Numbers-Matching 1968 Dodge Charger 383 4-Speed Unearthed After Years in Storage
This is one of only 259 units built in this configuration.
Not all stories of classic cars committed to long-term storage end happily. Some aren't ever rediscovered and end up turning into piles of scrap metal. Today's story about a 1968 Dodge Charger is different, however, as it ends with the muscle car rumbling back to life after the replacement of but a single part.
The 1968 Charger you see peeking out from behind a stack of tires and appliances in the photo above was, according to Auto Evolution, stored back there in 2003 with a failed fuel pump. Predictably, life happened and the Charger never got any further attention until this past week when vintage Chrysler enthusiast @mopars5150 gave it a look and found it to be a numbers-matching example in good condition—minus the peeling vinyl top.
The Charger's fender tag revealed it to be equipped with the four-barrel version of what's sometimes known as the Magnum; a 6.3-liter V8 that produced 330 gross horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. In this Charger, those head to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual, which was a relatively uncommonly chosen option in 1968 and only 259 1968 Chargers were equipped with both the manual and the four-barrel 383 Magnum.
Though the car obviously didn't run after sitting for 17 years, its seller promised it would after having its fuel pump replaced, and they didn't lie. After receiving a new pump, and presumably a new battery too, the Charger rumbled to life once again and is ready to return to the Great American Blacktop. Whether it stays in the finder's possession or gets flipped is of little matter—what's important is that this old machine is again operable, and can make somebody out there very happy indeed.
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