High Class Muscle - This 1969 Plymouth GTX 440 Needs Some Tuning Help

[@ScottOnDrums]

Plymouth GTX. The gentlemens muscle car.

[@robertwest3093]

That car was put together as clean as you can get. Now it needs to be DRIVEN!

[@p90x1011]

My first car is a 1969 GTX. I’ve had it for over 40 years. No choke, been driving with two feet my whole life!

[@ezrabrooks12]

@p90x1011/ DON'T EVER SELL HER!!!!! YOU'LL REGRET IT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!!!!! UNLESS YOU'VE OWNED A GTX THEN YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE CAR AND HOW IT FEELS TO OWN AND DRIVE ONE!!!!! I ONLY SOLD MINE BECAUSE A CAR DEALER/COLLECTOR KEPT OFFERING ME SOME STUPID MONEY FOR MINE!!!!! I THOUGHT THAT I COULD GET SOMETHING MEANER AND BETTER THAN MY OLD GIRL!!!!! TO THIS DAY I'VE NEVER BEEN TRUELLY HAPPY WITH ANY OTHER CAR AND I'VE HAD ALL TYPES OF MUSCLE!!!!! IT'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THAT 69 GTX FROM THE DAY!!!!!

[@garyslentzii2796]

Gorgeous GTX Dream Ride

[@5jr.racing982]

I had a 70 Superbee 440 twin scoops in that same color...same buckets, headrests, council, shifter....Dodge never threw anything away 😮

[@waynedavis7245]

Gotta love the GTX and this one is very nice. Keep up the great work! 👍

[@timmotel5804]

Good Day. I bought my 1969 GTX from the original owner in 1971, 440, Auto, Air, Ps, PB, etc. Looked like this one here. I Also had a 1968 440 Charger RT, a 1970 440 Challenger RT/SE and a 1972 340 Challenger. All fully equipped as the GTX was. Wonderful Cars & Wonderful Times.

[@NathansMoparGarage]

That's a good looking car. I do prefer the dark green over the pea green color.

[@davestark2015]

Alright, one of my favorite cars !!! Gonna be a great episode. Cheers Sir

[@Daniel-fd3wp]

Thats Muscle at its finest sir. 👍

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

Yep, of all time !

[@wrenchinwithgrandpa4586]

I always enjoy watching your videos, you have helped me get better at dealing with Mopar restoration!👍👍

[@JimFry]

My second car was a 1966 Satellite Police Interceptor. It was geared for highway and was a hoot, in that it would stand up on the torson bars and then take off. After I replaced a good portion of the car, it felt really stable at 135mph.

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

Jamie; That seems to have been an awfully long test drive....the 68 Plymouth GTX is one of my favorite cars of all time; how could anyone not test drive this beast for hours? Chrysler turned car styling into a piece of art with this one. Absolutely beautiful!

[@musclecarmitch908]

Out of the 40+ old mopars I've had 50 percent have been green, fitting color for them, love it!👍 My 68 GTX was B7 blue, my brother had a B5 blue 69 a couple of the few cars we had that weren't green!😊

[@richardchampion4826]

OMG, I had this exact car, ordered end of Sept. 1968, was fun. Traded it in on a 1970 440 Six-Pack Roadrunner.

[@allanperryman388]

Green is an old man color. I didn't dig green or tan when i was younger. They are in the best shape because the old guys took care of them. I love green now...im old 😂

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I can at least appreciate the green at this point. But…it would never be my first choice. Haha.

[@ChrisPervelis]

The upside down Plymouth logo on the wheel is killing me.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

We’re well aware 😅

[@ChrisPervelis]

@@DeadDodgeGarage I know, but I am new here. Cut me some slack lol.

[@andyderby150]

My brother had a road runner that looked very similar to this except the hood was color matched, 383 4speed pistol grip bench seat it ran very strong.

[@DB-nz9xl]

I just picked up69 gtx. 4 speed, track pack, A4 silver..thank you for sharing this one.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Nice!!

