One of the most significant muscle cars ever built, with a 100% fresh and correct nut-and-bolt restoration, this 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona 440, 4 Speed, Dana 60 car is a blue chip amongst its winged brethren. With 28,095 documented original miles, painted in seldom seen R6 Red, with its white wing, black bucket seat and center console interior, this NASCAR wonder is in a class by itself. Look anywhere you like, in every crevice, nook and cranny and you’ll see detailing – this car is that nice. We proudly present this car as an example of what our restoration shop does when handed a car of our own – or yours.

If you’ve never been in a Mopar winged car, you’re missing out. They’re flat out the coolest, most attention grabbing car at any show, and you’re treated like royalty wherever you go. Even if people don’t like them, they still part like the Red Sea when you roll up in one. Aside from their Superbird cousins, no other muscle car turns as many heads as these do, period.

Once the initial shock of your arrival wears off, there’s a ton to see when you look at the car. We took this one down to nothing and started over – literally. After a complete disassembly and inventory, the body was acid dipped and E-coated to make sure there was no rust anywhere. Overall, the original body was in excellent shape, and we were able to use ALL of the original exterior sheet metal – how many Daytona owners can say that? The floors were perfect inside and out, as were the firewall, frame rails and inner fenders. We replaced the trunk floor, due to rust and poorly repaired sections done 20 years ago, with a new one piece unit from AMD. It was spot welded in place using all of the factory locations for a seamless look. If we hadn’t told you about the repairs, you wouldn’t be able to tell – it’s that nicely done.

We weren’t ready for red paint yet, though. Mopars are dipped in a primer vat up to (approximately) the tops of their headlight housings, and this line is visible inside the car, in the trunk and other places. Remember we told you there are details in the smallest spots? Drop under the dash and look at the firewall – we sprayed a steel-look paint ABOVE that line and gray dip primer below it. We didn’t want it to rust, but we wanted to be authentic! That gray paint also covers the floor pans top and bottom, as well as the insides of the doors and quarters. How many shops go to that level of detail on a restoration?

The undercarriage was next. Flipped over on a rotisserie, the original floor pans were massaged and smoothed until they looked factory new. Red overspray made its way underneath from the top, and then the floors were covered in satin clear. That’s right – you can drive this car, with its primered floors and all, and wipe it off when you get back home! We’re still not done under here, though. Daytonas started life at the Hamtramck plant as standard Charger R/T cars sans stripes, R/T badges and grilles. Otherwise, they were complete, drivable cars. Once shipped to Creative, they were stripped of their hoods, fenders, trunk lids and front bumper assemblies. The replacement parts were painted gray as well, but it was a lighter gray, and it’s visible inside the nose cone, where Creative didn’t paint the undersides of the panels where they should have and inside the front fenders above the tires. The nose was treated additionally to satin black paint over the gray in the high visibility areas, just as it should be.

After many days with multiple guys doing a ton of blocking the car was finally ready for its base coat/clear coat exterior. Look anywhere there’s red and be impressed – the door jams are finished better than most show car exteriors! Having clean original sheet metal to cover is always nice, and it’s reflected in the final product. The fender scoops were gently re-contoured to fit the fenders better (a notorious problem caused by the plastic warping over the decades) and the sheet metal was aligned for excellent gaps. The headlight doors are as straight as you’re likely to find and the nose is fitted closer to the body than standard. The trunk lid on this car is dimpled at the front edge from welding, which is unusual, but the wing car community recognizes it as an original piece. We put the wing right where Creative did, using their holes, and you can see it doesn’t line up with the stripe -quality control wasn’t exactly job 1 on these cars! Speaking of the stripe, we have photos of the car from the 1970’s where it’s sporting it’s white wing and stripe. Most Daytonas match their stripe color to their interiors if they’re done in black or white, but this one came with a white wing, so white it is!

Of course, the mechanicals are finished as well as the rest of the car. The factory warranty replacement 440 was rebuilt, both mechanically and cosmetically. There’s a correct, date coded dual point distributor and 4617S Carter carb up top just as there should be. Date coded wires, a date coded coil, a refinished air cleaner and new stainless fuel lines make the motor shine. There’s an 054 radiator up front, date coded from Glen-Ray, complete with its correct shroud and fan. The wiring is all new from the battery cables to the body harnesses. You’ll find restored and correct hardware throughout from the latch tray to the bumper.

Here’s how the original fender tag reads:

EN2
M21 M31 R11 V88 Y39 26
A11 A33 C16 C55 G11 J25
R6 R6 C6X X9 521 926411
E86 D21 XX29 L9B xxxxxx
EN2 (no additional fender tags to follow)
M21 Drip rail moldings
M31 Sill moldings
R11 AM radio

V88 Stripe delete (on all aero car fender tags – Creative applied the 500/Daytona stripes after conversion, while Clairpointe applied the Super Bird decals)

Y39 Special order (on all Daytona tags)
26 (width of radiator opening)
A11 Charger 500/Daytona package (1969)
A33 Track Pack Axle Package with 3.54 gears, Dana 60 rear
C16 Center console
C55 Bucket seats
G11Tinted glass, all windows (rear window clear on all Aero cars)
J25 Three speed wipers
R6 Red (yes, just “red”)
C6X Charger bucket seats, black vinyl
X9 Black upper door frame paint
521 May 21, 1969 scheduled build date
926411 (sequence number)
E86 440HP, 375hp 4 bbl
D21 A-833 Four speed manual transmission
XX29 Charger, Aero Special, sportsroof
L9B 440HP, 1969 build, Hamtramck assembly

A full set of 14” road wheels with new trim rings and Coker 225/75/14 redlines are on the car, and we’re just about done restoring the original wheels. You’ll get both sets. Underneath, the entire suspension was refinished properly. Up front, the torsion bars were dipped in black paint and feature drips as original. The upper and lower control arms were finished in cast steel with Cosmoline-like gold tinting on top. All wear parts in the steering and suspension are new. The brand new Accurate Exhaust Products pipes weren’t quite what their name would imply, but a day’s worth of tweaking has them fitting better than originals. New Mopar leaf springs wear the car’s original bottom leaf for new function and original appearance. The original DANA 60 has been rebuilt and is ready for another 40 years! There’s a new fuel system, new hard lines everywhere and more. Every gauge, switch and button works as it should. This is a car for the ages.

We have Galen decoding paperwork, including a reproduction window sticker. We also have photos of the restoration, previous photos of the car as far back as one of the Michigan International Speedway DSAC meets in the early 80s and a title history back to 1975. The car is known to both wing car clubs and its authenticity is without doubt. The fender tag is original to the car, but like most Daytonas, the Broadcast Sheet is gone, but may still exist – there’s a chance it was put into someone else’s car at Creative!

If you’re going to drive the car (like you should, at least a few times) you’ll get familiar with the interior. Those are restored seats under you, new carpet and sill plates on the floor, new top plates on the center console, restored gauges in the dash and a new headliner above. Overall it’s as nicely done as the rest of the car, and that’s no small feat.

From nearly perfect cosmetics, to solid mechanicals to the absurd wing and nose, this is a Daytona that would headline just about every car collection in the world. Beautiful in its purpose, head turning everywhere and finished to an extremely high standard, this Daytona is one to pack away for the long haul. Looking for an investment grade muscle car that will stand the test of time? Long after the pretenders have been relegated to the trash heap of history, this 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona will continue to be a significant car, now, or 50 years from now. Enjoy!