73 Challenger Parts Car

Time for some advice. Last year I bought a parts car that I have yet to strip. It is an original '73 Challenger 340 with rallye package and air. I really hate the idea of parting this car, but it is rusty. We are talking trunk floors, rear of the frame rails, outer wheel housings, and driver floor rusty. I planned on pulling the 340 and air for my '71. But this parts car is a numbers matching 340 car so I feel bad about chopping it up.

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Here is the break down on the fender tag:

Line 1
• E55 - 340
• D34 - 904
• JH - Challenger
• 23 - Hardtop
• H - 340
• 3 - 1973
• B - Hamtramck
• 317480 - serial # Line 2
• TX9 - Black paint
• A6X9 - Vinyl bucket seats, black
• 000 - no upper door color
• 130 - scheduled for production on January 30, 1973
• 189699 - order number Line 3
• TX9 - Black painted roof
• ? - too rusty to read, assume U for US specs
• A57 - Rallye package
• B41 - Power disk brakes
• C16 - Console/bucket seats - (I assume that this includes the slapstick on e bodies with auto)
• C56 - Bucket seats, class 1 High back Line 4
• H51 - Air Conditioning
• ? too rusty, assume J64 - Woodgrain dash
• M08 - Delete Quarter window louvers - this makes no sense to me unless they mean the front fender scoops on Rallye package
• M21 - Roof drip moldings - I can't remember ever seeing a Challenger without this
• N41 - Dual exhaust
• N42 - Chrome exhaust tips Line 5
• ? too rusty to read, assume T65 - ER78X14 BSW fiberglass radials
• V68 - Delete sport stripe
• 26 - 26 inch radiator
• EN2 - End second shift

Now this is not that rare of a car, but I think it was a sinister ride in it's day. All black with no stripes or vinyl top, kind of like my old GLH with the stripes removed.

I know this is a big project (larger than I want to take on) but with e body prices being what they are this could end up only a slightly money losing proposition. So, if it was your car would you:

1. Strip it and be done with it.
2. Restore it back to stock.
3. Restore it but add the manual transmission it should have been ordered with.

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