69 Charger parts availability.

[mauibarber]

I know from reading through this site that there are a number of body parts that are either not available or poorly made if they are available.

My question is are "under the hood" items difficult to get?  Are there any "wearable" parts (brakes, electrical, window regulators etc.) that are not available?
thanks,
Alex

[Shakey]

Try being a bit more specific.   

What is it that you need?

Start off with a call to Year One to order their catalogue.  Even if you never buy anything from them, their catalouge is very helpful when it comes to finding out what is available from the aftermarket.

Then start searching web sites to see who else has what.

A good spot to look is here:

http://www.amhightechauto.com/

Bill is a member here and he is very knowledgable and helpful.

[resq302]

One thing to keep in mind with Year One.  Even if it is a new catalog for the year, they still dont take out items that have been discontinued.  Every year I get excited as I see the part is listed in the book again hoping they found a new vendor or started making the part themselves but to no avail.

Their catalog is good as it shows many photos and has a lot of parts in it.  Downfall is they seem to charge more than any other place.

[mauibarber]

Thanks for the advice.  I ordered the catalog this morning.

[Mike DC]

It's relatively easy to keep a '69 Charger running & driveable.  It's somewhat harder to keep it entirely original in all the small ways. 

Fuel pumps, starters, gaskets, etc . . . anything like that is typically no problem.  The drivetrain parts were used for years before & after the '69 model year on hundreds of thousands of cars.  For example, you won't find ready-to-install replacement control arms for a Charger (like what they have for '60s Mustangs).  However, you WILL always find the necessary bushing kits to overhaul the Charger's original control arms whenever you need them. 

(But you may have to go shopping for a local repair shop that will do the bushing-replacement job correctly!  With Mopars, you can't assume the local guy knows how to do it right, even when they insist that they can.  (For example, does the shop know that all Mopars made before 1970 were made with right-hand-threaded lugs on the left-side wheels?  And do they know that the ball joints in the upper control arms were screwed in with threads even though they visually look pressed-in?)

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But then just when you think you've got everything covered, something stupid will surprise you. 

For example, until very recently you couldn't get a replacement heater core for a factory A/C car, even though the heater-only ones have always been available.  And I don't think you can get a replacement ignition switch for the starter key on the dashbaord even now (The '69 ignition switch was a one-year-only thing, and the 1968 & 1970 ones were different).
And as far as I can find, any glass shop on earth can get you a new tinted front windshield very easily & cheaply.  But nobody can get a plain clear windshield for some reason.

 

[mauibarber]

So what do people do if there ignition switch goes out?  Is there a "cross reference" part, can a 68 or 70 be made to fit or must you find one from another car?  I am not a stickler for originality, I just want it to work and work well.
-Alex

[Shakey]

So what do people do if there ignition switch goes out?  Is there a "cross reference" part, can a 68 or 70 be made to fit or must you find one from another car?  I am not a stickler for originality, I just want it to work and work well.
-Alex

Salvage yard or e-bay.

[squeakfinder]

Like Shakey said. Check with a wrecking yard to cross check what other vehicles used the same parts as yours did. But you probably want to ba specific on what your looking for. Or, you could start forking out $65.00 plus for some used Hollander books (ebay). Those are what allot of the older wrecking yards use.