[@mantlemail]

Great video Jamie! I totally agree with you on the 68’s .. Always loved the 68 taillights better .. Had a lemon twist yellow 68 Road Runner with a 383 - 4 speed running around back home in PA when I was in high school .. That thing could beat just about anything in town! It was absolutely one of the 2 or 3 nicest cars in town .. Just a beautiful car! Again great work.. Love your channel and best of all good luck with your future endeavors ✌️

[@SeanJoseph-s2s]

Very nice car....hope to see more of it...good content and thanks....🔧🔧🐐👍

[@johnmullins2798]

Cool car! Love the 68-70 B's I'm partial to 68s as well.

[@moparedtn]

Excellent job as usual *Jamie* - you nailed all the pertinent info on these cars. I didn't catch you off on any, other than on the hood - the '68 and '69 are the same sheetmetal actually, with only the inserts differing between years. Speaking of '68 GTX's, that's what I have - rescued from a farm in rural VA some years ago - and yes, it has a name - Fred. Fred the GTX (there's a couple videos of him on my channel, awful as they may be). Finally, yes to 36 total "all in" on a near-stock 440 - and no, that advance goes to ported, not full-time vacuum. Cheers, Ed on the Ridge

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

You are right, it’s only the air grabber hoods that are different. I know where the factory put the vacuum advance line. I have gone on and on about it actually. Haha. But I have found that most of these big blocks really do like the extra advance at idle - as proven by my gauge readings while cranking the timing up. So I am usually putting them there, and it works great!

[@dogdoc1]

Ahhh, the valve cover gasket leak advice 😂 Thanks again 👍

[@cjm5002]

Drool is pooling up at the corners of my mouth. Almost had one in '96. 69 440 six bbl + air grabber, red and black, and the ever so rare factory sunroof option... 4500 bucks. BUT not a single bank would do a loan on it due to the engine being in rebuild mode scattered across a shop. I begged and pleaded and whined to everyone in my family to back me for it. Turns out this car went up on barrett or hagerty or w/e, one of those show auctions, 20 years later and sold for 164,000 as a survivor. After that show I did the "told you so" to every single person who rejected the investment.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Damn… that bites a big one.

[@robertspence831]

Holy crap what a nice car!

[@PaulSteinberg-il4tw]

Jamie this is what I found out for GTX, According to the late Jack Smith of Plymouth- The X is only a letter that was added to make their version of GTO. This means that GTX doesn't stand for anything specific in cars. However, based on today's trim specifications, you could interpret it as Grand Touring Extra.

[@conniemyrick1124]

So the gto stood for gas tires and oil that makes the gtx gas tires and xcelleration lol

[@timbarry5080]

That thing is beautiful.. I wish I could spill beer and pizza on the interior and do doughnuts in a dusty field

[@dh2360]

Appreciate the tips, it will help to keep these cars on the road with potentially less headaches.

[@Bradydog-in7ut]

“”I’m trying to get a couple miles on it”. That’s Jamie’s way of saying he’s having a blast pushing The Great Plymouth GTX! Wouldn’t you? Of all the great Chrysler muscle cars, this would be my choice.

[@guitarsmusclecars7890]

My first car was a 68roadrunner I drove in high school in the 80's. It did have the emblem in the back seat . I currently have a 67 gtx my dad bought in 1986. It's a factory bench seat column shift car but he installed buckets and console from 69roadrunner in late 80's. The console is flat and smooth under the finish panel not ribbed. I wish it was I would leave it that way. Thanks for a cool channel guys.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It’s flat under the wood grain, but under the screwed on finish panels?

[@cougariog8817]

The sport satellite is really close to the gtx. Great video !!!!

[@garymckee63]

Wow no light package even my bottom of the line Roadrunner had the light package option. Well it did also had the 4 speed. Always liked the indicators on the fenders.

[@BigBoxDodge2020]

Could you check the timing on my 2000 Techumseh Single cylinder engine. Ha ha, great video on how to check and set timing and turn up info. Wish I had a BigBlockDodge.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Probably not 😅

[@jenseninterceptors]

Thats a super nice car, Id be proud to be doing the finesse work it needs yowsa!! Good job man!!

