Dang ebay, bought another rough project.......

[Chad L. Magee]

Well, I just bought probably one of the most stripped down 1969 Charger body shells to ever come up for auction on ebay for $755.  It is missing the VIN (along with the rest of the dash) but it still had the fender tag attached.  About the only thing that was left on it other than the fender tag was the rear seat belts.  The story goes that the seller bought it up in Nebraska back in the early 1980s and used this one as a parts car where it sat until now.  Unfortunately, the parts that came off of this one ended up going with a 1970 Charger that he sold to another fellow.  Years later, he wanted to restore this car, but the parts are now long gone.  This one was a T3, T3, with tan top and black rump stripe.

Can you guess why I bought it? (other than I like junk Chargers)........

Hint: Look at the fender tag pic......

PS- Please add this one to the 1969 Charger Registry if it is not in there yet......
 

[69charger2002]

wow R/T SE.. why would the VIN be gone? did he sell the dash frame or something? maybe you can track it down
$755 seems high, but it is a rare car, and original paint. crazy
trav

[472 R/T SE]

I seeen that car.  It looks to have nice metal anyways.  Congrats. Chad, you have about as many rigs as Travis. 

[Brock Samson]

A-47 like mine T-3 R/T S.E. mine was V8 though...

[rare69]

WOW! another R/T SE with no vinyl top, i looked high and low for rt se pics with no vinyl top's and found about two or three as far as i know not many left the factory without. please for the sake of the mopar god's, what ever you do don't just part it out. somebody needs to restore that one.

[Chad L. Magee]

Well, Travis still has more than me (which is good, since I am running out of storage space)......  If I end up trading this one to a friend, he will fix it (he has a 1969 318 parts car that would work perfectly, that one was hit by a tonado and did extensive frame damage to the rear).  If I keep it, it will go on my list of future restorations (near the top).  I think that this one had the vinyl roof (see picture).  It has the holes where the vinyl molding would have went.  The roof is toast, but I have I think two spare ones that could be used to fix this one.  I just got off the phone with the seller and the dash (with the VIN) was included in on a car deal years ago and that has since been traded away.  He mentioned that it went towards the El Dorado area the last he heard.  I will be on the hunt for the VIN plate (if it still exists) to bring this one back on the road someday.  This is basically how most Kansas Chargers look like when you find them out in the weeds anymore........

[4cruzin]

WOW that is in need of alittle buffing!!  What are your plans?? 

[bull]

Just sell the seat belts and you'll break even.

[Chad L. Magee]

Still deciding on that.  I have been on the hunt for an RT/SE for a long time.  I found a red 1969 RT/SE (440 out of a 68 GTX, damage to door locks, steering column, recovered theft) ten years ago, but it was $8000 when I did not have much $ to buy it with.  The first Charger riding experiance that I got was with a 1970 Charger RT/SE 440 six pack back almost twenty years ago........

[Silver R/T]

she's a bit rought

[Mean 318]

that just means theres more love to go into it!

she's a bit rought

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

WOW! another R/T SE with no vinyl top, i looked high and low for rt se pics with no vinyl top's and found about two or three as far as i know not many left the factory without. please for the sake of the mopar god's, what ever you do don't just part it out. somebody needs to restore that one.

Its coded V1T for a tan vinyl roof.

It was built at the St. Louis plant (G).   St. Louis always added the roof color (second T3 on the tag) regardless if it got a vinyl roof or not.   Cars built at Hamtramck only got the body color if there was a vinyl roof installed.

I caught this auction & added it to the registry already.   Didnt have the VIN in there before (possible someone with the dash frame registered but they didnt)

[Shakey]

I saw a shell just like that in NM a couple years back.  It was solid as a rock and straight as an arrow.  It was also an R/T SE but it was beige.  I would have liked to have bought it but it would have cost me too much to get 'er home to Canada.

Good score Chad!   

[Back N Black]

Here's my question,at what point would you say its not worth it to try and save this rt/se?
The car has no hood,doors,trunk lid,fenders,interior,engine or trans,rear axle etc.. It also requires a new roof, rear quarters,rear valance and maybe a trunk floor.So what are you left with frame rails and a fire wall and fender tag.
I 'm not picking on this car in particular,but I seen this situation a few times.In my opinion its not worth the cost.
Lets just say you have a good 318 donor car, when all the parts listed are put on the R/T is it now the 318 car or still a R/T,being most of the car is a donor 318 car.

[tan top]

   i saw that on e bay also ,   another rare R/T SE going to be saved .   any thing can be fixed   

[BigBlockSam]

 i saw that on e bay also and ran away quick . what are you gonna do with her?  can you get a new vin plate ?

[Brock Samson]

yup 'cept for the stripe, she's just like mine,.. 
still lookin for one done up with a tan roof...   

[41husk]

Thats why I stay off ebay.  I would have way to many projects and probably an ex wife.  Hey! looks like theres pros and cons

[Charger_Fan]

Here's my question,at what point would you say its not worth it to try and save this rt/se?
The car has no hood,doors,trunk lid,fenders,interior,engine or trans,rear axle etc.. It also requires a new roof, rear quarters,rear valance and maybe a trunk floor.So what are you left with frame rails and a fire wall and fender tag.
I 'm not picking on this car in particular,but I seen this situation a few times.In my opinion its not worth the cost.
Lets just say you have a good 318 donor car, when all the parts listed are put on the R/T is it now the 318 car or still a R/T,being most of the car is a donor 318 car.

I can see that kind of rationale & often ponder the same thing. I'd say it falls in the grey area of "to each his own".

Regardless, congrats on your latest find, Chad.

[6670charger]

............don't blame Ebay.

[Old Moparz]

Hey Chad,

I think it's an interesting find, but the lack of the VIN tag is a problem. As far as I know, the fender tag isn't what the state recognizes, even if it matched the trunk lip & radiator support numbers. There's a chance that the VIN is on another Charger somewhere that hasn't been recorded in a registry. If that car is titled, registered & owned "legally" (Well, considered legal since it hasn't been discovered.) by someone, this one can't be titled as the same RT/SE Charger. This is a clear reason why I'm totally opposed to "rebodies" & wouldn't do it.

I'm not saying the car should be scrapped, it's always possible that the VIN tag might resurface & be reunited with the car. That's a good enough reason to hold onto the car, & $755 isn't too bad of a gamble. If there's no VIN tag, then a state issued tag is probably the only way you can do it legally. The state tag, along with the fender tag, will tell "most" people it's a legally owned, RT/SE, but I know there's a lot of people who would say it isn't the same. It wouldn't matter to me personally, but I'd still be skeptical before buying it unless I saw the radiator support & trunk lip numbers.

I'd be perfectly happy with a legal 318 Charger that has the RT/SE trim & a big block, so what do I know?  :shruggy"

[Chad L. Magee]

Well, if the VIN can't be found for this one, it will become a drag car with a state issued VIN.  (I am going to do that with my 1969 Charger RT that has the same story, except I know where the VIN is and can not get it back.)  If the VIN is on another car, then that current owner is going to have some explaining to do, as I can prove my car existance with more than just one number plate (the body has all the other factory number stampings intact).  If he forged the numbers on the body, that is a fed no-no.  Hopefully, this one can be reunited and brought back from the dead......