This 1968 Dodge Charger R/T is a really nice car, but it is missing that one vital ingredient that would make it a truly great car. To discover what this ingredient is, you will just have to keep reading this article. It looks like a really solid car that needs little more than some interior refurbishing to bring it up to a very high standard. If this Charger grabs you enough that you want to park it in your driveway, then you will find it located in Green Mountain, North Carolina, and listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding now sitting at $30,000 the reserve has been met, so it looks like this is a Charger destined to find its way to that new driveway.
The external presentation of the Charger looks really good. There are no signs of any rust issues, and the paint has a nice shine to it. The owner isn’t particularly forthcoming with information on the car, and I get the impression that he really isn’t that fussed whether the car actually sells. He doesn’t mention any problems with rust, nor does he mention whether the car has undergone a repaint at some point in the past. All we can see is that it does look like it is a very clean car.
Under the hood of the Charger is a 440ci V8, which is backed by a TorqueFlite transmission. Now we’re getting to the crux of the matter with this car. It isn’t a numbers-matching car. This is something of a tragedy because decoding the VIN indicates that what should be resting in the engine bay isn’t a 440, but a 426ci Hemi! There is no information provided on what became of that engine, but it does make a huge difference to the car. With 50hp less being produced by the 440 over the 426, performance does take a bit of a hit, but not a huge one. What will take a hit is the ultimate value of the car. Still, I guess that we can’t have everything in life. The owner says that the 440 runs well and that the car drives really nicely. With power steering and power brakes, it should also be a fairly effortless beast to maneuver in tighter spaces. Mind you, I’d swap car-park ease for a Hemi any day.
The interior of the Charger is complete, but there is some restoration work required to return it to its best. Having said that, the list isn’t huge. The headliner and passenger seat both have seam separations, but these look like they might be able to be repaired. Otherwise, a new cover and headliner will be in order. The dash looks really good, and the rest of the trim look like it needs nothing more than a really good clean.
How much difference does that missing engine make to the value of this Charger R/T? The answer is that it makes a lot of difference. A pristine R/T with a numbers-matching 440 under the hood can command anything up to $90,000, which is not small change in anyone’s book. If it is a Charger R/T with its original 426 Hemi under the hood, then we’ve just dived into a value well into six-figure territory. If you bought this Charger, would you leave it as it is, or would you hunt down a Hemi to slot back into the engine bay?
If you’re looking for an investment, buy gold or real estate (outside a quickly growing hub).
If you want more money for this car, do your investigation to discover the whereabouts of the original motor and buy it.
If you want a trailer queen show car, this would be a good one with the Hemi in it.
If you want a car to drive/enjoy and this one strikes your fancy, buy it-it’s clean and the engine will do the job very nicely. I’d enjoy this immensely just as is.
Yeah Even though it has a HEMI Pedigree i’d Probably Leave the 440 Easier to maintain & less Troublesome.
The only change I’d make is to a 4 speed with pistol grip
No Hemi? In that case I’ll take the red Riviera boattail in the background.
Judging by the quality of the photo and the color fade, I suspect that one picture is from when the car was a bit younger. I agree about the boat tail, funny it figures so prominently in that one image.
Looks sweet-what u see is what u get. Beware low feedback. Good luck to the new owner!!
Cheers
GPC
The seller says that the car is a J code (no pictures of the VIN tag) but if you lock at the firewall and dash there is something that could not be orderd with Hemi engine= Air conditioning
The ad screams buyer beware. He says the pictures speak for the car and then goes on to say he doesn’t know much about it. Talk about covering your behind, he also throws out the word “solid”, which is absolutely meaningless when describing a car.
Anyone interested needs to see the car first hand.
Steve R
ebay listing says 400 not 440.
Why would someone remove the RT emblem? Or, the Charger roof emblems?
Hum, about 4,000 cars before my 68 RT.
Serial plate transfer? Hum
No pics of 3 important items if there. Fender plate, serial dash plate, broadcast sheet
Isn’t the Vin supposed to be R-code for Hemi? Ebay listing says J, which s/would be a 340. I don’t remember this being an option for chargers in 68? Thought they were mainly 318, 361, 383, 440, and the 426 and 6 cyl. were both pretty rare. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Your referring to the 1970-71 Engine Codes; J-340 and R-426 Hemi. The 1968 Engine Code for a 426 Hemi is J. Visit http://www.cemaclub.org and go to the Technical Info. Tab at the top left. -Christopher CTC Auburn Hills, MI
Hemi for sure ,but a modern one.I’ve had the true 60’s Hemi cars ,and frankly they are overrated.The 68 Charger is one of the true icons of musclecar style.
I am getting old. Love the site, looking at old cars. But I am so over 60’s and 70’s muscle cars. I really like the more oddball cars w/smaller engines, and of course less$. Just me, have a great day.
No original motor means not original…
It’s a cool car as it sits so drive it as it is like you stole it!!!!
No will if it has this or that or flew like the James Bond car or was once sat in my McQueen etc….
If wishes were horses 🐎 we would of all bought Microsoft stock back in the day 😏
@OU8one2
Sorry babe! That Rivy is MINE!
