Tribute cars are popular in the car hobby because you can build a rare and classic muscle car for a fraction of the real thing.
You can also build a car that’s exactly like the one you would have ordered in a dealer showroom.
This 1970 Challenger RT/SE tribute is a textbook example of how to build a tribute classic muscle car.
Jerry Sutherland
Randy Johnson is the quarterback behind this Mopar project. His goal was simple–he said, “I wanted to build something that would appeal to me”. That was the basic game plan.
Randy started with a ’70 Challenger that he said, “was too far gone—nothing could save it and nobody would work on it”. That meant he had to find a donor car to create his SE/RT tribute car. The donor car was basically a shell, but it played a big role in the project.
The car had a modest 383 two-barrel, but Randy knew he had to have a 440 big block to turn this tribute car into a high-end tribute. The solution was found in the form of a 440 big block that the owner thought “had a knock”.
Randy gambled on the engine and learned the problem was far less serious, so he bought the 440 for a few hundred bucks and bored it 30 over. That was a big save for the project, and Randy had what he wanted under the hood. Randy also moved the rear tires inboard a few inches to fit the biggest tires he could under the back without tubbing the car.
The rear window was another big step. There’s a plastic insert under the vinyl roof to shrink the rear window and the guys who did the vinyl roof cheaped out on the seal by using spackle to fill the seams, so the roof was a mess. Randy has the job done right with the proper body filler, but it was a setback for the project.
This Challenger was a family project because Randy drafted his kids to work on the car. He admitted they were a little negative about the car because of that, but his daughter is a huge fan of the Challenger now.
The car has been down the track. Randy said, “it ran a 12.4 with a stroker in it”, but now its days are more relaxed. Randy reported he can “easily smoke the tires”, but it’s not something he’s going to do on a daily basis because he didn’t build this car to demolish it. He’s happy to report this car, “doesn’t leak a drop of oil”.
Randy drives the Challenger regularly, so it gets the proper exercise. He’s learned the 3:55 rear end nets him about 16 miles per gallon on the road. Randy thought about a more highway-friendly gear for better mileage, but right now this car is where he wants it to be in overall performance. Randy does plan to upgrade the water pump to higher-tech unit because he doesn’t like how it heats up at idle, but that’s minor fix.
In the end this tribute did what it was supposed to—recreate how Randy would have ordered a 1970 Challenger SE/RT 56 years ago.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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