Anyone else dream of E-Body ownership?

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i have had 4 through the years but they have lots of draw backs.They are the most valuable and also the most glamorous if that is what you are after.
 
R4Sedan said:
The E-body does. They don't drive anywhere as nice as an A or B. Ask anybody who owns one. If they tell it drives great their lying. Yeah mechanical it's the same dependable engines,but that's about it.
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That's interesting feedback. They have the same style suspension as the whole line-up and similar weight to the B-Body cars...but with dimensions that should make them handle better.

What went wrong?
 
E bodys are cool, definitely cool.....but one thing that is a turn-off to me is those giant plasticky door panels/rear seat side panels. That's one thing that I LOVE about A bodys, the old school metal door tops and easily available door panels. Of course, the prices on E bodys is what really keeps me from ever owning one. I love everything about them except those interiors. The dash and gauges are totally bitchin though, that's for sure.

Another thing is......I don't like owning cars that everyone loves/lusts over. I need something a bit different, like a Dart.
 
My 70 and 71 Road Runner had a smooth ride.Every E body I have been in was a rattle trap like a Camaro.They do not have a smooth ride like a B Body.The E bodies just were never put together very good when new.Side glass always rattle,door seals and trunk seals never do their job etc....
 
I want one, to make a chassis car for a 10.5 class or similar. Super sexy cars when built for the track. Just need a no option 318 car with low rust, but up here even the rusty "cheap" ones aren't cheap.
 
It's funny that a lot of people hate the plastic interior panels. I actually like them. I think the flat cardboard door panels of the A and B bodies are a little cheesy. At least the door panels have some design and curvature to them.

I do agree that they drive like crap...at least mine does at the moment.(possibly due to the bias ply tires) I also agree that the dash lighting sucks. I don't find them wide and heavy feeling though. When I first drove mine back in high school, it did feel big. The hood is tall and it was hard to judge where you were on the road. Cars have become a lot larger then they once were. Even my wife's 08 Sebring is as big as my 73 Challenger. Now the Challenger feels normal.

My uncle bought a 74 Dart Sport back in April. I drove it and was very impressed with the ride. It made me want an A-body. I hope my 68 drives as nice as that 74 when I'm done with it.
 
cudavert said:
E bodys are cool, definitely cool.....but one thing that is a turn-off to me is those giant plasticky door panels/rear seat side panels. That's one thing that I LOVE about A bodys, the old school metal door tops and easily available door panels.....
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You must not own a '73+ A-Body.
 
well, my dad drag races a 1970 cuda but he doesn't really get that "street" driving experience. There is a 1971 dodge challenger 383 4 speed down the road that he found sitting 20 years ago and we have been bugging him to sell every year, keep tugging. I might have a pic.....
 
R4Sedan said:
The E-body does. They don't drive anywhere as nice as an A or B. Ask anybody who owns one. If they tell it drives great their lying. Yeah mechanical it's the same dependable engines,but that's about it.
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Baha ha ha ha, OMG! What a hater! Ill argue otherwise. It drives just fine.

I'll agree whe the door panels look cool, they cheased out with plastic looking a little cheesssyyyy. Just being plastic.

On seating position, I'll admit this funny tie bit, I sit on a pillow. It also helps the springs stay outta my ***. And yes, I hate the super dim dash lights.

My windows don't rattle, the body doesn't rate, I have no idea what your talking about there. Perhaps the POS you were in was just that, a POS.
Rattle like a Camaro? LMAOROTF
 
The Hamtramk built ones were not built as well. They all had there issues. Just saying. Ive owned eight of them. Maybe you got a good one Rumble. Hater though. I don't believe somebody that buy's eight of the same style car and six of those were running driving cars is a Hater!
 
I have been riding in/ or driving E bodies since I was 3. I have always loved the 70 cuda with the grille running lights on. I drove several cudas thru the years and my only complaint is the whistling the windows make when you hit 90 mph. The plastic panels are cheap looking, but that was an industry thing. My 74 Road Runner has some pretty cheap looking interior, BUT THATS WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ALL THESE MOPARS.

Cars that rattle are poorly maintained.

