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Rescued! 1969 Charger 440 4-Speed

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Recently rescued from 30 years in this garage, this nicely equipped matching numbers 1969 Charger R/T looks really good in the photographs–until you read the description and look closer! It’s still a great project, and is available for purchase here on eBay, where enthusiastic bidding is already over $33,000 but the reserve is not met yet. The car is now located in East Earl, Pennsylvania.

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It’s amazing what a little cleaning will do! This car looks terrific in this picture, doesn’t it? Thankfully the seller is honest about the condition of the car and details the effects of the amateur “restoration” that took place back in 1977. Once you get closer, the true issues with this car become apparent.

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Ahoy there, we have some body filler! And it looks like it was applied by the gallon–possibly over rust! Again, thank you to the seller for the level of disclosure. Don’t get me wrong–with an original 440 V8, four speed stick and track pack rear end, this Charger has a incredibly desirable specification, and will make someone a fantastic project. It’s well worth restoring or refurbishing. Just don’t plan on getting away with living with the paint as-is for long.

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I notice the rescuers have removed what I think was a trailer hitch, at least that’s what they call it in the ad, from the rear. The car looks surprisingly good from this far off, doesn’t it. Go back and look at that top picture again–they did a nice job, didn’t they?

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The distinctive interior looks to be in pretty nice shape, too. Although it looks to be the original pattern, I couldn’t find another interior online that was two-tone like this one. Do any Barn Finds readers know if this combination could be original?

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Sure does look nice under the hood, doesn’t it. I’m guessing the metallic green we see on the core support and firewall is the original color. The engine runs well and doesn’t leak. What could go wrong? This is one Charger I’d like to own–tell us your thoughts!

Comments

  1. HoA Howard A Member

    I had a car like this, only a 383 and it must have been a ’70, because it had a pistol grip shifter, the ’69, I read, had a wood colored ball. Never in a million years, would I have thought hese would be as valuable as they are ( this seems like a lot of money for a car with body work) but it sure was fast Used to blow the mufflers off on fast shifting. Cool car. $30g’s? Wow!

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  2. Avatar Trent Poole

    Waaaay out of my league ($$) but man I like that car.

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  3. Avatar Mark

    Boy, would I like to have that.

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  4. Avatar Chris

    Great cars. Here is my green 68 R/T 4 speed. I bought it 6 years ago, and felt like I got totally ripped off. Now looks like a good deal. Lots of junk out there, being a unibody, they are hard to get right when they rust.

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    • Avatar doug

      Chris, in high school my older brother had a 68 Magnum RT, 440 automatic. I can remember some 130 mph rides to school. Had some country roads to go through. Mom would have killed us both if she knew. This would have been 74 or 75.

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    • Avatar Chevelle Tim

      ..nice……NICE !

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  5. Avatar Nick Member

    Its easy to have high bidding when reserve is not me. It may bring this money or it could be a friend bidding it up until it gets close to the reserve price.

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  6. Avatar Mike

    I have owned 2 – 69 chargers, and current have a 70 charger, in all of the shows I have gone to I have never seen this comb pattern in a seat, but I have only seen maybe 200 chargers in my life. If somebody did this, it appears to be a nice job and isn’t to odd looking in my opinion.

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    • Avatar Chris

      I’ve never seen it either, but you just don’t see a lot of these cars. I go to Barrett Jackson every year, and hit other auctions that week, and the famous pavilions car show in Scottsdale. In 4 days my Dad and I probably see 3-4000 classic cars, and maybe only see 2-3 68-69 Chargers.

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    • Avatar brian crowe

      it says in the auction that the tan vinyl seat inserts were added in 1977

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  7. Avatar Jack Robinson

    I was a Chrysler dealer at that time and do not ever remember seeing that kind of a 2-toned interior.That said, the stamped tan center section would be very hard to duplicate in an upholstery shop.

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    • Avatar RNR

      The ebay listing admits to tan seat inserts being installed prior to 1977. Close inspection of the ebay interior photos reveals sewn, not heat stamped, pleats. The current Legendary Interiors catalog does not mention two tone interiors. All that said, they did a nice enough job that I wouldn’t spend a grand to replace the seat covers – put the money in patch panels that nobody made back when the car was last painted.

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    • Avatar Jerry HW Brentnell

      I had a71 duster 340 4 gear that was gold on the outside with a bench seat with armrest, black with gray inserts the same as the seats here and I bought it off the kids mother, who bought it new, he was a idiot, the way he drove so I ended up with it!!

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  8. Avatar JW

    Too pricey for me but these cars just look fast sitting still. I like the 68’s better with the round taillights.

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  9. Avatar Joe M

    How many of these do you think they destroyed filming the movie Bullet?

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    • Avatar Jeffro

      Not near as many as Dukes of Hazzard.

