just ask Richard Petty!
I'm surprised someone wouldn't have put power brakes in it at any point.
I'd love to have a 72 Charger with a 340 or a 318. Hell, even with a 225 Slant 6 I'd still feel like a bad ass. I'd take the auto with the slap stik (all autos had that?). Gotta love the huge window space when both windows are rolled down.
These things are tied with third gen Thunderbirds and Karmann Ghias as some of the best looking cars in my opinion. Type 34 Ghias are also up there.
I had a 73 karman Ghia I wish I had that car now it got 32 mpg on the highway, it was like driving a high powered lawn mower =p that car we bought right after I got married as a flip project long story may share on here as an episode on day
@@What.its.like. I have a 74 Super Beetle and have since I was just about to turn 19. I love it. It's needed an alignment since I bought it, the never touched engine is consuming and leaking oil and the original muffler is starting to get pinholes in it, but that damn car just won't die and starts immediately.
Great power too, I regularly go up hills steep hills and maintain around 55 in third. I can get the thing up to about 70-75 before it starts to lose power.
Can't speak for MPG as I never really measured it and the odometer (and speedo) didn't work when I bought the car until I rebuilt the speedometer and put in two new cables (it ate the first), but I don't think it can be much worse than my 2004 2WD Tacoma. I think the one time I did check it it was around 28-30.
Really love that car, bought it from the family of the original owner and I'm the third owner. Desert car its entire life too, so not a spot of rust. Sometime soon I'm going to replace those 30 year old tires, get the engine rebuilt and an alignment and start driving it when I'm not working again. Thing deserves it.
If you'd like to share your car, that would be great. Ghias don't get as much love as they deserve.
I don’t have the Ghia anymore I’ve been looking for one to do they are rare around here I’m friends with the lady I sold my Ghia to but she’s a private person and doesn’t want me to do it =( kinda sucks but have to respect their decision. I put HID head lights in and it had a generator vacuum wipers and key would only go in one way.. the lights were hilarious when at idle they were about as bright as candles in jam jars. At speed they were good but not when driving 25 they where super dim because of the generator. I didn’t have to do anything to that can mechanically all the work it needed was cosmetic.
Interesting that there wasn’t a 2 door Coronet in ‘71~. I wonder how sales compared to years with a 2 door Coronet.
According to the the number 71 was a good year for Charger sales all things considered, dodge was late to the muscle car party and stayed later...
Forgot the 383 magnum 300hp
Thank you for that added information I left out 6 pack Option as well lots of chargers available for 71 I’m sure we’ll get to come back to it in the future =)
well i really like mopars from the 60s and 70s and i have to say. most interiors where just not good looking or good quality. just like most muscle cars, but in a personal opinion, chrysler in general really had a bad time doing it. best ones where on luxury models, and that still being just a very few interiors. i think most people will agree with me if i say the first gen charger has the best interior of any charger. and some more will agree that rust was a very common problem on any car of this era
Their interiors in the 50s weird tho and nothing comes close in terms of space in mopar products not sure when it started going the other way 62 savoy has loads of space 70 challenger not so much
@@What.its.like. i agree, and you gave me a good example. you look the car is a beautiful savoy 62 and you are super happy with the car so you get inside to go for a ride and... where is my shifter? wha what? buttons? sometimes they where just too wild trying to innovate. some options where actually super cool and others just kinda not for anybody. imagine offer power sunroofs on the 60s. that was very visionary for non luxury cars like the charger
This is hard to watch, my advice is read what your saying for your video a couple of times before you do your takes.
7:05 stereo tape 'recorder'..really?
FYI, BHP translates to base horsepower as opposed to brake horsepower as incorrectly stated by the narrator. Overall, a fine most descriptive product presentation.
Thank you for that correction
But it is brake horsepower
www.dictionary.com/compare-words/bhp-vs-hp
Ash tray? Is that for your parents ashes 🙄
From western Pennsylvania we have weird names for things