Look past the fifty shades of primer on this Allen, Texas classic and you might find an interesting project. The 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T comes to market here on eBay, and the seller sets themself above most by including includes pictures of the VIN tag, fender tag, and other stamping numbers. Sadly, the original Hi-Po 440 V8 is gone, but this specimen of Dodge muscle car largely dodged parts scavengers, retaining its AC dash and air conditioning compressor along with other key underhood components and the interior’s center console. Buyers with the skills and/or bank account to refurbish this needs-everything R/T compete with at least six bidders. Market value sits above $3000, still below the seller’s Reserve.
A 318 cid (5.2L) V8 took over as relief pitcher after the 440 (7.2L) retired, and it’s non-operable today. This purported original R/T left Detroit wearing the fender tag-specified LL1 Medium Dark Turquoise Metallic with white bumble bee stripe and black interior, a combination guaranteed to stand out today, avoiding the gag reflex that other interesting ’60s and ’70s color combinations induce among less groovy enthusiasts.
Replacement doors and (at least) the right front fender beg close checking for evidence of a front-end shunt, but it could just as easily divine past efforts to resuscitate this hardtop coupe.
Enjoy wiring? Plan on identifying and eliminating some electrical gremlins for sure. How many interior parts can be salvaged? Those Flintstone floorboards won’t be the only metal repairs; that’s for sure.
This face that only a Mopar-loving mother could love needs cosmetic surgery, and body parts should come easily from the world wide web. A shop looking to flip this R/T for profit may pass, but if you have more time than money and always wanted a B-body muscle car, dig in! Few gearheads will turn their nose up at a restored ’68 Coronet with a non-original 440, and the sky’s the limit if you could build a Pro-Touring monster. How would you revive this neglected classic muscle car?
If you look closely at the pix earlier this week of the Tor Red Road Runner that appears to have finally gotten into Wile Coyote’s clutches you’ll see this one on the background…
Selling off his junk cars?
yep…..this is like the 12 car they listed here on what use to be Barn Finds – not High in Dealer has for sale…….looking to cancel being on here…..
What’s to like? Total junker.
With notBarnFinds promoting them for day two in a row you’d think – wait – they’re way over priced ! Try day 3 notBarnFinds…..
I’ m not a Mopar guy but love them anyway ;certain models that is on both ends ;Dodge & gone Plymouth years ago! To me this car could & deserves to go either way ; low end resto w just sanding ;fixing must areas of rust issues & then just Patina look Or full resto back to original paint color w metal flake/specs & replace all body & floor metal pans & replacement N O S or original if You can find them parts ?!! These are cool muscle cars & deserve to be saved & 2 nd chance on the streets ! Remember guys / people ;They don t make them like this anymore so Save these cars while we can!!
I like the 318 far better then the 440. Too bad it does not run, but rebuild it and it will. Add headers and dual exhaust (obviously), really all it needs. A 4bbl on a 318 does nothing over the standard 2bbl until you make the cam really radical. Doing that negates what makes the 318 such a good over all engine. The wise engineers understood that, and speced it out as the standard engine for good reason. This body style is truly a thing of beauty. I would go frost blue metallic and some nice magnum wheels with full chrom and no trim rings.
I’ve seen cars have that hook pull thru the frame and start rocking.
I had to tell a guy his car was rolling back n forth on his trailer.
Helped him retie and never use the body for tying.
Tie the suspension. Rear axle, or lower control arm.
Hit a good dip or vehicle bouncing on trailer and it will break a strap or chain.
Serial is about 2nd or 3rd day production. My Uncles n Aunts built cars at St Louis.
The only Coronet I ever had was a 1957.
I bought new, the Charger RT’s instead.
These never interested me.
Odd post. Fragmented
We’ve seen this EBay seller’s stuff here before.
They seem to have the “Best” rusted out Mopar hulks, and their reserve prices are so high, they think that every one of them is a gold mine.
Am I missing something ??
The vin tag and number stamping on trunk vin do not match??
Hi Bob. The VIN is the oddball. Everything else (shown) matches. Let’s hope that VIN tag picture is from another car. Good eye.
Looks like a prime candidate for the next Mad Max movie! Hard pass!! 👎👎
Ahh, to go back in time and watch the mighty Al’jon 9 flatten this thing down to 18 inches high. One thing about old Mopars, they used to flatten down to nothing because of the unibody design with ease. Buy a nice one, leave the garbage like this for the parts heep. Junk like this was ok when it was priced as junk. Watch some of the auctions, not all of this stuff goes for outrageous money.
I meant a model 20, been a long time. As much fun as a demolition derby….
Jesus. This thing looks like 3000lbs of hammered sh**. It’s amazing what people think their rusted out pos mopars are worth these days. Stop watching B-J and Mecum before you put your car up for sale!
Most of these horribly built Chrysler products looked this bad 30 years ago. So, what’s all the fuss? They were cheap new, got sold to teens who beat the living crap out of them, put on Pep Boys parts and drove them in the snow because they were every day cars. Ask me how I know?
I’m surprised so many are ready to crush this car. I’ve worked on at least three that looked this bad or worse. One needed all the horizontal metal replaced from being parked on grass, etc. All of them, after we chiseled and hammered off all the crud, were mostly solid, needing metal repairs here and there. That kind of work is not for everyone, but I choose cars like this from the tip list because I enjoy thinking about what they might become. You’d have to sort out the VIN discrepancy on this one, but I’d wager it could be an interesting entry-level muscle car project for someone with patience. I don’t have grandkids yet, but I’d consider buying it for a multi-generational project car, not to say, “Look how much money I made,” but to walk it through the transformation. That said, I like working on cars more than collecting them, and I know that’s not everyone’s bag.