[@Mclovingarage]

I know it's not a rally guage dash but I do like that style guage setup with the tach. I might be biased as it's the same gauges that are in my 70 Coronet, minus the tach... Definitely lends itself to the Gentlemans Muscle Car. The Hood Bulges are awesome too!

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

that 'racetrack' dashboard is pretty cool, too. It's got 67 C body and Imperial stuff/things all over it. I like the wood with green thing, it's probably better than 1/2 the other choices.

[@dogdoc1]

Love this color. It was the original color of my Roadrunner, but it was painted blue for some reason.

[@joshjesch6000]

I love green mopars. Almost every shade. Blue's as well.

[@ThisValiantAdventure]

Simple problems call for simple solutions. Start gifting Tom (over the course of birthdays & holidays) the video gear you would like to be able to borrow if you leave your own gear at home. Problem solved! Great stuff as always. Love the GTXs. Fancy muscle cars are cool.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

😅 excellent plan.

[@leerindal8980]

I had a blue 69 440 4 speed Roadrunner (that someone had put a 70 front clip on) in HS (I bought for $500) and then the year after HS a red 69 GTX (that someone had swapped a 383 into) auto (I bought for $500) . . . ie. a “non-green” GTX. Loved them both but college plans got in the way of keeping my low-buck jewels.

[@Darryl-69SE]

You will get the subscribers!!!And I am getting a charger at some point and sending you the video. Sold my 69 in 1997 when I was 22.

[@richardweyland116]

That car looks really good in gold with black hood.

[@MikeJBlues]

Beautiful GTX, sport satellite is real close to the GTX looks wise

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Dang it!! How could I forget the Sport Satellite in my list of different Plymouth B body models?

[@daviddillon6794]

Had a Satellite. Same Year, same color and same taillights. 318 though. With air conditioning.

[@magneticpulseengine3605]

some people think that a tune up is quite simple but on a performance mopar like yours it's not a simple procedure, there are a few things that have to be kept in mind right from the start. What fuel are you planning on using a high octane or a regular , this can make a world of difference since that will dictate how much spark advance you can hope to run, what temp are you running that engine at? a cooler 160 degree themostat will allow for a much denser fuel air mixture to get to the intake ports and that spells more power-less ping and predetonation which kills an engine by beating up the bearings. It is also important to know how your distibutor works- not as simple as most think. There are 2 advance curves at play there 1 is the centrifical then the vauum. Back in the days when serious tuners setup a distibutor the desired power band was mapped out according to the engines potential based on bore and stroke, big old 440's had a lower power band usually starting around 3200 rpm and would pull hard all the way up to 5k where the hp would roll off again depending on the intake runner length, carberation, spark advance and dwell. Mopar sold advance weights that responded differently to rpms. When I ran a slick setup I didn't use a vacuum advance at all because an advance curve could be mapped out very well with a good distributor like a Mallory dual point. Of course all you guys these days are using the Msd and that's a great ignition system that takes care of the burning of the fuel mixture . So much more to be said about all this and there's bound to be those who disagree with everything I have said here, I'm only speaking from experience and my own history as someone who owned and built a few mopars back when these models where sold for under $2k and where driven off the lot with only minor work needed, thems where the days!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

You clearly have a lot of experience and knowledge in this area, but do you really think you need to explain the existence of and difference between mechanical (centrifugal) and vacuum advance to me?

[@magneticpulseengine3605]

@@DeadDodgeGarage it seems perhaps the connection between rpm and advance was overlooked when you where setting the timing because you said when the vacuum is at it's maximum the timing is right or at least where you want it to be, the 2 are not related since vacuum depends on throttle position like advance but you can have a high vacuum and a low rpm like at high idle. but hey it's your shop and car so you will do as you please..maybe saying needs a little tuning help was inacurate, sorry I said anything, don't know what your vid is about then?

[@sapiscnn]

I had a 1968 GTX, I loved it .

