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Rebuilding the 69 Charger

40K views 392 replies 51 participants last post by  BlueSS454 
#1 ·
So since the car was wrecked last July, not much has happened due to other projects needing to get done. Now it is time to get this one fixed after being nearly totaled. It has already been on a frame rack to be pulled. Today I disassembled it. Tuesday it's going to get the quarters hung. I can do it myself but I don't have time nor the inclination to do it. Besides the insurance is paying for it. I will do the body work and paint it once the metal is done. I should have it back in 2 weeks. The whole front steering is trashed as well so all the needs to be replaced as well as the right side control arms. I will also be taking the time now to put a better engine in it. I have a spare 440 sitting on a stand that will be built to run on the same level my blue 70 hardtop runs...not slow. The trans is also going to get freshened up as well, and the interior completely replaced.

I'm not going to go crazy with the pics, but I'll start from the beginning...






 
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#3 ·
There was no way I was letting it be totaled. The estimate was written so it wouldn't be. It could have very easily been totaled just because of the cost of 69 Charger parts.
As for the color, right now I'm leaning towards leaving it orange but have been toying with the notion of doing it black.
 
#5 ·
Personally, I think that "triple black" would look killer! :eek: I think there are too many General Lee out there… almost as if every '69 Charger was orange!…In fact, I don't know if orange was a factory color back in '69...:confused:
Back in '69, my dad bought a brand new '69 Charger R/T, gold (code Y4) with a white vinyl top and white bumble bee stripe, 440 cu. in. engine, 727 automatic transmission and a Dana 60 rear axle with 4:10 gears! I still have plenty of pics of that car which has been frame-off restored and now resides in England.
Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

Claude. ;)
 
#7 ·
That's a rhetorical question right 😁
The Charger in Bullit was a 68 R/T 4 speed car driven by stunt driver Bill Hickman.
I have debated going black with mine for a couple months now. In order to do it, the car has to come all the way back apart meaning the rear, all the brake and fuel line, wiring, etc and the n go back on the rotisserie.
Mopars are body color all over. I would have to paint the bottom, engine bay, and inside the trunk. It is a lot of work that I'm not sure I want to do. It depends on how soon I can have the body done and if I'm in the mood to take it that far apart again.
 
#8 ·
Mr. Tom:
For me, Nothing is better looking than a Black Charger with the stock MOPAR Black Black V. Top. To be different and to look TOP SHELF !
NO STRIPES, ( If needed , They can be done later, I hope not ).
With all due respect, Its " Toms Car ".
YA Gotta due what makes " Tom " happy. I will repete, Aint Nutten looks nicer than a Plain Vanilla " Triple Black Charger ". :smile2:
Bob
 
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#10 ·
Tom, good call on having the quarter done. Those "effin" b-body quarters are huge and hefty! Save your back! Lol! I remember, back in the day, meeting a Mopar parts distributor in Carlisle,PA. I purchased two NOS fenders for my 68 R/T from him. Lugged those big heavy bastards out on my shoulders during a monsoon rain. Ah, fond memories!! Not really!
 
#13 ·
Heaviest quarters I've ever picked up. I dropped it off to John tonight. I could do it but I don't have the time nor the inclination to do it right now and I want it done. Seeing it up on the lift all banged up is getting old. It doesn't really need quarters but full ones were not available when I did it 12 years ago. Time to do it right this time. I'll probably have it back in 2 weeks or so.


I remember seeing your thread when it first got hit, and I think I remember commenting thinking it was crazy how identical the damage on your Charger was to my Chevelle. Good to see you are making some progress. Did you do anything yet to the suspension? Any other upgrades along the way?

Oh, and another vote for painting it black ;)
The front suspension might be ok, but the steering linkage is toast. I'm looking at possibly changes to the front end. The car steers and handles like crap compared to a Chevelle. Since I'm building a new engine and trans, it would be the perfect time to do the front end better.
 
#11 ·
I remember seeing your thread when it first got hit, and I think I remember commenting thinking it was crazy how identical the damage on your Charger was to my Chevelle. Good to see you are making some progress. Did you do anything yet to the suspension? Any other upgrades along the way?

Oh, and another vote for painting it black ;)
 
#14 ·
Tom, kudos for not bailing on it. And for doing ANYTHING to make those turds handle better. I had a 68 R/T 440/727 and that thing would go straight as an arrow in a straight line. Any input to the brakes or steering left me feel wanting. You could make a left turn and feel the front tires fighting eachother.

