A66 Challenger

[Steve340]

I am just curious and know one of you will have the answer.
I see some pics of 1970 A66 Challengers and some of them have a V8 badge on the front fender below Challenger badge and some do not.
What is standard?
I also assume the Rally dash was an option only not standard?

 

[DetMatt1]

Correct on the rallye dash being an option along with the sport hood. The V8 emblems May have been used on the flat hood cars?

 

[challenger6pak]

Or before they had the hood decals. I know the V-8 was used for 318 and 383 2 bbl.

 

[quapman]

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/DealershipDataBook/1970/70_Challenger0024.jpg

Sport hood was standard on A66 cars.

 

[DetMatt1]

Well how about that! Seems I forget sometimes because I know I’ve read that very page a dozen times.
First thing I thought of was somebody’s resto thread on another site I think, where the flat hood was mentioned as it’s original but I’ve just proven what my memory can be like.

 

[340challconvert]

Some of the very early Challengers equipped with the 340 came with flat hoods and V-8 emblems.
The A66 Challenger package was not immediately available and was not finalized as an option and formally available until early September, 1969. Please note the 7/23/69 memo listed below!
================================
From Hamtramk Historical:
Hamtramck - Historical is your friend.

per the '70 Dodge "salesman's pocket guide" 9/23/69 version:
CODE A66 - Challenger 340 CID engine package - $258.90
NA Special Edition (29), NA R/T (JS)
15" Rallye wheels (W21) - required at EXTRA cost
collapsable spare (W34) - required at EXTRA cost

this changed at some point - as the following shows

per the '70 Dodge "dealership data book" no date found (around late October/early November)
CODE A66 - Challenger 340 CID engine package - includes
340 engine - E55
F70-14 RWL tires - T87
R/T hood
H.D. brakes
H.D. suspension
"bumble bee" stripe
"scat pack" decals
wheel lip mouldings "DELETED"

7/23/69:
The 340 Performance Package (A66) will be available on the hardtop and convertible models in conjunction with the 340 engine in early September. The 340 engine will only be available in combination with the 340 Performance Package.

10/20/69:
Effective immediately, F70x14-inch RWL tires (T87) are standard with the 340 Performance Package. The E60x15-inch tires (U82) will be optional at extra cost. The Collapsible Spare (W34) and Rallye Wheels will no longer be required with the 340 Package. A Rear Spoiler in Dull Black (J81) will be available in early November. Effective immediately, Performance Axle Packages A31 and A36 are available with the 340 Package.

2/12/70:
Longitudinal Tape Stripes on the Challenger high-Iine models (JH23, JH27, JH29) will be available in mid-March as an extra-cost option. Color availability and codes are: Black (V6X), White (V6W), Red (V6R), Green (V6F) and Blue (V6B). This tape stripe will be similar to the standard R/T stripe but without the R/T nomenclature. This stripe is a no-extra-cost option with the 340 Performance Package (A66).

4/13/70:
The Shaker Hood is now available on the Challenger R/T with the 440-6V and 426 engines. In addition, this hood is also available with the 340 Performance Package (A66) and will be available on the 383 and 440-4V engines on R/T models in late April. The Challenger T/A Fiberglass Hood (N94) is now available on all Challenger models with 4-barrel engines.

Paul Goldsmith tested an early Challenger 340 car with a factory flat hood sometime in August 1969, with the article printed in the December 1969 issue of Popular Mechanics. The test car clearly had the V-8 emblems.

Not sure how many 340 cars were produced prior to the introduction of the A66 package in early September 1969 but some would have had the v-8 emblem.

 

[jeff968]

I owned to A66 Challengers back in the late seventies/early eighties.

My FC7 convertible was a side molding car V5X, had 340 emblems on the R/T hood, no V8 emblem. I have a picture of it from the original owner when it was brand new. April 70 SPD.

My EV2 coupe had the decals on the R/T hood. January 70 SPD. No V8 emblem.

 

[Steve340]

Thanks for all of your input. Very informative.
The car I have seen here has the V8 badge (which I thought might be wrong they look kind of out of place) and the R/T hood.
But now based on the info posted by paharamia it may be the hood that was changed.
It is not my car and it is a really tidy car but just got me wondering about those V8 badges.
I would have the R/T hood over the flat hood any day of the week.