[@rennkafer13]

Hey now, I'm sort of partial to my F3 Green Coronet. 😁 Super nice GTX, and while the '71's are my favorite I'd happily drive this one.

[@tonyb3864]

Nice GTX. I love that mopar green. I am glad they did not change the color. According to the late Jack Smith of Plymouth- The X is only a letter that was added to make their version of GTO. This means that GTX doesn't stand for anything specific in cars.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

That’s my understanding too.

[@rtraymond]

My dad had a B5 440 4v speed 4.10 Dana Super Track Pack GTX new, my Favourite Mopar, then I had a 69 Hemi 4 speed GTX in R6 red white interior and a A4 silver 68 440 auto GTX. The 70 and 68 are more " complex" detail wise than the 69. All nice cars

[@Anthony12valve440RB]

I hate when people say “ too much carburetor” when in 1970 from the factory the TA/ AAR came with a 340 6 pack which i believe was 1350cfm if i remember correctly. Its a Big block hell even a 750 is to small for a 440. Also love the GTX my favorite b body i have a 68 that i built a 543 hemi for. Keep up the mopar Content Jamie 🤘

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yeah, I had some words to say about that 😅

[@minnesotatomcat]

Those rims fit that GTX, not correct but look nice. They wouldn’t though on your Charger, I like it how you have it 👍

[@mexicanspec]

What a beautiful car in that color.

[@OdySlim]

I love it! If only I could afford one. Thanks Jamie.

[@davidlewis2681]

" Use a Divining Rod to figure out what it really needs" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 " 13 times Less likely to pop off and burst into flames" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Jaime your on fire today😂😂😂

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Proud of that 😅

[@Eddiem1969]

Love your informative videos i have a 1966 chrysler 383 4 barrel myself with 8 3/4 sure grip axle, i had the same noise when i turned. im sure you know that those axles needs a special lubricant for mopar suregrip, my noise disapeared when i changed oil and put that in :)

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh yeah, I'm *well* familiar with that noise. This is not that noise... this is a mechanical ratcheting from a locker.

[@Eddiem1969]

@@DeadDodgeGarage Ahh ok :) keep on going with your videos, im really like when you show these tips and trix and how to adjusting things.

[@jimpatnode4445]

My brother had a 68 GTX, my favorite car bar none. One thing I have to offer is that the front drum breaks do require more attention than the rears. Ask me how I know. Still my all time favorite car.

[@Grandadsjunk]

Nice looking car I have a die cast model of one of these 426 hemi and fuel cell

[@bradsrestorations1085]

Nice looking car! My favorite color is red, but I think this one looks good in green.... Somewhere along the way, I missed the Petty blue 73 video.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

There hasn’t been an update on my channel in a long time. The last thing I did on it was the diff overhaul.

[@BigBadJones]

I love green b bodys. Hopefully someday i can afford a 2 door b body of some kind.

[@chriscurry236]

WOW!!! Would love to Own a GTX or a Roadrunner,my favorite year Roadrunner or GTX!

[@PaulSteinberg-il4tw]

Excellent video sir.

[@w957007]

Going to have to agree to disagree here on the hose clamps. I replace the conventional screw clamps with "fuel Injection" clamps . The conventional screw clamps damage the rubber when tightened. Whether its heater hose or fuel hose I always see the rubber chewed up by them. The fuel injection clamps don't do this. I do agree on the Barricade hose, its a must have with todays gas. Keep up the great work!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Injection clamps are great, if they are sized perfectly to your hose’s OD. And if they aren’t, they’re shit.

[@cbobmonster]

Another kick ass video Jaime Sweet car

[@ezrabrooks12]

BEAUTIFUL GTX!!!!! I OWNED TWO DIFFERANT ONES BACK IN THE DAY. I'M STILL KICKING MYSELF IN THE ASS FOR TRADING THEM!!!!!!

[@clembob8004]

Ah, the”Gittix” as it was called by some when new. I think 1970 was my favorite year on those, with the rally gauges, pistol grip, groovy colors, etc. But, I wouldn’t kick this one out of my driveway for leaking oil.

