Mr. Norm’s Unrestored 1969 Hemi Charger is a Historic Masterpiece
Hemi Charger has had the engine freshened-up, but little else has been changed over the years.
Back in the 1960s, Dodge offered some of the strongest cars on the road, but there were dealerships around the country that offered in-house performance-enhancing options. One of the best-known high performance dealerships was Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago. Headed by c, Grand Spaulding Dodge may have sold more high performance Mopars in the 1960s and 1970s than any other dealership in the country, but more importantly, Mr. Norm offered a long list of performance upgrades. Cars equipped with these in-house upgrades were labeled “Mr. Norm’s” cars and over time, they become extremely sought after.
The problem is that most cars ordered from Grand Spaulding Dodge with unique performance options were raced and further modified, often making the less desirable for street use. However, the folks at Hot Rod magazine came across this 1969 Dodge Charger with a 426-cubic inch Hemi, which might be the cleanest Mr. Norm’s car still in existence. Best of all, this car is a survivor – meaning that it has not been restored. This Hemi Charger has been this clean since it rolled out of Mr. Norm’s showroom back in 1969.
Mr. Norm’s Hemi Charger
This 1969 Dodge Charger with a 426-cubic inch Hemi was originally ordered at Grand Spaulding Dodge by a customer from Texas who planned to take it drag racing. It was ordered with the monstrous Hemi engine, a 3-speed automatic transmission, power brakes, the Super Performance Axle Package, front bucket seats and a floor shifter, along with an array of cosmetic options.
Once this 1969 Hemi Charger reached Grand Spaulding Dodge, Mr. Norm’s team added a hood scoop, Super Bee hood pins and an 8-quart oil pan, per the request of the customer. The dealership technicians also removed some weight from the front end, cutting holes through the core support and the K-member.
This legendary Dodge muscle car then headed off to Texas, where it was surely loved unit the original owner sold it in the 1980s.
Changing Hands
When the original owner sold this 1969 Hemi Charger in near-perfect condition, it went a buyer in Canada. That owner sold the car to a Studebaker collector who clearly had good taste in muscle cars. While he had it, the 426 Hemi engine was completely rebuilt to factory specifications and in 1997, the Studebaker fan sold the car to Mopar collector Stan McCutchen.
McCutchen took the car to Rick Ritter in Toronto, who once again rebuilt the 426 Hemi engine, boring the cylinders .030 over and adding a reproduction factory-style exhaust system. Ritter also installed era correct 15-inch wheels wrapped in Redline tires, as the original owner had removed the factory wheels for something that would better-handle wide drag racing tires.
At some point after McCutchen’s engine job, he sold the car to Brad Toles, who is the current owner. Toles has added some modern floormats to protect the original carpeting, but other than that, he hasn’t had to do much with this legendary Hemi Charger.
In short, since this 1969 Dodge Charger was new, the 426-cubic inch Hemi has been rebuilt twice, the exhaust system has been replaced and the wheel-and-tire package is era correct, but not original. Over time, some modern fasteners have been installed, such as the clamps on the cooling system, but the original fasteners are still in the possession of the owner. Everything else in this classic beauty is original.
Click here for a look at the full article from Hot Rod, including more pictures and more detail on how Mr. Norm’s Grand Spaulding Dodge became the go-to dealership for Mopar muscle car lovers across the country.
Photos: Larry Weiner
Join the Dodge Forums now!
You must be logged in to post a comment.