HOW TO MAKE A 68 INTO A 69


Ok, here is what you do. The hardest part is the tail panel. You probably know that the lights are different than the 69 and 70. If this bothers you, you have to find a Charger in a junk yard and cut out the tailpanel to correct the difference. This is best left to the pros, and you will probably have to supply the new panel and a bunch of pictures to the shop. With any luck, you can get the taillights and the wiring harness when you get the panel. You can have the bodyshop mount the back up lights in the rear valence, if you want. If you look, you'll notice that the 68s have the bu lights in the taillamps, so the 69s had them in the valence. If the difference in marker lights or blinker lights bothers you, take them out by unscrewing them from inside the fender and have the body shop bondo over the holes. Since this was done on the dukes all the time, you can say you made it "accurate." You could get 69 markers and have them put in, but they are only reflectors and not worth the trouble. If the car needs fenders and quartes anyway, get 69 pieces which are pre-stamped for the 69 markers. Next is the grille. Either get a whole 69 grille and swap it with the 68 or just find the center "nose" piece. Then loosen up the 68 grille and pop in the new center section. This could be tough if the nuts are rusted and worn. If they are, try using a dremel to cut them off. Replace the nuts and the grille and the front end is taken care of. Next is the interior. If the interior is in nice condition and pretty much there, I would just let it go. Remember, they did show both on tv. Nobody really will notice the interior anyway, and only people who really know chargers will be able to tell. In any case, the dash padding was the same for 69, so you can keep that. However, if you are a purist, you can dye it tan or go all the way and rip out everything and replace it with 69 parts. If the seats are all ripped up, just get a new set of covers because it's the same seat frame. Major interior differences include seat cover patterns, the texture of the dash plastic, and the dash pad. The 68 dash plastic is ribbed vertically, while the 69 plastic is a "gator grain" type. A 68's upper dash frame padding is pointed in the middle, while a 69's is flat across. The frame will accept a 69 pad, but they can be tough to get off and get back on. You will have to switch the latch on the hood - the hook thing that grabs the catch in the grille. Just get a 69 latch or,if you can't find a latch (which I can't believe you couldn't) or are just in a hurry, you could always put on hood pins. The only other thing I can think of is the upper door panels. They are different because the lock latch was moved between years - from the near end to the far end - if that makes sense. However, if you intend to be sliding thru the windows, it can be an asset because you don't get impaled on the knob. If you do that, just fix the lock release inside so it can't rattle around. Other than that, no one will be the wiser. .


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