[@pcbullets8726]

Love this car! Very awesome. But I feel l that way about most old Mopars!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yeah that’s where I’m at. Haha.

[@beljames1563]

I actually like wind noise. Well I like the noise coming out of tailpipes which are connected to a bb Mopar. And that noise ia accompanied by plenty of wind. So ya, wind noise. Gotta agree on the 68-9 preference..All mopars but c bodies just b/c fuselage.

[@klapaucius77]

It's funny hearing you say this car needs a lot of things. I then look at my car and laugh, then drive it anyways. LOL

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

😅 you saw me drive this one. Haha.

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

The early 1968 B-body "padded" ashtray was different from the other 1968 to 1970 B-body ashtray.

[@MaxSupercars]

Very good looking car with quite powerful engine... 😊

[@nathanmccree2217]

Plymouth gtx is a beautiful car

[@harmorehorń]

15x8s(?) all the way around are the perfect size for 68-70 mopars.

[@michaeladamo1188]

This is my car! I had the same car almost mine was a 4spd Dana 354 green vinyl roof

[@brianandglendaharkin9457]

One of my fastest Mopars in 🇦🇺 was green . It put many brand X to shame green is for go . 👍🏻🇦🇺.

[@olikat8]

Love GG1 green- the other offerings by Chrysler, 'not so much.'

[@303Mopar]

The '69 taillights for the GTX and Sport Satellite were sunken in compared the the Road Runner which were more level, all 3 had the same shape.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Ahhh, yeah, the roadrunner is flatter and has that flat bezel section around the lens. I forgot about that. The ‘68 roadrunner lights are different as well, although the difference is quite subtle.

[@butcher390]

Absolutely 💯 love Plymouth GTXs You could say , I'm green , with envy ...... ( see what I did there 😏 ? ) Thank you the , impromptu automotive history lesson , Professor Jamie Did that brake pedal feel like , a GM hydro-boost , system ??

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I find hydroboost to be extremely touchy and responsive. This isn’t quite like that. It just feels weird but works well.

Outstanding!

[@michaelweilmuenster5754]

I like how the speedometer is numbered, they dropped the zero after each number. That's different.

[@davidj4662]

That's a sweet ride.

[@richardweyland116]

Ooooh! 17" Magnums! Not all of them have '68 chrome grooves under the console wood grain. I have a 69 Charger that does but not any of the others.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Interesting. I have yet to see one that doesn’t, and would like to.

[@HelpingHand-ic4wt]

in the 60s, for some reason I was taught that green cars were cheap, strippo cars that were dangerous because they blend into the foliage. Despite this greenophobia, I have grown to enjoy green cars. I really like the F5 and F8 with the genuine imitation walnut grain decor applique'.

[@rocco3381]

There was a lot of cheap green paint/pigment during and after Vietnam...

[@dirtlump]

Nice GTX ! I think it might have the later mid-70's 2 hp starter as it spins really fast ? The '69 440 Magnum Starters were 4 windings(3 pull/1 shunt) and Crank slower, albeit, W/higher Trq on the reduction. You can tell visually by the lack of Bolts holding the porcelain solenoid Terminals on the Starter ? the porcelain just sits in there NO Bolts. Both still do the wing-ding-ding thing..... but the 'correct' '69 starters are distinctive so I always listen for them at show-n-shines when/if a fella fires up his '69 ?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Dang. I had *no* idea about that difference. I’m sure you are right. There are a lot of incorrect details.

[@kennethvandiver7468]

Very nice.

[@Anthony-nw5zv]

Hey I like that green 💚😊

[@68PlymouthPat]

With this GTX or similar B-body, could you do a video on belt pulleys order, or alignment. Im fighting alignment on my 440 with a mix of AC and non AC parts..

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

The problem is there are different configurations. The real trick is to match all of the correct factory parts. I always have to find reference pictures, or look at another car to compare. I don’t think I could possibly do a video where I effectively detail every different setup that was used. There were a lot of them.

