Newbie; What's the fastest/cheapest way to get my 69 Charger running??

[69finder]

Hello from Frozen Canada!  

I'm from a different car background and this is my first American car.  It's a really beat up 69 Charger, but other than someone taking it apart, it's not been messed with.  It's rusty of course but that doesn't bother me (I can weld).

What is bugging me is that the car is huge and I need it mobile. Preferably running and driving.  It has a transmission, and the original engine (doesn't run).  Right now I have no idea what tranny/engine (bought the car sight unseen, the price was right!).

What is the fastest way to get this car running/driving again?  Should I find a 318 from a car/truck (what years will fit?) and swap the engines?  There are also cheap 440's from RV's but how much work is the swap?

Sorry for the newbie questions and I promise to post photos and have this thing running/driving/stopping very quickly as our summers are extremely short.  Welding can wait till next winter!

Pics are here..
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,90678.0.html

[Dans 68]

Welcome Newbie! First, lets find out what motor you have/came with the car. Do you have the fender tag handy? Vin number from the dash? A photo of the engine compartment/engine itself? That will be a good start.

Dan

[69finder]

Welcome Newbie! First, lets find out what motor you have/came with the car. Do you have the fender tag handy? Vin number from the dash? A photo of the engine compartment/engine itself? That will be a good start.

Dan

Thank you for the kind welcome veteran!

I don't have any of that information as of yet (picking it up next Saturday as we just had a blizzard!).  I have already memorized the possible Vin/engine combos, but I cannot recognize engines by looking at them (yet).  Except for the big valve Hemi.  I am learning all of this stuff fresh mind you.  I've been into European cars for 20 years and the Charger bug hit me out of the blue!  

Maybe I am jumping the gun but I am spending my time reading and researching.  Is there a thread that shows what car engines swap easily into the 69 Charger?  I can get a cheap, running/driving, 440 Chrysler 300 (1968).

[Dans 68]

318's, 383's, 426's and 440's are all standard motors (even the slant 6's). A '68 440 (from a Chrysler 300) would drop right in (with the right k-frame, of course). Post 'em when you get them, and read all the threads here you can to get caught up.

Do you have the vin number? That would tell you what originally came with the '69.

Dan

[1968_Charger]

If you are going to replace your engine just realize that if its a smallblock you will need another smallblock unless you plan on changing the transmission. They are smallblock /bigblock specific so be sure to know what you have. Easy way is to look at where the distributor is. On the front is bigblock. In the rear is smallblock. Congratulations on the charger.

[ACUDANUT]

 Where is the distributor on the car . Front or back. ?

[hatersaurusrex]

Do you know if it's an R/T or not?  Those cars had 440's and 426's (big blocks).  Non R/T cars came with S6, 318, (a small block) and the 383 (big block).

It'd probably be best to get some pics of the engine and post here, if the seller can provide that, because even if you decode the tag, it's entirely possible that the engine/trans has been swapped and you could buy the wrong motor.   All the VIN will tell you is how the car came from the factory.

You can get an R/V 440 pretty cheap but they were built with much lower compression than the ones that came in the R/T's, and no fancy 6-pack on those

As others have said, should you decide to change the motor, be aware:

Big blocks (383,440,426) will all bolt to the same transmission and use the same (special) special k-member (the metal bracket that sits at the bottom of the engine bay that the motor actually mounts to).  Same thing for a small block, needs a different trans bell housing and k-member

In other words if you're starting with a 383 car and you can find a 440 or 426 (good luck!) then you can keep the trans and k-member.

Why is the engine not running is another question?   Is it a major flaw like a seized motor?  Or does it just 'not start'?   If it will crank you should check the normal things like fuel pressure, spark plugs, and compression to make sure it's at least getting air/fuel/spark.   I'm sure lots of folks on this board can attest to the strenght of those old iron block mopars.   Sometimes you can bring one that's been sitting 20 years back to life with just a little TLC and basic tools.

Obviously if it's been sitting a long time, drain the fuel tank and flush the fuel system no matter what you do.   Nothing like feeding ancient gas to a motor that might otherwise run ok to have you pulling your hair out over why she won't catch fire.

Good luck man!

[1968_Charger]

Acudanut I hope you are kidding. Or maybe I've confused myself. Im talking about the distributor on the engine.  

I was saying that so he could look at his motor to tell what optiond he has for an easy swap.

[Scaregrabber]

You can buy a running 1968 Chrysler with a 440? Buy it and swap the complete engine and trans into your Charger along with the motor mounts, pulleys, radiator, power steering pump etc. Then get your gas tank cleaned or buy a new one (they're cheap) and run a new fuel line front to back before trying to start the 440. This will get you where you want to be in a hurry. I see you're in Canada, I'm in Kelowna B.C. if thats anywhere near you and I know a bit about Mopars (been messing with them since 1972).

Sheldon

[69finder]

You guys are awesome!  I know I've jumped the gun a bit but it's better to have some mental knowledge before exerting the physical

I think with your guys help I can either a) sort out the engine in it (if it's complete) or b) get a replacement.

What is a good setup for brakes?  Should I just go with OEM Drums and new wheel cyls/master/brake lines?  That will sort out going and stopping.  The rest is just luxury items! 

I was reading up on 'priming oil system', is there a special tool I need to drive the oil pump?  And when I remove the dizzy, is there a way to keep it set so I don't lose the timing?  Or does it need to be re-timed?

