1968 Dodge Charger R/T; 440, Auto, PS, PDB, A/C incredible documentation

Description for Dodge Charger 1968

1968 Dodge Charger R/T What follows is an extensively detailed write up intended to convey to you virtually everything I know and have experienced with this exceptional car. I’m sure there will still be an unanswered question or two and certainly don’t mind giving you a prompt reply. All of my work was photo-documented (368 total photographs) so if there is anything you want to see I will gladly share. Originally ordered on February 5. 1968 at The Waters Company (a Chrysler dealer in Los Angeles. California) and delivered on March 30. 1968 to its first owner – Mark Rusick. Jr. of Inglewood. California. Evidenced by the documentation that comes with this car. Rusick dreamed of owning a 68’ Charger R/T. Hand written notes on a sales brochure and checkmarks noting the options he wanted and the cost for each indicate how well thought out this purchase was. And from the time of delivery through the next 34 years of ownership and 165. 00 miles. Mr. Rusick would document virtually every mile logged on his Charger. At approximately the 110. 00 mile mark. he documented an engine/transmission overhaul. It was a routine refresh. and all of the original ‘numbers matching’ iron and aluminum are still with the car. Pictures of he and his wife (included in the documents) were taken beside the car while the overhaul was in progress. Other really cool documentation include drawings. hand-written notes and invoices for various maintenance chores and parts. There is also a mileage diary that captures possibly every maintenance item performed. He clearly loved to care for and work on his car. Mr. Rusick passed away from cancer in 2002. With no one in the family interested in owning the car. the wife allowed a family friend help her sell it (who evidently felt like it needed a repaint) which was done in its original color. At the same time he added a tail stripe. Soon after the car was listed for sale it was purchased by a gentleman in Seattle. Washington. While in his possession. he bought and had installed a new set of front and rear Legendary seat foams and covers. He also added exhaust headers and a set of 15-inch chrome road wheels with red wall radial tires. But after several years and with children entering college. he decided to sell in 2010. This is where I come into the picture. After finding his ad in Hemmings Motor News. we talked and reached an agreement on a selling price. During that same conversation. he literally insisted on delivering the car to ensure that every piece of documentation in the briefcase was given its due. Not having a better alternative for transportation. I took him up on his offer and agreed to pay his travel expenses. After approximately one week and 2. 00 miles later. the Charger arrives. The documentation is impressive; everything from the original hand written dealership sales order to the temporary ‘paper’ 1968 license plate issued by the state of California. In addition. the two original steel permanent California license plates. three cancelled personal checks written by the original owner for the deposit. nbsp; interim and final payments leading up to time of delivery. the window sticker. two build sheets and the Certicard. among other things. The five original 14-inch steel wheels and four hub caps were also delivered with the car. After an actual physical inspection. I was equally impressed. At the same time I found issues that I knew would need attention. For starters. the back glass had silicone sealer around the lower corners. an indication of a prior water leak. Under the hood. the firewall and inner fenders had been spray painted black with a rattle can. There was also a home-made vehicle disabling system with a toggle switch mounted onto the center grille section that the original owner had installed. Then we had the headers and an electronic ignition system. A pretty good list. but I prioritized it and immediately started to work. Disassembly ensued. Starting with the trunk. I was pleased to find minimal water damage from the back glass leakage. The trunk floor was rusty enough to be pitted in spots. but no rust-through. Next I removed the front and rear bumpers. tail light assemblies. grille. headlight doors/headlight supports. and all of the surrounding trim. Then I pulled the engine and transmission. stripped the firewall and inner fenders. and removed the dash to gain access to the heater box. Eventually all of the interior was removed before going to the the paint shop except the headliner and door panels. While the car was in a friend’s paint shop getting the trunk and engine compartment sandblasted and repainted. the rear glass was removed to clean and repair its seating area. Every effort was made to salvage the vinyl top. but the silicone I mentioned earlier could not be removed from the edges of the vinyl without discoloration. So. the vinyl top was stripped off and a new one installed. While still in the paint shop. the guys convinced me they could color match anything else I wanted to paint. so I let them do the deck lid. the hood and tops of both front fenders. I simply could not afford a full repaint at the time. They did a beautiful job. including the matte black across the trunk tail panel. While the body repair was in progress. I disassembled/cleaned/inspected/repainted and reassembled the engine. The cylinders were honed to seat a new set of rings. and the main and rod bearings were replaced for good measure. The transmission also got a good cleaning along with new seals. filter and pan gasket. The carburetor was professionally rebuilt and restored to factory appearing. The