68 charger ID

[cobradriver]

im going to go look at a 68 charger for sale and i need info....is there a quick guide i can use to decode what im looking at.... 318 , 383 car vs 440, 2v vs 4v ?.  etc etc,,,colors etc etc....i have all the stuff for mustangs but not dodge...anyone     I dont have the numbers now but i need a reference so i can tell what im looking at when i get there.....

scott

[Troy]

Do you just need to decode serial numbers or do you need to see determine what you are physically looking at?

The first thing to look at is the VIN on the driver's side of the dash. It should start with either "XP29" (standard Charger) or "XS29" (Charger R/T). The next letter is the engine code.  'F' = 318, 'G' = 383 2 bbl, 'H' = 383 4 bbl, 'J' = 426 Hemi, and 'L' = 440. You can only have a 'J' or 'L' if the first two digits in the VIN are "XS" since the Hemi and 440 were only available on R/Ts. The 6th digit should be an '8' for the year and the 7th digit is for the assembly plant. The last 6 digits are the ID number assigned to the car for the plant it was manufactured in.

The next thing to look for is the fender tag on the driver's side inner fender. It's a metal plate that is a little bigger than a business card and has stamped codes on it. Here's all the information you'll need to decode it for a 68: http://www.andy440.com/tag.htm. It is important that the engine codes match the VIN but the number on the bottom right will NOT match the VIN. It should match the number stamped on the radiator support though. The 3rd line of the fender tag lists the transmission, rear axle codes, as well as paint and interior colors. If you can't find the fender tag then you'll have to guess at what the car originally came with unless the owner has the build sheet (a coded, multi-color piece of paper usually hidden under the back seat that helped assembly line workers know what to put on the car).

When looking at the engine itself, there are several ways to figure out what is installed in the car. You can reference much of that information here http://www.andy440.com/other.htm and here http://www.yearone.com/infocenter.asp?icl=1&iclURL=updatedsinglepages/Id_info/engine_id.asp.

Hopefully that gets you started! Post pics of the car and any other questions.

Troy

[cobradriver]

thats the info i was looking for......THANKS!!!....if the car is what its described ill be owning it sat!....i just wanted determine if its a 318 car vs other power plants.....color etc etc