Carchaeology: 1969 Dodge Charger 500 "Barn Find" Inspection

Randy and Mike take a close look at the barn find 1969 Charger 500 from the Arizona Muscle Car Stash and discover some history and some hidden secrets about this very rare low production car.

[@danielliebrandt1516]

I run the registry for 69 charger 500's. Your correct in thinking that the stripe was added at Creative Industries. Watched the video 2 times, and by the looks of it, the car has been repainted at least around the back half of the car. Rocker moldings on the car are original. A/C from factory. Hood pins, not original. Power windows, not original to this car. Radio has been changed as well. Rear tail lights, are original to this car. I would be interested in checking this car out in person.

[@blevins6584mopar]

So in your opinion real ?

[@chrismc.4437]

Umm yea

[@danielliebrandt1516]

I have inspected 297 different Charger 500's in person over the years. I have information on many more too, the correct production number on these cars is 548.

[@Mercmad]

Weren't a lot of Daytonas made into 500's to make them saleable?

[@karlbaker1943]

A buddy had a bronze 69 Charger 500 in sioux falls south Dakota around 75, as kids in high school we butchered the floor and put a 4 speed in it, I have the block that came out when he spun a bearing. Dont know what happened to it but would like to know. It had body damage to left quarter panel and was repainted then. If you know of it where about please contact me. [e-mail]

[@2264ish]

So the 352 or 392 i have been hearing over the years is incorrect?

[@1967davethewave]

Awesome!!! The Charger 500 is my favorite because I think it's so unique. And with only 392 made there sure are a lot of survivors.

[@jessicawells5145]

If you pull up the rear package tray there should be peices,of busted glass,they didn't take the factory one out,they knocked them out with a hammer,I've seen this in a Daytona.

[@michaelrini3654]

You might want to change the ballast resistor. I noticed the engine not starting till the key was let go. It happen to my '69 500 a 100 years ago. Like many of us said WISH I NEVER SOLD IT! Mine was light green with auto trans on column, bench seat A/C,PS, PB AM radio! Bitchin car. Bough it new when I hit 21 off a Dodge dealer in Canoga Park CA in '69. Had a choice of this car or a .69 Coronet W/426 cu.in hemi!! The Hemi car was a base model plan jane. No power nothing & hard to steer. The good old days.

[@ScottDLR]

That's a sweet ride and on a side note, nice Sun test equip. collection!!! I question if anyone would go to the expense and bother to change door cards to add PW's...? Dodge was notorious for mistakes on tags and VINs. We owned a Dart with slant 6 that had a vin showing a V8. BTW< I would sell (or more precisely, buy) those old cans of 104 on eBay.

[@iamrichrocker]

veritable time machine..outstanding car..and hope we all look this good when we age..new sub...hope you find some old dusters..had a '71, orange color..my first love..sorry girls..

[@vcval]

Have a look in and under the drivers/passengers seat, under the carpet or under the parcel shelf for the broadcast sheet

[@hemihead001]

The # I was always read was 392 made . Not long ago there were guys taking Vega rear hatches and grafting them onto Chargers . Check the body stampings carefully . For how many of these are on the Internet , every 500 must be found already . Bet he bought it for next to nothing .

[@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS]

Hey... you got lucky the guy didn't stick the Fury motor into the KR and the KR motor into the 500!! Now that would have been interesting! Ready to see that body buffed out bro, for sure! Yeah, the power windows likely swapped in, I mean there's 4 switches on the door and those rear regulators would probably be a pain

[@Dave_Boyer]

Really cool car

[@davidjenson8124]

68 Cornett grille. The power window switches supposed to be rocker switches

[@StarlightWorkshop0z]

Great content. Cheers

[@williamdouglass7864]

Cool car

[@alblake5994]

Since it has been a year since this video I would guess you have checked the numbers on the pan rail of the motor and the trans ? Did you find the build sheet ? As Daniel said its worth a closer inspection .

[@Carchaeology]

We did check everything , sadly no build sheet. The car has now been sold and is with some true experts in the world of Mopars.

[@paulbartlett9054]

Wow! Love this car!

[@saxonstangsetc3201]

That looks like a 70 Mustang rear sway bar that came on cars with the competition suspension like the Mach 1.