exhaust manifolds received a thermal coating. The heat riser does not function. but all of the hardware is in place for factory appearance. The exhaust is from ECS Automotive (the finest in the industry for correct Mopar exhaust) and is new from the manifolds to the chrome tips including hardware. hangers and mufflers. After coming home from the paint shop. the front suspension was removed along with the K-member. Everything was cleaned. repainted and reassembled. All new bushings. ball joints. seals and wheel bearings were installed. and the disc brake calipers were rebuilt. The front discs measured well within specification. All new steel and rubber brake lines (front to rear) were installed as was a new master cylinder. Rear axles got a new set of Green bearings and axle seals. and both rear wheel cylinders and brake shoes were replaced. The third member got a wash job and fresh oil. but needed nothing else. Back to the interior. I completely rebuilt the heater box with a new heater core and A/C coil. All new soft seals were installed at the vents and ducting doors. I converted the clock to quartz and it keeps perfect time. All other gauges and switches got attention where needed before the dash was reassembled. The Factory AM radio works but is not connected. I instead elected to install an FM stereo receiver w/I-Pod port under the driver’s seat. For speakers. I mounted two Sony 4-inch speakers side-by-side under the dash speaker grille and two 9-inch speakers in the factory openings under the rear speaker shelf. It operates via a small manual control center mounted beneath the dash on the left side of the steering column (that can be easily hidden) and there is a remote control. The cable to connect an I-Pod comes out from under the carpet just under the heater box in front of the console. Maybe the nicest part of the interior is the steering wheel. I had it professionally restored and it is gorgeous. Under the hood every effort was made to return to factory appearing. All of the wiring harnesses are new from Evans Wiring. Ignition was restored to the correct point-type distributor and voltage regulator. All of the steel and soft A/C lines were restored. The condenser. dryer. expansion valve. etc. are all new. The recharge was done with R12 Refrigerant. The compressor is rebuilt as is the power steering pump. Power brake booster and master cylinder is new. I initially had a hood pad installed but didn't like the way it fit so I removed it. The grille center section is NOS. The original headlight doors and plastic surrounds were cleaned and repainted. Headlight door motors are original; the vacuum hose circuitry all replaced with correctly colored hoses. The chrome surrounding the grille has all been re-plated as were the taillight housings. all original to the car. The front and rear bumpers are completely original. too nice in my opinion to get re-plated. And since it wasn't on the build sheet. I decided to eliminate the tail stripe. A couple of pics show it with. but it is no longer on the car. In keeping with originality. I purchased five new Goodyear Polyglas red line bias ply tires and mounted them on the original freshly restored steel wheels. I sold the chrome road wheels/tires that the prior owner put on the car (seen in a couple of pics) since they were beginning to show signs of pitting and at least one tire beginning to separate. To preserve the bias ply Goodyears. I purchased a set of 17-inch Retro wheels and Hankook 235/55R17 (front) 275/55R17 (rear) tires (also seen in a couple of pics) that are included in the auction. They are literally brand new. fewer than 50 miles on them. As you can imagine. the ride and drive is superior to the bias ply Goodyears. The overall results of the work in terms of drivability. function and operation of this car will impress anyone. Unusual noises. rattles. air leaks. vibrations. and annoying steering wheel pulls simply do not exist. I’ve worked on. owned and driven dozens of Mopar muscle cars over the past 40 years. and I can say that this one is clearly exceptional. The ride and drive is a different story with the bias ply tires. but the 17-inch wide profile radials enable it to handle like a sports car. In terms of appearance the trunk area. vinyl top. interior and engine bay all look fantastic. With all of the work that was done. I truly regret not having the entire body repainted. Having said that. the areas that were color-matched blend incredibly well with the areas that were not painted. The paint is quite acceptable “as-is”. but far from museum quality. For added value. Galen Govier performed a full visual inspection in October 2012. A couple of pages from that inspection are included in the pictures. His complete 30-plus page report will be included with the sale. If you’re a fan of the 68’ Charger. you already know how few really nice ones still exist. I would bet there are fewer than ten with this level of documentation which is what truly makes this car very special. I will end this auction early if I reach a deal locally where it is also for sale but as you know. cannot end it if the reserve is met. The reserve is reasonable. but will not be disclosed. If you want this car and have the means. you cannot go wrong at the reserve price. If you would like to talk. message me and I will gladly share my phone number. A $500 deposit must be paid by the winning bidder at the end of the auction. Transportation is on you. but I will help make arrangements. I know a couple of private reputable carriers. I can also store the car as long as reasonable circumstances require. i. e. weather. scheduling. etc. Thanks for your patience with the long-winded description. and Good Luck!