r/t charger /plain charger

[mikes4692003]

  does anybody know what the differance is between the r/t charger vers regular charger?

[SmashingPunkFan]

I'm still pretty new to Chargers myself, but one thing I can think of right now is if you wanted a 426 HEMI or a 440 MAGNUM it had to be an R/T

Other than that it's just a list of different options for the car.

[Back N Black]

R/T has a 440 and a 727 trans or 4 speed and 8 3/4 diff.or a Dana depending on the package, bigger torsion bars, brakes. the big difference is the price. RT has XS as the first two digets in the vin and plain jane as XP.

[Chatt69chgr]

R/T also had different rear leaf springs, and front torsion bars.  Different exhaust system, ie, duals. 

[Dans 68]

R/T also had different rear leaf springs, and front torsion bars.  Different exhaust system, ie, duals. 

You could have dual exhaust and not have the R/T. An example would be my '68 XP 383 4-bbl 4-speed....the dual exhaust was standard.

Dan

[green69rt]

A lot of comments.  The total package made the difference on the RT. Brake drum size, dual exhausts, torsion bar size, rear leaf spring setup, radiator, embles here and there, maybe the drive shaft and u joints (not sure about these).  Anybody think of other things??

[Ghoste]

Essentially, the RT was the high performance version with the 440 as the standard engine and the Hemi as the option.  Of course in 70 the 440 Six Pack also entered the list.  A four speed trans was a no charge option and the automatic was standard (in 69).  A higher amperage battery, the heavy duty brakes, torsion bars, leaf springs, shocks and sway bar along with chrome exhaust tips outside of California, a stripe and emblems of course.
I would also expect that some of the optional equipment was cheaper for the RT than for the base Charger.

[charge-it]

Looks wise in 68 the only difference was the two R/T emblems, one on the grill and one on the tail panel.

[Ghoste]

What about the rump stripe or Hemi badges if so equipped?? 

[green69rt]

What about the rump stripe or Hemi badges if so equipped?? 

This I need some help on.  I think that the Hemi badges came with the engine and was not dependent on the model, but since the hemi only came on the R/T then that was the only way to get it.  The rear end stripe was standard but was available as "stripe delete".  Also something about the rear quarter emblems was available.  You could get the R/T in the rear strip as a cutout or as a metal accessory.  Hard to describe.  Can someone else help??

[69CoronetRT]

does anybody know what the differance is between the r/t charger verses regular charger?

These should help you learn the differences between the two and what was optional on the standard and R/T Charger:

68 Charger: http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1968DealershipDataBook-03.shtml
69 Charger: http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1969DealershipDataBook-03.shtml
70 Charger: http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1970DealershipDataBook-03.shtml
71 Charger: http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/dealerships/1971DealershipDataBook-03.shtml

[Mike DC]

 
If you are wondering about retrofitting stuff, you don't need to worry.  All Chargers (at least from the same given year) were built with the same underlying unibody chassis.  Almost everything that differentiated one car from another was bolt-on parts.  You can buy an automatic 6-cyl Charger and convert it to a stick shifted 426 Hemi R/T. 


There are some welded-in differences between the stick-shifted and automatic cars, and there are a few extra pieces of bracing added onto the undersides of the Hemi and 440 stick-shifted cars.  But all this stuff is nothing that can't be retrofitted onto a base model Charger fairly easily these days.  The additional metal parts for these jobs are available in catalogs.

[Chatt69chgr]

What underside parts are specific to R/T 440 stick shifted cars that were not on automatics in 69 besides the transmission cross-member?  I need to know since I am making a clone R/T out of my 318 auto car.  I have the "hemi" springs for the rear and heavier torsion bars for the front.  Obviously, I have the new transmission tunnel to weld in as well as the clutch pedal and z-bar assembly.  Rear will be a 8-3/4 with suregrip.  Also upgrading the brake system front and rear.  What have I missed?

[Mike DC]

       
You missed the "torque boxes" that the stick cars got from the factory.



