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Dan,thanks! My car has it! As for the last poster, my car has 6759 original miles and the rubber seal IS orange!!!!! Back in '88-'89 when my car was put back to street duty it only had 3291 miles and i HIGHLY dought it was changed!!! My car was first REGISTERED for the street in April '89.I could ask that person if needed! Dave

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Dan,thanks! My car has it! As for the last poster, my car has 6759 original miles and the rubber seal IS orange!!!!! Back in '88-'89 when my car was put back to street duty it only had 3291 miles and i HIGHLY dought it was changed!!! My car was first REGISTERED for the street in April '89. Sold to a private collector in Dec. '89 never to be registered or driven for 17 years!!!!! Then i bought it in Nov '06!! http://www.andy440.com/com_July_2008.htm Yes i have changed the RED pie tin to the correct ORANGE! Dave

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well i'm back with some nagging questions that need clearing up. 1, why did the cars come down the line with 383s on the vin tag then have to change, why didn't it just start as a 440? it wasn't like they didn't know they where making them. my fender tag has the 383 number. 2, that wire clips only purpose is to hold that joint lid on,leads me to think it was removed after assembly for some reason. i haven't seen them on any other car in these numbers. any ideas

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"Package cars" as in this case the 1969 A13 Dart/Cuda and the A12 "Package" '69 B-body RM, WM models were just that an optional "Package" that was ADDED to a base model. Product planning (PP) made a list of additions ("Package" contents) and deletions (Items not necessarily in the "Package" but not used like hub caps or wheel covers on the A12's ) and then PP got together with the "Fleet Engineering" (FE) department and determined when and what could be done on the normal production line. They (FE) would set a best target date for the start of production (302-A13, 329/426-A12) knowing not all planned units could be built in one day or on those dates. If space (canceled other car orders) became available then Fleet Engineering slotted package cars into those available openings. With the A12 cars the package was added to a 383 base RM/WM car so that some of the base items were in place at Body-in-White and when it came to installing the 383 the broadcast sheet dictated the deletion of the 383 and the addition of the 440's.

The PP/FE addition and deletion list pretty much had every nut, bolt, screw, washer, and items that was added or deleted and anything that couldn't be put on during normal assembly was left up to Fleet Engineering to figure out how to get done. In the case of the A12's that seemed to be the intake, carbs, hood and hood pins. With the A13's IMO there wouldn't be much that couldn't be done on the standard assembly line?


BTW, I thought the standard differential for the A13 was an 8-3/4 3.55:1............and the reason for only the 3.91: 8-3/4 and no 4-speed trans was there wasn't a Dana narrow enough to fit the '69 A-body???

MikeR

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hey dave my coupler has the black gasket, no rust or scale on joint, just grease and dirt. wish we had a time machine

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Jim, so you believe that 640 M-code Darts were built? There is question that maybe only the same number Darts were built as 'cudas, about 360??? BUT i believe that there needed to be 1000 cars produced to compete in factory super stock class. Therefore 640 Darts and 360 'cudas equals the 1000 needed??

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That is the 64K question. It is kinda hard to believe that many were built, did most get used up? I have seen many more 383 cars, but I have also seen many 440 cars coming out of the woodworks lately. I checked a B5 Blue and a Bronze M code Dart and they both had 093 trans! I have a 69 Cuda fastback and coupe I can look at also, the coupe was never modified though thoroughly rusted. I cannot find the paperwork I had on the clip, but I don't believe it was available in 69, I can barely remember it came out later, but need to find the paperwork.