1969 Charger R/T SE

Back in 1978 when I was a youth of 17 years old, I needed to buy a car, and not just any car would do, it had to be a performance car of some sort, and seeing as I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s I got to see but not to enjoy many of the main players in the muscle car market. After spending a summer up north with some cousins, I got indoctrinated to mopars and cruising the boulevard on Friday and Saturday nights, all at an impressionable age of 16. My cousin built one of the first turbocharged big block chryslers in a 68 dodge charger body, and his sister drove a 1970 Cuda AAR, 340 six pack 4spd. Needless to say when I moved to florida later that summer, I started looking for mopars. It took me almost a year to find the right car for the right price, but I found an original unmodified 1969 Dodge Charger R/T Special Edition. At the time I'd never heard of the SE package, but I learned about it soon enough. Price? a fairly cheap 800.00 cash transaction, keep in mind that in 78, premium fuel still sold for less than a dollar a gallon so although it was a gas hog, it wasn't that bad to drive back then. Today with 3.50 a gallon prices for crappy 91 octane? I can't justify driving a car that drinks gas at 5 to 6 mpg. At least not very often.

Anyway, the charger was my very 1st car that i bought with my own savings, and wasn't directly controlled by my parents, my dad enjoyed having a project type car to play with, my mom pretty much never liked the car, still doesn't.

The car i purchased was originally built on September 9th, 1968, was one of the first RT SE models off the line, and was put together in an extremely rare Y2 Yellow (sunfire yellow/creme yellow), with a tan leather interior, and a matching Tan Vinyl top. The R/T stripe on the back was black. I have an original build sheet for it, plus have decoded the fender tags. I will place a link to go to my very first web page that has the charger information on it, at least until i can copy the site and put it in here. I can't stand angelfire ads so hate to point anyone that direction but i did a great page back then with facts etc. Would hate to have to redo it all.

1969 Dodge Charger R/T SE

Charger R/T

XS29L9B1xxxx1

XS: Charger R/T

29: 2 door hardtop

L: 440 engine

9: 1969

B: Hamtrack MI Plant

1xxxx1: Sequence #

$3575.00 Base price for R/T

Optioned Out at $5045.90*

440 Motor
727 Trans
3.23 gears

Options
A47 SE Package

A01 light group

Factory Tinted windows - ALL glass was tinted

V1T - Tan Vinyl top

Tan Leather Interior

V8X - Black R/T Stripe

AM/FM w/rear speaker

A/C

Remote Left and Right hand Mirrors

Locking Gas Cap!

I've owned this Dodge since I was 17, purchased in July of 1978 with Newspaper Route earnings

I am doing as much as I can in the rebuild myself. I've painted before, done some bodywork, and pulled and installed motor and transmission twice on it so far. I intend to pull the motor just one more time - and that is for a rebuild of the block and to paint the engine compartment inner fenders back to Y3.(I liked black in the old days)

The Short Block doesn't match, It did when I bought it, but a piece of teflon from the original timing gear snuck through the oil pickup screen, locked up the oil pump and caused the Rod Bearings to fail. Resulting in a hairline crack in the main journal. I stupidly decided to install a big block from a salvage yard rather than totally rebuild the engine and correct the small cracked journal. (the big block was advertised as a 440, but was actually a 383 Magnum that someone had built for speed.) Even more stupidly I threw the original block away but kept all the rest of the original engine parts.

It does have the original heads, intake, exhaust from manifolds to chrome tips, Carb is original AVS but needs a rebuild (isn't pumping gas now), original valve covers and breather and beaten up red 440 magnum pie pan. Shortblock is out of a Green 69 Charger R/T that danced with a telephone pole. I scavenged some parts from the Green R/T, mainly extra calipers/rotors, a trim part or two, AC Compressor, power steering pump etc.

For a full description, go to my Fender code page. For more detailed data go to the Sales Codes List linked to the hover button below.

I'm told by the Charger Registry that it is the only 69 R/T SE with Y3 paint and V1T vinyl top registered.

I've tried them all, and guess which one still sits in the garage

48 different items on build sheet.

