Differences about Charger and Charger R/T

[urgewalt]

Hi,

I want to know, where are the differences between the Charger and the Charger R/T.
I mean the differences between :
- the body
- the interior
- and the technic

At this time I was a Charger Noob an so I want learn all about it !
Also I'am new at this forum (see => http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,28708.0.html ) !
So hello to all - and thanks for your answers ...

[charger Downunder]

This may help its a good site.
http://1970chargerregistry.com/

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

u got better suspension,bigger motor(440 or 426) and the badges R/T and like a sport wood wheel for interior, thats about it any1 can over anythin i missed im bagged L8R-MATT

[Chatt69chgr]

I believe the standard Charger came with a 318 V8 (with the exception of a few hundred 6 cyl delivered).  In 68, the std rear end was the 8-3/4.  In 69, the 318 got the 8-1/4 rear.  But the RT's got the 8-3/4 with auto or the Dana 60 with 4-speed.  The torsion bars were bigger on the RT ( .92 inch ) to go with the heavier engine (440 or 426).  And the rear springs were also beefier and had uneven leaves on the right and left.  I think the RT came with 2-1/2 inch exhaust to the muffler and 2-1/4 after that to the tips which also came on the RT.  Don't know about the hemi.  Of course, the RT badging on the left front light assembly and the center of the tailpanel.  The 426 got the 15 inch steel wheels with the dog dishes.  I think the other versions got the std 14 inch wheels with the Magnums as an option except in 70, the ralleye wheel was an option too.  The woodgrain wheel may have come as part of the RT package.  I don't know.  O/W, the interior was identical.  I think the tic-toc-tach was an option.  I think the RT always got the interior console but there again, not sure on this.  And the rear bumblebee tail stripe was std but a stripe delete option was available.  I think that disc brakes and power booster were both options as well as 3-speed windshield wipers and ac but I don't think ac was offered on the 426 at all.  I forgot that the K-frame is different on the 426 but the same on the 440 and 318.  I think the rest op the suspension as well as the steering is the same except I think the RT's may have got a cooler on the power steering (if ps was optioned).  I can't think of anything else.  Bottom line is you can make a RT clone pretty easy.  Of course, it will never be a true RT but if you can't afford one of those, you can make your own.  Just don't ever misrepresent it as a original RT.  Let everyone know that it's a clone-------particularly if you ever decide to sell it.

[Ghoste]

The tach was an option even on the RT as was the woodgrain steering wheel and the console.

[bull]

It depends on what year you're talking about first off. The '68-'70 style R/Ts came with larger torsion bars, 440 or 426 Hemi only and the badges. I believe the Hemi version came with torque boxes in the body. The '70 came with R/T door scoops and the '68 would have the bumble bee stripes around the back while the '69 and '70 had a solid stripe. The '69 could have a stripe delete option where they put R/T badges on the back instead. Not sure if '70 had that option. Also there was an option in '69 and '70 only I believe where you could get hood callouts. The '68 pretty much only had the stripes, badges, larger torsion bars and larger engines but Chrysler added more features to the R/T over the next couple years. Also, I believe the R/T Charger's last year was '71 but some other members will have to tell you about that one. I'm pretty sure though that the '71 had a bulge hood with R/T graphics.

[Chris G.]

Way too tired to get in to this, but to keep it simple ...

'68:
XP = Charger
XS = Charger R/T

'69:
XP = Charger
XS = Charger R/T
XX = Daytona or Charger 500 (some exceptions I think)

'70:
XH = Charger
XP = Charger 500
XS = Charger R/T

Also to add to Bull's comment. You could get a stripe delete R/T in any year, and in '69 the stripe was not solid, but did have the R/T in it. The '70 stripe was solid because of the R/T on the door scoops. The '70 R/T could also have a longitude stripe, which was promoted more than the bee stripe in '70.

There's plenty more, but like I said, I am way too tired to write 15 paragraphs on what you could and couldn't get. I'll leave that for the next guy. 

[urgewalt]

Hi,

thanks for your answers.
Now I know a little more ...

