2001 Dodge Caravan Se (53070b) ^^ As Is $5 Sale ^^ on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Rare Dodge Daytona found in barn heads for auction

An American icon is headed to Mecum's Kissimmee, Florida auction next January. Charlie Lyons, owner of a restoration shop focused on old Chrysler products, got a lead on a two-owner 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that had been sitting in a barn in Glenwood, Alabama for decades. Dodge built 560 Charger Daytonas (Canada and US production) to homologate the model for NASCAR racing, and then that car and the successor Plymouth Superbird terrorized NASCAR tracks for 18 months. The production car, however, 18 feet long and considered ugly, wasn't popular at the time, so many were beat up or simply disappeared. Around 385 are thought to exist today. Lyons said the first owner of this car was the town judge, who bought it for his wife. In 1974 the second owner - just 18 years old at the time - bought it for $1,800 so he could drive it to Panama City, Florida, for Spring Break, and had flames painted on the front fenders and the scallops trimmed in white. Otherwise this barn find is complete and stock, with matching numbers throughout, R4 Charger Red paint and a white tail, bucket seats, center console, three-speed TorqueFlite automatic, and 20,553 miles on the 440-cubic-inch Magnum V8. Hot Rod has the long story of how Lyons found the car and convinced the owner to sell for what he jokingly called "a shoebox full of folded money." Hagerty says a concours-worthy model can command $262,000. Mecum's pre-sale estimate for this Charger Daytona is $150,000 to $180,000. That sounds steep, but Mecum did sell another perfectly restored Hemi-powered 1969 Charger Daytona for $900,000 at this year's Kissimmee auction to actor David Spade. Related Video:

Junkyard Gem: 1978 Dodge Tradesman Custom Van

The custom-van craze was huge in California, back in the 1970s, and plenty of folks who would never have considered getting zonked on Acapulco Gold while listening to Elephant's Memory ended up buying Econolines and Beauvilles and Tradesmen with shag carpeting, bubble windows, and wild graphics. In fact, van buyers could get that stuff right from the factory. Most of those vans are gone now, but I found this used-up '78 Dodge in a self-service wrecking yard in California's Central Valley. Owners of custom vans felt strongly about their rides back in the Malaise Era. This one has the look of a vehicle that was used for beer-and-burned-meat-heavy tailgate parties at Oakland Raiders games. Such service is rough on a van. Try to picture this interior when it was new and plush, not the way it looks now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. They've all got to go, so let's make a deal! Related Video: Featured Gallery Junked 1978 Dodge Tradesman Custom Van View 19 Photos Dodge Minivan/Van Wagon Junkyard Gems custom van

Dodge Viper recall requires small-handed mechanics

It has been over a year since Chrysler first announced its recall of 3,660 2003-2004 Dodge Vipers because the airbag could suddenly deploy. The repairs are finally beginning, and it appears to be a nightmare for mechanics.
According to the automaker's filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the airbag control module can fail, which causes the bag or the seatbelt pre-tensioner to deploy without warning. It took over a year to design the new parts, according to The New York Times. However, Chrysler finally has a new "jumper harness with an in-line diode filter circuit" ready to fix the problem.
The dilemma now moves to the mechanics who have to actually install the part. A 47-step guide from Chrysler explains that the procedure should take about two hours. It's not an easy job, though. Most of the dashboard has to be taken apart, and the instructions include this helpful bit of advice: "Installing the jumper harness and filter box into position is not an easy task. Patience, perseverance, and small hands are required." We wish the best of luck to them. The fix comes just in time for the Vipers to enjoy the summer sun.