Our cars are rare, I just didn't realize how rare

[Firetodd]

I went to a local cruise last Saturday in Golden, Colorado. There were about a thousand beautiful cars of all makes and models. My 67 was the only Charger that I saw. I thought, well that's cool at least I don't have a twin here!

Well today I got an email, that my car was accepted in 66-67 registry. I never really looked at it before. But now I know that  my car is one of 367 registered 67 Chargers (There were 15,788 made). Of those 367, only 54 are paint code PP1 (red), of those only 18 are interior code S6W (white), of those only 6 are 383 4bbl. Only 4 of those cars are console automatic. My car is the only one of those 4 with the factory headrest option. In the world.

So it got me thinking, I wonder if reading the forum posts everyday has spoiled me into thinking everyone has a Charger. We are lucky and in a very small club.

Todd

[ODZKing]

I've been to many a show where I was the ONLY first gen Charger there, not to mention the only Mopar there, or at very least one of few.
MIne is an XP29G7 originally a 2 bbl but 4 now. Headrests, love those.

[draftingmonkey]

Another thing that makes the '67 more rare is that they only made less than half as many as they did in '66, about ~37,344 cars.

[Ghoste]

It is a very small club indeed.

[F8-4life]

But those are only the cars accounted for in the registry right?

[Ghoste]

Correct.

[472 R/T SE]

When you're bench racing, that doesn't matter.   

[DadsCharger00]

I went to a local cruise last Saturday in Golden, Colorado. There were about a thousand beautiful cars of all makes and models. My 67 was the only Charger that I saw. I thought, well that's cool at least I don't have a twin here!

Well today I got an email, that my car was accepted in 66-67 registry. I never really looked at it before. But now I know that  my car is one of 367 registered 67 Chargers (There were 15,788 made). Of those 367, only 54 are paint code PP1 (red), of those only 18 are interior code S6W (white), of those only 6 are 383 4bbl. Only 4 of those cars are console automatic. My car is the only one of those 4 with the factory headrest option. In the world.

So it got me thinking, I wonder if reading the forum posts everyday has spoiled me into thinking everyone has a Charger. We are lucky and in a very small club.

Todd

Hopefully be able to make the cruise next month when the car is back on the road! Hopefully see ya there!~

[lloyd3]

I  just don't see many 1st Generation cars on the road anymore out here. As Ghoste mentioned, the production numbers were fairly small (as compared to the later cars). Part of why there weren't too many cars last weekend may have been the fact that this current winter storm was approaching. I've got 6 to 8-inches of snow here today (no lilacs or apples this year!) and the weather leading up to this event was a bit iffy.  I've heard of the Golden event, but it's such a haul for me to get there (an hour plus) from down here, through pretty heavy traffic. Maybe if I had overdrive it would be different, but I only hit the local shows (and very few of those). I'm just not a big-crowd guy.

[BigBlackDodge]

Marlins ARE cool............

BBD

[myk]

I'm always the ONLY Charger, if not the only Mopar at a cruise or show.  There's a Superbird that likes to come out when the planets are aligned in a certain way, but that doesn't really count, IMO...

[ODZKing]

Catfish too 

[TUFCAT]

It amazes me how many changes were made between the 1966 and 1967 Chargers....many of which are unnoticeable to a casual observer.

Here's the list:

EXTERIOR:

1.Front fender turn indicators on 67..not on 66
2.Hood letters different, raised on 66, recessed on 67
3.Hubcaps, spinners on 66, not on 67
4.Front grille medallion...gold on 66, red on 67
5.Front bumper guard design & placement different
6.Rear bumper guard placement different...design is the same
7.Wiper arms & blades...chrome on 66, anodized on 67
8.Vinyl tops and chrome are different
9.Mirrors: '66 - "dual post" style, '67 - single post and look like the remote mirrors.

GLASS:

10.Door glass is cut different at the top (at front of glass)
11.Tinted rear window...optional on 66..standard on 67

ENGINES:

12.318 (poly-block for 66...wedge engine for 67)
13.361-2bbl dropped in 66 for 383-2bbl in 67
14.440-4bbl available in 67 only

INTERIOR:

