Cruzin69
Well-Known Member
New to the forum. My dad has a 1969 Charger 383 he bought in 69, and still has it to this day. All original except paint and body restoration a few years ago. Original (not rebuilt) motor, trans, interior... and only 68,000 miles on it. He has kept this car as a family heirloom. Recently we decided to start researching the car a little more to know more about it. He bought it at Dodge City in Milwaukee Wisconsin. It had about 1500 miles on it... and was driven as a demo by the owners wife they said. As I’ve been looking into it, I’ve noticed a few things I can’t explain, and figured maybe this group of b-body experts could help us out.
First I’ll post a couple pics, then I’ll ask my questions.
The car is a 383 and 727 auto... again, both original. The guy that restored the car did a few basic things mechanically to get the car reliable for my dad 10 years ago. The guy said he rebuilt the carb, but from what I can tell, it looks like he put a newer carb on it. It’s a Holley 4160 4-barrel, but I’ve seen mixed documentation saying all 383’s came with Carter carbs, and then some documentation that says a 383HP version came with a Holley. I can’t verify what the original carb was, but really want to know what motor we have. Here are some issues I’ve come across...
1) The unsilenced air cleaner is wrinkle finish black with no 383 decals on the lid of any kind. Shouldn’t it have a “383 4-barrel” decal on it?
2) The motor is still the original turquoise, and never been out of the car or rebuilt, but the valve cover by the oil fill looks like it’s painted pretty sloppy with runs in the paint, and there is orange paint showing through under the oil cap where the turquoise has been scratched away by the oil cap. Why would it be orange? Could it be a Magnum in disguise?
3) the fender tag has it listed as a 335HP 383, which I think is the Magnum or an HP version of some kind? This backs up my theory about a Magnum in disguise.
4) the fender tag has a second fender tag attached to it that no one seems to know what it’s for. Was this something the dealer ordered for the car that was custom or unique?
Here’s what I’m wondering... I’m thinking through my amateur sleuthing and minimal knowledge... maybe the “owners wife’s demo car” story was actually more like the “owners drag racing car” and maybe it was ordered with a 383 Magnum (orange) and it was painted and un-stickered to be more stealthy? I may be way off, so hoping you guys and gals can help us determine what we had here. He’s trying to get in there to get the casting numbers off the block to see if that helps.
Sorry for being so long winded, but hopefully you enjoy the pics, and can appreciate the love my dad has for this car, even though he isn’t the typical “car-guy”, not too mechanically inclined, but has a smile from ear to ear when he fires it up for a Sunday drive with mom. Thanks, Dave
First I’ll post a couple pics, then I’ll ask my questions.
The car is a 383 and 727 auto... again, both original. The guy that restored the car did a few basic things mechanically to get the car reliable for my dad 10 years ago. The guy said he rebuilt the carb, but from what I can tell, it looks like he put a newer carb on it. It’s a Holley 4160 4-barrel, but I’ve seen mixed documentation saying all 383’s came with Carter carbs, and then some documentation that says a 383HP version came with a Holley. I can’t verify what the original carb was, but really want to know what motor we have. Here are some issues I’ve come across...
1) The unsilenced air cleaner is wrinkle finish black with no 383 decals on the lid of any kind. Shouldn’t it have a “383 4-barrel” decal on it?
2) The motor is still the original turquoise, and never been out of the car or rebuilt, but the valve cover by the oil fill looks like it’s painted pretty sloppy with runs in the paint, and there is orange paint showing through under the oil cap where the turquoise has been scratched away by the oil cap. Why would it be orange? Could it be a Magnum in disguise?
3) the fender tag has it listed as a 335HP 383, which I think is the Magnum or an HP version of some kind? This backs up my theory about a Magnum in disguise.
4) the fender tag has a second fender tag attached to it that no one seems to know what it’s for. Was this something the dealer ordered for the car that was custom or unique?
Here’s what I’m wondering... I’m thinking through my amateur sleuthing and minimal knowledge... maybe the “owners wife’s demo car” story was actually more like the “owners drag racing car” and maybe it was ordered with a 383 Magnum (orange) and it was painted and un-stickered to be more stealthy? I may be way off, so hoping you guys and gals can help us determine what we had here. He’s trying to get in there to get the casting numbers off the block to see if that helps.
Sorry for being so long winded, but hopefully you enjoy the pics, and can appreciate the love my dad has for this car, even though he isn’t the typical “car-guy”, not too mechanically inclined, but has a smile from ear to ear when he fires it up for a Sunday drive with mom. Thanks, Dave
aboard!
