{"id":87557,"date":"2025-05-02T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=87557"},"modified":"2025-05-02T07:50:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T11:50:17","slug":"charger-1971-74-vintages-that-grow-old-gracefully","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/owners-clubs\/2025\/05\/charger-1971-74-vintages-that-grow-old-gracefully.html","title":{"rendered":"Charger 1971-74: Vintages That Grow Old Gracefully"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A stunning red 1972 Dodge Charger with a half-vinyl roof, imported to Sweden in 2012 – does that sound appealing? Interest in the 1971-74 Charger models is skyrocketing, particularly as the value of the 1968-70 models has remained high for years, both in the U.S. and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conny Hollgren purchased his Dodge in July 2019 as a car for longer drives, a contrast to the 1932 Ford hot rod he also owns. At least that was the plan. “It barely took a month before things got out of hand,” Hollgren says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yeah, that\u2019s how long it took him to decide on his next move – buying a Mooneyham 10-71 supercharger\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“After just one month, I tore apart the engine – a stock 440 from 1971 – that was installed in the car. I rebuilt the V8 over the winter, and I think I did a pretty solid job. Everyone said I was basically an idiot for putting the V8 together the way I did, claiming it wouldn\u2019t hold up. While the engine might not have run perfectly, I still drove it all through the following summer,” Hollgren explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The saying goes, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” However, Hollgren quickly realized that a bit of professional assistance wouldn\u2019t hurt. After some research, he turned to Anders Andersson at Double A Custom, a firm renowned both in Sweden and internationally for its top-tier craftsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Andersson built an incredible 493 cui with the 10-71 supercharger and a Holley Sniper EFI system for E85. He also replaced the driveshaft and reinforced the transmission, modifying it with reverse manual valve body. I had previously swapped the rear axle for a 9 1\/4 with a limited-slip differential, but Anders replaced it as well and changed the gear ratio to 3,91:1.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As for the half-vinyl roof, it\u2019s a feature that tends to divide opinions as sharply as Moses parting the Red Sea. Personally, I appreciate it for its contribution to the car’s lines, and Hollgren shares this view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“With the vinyl roof, the car’s lines look even better. As for the wide rear tires that aggressively poke out of the wheel wells and the elevated rear stance, I think I nailed the look. This was the style back in my twenties when I was cruising around town.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hollgren hasn\u2019t had to do much to the interior, which was in excellent condition when he bought the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think the dashboard was replaced earlier, but otherwise, everything is great. I installed more comfortable seats and four-point harnesses. I also added a new shifter – a pistol grip handle from TCI.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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The engine, a stroked 440, now displaces 493 cubic inches thanks to a 4,35-inch bore and a 4,15-inch stroke. The crankshaft is forged 4340 steel, and the H-beam connecting rods are paired with Icon pistons featuring a 24cc dish, resulting in a static compression ratio of about 9,3:1. Aluminum heads from Anab, a COMP Cams Magnum 305H hydraulic camshaft and steel roller rockers with a 1,5:1 ratio round out the setup. Chrome-moly pushrods (5\/16-inch) and a high-volume oil pump are key to the V8’s performance. Fuel delivery is handled by dual Holley Sniper EFI units, supported by a robust E85 fuel system that features a high-volume mechanical pump feeding a 3-liter catch tank near the engine, from which twin electric pumps handle the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n

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As for power output, Dr. Ernie – a well-known Swedish engine builder – dyno-tested the engine, which achieved a peak of 780 horsepower and 1,055 Newtonmeter of torque at 8,6 psi of boost. These are numbers Hollgren can proudly stand behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there other noteworthy details? Of course. The driveshaft is made of chrome-moly steel with 1350-series joints, the headers are by TTI, and the rest of the exhaust system is stainless steel with 3-inch pipes and cutouts. Additionally, the Charger features hi-jacker air shocks, and adjustable traction bars from Caltracs stabilize the rear suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n

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How did Hollgren end up with this beast of a car – a ferocious Dodge bursting with attitude?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019ve always had a deep passion for cars, and it’s been pretty extensive in terms of the variety of vehicles I\u2019ve owned. It all started when I got a 1965 Ford Mustang at 17, which I began restoring.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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Hollgren kept the Mustang for a few years before moving on to family life, imported cars, Porsches and motorcycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“After that, I started building hot rods, and from there, it just snowballed into more cars. A 1965 Impala, Corvette C6 and C7, a 1959 Dodge pickup, a Challenger, a 1941 DeSoto, a 1937 Chevrolet coupe\u2026 No, I\u2019m not fanatical about any specific brand. The most important thing is that I like how the car looks – and, of course, that it\u2019s powerful,” Hollgren says with a big smile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A stunning red 1972 Dodge Charger with a half-vinyl roof, imported to Sweden in 2012 – does that sound appealing? Interest in the 1971-74 Charger models is skyrocketing, particularly as the value of the 1968-70 models has remained high for years, both in the U.S. and Europe. Conny Hollgren purchased his Dodge in July 2019 as a car for longer drives, a contrast to the 1932 Ford hot rod he also owns. At least that was the plan. “It barely took a month before things got out of hand,” Hollgren […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":87567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2624],"tags":[2948],"class_list":["post-87557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-owners-clubs","tag-dodge-classics"],"acf":[],"custom_fields":{"post_thumbnail_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1972Charger_Feature.jpg","social_image":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1972Charger_Social.jpg","icon_selection":"article","external_link":"","featured_article":[],"upload_background_image":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87557"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87557"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87600,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87557\/revisions\/87600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}