15.Inside rear view mirror different
16.Drivers side remote control mirror knob different
17.Windshield pillars (painted on 66, chrome on 67)
18.Headlight "hold open"  handle changed
19.4 way flasher system(optional on 66, standard on 67)
20.Steering column (standard on 66, collapsible on 67)
21.Chrome piece over Steering column metal on '66. plactic on '67
22.Cover plate between under dash and steering column is plastic on '67 and is 1" wider
23.Steering wheel (wood grain only for 66, optional on 67)
24.Horn ring on '67, brown center horn "button" on '66
25.Hood release (inside on 66, outside on 67)
26.Bucket seat pattern & stitching
27. the coat hangers inside: '66 - chrome on either side, '67 - a metal loop on the driver's side.
28.the glove box lock....round on 66 and more square on 67
29.changed Ashtray in passenger door armrest only in 67
30.Console (full in 66, split in 67)
31.Headrest available in 67
32.Clock face and lighting different
33.Auto shift plate in console different
34.Automatic on column available only in 67
35.Interior light under dash on passenger side(67only)
36.Wiper motor (variable speed only for 66, 2-speed standard for 67,varible speed optional for 67)
37.Parking brake warning light different
38.Turn signal switch & handle different (67 switch will not fit 66 column)
39.Console standard on 66, optional on 67
40.Rear seat hinges
41.Chrome under the dash has changed on 67
42.Hold Open Switch bezel has different markings - '66 has 2 downward pointing arrows
43.Sun visor: 1966 is a full chromed tip, 1967 is a narrow chromed tip with a gray rubber bushing or nipple on the end

ELECTRICAL:

44.Complete wiring harnesses different (NOT INTERCHANGEABLE)
45.Headlight limit switches different (66 are spade/plastic, 67 are bullet/rubber)
46.Tachometers changed (remote sender on 66, built in sender on 67)
47.Horn relay placement moved in 67
48.Ignition switch '66 has an extra male end on the back for a ground.
49.4 way flasher switch: the toggle handle is different

MISC:

50.Front bumper "splash shields" are metal in '66 and plastic in '67.
51.Single stage master cylinder on 66, dual stage on 67
52.Power steering pump (5/8"return on 66, 1/2" return on 67)
53.Early 66 cars had "clamp on" style sway bars
54.Early 66 dashes had "flat style" pointers
55.Vacuum gauge offered for 67, not 66 (must have console in 67)
56.Rear center ashtray & lighter standard for 67
57.Trunk locks & keys are different between the 2 years
58.Washer bottle & pump different
59.Front parking & turn signal housings mounted differently
60.Some cars have chrome e-brake handles, others have black
61.Disk brakes offered in mid-66
62.Radio Knobs different
63.Radio Lighting different - '66 amd '67 had EL, '67 had bulb if AM/FM
64.9 screws for the trunk divider in '66, and only 5 in '67.
65.Hood (pop up) latch coiled spring: conical on the '66; more tubular on the '67



SOURCE:  http://www.chargersourceguide.com/66_67Differences.html

[wingcar]

I believe that several major factors account for the drop in 67 Charger production....The new 1968 Charger had been introduced during the '67 production run and many waited for the new body style to hit the showrooms.  Plus, the whole "fastback" trend had run its course and the consumer wanted something different, which they got with the new 68 Charger. 

Many outside the Mopar world don't even know about the First Generation Charger, believing that the "Dukes of Hazard" Charger was the first.  I still remember a girl excitedly telling her boy friend that my old 66 was a Charger!  And, running around the car as if it was a one of kind vehicle....but then she had never seen one before so I guess it was understandable. 

I have always had a soft spot for the 66-67 Charger (a 66 was my first car) and after owning a half dozen of them through the years....I still love them.  Not everyone likes them, but they are getting more respect than they use to.......

[Ghoste]

I disagree with number 4.

[TUFCAT]

Ghoste you are correct (as usual)...but as written #4 was not exactly true.....the color did change from 1966 to 1967 but not to red.  My memory serves that the emblem was yellowish-gold in 1966, then it was changed in 1967 to a more amber/orangeish color - but not red.

My 1967 Coronet grille center emblem is red.

[Ghoste]

Mine was red.  Its an endless debate among the fastback crowd but there is evidence that some early 66 cars had gold but the rest were all red.  They fade over time and can become that amber or gold color.

[TUFCAT]

Okay, I can accept that!    For some reason, I think the Chargers were more susceptible to fading than the Coronets were...  Going one step further, Chargers may have also faded sooner in the cars life.  I've seen a lot of messed-up Coronet emblems over the years, mainly caused by moisture and condensation, and of course, the inevitable fading...

[GPULLER]

'66's are way better than '67's.    Short console and no EL in the shift indicator, what were they thinking? 

[A383Wing]

both my 66's are gold..one is still OE..plus I bought an NOS gold emblem from a dealer way back when...the fading from red to gold is BS...

and to the OP saying his car is only one of 4 with headrest option in the world is BS also...I got 3 up here in my area that are factory head rest cars

[Ghoste]

He said in the registry not in the world.  I can accept that some were gold but some of the red ones definitely faded to a goldish hue.

[TUFCAT]

He said in the registry not in the world.  I can accept that some were gold but some of the red ones definitely faded to a goldish hue.

The red Charger center may faded differently (to amber/orange) due to a possible manufacturing difference.  It could be possible that the Charger used red colored plastic to form the lens emblem vs., the Coronet which was actually a clear plastic lens bonded to a shiny red semi-translucent emblem.