Very nice condition 1972 Riviera with a 3/4 vinyl roof. Wonder if it has buckets and a floor shift?
I had a 71 in this color with a full white vinyl roof. Also had a 72 in mint green, no vinyl, bench seat. Both were great cars.
“50 less HP… A bit of a hit but not a huge one.” Whaaa???
Sounds good if you say it fast but 50 HP is a Huge hit, no matter how you spin it!
Another Mopar, I am getting old. Muscle cars are memories. Crazy $. Crappy technology. But darn everybody loves/wants them. I drive the two cars I own, 1972 Torino, 2012 Dodge working truck. Like the Torino, but darn, truck is so much nicer. Like this site, comments are what it is all about. Have a good day.
But But it was a Hemi the owner says! So 30k large is justified because it was a Hemi? Calling all Mopar freaks…….. Get You Some of That!!!!
Here we go again.
Is this car still for sale? I can’t believe someone hasn’t grabbed this car, pulled out the 400 or 440, and dropped in a complete aftermarket Hemi, and put it for sale for 6 figures. If this car is still listed on eBay (and it is as of this comment), there must be something amiss with this listing. If you were selling an original Hemi car, would you at least take the time to proofread your item description on eBay to make sure there’s no typo’s? ‘Himi’, a 400 motor in it now? why wouldn’t the current owner do the engine swap himself or pay someone? For the amount to gain in price more than covers the expenses, even if paying someone else to do all the work. Can you say “SCAM”? It certainly is stinking of one here. ($30k, one bid, 2 days left in auction.) Hmmmm. Stinky, Stinky.
Sounds to be an XP car with XS serial change. Again, no pics of any confirmed serial stampings on body. One under left side of trunk opening under trunk seal and another on radiator support. No RT badging on grill or tail panel
H code was Hemi in 66. J was 67-69. R was 70-71.
L code for 440 in 67-69. U was 70-71.
L code was 383 2 barrel in 70-71.
Column shift was optional, but not popular.
Too many iffy issues
Where’s the RT badges
Good body, little to no rust, no caved in panels… perfect candidate for a Hellcat crate engine swap with a Tremec behind it.
Pistol Grip shifter = HELL YEAH !!!
No VIN photo
No fender tag photo
No build sheet
This is why I never believe these auctions. No serious buyer is going to bid this amount for a car with no verification.
I suspect schill bidding or someone pulling the owners chain.
@OU8one2
Sorry babe! That Rivy in MINE!
Very nice condition 1972 Riviera with a 3/4 vinyl roof. Wonder if it has buckets and a floor shift?
I had a 71 in this color with a full white vinyl roof. Also had a 72 in mint green, no vinyl, bench seat. Both were great cars.
The car would be worth more with the hemi and even more if it had a 4 speed manual transmission with a pistol grip. I think the new modern hemi’s are over rated not the original hemi’s. What did Dodge do buy some 350s and put hemisphere heads on them for the first new hemi engine. It seems like all the new hemi’s are under powered with around 300 hp except the hemi in the hellcat challenger and the 426 hemi had closer to 500 hp stock. To put more power in the 426 hemi or any other hemi before it you didn’t have to worry about messing with a stupid computer all that modern stuff that you have mess with now. Which takes more time to mess with to get it right and everything.
Asking a crazy price for something that was a hemi and no longer is to me is ridiculous!!! Finding that particular motto that could have been blown up is like looking for a needle in a haystack!! Leave the 440 and drive the car!!
Who cares about some Riviera that is not even on topic ?
Man its amazing how people get side tracked
m
It’s called a forum for a reason…
Hey guys I have a question for you more knowledgeable folks, if the buyer of this car were to put a hemi back into this ride what’s the use it’s still a non numbers matching car, would you gain anything over what the car worth right now? When all is said and done it’s still a non numbers matching car. What would the buyer gain by putting a hemi back into this car?
We’ve all read about cars and seen videos of cars that looked great in their auction photos but were terrible rust buckets. Even some very astute folks have been fooled. This may be one of those cars. What’s underneath? The frame rails and suspension could be a rusted mess. What is the floor like? Good luck to the new owner. It’s what happens when you purchase a car sight unseen.
Not a hemi car , not the original motor , not the original color , few pictures and the ones offered are fuzzy , seller and auction are as vague as can be – I’d pass on this one
Sold for $36,800.
My point is moot as the vehicle has sold. I am a previous owner of 68 Charger R/T. This is not an R/T. It has the base arrow emblem on the driver’s headlight cover and the rear fascia. Factory bumble bee strips have R/T reversed out of the stripe on both left and right sides of the car. The stripes on the listed are an aftermarket add on. The block ID on a 440 is located on a flat horizontal surface to the right of the thermostat housing. The ID on a 383 is lower and to the left at a 45° angle. It’s pretty simple. See reference photo available @ https://forums.aaca.org/topic/290085-60-desoto-fireflight-engine-361-or-383-id/?tab=comments#comment-1578727
The listed is a 383 car. The car was misrepresented.
Does anyone have any idea who owns this car today? If it is actually a J code car, I would be interested in hunting it down.