I'am interested at the build years 68 and 69.

What engines are available in the normal Charger ?
Also with the 440 engine ?

[bull]

68 and 69 are virtually the same as far as that goes.

'68-'69 base models came with one of four engines, the 225 slant six, 318, 383 and 383 HP
'68-'69 R/Ts came with one of two engines, the 440 and the 426 Hemi

[urgewalt]

OK - thanks.

Again a little bit learned.

How much cost a R/T model more than a normal one ?

[WheresMyCharger]

In '69 you also got the woodgrain dash with the R/T or SE.

[Charger Aficionado]

In '69 you also got the woodgrain dash with the R/T or SE.

Only on the S.E. package.  I have seen TONS of '69 R/TS W/ just the black plastic. 


Also:  I do not think 8 3/4 was an R/T base option...  I've seen plenty in 383 cars, and 318 cars.

[Lord Warlock]

most points have been covered.  there are plenty of sources that will show what came with the r/t package.  Pretty much any of the print ads describe whats included.

RT added sportier suspension and torsion bars, stronger rear gears, and posi options.  8 3/4 and Dana. 
AC cars got bigger radiator
believe that the r/t cars with auto transmissions got the tranny cooler in front of the radiator (mine has one)
Only the SE cars came with the woodgrain dash and steering wheel, despite how many other rt cars are sporting them now.  The woodgrain dash was part of the se package.  The steering wheel was part of the woodgrain package.  Console also got woodgrain if equipped. 

The 440 and hemi were options, the r/t mandated at least a 440, the 426 was the only option, and the 426 was not available with AC, so if you ordered the AC package you didn't get a hemi. 

[Ghoste]

The 8.25 was standard in the 318 and slant six cars with the 8.75 optional.  For all other engines, the 8.75 was standard except with the Hemi or 440 when a four speed transmission was ordered, then the Dana 60 became standard.  Of course, the Dana could be ordered with automatics as an option.

[WheresMyCharger]

Only on the S.E. package.  I have seen TONS of '69 R/TS W/ just the black plastic.

my mistake, however my '70 Challenger R/T did come with woodgrain dash

[Mike DC]

   
Why are you wanting to figure out these differences, specifically?  If it's because you're deciding what kind of Charger you want to try to purchase, then there's a whole lot of other factors that need to be taken into account as well as just how the factory built the cars 40 years ago. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you're just wanting a better-performing Charger and you don't care about collectibility of the R/Ts, then there are actually some good reasons not to pursue a factory R/T car.  factory R/Ts have collectibilty appeal that raises the price for no other reason than the car's serial number.  This also means they will lose value more if the original engine is missing or the car is heavily altered away from stock.  And the bodies/frames of R/Ts and non-R/Ts are mechanically identical.  Engine, brakes, shocks, springs . . . Virtually everything that made an R/T different from a standard Charger is parts that eventually wear out and would get replaced/overhauled during a restoration anyway.

The factory-built R/Ts with 426 Hemis or stick-shifted 440s got "torque boxes" welded onto the rocker panels, but nothing else is structurally different between the R/T and the non-R/T body/frame.  And reproduction torque boxes can be purchased new and added to any Charger nowadays.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Factory R/Ts are awesome cars and I don't mean to take anything away from them. 
I'm just saying it's not mechanically necessary to use an original R/T just to build a fast Charger.

 

[hemigeno]

The vast majority of what's been said about the differences between R/T's and "base model" IIGen Chargers are indeed correct.  I also especially like what MikeDC said regarding what your motives might be to figure out the differences.  If it's just curiosity, then fine.  If you're wanting to build a fast car, then there's no absolute requirement to start with an R/T chassis.  From a frame standpoint, there's no difference between a 440 and a 318 (or /6 car for that matter).  Pretty much everything else is bolt-on components.  426 cars are a whole 'nother ballgame though.

While a lot of the points below are not all that important, I'd rather set the record straight on a couple of items just to make sure that some folks don't walk away with information that is assumed to be 100% correct because they read it online here...