[A383Wing]

My car is the only one of those 4 with the factory headrest option. In the world.

the Charger one is painted behind the plastic...

[ITSA426]

None of my Chargers have a shift indicator.  One of them doesn't even have a hole in the console top plate. There are a lot of errors in that list, and it's a long ways from a complete list of differences between 66, and later 66, hemi 66, and some 67 cars.  Last time I looked at my list I had 148 differences in the two model years but some of the differences get pretty small.  I just appreciate them for what they are.

[ODZKing]

I am not going to get into this "It was Gold - It was Red" thing again.  It has been discussed way to many times and there is no definitive answer.
I CAN tell you this, when I bought my 67 in 2004 the front emblem was beat.  I met a fellow who had an NOS, brand new in the box grille emblem. I bought it from him and when I put it in the grille and on the car -  it was RED. Deep red. I still have the box and the old emblem as I put it in there and saved it.
In 10 years it has faded and it didn't even take 10.  This picture was from the 2011 show at CEMA. It has an amber - gold look to it now. I don't know if you can see as every one's monitors are a bit different.  I have actually had folks at shows come up to me and ask where I got the gold grille emblem from. But the red faded - period!

[ITSA426]

I don't like to get into that argument.  Too many experts!  I'm guessing the grille emblems were painted from the back side and a metallic underlayment was placed behind the red paint to give a metallic red look.  I'm just guessing, but think the underlayment was gold colored.  As the red faded the gold colored metallic underlayment showed through.  At one time I had one, I removed from a parts car, that had some red still left on it but was mostly gold.  My kid brother restores them and uses a silver colored metallic finish behind the red paint, and a better quality paint.  I worked in a shop that did some of this type of work for the auto industry back in the day.  You have to know what the technology was, and the quality of paints available at the time.  We didn't make these parts so I'm just guessing.  I'm not an expert though. Authentic NOS ones will fade just like the originals.  Just my opinion, not trying to pick an argument.

[Firetodd]

Interesting to read all this info.  To be be clear, I wasnt saying that my car was the only headrest 67 Charger. I was merely saying that it was the only red one with white interior with a 383 4bbl with the headrest option in the registry anywhere in the world. If it came across otherwise, I am sorry.

It is very cool that our cars are so unique in the car world. And that feels good. That is all.

[Ghoste]

It is very cool.  When I still had the 67, the only time I saw another one was at a bigger Mopar show or one annual cruise in my hometown each May.  There were two more fastbacks local to me but the only time I ever saw them was the May event.  The rest of the time I had the attention to myself.

[ODZKing]

There are about a half dozen or so around me, close enough the be at a show at any time.  However as mentioned previously, the planets have to be alligned etc. to see more than one out other than mine.
There is one fellow who only has cars so his large garage doesn't look empty. Otherwise they never leave the stable. He has one. Gawd knows what else, I don't think many people have ever seen them.  What a waste.   

[myk]

I'm making plans to attend the "Mopar Night" scheduled for one of the larger cruise/shows in San Diego; let's see if any other Mopars or even Chargers make it there asides from just me, for a change.  I'll bet anything that the turn-out will be pathetic and it will remain a Mustang/Camaro/'32 Ford/427 Cobra-replica show as usual...

[Ghoste]

Then you need to get a San Diego Mopar club active.

[moparnation74]

I run into the same issues here with the local mopar guys.  As everyone previously stated, "When the planets are aligned the Mopars come out."  I was homered to be born into a diehard Mopar family.  My dad drag raced these cars in the 60's-70's from max wedges to challengers.  At that time these cars were also his daily drivers.  He said Mopars were bred to be driven and driven hard.  My ride is restored to perfection and I drive it whenever I get a chance and I restored 90% of it.  We only live once and enjoy your time, do no wait for tomorrow.  My dad would say, "You know what separates us from the other manufacturers?"  We bleed Mopar and piss Chevrolet!

[Dino]

Move closer to Detroit, I trip over the damn things.   

[wingcar]

I remember driving my first 66 all over Southern California...nice car with Keystones....then I put a T/A style hood scoop on the car and rear spoiler.  From that point on "everyone" thought my Mopar HAD to be Hemi powered.  It was sort of fun playing mind games back then with owners of the other makes since most of them had little knowledge of Mopars and any hot Mopar had to be Hemi powered in their eyes.   (Mine by the way had a very strong 383)

[MagnumForce]

I actually enjoy being one of the only mopars around because it shows all the future hod rodders than not every muscle car is a mustang or has a bowtie and a 350 

[Patronus]

Arrrg. I missed the cruise too..outta town.
We Mopars park behind the auto parts store North of Sonic.
See ya next month though, come by and say hello.