I wonder if anyone ordered an A66 with the Shaker hood?

 

[DetMatt1]

I didn’t think Dodge even offered the 340 in the Challenger until the intro of the A66 package.

 

[340challconvert]

My A66 convertible came with 340 decals on the hood and no V-8 emblems. Early car with a build date of October 6th

I owned to A66 Challengers back in the late seventies/early eighties.

My FC7 convertible was a side molding car V5X, had 340 emblems on the R/T hood, no V8 emblem. I have a picture of it from the original owner when it was brand new. April 70 SPD.

My EV2 coupe had the decals on the R/T hood. January 70 SPD. No V8 emblem.

 

[aussiemark]

There was talk of R/T badges being factory fitted to some A66's.

 

[DetMatt1]

The A66 project car I had had R/T badges on the grille and fenders but it would have been near impossible to say that they were put on in the factory or at the dealership the next day or in someone’s driveway the next week. It was all original paint and they certainly appeared correct. I still have the grille emblem.

 

[sub340]

There was talk of R/T badges being factory fitted to some A66's.

hello mopar friend....I'm new to the site....own a a66 droptop....sublime rear stripe challenger....mine had rt emblems on the fenders....seem to be factory....paint faided underneath the emblem.......this site is very imformative.....thanks

 

[aussiemark]

The badges were probably put on by assembly line workers who seen an R/T hood on the car as it was coming down the line and were on autopilot. In every job you always look for shortcuts or an easy way to do your job in this case a R/T hood would usually mean those badges need to go on the car so instead of messing around reading build sheets they just put them on there and moved on. Some inspection guy may have picked up the mistake and just let it go rather the mess around trying to change it that is my theory anyway.

 

[DetMatt1]

hello mopar friend....I'm new to the site....own a a66 droptop....sublime rear stripe challenger....mine had rt emblems on the fenders....seem to be factory....paint faided underneath the emblem.......this site is very imformative.....thanks

Welcome to the site from the Motor City!
Mine was the opposite, the paint where the emblem was was shiny like new.

 

[340challconvert]

Hey sub340
Welcome to the site from New Jersey
Looking forward to some pictures of your A66 vert. (my favorite Challenger of course; I'm biased)

 

[sub340]

thanks for

The badges were probably put on by assembly line workers who seen an R/T hood on the car as it was coming down the line and were on autopilot. In every job you always look for shortcuts or an easy way to do your job in this case a R/T hood would usually mean those badges need to go on the car so instead of messing around reading build sheets they just put them on there and moved on. Some inspection guy may have picked up the mistake and just let it go rather the mess around trying to change it that is my theory anyway.[/QUOTE

 

[sub340]

thanks for your post....ive heard this from many people....have a great day

 

[sub340]

Hey sub340
Welcome to the site from New Jersey
Looking forward to some pictures of your A66 vert. (my favorite Challenger of course; I'm biased)

View attachment 47621

hey thanks for the response!

Hey sub340
Welcome to the site from New Jersey
Looking forward to some pictures of your A66 vert. (my favorite Challenger of course; I'm biased)

View attachment 47621

thanks for the response!!!pics coming soon

 

[340challconvert]

There has been an extensive amount of dialogue about RT emblems on A-66 Challengers.
My A-66 vert had the RT emblem on the grill and the emblems on the fenders when I bought the car in 1979.

I agree with the other posters that possibly some A-66 cars came off the assembly line w black grills and the R/T emblems. It just stands to reason.
They looked like RT cars; had HD suspensions, bumble bee stripes, 8 3/4 axles, (15" standard wheels - early cars), and RT hoods, and the "bees" on the quarter windows, just to name a few options. They even used the same front torsion bars as a RT 383 car, a .90 bar 778-779.
It is reasonable that workers on the assembly line just added the emblems or black grills without checking specs for each car. They really were RT cars with a small block in 1970.
And of course in 1971, the 340 was put into RT Challengers. (different story)
So it is really difficult to determine whether or not they were put on by the factory or added by subsequent owners.