It might be a four-door, but Reader Angelo C’s Coronet 440 sure looks like a great find! It has a few bumps and bruises, but having seen just 66k miles it’s actually in nice shape overall. Under the hood is a 318 V8 paired to a727 Torqueflite transmission. It runs as is, but it’s going to need some exhaust work and brakes to be a nice daily driver. If you’d love to give this Mopar a new home, you can find it in Stoneham, Massachusetts with a $9k asking price.
While the 318 isn’t a tire burner, it’s still a great engine and should get this Coronet up to speed nicely. You could option these cars with a wide range of engine, from a humble slant six all the way up to a might big block, but most four-doors received one of the more mild engines like this one.
Something you don’t often see in family haulers from this era is bucket seats. These ones appear to be in really nice shape and should prove to be quite comfortable. The back seat is in equally as nice of condition with the only thing that could really use replacing is the carpet. We might also consider adding a center console, but it wouldn’t be at the top of the priorities list on this one.
With a little work, this could prove to be a really fun classic to have. Sure, a two-door would be more exciting, but you could easily build this into one heck of a sleeper or you could just leave it alone and enjoy it as is. Our top priority would be to get the brakes sorted and make it a comfortable driver. Once that’s done, the sky is the limits on what you could do with it!
- Asking Price: $9,000
- Location: Stoneham Massachusetts
- Mileage: 66989
- Title Status: Clean
- VIN: Wh41e61282635
List your car here on Barn Finds for only $50!
It’s hard to see $9,000 worth of value even if the tires held air and it didn’t need work on exhaust or brakes, nor had a fair amount of what appears to be rust on the passenger side rear quarter panel.
Steve R
One too many zeroes.
Funny seeing this car with buckets in it!! The price is to high for a four door with the base motor!!!
Hi Tim, I had a 68 Coronet 500 4 door with bucket seats. It also had a fold down armrest as well. Handled like a pontoon boat, but I still miss that car after 40 years.
Admittedly 9K is too high, but those who dismiss it just because it has “to [sic] many doors” are missing out on the chance to have a cool old ride, if the price were adjusted a tad bit. Either doesn’t really want to sell or has a bad case of auction-show-itis.
A 2/3rds reduction in price, which would give it a more realistic $3,000 asking price is not a “tad bit”. Even if this was a two door it would be overpriced in this condition.
Steve R
“Tad bit” was a figure of speech. But I get it. Scrap value only since it wasn’t a factory drag car.
Scrap value should be about $500, not $3,000.
There are some on this site that like to complain about foolishly high prices when it comes to 68-69 Chargers, Cuda’s and Challengers. Yet, when it comes to 4 doors, oftentimes the suggestion that a car is overpriced is met with accusations of being a snob or equivalent. Someone can spend whatever they want on any car. I wouldn’t chase any Charger, Cuda or Challenger, they are overpriced, same goes with cars like this. The buyers of 4 doors can be just as foolish, just on a smaller scale. I’m a value shopper, I’m not particularly interested in one brand over another, 2 door or wagon, I’d even get a 4 door. All I’m interested in is that it’s a good car at a reasonable price, neither of which can be said about the car which is the subject of this thread.
Steve R
I owned this car’s twin in the late 90s! I had dreams of completely overhauling it for the Silver State Classic Challenge, but the logistics proved daunting and that event remains on my bucket list. Looks like someone upgraded the master cylinder. I fitted some 15″ x 8″ NASCAR-style D-hole wheels that looked awesome. It handled pretty well with decent rubber despite being a modern Civic-sized 225-15 (If you didn’t mind ridiculous body roll). Good luck with the sale! Trivia: they made 4? or 5? of the ’66 Coronet sedans with the 426 Street Hemi. There’s a red one that sold for (I forget) $600,000? some years ago.
They made four hemi Coronet 4 doors in ‘66. When I visited the Garlits museum in ‘12 Don had a white one on display, supposedly an FBI ordered car.
That is true. There were 2 FBi white Hemi sedans. If you look at “Uncle Tony’s Garage” (Tony Defeo) on YouTube, that car is up there in his recently episode on the ball-stud Hemi.
Wow. Those bucket seats in a sedan are rare.
I have never seen them in one of these.
Wonder if build sheet is still under the back seat ?
I’m thinking that the bucket seats are a later modification. I don’t think you could get bucket seats in a Coronet 4-dr. sedan.
Agreed, Pete. Although these were the times when you could order a car pretty much any way you wanted, bucket seats in a 4 dr. is really odd.
Had buckets in my ’68 Coroner 500 wagon, of all weird things
They didn’t put a 727 torqueflite transmission behind small block motors.
It would have to be a 906
They did, a little unusual normally a 904. You can find them behind slant 6′ S, usually pick ups or vans, fleet rigs. Weirdest one like that I had been in? Slant 6, 727-tranny Dart sedan. Very odd
My ’66 Coronet sedan was factory 318 Poly with 727.
My mom had a ’66 Coronet 440 almost identical to this one. She ordered it and waited 6 weeks to get it. I don’t remember bucket seats as an available option. The upholstery pattern also does not look original. I also think, but am not 100% sure, that the hood ornament is not original.
Buckets not an option in a Coronet 440 four door. You couldn’t even get buckets in the ‘66 Coronet 500 SE four door.
Hood ornament isn’t original, either. Looks like it came off an earlier Dodge C body.
The car my parents had and that I took my driver license test on…Same color with a lighter colored roof (two tone)….only had a bench seat…two buckets just sitting there, no console, weird…yes RNR, no hood ornament either. Wouldn’t give you $900 for it today. Good luck to the seller, but doubtful, that car and that much cash. I owned a ’66 Coronet 500 coupe a few years later, 360 with a bad tranni (paid $60 for it, mint except the tranni); one of the 6 cars I owned & drove registered simultaneously while a senior in HS.
It’s a great car, I owned one in 1976 and drove the heck out of it. Problem is, the 318 V8 is what is called an Old Style 318. 67’s and newer had a slightly different block. Thus newer parts like headers, will not fit on the old style 318’s.
That’s right. The early 318 s were from the A family. The newer ones were LA (L meaning lighter in weight ).
Poly 318s were 80 pounds heavier than the LA318.
But man with a Poly 318 and a 727 tranny the Torque was unbelievable.
Real sleepers in sedan mode.😨
I was at a car show this past weekend with my brother who has a thing for ’60’s Coronets. There weren’t many, even though it was a big show, but we talked to a guy who had a ’66 with a 318. It had a sticker on the engine that called it a “Semi Hemi” – I’m not sure what that means.
He also said that it was a bigger block than the newer 318 (definitely), so a lot of guys pulled them and easily dropped in a big block.