It’s awful to see a vintage automobile rust away in a barn, but compared to a car that spent decades outside, that’s actually a pretty favorable fate, as it only takes a few years of exposure to the weather to convert a beautiful classic into a rust bucket.
The best evidence we have is this 1969 Dodge Charger. Decades ago, it was abandoned in the woods and the rotting away pieces have almost completely disappeared. In addition, the roof was crushed when a tree fell on it during a storm. All in all, it’s nearly completely destroyed.
But even though it’s the roughest 1969 Charger out there, Dylan McCool bought it so that he can attempt a “will it run?” video. Simply because this Mopar still has its original V8 engine and transmission under the hood. That’s a pretty crazy endeavor, especially when the mill won’t turn, but I guess that’s what car enthusiasts do.
And amazingly enough, the old V8 came back to life. It took a lot of work and Dylan concluded that the big block was actually toast and not worth saving, but the fact that it fired up and ran in a car that was falling apart is downright incredible. And it goes to show that old Mopar engines are among the toughest and most reliable out there.
So what kind of big block are we looking at here? This Charger packs a 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8, a mid-range unit for the 1969 model year. The powerplant delivered 290 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor, but Dodge also offered a four-barrel version with a healthier 330 horses.
There were other large blocks available at the time besides the 383. In the Charger R/T, a larger 440 cubic inch (7.2 liter) engine was standard. In 1969, Dodge’s largest V8 engine, known as the Magnum, produced an incredible 375 horsepower.
Dylan puts out the fire before it consumes the entire engine bay as the video closes with the 383 catching fire since it lacks a cooling system. He decides that the mill is beyond repair because of mismatched heads, a damaged block, and a broken piston, but he offers the possibility of trying to restart the Charger. Given the terrible state of the chassis, I doubt he’ll be successful, but it would be interesting to witness an attempt of that like.
Until that happens, hit the play button below to watch the world’s roughest 1969 Dodge Charger roar back to life in the woods.