1969 Charger option for large vs small front bumper guards?

[DixieRestoParts]

Hey Guys,

Does anyone know what option code or build sheet code designated the large front bumper guards on a '69 Charger?

Was it available for all of '69 or only a certain time period?

Thanks!
Randy

[tan top]

 pretty sure the tall bumper guards were from about  May 69  or could of been March ,  I believe  the one large battery cooling hole on the core support & the two extra floor plugs ( one each side under the front buckets )  happened around this time too    I did have a number of fender tags with cars with  SPD etc  on this stuff mentioned above  saved for this kind of thread, but lost all info when computer blew up few years back.

for reference  69 parts book below ( 71 revision )

I await to be corrected on any of this  

[Alaskan_TA]

The part numbers got higher with time, so that backs up the longer later theory.

[LeesRT]

Build date on my 1969 Charger R/T is 3/11/1969 and it has the tall (large) front bumper guards.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

My 4/30/69 SPD R/T also had the tall ones originally

[Ghoste]

Been trying to establish when that change occurred myself for some time now without much luck but I also think was around March.  I had an April build car once with small guards but I'm sure it had been in a front end wreck at some point so I have to discount it.

[Mike DC]

IIRC the taller guards were a Federal thing that kicked in on January 1st 1969.  The optional headrests became mandatory then too.

[DixieRestoParts]

Thanks guys, so if it's a date thing, then all Chargers came with the large guards after that date, and it's not an option, right?

[Nacho-RT74]

Well the long kind PN begings with 29xxxxx so is a later PN which is a 69 PN in fact. Short is 28xxxxx which designates a 68 PN.

[69bronzeT5]

I was always told it was a later build thing. My '69 has a SPD of June 20th, 1969 and it had the large guards.

[hemigeno]

I was always told it was a later build thing.

There is no separate option or Sales Code for those, it was a running parts change made during the 1969 model year.  I found a (VERY fine print) reference noting the change from p/n 2856662 to 2931252-3 buried on an Engineering Illustration, which noted the date that change was made to the drawing... 11/12/1968.  There was no notation of an associated Federal Safety Standard requirement, which is often the case with these if such exists.  At a minimum, a couple of months would have passed before that parts change made it onto the assembly line, which corresponds with the empirical evidence noted thus far.

My late January '69 SPD (St. Louis plant) Charger had the short bumpers on them.  It wouldn't surprise me if it was discovered there were different "changeover dates" depending on whether a car was assembled at Hamtramck or St. Louis.



P.S.  That same Illustration also noted that the lower brace (Parts Book ref. 13-64-72) to which these bumpers attached was also changed on the same date - from p/n 2856659 to 2962614... although my Jan 1971 edition 1969 Parts Catalog still shows the earlier p/n.  

[DixieRestoParts]

I was always told it was a later build thing.

Thanks Hemigeno, that's some good info! Looks like my car was most likely a small bumper guard car being built in early Nov of '68.

[TexasGeneral]

I worked auto manufacturing and if the customer will never know and the manager says "do it", then...  You know they never anticipated a site like this 50 years later.. Rocko slappin them "R"s on the diff and graffiti in the back seats too.. good times 

[paironines]

My old late January build R/T had the big ones and my July 69 !! build car has them as well.

[hemi68charger]

Thanks guys, so if it's a date thing, then all Chargers came with the large guards after that date, and it's not an option, right?

That was going to be my reasoning as well........  It would be interesting to see if all 1969 Dodge Charger 500's came with the short guards since we know they all were built before Jan. 01, 1969.

[Challenger340]

'69 R/T SE, Nov 22/68 build, short guards.

[mr. hemi]

[img]

This thread clears up a 40 year old mystery for me. When I purchased my Charger R/T all those years ago (photo of the day attached) it had these tall (ugly), ill fitting bumper guards on the front. I just assumed they were from a different model car and sourced a short set to be installed during the restoration. I now see by this information that they were correct, but probably installed on the wrong side causing the ill fitment. Bad thing is, I had my own parts books even way back then and could have solved the mystery myself. My bad. I will have to see if the originals are still around in the shop.

[DixieRestoParts]

[img]

This thread clears up a 40 year old mystery for me. When I purchased my Charger R/T all those years ago (photo of the day attached) it had these tall (ugly), ill fitting bumper guards on the front. I just assumed they were from a different model car and sourced a short set to be installed during the restoration. I now see by this information that they were correct, but probably installed on the wrong side causing the ill fitment. Bad thing is, I had my own parts books even way back then and could have solved the mystery myself. My bad. I will have to see if the originals are still around in the shop.

If you can't find them, I have some. BTW, they is a left and right! Not so with the small ones, but the large ones are marked L and R on the external surface facing each other.

[UFO]

Here's the reply I got from Chrysler Canada.

[DixieRestoParts]

Very cool, thanks for posting.

[tan top]

'69 R/T SE, Nov 22/68 build, short guards.

 mine too 69 R/T SE   November  22nd  1968  build date  , Hamtramck assembly plant  , short  bumper guards

Here's the reply I got from Chrysler Canada.

that's interesting stuff , thanks for sharing ,

[DixieRestoParts]

For the record, mine is  Nov 4 of '68 built R/T SE. This has been very helpful. I'm comfortable going with the small guards now. Thanks to all those the commented! Good stuff!