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		A Mopar fan all his life, Don Lebeuf acquired his '70 Charger R/T in 2002 after a two-year search. Eight years later, in 2010, the restoration was complete, and the Charger made its car show debut. It has been a regular on the show and cruise circuit ever since. Any Downloadable Files Associated with this Article (Click on the file name to download it)
The Charger is painted in Plum Crazy, a color guaranteed to make sure no one mistakes it for a Dukes of Hazzard car.
1970 Dodge Charger R/T - Don Lebeuf's nearly lifelong quest paid off
Click on the Thumbnails Below to Enlarge By Society Staff – reprint with permission only Don Lebeuf of Oakville, Ontario has been a Mopar guy since as far back as he can remember His first car was a 1970 Plymouth Duster 340, which saw him through the first years of high school. When the body on the Duster began to fail, he bought a 1973 Dodge Charger SE and dropped the hot little 340 from the Duster into it. In the mid-80s, his yearning for another high-performance Mopar resulted in the purchase of a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE. That car was an FY1 Top Banana hardtop with the CRT5 Tan SE interior and a 440/727 combo. His intention was to restore it, but having neither proper facilities nor adequate funding, he reluctantly sold it to a new owner who did restore it. But this experience made Don vow to himself to acquire a '70 Charger that he could do justice to. Years later, after marriage and starting a career, he began a serious search. After two years, in August 2002, his search ended when he found and purchased 1970 Charger R/T in Wisconsin. The car was a factory EV2 Hemi Orange with black vinyl roof and interior, a 440 4bbl and 727 automatic. Although it no longer had the numbers matching engine, the car was complete and running and was a perfect candidate for the restoration he had in mind, and his wife still recalls the huge grin on his face as they test drove the car. With the deal done, they loaded the car on the trailer and headed back to Ontario. During the long drive home, lots of people who saw the car gave them a thumbs-up. Given the car’s color, one question in particular came up over and over. "Hey, this is the Dukes of Hazard car isn't it? You going to put the 01 on the doors and the flag on the roof?" Understandably, the hemi orange Charger was automatically identified with the Dukes of Hazzard. Efforts to explain that the TV series Charger was a 1969 and that Don's was a 1970 were fruitless. To these people, a Charger was a Charger, and an orange one was a Dukes of Hazzard Charger. On the drive home, Don decided to restore the car to showroom condition, and began an eight-year, complete, nut-and-bolt, rotisserie restoration. Every single component of this car was restored with a significant amount of research and detail. Along the way, several performance modifications were made, but they are all hidden, and the car retains its factory-delivered look. Don decided to go with the 440 Six Pack, and the car was completed eight years to the month, in August 2010, and just one week prior to its debut at the 2010 Moparfest car show. Options on the car are as follows: 1970 Charger R/T (XS29) 440 Six Pack engine 727 Automatic transmission FC7 - Plum Crazy Hardtop V8X - Black Bumblebee Stripe A47 - Special Edition Package CRXA Charcoal & Black Leather S81 Sport Steering Wheel J41 Pedal Dress Up A01 Light Group L31 Hood Mounted Turn Signal Indicators A31 High Performance Axle Package 3.91:1 Sure Grip 8.75 Axle B11 11" Heavy Duty Drum Brakes B51 Power Brakes C16  Console C55 Bucket Seats C62  Six Way Adjustable Seat F11 50 Amp Alternator F25  70 Amp Heavy Duty Battery G15 Tinted Windshield G31 Right Hand Manual Mirror G33 Left Hand Remote Control Mirror G41  Prismatic Rear View Mirror H11 Heater H31  Rear Defogger J45  Hood Pins J46  Locking Gas Cap J64  Woodgrain Instrument Panel L05 Map Light M26 – Wheel Opening Moulding N42 – Bright Exhaust Trumpets N65 Torque Drive Fan N85 Tic-Toc-Tach P31 Power Windows R21 AM/FM Radio R31 Dual Rear Speakers S15 Rallye Suspension S25 Heavy Duty 1” Shocks V21 Performance Hood Paint Treatment W21 15" Rallye Wheels U84 F60x15 GoodYear Polyglas Tires U 26 Radiator The car also has a remote power decklid release which was not an option on the '70 Charger but was available for other models. The car has been upgraded with polyurethane suspension pieces, larger, 0.096 torsion bars, and front and rear factory torque boxes and leaf spring reinforcement plates. Don also has a complete second set of 15” Rallye wheels with BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires for street use. Bodywork and Paint was completed by Boot Hill Automotive Resurrection in Erin, Ontario, Canada. ENGINE 1970 440 HP block ( from another 70 Charger R/T ) Bored 30 over Decked block to achieve zero deck height Balanced Correct Holley Six Pack Carbs ( restored and dyno tuned by Promax with performance metering plates) Aluminum Six Pack Intake Manifold Speedpro 2355 Six Pack pistons (10.4:1) Cloyes Hex-A-Just True Roller Timimg Set SFI Flexplate Oil Slinger Deep Oil Pan Pickup Tube Edelbrock 84cc Aluminum Heads Competition 5 angle valve job 28* backcut on the intake valves ARP Head Bolts ARP Main Bearing Cap Bolt Kit ARP Rod Bolt Kit Date Coded Spark Plug Wires Hemi 6 Quart Oil Pan Hemi Oil Pickup And Screen Assembly 528 MP Mechanical Camshaft 1.6:1 Iron/Ductile Rocker Arm Package Mechanical Pushrods HP Oil Pump Assembly Oil Pump Driveshaft Gear Assembly With Hardened Tip Windage TrayIntake Manifold Heat Block Off Valley Tray Fel-Pro Engine Gasket Fel-Pro Head Gaskets Electronic Ignition Kit MP Aluminum Water Pump Housing MP Aluminum Water Pump Hemi Fuel Pump Factory HP Exhaust Manifolds MP Electronic Ignition MSD 6AL Estimated horsepower: 500+ TRANSMISSION 727 Automatic completely rebuilt- Turbo Action performance valve body Turbo Action 10 tight torque converter 3500 stall   From any angle, this is a slick looking ride. Don decided to go with a 440 Six-Pack, rather than dropping in a Hemi. Charger interiors were very sporty and the 1970 version is one of the best. 15-inch Rally wheels feature period-correct Goodyear Polyglas tires. The 1970 nose was even more radical then the 68-69 - ver impressive The 1970 rear was refined over the previous version with more accent on the trunk spoiler. Don's car on display at the 2010 Moparfest, the car's first show after completion of the restoration.