The photos of this 1968 Dodge Coronet 440 are a little bit sketchy, but the owner does admit that it needs work. I get the impression that this is one of those cars where the restoration process has stalled, and now it just needs someone to come along and finish the work on this running, driving classic. Barn Finder FordGuy1972 referred the Coronet to us, so thank you so much for that. The Coronet is located in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and is listed for sale here on Craigslist. This one could be yours for $6,000.
From what is contained in the text, it appears that the Coronet rolled out of the factory finished in the very attractive Bronze Poly, but it doesn’t look quite as flash today. The car has a few marks and dings that will need to be addressed, while there is also rust visible in the bottom corner of the door and the lower fender on the driver’s side. What can be seen of the quarter panels looks quite promising, although we don’t get either clear shots of both sides of the car, nor do we get any information on the condition of the floors and frame.
With the Bronze Poly on the outside, the white interior trim must have given the Coronet a real sense of style. It could definitely be returned to that state, but there is a bit to do. The dash and pad look extremely good, but the seats will need new covers, and the car will also need new door trims, carpet, and sundry small trim pieces. It really isn’t that overwhelming, and certainly wouldn’t break the bank. On the plus side, the Coronet is fitted with factory air conditioning.
It isn’t clear whether what resides under the hood is original, but if it is, then the Coronet serves you up a 318ci V8 engine, TorqueFlite transmission, power steering, and front disc brakes. With 230hp on offer, the Coronet should offer healthy, but not startling, performance. The owner says that the car runs and drives but really doesn’t tell us how well it does either of these things. Hopefully, the car is actually ready to hit the road, so that the next owner is able to focus their attention on the cosmetic attributes of the car.
Just how this 1968 Coronet 440 stacks up as a project car is very dependant on how things look below the surface. If it is a solid car with only a few rust issues and a healthy drive-train, then the asking price looks very reasonable. That is the great unknown about this car because both the photos and description are pretty lacking. Hopefully, the owner will be happy to answer any questions because I like this car, and I’d really like to think that someone will eventually restore it.
I know many of you think I’m out of touch, and admittedly, in many respects I am, however, look at it from my perspective, in the mid 70’s, I had a car very similar, only a bare bones car, slant 6, 3 speed. It was one of the many $100 winter beaters I bought, while my MGB was stored for the winter. I suppose, “adjusted for inflation”, this is a pretty good deal, but not $100 good,,,
I had a car just like this one back in in High School in the 80’s and paid 75$ for it. I still miss that car very much.
You paid about what a fill up would cost on this one and you could blow through that in an afternoon.
I paid $5 for a 68 Belvedere with a 318 in 1982 – no lie, he wanted $10 , but a 5 was all I had in my wallet . It was a worn looking 4 door , but that thing would do great burnouts !
Nowadays it’s the proverbial bronze medal of Mopar restoration projects. If it was an R/T it’s probably 20 grand.
Yesterday is just that, today that car makes sense only one i have seen so far. I’m not a dodge chrysler but they are guy but right now they are red hot.
When I began to learn about all the different engine sizes from each make, around 11- 12 years old, everytime I saw a Coronet 440 I just assumed it had a 440 under the hood, you know, a real powerhouse of a car. Boy was I bummed out when I realized that had nothing to do with cubic inches!
Fix the seats and enjoy, or maybe give it a bump in power.
I had an argument with an owner of a 67 Coronet 500 about his 500 ci engine one time. Lol
Cunnanm…I bought a ’63 Buick Wildcat at the age of sixteen where the very old owner claimed the engine was a 445, as it was advertised on the air cleaner lid. Found out pretty fast at the parts store it was a 401, as the “445” was the torque rating, bummed out again! Awe rats.
I got ads for the Ford 7.3 Power Stroke. That would be an interesting swap. Roll coal!
The Coronet 500 had the coolest tail lights of any car.
The Coronet tail lights are probably the best looking followed closely by the Charger, and Torino.
My favorite of this generation B-body, such a clean, almost European design with elegantly simple detailing and trim.
When I drove truck in Flordia, 1 of the girls in work had one always hiding in the back of the offices. I asked her 1 day if she would sell it. She said she was ashamed to drive it. It was her grandmothers and said yes. I bought it .It was tan with a 318 in it and I repainted it a nice deep red. I made it my daily driver and I even got the A.C. to work again. I took it to a big A.C. place and they said they would have to replace every thing in it and would have to make it more modern. I said no thanks. I took to a little old man who had a small shop in Mount Dora and turns out all it needed was a shrader vale and Freon. Sure do miss that car. Bruce.
No Vin
No fender tag
No build sheet
No thanks
Why? This isn’t a Hemi Roadrunner or AAR Cuda, it’s a low option Coronet. The seller lists a partial VIN, which is enough to figure out which engine the car originally came with. As for the fender tag, just because it’s not mentioned in the ad doesn’t mean it’s not there. Even if it’s missing it would not a deal breaker. Why does it even matter if it’s there? As for a build sheet, who cares, it won’t bring an extra 10 cents when it comes time to sell. On a base model car like this, condition is the only thing that really matters.
Steve R
Blank canvas if it’s worth buying-
original motor? Make it a classic daily driver.
No rot but frozen aftermarket trans/engine/suspension? Retromod.
Rotting away? Part it.
No vin stolen parts car possible .
My first car was a 68 Coronet 500 4 door sedan with bucket seats and armrest like this one. Handled like a pontoon boat (bias ply tires didn’t help ), but I always liked that car and still wouldn’t mind getting another one if the price was right.
I had a ’70 charger with a 318 TorqueFlite.
One winter night , on a straight road in the wilds of north west New Jersey I redlined it in first, shifted to second and watched until the speedometer stabilized at about 84 or 85 mph, then shifted to drive. It slowed down about 2 mph.
The front seats are definitely not the right ones for the car ; I wonder if it had just a straight bench seat originally ?