I know it's your car, but yellow over a black interior is stunning.
 
#21 ·
As for whether Chrysler offered an orange in 1969, of course they did. 1969's new hottest colors were orange or bright yellow. Orange went on General Lee (wrecked many Chargers), yellow went on the R/T in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (wrecked that Charger). Black went on the Charger in Bullitt (wrecked that Charger).

If it were a 70 Charger it would also look great in Lime Light with black vinyl roof & interior, or Plum Crazy. Also code B5 Blue looks great on just about any Mopar, old or new.



A good friend owned a 68 Charger with a 440 Torqueflite combo. Having driven that bad boy I can absolutely agree with Andy, straight as an arrow in a straight line, but try to deviate and the fun stops. His had drums brakes as well but they seemed passable considering what they were. The 440 (and 340 for that matter) always were great sounding engines.

My older brother's friend bought a '68 Charger 2nd hand in 1971 and has kept it out of the snow and weather since. His wasn't an R/T but it was a factory 383 4-barrel with a 4-speed & Sure Grip. His was medium dark green with white bumblebee stripes and factory Dodge mag-style wheel covers. It was a lovely car.
 
#15 ·
black would be sinister looking, just sayin'... but that is a lot of work to do a color change, especially on a Mopar... I'd wish you luck but we both know that you don't need any of that, quite the auto refinisher you are... looking forward to seeing her done...
 
#18 ·
Do I think that car would look great in Black? Yes.

Do I think that would be almost cliché, as they have been done God knows how many times in Black? Yes.

It's kind of the same thing as a 1970 Chevelle SS in Red with Black Stripes. Looks awesome....but has been done (seemingly) a million times before.

Personally, I'd go with something different just to stand out a bit. It's not like Mopar is lacking in bold color choices from that time period.

Just my two cents. Many will disagree with me.....with I totally understand.
 
#22 ·
EV2 Hemi Orange is a factory 69 Dodge color and what is on the car now.
As for the General Lee cars used in the tv show, there were 2 different non Mopar colors used...1975 Corvette Flame Red and AMC Big Bad Orange. I couldn't use a non Mopar color on it so I went with EV2 Hemi Orange. It's a bit of a darker orange than the other 2 which showed up better on camera. That's why they were used.
Just a little trivia there :).
And yes in straight lines they are just fine. Turning, not so much. I will be addressing and correcting that problem too on the rebuild. I never liked the way it handled/steered.
 
#28 ·
So a little update on the Charger rebuild. Going very slow. I have a lot of other irons in the fire at the moment but found some time to do a few things. Since the front suspension was completely trashed, It's getting all new everything including a K member. Whole QA1 front end and new steering linkage plus a Borgeson steering box. First thing was to yank the old engine out. A new 440 is being built now with, let's just say a lot more horsepower than this tired old motorhome engine was putting out. Also the TF727 trans is out getting rebuilt. Probably going to spring for a 3.54 Sure Grip Dana 60 axle for it as well. Once I get my 72 Chevelle done at least to paint, then I'll turn my attention back to the Charger. Goal is to have it done this year and take it on Power Tour next year.
 

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#30 ·
I’m not rushing to get it done at this point. I Have another project in the works that I’ll reveal in a couple weeks that a pretty big deal. The Charger kind of took a back seat for a while so I could get the 72 to a point where I can finish it quickly and get it sold. All part of a plan for bigger and better things :).
 
#31 ·
I’m glad we’re past the photobucket stage! I have a special place for 69 Dodge Chargers. My Dad bought one new when I turned 16. In my opinion it drove and handled great, at least as good as a 67 GTO I had as my first car a few years later. In any event, your upgrades should make it better than new I’m sure.
 
#32 ·
So it's been 2 years since I updated this. Mainly because the Charger has been on the back burner. Anywho, it's been sitting in my shop for a year now. I completely stripped the car and now focusing on the body work on nights and weekends. The engine and trans are done, brakes and suspension updated with Baer Brakes and QA1 suspension. This is also a new 440 I had built. It should have a lot more horsepower than the old motorhome 440 that was in it. This one has about 10:1 compression, complete roller cam and valvetrain. The trans has been rebuilt and has a 9.5" Dynamic Converter 3500 stall that flashes around 3800 RPM. I will be replacing the original 8 3/4 rear with a Moser Dana 60 as well.
I have also registered it for Hot Rod Drag Week in September so I NEED to get it done.
 

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