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      • HoA Howard A Member

        Some claim as many as 325, 68-69 Chargers were used,( tail lights and grills were swapped so they all looked the same) in the 147 episodes from 1979 -1985, others say more like 255. 17 ( not including clones) still exist. Chargers used for the big jumps were retired immediately, due to structure damage. And no Dukes comment would be complete without mentioning Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach),,,Gott Im Himmel !!!
        Apparently, only 2, 68 Chargers were used in Bullitt.

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    • Avatar Mike

      There were no 1969 Chargers destroyed in the making of Bullitt, because the Bullitt car was a 1968, because the movie was made in 1968!!!!.
      Two 1968 390 V8 Ford Mustang GT fastbacks (325 hp) with four-speed manual transmissions were used for the chase scene, both lent by the Ford Motor Company to Warner Bros. as part of a promotional agreement. The Mustangs’ engines, brakes and suspensions were heavily modified for the chase by veteran car racer Max Balchowsky. Ford also originally lent two Galaxie sedans for the chase scenes, but the producers found the cars too heavy for the jumps over the hills of San Francisco. They were replaced with two 1968 375 hp 440 Magnum V8-powered Dodge Chargers. The engines in both Chargers were left largely unmodified, but the suspensions were mildly upgraded to cope with the demands of the stunt work.
      The director called for maximum speeds of about 75–80 miles per hour, but the cars (including the chase cars filming) at times reached speeds of over 110 miles per hour. Driver’s point-of-view shots were used to give the audience a participant’s feel of the chase. Filming took three weeks, resulting in nine minutes and 42 seconds of pursuit. Multiple takes were spliced into a single end product resulting in discontinuity: heavy damage on the passenger side of Bullitt’s car can be seen much earlier than the incident producing it, and the Charger appears to lose five wheel covers, with different ones missing in different shots. Shooting from multiple angles simultaneously and creating a montage from the footage to give the illusion of different streets also resulted in the speeding cars passing the same vehicles at several different times, including, widely noted, a green Volkswagen Beetle. At one point the Charger crashes into the camera in one scene and the damaged front fender is noticeable in later scenes. Local authorities did not allow the car chase to be filmed on the Golden Gate Bridge, but did permit it in Midtown locations including Bernal Heights and the Mission District, and on the outskirts of neighboring Brisbane
      The last remaining Charger and one of the two Mustangs were scrapped after filming because of damage and liability concerns, while the other was sold to an employee of Warner Bros.[26] The car changed hands several times, with McQueen at one point making an unsuccessful attempt to buy it in late 1977. The current state and location of the surviving Mustang is largely unknown, but it is rumored that the Mustang is kept in a barn somewhere in the Ohio River Valley by an unknown owner.

      I got this info from a fact sheet that came when I bought the DVD/Blue ray of the Movie some years ago!!

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  10. Avatar RicK

    A great 30-footer. That 4 speed is the only thing that makes these cars worthwhile IMHO, wouldn’t want an automatic. Funkadelic upholstery, makes me retch!

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  11. Avatar Joe

    Back in 85 or so I slammed one of these into a tree, drunk. I was fighting with my lady friend cause she drank all my beer and smoked all my cigs but didnt have no cash to buy more and I took of rip roaring down her street and I had built up to much speed to turn at the T and at the end of the road the tree stopped me.

    I walked back to her house told her to mind herself and the next morning the car was still there. I took the plate off it and left it.

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  12. Avatar goatman64

    I am not a Mopar guy. As a Pontiac fan, I have massive respect for the down and dirty no nonsense machines they built. This looks like an awesome car.

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  13. Avatar redwagon

    there cannot be much rust under that bondo if there were a lot it would look so much worse. consider it was done in ’77 which is almost 40 years ago. rust never sleeps – it creeps.

    (except in the case of bimmers and early porsches in which case it gallops!)

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    • Avatar John H. from CT

      Redwagon,

      I think you are spot on. A year ago I acquired an AAR ‘cuda that had been repainted in 1990, and it is clear that the lower rears were skim coated over some rust. They only started bubbling a couple of years ago (the previous owner of 35 years was incredibly forthcoming) and I was able to save the original sheet metal with just a bit of work.

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  14. Avatar Ck

    Kool cars ,but jeez they get All the money for em,don’t they?

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  15. Avatar Melvin Burwell

    Looks like a green General Lee. My neighbor owned a wrecking yard, and used to haul cars for the Dukes of hazard show. One morning I woke up and saw about 6 1969 chargers on a carrier. I drooled.

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  16. Avatar Rustytech Member

    I remember when you could pick one of these up from the used car lot for under $1000. Now I see them bringing $60 to $80k at auction! Another wish I knew then what I know now.

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    • Avatar rod444

      The question I always ask is what car do I want NOW so I can sell it for 25x the price when I’m an old(er) fart?

      Who knows, maybe it’s a pristine Pontiac Aztek?

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      • Avatar Randall

        Or maybe the 90’s two seater ford thunderbird…I think it was 90’s or was it early 2000’s?

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  17. Avatar ccrvtt

    Still one of the top two or three best-looking cars of all time.

