He Trades His 71 RT Survivor For A Mopar With No Engine, No Transmission And No Door Handles, Then Admits It Is The Ugliest Green, But A Deal’s A Deal

Chris Birdsong owns a running, rust-free 1971 Dodge Charger R/T in F7 green with a 440 under the hood. He decided to trade it for a Mopar that has no engine, no transmission and no windshield.

Two classic Mopar muscle cars in a lot and a green muscle car parked on a wet road

“I am trading my 71 RT survivor for a car that doesn’t even run and drive,” he tells viewers on Junkerup. “For a car that doesn’t even have an engine or transmission in it. For a car that doesn’t even have door handles.”

The car he is getting is a 1968 Charger, and he admits the color is “the ugliest version of green for a Mopar.” But a deal, as he says, is a deal.

He Fixed Every Annoyance Before Handing Over The Keys

Chris did not want to leave his buddy with a car full of little problems. So before the trade, he spent a day fixing them.

The list was long. The mirror was floppy, the headliner sagged, the console rattled, and the exhaust had a bad leak. “I don’t want to do him dirty,” he says.

It was raining hard, so he worked inside the shop.

“I Just Broke That” And A Door Handle Welded Back Together

While cleaning the car, he broke the door handle. Normally he would grab a spare from his tote of Charger handles, but the only 1971 Charger he had was this one.

So he welded it. The handle is cast aluminum, “original cast aluminum, not Chinese aluminum,” and it worked. “It works. I am genius.”

He also fixed the floppy mirror. He pulled it down, put new tension on the flat spring and gave it “the old whack.” Now it stays put.

The Exhaust Leak That Sounded Like A Farm Truck

The next job was the exhaust. He fired up the 440 and felt around with his fingers for puffs of air. The culprit was the donut gasket.

He had a twin of it in his tote of random gaskets. That is what’s nice about working on cars you like all the time, he says: you always have extras.

With the new gasket in, the car went quiet. “Doesn’t sound like a farm truck under the hood.”

A Brake Warning Light, A Hammer, And A Stuck Valve

The last gripe was a brake warning light that came on when he hit the brakes hard. He bled the brakes and barely got an air bubble, so he suspected the shuttle valve in the distribution block was stuck.

He gave it a whack with a flat screwdriver and a hammer, and he tightened up the brake bias. He had set it for less rear brake, probably for burnouts, and putting it back fixed the light.

Now the loudest thing was the tires. He could hear the transmission shift, and he says he likes all the mechanical noises. “I think it is now trade ready.”

A 440 That Is “Torquey, Not Fast”

Chris is honest about what he is giving up. The 440 is bone stock, with a mild cam, and it is torquey, not fast. He says the 370 horsepower 440 Magnum idles smooth because the cam has hardly any overlap.

The car still looks great, and its original exhaust is 55 years old. The interior, he says, is mint.

The only thing he would change if he were keeping it is the solid fan, which sounds like a school bus when it engages.

Meet The Buyer, And The 68 With The Dog-Chewed Dash

The next morning at a farm in Bakersfield, he met up with his buddy Doulich, who owns the 1968 Charger. Doulich was ready, and they took the 71 for a drive.

Then it was time to walk around the 68. Doulich did the selling. Chris looked at what he was getting: a roller with no motor, no transmission and no windshield. The interior was gutted, and a dog had chewed the dash pad.

Doulich’s neighbor had shot out a couple of the windows. “You’re just making me kind of rethink this whole trade deal,” Chris joked.

“The Sheet Metal On This Car Is Absolutely Pristine”

Doulich’s pitch was that the metal is excellent. “You really don’t find a 68 Charger unrestored that’s this straight and rust free.” He points to the solid cowl, the roof with no dents, and the quarter panels.

The chrome and stainless trim has not a single ding, he says, and the quarter vent frames are not pitted, so someone could restore the car without paying for rechroming.

He also had a few perks. High-back bucket seats and the original seats come with it, with some extra seats priced at $2,500, and an unassembled NOS console kit. A follower named Simon in Golden Valley supplied replacement door handles.

A 35-Year Barn Find Chris Never Touched

Doulich says he has had the car for about 35 years. He found it under an oak tree after it was last registered in 1987, and he has “babysat it since 1988.”

He says it came with headers, a performance cam, Mallory ignition and air shocks, so it was somebody’s hot rod before it was parked.

He never did a thing to it except rob a windshield and a door handle. He never emotionally bonded with it, he says, and he would rather have a 1969 Super Bee.

Why Trade A Running Car For A Project?

The math was lopsided on paper. Doulich says that on market value, equal quality cars would put the 68 at double the 71. But his nephew had a line that stuck: “A Charger RT on the road is worth a toot in the shop.”

Chris says that with the drivetrain Doulich is supplying, the 68 is worth about the same as the 71. Doulich called it very fair.

Friends talked him into it too. Several told Doulich to do the deal.

A Drag Race, A Build Series And What To Know Before Trading

Chris plans a build series. When the 68 is running and tire shredding worthy, Doulich can drive it, and the two talked about a drag race against the 71 for pink slips.

Chris calls the car’s patina “patina 2.0.” He sold his earlier car to get here, so the plan is to make this one bigger, louder and faster, and also street worthy.

Fix the small stuff before a trade. A clean, working car builds trust.
Judge a project by its metal first, since rust repair costs the most.
Count the extras that come with it, like seats, trim and console kits.
Remember the car on the road is worth more than a car in the shop.

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