1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
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Tips from Hemmings Muscle Machines

June, 2009 - Matthew Litwin

Muscle car devotees tend to play favorites--everyone's got that one model that sits at the top of their wish list. Even for those with broad interests, there's usually a number one, and acquiring that car often becomes a quest. Sometimes the urge isn't completely satisfied even after the big game has been bagged; some guys keep going back out to look for more, while others exchange one example for another to keep it interesting. But for most enthusiasts, the common ultimate goal is to possess a perfectly restored example of the object of their desire.

Some of these people are fortunate enough to be able to turn a derelict hulk back into the proud machine it should have always been; among them is Julius Steuer. In Mopar circles, particularly on the West Coast, Julius is well known--in fact, you usually don't need to use his last name to spark recognition of the man and his shop, known simply as Restorations By Julius. The business, situated in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, has repaired or restored an impressive list of top-tier Chrysler muscle cars; his work is highly regarded, to say the least.

Not surprisingly, Julius also has favorites, and topping his list are Mother Mopar's winged wonders. This love motivated Julius to locate, acquire and restore our feature 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, which he then drove regularly before passing it into the care of Mike Ross, of nearby Newport Coast.

Julius actually found this particular Dodge not through a want ad or Internet search, but through good, old-fashioned word of mouth. "I got a tip about it about five years ago; the Dodge was located just outside of Chicago, Illinois. I quickly made flight arrangements and upon landing at O'Hare International, I rented a car and drove the hour south. The owner brought me out to his barn and there it sat--in pieces--right at the edge of the corn field," laughed Julius.

Right about now is when any number of people would have simply turned on their heels, said thanks and headed back home. Not Julius. "When you're in the restoration business long enough, you quickly learn that many people begin a project in earnest, and give up quickly. Taking a car apart is a very easy thing to do. It instantly becomes daunting to many when they look at all the parts and realize that it has to go all back together again; that's when they sell. Fortunately with this car, the guy had saved all the parts, but they were scattered in four different barns on his property," he said.

Those parts were good ones, too. The Dodge was originally equipped with a 440-cu.in., 375hp engine when it had left the assembly line, mated to a TorqueFlite automatic. As was the case with the rest of the car, these items had been removed long ago. Rust did not appear to be a concern, at least not anymore: Unpainted replacement quarter panels had already been welded into place. Overall, the car was solid, which would make its restoration that much easier.

"One interesting note about the car was that when this guy had originally purchased the car, it didn't have the original engine. By a stroke of luck, he was able to locate a proper 440 engine for the Daytona. But when we looked at the numbers, it matched those that were on the car itself--it was the car's factory engine, still intact," said Julius.

After negotiating a selling price, Julius had one more stop to make before flying home that same day. "My friend, Bob Horman, lived nearby, and he was kind enough to oversee the effort of collecting all the parts and making sure they were all present and accounted for. It was peace of mind for me, because finding original parts is extremely hard to do today."

Once everything had arrived at his California shop, Julius assessed in greater detail what needed to be done to the body before paint could go on. His answer? "Nothing. We left the quarter panels on that had already been replaced--they had been installed properly. There was literally no rust or collision damage uncovered--even in the trunk--when we removed the paint to expose bare metal. The same applied to the doors, hood, decklid, and even the nose and wing."

Julius and his team began to prep the body for paint by first bolting on all the removed body panels and latching the doors, hood, and so on securely by conventional means. By doing so, they could assess which panels would need to be adjusted for proper fit and panel gap alignment. Then a skim coat of Dynalite lightweight filler was applied, followed by block sanding.

"We use R-M primer and two-stage paint; in this case, the paint was matched to the original R4-code Performance Red. Between filler and primer, the body is block-sanded four times. It actually takes us six months just to paint a body from start to finish. Once the primer was allowed to cure, we sprayed the basecoat. We didn't sand between the base and top coat, but the paint was allowed to cure for two months before color sanding and final buffing. By letting it sit that long, you'll find that there is no paint shrinkage," stated Julius.

The focus of attention then swung to rebuilding the suspension, as well as the driveline mechanicals. Beginning with the former, a front disc/rear drum system was installed--valid upgrades on the Daytona in 1969--as were new steering linkage components, shocks and other assorted bits. "This was actually a manual drum brake car, but I used OEM front discs and paired them up with manual drums [Ed. Note: These are 11-inch diameter instead of the stock disc-brake system's 10-inch drums]; it's a bit more stopping power without significant alteration from stock."

The suspension work was performed after Julius decided that the 440 engine would remain uninstalled. "I knew I was going to be driving this car, and I had decided that a Hemi would be a nice addition. This, of course, necessitated a change to the K-frame, because the engine mounts and locations are different between the blocks. Mega Parts was able to assist here," he said.

