Another Dodge Charger? Yup, another Dodge Charger, this time a ’68. And it didn’t start life as anything special though it’s clearly headed in a special direction. The draw towards covering this car is more of a probing question as to why this version of the Charger (’68-’70) trades for such outsized prices. They have been ascendent for years with no slow down in sight. Why? I don’t know, maybe we can figure it out. This Charger is located in McMinnville, Oregon and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $40,100 with 62 bids tendered so far.
So the story here is that this Charger started life as a standard model powered by a 318 CI V8 engine, or so the VIN states. But over time, things have changed! We now find it sporting a modified 440 CI engine, backed by a four-speed manual transmission, and all connected to a Dana 60 differential. There’s even a set of 4.10 gears included in the sale. But things go even further as the seller adds, “all-new front and rear drums, wheel cyl and brakes, rear springs, radiator, hoses, steering, new power steering box, rebuilt factory pump and hoses, new tires and wheels“. He further states, “Runs and drives very nice“.
Originally finished in code 66, Dark Green, this Dodge is now wearing black primer with “DP sealer”. I think I’d rather see the flanks restored to their original dark green hue. That said, the body is straight and the chrome looks good but the seller adds, “not much rust for a 54-year-old car as it is factory undercoated, frame rails and floors look solid, original trunk pan with some rust but fairly solid, lower rear qtrs. have been replaced…” I’m not sure how to interpret “not much rust”. There are three images of the underside but nothing leaps right out as a problem.
Most of the green interior is original and it still shows well. The upholstery, carpet, dash, instrument panel don’t reveal any obvious flaws though the front seats appear to be wearing covers and they don’t match the back seat. The steering wheel has been replaced with a nice looking aftermarket wooden piece and some under dash engine gauges have been added. Everything else is said to work as intended.
So, on one hand, this is a generic Charger, one of approximately 79K non-R/T’s sold in ’68 – and the bid is already over $40K. But then on the other hand it has had all of the right tickets punched with its upgraded powertrain and its grittier R/T resemblance. There are four more days to go with the auction and I would imagine more upside will be found. Why? I can’t answer the question that I posed earlier. What’s your thought, too much already, or get out of the way and hold on to your hat?
A 440 and a 4.10 is a fairly useless combo for anything outside of a drag strip. The 318 it came with was not. I would rather have a sporty looking car that I could use in the real world, not something I can only use for in a narrow set of reality.
Yeah the 440 would have got 7 mpg and the gutless 318 would get maybe 11.
I never had a 318 get less then 20 MPG in normal mixed driving, never. How exactly do you drive?
It’s true that a 440 in a B body is not exactly the recipe for a practical daily driver. But if someone is willing to to invest $40k+ in a non R/T project car, they could easily put another 4 or 5 into a TKX 5 speed kit with overdrive. That’s not going to get you 20 MPG, but with 4.10s in the rear, it would at least be drivable on the freeway and you’d still be able to get that brutal torque headrush that a 440 can deliver!
Or you could just drive it with the street friendly 3.54s and leave the 4.10s in the garage to collect dust….
Back in Black, oh it’s so good to be back, ha, everytime I see a mean looking car in black paint or primer I instantly think of that old AC\DC song when a car like this was loaded with trouble,, usually four or five salty looking dudes with long scraggly hair and the stereo blaring at full volume. Oh, the good old days when a 440 powered Charger was more of a statement,,,
not a valuable commodity. Nice ride!
The reason they go for so much money is simple: DESIGN. A clean uncluttered front end, the Coke bottle curves on the side and the sharp rear end with the built-in spoiler and the 4 tail lights on a black background, make it the best looking Charger ever. Design is the same reason those Mopar E-bodies are so expensive. Everyone has a favorite automotive design, but I think a lot of people agree that the second generation Chargers and the E-bodies hit a sweet spot.
440, 4 speed, pistol grip shifter, 68 charger!! Quintessential muscle mopar. Real R/T or not, drool worthy. Just bad to the bone.
Rigor, I find your statement to be very unbelievable as I have had more than 1 318 car.
Hey Rigor Mortis,since everybody is chiming in I had a 318 in a ’87 Dodge half ton 4X4 pick up, choked to death 2 barrel feedback carb California emissions special, still had a 3 speed automatic, highway gears, the absolute slowest finicky hunk of junk I ever owned, despite that I never got more than eleven miles to the gallon and it got worse with age, no hot rodding or speeding which is actually funny when I think of how long it took to get the truck up to 60mph. Even removed the driveshaft for the front axle, tried some gadget called a Tornado in the air cleaner, nothing but mo gas.
Troy you aren’t alone buddy.
I have a 318 2 barrel in my 1968 Barracuda. 56,000 miles on it. I get 22 miles per gallon highway.