[1968_Charger]

You can only put the dizzy in one of two ways. So as long as you aren't 180 degrees off you can adjust it. As for brakes it depends on what you want and can afford. I got discs all the Way around and I love them. Drums used to scare me. Discs stop on a dime.

[Dino]

I have power drums all around and they work fine, but it won't stop like a bmw!  I'm changing the front to discs, there's really no need to replace the rear drums with discs but it also does not hurt of course.  If you plan on running big, open wheels you may want to consider discs all around for looks alone.

[billschroeder5842]

@ Dino,
I have drums all the way around but I'd like to switch to front disc. Can you share what you are going to do? I not sure if I should find a factory set up, an after market set up or one of those drum to disk conversion deals.

Thanks!

[Dino]

@ Dino,
I have drums all the way around but I'd like to switch to front disc. Can you share what you are going to do? I not sure if I should find a factory set up, an after market set up or one of those drum to disk conversion deals.

Thanks!

I am installing an older Wilwood kit on the front, one that bolts to the drum spindles.  This kit would not necessarily be my first choice, but it came with the car new in the box and included new brake lines and proportioning valve.  I'm also sticking with my 14" rims until I find decent 15" rims so I can't run the big rotors, mine are 10.75"

You can also find mid 70's donor mopars and get the brakes off those or you can buy another kit.  There's several of them so first thing you want to do is decided what size rims you will be running and set a budget as well.  There's no point in getting the old mopar rotors if you're going to run 17" rims.

You will also need a new master cylinder as you cannot use your drum master.  I got the Raybestos MC36283 but you need to check your master and see where the lines connect.  Mine are on the fender side, yours might be on the engine side in which case you need another model.  Do you have power drums or manual?

[69finder]

I just got home!  18 hour day, but it was worth it!  Pics in the morning I PROMISE!

It's an 'XP29H' so it should have a 383.  It's Green!  And rusty!  And in a real barn with real horse shit!  (I thought the guy was full of it too, but man, what a COOL Dude!  Very nice seller!)

Don't call horseshit on me till tomorrow afternoon, I'm dead right now.

Pics are here..
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,90678.0.html

[Troy]

Looks like a 383. It should be very easy to find a cheap, running 383 if yours can't be resurrected easily. I have one in my garage that I'll never use. Of course, that depends on how close you are to the rest of civilization.

If you're being "cheap" keep the drum brakes. I'm sure you'll need to go through them looking for leaky cylinders and such.

Troy

[69finder]

I am in Edmonton, AB, Canada.  So basically I'm as far away as possible

I have found a few 383's and they range (running in cars) from 800-1800.  I see alot more 440's, they range from $400 to $1200.  Seems odd that the 383's cost more up here?

[Dino]

I am in Edmonton, AB, Canada.  So basically I'm as far away as possible

I have found a few 383's and they range (running in cars) from 800-1800.  I see alot more 440's, they range from $400 to $1200.  Seems odd that the 383's cost more up here?

I don't think it's all that different here.  People looking for a 383 usually do so because that's what the car came with.  A 440 will be more expensive if it's one of the good years but there's tons of motorhome and truck 440's out there so they're usually cheaper than the average 383.  I have a 440 now but my old 68 had a 383 and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that little monster.   

[wingcar]

First off welcome to the site, I am sure you will find all the information you will ever need right here.  However, you may still want to invest in a Shop Manual for your Charger as it will help you down the road.

I have a question for members of the forum... 
I keep hearing how you need to change out the K-members if you go from a small block to a big block etc.......
I put a small block into a 383 car and a Big Block into a 318 car without changing the K-members.  This being the case, why does the K-member need to be replaced?  They both bolted right up and there appears to be no issues. Am I missing something..............

[PocketThunder]

First off welcome to the site, I am sure you will find all the information you will ever need right here.  However, you may still want to invest in a Shop Manual for your Charger as it will help you down the road.

I have a question for members of the forum... 
I keep hearing how you need to change out the K-members if you go from a small block to a big block etc.......
I put a small block into a 383 car and a Big Block into a 318 car without changing the K-members.  This being the case, why does the K-member need to be replaced?  They both bolted right up and there appears to be no issues. Am I missing something..............

No k-member change that i know if.  I put a 440 into a 318 car and it bolted right in with correct 440 engine mounts, it was a 1968 Charger.   

[AirborneSilva]

I've always heard you need to change out the K member, maybe the Big Block K member is beefed up to handle the torque 

[ACUDANUT]

No, any V-8 K-Frame will do the job. :Twocents

[six-tee-nine]

Incorrect, the Hemi has a different K-member..... but if you're on abudget, forget the Hemi thing......

But why another engine?
put a wrench on the crank pulley and see if it turns over. If it does your half way there, change the oil, give it some fresh gas and see what happens when you hook up a fresh battery

[ACUDANUT]

Who said anything about a Hemi....Fastest and cheapest does not include a Hemi.
Only 5 percent or less cars ever produced in a year had hemi's

[69finder]

Incorrect, the Hemi has a different K-member..... but if you're on abudget, forget the Hemi thing......

But why another engine?
put a wrench on the crank pulley and see if it turns over. If it does your half way there, change the oil, give it some fresh gas and see what happens when you hook up a fresh battery

I will be trying to get it started, but it sat without carb (open intake) for many many years (decades?).  I am not too hopeful at this point for the original engine.  I will keep it as it looks like the original engine for it.

Question; Is there a way to test engines out of cars?  Do I need a bellhousing/starter etc and rig up something?  I want to buy a used engine but the ads usually say, 'running when removed'.  Which means basically nothing to me (I'm cynical yes??!)