Abandoned Dodge Aspen Gets New Life With Some Power Washing Love

The Aspen sedan, however, was a complete snoozefest, which is why more than a few – like this 1979 model – were literally abandoned to the elements.

Unlike the rest, this one has a second chance at stardom thanks to Dylan McCool on YouTube. The old car was resurrected to where it runs and drives, and as this video demonstrates over the better part of 30 minutes, pressurized water effectively erases 17 years of dirt, grass, leaves, and bacterial growth that had literally covered the old Dodge from front to back. And yes, this video covers all of it.

Here’s where it gets a bit weird. A 30-minute clip of someone power washing a car sounds as boring as, well, a four-door Dodge Aspen. But this video is oddly soothing and satisfying for reasons we don’t fully understand. Sure, there’s the germophobe aspect that simply demands everything be squeaky clean, but seeing the Aspen’s powder blue 1970s paint reemerge from decades of grime speaks to the car enthusiast in us. Even dull cars that fade anonymously into the annuls of history deserve a bit of love, and for what it’s worth, we think this Aspen could have some potential.

Unfortunately, the power washer can’t remove 40 years of patina on the paint. It also can’t remove rust, and late-1970s Chrysler products were notorious for rusting to pieces in the span of just a few years. From what we can see in the video, this old Aspen fared better than most but a full restoration likely isn’t in the cards here. Perhaps some clear coat to preserve the patina is in order, followed by a cool set of wheels and an engine swap to make this snooze-worthy sedan a sneaky quarter-mile sleeper. Yeah, we rather like that idea.