Nothing too special behind the origin story, beyond that I've wanted an R body for over half my life and I pounced on the opportunity when it presented itself! Buddy of mine (fellow land yacht enthusiast, though he's basically out of the game now) in the central PA area found an R body for sale in Pottstown, PA. Huge thanks to him for passing this on and promptly documenting everything when he saw it. I included some of the pre purchase pictures here. Paid $1800 for Anita, plus shipping, and storage. Doubt I'm much more than $3000 into her as of February 2023.
Seller cleaned out all the bankers' boxes and stuff out from the interior, and we finalized the deal. Anita arrived late at night on June 22nd without incident. I got her parked at my outdoor storage guy's place late the following day. Was able to pull most of the trim, the entire headliner, and most of the decrepit vinyl top. I also took the time to assess what the car needed and ran the numbers. I determined initially that Anita wouldn't be going under the knife for anything until 2024 at the earliest. This was not to last.
Because sometimes an operation's priorities and timetables need to change. I was reluctant at first; I initially wanted 2023 to primarily focus on Ebyt. Stacy would be a secondary front. I was under the impression that Anita would not have any looming rust issues (especially since I parked her over gravel and concrete, and took the necessary precautions to keep the area beneath her clear of foliage/plants). I was under the impression she could wait several years parked outside without any issue so long as I kept the door jambs and other drainage paths clear of debris. When I swung by to check on Anita in late January with one of my partners, I was not pleased. There were huge pools of water collecting the rear floor pans. I knew the R body cars had this issue with at least some frequency, but I didn't know how common it was on the '79s compared to other defects. But I recognized the issue immediately- improper door to body seals from the factory. (Skip to 1:42 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9429qtWTc).
Anita's build update video: https://youtu.be/TgGdldTuBjk
Suffice to say, I cannot just let Anita sit like this. I had to save time and money with this project. So I took a hard look at Anita's scope of work, and started cutting as many expenses as possible. The biggest savings were from deciding against the early gen 3 5.7 Hemi and 545 RFE. It's powerful, reliable, but ultimately, too expensive ($4000+ in parts alone!). As much fun as a gen 3 5.7 Hemi and 545 RFE would be, the car would be dangerously fast with that powertrain combination. Even with some requisite upgrades to brakes and tires, I wasn't 100% comfortable with the idea.
Instead, Anita will get a '92-'03 5.9 Magnum + A518. That setup is still a hell of a lot faster than the stock 318 and A727 that Anita came with. It's reliable, and it basically bolts in. All I need is a shorter driveshaft due to longer A518 case vs A727 case. The other planned upgrades including but not limited to 16 or 17 inch wheels, 255+ width tires at all 4 corners, bigger 4 wheel disc brakes, custom exhaust, extra chassis bracing, plus all the other maintenance items (power windows, power mirrors, weatherstripping, etc) are all happening as planned. As soon as Eva's back from Logan's shop, Anita's journey to pro touring prowess begins. Shooting for August/September 2023. MOPAR OR NO CAR!
Seller cleaned out all the bankers' boxes and stuff out from the interior, and we finalized the deal. Anita arrived late at night on June 22nd without incident. I got her parked at my outdoor storage guy's place late the following day. Was able to pull most of the trim, the entire headliner, and most of the decrepit vinyl top. I also took the time to assess what the car needed and ran the numbers. I determined initially that Anita wouldn't be going under the knife for anything until 2024 at the earliest. This was not to last.
Because sometimes an operation's priorities and timetables need to change. I was reluctant at first; I initially wanted 2023 to primarily focus on Ebyt. Stacy would be a secondary front. I was under the impression that Anita would not have any looming rust issues (especially since I parked her over gravel and concrete, and took the necessary precautions to keep the area beneath her clear of foliage/plants). I was under the impression she could wait several years parked outside without any issue so long as I kept the door jambs and other drainage paths clear of debris. When I swung by to check on Anita in late January with one of my partners, I was not pleased. There were huge pools of water collecting the rear floor pans. I knew the R body cars had this issue with at least some frequency, but I didn't know how common it was on the '79s compared to other defects. But I recognized the issue immediately- improper door to body seals from the factory. (Skip to 1:42 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9429qtWTc).
Anita's build update video: https://youtu.be/TgGdldTuBjk
Suffice to say, I cannot just let Anita sit like this. I had to save time and money with this project. So I took a hard look at Anita's scope of work, and started cutting as many expenses as possible. The biggest savings were from deciding against the early gen 3 5.7 Hemi and 545 RFE. It's powerful, reliable, but ultimately, too expensive ($4000+ in parts alone!). As much fun as a gen 3 5.7 Hemi and 545 RFE would be, the car would be dangerously fast with that powertrain combination. Even with some requisite upgrades to brakes and tires, I wasn't 100% comfortable with the idea.
Instead, Anita will get a '92-'03 5.9 Magnum + A518. That setup is still a hell of a lot faster than the stock 318 and A727 that Anita came with. It's reliable, and it basically bolts in. All I need is a shorter driveshaft due to longer A518 case vs A727 case. The other planned upgrades including but not limited to 16 or 17 inch wheels, 255+ width tires at all 4 corners, bigger 4 wheel disc brakes, custom exhaust, extra chassis bracing, plus all the other maintenance items (power windows, power mirrors, weatherstripping, etc) are all happening as planned. As soon as Eva's back from Logan's shop, Anita's journey to pro touring prowess begins. Shooting for August/September 2023. MOPAR OR NO CAR!
I sort of like the ugliness of it though.
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