This is all my humble opinion, but what make MOPARS more interesting than CHERDS is their "oddness", rarity, and a HEMI with 11" drum brakes.
Ron
 
As a kid with a brand new drivers license I wanted a Cuda the first time I saw one.
Ended up with a 69 dart swinger as it more fit my budget. I loved the swinger and it alone
set me on my path to be a life long Mopar lover.
But I never gave up on the Cuda and swore I would have mine one day. When I was on my third 69 dart one finally came my way that I could afford. I rebuilt the car top to bottom mechanically and drove it as my only car.
It was a very good car and I liked it but never as much as the old darts I had driven for years. They were not as easy to see where you were driving and didn't feel as they were meant to be sensibly used for everyday transportation.
I didn't get the car and driver as one feeling I had always been familiar to with my darts. I sold both of the cudas I had owned after being bored with them for the last 20 some years.
I will not let go of my a- body dart or barracudas and know that they will never be as popular or sought after but will always remain my favorites.
Its not even really close. The only feature I liked about the cudas better was the pistol grip shifter. They are positioned well and very natural to shift. To bad the rest of the car didn't have as great of a feel.
But I understand why a person feel they want one, I went thru it as well.I will not own another unless it is a drag only car.
 
Who hasn't!
I have owned two of them, a 1970 & 1974 Callenger.
The cost of parts is what made me get rid of them.
I was at St Louis at a MoPar swap meet, looking at a pair of headlight bezels for my 70.
They were NOS with Blem written on the boxes, asking price of $600.00.
I was actullay considering buying them. Thought I would let them set until Sunday & try to make a $400.00 offer on them.
Went back that afternoon, you guessed it, GONE!
I made up my mind right there to sell my 70.
Sold it & made a healty profit on it.

I bought the 1974 car a couple of years later. Let it set for a year & sold it for big profit!

The E-body does give you that cool feeling when driving them, that the A-body doesn't.

I tried to buy another Challenger at the MoPar Nats in 2002.
A clone 1971 R/T 340, nice car. My wife spotted it on Brice RD. on Saturday night & flagged him down.
The car looked great, but I wanted to see it in the daylight.
Got to the car corral that Sunday, only to watch the people from the Paddock handing the owner a check for it.
Another great buy was at the Hotel, a guy had a Red AAR Cuda for 21K.
The wife wanted it, but 15K was more in my budget at the time.
That was the price of the 1971 R/T.

The A-body is the working mans car for sure.
 
I love my Challenger. Definitely a more iconic car than the A bodies. Better recognized as well, and I get more comments when I drive it than I do in my Duster, even though my Duster is in much better condition.

As far as handling and ride, I can see how stock to stock the E bodies might not handle as well as the a-bodies, just because of their size. But really, they just need the same exact things as the A-bodies do to handle well- frame connectors, much bigger torsion bars, sway bars, and better tires. Do those things and the E-bodies handle just as well as any A body, my Challenger does.

As far as the 72-74 cars, I think they're great. They can be bought for less because they didn't have any of the factory packages that people pay big bucks for. And really, they changed MUCH less in appearance from the 70-71 cars than the A bodies did with the 73-76 cars. Much less. The E bodies only got new grilles, side markers and tail lights, all of the body lines remained exactly the same. The A bodies got all of that but also changed hoods, bumper design and appearance, and then there were the beaks...

But yeah, I love my '72 Challenger. I also drive the crap out of it, over 10k miles a year.
 
I owned the 70 in my avatar for several years. Bought from a friend in divorce sale. It was a stripped out, tubbed street/strip terror. I only drove it the first summer I owned it, and never got to the track with it. With race gas at $2.60/liter (2004 or so), even just cruising was a pricy deal. They are sexy cars, but I'll stick with the A's!
 
I like the E Bodies. I own an original 31,000 mile 71 Challenger from California that drives like new (No rattles, nice handling) (My dad has driven it and says it reminds him of his new Mopars in the day). I also have a 67 Barracuda Convertible that is now a warmed up 380 HP 360 Magnum crate Engine 4 speed, 64 Dodge Polara 500 383 4 speed car now a Solid Lifter 440 4 speed and a 67 Dodge d100 factory 383 truck that is now sporting a 440 Automatic. They all drive different and are all cool in their own way. Would I own another E body, in a heart beat if the right one comes along, but if the deal is right I would own any A,B,E or d100 Truck!
 
Nope...the challenger has never been on my radar...which is probably one reason I don't like the new chally..

Give me a '69 Charger or 66 or so GTX or Satellite..

Since I will probably never get one of those..I am happy with my Duster..
 
R4Sedan said:
The E-body does. They don't drive anywhere as nice as an A or B. Ask anybody who owns one. If they tell it drives great their lying. Yeah mechanical it's the same dependable engines,but that's about it.
Click to expand...

i gotta disagree with that. i think they drive better than a bodies. they have the same front suspension as a b body. and i've owned both.
 
I had a 70 challenger plumb crazy r/t with a 383 was a fun car had I known then what I know now.
Currently running a 67 cuda notch and is a hell of a lot of fun I enjoy the cuda more .
My son and his friends love the classic Mopar .
currently looking for a good 68 or 69 road runner to play with.
 
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