"The 426 Street Hemi I had was actually from a late 1966 Mopar that, according to what was conveyed, was reportedly a NASCAR-spec engine that had never been used. It's one of those things that's tough to actually confirm. The block has a higher nickel content and it has some attributes that seem to indicate that this block was indeed destined to be raced. I did keep the original 440, and when Mike purchased the car, I gave him that engine; someone will have the means to convert it back to stock configuration down the road."

Aside from residual wiring, exterior trim and all the other loose ends that always seem to slow down progress, all that was left to do was reinstall the interior. The dash had already been positioned and the corresponding wiring done before the engine was reunited with the chassis. Its gauges had been sent to Redline Gauge Works, located in Santa Clarita, California, for restoration. Originally a non-tach Daytona, Julius opted to install one of his own.

"The tachometer we installed, and that we sell to our customers, is actually a unit designed by my son, Robert. A number of years ago, it would cost owners close to $1,000 collectively to find a used Tic-Toc-Tach to install--or replace one that was broken--and have it restored. A lot of guys today still prefer the originality of that tach, but many want one that works properly, is easy to read, and is far more accurate than a vintage factory unit, especially at speed."

The rest of the interior was pretty straightforward. "Pretty much everything was acquired from Legendary Auto Interiors: bucket and rear bench seat vinyl, floor carpet and door panel assemblies, all matching the factory patterns. We then wrapped up with exterior trim items that we had not installed earlier. I left the 15 x 7-inch wheels in place, but ordered wider 15 x 10s for the rear. If you order them with just the right offset, they will fit perfectly without having to alter the rear suspension or body panels," recalled Julius.

Among the very few reproduction items that did find their way onto the Daytona were the fender scoops. During our conversation, Julius mentioned that the two scoops were missing from the inventory upon arrival in California. Reproductions were prepped with the rest of the body and installed. Only later did he discover that the seller had actually retained the originals.

Since completing the restoration, Julius has fulfilled his promise to drive the Dodge. "I took it out just about every weekend, as there are numerous car shows and cruise-ins in the area. It was always a joy to drive over to these events and hang out with friends. But, as with just about any completed restoration, you have a lot of people asking to purchase the car. I had three people constantly asking me. When I did decide to sell, I called Mike; he's a regular client, and I knew he would appreciate the car as much as I did."

"I'd like to think I talked him out of it," laughed Mike Ross. "I had purchased one of his cars prior to this one, and the restoration of this Daytona was done to his typical high standard. Very solid, which means that I really don't have to worry about anything when I get behind the wheel."

Mike purchased the car during the summer of 2007, only a few months after the restoration was completed. Although he has several other cars in his collection, Mike tends to prefer driving this Daytona to the others. "It's the one car that I keep at the house. I had always wanted one, but never had the opportunity to purchase prior. What I like about this particular Daytona is the fact that it's just a bit different than others. I've thought about having the 440 installed and stock wheels put back on, but I like it the way it is--anybody could do that stuff anytime. Even though few were made, a good number of them are still stock 440 editions; you don't see a lot of them with a 426."

The already disassembled Charger Daytona upon arrival at Restorations by Julius; quarter panel replacement is evident.

Floorboards were free of rust, but residual wiring remained; right quarter had been replaced.

Dust-covered original 440 engine K-frame--on driver's floor--had already been sprayed; previous owner had yet to remove dash pad and panel, and pedal assemblies from firewall.

Body after prep and application of R-M two-stage paint; few trim items have already been installed; radiator support painted black.

Firewall is ready to receive electrical and brake system components; note that the 426-Hemi engine K-frame is also absent.

While the adhesive set, replacement trunk seals were held in place by common clothespins to help prevent warping, especially in corners.

Ready for trim and lamps, tail panel was sprayed a correct shade of flat black; trunk seal is already in place, as are rewired reverse lamps.

A work blanket was laid on the floorboards while miscellaneous components--fuse box, etc.--were installed on firewall.

Restored padded dash, complete with AM/8-track stereo, was installed; restored gauges and ignition were also wired.

Steering column was still absent when the manual master cylinder was bolted into place; note current lack of brake lines, installed later.

Hemi engine bolted to K-frame, mounting other front suspension bits before body was lowered into position, preventing potential paint damage.

Rather than upgrade to modern disc system, Julius opted to install OE-type 11-inch front discs antd calipers in place of manual drum system.

The Sure-Grip 8¾-inch differential here contained a 3.55:1 final drive ratio, a valid option for TorqueFlite automatic-equipped Daytonas.

While optional discs were installed in front, stock 11-inch drums remained on the rear axle; brake lines were now in place.

Inside the steel nose cone, mesh grille and running lamps were installed; performing work while separated from body makes job easier.

I love taking this car to area shows. The real departure from stock for me was the decision to leave the radial tires in place--all my other cars have bias plys. It really makes a big improvement in the way it handles, especially with the wide rears.

What's really fun is taking it out on the L.A. Freeway and letting it stretch its legs. When everyone looks up and sees that nose cone and the big wing sticking up in the back, they tend to just pull over, smile and wave as you sail past them.--Mike Ross


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