Owner(s) : Steve Preston
Year : 1984 Make : Dodge Model : Charger
Color: Amberfire Engine : 2.2 Ltr. w/ Holley carb.
Modifications other than stock :
Shelby Charger ground effects, painted in the Copperhead concept car color of Amberfire.
Unusual options or accessories :
The brown interior seems to be a littler more rare than the blue or grey. I haven’t seen any other ones at U-Wrench It or while around town or even out of state.
Brief description of how you came to own this car and little history on it :
My wife Cindy, suggested I buy an in-expensive car to use as a “driver” while restoring my Jeep CJ7. I found this car in the paper. It was rough, paint was fading, the floorboards were rusted, the engine had more vacume lines not connected than connected and the engine needed some TLC. I brought it home and drove it for about 2 months (tuning the engine and making the interior presentable) when I went urban deer hunting. This damaged the front clip. After many trips to U-Wrench-It to find a front end (they never have the car you need in stock when you need it) to swap out were un-successful, I decided to look for another Charger as a donor car. Thanks to a tip from a fellow club member (Pete), I found a 1985 Shelby Charger for sale that had a restoration already started on it. The engine had been pulled, body work started. Pete Kirby and I drove down to pick it up, but this wasn’t to fix my ’84. By the way, Pete, Cindy says if you show up with the car hauler at the house, unless it is to remove one of the cars, don’t bother stopping.
Through another ad, I found a 1985 Charger in Bates City. Cindy towed it home behind a van while I steered. The van was borrowed and the tow rope was quite short, we nearly wrecked the frontend on the Charger, which we got for the frontend. We fixed the frontend, pulled the engine and tranny from the ’85 and finally sent that car to the crusher. We painted the driver Amberfire, a color Cindy picked that goes with the interior. About a year ago, another friend turned me on to another Shelby with a shot transmission (Cindy says thanks alot Les). Again the car hauler shows up and again, another car comes home. I figured this episode can be continued on another Jewel form.
In getting the “driver” fixed and running, I ended up bringing home (4) cars, fixed the driver, and finally after almost (2) years, am now working on restoring my Jeep. Then I’ll move on to my Shelby and Belvedere. Then, who knows what….
If low production, give the number produced :