Basically, the factory had these 4 extra plates tooled up to stiffen the cars a little more.  The factory workers manually welded these things onto the underside of the convertible unibodies to stiffen them up because of the missing roof.  It was a standard convertible thing they did regardless of the motor or model or brand. 

When they built Hemi cars, the decision was made to add these things onto them too, even when the car already had a roof.  (They were trying to avoid warranty work, just like the reason they started putting Dana 60s under some cars.) 

They weren't 100% consistent about this stuff.  I know for sure that there have been some 4spd R/T cars that came with torque boxes even though they were not Hemi cars.  (Just like with Dana 60s, which were really more of a 4spd addition than a 426 Hemi thing.)  I can't recall for sure but I think there have been a few Hemi cars turning up w/o them too. 





There were also a few smaller bits to show up on a few of these cars around the rear springs.  Like a little extra flat plate tying the rear framerail to the spring shackle mount for example.  Another one (which seemed to be a real benefit for slick-tired drag cars) was the addition of an extra thickening plate to sandwich into the front spring eye bracket mount. 

[Chatt69chgr]

Hmmmm!  Are the torque boxes available from anyonw these days?  At some point, my car will be going somewhere to get put on a rotisserie and be blasted.  I am adding frame connectors.  I could add the torque boxes at the same time maybe.  I was aware that the 4-speeds had Dana 60's but I don't have the cash to get one of those and figured I could always add that later if I wanted to.  Another deficiency my clone will have will be the 23 spline 4-speed. 

[Ghoste]

Yep, from these guys;

http://www.autorust.com/

[Mike DC]

 
I'd just forget any of the factory 4spd setups and rebuild a (factory) case with the Passon overdrive internals. 

Still 4 gears, but it's all-new ratios and an overdrive in 4th.  Nothing like the weaker 1970s factory 4spd manuals. 

[Brightyellow69rtse]

i believe the r/ts had a 3/8 fuel line and the xp's had 5/16.

[hemigeno]

Most of what's been posted here is correct, however I'd like to make a couple of corrections -- at least for 1969 (most of which applies to '68 and '70 also).  There have been instances that I've read things on interntet forums that turned out not to be true  - *gasp* - and it'd be better to throw the right information out there than to keep it to myself...

First, 4-speed 440 cars didn't really have too many difference in the frame than the 440 automatic cars.  About the only differences I know of is the transmission crossmember and rear engine mount (which both actually bolt-in) and clutch linkage brackets.  They did not normally get torque boxes, or any other frame gussets/reinforcements in the back end beyond what the auto cars received.  Hemicars are another story altogether, since they have several such differences between their wedge-powered brethren.  It's true that the occasional wedge (non-Hemi) car was sent down the line with the torque boxes, etc., and a few examples of Hemicars without the boxes & other reinforcements do exist, but they are the exception and definitely not the rule.  That being said, if you're adding frame connectors and cloning the car to suit your tastes, it's not a bad idea as it won't hurt a thing from a performance standpoint.  The pieces that Mike DC mentioned are most of the Hemi reinforcement features found on both 4-speed and automatic Hemicars, the only other visible one I can think of beyond those is the added reinforcement where the pinion snubber hits.

Many people don't know, but there is an extra reinforcement channel/piece literally built inside the rocker panel which is only present in convertibles and Hemicars.  You can't really see this piece now without cutting the rocker panel up, but one of the factory drawings I have shows where it was supposed to go.

Second, only Hemicars received the 3/8" fuel line.  It's true that 440 cars received the 3/8" fuel pickup in the gas tank and both versions have the 1/4" vapor return line, but for whatever reason (at least in '68-9) the fuel line itself was only 5/16".  Strange but true, and I found this out the hard way while researching one of my cars.

Most of the driveshaft and U-joint applications were the same for the 383-4 cars as the 440-4 cars, although you couldn't get a Dana with the 383 which eliminates that set of propshafts.  There was really only one sway bar application for the whole B-body line (they all got sway bars in 68-9 [& 70?] BTW), and shocks were a bit different for the 440 & Hemicars (aftermarket original-style shocks aren't found in that many variations anyway).

