Dana didn't know the Challenger...
Dana didn't know the Challenger was High Impact Citron Yella until he pulled over to get gas and noticed that it had changed color.
Each of us had an influence that made us fans of Mopar. For 46-year-old Dana Motes, this influence dated back 36 years, to when he was 10 years old. "I was working on a Volkswagen with my father in a one car garage and he was slowly turning me into a gear head," he recalls. Thankfully, his time spent with "the People's car" didn't last long; otherwise this may be a feature in VW Muscle. Two years later, in 1974, Dana's brother, Calvin, purchased a brand new '74 Road Runner with a 400 engine backed by a Pistol Grip four-speed. After that, and with the support of his father, Dana's life would eventually be consumed by his passion to build the ultimate Challenger with his family by his side.
He became addicted to muscle cars and power after his brother's Road Runner, and several years later, he would purchase the car from his brother when he was 15 years old-before he even had a driver's license. Dana modified the Road Runner almost as soon as he got it, swapping the 400 for a 440 that was bored .030-over, and then dropped the four-speed out in favor of an automatic with a Cheetah valvebody. The power was sent to the ground with a 4,500-stall and a 5.38 rear gear. A pair of 12x32-15 slicks absorbed the punishment of the big-block and tall gear. "My dad was proud but also very worried that I would get hurt."
John claimed that he bought the Challenger from an elderly lady in 1984, and then he drove it home and took it apart where it just sat in his garage for the next three years. Dana and his buddy, Bruce Zeimba, loaded up his '79 Power Wagon for the 18-hour trip one way.
Rallye wheels certainly do...
Rallye wheels certainly do say "muscle car." These were sourced from a donor car as well.
When the pair arrived at John's house Dana wasn't too happy. The Challenger had collected three years worth of dust, had four flat tires, some white interior pieces, and boxes of extra parts from swap meets. There was a lot of work to be done. However, just as John described, the body was in perfect shape and the price was a firm $2,700. After some internal debate, Dana finally decided to take the convertible back to Oxford, Michigan, with him.
As dusk rolled around, the Power Wagon was running on fumes so they stopped to fill her up. When he looked back at the Challenger he noticed that the color of the car had changed, and it now had a little bit of a green hue to it. It was Citron Yella-you Plymouth boys may be more familiar with Curious Yellow. Dana's attitude about the car began to change, especially since he had three offers to sell the car before he even got it home. Once finally at home, the car sat in his parent's driveway until his father finally asked him to move it into the garage because so many people were making offers to buy it.