[@jakebullet8990]

The car would have most likely spent some time outside of Arizona. You can tell by the Military sticker mounted on the front grill. Norton AFB just outside San Bernardino, date 1991.

[@Carchaeology]

Jake Bullet great observation! Yes, you are right. Mark did spend some time in California but his residence during that period I believe was still there in Tucson. I imagine that A/C was a nice thing to have blasting across the desert!

[@michaeladamo1188]

CARCHAEOLOGY especially the old R12 systems they used to blow out like 32° air

[@Pedroisanickname]

15 mins in and it makes sense, an Arizona, crank window, A/C car would have been more a functional driver if it was upgraded to power windows. We'll see what all the witness marks reveal as its history unfolds. Disappointment sets in @ 17m35s when its revealed to NOT be a numbers matching car. The motor could still be on property.

[@zcam1969]

another 100000$ barn find , by this guy ! hey buddy you so lucky , lets diggin for a real gold mine ,, lol

[@PatrickPeterVlogs]

Can you imagine if all of those cars had been garaged like this car had been ?

[@tonyd842]

A11 denotes it’s a C500!

[@79tazman]

That car had to of been sitting outside with the looks of pine needles all around the outside of the truck it must of sat out there for a while before it was put inside

[@carlchamp5871]

my brother own a charger just like it nice rides

[@ervinthompson6598]

Didn’t all four barrel 383’s and 440’s use the Carter AVS ?? And non hi-po (Imperial , Chrysler 300 ,etc) use Holleys ??

[@garrysned5619]

That's an awesome machine! Cute pooch to 😜

[@Carchaeology]

Thank you 🤗

[@robbiejones4933]

👀 see some thrush in back floor board

[@duncandmcgrath6290]

I remember seeing one at a car show as a kid and a guy close by said “they customized it with a 64 Malibu grille haha”..... nope

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

No Manuel option available ...... Code Black

[@vcval]

P31 is option code for power windows , im mopar tom on face book i can help decode if you want / places to look

[@pascaljeske7307]

ITS so amazing Car this Car need resturation 👍❤️👍

[@CommercialVehicle]

more rare than the 69 Daytona

[@iv1831]

what website is he using to decode ?

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

Independent All Wheel Option Ghost Pack

[@jeffreynarciso5759]

I have a factory power window 69 charger and the buttons don't look anything like the ones in that car and you have one button for each window and cranks in the back so my guess is that wasn't a power window car. It should be on the fender tag if it's originally power windows

[@Carchaeology]

agreed! not original

[@6828oaklawn]

Not an original power window car. Those are 1968 power window switches. The original door panels inside the trunk have the correct original round holes for all four factory crank windows. The right rear manual window crank regulator assembly is missing, probably because someone tried to put a power regulator in there but lost interest. Note the manual crank regulator still in the left rear side, installed at the factory. There's a huge wiring harness that runs the four power windows, with a power supply relay tapped off the rear of the ammeter in the dash. Also, the large wiring harness for the power window system doesn't appear between the driver's door and the cowl. How do I know? I have a 1969 Charger with factory power windows. A previous owner also apparently tried to retrofit cruise control. The servo on the left inner fender has the correct mounting bracket, but the throttle cable isn't connected to the carb and the vacuum supply nipple on the servo isn't connected to anything. There is no wiring harness connected to the servo, so the entire system is inop. Additionally, the turn signal lever on the steering column doesn't have the cruise controller on it. Too bad about the motor. You'll need an E series (1969 model year) 440 HP engine to make it correct, along with a 1969 dated A-727-B Torqueflite trans. Look around and you can find both of these. So what do we know from this video? One or several of the previous owners changed the engine and transmission, unsuccessfully tried to add power windows and cruise control, changed the radio and recovered the front seats. This having been said, it's a wonderful time capsule, and I'd love to restore it as is, keeping the lovely patina of the original paint. Would look fantastic as an unrestored stock survivor with the correct power train re-installed. I hope the new owners do just this.

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

Daytona Z Shelby inline 4 Turbo Ram Air E Switch Top End (Mini Cuda) (Concept competes with Cheetah) Dodgeniac

[@thejarzap1]

Was that rear window from the coronet also as the grill is?

