Cars in yards: 1973 Dodge Charger

Mopar or No Yard. At least hide it a little better! It was not in a shed or a carport. Not covered up with a tarp or visually blocked by a vast array of refrigerator doors. It was however, rolled to the edge of the yard. The very edge. A chain link fence, the sole divider, standing to protect the Charger from drooling Mopar fans. 
  How could a 1973 Dodge Charger be forgotten and relegated to the far, side yard? How could anyone forget this curvy girl? 

See the Magnum wheel I love? Complete but incomplete with a strange rear side marker light and missing engine designation emblems.

Guess what’s under the hood?
  I don’t know what resided under the flat hood. But, the hood actually is a clue. Mopars with fatter motors often had a bulge in the hood. My guess is that a standard 318-cubic-inch mill provided a good balance of torque and fuel economy for this black beauty. Bigger engine-optioned Chargers were often proudly advertised via emblems and trim. None here, but this one hopefully packed some high octane muscle, in order to live up to the “If You Can’t Run With The Big Dogs” tag under the front bumper. Or was this canine sent to the porch? 

To the porch we go!

Magnum shoes
  It was wearing at least one of my favorite Mopar wheels – the famed Magnum 500. It also had a way cool red stripe that does seem like it could be factory. The stripe broke up the sea of black sheet metal with a splash of color. It reminded me of the wide Rallye stripe that Dodge Charger made famous. Keep in mind this could be considered subtle when compared to the “High Impact” colors Dodge unleashed a few years prior to 1973. We could say with authoritative certainty this was not Panther Pink or Limelight Green. 

In order from left to right. Road, Ron, fence... 1973 Dodge Charger.

No hiding
  1973 was the year that Charger lost its hide-away headlights, but it did have an option package denoting a Special Edition known as the “SE”. That option gave the buyer a slotted rear side window where an ‘opera’ window would be located in other makes. Some Chargers also had a nifty hood ornament. Junkyard Life digs hood ornaments. 
  We can tell from the roof that this car was not an SE, although it does appear to once have worn a vinyl roof. We could not verify if the Charger had high back bucket seats or a bench with a sporty look. But Dodge fans may be able to help us identify them with one glance. Send us a comment/email.

  This Charger did not appear to be too far gone. Yes, it was rough around the edges. I would do floor pans, brakes, a 440, a primer hood, a touched-up set of Magnums and let this Dodge Charge! Again…what was it doing here????

Happy Hunting!
Ron Kidd
— Junkyard Life

We found this 1973 Dodge Charger in a side yard near Birmingham, Alabama.

Do you have a classic or muscle car in the yard or a barn find? Send us details and we’re on the way!  Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com or Ron Kidd at Kidd403@bellsouth.net.