Parked in 1978: 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 Wagon

The seller says that this draggin’ wagon was “parked in 1978 in a salvage yard and I have since got it roadworthy once again.” It’s a 1969 Dodge Coronet 500 9-passenger wagon and it’s one cool hauler. It can be found listed here on eBay with a current bid price of $8,000 and there is no reserve. It’s located in Ridgeland, Wisconsin.

At 17.5 feet in length, this wagon isn’t for those who are afraid of parallel parking. And, with six screaming kids in the back along with your housekeeper, Alice, that Grand Canyon trip will seem longer than usual, especially if you get locked in a jail in a ghost town by Jim Backus. Ok, enough with the Brady Bunch reference, they didn’t have a Dodge Coronet 500 wagon.

But, here is where three of the Brady kids would have ridden, or at least two of them. A white interior with a yellow exterior? Was this wagon painted at some point in its life? Although, the engine compartment is yellow. Hmm.. Having been parked in 1978 for unknown reasons at a Montana salvage yard, who really knows. This is a fifth-generation Coronet and they received a facelift in 1968. This example looks pretty solid but there’s no way of really telling without a few additional photos or seeing it in person.

The interior looks good and somewhat rugged at the same time. It’s a big thing for gigantic SUVs now to carry seven passengers, this wagon carries nine people. As a high school or college car, it could probably carry 15-20 people. The back seat looks pretty good and I think I’d throw a blanket seat cover on that, too. A weekend of cleaning and detailing and this interior would look pretty nice. They say that the “Rear floor pans were rusty so new rear pans were installed.”

Here’s the fun part, this 383 cubic-inch V8 would have had 330 hp and 425 ft-lb of torque. That’s one crankin’ wagon. “Work done includes rebuild the top end of the motor (heads gone through) added a single plane intake, holley 750, headers, M&h engine harness, mopar electronic ignition, and some cool nostalgic valve covers. Trans was rebuilt, complete new fuel system tank to carb, brakes rebuilt with factory front discs and a 2.5” side exiting exhaust with glasspacks.” Cool, very cool. Wagons are hot right now and this is one hot wagon.

Comments

  1. Avatar AMCFAN

    Nice presentation. Take a car out of the junkyard. Add swap meet Road Runner parts you already have laying around from flipping other cars. Throw in some cash. A dash of sweat equity = great payoff for the seller.

    One thing for sure. If it’s rusty and still needs a total restoration someone will pay way more then its worth…….because it’s a Mopar.

    Sorry they were not good when new. Had many family members who worked at Cryco dealers and drove them in the 60’s to the 80’s. Brand loyalty.Luckily my dad never followed suit and drove what ever he thought was best….tried them all. Today drives an Accord.

    Like 14
    • Avatar Blyndgesser

      What’s wrong with buying the car that beat suits your needs?

      By the way, maybe you haven’t noticed, but Honda Accords have been made in Ohio for 35 years now.

      Like 18
    • Avatar J Paul Member

      Well…that escalated quickly.

      I’m by no means the Barn Finds police, but I think we can all talk about cars without personal attacks or calling other people unpatriotic.

      Like 23
    • Avatar SteVen

      So if someone loves Ferraris, should they also love Fiats just because Fiat bought Ferrari?

      Like 4
    • Avatar AMCFAN

      Boy Toy, I have put this off sorry but here goes. No hatred for Chrysler or any or any other car company. Just a realest. I am just as American as you. Only smarter. I wasn’t raised to base my moral objective on what to buy OR do as others do. That is freedom of choice. It is my right as an American to buy what I want. I like to get what I pay for. My goal is to pay it off and still drive it for the next ten years or so should I choose. I average 30,000 miles a year and my current work car is a 2006 Honda with 368,000 miles on original motor,trans and ALL suspension and clutch. 43 mpg. No upkeep aside from fluid changes. I want to replace it sadly it shows no signs of giving up.

