What is it?

The car is a 1972 small tank VH R/T E49 Valiant Charger. The car was built on Friday, 16 June 1972 and first sold on August 2, 1972. The car is Hot mustard with the following options, A87 Track Pack; A95 Interior dress up package - reclining bucket seats, carpets and 3 spoke steering wheel; D20 4 speed manual floor shift; D56 3.50:1 rear axle with sure grip LSD; E49 Six Pack engine (302 BHP) G60 Add quarter vent windows delete pop out rear windows.

The car has undergone a 3 and half year bare metal restoration. Every nut, bolt and component has been removed and either refurbished or replaced with period correct parts. The engine has been totally rebuilt with custom remanufactured .60 thou over 6 pack pistons. The engine was rebuilt to original specifications with minor reliability and performance up grades, including roller rockers, Windaged tray, upgraded E49 profile cam, and electronic ignition that has been installed under the dash so the visual appearance of the engine bay is period correct.

When did you buy it?

I bought the car on 20 July 2012. I saw the car on car sales and it had been listed for some time. It was advertised as; “interior good, body needs some rust work and a repaint or can be driven as is.” The car was about 90% complete and had various latter model replacement parts fitted. These parts were swapped out for period correct components during the restoration. I bought the car sight unseen from interstate but had a mechanical inspection carried out in NSW before I did the deal. The car was driven to my home in Brisbane by the previous owner from just near Taree, NSW. For a sight unseen car it was OK - the car was original but needed a lot of work.

What do you know about its life?

The gentleman I bought the charger from (an ex police officer) had owned the car for 28 years. I tracked down the person he bought it from (Grant Fields) and I was able to establish that he had bought the car in Sydney in 1983 for the princely sum of $400. It was in pretty bad shape and the Webbers and manifold were seating in the boot as the then owner had replaced them with a Holley as petrol was too expensive! During its time with Grant it was used as a daily driver for a few years and then restored for the first time. On this occasion it was repainted Vitamin C. ( I was told that the paint job on it before that had been done with a paint brush). Once the car was completed and without the knowledge of the owner it was stolen from his front yard and taken for a joy ride. Whilst watching TV on that night he answered a knock on the door with 2 Police officers stating they had located his Charger. He advised yeah it’s on the front lawn he was then told it had been found a few miles away in a ditch. This prompted the second restoration and on this occasion it was painted red. I have been told by various people in the Chrysler community that Grant at the time was one of the foremost experts on restoring R/T chargers - he has owned a few over the years.
Shortly after its red repaint it was sold to the gentleman I bought the car from. So you could say its had an interesting past.

How does it go?

Given the car has had a full restoration it drives better than a new car of the day (it has modern day replacement suspension components, shocks and tyres) but not as good as a modern day Muscle car. But then I wanted to experience the feel of a real 70’s muscle car and it’s great to drive. I don’t think however I could push it down Conrod at close to 130 MPH. Those drivers were something special.

Interesting information

This restoration has been a labour of love. It is almost the same as the car my y dad bought back in 1972. It was stolen and he and I were heart broken. I have always dreamt of getting my dad’s car back one day. I knew the odds of doing this were very slim so I have the next best thing. The car is better than a new car that would have driven off the showroom floor in 1972. I enjoy taking the car to shows and letting people see what a 1970's race homologation touring car looks like. It's great to hear the comments on how good the car looks and how many memories its brings back to so many people. It makes all the blood sweat and tears worth while. It's also great to be able to show the younger generation a piece of Australian Muscle Car heritage.

The only modifications have been to increase reliability and driveability.

The car has been restored to Factory specifications with the addition of the following:

Two pack paint with clear coat and ceramic coating
Modern day shocks and tyres
Electronic ignition
Roller rockers
Oil Pump brace and modern windage tray
Led lighting to the interior and tail lights