WANTED! Numbers Matching Drivetrain:

[Brock Samson]

  Howdy Gang! 
I found my '69 R/T S.E. stripped of it's engine, transmission, rearend and interior,.. So my question is,. How would I go about trying to find those missing pieces... I've read about cars being re-united with their original motors, and would like to see if it would be possible to do so... 
Thanks...
Stratocharger aka Dave.

[472 R/T SE]

How far back can you trace previous owners?  That's where I would start.  DMV in California, eewww, that sounds like a long wait could you go thru them to backtrack?

It sounds as tho they pulled everything as a package for another car maybe    Was the car in rough shape when you bought it?

So I answer with questions.

[Brock Samson]

it was a salvage job as i found it in a wreaking yard, it had most all of it's trim and stainless, only the corners were missing and the SE emblems had been replaced with the Charger logos,.. the grill, valances, and tail trim incl. lights was all near perfect though!   I knew that since it was an R/T SE, it was well worth bringing back,.. the problem was the rust, the roof was bumpy,.. the trunk had a couple large holes, there was a two inch hole where the drivers heel rests and the rear quarters were simply black lacqure paint as the metal was rusted away and the quarters flapped in the wind...   it actually was cracked all over cause the paint was way too thick, but that might have saved it too..  
There were also several quarter sized bubbles around the doors and rockers...
  But there I was...   a star-struck Charger Nut,..   remakably like Arnie in Christine..  


http://www.kittenpants.org/31_topthat/kg.jpg
    

[472 R/T SE]

That shot my theory all to hell.         What's the odds of the yard keeping records?  Then again it may have arrived with the wrong drivetrain to begin with    That's where tracking down po's is important.
Salvage yard, how could they!  The car's too nice to have ever lived in one of them, well I mean you done a nice job.  Same thing.
I'm sure you checked all the Mopar 'net sites that list lost drivetrain, sheets, tags for owners to claim.
How long have you had the car?  Wasn't it like forever, I can't remember.


ON a different note, I got in touch with the gentleman before the guy I bought from, and he's doing the research for me on po's before him. 
It's actually Chuck Hoffman (Hoffmans' Winner Circle).   He's checking southern Oregon, North California, don't know what he's checking but hey he's a help.




P.S.  I didn't use spell check again.

[Brock Samson]

  yeah, '84, that's forever ain't it?. 

[Old Moparz]

Strat, did you look behind the couch? I always find the weirdest crap back there with cat hair stuck to it.

[Blown70]

I dont think it would be impossible but you would have to find the prior owner.... to know what happend to the motor.....

The one charger4404spd has is in the same boat.... I got the car someone took the whole driveline out.....engine tranny and rear.  Now.... I am sure they are in a different car somewhere.  That is a long road.....

If you could go back to the yard where you got here... "some" of those guys  have a DANG good memory.  Sad thing is BACK in the DAY.  They were just an engine..... so if it was bad the pulled it and threw something else in......   

I saw a pile of 440's at a yard once,  I was like white on rice look for any hint of HP's or the like....NO DICE though

[hemigeno]

Have you tried mysticism?

[Brock Samson]

What i really need to know are which numbers am i looking for?... on the motor, on the tranny,& the  rearend?.. and if anyone else has experiance re-uniting long lost parts with their unibodies?....
I don't think it's impossible, just not as easy as looking under the couch... 

[Blown70]

last eight digits on your vin.

[1970 FE5 RR]

Good Luck

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

The beauty of a registry.......my goal is to one day reunite an owner with a build sheet, fender tag, engine etc for his car....

Support your local registry

[Charger_Fan]

Strat hasn't supported yet? Whuzzup wit dat?

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Strat hasn't supported yet? Whuzzup wit dat?

Of course he has!   That comment was made in general

[Charger_Fan]

Strat hasn't supported yet? Whuzzup wit dat?

Of course he has!     That comment was made in general

Whew, that's better.

[Brock Samson]

last i heard i had the latest build '69, this still true?.. 

[hemigeno]

What i really need to know are which numbers am i looking for?... on the motor, on the tranny,& the   rearend?.. and if anyone else has experiance re-uniting long lost parts with their unibodies?....
I don't think it's impossible, just not as easy as looking under the couch...  

Strat, I wasn't sure if you were asking a serious question or not - sorry.

The only VIN numbers stamped on non-body parts on a '69 are found on the Engine and Transmission.  TONS of stuff will have a date code stamped on it, including the rear axle, but there are no more places where VIN's were stamped on bolt-in components.  As such, the only two component parts that can be specifically matched to your car are the block and the trans.  Everything else goes by the date code.

As far as experience reuniting long lost parts, the only experience I have is BAD experience - no luck whatsoever, and not expecting any.  That's not to say you shouldn't try though.

I have a friend who has a Hemi Charger body sitting in his shop, and he has made connections with the owner of his numbers-matching block.  Since the current owner of the engine thinks he's sitting on a gold mine, he has refused to part with the engine for a reasonable price, or swap him a machined, prepped block and cash either.  Just because you find your parts doesn't mean you'll be happily re-united with them.  If somehow I found the original engine from either of my cars, and if it were already installed in someone's car, I would hate to think what they would charge me for it, or if they would sell it in the first place.  So, to the remote chances of finding the right block, you have to add the improbability that it will be sitting on a shelf somewhere instead of in someone's prized showcar or drag machine. 

In my opinion, it doesn't hurt to put some feelers out there, especially if you know the geographic area that the car came from.  There's a higher chance that the motor & trans stayed local to that area, but you can never predict that either.

I agree with Chris - the more information that is available through registries, etc., the greater the chances are of reuniting people with their engines, transmissions, fender tags and/or build sheets.

[mustanghater]

any pics

[hemigeno]

any pics

Have you tried clicking on the link Strat put in his signature line? 

[Blakcharger440]

I have heard of hemi owners finding there original engine but what about 440 cars??? I have never heard of anyone finding the original 440 for their car once it got taken out long time ago!
I am still on the lookout for my original 440HP for my 70Charger RT 4spd car!

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

last i heard i had the latest build '69, this still true?..

7/11/69....I do have 2 older VIN #'s but no build dates so yes you are technically the last built

[Chris G.]

The beauty of a registry.......my goal is to one day reunite an owner with a build sheet, fender tag, engine etc for his car....

Support your local registry

I agree 100%.

[Brock Samson]

Thanks guys! I'm nothing if not tenacious!..

[89MOPAR]

 Subscribe to Mopar Collectors Guide - with the subscription you get one free advertisement per month.
Keep running the same "looking for Eng / Trans VIN # xxxxxxxx "  , each month.