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  18. Avatar stillrunners

    4 speed survivor’s are rare for any make……

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  19. Avatar Glen

    The 69’s are my favorite. I agree with ccrvtt, they are one of the best looking cars ever produce, and I’ve thought that even before Daisy Duke showed up!

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  20. Avatar Derrick

    I’ve owned 30 vehicles in all my years and 6 of them were Mopars….they were good vehicles…..the favourite being a ’65 sport Fury 413, 4 speed way back in ’65…..but, I definitely had a soft spot for the Charger and you don’t see too many of them….I think this man is going to get his price for this great automobile…..Oh….and Joe…..we don’t really car what makes you wretch……opinions are one thing but, here’s a tip…..make it worth reading…….

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  21. Avatar Derrick

    Joe, my good man…..my apologies…..My comment was meant for Rick…

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  22. Avatar Rocko

    Yuck , another green mope. I wouldn’t bother with a green mope unless it was a Hemi.

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  23. Avatar Philip

    I like it, and it’s here in PA. Just like me. That said, I don’t li LPke the price.. you may see this one a few more times, 4 speed or not. She’s worth money absolutely but not that much money, and you can still find these if you know where to look. Plenty of B body’s with bondo out there. Wanna talk rare, an E body with 440/4speed track pack.. that’s gonna dent your bank account big time and they are rare and getting all the $$$ anymore. I suspect this one has a lot more rust everywhere that you all think. Pennsylvania cars are notorious especially unibody Mopars…

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  24. Avatar Brad

    The seat inserts are not factory as others have mentioned. Not that hard to replace the inserts. I own Sew-Cleam Upholstery and we’ve done tons of Mopar muscle cars in the last 20 years including Craig Jackson’s 71 Hemi Roadrunner. I’ve installed a lot of Legendary products.

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  25. Avatar Randall

    This is a lot of dough for an old car like this Charger. More dough than most of us working stiffs can afford for a hobby.. How much is too much to relive the days of our youth? Nostalgia has its price. But dang it we do love that good old American muscle and if I had the money I’d have a barn full of them.

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  26. Avatar Bob

    I bought this car.
    Worth every cent.
    Seller was an awesome guy. Seeing the vehicle for the first time confirmed all claims made in his ad. Red wagon, John H …. we have a winner!

    Like 2
  27. Avatar Chris

    Bob, enjoy it! Anything wrong with it other that the rust in the quarters? I have done a lot of little things mechanically over the years. Great cars!

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  28. Avatar BOB

    Thanks Chris!
    Don’t get me wrong, she definitely needs a little TLC just as the previous owner described. Heck, she is going to turn 49 in a month or so (mfrd 10/68), but she is sweet. Runs strong and cool with excellent oil pressure and absolutely no leaks. Shifts like a charm. Everything is there right down to the smallest piece of molding.
    Got her up on the lift and was pleasantly shocked to see the awesome condition of her under side. Absolutely no need for the body off (that I really can’t afford anyway) I had assumed would be necessary. Lower quarters need to be patched, rear fender wells need attention and a little more patch work in the trunk too. Maybe a total of 12 linear inches in two or three spots around the rear glass I am hoping is just surface rust but won’t know for sure until I pop the moldings and inspect deeper. Other than that ….. frame rails, front wells, floors, rockers, doors, battery tray ….. she’s cherry! Front suspension and drums look they just came out of Hamtramk’s stock room. Very exciting.
    To Rick’s point above, I agree, two tone upholstery too much of a 70’s thing that while not retch inducing is too “ninja turtles” for my taste. Don’t worry Rick, all gone, back to factory green on green, just like ma’ Mopar envisioned.
    Perhaps I paid a little more than I expected to but I definitely have zero buyers remorse! I didn’t do it to flip or profit. I figure that there are only so many of these left in this condition, other than those which have already been restored.
    I too believe these (2nd gens) to be some of the best looking cars to ever be unleashed on the public. I also believe the previous owners could probably never have known what these vehicles were going to mean to the enthusiasts some fifty years on but they did know they had something special and obviously cared for it that way. Boy am I glad they did.
    Funny thing is I wasn’t even looking for a replacement for my ’73 (first car, lost to a drunk driver) in earnest when this opportunity came around …… destiny?
    This was my Christmas present in 2016. Thanks Santa!
    PS. Hey Rocko, I feel ya’ but the green really grew on me and since everything but a few small items under the hood have all been verified as original an F5 (69 only color) re-spray is in order, IMO. If she came with the elephant I’d probably still be looking at the pretty pictures! $$$$$

    Like 2
  29. Avatar Chris

    Hello Bob, what a great find on this Charger for you. Your car is what appears to be one of the closest TWINS to my 69 RT that I’ve come across in photos and options. Wonder if you get this message, maybe we can share a few details and stories. I got mine in 2008 thru the coolest twist of events you could have imagined.
    By the way… I’m a different Chris than the other that responded back in 2017

    Like 0

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