      Why support companies that for years have offered inferior products? Do you think a company that makes inferior products should be rewarded (obviously) or responsible for their actions? After the Corvair, Vega, diesel cars, The X platform (Citation ) 6,5 diesel trucks and almost got out of killing innocent Americans with a faulty key switch cover up. It is a wonder GM is in business at all after years of problems and uninspired products.

      Chrysler bought AMC for the Jeep brand in 1986. Being that you think I should worship Chrysler now because I like AMC vehicles? Chrysler never had anything to do with a Javelin OR AMX. Chrysler is not even an American company now. It is owned by FIAT.

      The issue with GM is their union contract is getting ready to expire. The American people have spoken and are not buying cars. Ford also plans to discontinue cars excxpt the Mustang. Chrysler is hanging on by making 800 HP car everything but will soon fail also. No major update with the 300 or Charger and Challenger since they were launched. Bad business.

      Honda, Nissan, Subaru, VW and Toyota will still be building cars and they will be making them on American soil. so who is to blame when fuel prices rise and all the proud Americans are driving gas guzzers and the big three do not have small vehicles in production? Looks like another round of bailouts are on the way.

      Lastly as some poster commented. Being an AMC FAN I have had some trouble with Mopars while driving AMC’s namely my AMX…. at keeping the front wheels safely on the ground at launch and I go around them.

      It simply doesn’t have to be a Mopar to have MORE POWER and the Chevy LS doesn’t rule the world.

      Like 6
  2. Avatar Keith

    Calling all Mopar freaks $$$!

    Like 2
    • Avatar TinCanSailor

      Every time I see a Mopar on this site, and the prices they sell for, I think back to my high school cars (68 Dart, a 69 Road Runner, and a 70 Challenger). Then I think about how much I sold them for waaaay back in the early 80s – and I want to cry. :)

      Like 7
      • Avatar stillrunners

        With ya there in the late 80’s….thought it was good money then !

        Like 2
  3. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Cool dunno about 8 large tho. good luck to the new owner. These were good cars and love a wagon, esp a 9 passenger!

    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Saul Member

    RIP Florence Henderson.

    Like 10
  5. Avatar Steve Meli

    Had a ’69 but only a six pasagenger.Traded it in in end of ’73 for new Matador wagon.It was so rusted dealer refused to take it so I was forced to sell it as a winter car for only 385.00.Other than rusty body I felt it was a good car.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Saul Member

    It appears to not have a windshield–hopefully one can be sourced quickly before the thin metal of that MOPAR dash begins to perforate with corrosion.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar John Wilburn

    So cool!!! I’ve only seen one 69 B body wagon in person in my life and it’s a regular bracket car at Farmington Dragway in North Carolina.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Craig M Bryda

    Nice. hood

    Like 1
  9. Avatar stillrunners

    Original poster here didn’t even read the add the seller had before he started his hatred like Keith does. Doing a top end – isn’t as easy as it was when I ran big block Chevies.

    Like 3
  10. Avatar Troy s

    Tough looking hood scoop, that 383 better run good as the sleeper image is completely blown. It’s definitely a cool ride.
    Back in the eighties everything was much cheaper, new cars were very cheap compared to what they are these days. I would love it if prices went back to 1984 but that’s not ever gonna happen.

    Like 3
  11. Avatar mike Member

    I’m digging on that hood. it sold yesterday for $8,000. looks like a great vehicle to take a bunch of kids to Disneyland! Actual event… when we and my siblings our grandmother took the lot of us to Disneyland in a vehicle like this. the trip was a disaster. my grandmother got so depressed she stayed in the motel room which smelled like piss, the motel failed to book two rooms as planned, my aunt got so stressed she started smoking again and to finish it off we ran over a tire lying in the middle of hwy 99… complete with its wheel on it. it knocked the manifold loose, the car became brutally loud because the pipes were now out of whack, ya had to ride with all the windows down because of the fumes. once we got to our homes, they had to drive 4 hours to theirs in the fog, windows down, choking, freezing, the sound making them deaf, etc. oh yes, childhood memories… it was like the wallyworld visit only it was real.

    Like 4

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