I Just Noticed my 69 R/T has 68 Seats

[440AirForce]

I got my 69 out of the body shop last week, so the reassembly begins.  I looked at my seats and noticed they had the horizontal pleats, as seen in 68's.  Then I recalled on the year one site that 69's had the stitched pattern.  Did some 69's come out with 68 seats, or did someone do a swap?

Thanks

Dwayne

[1969chargerrtse]

I'm no expert but I'd bet a weeks pay, swap.  No way did a 69 have 68 seats.

[694spdRT]

Sounds like someone switched the seats or had them recovered with the wrong year covers.

[69CoronetRT]

Probably swapped but check the seats to see if they still carry the date code tag. That will help provide proof.

[The70RT]

Probably swapped but check the seats to see if they still carry the date code tag. That will help provide proof.

Yeah but 68 upholstery will fit 69 seats if i am not mistaken.

[Ghoste]

It will definitely fit.  If the seat covers are shot, you can just get the 69 stuff and reupholster them.

[Brad]

Just to through this out there, my 69 R/T has 68 style seat upolstery in it. I bought mine in 1979 and all the interior looked to have the same amount of wear.

[Ghoste]

You don't know the build date on your car by any chance?

[Brad]

No I don't. The inner fenderwells were taken out in the early eightys. I have been trying to contact an old friend about them but have had no luck yet. No build sheet either.

[Ghoste]

Early or late vin?

[JimShine]

I don't believe for a second they would leave the factory with them. Unused stock would become replacement parts. Keep in mind, these cars were considered 'old' within 5 years of their build. By the late 70's they were almost worthless. Guys would grab 2 or 3 cars and cobble them together to make one good car. I used to watch my uncles and ther friends do this all the time during the late 70's with 5+ year old cars.

[Ghoste]

I don't either but if he has a really early vin, I become less sure.

[JimShine]

I still doubt it. Look at the cars in the catalogs. They carry more than a few leftover parts, yet the seats are the typical model year style, and these are the absolute earliest of the model year built for promotion. The seats changed because they stocked the new style while the plant was being tooled up to produce the new model year parts. I have some interior pieces from a first run 1969 (tan, made after the 1968 model year gold, also with the 1969 lock cut on the upper pads, so not the same) that are dated way before the 1969 model year began (I believe May 1968), showing that an advance stock was purchased so they would be fully prepared once production began. Remember, this stuff was brought in from outside factories. It isn't like these pieces were made from raw materials right in the factory alongside the cars.

[Ghoste]

Hmmm, excellent point Jim.

[Brad]

The last 6 of the vin are 161700. I don't have any prior info about previous owners, but the interior was all consistant with a 10 year old car.

[Mike DC]

 
I also think they woulda had to have the new interior pieces ready when they started the lines rolling.  Most of the color shades aren't even the same from year-to-year.

Gotta be swapped seats by a p.o. of the car.

 

[694spdRT]

Swapping parts was common. My '69 Charger had a perfect front and rear set of '69 GTX seats installed by the previous owner in the mid 70's.

[69RTSEV88]

My '69 R/T was built on 8/29/68 in Hamtramck and has a VIN sequence of about 45,000 digits earlier.  It has its original correct '69 seat covers and interior.  Seats must have been swapped at some point prior to '79.  Very easy to do, and very easy to correct.