While it might appear to be battered and bruised, this 1968 Dodge Charger does hold some promise as a project car. There must be plenty of people who can identify the potential because there are not only 168 people who are watching the listing here on eBay, but there have been 16 people who have pushed the bidding along to $12,300. The reserve has now been met on the Charger, which is located in Lebanon, Ohio.
Ouch, that’s gotta hurt! As I said, it is a battered and bruised car, but in spite of the damage that you see here, the passenger side door opens and closes cleanly. The impact damage hasn’t hurt the frame at all, and while it wears a coating of surface corrosion, that looks to be nice and solid. The Charger will need new floors and a trunk pan, plus the accident damage and visible rust issues will need to be addressed. The Medium Gold paint is said to be original, and the owner claims that there is no Bondo in the car anywhere. It really does appear to be a case of getting exactly what you see.
The interior of the Charger looks relatively tidy, but when the new owner is finished with it, it’s going to look a whole lot tidier. Included in the sale is a full set of new interior trim items, including seat covers and foam, a headliner, New door trims, a new gold steering wheel, and new carpets. These are still all in their boxes, and the owner states that these set him back a cool $4,000. The interior does have a couple of nice features already present, including air conditioning, Rally gauges, and a factory radio/8-track player that is said to work perfectly.
Under the hood of the Charger are a 318ci V8, a TorqueFlite transmission, and power steering. The owner emphasizes that the car isn’t roadworthy, but a fair amount of work has been done to get it ready for an active life once again. The entire braking system has been rebuilt, with a fresh master cylinder, new shoes, drums, wheel cylinders, and all new hoses. The car has also been fitted with a new fuel tank, new fuel pump, the original radiator has been re-cored, and the power steering pump has been freshly rebuilt. In addition, if the next owner is not dedicated to the concept of a faithful and original restoration, a non-HP 440ci long block is included, along with a heavy-duty TorqueFlite transmission, and two complete sets of cylinder heads. That holds the promise of accessing some healthy levels of performance from this Charger.
It isn’t perfect, but this 1968 Charger has all of the makings of a great project car. The interest that it has generated is proof positive of that. This is a car that could be faithfully restored, or it could just as easily be turned into something pretty awesome. The catalog of work already completed, combined with the parts that are included, should help with that. Do we have any readers who want to join the bidding party?
No “frame” on these cars…
People that have no clue how these cars are built think they have frames, sad.
True that it is a unibody, but even they have a structural set of frames. If someone said the rear frame is rotted out for example, most would know what parts they are talking about.
Front: http://www.autometaldirect.com/amd-frame-rail-with-shock-tower-front-lh-66-70-b-body-p-18861.html
Rear: http://www.autometaldirect.com/amd-frame-rail-rear-rh-68-70-b-body-p-1312.html
I do have a clue how they were built and know that while you can’t just unbolt the frame, it is still there. Unless you have your own special word for the supporting structures?
Give it a fresh coat of wax and drive it as is.
Should have a 318 Poly head…
Last year for poly in the US was ’66.
Not in ’68, things had moved to the LA series by then.
Yeah, umm no Husky.
The pass. side quarter damage is no big deal. Fresh sheet metal & floor pans are available for these now so that’s an easy fix. It looks fairly solid, not missing any trim anyway. OK; so it’s not a Hemi or a 440. Who says they all HAVE to be? Rebuild the 318; maybe tweak it a bit and restore the body. But key here is buying it at a reasonable price since the reserve’s already been met. Good luck to the new owner. Not a bad `68 at all.
This heavy car with a 318 must be as quick as a slug. The 440 would help a lot if putting any money into the engine compartment. Keep the 318 to be mothballed to sell in the future if someone needs the numbers matching engine. Problem is that at the current bidding level, the regular guy looking for a project is going to be in trouble, unless he saved a pile of cash already, just for the purchase price. Don’t forget replacement parts prices for these won’t be cheap either. Then there is the question of how does the underbody look and will that require sheet metal welding? Start adding up the $’s. Ching, Ching, Ching
While its no big block , a ’68 318 had some decent horsepower- I’d rebuild it with a mild cam and a 340 intake and enjoy it !
I would comment on this Mopar but BF staff have me in (mopar comment jail).
Keith, I might give you crap about your Mopar comments (mostly the sheer amount of them), but you are entitled to your opinion.
Wow, aren’t we missing out on some valuable insight.
Ditto here…
Silence is golden….
kieth, don’t drop the soap!
I don’t understand why anyone would transplant a 318 into one of these. Everybody knows the Charger only came with a 383 or larger, primarily 440’s with about 5,000 Street Hemi examples, and 75% 4-speeds. At least that’s what the auction shows taught me.
You’re joking , right ? Because your last sentence makes it seem so. More hi performance Chargers ETC. running loose on the streets then mother mopar ever rolled out of the factory.
Yes, definitely joking. I like to see more than just the “halo car” examples.
Seriously, did they ever make them with the straight 6? That might have been a rare bird.
No straight six but were available with a slant six. I have seen 2 such examples.
Sorry, meant slant 6. Oops!
Looks like it had a vinyl top, I looked at a wrecked 69 Charger back in the 90s that had a MOD Top in vinyl, and the car was loaded, factory air and power windows, was gold or burnt orange. How many Chargers have you seen with vinyl tops?
I’ve seen a lot of Chargers with vinyl tops, but not Mod Tops – I’ve only seen one Mod Top car; it was a battered 69 Satellite and that was about 30 years ago
At least there is a fender tag. But not decoded.
wonder if build sheet still under back seat ?
At over 12 this car has reached its tops and maybe even exceeded its worth
Some cars just appeal to motorheads more than others, these Chargers are no exception to the rule at all. Just in case some people don’t get the high performance angle. These look fast either at speed, strolling down the road, even parked….well they usually do.
I’d be worried about whats under that vinyl top. Good inspection necessary. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
Looks like a restorable charger.
More on the Charger later –
Opinions are great – I like to read from others that know about a particular make I perhaps don’t or didn’t know.
This site has always had a standing of no personal attacks or verbal abuse of members for their likes or comments.
It get’s boring if no constructive comments about a vehicle for sale but a continuous slamming of mindlessness because a certain car/make gets bids we/us think is out of this world. Like I said there are others that know more than me and fer sure have deeper pockets than I.
Not a bad Charger but I believe it has been on the market before.
It’s drivable so just go right and you won’t ever see the dent on the passenger side!! But seriously the damage doesn’t look like it s transferred to the roof or the rocker!! The only thing that concern me is if the rear end is in the same place and didn’t get pushed forward in the crash!! This would make the car dog track and tear up tires!!!
On a historical note – I spotted in the early 80’s a Cuda with almost the same color and damage on the right side that included the front fender – BUT not the door – it was perfect.
We drove that Cuda all over and many trips to Austin camping before a guy ran a red light – and guess what side he hit – the right side – spun me around and I knocked down the turn light pole which took out more body parts ! Still have the light pole/signal and a good part or two off “Goldie”. It was just a base 318/auto car and at the time in the late 80’s nothing special.
body work:
Kustom by Krunch
A little body filler , and off we go.
kieth, don’t drop the soap!