The owner of this 1968 Plymouth Sport Satellite here on Craigslist believes his car is as close to a rust-free example as you’re likely to find on an unrestored car, and although it’s going to take quite a bit of effort before this one’s road-ready again, the hardtop does seem to have some fairly strong bones to work with if you’ve been on the hunt for a B-Body project. Head over to Chiloqion, Oregon with $9,495 if you want to take this Mopar home, and also bring along a 1970 Coronet if you want to talk trades. Better yet, an SRT8 Challenger from the 2009-era might yield a swap resulting in an additional wad of cash coming back in your wallet.
Gunter Kramer, thanks for your excellent tip here! We get very little background information on this one, but from the looks of the tires, I’m speculating this Satellite has been sitting in the woods for quite some time. The summers in this part of Oregon are warm and dry, so it’s possible the patina could have developed over time near this area. Regardless of where it’s been, the forces of nature have been kinder than in many instances of not-yet-restored Plymouths from this period.
The next owner will have a bit of panel straightening to do in the future, but fortunately, this one’s not showing too much of the typical sheet metal decay often found in late-sixties examples. Somebody borrowed the grille and one of the headlights, but for the most part, the Satellite is overall complete on the outside. The seller says it’s a factory 318 car and mentions the transmission and driveshaft are still in place, but he never confirms the engine’s still under the hood. Since we don’t get any photos from the bay, this remains a mystery, but with the front end sitting up, my guess is no.
Inside, the front and rear seats are tattered, and the hole in the windshield has allowed plenty of pine needles and who knows what else to invade the interior. Nearly everything in there looks like it will need refreshing, however, the floors and door jambs appear to be in decent shape. Hopefully, the rails and other underside components will be just as solid. With all things considered, I think this one seems like fairly decent project material. How about you?
Just shy of $10k asking price. Well…it is a…mostly complete car. At that price…if bought…only thing to do with it is clean it up the best you can..get it running and enjoy. This is the base model 318 and column shift. There are WAY more better optioned ones out there already done for a decent price. To do this one right would put you in the poor house and you wouldn’t see a return, but if you done mind spending it…have at it. I mean…it’s just money after all.
Yes – you may think it’s high….but no metal work rates pretty high up there – it has GTX trimmings so that’s a plus. Make an offer……yes the front seats look GM….but hey look at that rust free trunk and around the rear window…..those floors !!!
Unless you’re a seriously talented body man, get ready to spend a ton of money on this one. My guess is it’s been sitting outside for a while. 1960’s Mopars don’t do well sitting outside.
I restored a 65 Belvedere about 20 years ago that was never in snow or salt, but sat outside for a few years before I got it. Those cars were described by the local Mopar expert body man (who warned me that I shouldn’t be doing it) as a “Factory produced rust bucket” when they were new. I still have it ($30K and 2000 hours of my labor) but I’m happy with it.
The boxed in cowl area was never painted on the inside. If it saw any moisture, it rusted though. Also the windshield wiper motor and mechanism are under the dash. The seals that keep water out weren’t very good on day one, so after a few years it leaks water onto the floor pan. If this one wasn’t under roof, the front floor pan is likely toast. Also the heater box has an O-ring that likes to leak, and it’s under the dash.
There are much improved wiper arm seals that work, the factory ones never did. My fingers hurt for a week after putting them on, but they are what should have been there in 1965.
NO car survives well sitting outside for a long time with a window rolled down ,Mopar or not , it all depends are where the car is sitting, so no need to hate on Mopars ! I recently looked at a 68 Chevy wagon that’s been sitting next to a garage since the 80s- its so rusty i think it would break in half if you could even get underneath it to put a hook on it. The Chevy is in CT. , This Plymouth is in Oregon, where rust is more of a color than an actual thing. Even with it in a area with pine needles, you can see the floor pan, and the rear quarters are in extremely good shape for its age
No kidding , lets leave the window down … Not a good idea
Agree…..most of these arm chair restorer’s just comment.
Did you look at the back window pictures ? My 1968 J code RR had the little rust starting in 1978….
For $9495 this was obviously too rich for Mark Worman to take a stab at…😄
People have gone mad and must be broke and need to pay their bills. I am still living in the 70s as I can’t stand technology and all the problems that come with it. In 1979, I was a starving college student at PSU main campus. I worked part time detailing cars at an Oldsmobile dealer. The body shop manager was selling his original owner 1968 Sport Satellite in B5 Blue with matching interior. 318, auto, just like this car here. It was never hit, never modified. His wife drove it. It had 49,000 miles. He told me $600. I got the money together and drove it for a few years. Sold it to my brother. It got t-boned and destroyed by an intoxicated driver. It had a terrible pinging problem even with high test gas. The lower quarters started rotting in 1979. I had them fixed and was able to buy NEW Chrysler wheel house moldings from the local Plymouth dealer for about $30. Times have changed and 1968 is my favorite year Plymouth, but taking on this is a total waste of time and money.
So you bought a used 11 year old car and the quarters were rusting ??? Wow. Here in CT. all cars had quarter panel rust by the time they hit 10 years old , unless you’re talking about imports or Vegas that were dissolving more rapidly .
In 1980 I bought a 72 Country Squire from a woman I worked with . the wood grain was all faded white and the rear quarters were all rusted away . I paid $50.00 and out it in a demo derby -It was an 8 year old car ! The next year I bought a 74 Bonneville wagon , same story, $50 – a 7 year old car ,rusted out and worthless.
I’ve owned plenty of small block Mopars, including a 318 powered 68 Belvedere ( rusted too, cant avoid the corrosion here) I’ve never had an issue with pinging on any of them , and I ran the cheapest stuff around
When people are broke and need to pay bills they price stuff to sell. That’s not what’s typically featured on this site. Most of these cars are either flips or someone thinning their herd because they’ve come to the conclusion they won’t get around to fixing it up or they found something better. Desperation equals fire sale, not “what are they thinking”.
Steve R
Body men are the old generation and not too many in the new,these old cars are not going to bring the dollars the did a few years back most do not want that big a project