Did a Dodge 1969 383 2-bbl engine come with a windage tray in the oil pan
Executive summary
Evidence from contemporary Mopar forums, parts listings and restoration conversations shows the factory fitment of a windage tray on 1969 383 engines depended on the specific 383 variant: high‑performance “Magnum”/HP 383 applications commonly included a windage tray, while the standard 2‑barrel production 383s typically did not ship with a tray in the pan [1] [2]. Period parts-catalog omissions and later owner reports underscore that a universal “yes” for all 1969 383 2‑bbl engines is not supported by the available reporting [3] [2].
1. Factory nuance: Magnum/HP vs. standard 383 — the decisive detail
Discussions among Mopar restorers identify the windage tray as part of the equipment on Dodge’s higher‑output 383 applications—often labeled “Magnum” or HP variants—where manufacturers were already introducing splash/air control measures on performance engines; posters remembering 1968–69 Magnum engines list the windage tray among the parts carried over from 440/other Magnums [1]. By contrast, aftermarket listings and pan spec threads for the common 383 oil pans show many standard pans sold without an integrated windage tray, implying factory omission on base 2‑barrel setups [2].
2. What the parts evidence says: listings and catalog silence
A long‑running restoration forum thread quoting oil pan product specs explicitly marks some 383 pans as “Windage Tray Included: No,” a hard data point against blanket factory inclusion for all 383s [2]. Other owners searching parts catalogs for early ’70s 383s find no listing for a tray in certain years’ service manuals or parts books—an absence that can be meaningful in restoration work because if a tray were standard it would typically be documented [3].
3. Oral history and community memory: useful but inconsistent
Multiple Mopar community posts and aftermarket discussions recall windage trays as “a kind of new thing” that showed up on higher‑spec production engines, and several posters explicitly note that a non‑HP 383 may not have had one [1]. These memories are valuable but inconsistent—some owners remember trays or “tin plates” being present while others, after gasket or pan work, find no second gasket or tray and conclude their motors left the factory without it [1] [3].
4. Aftermarket and retrofit reality: windage trays are common now but distinct from factory fitment
The market for windage trays, studs and molded tray kits is large—vendors sell glass‑filled nylon and steel trays for Mopar and Dodge applications and modern trays are a common retrofit for builders seeking reduced windage or more sump control [4] [5] [6]. Forum threads about using molded trays with stamped pans, bolt length and gasket practices show many owners fit trays where none originally existed; that practical aftermarket landscape can blur the historical question of what came from the factory [7] [8].
5. Bottom line and caveats for restorers and historians
For a 1969 Dodge 383 with a two‑barrel carburetor the preponderance of community and parts‑listing evidence indicates the factory did not universally include a windage tray—trays appear to have been installed on the Magnum/HP variants but not on standard 2‑bbl production 383s [1] [2]. This conclusion relies on forum memory and parts listings rather than a single factory bulletin; if absolute confirmation is required for a specific VIN/engine code, factory parts books or a provenance record for that car should be consulted because the available reporting does not provide a definitive parts‑book page for every 1969 383 configuration [3] [2].