Sal's
1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

The Chronicles of Chuch’s Classic Challenger
Juanita S. Moran


If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Not To Look Astonished (And Buy The Car).

With 2 jobs, 2 kids (Damian & Tina), the only car we had, our family “putt-putt”, finally died. Chuch (Sal) and I needed to find a replacement, which we were hoping would be a good used ”family sedan” car that would last. As we were driving from car lot to car lot, we happened upon a used car dealership located on Hwy 61 in St Paul, Minnesota. There it was, just sitting there, a 1970 Dodge Challenger RT Convertible

I’m Speeding Because I Have To Get There Before I Forget Where I’m Going.

I thought Sal was going to drive into the ditch; he was taking the curve into the driveway so fast. He jumped out of the putt-putt, and as he approached the car his eyes got even bigger when he saw the stick shift and knew it was a manual 4-speed transmission. He had the biggest smile on his face that I had ever seen.

The Male Gene Pool Could Use A Little Chlorine.


The salesman came over and told Sal that the car had just come into the dealership from Virginia and, it had only one previous owner. The car salesman and Sal were now in the world only men understand, they were talking about engines, 4-speed transmissions, themselves (oops), four barrels, etc., etc.


He Who Laughs Last Thinks The Slowest.


As for Sal, there was ONLY ONE THING WRONG with the car; the color of the car was what he referred to as “PUTRID GREEN”. Sal hemmed and hawed, but at this moment there were two things that were pushing me to try to talk Sal into buying the car. First, the kids and I were sick and tired of looking for a car; secondly, I could tell that Sal really liked the car.
Amazingly, the unbelievable happened; we walked away without buying the car! Sal said buying that car would not be the right thing to do; we needed a reliable “family sedan” car, not a convertible. To this day, I believe that the reason Sal walked away from the Challenger was because it was a “PUTRID GREEN” color, it had nothing to do with being a “family “ car, but there was nothing I could say to talk him into buying the car.


He Who Hesitates Is Not Only Lost, But Is Miles Away From The Next Exit.

Sal talked about the car on the ride home, into the evening, “IN HIS SLEEP” and was still talking about the car the next morning. After Sal left for work, I went back to the car lot, found the salesman, gave him a $50.00 deposit and told him we’re coming back to pick up the car that evening. Now all I had to do was to go home and tell Sal.

This Would Be Really Funny, If It Weren't Happening To Me.

When Sal returned home from work he was still talking about the car and said that had he told a couple of his buddies at work about the car. NOW, Sal was panicking because he thought maybe one of them would go out to the car lot and buy the car!!!!!

Cleverly Disguised As A Responsible Adult.

In the best interest of wives everywhere, I had to let Sal fret for at least 1 or 2 hours before I told him that I had gone back to the car dealership and put money down on the car. Needless to say, he was ECSTATIC, a reliable “family sedan” car was now a thing of the past (1 whole day).


AllYou Need Is Love (And A 1970 Dodge Challenger RT Convertible).

Now, jump ahead about 40 years, except for a couple of trips around the block, the Challenger has not been driven for the last dozen years or so. Sal just goes in the garage puts the top down, starts the car and sits in it. For the last two years he has been looking for someone to restore the car.

Welcome to Wisconsin, Smell Our Dairy Air.

Finally we found a place to go for restoring the Challenger. It is the best car restoration company in the Midwest: Fast Freddie’s Rod Shop. (Fred Kappus-Prop.) located in the busy metropolis of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

It's Been Lovely, But I Ha