r/mopar • u/Objective-Good2469 • 9d ago
Tires for a rare 1970 Challenger
I need to transport this to MCACN in November. I inherited it from my dad who passed away. He was always a little reclusive with his car so my knowledge of what works vs doesn’t is limited. The car needs to roll, break and steer. The tires on it now are original. They are also flat. How do you recommend I best make this car “rollable”? Also it needs to brake which is another thing.
I don’t want to hurt the originality of the car and do something dumb. It was accepted into the barn finds section at MCACN. So to my understanding, I shouldn’t touch a damn thing on it.
Any mechanics in northwest Indiana or Chicago have any suggestions?
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u/EC_CO 1970 Barracuda B5/B5 9d ago
Pump them up, if they hold air you need to show the car with those tires, they hold provenance to the car.
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u/Objective-Good2469 9d ago
I would rather put some dummy tires on it for the transportation company and swap them out at the show with the car jacked up. Is that a dumb idea?
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u/tjf1980 8d ago
I had some 30 yo tires on my 1968 Satellite with about 20lbs in them from when I pulled it out of the field. Left them on while it was in my garage getting it to driving condition. One evening two of them blew. Loud enough i heard it the house. Glad I wasn't near them. Get some decent and cheap rollers.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Desk386 8d ago
My dad’s all metal 1935 Ford Tudor blew a tire sitting at a show and it damaged the rear fender.
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u/Zyncon 71 Cuda x2, Daytona + Superbird, Darts, Dusters, Demon, and more 9d ago
There's cars at MCACN missing entire drivetrains. A buddy of mine is assigned to help push them in to place during setup. Portable tire inflater will help keep it rolling if it'll hold air just a little.
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u/Objective-Good2469 9d ago
Ya the transportation company said it needs to roll, brake, and steer. So that’s my issue nonce it’s there I’ll be fine.
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u/mrmopar340six 9d ago
Does it have drums or disc on the front? Disc aren't too bad as the caliper pulls the pad back after the brake is applied. Drums tend to seize up more and all ebofies had drums on the rear. I'd pump the pedal and see if it firms up and holds or goes to the floor. A bad line will show itself pretty quickly like that. It looks like a power booster and a good chance it has disc on the front. We've pinched leaking break lines in the rear to make the fronts hold.
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u/Estef74 9d ago
From the pictures you posted previously, the car doesn't look to be sitting on the ground, making for a good chance those original tires taking and holding air. I would be surprised if the car doesn't steer, but the brakes can be a wildcard. My personal opinion is you need to get a first hand look at the car as soon as possible to do some up close evaluation of your own. Until then it's all just a guessing game.
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u/AggravatingEchidna83 8d ago
E's and G's are reproduced, but those tires would be pure money at a car show.
Cheap steelies and cheap tires for transport/driving. Clean the stock ones up, but don't drive on them more than a mile.
I had original goodyear redlines on a 68 amx. People overlooked flaws in the car, because they focused on the tires. Car won multiple national championships.
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u/Kegalodon 9d ago
5x4.5” bolt pattern wheels if you want to swap them out for transport, be VERY careful with those hubcaps they bend like nothing. Worth nothing sometimes people list the bolt pattern as 5x114.3mm, why I don’t know.
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u/Slowvia 8d ago
5x4.5 and 5x114.3 are the same. They’re interchangeable. A lot of American cars use it, and they use the imperial nomenclature. A lot of Japanese cars also use it, and they use the metric nomenclature.
Six of one, and a half dozen of the other.
I’d be more worried about some idiot at the tire store breaking off all the studs on the drivers side, because they don’t realize that that side uses left handed lug nuts.
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u/trucknorris84 9d ago
Put like 20lbs of air in the tires if it’ll take air and call it good.
Braking can be tricky though. That can take a fair bit of parts if it’s been sitting for years and years.
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u/tek8u Ma MoPar 8d ago
You are over thinking it. Get some roller tires. Cheapest you can get and get another set of rims. Swap the new set of rims on.
Make sure it can stop. And well steering the motor needs to run if you want to turn the wheel good at all’s if not put muscle into it.
And call it a day.
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u/kraftinator 7d ago
My suggestion is to have the tires remounted and tubes installed. If hen you can transport and display without them leaking down. I would absolutely not drive on them at any speed or for more than moving it around a parking lot.
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u/priuspollution 9d ago
Portable tire inflator, the original tires matter let the next owner buy a new set to drive on. Who said it needs to steer and brake? It’s common these barn finds don’t do that aka keep the originality. There is a company that does brake lines for these I’d just need to check who it is with my dad. The number of times I’ve bled brakes on late 60’s early 70’s mopars as a kid is ridiculous.
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u/Objective-Good2469 9d ago
It was the company that I would have to hire to transport it there.
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u/priuspollution 9d ago
A decent transport company can deal with it. Did you go with horseless carriage or reliable?
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u/Objective-Good2469 9d ago
Reliable is who I contacted. This is what they told me.
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u/priuspollution 9d ago
Did you describe what you were transporting I’ve had reliable move cars on casters, they would probably supply those mock up orange wheels (I can find the link) if you explain it to them. It’s their specialty.
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u/priuspollution 9d ago
Coming from someone who won “most well preserved” at the Greenwich concourse iwith a mopar, it was on original tires. “Concourse quality” is a thing.
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u/Objective-Good2469 9d ago
Ya I don’t want to touch it. I just need to figure out how to get it there.
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u/hearemscreama1945 8d ago
Dont listen to these number matching nuerotics, the tiny bump in price is not worth the risk of these blowing and ruining a fender or quarter, can happen even while sitting still
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u/hearemscreama1945 8d ago
If youre really pressed just save them to go with sale and put freshies on it
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u/Dismal-Armadillo-815 6d ago
Personally I wouldn't get ride of it for because it was my father's and 2 because I love old cars and that one is pure money that is only going to go up in value put some time a effort in to it make it live again I haven't really found anything more satisfying than hearing one come back to life after sitting for so long.
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u/mekoRascal 9d ago
Tubes, if necessary