Anders Strand was born and spent his first ten years in Karlstad, the capital of Värmland county in Sweden. It was there, as a young boy, that he saw a Dodge Charger for the first time. That memory etched itself into his mind forever.
There’s something special about powerful American full-size cars from the time when the ’60s gave way to the next decade. Unlike smaller performance cars, they can serve more than one purpose. Yes, they can be powerful cruisers with style, roaring when needed, or turned into screaming beasts with oversized rear tires and a driver’s heavy foot constantly on the gas pedal.
Camaro, Mustang or Javelin – they can hardly be anything other than pure muscle cars. Simply cruising in a pony car with a small engine feels … incomplete. The Charger, on the other hand, can dominate the streets just by its imposing presence.
Strand’s Charger clearly belongs to the first category of full-size cars. Not a beast, but a stylish cruiser with a good growl.
“Everyone must think that a Charger is the coolest car you can find, with its timeless design, right?! A 1970 Charger has been my dream car for 40 years. Ever since I saw one in Karlstad as a kid. It was green, jacked up at the rear like crazy. The rear spring hangers were heavily extended, and the tires probably stuck out five centimeters (two inches) in the back,” Strand says.
His voice sounds dreamy, but he firmly states it was time to make that childhood dream a reality.
“The Charger is almost a sleeper. Like a Volvo Amazon with a 2.4-liter engine and twin Dellorto carburetors. In any case, I want to recreate the look of that Charger I saw in Karlstad 40 years ago. So I’ve ordered Centerline Convo Pro, ten-inch rims. Along with that, 13-inch-wide tires for the rear. And the car needs to be jacked up. Sure, I’ve toyed with the idea of swapping in the supercharged engine from my Challenger,” Strand laughs.
By that, Strand refers to his heavily modified 1971 Dodge Challenger, which you’ll probably see more of in the future. For now, though, the focus is on the Charger, sporting what’s sometimes called a “Day Two appearance”. Because no matter how you spin it, a Charger can never truly be called a sleeper. At the same time, there’s something intriguingly raw about a car that delivers more than you initially expect. It looks almost stock, but the engine hides an extra 150 horsepower or so.
Unlike the Challenger, Strand hasn’t done much wrenching on the Charger since he bought it from a car collector in Las Vegas, US, about six-and-a-half years ago. What he has done is install a hidden stereo system that, according to him, “plays very, very loud”. He’s also cleaned the car a couple of times, of course, and replaced the carburetor.
“It had a Carter 750 cfm when I bought it. That was a bit weak. Since I prefer Holley, I installed an 850 AD carb instead. One with dual accelerator pumps, looking a bit like a Double Pumper. I think the engine runs better now after the swap,” Strand says.
The talk of carburetors steers the conversation toward the engine and drivetrain, and Strand explains that the car currently has a 440 cui V8 stroked to 500 cubic inches. A prepped 727 transmission with a manual valve body directs power to a Dana 60 rear axle with a 3.91:1 gear ratio.
“The engine looks completely stock on the outside, and that’s how the seller in Las Vegas intended it. I like that,” Strand says.
He liked the Charger’s overall appearance so much that a set of online photos was all it took for him to pull the trigger and buy it, sight unseen.
“I had been searching for a nice Dodge Charger in Sweden for ages. So when this one showed up in Plum Crazy paint with a white vinyl roof and matching interior, I couldn’t resist. Even though the dollar was skyrocketing at the time. Was I happy when it arrived? Yes, it was and still is in great condition,” Strand smiles.
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