Runs After 45 Years! 1968 Dodge Coronet 440

The Coronet nameplate officially became a mid-size car in 1965 when the full-size Dodges returned to a larger platform. During the 1968-70 redesign of the B-bodies, the Coronet 440 was a mid-range product, above the Deluxe but below the 500. Why Dodge chose the 440 as the name isn’t known, as it might have confused buyers who were also shopping for a 440 cubic-inch V8. This 1968 Coronet 440 has been in storage for more than 40 years, but the seller has gotten it to run. Located in Concord, California, this nice but needy Mopar is available here on craigslist for $14,000.

Coronets were less sexy than the Chargers built on the same platform. That even applied to drivetrains, and both could be ordered as R/Ts with 440 or Hemi V8s. The seller’s car has the venerable and popular 318 V8 with a TorqueFlite automatic transmission. It was built in Los Angeles and has stayed in California all of its life. It went into hibernation in the early 1980s for reasons not stated, and it looks to have been cleaned up by the seller.

The odometer reads 80,000 miles, and that sounds about right. All it took to get the engine to run again was the addition of a new battery and fresh gasoline. But no mention is made of whether it moves around on its own. It sports shiny aftermarket wheels with tires of an unknown condition. There is a bit of rust in the trunk, one quarter panel, and the floor pan on the passenger’s side.

There are no California DMV back fees because the registration is current. Dodge built more than 108,000 Coronet 440s across all body styles, yet when was the last time you saw one? Chargers are more popular, and we see them pop up all the time here on Barn Finds. Does this Coronet remind you of the “Dodge Rebellion” of the late 1960s?