* Optioned price based on figures in Charger Red Book by Motorbooks Intl, however, there are several options not listed in this source and prices of items included in other packages or groups were not counted so price shown is slightly lower than expected original sticker. In any case, a 5,000.00 car in 1968 was highly optioned and more expensive than almost any other muscle car of the time (Average Muscle car price was between 3000-4000). This car was more expensive than a Boss 429, Boss 351, Most Hemi's, All the pony cars, with the exception of maybe a well optioned Corvette.

I'm copying content from an old web page, to keep all the good info on one site. (without mega ads) Below is the Options list for all B body cars in 69 and 71

A01	$25.95	Light Package Glove Box Lock, Map/Courtesy Lamp, Reading and Dome Lamp, Ash Receiver Lamp, Cargo compartment lamp, Glove Box Lamp, Trunk Compartment Lamp, Door Dome Lamp Switch, Ignition Switch Lamp with Timer, Headlamp-on Warning Buzzer, Headlamp Switch Lamp w/Timer
A02		Drivers Aid Group
A04		Radio Group (AM Radio) or Basic Group
A09		Conceal headlamps
A11		Charger 500/Daytona
A12		440 3x2bl Package Car
A13		Superbird
A14		Plymouth Spring Special
A15		Above w/vinyl roof
A28		Noise Reduct
A31		High-Perf Axle Pack
A32		Super-Perf Axle Pack
A33		Track Pack
A34		Super Track Pack
A35		Trailer tow pack
A41		White hat special
A44		Rear window louver
A45		Frt./Rear Spoiler Pack
A47	$161.85	SE Package Group
A54		Colored Bumpers
A62		Ralley Instrument Cluster
A87		Road Runner decor group

V1T V8X 25 END M21 M25 M31 N85 R21 G11 G31 G33 H51 J25 L31 A01 A47 B41 B51 C21 C55 Y3 Y3 CRT T3 904 084585 E86 D32 XS29 L9B 128084	Line 1: E86 D32 XS29 L9B 128084 128084 - Sequential number L - Engine: 440, 4bbl Magnum 9 - Year: 1969 B - Plant: Hamtrack MI. XS - Car Line 29 - Body Type D32 - Trans (Torqueflight) E86 - 440 Magnum 4bbl Carb
	Line 2: Y3 Y3 CRT T3 904 084585 084585 - Sequence number 904 - Build Date 9/4/68 CRT - Trim Code (Leather) Y3 - Body Color Y3 - Roof Color
*Picture of my Fender tag*
*Picture of my Fender tag*	Line 3: A01 A47 B41 B51 C21 C55 C55 - Bucket Seats C21 - Aux Seat/folding armrest B51 - Power Brakes B41 - HD or Disc Brakes A47 - Special Edition Package A01 - Light Group
Damaged Codes on tag were identified as: Line 2: first Y3 missing Line 3: A01 package was only partially there, The 1 is visible to left of A47. Line 4: G11 code is partial, showing the G1 on small piece Line 6, M21 can make out the M but not the 21 on small piece V1T is on small piece, the T is visible in picture, can see V1T on reverse side V8X: V8 is missing, X is visible above M25 code	Line 4: G11 G31 G33 H51 J25 L31 L31 - Hood mounted turn signal J25 - 3 speed variable wipers H51 - Air Conditioning G33 - Remote control L Mirror G31 - Mirror OS Right G11 - Tinted Glass All
*Picture shows the tan top (V1T)*	Line 5: M21 M25 M31 N85 R21 R21 - AM/FM Solid State Radio N85 - Tachometer "tic-toc-tac" M31 - Belt Molding M25 - Wide Sill Moulding M21 - Drip Trough molding
My Build Sheet (This is a big image)	Line 6: V1T V8X 26 END V1T - Tan Full Vinyl Top V8X - Black Stripe R/T 26 - Radiator 26" END - End of options
Although the fender tag does have all major options it does not include every code for every option on the car as I've read in several books. In my case the A01 light group and SE package included a slew of small options that are not listed on the FT. Also, although the Charger Redbook offers prices on select options, it is not a complete list. Neither was the list of options in the Charger Restoration guide. The list of options presented here cross referenced those lists, with my build sheet and several other build sheets and code lists found on the net.