4 speed R/T questions/ Dana 60

[Lost Sheep n Bo Peep]

I am looking at purchasing a 1969 Charger R/T with a 4 speed.  The guy sent me pictures of the underside of the car and noticed the 8 3/4 rear end down there.  I was thinking all the R/T manuals had the Dana 60 am I wrong? Sorry if this has been addressed before but I have been trying for at least an hour searching the interwebs for a answer and I couldn't come up with anything.  Thanks in advance.

[71bee]

What engine does this R/T have? if it's a 383, it would have come with the 8.75 axle. didn't they only put the Dana 60 in 440 + 6 & Hemi cars?

[Lost Sheep n Bo Peep]

It has the 440.

[71bee]

i'm not 100%, but I believe that 8.75 is correct for a 440 4V. the trans has nothing to do with it. I have a four spd. in my Bee & it runs an 8.75 with a 383.

[Lost Sheep n Bo Peep]

 So only the 6pack 440 and the Hemi's got the Dana 60?  Anybody else verify this?

[cdr]

RT 4 GEAR SHOULD HAVE DANA

[Lost Sheep n Bo Peep]

RT 4 GEAR SHOULD HAVE DANA

I was thinking this.  Anybody else want to weigh in?

[Troy]

First, a 68-70 Charger R/T could only have come with a 440 or Hemi (no 383s in an R/T). A Superbee is a completely different animal.

As for the rear axle, here is your answer:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,3144.msg38290.html#msg38290

Troy

[Lost Sheep n Bo Peep]

First, a 68-70 Charger R/T could only have come with a 440 or Hemi (no 383s in an R/T). A Superbee is a completely different animal.

As for the rear axle, here is your answer:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,3144.msg38290.html#msg38290

Troy

Thanks Troy.  So it sounds like all 69 Charger R/t 4speeds were required to have the track package and in the track package it had the Dana 9 3/4.

[Troy]

Correct.

Troy

[John_Kunkel]

Common trick "back in the day", find a Dana equipped car on a lot close by, take it for a test drive to your house and swap the Dana for an 8 3/4"....properly prepared, less than a half hour. 

[71bee]

First, a 68-70 Charger R/T could only have come with a 440 or Hemi (no 383s in an R/T). A Superbee is a completely different animal.

Troy

Yes, I know the Super Bee was different (383 standard/ 440+6 or HEMI optional until '71 where they included the 340), but I have seen more than one '69 Charger R/T that had a 383 HP under the hood. so this would be incorrect for the Charger R/T?

[Troy]

First, a 68-70 Charger R/T could only have come with a 440 or Hemi (no 383s in an R/T). A Superbee is a completely different animal.

Troy

Yes, I know the Super Bee was different (383 standard/ 440+6 or HEMI optional until '71 where they included the 340), but I have seen more than one '69 Charger R/T that had a 383 HP under the hood. so this would be incorrect for the Charger R/T?

It is highly unlikely (I rarely say never but it probably applies here) that you saw a real 69 Charger R/T with factory installed 383 (2bbl or 44bbl). You may have seen a 383 Charger with R/T stripes and badges added by the owner. When you ordered an R/T you automatically got a 440 as part of the package (along with bigger brakes, stiffer springs and torsion bars, stripes, badges, etc.) and the only optional engine was the Hemi. In 1970 the 440 Six Pack became optional as well. By the same token, you could not get anything larger than a 383 in any 68-70 Charger without ordering an R/T. A real R/T will have a VIN number starting with "XS" while a standard Charger has "XP". That second letter is the price code - 'S' stands for "special" and the 'P' stands for "premium".

This is much like the 68-69 Super Bee except those only came with a 383 with the only optional engine being the Hemi (and later 69 the 440 Six Pack).

Troy

[71bee]

Well, alrighty then! thanks Troy, you learn something every day. I knew that the Charger R/T option started with the 440 & had the '69 1/2 -'71 440 six pack option as well as the Hemi, but I always thought that the '68-'69 Dodge Chargers had the option of the 383 4V for a starting point.

[Troy]

The 68-70 Charger was somewhat unique but still followed the corporate pricing/option structure.

For example:
Plymouth - Base models were Satellite/Belvedere, Roadrunner was the low cost performance model (383 or Hemi only, generally no or low option), and the GTX was the top end (440 and Hemi only and more likely to be loaded).
Dodge - Base model was the Coronet, Super Bee was the low cost performance model, and Coronet R/T (or just "R/T") was the top end.

Charger had upper and lower ends (even though all Chargers were at least premium priced) but no real stripped down performance model. You could get the 383 4bbl but the car wasn't bare bones by any stretch. In 1970 you could get a lower cost Charger (price code 'H') but I don't think that was for performance as much as it was to get more people interested in the car.

Even though the 440 Six Pack was available on the Roadrunner and Super Bee in 69 1/2 it wasn't available on anything else - including the Charger - until 1970.

The 383 confusion (I think) comes from the E-bodies (Cuda and Challenger). In 1970, the Challenger R/T came with the 383 as the base engine with the 440, 440 Six Pack, and Hemi all as options. In 1971 the 340 was added to the list.

Troy