>>  Like Bull mentioned early in this thread, 426 Hemi cars are the only ones who got the torque boxes (and a few other frame/undercarriage-related additions).  440 4-speed Chargers had the same Unibody frames as a 383-4 manual transmission B-body, and they're probably the same as the other manual transmission cars with the exception of the extra dual exhaust hangar.

>>  What Ghoste said about the Dana being available with automatics is correct.  Just to be clear though, only the 426/440 (R/T's) could get the 4.10 Dana axle upgrade.  A 383 or 318 couldn't get a Dana, although I'm sure Ghoste wasn't intending to imply that they could.

>>  The automatic transmission oil cooler was pretty much a Hemi and Trailer-Tow Package option.  It wasn't standard on an R/T with the auto transmission.  There are a couple of other threads on this site that discuss which radiator was called for with which engine/trans/axle combinations.

>>  You could get a woodgrain wheel without getting the SE package, and the woodgrain wheel was not part of the R/T package.  Ghoste already mentioned this, but something different was posted after that.

>>  All '69-70 consoles were woodgrain, no '68s had woodgrain.

>>  The power steering cooler was installed on all P/S cars (R/T or not) with axle ratios 3.54 or numerically higher, EXCEPT 426 Hemicars which had the Chrysler/Federal Pump which did NOT get a cooler in '69.  Since a lot of R/Ts got one of the axle upgrades, you'll see these on a high # of 440 cars.


As far as what the MSRP's were between a base Charger and Charger R/T, here ya go (prices as of 9/26/68 from the Confidential Price Bulletin):

XP29  Charger - Six     $3,003.00
XP29  Charger - Eight  $3,109.00
XS29  R/T - Eight        $3,575.00


Hope this helps to clear a few things up.  There have been a number of aftermarket items introduced that will allow a modified Charger to run circles around a stock R/T, so you might do well to consider what your goals are for your car just like MikeDC suggested.

Geno

[urgewalt]

Thank you all for your full answers.

So I think that I look for a normal Charger.
It was important for me that I become a good basis for restoration.
And it is not so important for me to get an special model.

But still I must learn a lot over these cars before I will buy one.
And about the english language ...
At first I must understand all terms in the announcements ...
There will be some terms that I can't find in any translators.

[GreenMachine]

R/T's had 3/8 fuel line too instead of the 5/16 didn't they?

[Brock Samson]

Welcome to the site: and if you have any questions with the terms, language or Chargers ask, we are here to help one another and learn something ourselves... 

[nakita7]

Everything covered, but 71's are still the coolest RT's. A second gen (68-70) RT is very similar to a plain vanilla, hard to distinquish, except for the stripe and badges. The 71 RT is VERY different from a plain jane. The cool louvered hood (or Airgrabber), RT only doors with 2 vertical vents, RT tailights (same as 500 and 72 Rallye) the coolest tailights EVER made, period, front spoiler, rubber bumpers, sway bars, etc. Also, much lower production numbers for 71 RT's compared to the other years. You might want to consider a 71, if you're thinking future investement.

Don't get me wrong. Love second gens, owned many of them. I just wish they had more 'RT only' parts on them. The 70 door vents don't count (sorry, they just don't work for me).

[Brock Samson]

  ...In Your Opinion.. 

[urgewalt]

Welcome to the site: and if you have any questions with the terms, language or Chargers ask, we are here to help one another and learn something ourselves... 

That is really nice ...

So I habe problems with the following terms :
- trans => no idea
- trunk pans => I think this is similar trunkliner
- rocker patches => no idea
- quarters => no idea
- lower quarters => no idea
- valances => no idea

I hope that this is not a stupid question, but I can't find any reasonable translation.
Thanks

[Troy]

trans = transmission
trunk pans = the sheet metal floor of the trunk
rocker patches = the rocker panel is the area of the sides of the lower body between the wheels (under the door)
quarters = quarter panels, these are basically the rear "fenders" - the body area behind the doors all the way to the end of the car
lower quarters = typically the area on the lowest part of the body behind the rear wheels
valences = the body panels on either end of the car under the bumpers

Troy

[SeattleCharger]