Winged Warriors/National B-Body Owners Association
1966-1967 Charger

by Sue George

Now here's a car that we don't see or hear too much of, and we haven't featured one in our publication for a long, long time. Why? Because although we have many first generation Charger owners in the club, they never send in anything about their cars. Most people connect the high performance image and racing heritage to the second generation (1968-70) Chargers, but let's not forget that the 1966-67 Chargers were raced first! Remember Don White's famous #3 USAC Charger. And Buddy Baker's #3 NASCAR Charger. And at least one of Bobby Isaac's famous #71 USAC Chargers began life as a 1966 Charger, later re-skinned as a 1969 so he could continue to run the same chassis/engine set up.

[1967 Charger Exterior]

These first Chargers debuted on January 1st, 1966 and were marketed as medium sized cars, although they were big by any description! With a wheelbase of 117", the overall length of this beast was 203.6" and 75.3" wide. When equipped with the Hemi, it weighed in at 4,160 pounds. Besides being very competitive race cars, they could easily haul around four large adults in comfort. Fold down the rear seats and you ended up with a two-seater and a huge cargo area. The advertised cargo space was 4' x 7 ½' and Chrysler claimed you could haul a golf cart in the back (I have my doubts)! But you could go on vacation and have all the luggage room you needed, plus sleep in the back and not have to pay for a hotel room. And it was also pretty cool having that console the full length of the interior.

The Dodge designers that came up with the Charger's gauges may have been seeing-impaired. They were huge by normal musclecar standards! They are all situated right in front of the driver, very easy to read though the steering wheel tends to hide the alternator/fuel gauge, and at night electro-luminescent lighting makes there outer rings glow without glaring.

The Charger looked (and was) big, but yet it had sleek styling lines and a slippery appearance. And there was a lot of glass in this car, a total of 4,058 square inches overall! The rear window was recessed and the roof had the same flying buttress design that appeared in a much more exaggerated way on the next generation Charger. There were fender scoop indents right behind the doors. And up front, there were hideaway headlights. It seems the engineers thought of everything when they designed this car. Fresh air flow through the interior of the car was accomplished by bringing air in through the cowl area ahead of the windshield, which then traveled under the dash and through the car out through exhausters that were mounted under the rear window. The exhausters were covered with rubber flaps to keep dust out of the car. This air flow was also used to prevent the rear window from fogging over. Hmmm..they should have used this idea in later Chargers where you spent more time inside with the ice scraper than outside!

The tail lights were an ingenious styling feature. They covered the full width of the rear of the car. When the headlights were turned on, the entire length of the tail light lit up with six bulbs. Three bulbs per side would flash when the turn signals were turned on and all six bulbs would flash with the four-way flashers.

The Charger came in 18 standard colors and the optional extra-cost buffed silver metallic. A body paint stripe was available in blue, white, black or red. And the vinyl interior was available in your choice of blue, red, copper, black, white and black or gold and black. Available engines included the 318 2bbl with 230 hp; 361 2bbl with 265 hp; 383 4bbl with 325 hp; and 426 Hemi 2X4bbl with 425.

[1967 Charger Exterior]

When equipped with the Hemi, it was capable of 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and ET's of 14.16 @ 96.15 mph in the quarter mile. Base price for the 1966 model was $3,122.

The 1967 Charger came on the scene with very few changes. The 361 2bbl engine was dropped and a 383 2bbl with 270 hp and the 440 4bbl with 375 hp were added to the engine options. Front fender mounted turn signal indicators were added, seat upholstery was updated with vertical stitching and the console was redesigned to offer more interior space.

Eighteen standard colors were offered again, and the buffed silver metallic was again offered as an extra cost option. The vinyl interior was available in the same six color choices as the previous year. The base price was exactly $6 higher at $3,128.

Several special marketing campaigns were made available throughout the year to keep consumers interested in the Charger. On January 1, 1967, an optional "Birthday Outfit" was offered. This included a vinyl top, lower side stripes and special wheelcovers. In mid-year, the "White Hat Special" was announced. The "White Hat Special A" package included a black or white vinyl top, white sidewall tires, deep dish wheel covers, power steering and a console or center cushion and was priced at $133.30. The "White Hat Special Package B" included all of the items in Package A except for the vinyl top. It was priced at $88.15.

Dodge dealerships could buy White Hat Special promotional stuff to give away to Charger customers. Little plastic white hat key fobs were only 16¢ each in groups of 100. There was also a full-sized plastic white hat with the Dodge Boys logo on the front for 73¢ each if ordered by the dozen.

