Dodge introduced a trim line for the second generation Charger in 1969 known as the SE, or Special Edition, which featured a few additional touches not found on the base car, such as a woodgrain steering wheel and some leather sections for the front seats. The previous year, a performance model called the R/T became available, which included the 440 Magnum engine as standard equipment. A great way for a buyer to have the best of both worlds was to add the SE package to an R/T and behold, you’ve got a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T SE such as the one here on eBay. Located in Anaheim, California, this one’s said to be all original and comes with a price tag of $45,000.
While the photos show the Charger in a garage setting, it hasn‘t always had this sort of protection, as the finish shows that baked-on look from years of exposure to the California sun. The seller is upfront about the paint being in rough condition, but he also boasts about how straight the panels are and mentions that the rust is on the surface. The fender tag indicates that this one came with a black vinyl top (V1X), but much of that material has been lost to time, although some of the wheel-opening trim that was part of the SE package is still present on the body.
Besides the drivetrain being numbers-matching, not much else is mentioned about the 440, such as whether it was running when the car was parked or if the engine will still turn. With a lack of fan belts and battery, the big block looks like it’s been inactive for a while, but the fact that this one was factory-equipped with air conditioning is a plus. There’s no word on the current state of the TorqueFlite either, but I’m speculating both the motor and transmission will need a thorough going-through before this Charger is ready to hit the streets again.
A glance inside shows an interior that doesn’t look like it’s been inside a garage for very long, with the instruments fading and a sagging headliner. The woodgrain steering wheel has at least one crack and is missing the centerpiece, so a fresh helm will need to be sourced, but some better news can be found once you begin moving farther south.
Of the limited amount of photos we get showing sections of the underside, things below appear solid, so hopefully the floors and frame rails will require little attention when the restoration begins. Even the driver’s side rocker looks pretty good here, and although there’s lots of work ahead for the next owner, this one seems to have decent bones to start with. Are you finding this 1969 Dodge Charger R/T SE promising project material?
Pass. As in, “pass the pipe”.
Indeed.
I’m glad the seller is up front about the paint being in poor condition. We never would have noticed. Now we can feel good about overspending on this, er, classic.
I can smell the mouse poop and pee from here. Put her in the crusher and don’t look back. Shame on whom ever left this laying around as an unsavory eyesore for so long.
Near where my sister lives, a green and black ’69 Charger sits in the grass and sinking into the earth under a tarp. No idea what’s under the hood, but last I knew it still had original wheel covers. Some cranky old lady lives on the property and was quoted as saying she’d sooner turn it into a planter than sell it.
It’s been there more than 25 years without having moved.
I can somewhat understand those who say “Someday I’m going to fix it up” (even though we know they never will), but I can never understand the thinking of those who would rather have an old car rust into the earth than sell it. Do you?
Go suck on your crusty Camaros tailpipe, if you even own a car, moron
Another overpriced “RUSTPAR”. Crush”her”
please, I can’t take the pain!
Another person who watches the auctions on TV and asks top-dollar for their $1200 rust-bucket. Insane.
Gentlemen, I have to be devil’s advocate here and point out that this is a very saveable and rare numbers matching project. Is it gonna take some work? Yes, but I believe this is titled Barn Finds….not Rotisserie Classics! He may have his price high but that’s not the cars fault. We’ve seen a lot worse get sold here!
100 percent Cooter. We restored one of these over the last 2 years. Low mileage car, but needed a total tear down. Yes, it’s EXPENSIVE. However we now have a pristine ’69 RT/SE in our collection. If the attitude was always to crush it, everybody would be sitting around crying about the fact that they no longer exist.
For those of you who wouldn’t or couldn’t ante up the money to take on such a project, go find a VW to play with and stop bothering to read the articles about such cars. Hopefully someone goes the distance with this one, if they do they’ll have a gem. RT/SE’s were rare in their day, extremely so now. I say preserve them.
The “crush it” people’s opinions aren’t serious. They think they are being provocative and looking for a reaction.