[@Dartman440]

Nice GTX. I got the same valvetrain noise on my 70 RR with 500 stroker. Cant find anything wrong with it. Runs good.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’m not going to worry unless it gets worse, and I suggest you do the same.

[@dougritchie4625]

Beautiful car. Green Mopars are the fastest ones. And I'm not just saying that because I have a 67 GG1 Dart. It's an actual internet fact. 😂

[@carebear2272]

Out of all of them, I like the sport satellite's the best, 383 4BL

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yes! That’s a great one. I love the 383 too.

[@rocco3381]

Any reason not to use the fuel injection line clamps? The typical worm clamps have gotten so cheap they don’t hold up like they used to. Switched to the FI clamps and I’ve been happy with them - nice, even clamping.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

They work great if they are sized correctly. The booboo I’ve seen many times (like was done here) is an injection clamp that is fully tightened but doesn’t actually clamp the line down. The other style is much more forgiving.

[@rodrocket8216]

Gorgeous

[@bryandraughn9830]

Nice! Love it!

[@bryanbacher7470]

I apologize if this was already answered...I think the X was added by Plymouth because the "O" was already used by GM. That said, GT is gran turismo and the "o" (or "x" for Plymouth) means it is a racing car that is not a one-off. I think it had to have at least 100 made to get this certification.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

It’s not a certification of any kind. It’s not a racing car. It is literally a meaningless moniker in this case. The only factory reference I have found assigning GTX any meaning at all is from a period brochure that called it the “Great Tiger eXterminator!” Which definitely was not actually what it meant 😅

[@bryanbacher7470]

@@DeadDodgeGarage Certification was the wrong word on my part..."approved for competition" by the FIA would be more appropriate. But what do we care about Italian-coined phrases (Gran Turismo Omologato) when we're talking about Mopars? So I wholeheartedly agree...it's a meaningless moniker and might just as well mean Gorgeous Terror X-Factor. I liked Great Tiger Exterminator...maybe the Sunbeam Tiger? haha

[@stephenlineman]

you lucky man nice car

[@kellismith4329]

Love me a GTX, all years are awesome, but I like the 1970 the best. What is the round chrome circle in the side of the console beside your right knee? Some sort of interior light?

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yes, all of those consoles '66-70 have those lights. I actually fixed those after filming this, as well as a bunch of other little stuff.

[@kellismith4329]

@@DeadDodgeGarage so cool those old cars

[@greedo2660]

Dang I love that car!

[@bigwrenchtech]

Yes

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yep

[@beljames1563]

MmmHmmm

[@davidkeeton6716]

The green is one of my favorite colors for a 68 or 69 Road Runner or GTX. You never did say what the fuel pressure was coming out of the pump. The regulator will help keep it below 5.5 lbs that the Edelbrock Performer carbs seem to like. The dash bezel looks to be for a more base model than the decor group/ tach included dash in this car.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I don’t have a convenient way to check. At the end of the day, I don’t really care what the number is. I have heard people talk about those pressure issues, but I have dealt with this same exact setup time and time again without ever seeing it. If it’s the stock type pump, it’s probably going to be just fine. I think you are right - there is definitely a component mismatch between the cluster and other dash parts. I don’t know the standard dash well enough to say what’s right for this and what isn’t.

[@JimmyLoose]

Could you give your recommendation for valve cover gaskets that DO work on Mopar big blocks when using factory stamped valve covers? Thank you.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I *only* use FelPro cork with silicone on the valve cover side. They leak… less…

[@michaelnault5905]

Good thing you're better at fixing the bugs than getting them off :⁠-⁠)

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

😅

[@lpmorify]

That is probably my favorite color Plymouth.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Interesting! The green definitely more popular than I expected. It’s not my thing - I’m a dark red or any blue guy.

[@lpmorify]

@@DeadDodgeGarage I had a '72 Satellite Sebring the same color, with a black vinyl top. 🤣🤣🤣Also had a '76 M884 CUCV Dodge. It was also green, though it had multiple layers of paint.