1967 CHARGER OPTIONS AND FEATURES
[1966 Charger Exterior] [Charger Dashboard] [1966 Charger Exterior]
CHROME PLATED STEEL ROAD WHEEL

With all of the looks of a "mag" wheel, but with the strength and practicality of steel, they are an ideal dress-up item for Charger. Set of four only.
POWER STEERING

Does away with four-fifths of the work of steering. This not only makes driving easier and more convenient, but it also makes driving safer.
POWER BRAKES

Requires only a light pressure to bring the car to a safe, sure, straight stop.
POWER WINDOWS

Provide the convenience of being able to open and close any window in the car without moving from the driver's seat. This is an ideal convenience when the driver is alone in the car.
HEADRESTS

New for 1967, they offer a new kind of luxurious comfort, plus added safety against whiplash injuries that can result from sudden stops or collisions. They are only available on models equipped with bucket seats.
SURE GRIP DIFFERENTIAL

Sends the power to the wheel with the grip in order to pull out of snow, ice, sand, gravel and mud. Sure-Grip ends the problem of useless wheel spinning.
BUMPER GUARDS

Rubber faced, they cushion the shock of bumping something, and they help to avoid damage to other bumpers when parking.
BLUE-SHADED GLASS

The blue-shaded windshield reduces eyestrain and helps to keep the interior of Charger cooler when in the sun.
AIR CONDITIONING

Combines both heating and cooling in one compact unit inside the passenger compartment. Four adjustable outlets permit cool air to be directed where it is needed. The controls are simple and easy to use. On cool, humid days it can be used in combination with the heater to both warm and dehumidify the air.
CONSOLE MOUNTED TORQUEFLITE

When Charger is equipped with the optional console, the TorqueFlite lever is mounted in the console. The TorqueFlite lever has a lock-out button on top of it which must be depressed in order to move to any other position except Neutral and Drive.
COLUMN MOUNTED TORQUEFLITE

Featuring a new lighted quadrant and a circular, gunsight-type gear selector indicator, TorqueFlite continues to offer the best combination of performance and economy of any automatic transmission.
CONSOLE MOUNTED 4-SPEED MANUAL

Featuring a reverse lock-out shifting linkage, the 4-speed manual is full synchronized in all four forward speeds. It is mounted on the optional console, or on the floor of models which do not have the console.
MUSIC MASTER RADIO

The Music Master radio is fully transistorized for instant play, less current draw, less heat and thus a longer life. Push-button operated, it provides excellent reception with 2 watts of power output.
ASTROPHONIC RADIO

A deluxe, instant-play, pushbutton, transistorized radio which provides 5 ½ watts of output, adjustable tone control and automatic volume control.
ELECTRIC CLOCK

The bullet-shaped optional electric clock is mounted on the forward end of the console. The clock automatically adjusts itself whenever it becomes necessary for the hands to be reset to the correct time.
DISC BRAKES

Ideal for all those prospects interested in maximum, fade-free stopping power. Especially suited to models equipped with large, performance-type engines.
REAR AXLES

  • Economy Ratio: 2.93
  • Acceleration Ratios: 3.23, 3.31, 3.55
  • Sure-Grip Ratios: 2.93, 3.23, 3.31, 3.55
RADIO GROUP 354

  • Astrophonic radio
  • Power steering
  • Power brakes
  • Variable-speed windshield wipers
  • Trunk light*
    * This item not available separately
TRAILER TOWING PACKAGE 359

Standard Equipment:
  • Maximum cooling system includes: high capacity radiator, larger transmission oil cooler, large 18" 7-blade cooling fan, fan shroud, hood seal
  • Heavy duty performance axle - 3.23 ration
  • Heavy duty suspension - front and rear
  • Police brakes - 11"x 3" front and 11"x 2 ½" rear (manual adjusting
  • Wide wheel rims (5 ½ K)
  • Heavy duty turn signal flasher
  • Heavy duty stop lamp switch
Required Items (Extra Cost - Coded Separately):
  • Automatic transmission
  • Large tires, 7.75 X 14"
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:

  • White sidewall tires and oversized tires
  • Undercoating
  • Cleaner air package (mandatory CA) (NA with 426 Hemi)
  • Center seat with folding armrest
  • Alternator - 46 amp HD (standard with A/C)
  • Shoulder belts - front
  • Lap belt - front center (NA with console)
  • HD Shock absorbers (standard with 426 Hemi and 440)
  • Wood grain sports steering wheel
  • Wheel covers, mag type
  • Wheel covers, deluxe deep dish

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