Steve R
Maybe I’m cynical, having a lot of Mopar in my life. But if the $tarting point was at a reasonable number, knowing how much it cost to restore something in this condition it’s feasible. I’ll take back my crush it!😒
Steve R, totally agree. Nothing more than a bitter comment which is a transparent admission to not being leveraged enough to play ball. This is a highly desirable car that’s more than restorable. Albeit an expensive venture but worthy none the less.
There is a Mustang near where I grew up that is still (as of this summer) sitting in the same spot that it had already been sitting in for a while in the late 1970s. I have to think there is nothing left. I also have to wonder about some one who lets a car sit outside for 50 years – what do they think they are going to do with it? The best explanation we came up with was that it may have been the owner’s son’s car, and he is still waiting for his son to come home from Viet Nam.
The Charger boom has busted, rotsa ruck.
When the Boomers are gone, these prices will be history. 20 years from now, how will you even power it? An expensive paper weight. Get out now while there are still dreaming losers ripe for the picking.
Chuck, You haven’t a clue sir. Judging by your avatar that’s understandable.
As mentioned huge piles of crap have sold and been restored. While his price is high, admit it, these Chargers bring insane money these days. The comment waiting for title concerns me. Tells me he got this thing cheap and is flipping. This 69 is in better shape than most on this site. It should be saved. Lord knows it’s far better looking even in the shape it’s in compared to the ugly junk being built today.
Lotsa’ opinions both ways, so I shall take the middle road. While nearly anything is “restorable”, and this one is not nearly as bad as some that I have seen on Barn Finds, bringing this back to life would not be for the faint of heart nor the light of wallet. It doesn’t seem to be a bad jumping off point, but no matter how you feel about the car itself you have to admit the price is beyond reasonable.
I loved the second generation Chargers. Never owned one but love the looks. I did however own 2 3rd generation Chargers and absolutely loved both of them! Even though ‘back in the day’ a lot of people said they weren’t ‘true Chargers’ I’m an old timer now, no definitely not as old as some of the regulars but my days of being in my prime passed several decades ago. With that said, here is where some or many will shake their head or roll their eyes. I currently own and love a 2012 Charger. Gasp! Heaven forbid a 4 door vehicle with the name Charger on it. I’ll be honest, they first came out in 2006 and it took me until 2022 to accept a 4 door Charger. Still think they should have named them a Coronet or similar. I won’t bother extolling the virtues of these. There’s lot but I’m not here to convert or try to convert people. To the ones that think that all those who complain about current prices on these and certain other vehicles being too poor to afford one is why they gripe. Sure in some cases that’s true but most definitely not true in all cases. I’m definitely not in a position to buy a 100k plus car but 70k to 80k is in my range if I choose to. Insane asking (and often getting) prices on some have absolutely turned me off of 3 of my favorite vehicles. 1st generation Broncos. 67 and 68 fastback Mustangs and all 2nd generation Dodge Chargers. Not everyone that thinks the prices are absurd are broke gentlemen. Some of us see absurd pricing and realize it whether the naysayers on the other side of the coin realize it or not. I’ll conclude by saying I won’t pay that kind of money on any type of vehicle that I’d be afraid to daily drive and do errands and store trips. I do offer a sincere Happy Holidays to you all whether we agree or not.
I agree, prime Muscle Cars are overpriced, but only a small fraction sell for what many rail against, the mythical $100,000 number. As you allude to, there have been 50+ years of desirable cars spit out by various manufacturers around the world since the last muscle car left the assembly line. Most of those are still reasonably priced.
Me and most of my friends figured out in the early-1980’s we couldn’t afford the makes and models we really wanted, instead we figured out what we could afford and helped each other search for the best cars we could find. That introduced us to many cars we would never have considered otherwise. Since then we’ve never had a problem finding something interesting at a reasonable price. To the contrary, most of the friends that wouldn’t compromise to fit their budget never bought anything, but like nowadays, we’re vocal with their complaints. One of the things that separated the two groups, one put in the work to find cars by networking and following up leads, while the others wouldn’t even follow up on a car someone had a personal connection with.
Steve R
Didn’t mean to create such a tidal wave of replies and reconsiderations! We all admit this project is a few levels above the gutted, and not even rolling rust buckets we see pass through here. Hell the leather on the seats still shine on this baby! If he sells this he owes me a beer for sparking the sale because It was headed waaaaay south for him!