1971 Dodge Charger - Iconic Roar - 51

Wild modification, mild rebuild or sympathetic restoration with a few tweaks here and there? Craig Wallen chose the latter path, and the results speak for themselves.
It was 1964, and Pontiac had just released the GTO, a car that would help shape the identity of the American vehicle forever. This new machine set the public into a buying frenzy, and became the first to be identified as a muscle car ” defined as an affordable, mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive and large-engined two-door vehicle. Although the GTO was the car that started the movement, it was perhaps not its brightest star, as other manufacturers scrambled to catch up throughout the late ’60s. Soon, now instantly recognisable machines like the Chevelle, the Road Runner and the Torino began to pop up in showrooms all over the country, but there was one particular machine that stood out from the rest: the Dodge Charger.
Smooth, hulking looks, a great choice of V8 motors and a very affordable price (around the US$3500 mark) saw the Charger rise to the top of the muscle car pack and into the hearts and minds of Americans.
This march towards icon status was accelerated by two pivotal moments in film and television: Steve McQueen’s classic 1968 film Bullitt, in which a jet black 1968 440ci Charger plays the part of the villain’s vehicle in what is widely regarded as one of the best chase scenes of all time; and, of course, the long-running TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, where a second-gen Charger played the part of the General Lee, one of the most recognisable cars in the world.
Although Auckland-cum-New Plymouth man Craig Wallen was previously a Chev man, he has also always had a huge appreciation for the Charger. “I had been wanting to move into Mopar for a while, and the Charger seems the perfect choice,” Craig says. “I wanted to collect all three B-platform Chargers, which I now have, but it’s my 1971 Series 3 that I’m enjoying the most.”
Unlike most cars featured in NZV8, Craig’s 1971 Dodge Charger is not heavily modified. In fact, it’s not really modified at all, but completely rotisserie restored.
Hard To Find
Four years ago, after realising he simply wasn’t going to find the Series 3 Charger he was looking for here in New Zealand, Craig began looking Stateside for his new ride, eventually stumbling upon a fairly average-condition 1971-vintage example. Although there was not much in the way of rust, the left side of the car had been in an accident and was looking a little worse for wear.
After landing the car in New Zealand, Craig and his brother (Challenger convertible, NZV8 #46) got straight to work stripping down the Charger and bolting it up to a rotisserie for a full bare metal restoration. The process took one long year, but eventually the Dodge rolled out of the workshop looking just as it had when it sat on the showroom floor in 1971.
Under the hood is a slightly different story. The standard issue 380ci motor has been replaced with a 440ci big block engine from a 1972 Charger. The 440 is a beast of a motor, and now benefits from a brand new six-pack carb, bought new from the factory.
Why exactly did Craig go down the restoration path? “With the 440 installed, it’s not like the car was down on power. I just figured it came out of the factory a very capable car, so decided to do a restoration instead of a rebuild. The fact that a standard restored car is worth a lot more to sell than a modified one helped the decision along too.” With a few little tweaks here and there to help the car on its way, Craig was soon hitting the streets in his brand new, four-decade-old Charger.
With plans to simply enjoy driving his ’71 now that it is finished, Craig’s attention has turned to his other two Chargers, specifically his ’68 Series 2, which judging by what we have seen so far, looks set to be a very nice piece of automotive gold. Will it be another inch-perfect restoration like this ’71? Apparently not, it’s slightly more modified. But you can bet if the quality of that car is as good as the one here, it’s a vehicle you will one day see in these pages.
Leading The Charge
During the lead-up to production of Bullitt, Warner Brothers had worked out a deal with Ford, which would supply vehicles for the now very famous chase scene. The hero, Detective Bullitt, was to drive a 1968 390ci Mustang GT Fastback, and the villains, a ’68 Galaxie. Unfortunately for the Galaxies, they were simply too heavy to deal with the abuse of the chase as the cars crashed through the steep San Francisco streets. The producers ditched the Galaxie and went straight down to the local Dodge dealership, where they purchased a pair of jet black 1968 Dodge Charger RTs (there are always two of every car), complete with 440ci big block motors. Both Mustangs sustained heavy damage during the three weeks of filming ” in fact one was completely written off ” and yet both Chargers came out unscathed.
In 1979 a brand-new show aired on a TV sets all across America. It was called The Dukes of Hazzard, and it proved to be an instant hit. We all know the basic storyline, and the characters like Bo, Luke, Uncle Jessie and Boss Hogg, but the true star of the show is the General Lee, a modified Series 2 Dodge Charger.
Over 145 episodes and six years, the producers of the CBS show went through a total of 256 Chargers, wrecking at least one per show with their crazy jumps and stunts. It seems a horrible waste now, but at the time the cars were not worth a hell of a lot, and supply was plentiful. The various ’68 and ’69 Chargers used a wide range of engines, but stunt drivers obviously preferred the big 440ci motor when it came to filming a huge jump, especially considering the car had to move the extra weight of sandbags in the boot that stopped it nosing in on landing. Seventeen of that original 256 still exist today and are, as one could imagine, commanding some serious dollars at auction.

1971 Dodge Charger – Specifications

Engine: 440ci (7.2-litre) Chrysler big block, six-pack carburettor, Mopar electronic ignition, TTI headers, TTI three-inch exhaust system, three-core radiator
Driveline: Chrysler 727 transmission
Brakes: 279mm rotors, standard callipers, standard rear drums
Suspension: Aftermarket front and rear sway bars
Wheels/tyres: Factory 15×7-inch Rallye rims, 225/60R15 BF Goodrich front tyres, 245/60R15 BF Goodridge rear tyres
Exterior: Fully restored in Hemi Orange, black decals
Interior: Restored factory
Performance: Untested

Craig Wallen – Owner Profile

Age: 36
Occupation: Manager
Previously owned cars: ’56 Chev pick-up, ’59 Apache pick-up, currently own ’67 Dodge Charger, ’70 RT/SE Dodge Charger and ’71 Cuda hardtop
Build time: One year
Owned: Three years
Andrew thanks: My panelbeater Steve, Craig Boggs and most of all my wife for allowing my toys.