There’s isn’t a car guy in the world who hasn’t experienced mission creep on a project.
They all start with a simple goal like freshening up an engine compartment and they end years later with a nut and bolt, ground-up restoration.
Jerry Sutherland
That’s the story behind this 1969 Dodge Coronet RT. Hardcore Mopar guys know how rare this car is–but for the rest of the world, the numbers are amazing. They only built 99 ’69 Dodge Coronet RT convertibles with a four-speed, so that makes this one super rare.
Peter Swainson is the proud owner of this classic Mopar muscle car, and he knows the story behind it. The last owner wasn’t 100 per cent happy with the state of this car when he bought it back in the early 1980s, so he decided to take the RT convertible to another level.
This was a real-world car 40 years ago and it saw real world conditions because a 1969 Coronet RT convertible was rare even then—but it was still a cool used car—not a trailer queen.
That’s the situation the previous owner was facing, so he decided to strip the car and see what was under the paint. He found a lot of things he didn’t like so metal replacement was on the table.
He did a lot of research, but he couldn’t find factory replacement quarter panels for a 1969 Coronet convertible. He did find some two-door hardtop quarter panels, so he made some modifications to make them fit the convertible configuration.
The front fenders were another story because it was easy for him to find factory correct versions that fit any ‘69 Dodge Coronet.
That’s when the quest for date-code correct parts started a chain reaction. He wanted everything to be accurate, NOS and fit within the build date. He could find parts but only after lengthy searches. For example, he didn’t like the state of the side glass, so he sourced factory correct, date-coded replacement glass.
He even found some 15” recall wheels for the RT. They were called recall wheels because they would break around the hub, so Chrysler decided to take them back instead of facing the inevitable legal action. They are prized possessions in Mopar world.
The 440 was bored out to a mild 30 over and the 833 hemi 4-speed was also treated to a complete rebuild. The mission to make the RT a factory version of itself—not a monster version of itself.
The mission was accomplished—the sales brochure on the ’69 RT convertible featured an exact copy of this car. Peter owns a piece of Mopar history, and he truly appreciates it.
His only issue is time because he doesn’t have enough spare time to drive it—but when he does, Peter knows why he owns it. He said the car is beautiful to drive and it’s very comfortable at freeway speeds.
Peter’s biggest problem is guilt because he knows this over-the-top restoration needs more time on the road.
He’s working on that.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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