1972 Dodge Charger Rallye - Rare H Code, Original Owner, NHRA Drag Class Winner

Description

Original owner, 1972 Dodge Charger Rallye; factory equipped with H code 340 Magnum engine, automatic transmission, power steering, vinyl bucket seats, floor shift console, tuff steering wheel, AM music master radio, rear speaker, dual chrome racing mirrors, hood tie-down pins, tinted glass, forced upper level ventilation, I/P mounted hood release, and sure grip differential.
I special-ordered this Charger on October 5, 1971 from Hanover Motors, Inc. on Route 46 in Hackettstown, NJ and took delivery on November 20, 1971. With its scheduled production date of October 28, 1971, it is 1 of only 1,075 Dodge Charger Rallye hardtops built with the 340 engine and automatic transmission combination. The "Rallye" package was a $67.55 option which included a dark argent painted grille, one year only simulated door louvers, louvered tail lights, power bulge hood with black performance treatment, rallye cluster instrument panel, F70x14 wsw tires, and anti-sway bars front and rear. I opted for F70x14 raised white letter tires mounted on steel wheels with dog-dish hub caps and no power-robbing accessories other than power steering.
To this day, the Charger still retains its factory-applied Y9 dark gold metallic paint from the doors back, on a 99% rust-free body along with its original factory stock light gold interior. I still have the original broadcast sheet, MSRP window sticker, fender tag, owners manual, all ordering and financing paperwork from the dealer, initial NJ tag registration receipt, original NJ license plate, and most all FL tag registrations. The Charger still retains its original numbers matching engine block (MH340 37350070), assembled on October 19, 1971, factory cast iron intake manifold, and Carter 4-barrel Thermoquad carburetor; however the transmission has been replaced; first in 1973 and again in 1987.
EARLY RACING HISTORY (1972 - 1973):
When I first purchased the Charger, it served double duty as my daily work vehicle on weekdays and as my 'backup' drag racer on the weekends while my 'real' drag car ('70 'Cuda) was being prepared for NHRA Super Stock racing duty. At the end of the 1971 racing season, NHRA realized the stock class category needed to be scaled back to the golden days of drag racing when you could drive your car to the track, slap on a set of cheater slicks, uncork the exhaust and go racing. The new 'Almost Pure Stock' rules for 1972 allowed only minor modifications as they were intended to bring new blood and more modern vehicles into the sport at the entry level. These new rules fit my situation perfectly so I decided to take my new Charger to the local drag strip and give it a try. To my surprise, with only the allowed modifications of installing exhaust cutouts ahead of each muffler, changing the rear gear ratio from 3.23 to 3.91, and a little fine-tuning of the engine, I was able to exceed the D/SA national speed record of 95 mph at the first NHRA Division One race I entered in May 1972 at Englishtown Raceway Park with two back-to-back runs of 97mph! Unfortunately, I was not prepared to submit my factory-bone-stock engine to the required post technical inspection which consisted of pulling off one cylinder head as it was still under the 12 months/12,000 miles factory warranty so I reluctantly forfeited the record. A few months later however, I was rewarded with a NHRA trophy as the National Stock Class winner in D/SA at the 1972 NHRA Summer Nationals in Englishtown, NJ. The following year, I repeated the same fete competing in the J/SA stock class after NHRA revised their class designations for the 1973 season.
LATER RACING HISTORY:
Upon getting my Super Stock 'Cuda back on track in 1973, the Charger was relegated to primarily street driven status with occasional drag strip outings at special events. The Charger remained as my faithful daily driver until the end of 1978 when, with just over 113k on its odometer, it was replaced with a new '78 Dodge Magnum GT. The Charger still saw occasional drag racing action thereafter, but it was mainly my vehicle of choice during weekend cruise nights. In 1987, with approximately 120k miles showing on the odometer, I finally decided to have the engine overhauled and the transmission upgraded. Eventually, with the ever increasing expense of Pro and SuperPro ET bracket racing, I retired the 'Cuda in the mid-90's and returned to the Charger to keep my drag racing bug alive. Although the street legal Charger was no longer competitive in the Stock class arena as the rules had eventually returned to pre-1972 status, it was very adaptable to the ET Bracket form of racing which had become very popular. With a few performance modifications like high-flow tube exhaust headers, low-restriction mufflers, a Turbo-Action street/strip torque converter along with a reverse pattern manual shift valve body for the transmission, and a set of front and rear drag tires, the Charger was once again back on track while still being street driven on special occasions. It was last raced in May 2008 at the 2-day All Mopar Southern Nationals in Valdosta, GA where it garnered the class win on Day 1 in the Street ET class and the runner-up position in the same class on Day 2 of the event..
NON-RACING HISTORY:
Over the span of its 45 years and and approximately 125k miles of loyal service, the Charger has definitely earned its fair share of road-use bumps and bruises along the way. On the way home from work in October 1973, it straddled the carcass of a dead deer laying in the middle of the road which in turn cracked the transmission case and put a slight bow in the rear valance panel. Then sadly, one late evening in August 1974, the Charger encountered an old gray mare that had made its final escape out of its barnyard directly into the path of the Charger. Unbelievable, I was still able to drive the Charger from New Jersey to Florida the very next day (thanks to the excessive void space between the front bumper and the radiator)...however the hood, grille sections, bumper, and both fenders met the same fate as the horse that night. On another occasion, a misjudgement on my part while loading the car on my open trailer caused it to come in contact with the trailers fender putting a small dent in the lower quarter panel just ahead of the rear wheel opening. Lastly, while heading to the track one Friday evening, due to my carelessness of not properly securing the Charger on the trailer, the front valance panel was totaled while making a sudden stop at the first red light.
CURRENT CONDITION:
The Charger is currently tagged and insured, and is only seldom street driven on rare occasions. The transmission starts seeping fluid after being driven several miles that is likely coming from the front seal due to not being driven regularly. The transmission shifts very firmly and has a reverse shift pattern that requires manual shifting. The power steering box has a small fluid leak and will need new seals which I have already purchased. The rear end has a whine under deceleration, however I have a brand new, still in the box, 8-3/4 rear chunk with 3.91 sure grip that will go with the car. The front brakes do not seem to be 100% effective, again likely caused by non-use, and will require servicing. The carburetor requires priming after sitting for several days and will require a new accelerator pump. The radio does not work however the heater/defroster, windshield wipers, and lights all work as they should.
The original paint from the doors to the trunk is still quite glossy with only minor blemishes. There are small rust areas at each lower corner of the dutchman panel below the rear window and there is a small dent on the passenger rear quarter panel just ahead of the wheel opening. The 1974 repaint on the hood and fenders hasn't held up as well due to weathering and chipping along with the blacked-out hood paint.
ADDITIONAL ITEMS:
The following parts will be included with the Charger:
1. Your choice of wheels/tires. The Charger currently has 15" Weld wheels with Mickey Thompson 28"x7.5"x15 front ET drag tires and Mickey Thompson DOT 235/60/15 rear drag radials. If desired, these may be replaced with the original Keystone Klassic 14" front wheels/tires and 15" rear wheels/tires complete with center caps and lug nuts
2. A set of OEM Dodge 14" dog dish hub caps.
3. The original factory stock cast iron exhaust manifolds.
4. The original factory front anti-sway bar with mounts.
5. The original factory windshield washer reservoir.
6. The original bumper jack and base.
Please ask any questions prior to placing your bid. This vehicle is being sold "as-is" "where-is" with no warranty.