383 V8 4-Speed Project: 1969 Dodge Charger

Dodge introduced the Charger in mid-1966 as a personal luxury car that would appeal to the muscle car set. The car didn’t go over well in its first two years but took off in 1968-70 as Chrysler redesigned all its intermediates. A decade later, interest in that era of Chargers would be popularized by The Dukes of Hazzard television program. This 1969 edition is a project that was started some 25 years ago but the work stopped, and it was stored until recently. Ready now for someone to pick up where they were left off, this Dodge is in Blairstown, New Jersey, and available here on eBay. The bidding has reached $20,100, but the reserve has not been met.

What a difference two years can make. In 1968, Dodge sold twice the number of Chargers they had in its first two years combined (92,590 vs. 53,132) and another 131,995 in the two years combined that followed. For 1969, the pairing of the 383 cubic-inch 4-barrel V8 with a 4-speed manual transmission (Hurst shifter) would generate sales of 3,579 units or less than five percent of all Chargers built that year, making this automobile kind of rare in the big picture. The seller’s car is one of them as the engine, VIN, body numbers, and fender tag are all said to jive. Add to that this was a triple black car, i.e., paint, vinyl top, and interior.

As the story goes, the previous owner took the car off the road a couple of dozen years ago to do a restoration and the work only went partway. New quarter panels were installed though one of them was not completed. The car also has a new trunk floor, extensions, a dutchman panel, and a box beam shock support. The driver’s side of the floor pan has been patched but the rest looks good as the seats and carpeting were removed. The floors were painted with a green epoxy primer to preserve the metal.

The big-block V8 turns freely but the seller says it will need rebuilding. The engine and transmission are both in the car but are not hooked up and just there to help with transport. We’re told the Dodge is mostly complete so you may be able to restore the once-proud Charger with what comes with the transaction. As much as the seller was hoping to find the car’s build sheet, that effort came up empty.

A ’69 Charger in Concours condition can be worth more than $55,000 and a premium might be applied if this was a 500, R/T, or Daytona model, which it’s not. We can’t help but wonder what the reserve might be on a project car like this and would it leave enough room for someone to finish the job without exceeding its future value.