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		Darren Layton's 1969 Dodge Charger R/T came to him all the way from the other side of the country. With that country being Canada, in this case, that meant a railroad ride of over 4500 miles. But the car was in pretty good overall condition, needing only some dent-straightening and minor rust repair. Any Downloadable Files Associated with this Article (Click on the file name to download it)
1969 Dodge Charger R/T - Darren Layton's collection of B-body Mopars just keeps growing
Click on the Thumbnails Below to Enlarge By Society Staff – reprint with permission only Darren Layton purchased his 1969 Dodge Charger R/T in 2008 from a fellow in Newfoundland, Canada. The car traveled by rail over 4500 miles to his home in British Columbia. Not surprisingly, it arrived with more than just a few new scratches. The driver's side fender was pushed out at the headlight area while the passenger-side fender had a dent in it. The shipper took no responsibility, but Darren really didn't care. After all, he now had a 1969 Dodge Charger. While the car looked good from 20 feet, up close it looked as though it had been through a mild hailstorm with many bumps and waves. He is fairly certain it was driven over gravel roads much of its life. Fortunately it wasn't too rusty, requiring patching in only the lower rear quarters. The 440 was tired, though, and the 727 automatic wasn't much to smile about, either. Both were destined for replacement. Darren's brother Dave and his good friend Jurgen helped him with the car's restoration. They all had previous experience restoring a ‘68 Dodge Super Bee, keeping it mostly original, and Darren learned a great deal from his older brother. This time, Darren wasn't so concerned about originality. Rather, he wanted it to have a unique look amongst B-body Mopars. Darren handled most of the body work, and it took over a year. As far as color, he knew he wanted some sort of yellow as he has other B-body Mopars, all of which are some shade of yellow. He finally settled on a color he saw at a car show on a 2009 Lamborghini Darren did the painting himself under his brother's expert supervision. All work was done by Darren and his two helpers. Nothing was farmed out. They found a date-correct 440 and mildly built it up. They converted the car to a 4-speed by sourcing parts from eBay and reading about doing the conversion on the web. The suspension was dropped 1.5 inches, and Shelby rims with knock-offs were purchased. The idea was to create a classy ride that was fun to drive and a little different from the other B bodies they see around their hometown of Langley, British Columbia. Next on Darren's agenda is a 1970 Dodge Super Bee 6-pack that came from Mississippi. They've ripped it apart, and the rust repair the car will require is more than they expected. Thank goodness his brother Dave knows how weld, too!    Darren chose the color based on an '09 Lamborghini he once saw. A mildly built-up 440 from another Mopar serves as motive power. The ivory interior works well with the exterior color - and it matches the stripe.   A Mississippi car, this is the 1970 Super Bee that is next on the restoration list.