[@cuda426hemi]

Doesn't look like it - the B Bodies had wicked compound curves on the rear glass. 🚗

[@michaeladamo1188]

No that was special made for 500’s and Daytona’s I believe that it was referred to as a window plug. I remember a guy in my neighborhood use a Chevy Vega back window trying to mock one up

[@silverstar4289]

Ask “expert” to decode. Expert use IPhone for information. “I ain’t paying this!”

[@mikecoffey3076]

I've never claimed to be an expert. However I have been in the Mopar world 25 plus years, and as anyone that knows me could tell you, I know them well.

[@cuda426hemi]

This looks like a clone? Where are the fender mounted turn signals or the holes where they would've been? My '68 Coronet 500 had that option as well. 🚗

[@Carchaeology]

cuda426hemi the 500 never had fender mounted turn signals to the best of my knowledge. The 500 was all about aerodynamics, I don’t think they ever would have put them there, even though they are small.

[@cuda426hemi]

@@Carchaeology But didn't he read off the fender mounted signals from the fender tag at 9:49?? That's why I was throwing Clone out there. 🚗

[@Carchaeology]

cuda426hemi he says “hood mounted turn signals”

[@cuda426hemi]

@@Carchaeology Ah Ha! My bad. Those hood scallops couldn't have helped aero either ! 🚗

[@cuda426hemi]

@gordon mathew Nope, it was part of "SE" package or else you had to fork over a whopping $10.50 as an option. 🚗

[@drivexyz2297]

just give it a maaco paintjob, it will be good as new

[@alreynolds7152]

You could buy these cars in the 1970's & 1980's cheap ! Not anymore !

[@Carchaeology]

That is so true! Mark bought this one for $450 in 1974!

[@vcval]

Before you wax it i would hit it with some 2000 wet n dry and then hand polish it

[@styrenebuilds6851]

I'd drive it.

[@j.d.b.pennamesonofharraant3367]

3 Gear Automatic

[@musclecargarage8882]

Was never a fan of the charger 500. They look so plain jane in the front compared to the rest

[@sporty196071]

Bummer, but it is a very clean car. It still has great value. Now someone has a good reason to put a hemi in it! Now if I was closer to you I would offer my master mechanic skills and help you. I recently found a 67 conv.vet 427 and 69 Chevy pick up 396 W/3,788miles in a garage. Got both running after sitting 50years. I see that smile on your face, like a sissy with a bag of di--s. (no offence meant.)lol

[@morrismckinnon6047]

I wouldn't bother looking for the original engine, perfect excuse now for an LS swap!

[@Carchaeology]

Morris McKinnon Ha! That’s no way to make friends!!

[@morrismckinnon6047]

​@@Carchaeology What can I say, times are changing.

[@morrismckinnon6047]

@mark rylander Lol, that would be one serious Minivan! I can understand the nostalgia for an outdated, under powered gas guzzling smoke bomb, and yeah, it adds value having matching numbers and all that, but if it's missing then why the hell would anyone put anything less than an LS3 in this? Look at today's generation of car enthusiasts. They want to drive them, not lock them away or leave them rotting in fields cos the owner thinks he's immortal and will one day 'fix it up'! More power to them I say.

[@cuda426hemi]

@@morrismckinnon6047 I think that Mopar guys would rather snort glass than put GM pig iron in a Mopar, it's that simple. lol 🚗

[@morrismckinnon6047]

@@cuda426hemi That's not what I see. You're talking about the Boomer generation, 'Mopar for life!' Type in LS swap and you'll find a growing number of people swapping out the old lump in cars like this. Like I said, if the original engine can be found then go for it, otherwise it's just nostalgia and you'd be spending more on a replacement engine that's not original to the car just to get close to what a standard LS with a cheap turbo is capable of.

[@richardchristianson2823]

Not a very desirable color combination.

[@bobsilver3983]

Green is one of my favorite Musclecar colors

[@Carchaeology]

I dig it! So low key and stealthy. Needs big fat steelies with dog dish caps...so punk!

[@richardchristianson2823]

@Pauly Gambino, to some.

[@Aldo-zp8wk]

@@richardchristianson2823 ...then you don't know jack, if you are worried about the color.

[@ebodycab]

I've had three 69 Charger 500's, all of them were green...