68 Charger production differences

[Richard Cranium]

Here's the factory stripe on the bronze car. Looks pretty good on this side.......

This side, not so good.....

Honestly, if I had bought this car new, I would have made them put a new stripe on. But I guess people didn't care about quality back then because I've seen pictures of original stripes and they are all over the place.

The stripe that was on this car when I bought it was off, so I ordered a new one and positioned it so that it followed the angled line of the bumper indent keeping the marker light centered on the rear stripe....

 

[PP1RT]

This is interesting stuff. When i get some time i will try to look mine over closer too. Mine is a St Louis car i believe.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Old Fart ???
Nice.

That's a souvenir from my trip to Alaska.

 

[dieseldazzle]

Which ones faster?

 

[PP1RT]

Which ones faster?

The one in front....

 

[440fish]

I see one of your cars has the carpet cut around the accelerator pedal mount on the firewall and the other has the carpet on top of it. Any idea which is the correct way? Whoever installed the carpet on my car sandwiched it between the firewall and the metal mount (im guessing to help hold the carpet in place.

 

[PP1RT]

Original rug in mine.

 

[PeteBell68]

All really neat stuff you've pointed out . Going to check out the differences with mine .
Those both are great cars you have .
Two of my favourites.

 

[68chargerpilot]

Wow you guys make me jealous!!! My car having been saved from a junk yard had so much missing, I'm in the dark on all of these subtle differences. It was built on Dec 20 1968 making one of the last. Im kinda stuck doing a generic restoration since I don't have a clue how it started. Mine did have the squard vent pull handles though. This past week I chased down the part that had the 2 round knobs. I had never seen that before so I figured it was lost in the junkyard. Now I'm thinking I never saw it because mine didn't even have it. So I just bought a part I might not even need! Argh. Guys I'm gonna need lots of help!!!

 

[The Rebel]

Love the info here Mark! Once I get my car back from the shop I'll compare mine (1/22/68 at Hamm)

 

[69bfan]

Really great information and very well documented. Just goes to prove that these cars have there unique differences based upon time frames, manufacturing plant and vendor supplies. Kudos for taking the time to present the information as I was not aware of several of those areas of differences.

 

[PP1RT]

Wow you guys make me jealous!!! My car having been saved from a junk yard had so much missing, I'm in the dark on all of these subtle differences. It was built on Dec 20 1968 making one of the last. Im kinda stuck doing a generic restoration since I don't have a clue how it started. Mine did have the squard vent pull handles though. This past week I chased down the part that had the 2 round knobs. I had never seen that before so I figured it was lost in the junkyard. Now I'm thinking I never saw it because mine didn't even have it. So I just bought a part I might not even need! Argh. Guys I'm gonna need lots of help!!!

Your car was built in December 1967 so kinda early as production started in Aug 67 and really had to ramp up as demand was so high.

 

[RT68440]

Very cool info Mark. Some of the factory parts were missing from my '68, but the interior parts that are there are original. Mine is Hamtramck built, 4/15/68 projected build date. Here are the pieces that I have in the things that you've mentioned:

black band around the rear view mirror
T style seat release knobs
fratzog emblem on the dash cluster
slide down ash tray
square trim pieces on the door map pockets
square vent pull handles
rounded arm rests
silver sun visor bases with shoulder belt brackets
filler not lead on the sail panel quarter to roof seam (vinyl top car)
no holes in the upper grill support tray
door belt molding ends are push in clips, not stud and nut
no cut outs on the trunk lid skeleton

 

[69bfan]

Can you guys with the early Chargers look at your coat hooks and let me know which style that was used? Just curious as I have a October 11th and a October 17th of 1967 Road Runner. Both cars have just one coat hook and it is the early metal style. Just finished a July 7th, 1968 Road Runner and it had the plastic coated coat hanger on both sides. Just wondering if the more heavily optioned Chargers used the plastic coated style early on and if there was one on both sides?

 

[oldbee]

This is the stuff I love, all the subtle differences between beginning&ending of model year. Oh & guess what I threw away years ago(build sheet from rear cushion) “we don’t need that “. Yes, I(we) were dumb ‘back then’!!

 

[mopar 3 B]

Anyone have any idea as to how to make a build sheet readable? The typewriter ribbon must have just about wore put when they did mine. 5 or 6 years ago it was just vairly readable and now a case of disappearing ink.

 

[68chargerpilot]

Your car was built in December 1967 so kinda early as production started in Aug 67 and really had to ramp up as demand was so high.

So my fender plate shows Dec 20 and it's a 68 I thought that ment Dec 20 1968. How do you know the actual year of production? If it's 1967 then it was an early production. I figured back then things were more in line model year and calendar year not like today where model years can start so early in the calendar year prior. Do we just know from records that they started the 1969 models on a certain date?

 

[PP1RT]

So my fender plate shows Dec 20 and it's a 68 I thought that ment Dec 20 1968. How do you know the actual year of production? If it's 1967 then it was an early production. I figured back then things were more in line model year and calendar year not like today where model years can start so early in the calendar year prior. Do we just know from records that they started the 1969 models on a certain date?

Usually around 2nd week of August was the start of production for the new model year.

 

[PP1RT]

We have a 68 belvedere built on August 12th.

 

[91r/t]

Hey Mark, I have heard the inland shifter 4 speed cars did not come with the reverse light in the dash. Can you confirm this with your 4 speed R/T? I have a 68 built in September 67 and mine does not have the reverse light in the dash.