Is it just me or do Mopars have a tendency to rust just in the floors? It seems like most of the ones I come across have some sort of hidden rust issue, no matter where they’ve been stored. I will cut this Coronet a little slack as it’s in Forestville, New York and the rust isn’t beyond repair. It also has a 383 V8 with a 727 TorqueFlite and both work! After being parked in the seller’s barn for the past 10 years, they have decided they aren’t ever going to get to it and have listed it here on eBay with a $6,000 asking price.
For those that don’t know much about the Coronet, no the 440 in this one’s name doesn’t mean it should have a 440 V8. That’s the trim level and denotes that this one is a mid level car. It actually was originally fitted with a 318, but some where along its life it was upgraded to the 383. It also received a repaint with some interesting vintage touches, which doesn’t look too bad but isn’t great.
The interior isn’t terribly sporty, but it could be worse. The white bench seat needs recovered, but you might be able to clean up and save the back seat. The upholstery might be bad, but it’s the least of this car’s concerns. I’d say the floors are it’s real issue. The seller claims most of the rust is surface rust, but I have a feeling it won’t make much of a difference when it comes time to repair them. You’re going to have to cut the floors out to properly repair them anyways. I’m also concerned about the rust you aren’t seeing, as that is usually where the real problems are hiding.
From the outside, this Coronet looks pretty good, but the rust issues are going to make it difficult to justify at the current price. I think this one is worth saving, but without a full inspection, I wouldn’t want to spend much on it. It definitely has potential though and could be a sweet ride once the rust and brake issues are addressed! So any guesses as to what’s parked next to it under that tarp is?
Hey, Josh. The front seat “needs TO BE recovered.” Or, “needs recovering.” Not–I repeat, not–“needs recovered.”
When did people decide that “needs restored,” or “needs recovered” are grammatically correct expressions?
Amen, brother! It’s like nails on a chalkboard… especially when you hear it out loud. In my travels I hear ‘needs revised’ far to often for my delicate stomach to handle.
How about proper usage of the word “to” as in TO, TOO, ?
Well I thought I was the one that got snarky about grammar….
The 383 in this car might be original. Produced back in the day when you could order the engine you actually wanted, it was also available with the 225 slant six, the 273, the 318, a 383 with either two or four barrel carburetor, and the R/T could be ordered with a 440 or a 426 Hemi.
@Marty – the code “F” 5th digit in the VIN denotes that it was fitted with a 318 out of the factory.
I do like the clean looks of the 1966 and 1967 Coronet 2-door hard-tops. Love the reverse triangle C-pillar and always liked the idea of one like this and hotting it up a little. Yes, the optional 440 or Holy Grail 426 hemi would be fantastic but I think the 383 motor could still be a lot of fun anyway. but I think you may be right about the level of work maybe needed to sort out the rust on this one?
This is a cool, desirable car but what with it being non-matching numbers and not one of the two more exotic engine options mentioned above, not a 4-speed – it isn’t going to be hugely valuable once sorted out or restored?
Oh, and I also hate the grammar of “needs recovered” or “needs restored”. Argghhh. Seems to a be some sort of standard Craig’s List abomination that crops up so often that I’ve always assumed that for some folks that is how they actually speak? (rather than a typo). I’ll give BarnFinds the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a typo this time !
Could make a nice car with minimal effort. As for the grammar inaccuracies, this is Barn Finds, not English 101.
Art, Speaking and writing well is always important no matter where you are. Otherwise, what was the point of going beyond the grunt uttered by cavemen? I for one, despair at the ruin of good grammar and proper use of words to express one’s self.
Thank you Art M.
Classic, I missed the VIN. Right on, on the 318.
Years back, I bought one of these cheap. Mine also had the 318, was a Coronet 500, and it was a convertible. It was missing a bunch of the hard to find 500 trim parts. A few weeks after I bought it, an acquaintance of mine wrecked his two door hardtop as he was getting it ready for paint-with all the trim off of the car, tucked safely away in his garage. He kept his expensive drive train, and I was able to procure the rest of the car and trim, so I was easily able to replace my missing pieces of side trim, the 500 grille and more. I was also able to sell enough excess parts to pay for the whole thing and then some.
Mine was medium blue metallic, with white top and interior, and it turned out to be one of my favorite cars I’ve ever restored.
Thank you for that grammatical correction. I read lots of ads that have “needs restore” or some similar error. Are people too lazy to type “TO BE”?? Another one is brakes spelled “breaks”!
Kinda nice.. There should be more pictures of the floor pan under the carpet including the roll under behind the rear wheels..
If you watch the video at the end of the eBay add and listen to the engine, you will hear what sounds like a very pronounced rod knock as he revs it up a little. Pretty scarey to me.
…boy this one brought back memories.
Back in the late 60s/early 70s, I had a year earlier Coronet 500 with the same exterior color combination, the 383, automatic on a center console…but the interior was a dark blue. That car was there when I got married and we had our first child. Bought used with about 35k on odometer…and added another 130k (approximately 5k at over 100 mph…including the time the officer said at 125, I was still pulling away).
This car looks like it was originally all white (notice the under hood shot). Still a nice reminder of times gone by.