While I've only seen evidence of two such cars actually being built, in 1969 and 1970 you could order an XP (non-R/T) Charger with a 426 Hemi.  Not sure about 1968.  There are pictures of a bronze 1969 XP Charger with white top posted on this site that I'm convinced has a Hemi/automatic combination, and there is a really-early-built 1970 Charger 500 that is well-documented as being a legit Hemicar.  Why they did that, I dunno - but the 1969 order form explicitly leaves the door open for such an animal.  It was NOT possible to order a non-R/T 440 car, strangely enough.

If a guy is upgrading and setting the car up to suit his own taste anyway, I wouldn't sweat any of this stuff.  In today's world, it doesn't take too much work or aftermarket equipment to outfit any Charger with a MUCH better suspension than any R/T ever thought about having straight from the factory.

[Ghoste]

While I've only seen evidence of two such cars actually being built, in 1969 and 1970 you could order an XP (non-R/T) Charger with a 426 Hemi.  Not sure about 1968.  There are pictures of a bronze 1969 XP Charger with white top posted on this site that I'm convinced has a Hemi/automatic combination,...  Why they did that, I dunno - but the 1969 order form explicitly leaves the door open for such an animal.  It was NOT possible to order a non-R/T 440 car, strangely enough.

Where do you find that on the order form Geno?

[hemigeno]

While I've only seen evidence of two such cars actually being built, in 1969 and 1970 you could order an XP (non-R/T) Charger with a 426 Hemi.  Not sure about 1968.  There are pictures of a bronze 1969 XP Charger with white top posted on this site that I'm convinced has a Hemi/automatic combination,...  Why they did that, I dunno - but the 1969 order form explicitly leaves the door open for such an animal.  It was NOT possible to order a non-R/T 440 car, strangely enough.

Where do you find that on the order form Geno?

Look at the E74 Hemi Engine line... the box is not blocked off under the "Regular" Charger category, meaning it was hypothetically possible to order a non-R/T Hemicar just like the Bronze & white car used in the early publicity photos:

[Ghoste]

Interesting.  I can't help but wonder though with all other information stating it as NA if the system wouldn't just kick the order out if you tried to place one that way?  My thinking here being that with the only one possibly being so far the publicity one there had to be scores of people who tried to order the big dog engine at a lower cost.  There should be at the very least tons of urban legends of such beasts existing.

BTW, there is a leap of faith there with the bronze one, after all we don't know that it isn't an RT that wasn't badged correctly.

[hemigeno]

Interesting.  I can't help but wonder though with all other information stating it as NA if the system wouldn't just kick the order out if you tried to place one that way?  My thinking here being that with the only one possibly being so far the publicity one there had to be scores of people who tried to order the big dog engine at a lower cost.  There should be at the very least tons of urban legends of such beasts existing.

BTW, there is a leap of faith there with the bronze one, after all we don't know that it isn't an RT that wasn't badged correctly.

True (about the bronze car), however it has no tailstripe and no R/T emblems in lieu of the tailstripe.  Granted, this was a pretty early '69, but the combination of the order form oddity and actual Chrysler photo evidence of this particular unicorn seems pretty convincing to me.

Personally, I think Chrysler's styling department may have been the only group who anticipated the possibility someone would actually order a Hemicar without the R/T "package".  I'd wager the car would have been equipped the same in the way of springs, shocks, etc., but perception on the street may have been that the car wasn't a "true" R/T under the skin - and never ordered.  The early/publicity versions (bronze '69 and '70 Charger 500) may be the only such examples ever produced. 

As with many guys, I wonder what happened to the bronze '69... that'd be a VERY cool car to own.

[69*F5*SE]

I hate to think of my Charger as "plain" just because it isn't an R/T.  Mine has a 383 4bbl.......is that plain?  Didn't Superbee's and Road Runner's come with 383's and they weren't thought of as "plain. They're still thought of as muscle cars so why can't mine be one too?   

[Ghoste]

I don't think anyone is saying that it isn't a musclecar just that by the numbers in the VIN and the standard equipment one is an RT and the other isn't.  Perhaps instead of "plain" it should be "base Charger"?