After enduring decades of neglect and decay in a barn, this 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T convertible in Flat Rock, Michigan could be yours with a high bid here on eBay. The seller has decoded this drop-top muscle car as an original R/T (Road / Track) model in the colors you see here including the stripe delete. Quite rusty, this car’s attractive original color options and rather complete condition may prod bidding nearer to the $7500 Buy It Now price.
Personally I prefer these Coronet R/T tail lights to the Super Bee tail treatment. While the seller makes no mention of the originality of the paint, could it be factory? It’s certainly feasible that a ’68 model from Michigan might have been re-painted before ’77.
With its column-shifted automatic, seating for six, flashy red paint, black top, and two-tone interior, this would have been one super-sharp ride in its day. Unlike ’60s color schemes like Turquoise paint with Turquoise interior, this combination pops as much today as during the Johnson era. Be sure to check out the pictures showing the extensive rust damage. Make no mistake; restoring this car is not a task for the meek or anyone who counts labor hours when deciding if their sale netted a profit.
A 1968 383 four-barrel “with original HP exhaust manifolds” has replaced the original 440. Either would make a fine mill for this convertible muscle-cruiser. Power steering and manual brakes seems like an odd combination but my ’66 Coronet stopped fine with its manual drums as long as I kept them adjusted, and the lack of a numbing vacuum booster meant I could actually feel the lock-up threshold. Do you think bidding will reach $7500?
Since a lot of the sheet metal has to be replaced anyway, I think I’d reinstall Dodge Charger panels and build a Charger convertible just to be different. I’ve seen one done that way using a Road Runner convertible donor and I really liked it. Then you could sell off the Coronet parts to help bring down the cost of the project.
You must be Smoking DOPE Dude, that’s an extremely RARE Car and needs to be restored to OEM condition.
I don’t smoke dope, and I’ll thank you to honor the rules of this board and stop making personal attacks on people. If this was my car I would do with it as I see fit and it’s none of your business what ever that may be. This car is missing it’s original motor and is very rusty. It will never be a legitimate high dollar car again. The most it will ever be is a pieced together want-to-be so why not do something fun with it?
When you say rare, are you referring to its structural disappearing act? Or that it was left on the bbq and its cooked. If it’s rotten like the pictures show there would be no point buying a 68 4dr deluxe car for parts as the seller mentioned. Basically a otder one of everthing. Motor not running, original rad wired in place ar the neck. All I see is plasma cutting the rear 4 inches off for a wall hanger in the man cave. But not at that price.
I see both sides of this, but I’m leaning toward jw454, unless it’s maybe ‘1 of 8″ or something. How many OEM perfect specimens are enough? Two? Ten? 100? At some point you have to say “OK, there are enough perfect ones out there that I’d rather see an interesting One of None. As long as a museum has as awesome original somewhere I’d say “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” Just my opinion, though. All respectfully rendered opinions are welcome here!
Nice thing about this hobby or business, you can do whatever your imagination and wallet can take you to. Change it up to something else, restore it to factory specs, or turn it into a 4×4 !! I’d go for factory specs if it was me, but that’s just how I roll. Although I’m more a 60’s GM guy, I’ve always loved the Coronets. In 1980, when I was 12, my grandparents gave me a gift certificate to a bookstore (exciting for a 12 y/o 😝). I went there, and with a lot of digging I found an encyclopedia of cars of the world (American, European, Asian, and all) from the very beginning thru 1975. Bio’s, pictures, differences in model years, and estimated values. For a young car nut, it was the find of a lifetime! Anyway, that’s when I first saw the Coronets, and have wanted one ever since. Would love to see what ends up happening to this one!
Agreed. I am building a Charger convertible – found a trashed Vert Satellite and installed it in the Charger – If I did it again, I’d find a vert and install all the Charger stuff on it.
This would tempt me if it were local
Am I missing something? $7500 for a rusted out Dodge R/T convertible with a bench seat, column-shifted Torqueflite and non-original engine?
I agree that it is a rarity in the 21st Century, but will the cost of restoration (including finding the correct 440, say, Magnum 500 wheels, etc.) cover its market value? I have my doubts, but am happy to be corrected on this.
Tough call. Restored this is a 50k ride, at least, even lacking the original motor – though you’d want to lose the 383 and put a period-correct 440 back in it. This isn’t a Super Bee, LOL! It needs its 440 back ASAP.
If you needed a shop that’s reputable and good to do all the work, I suspect you’d end up upside down, even in today’s insane market. And I’ve said many x on here that I don’t expect current muscle car prices to hold due to Boomers dying off and a lack of appreciation of these cars by younger generations (we could never afford them!). So i think that’d be a bad investment.
But…if you could do the work yourself and knew how to weld, it might make sense, depending on how rusty she is underneath.
For the absolute life of me I cannot understand why someone would put this in a barn and leave it to rot. I’m not a convertible guy but that 440 with the top down must sound absolutely awesome. I’d have put a couple thousand miles on it just driving through parking garages alone.
Haha. Don’t forget driving topless with that big block in tunnels.
I liked running my GTX convertible through an underpass on hot August nights to feel the heat of the exhaust and listen to the rumble. Let me join the chorus regretting the day I sold it.
I’m more into things like Euro market hot hatches but yeah, I see the appeal there. Nothing in the world like the sound, smell and heat of a big block carbed V-8. Especially when coupled with a low, wide mid-century car. Absolute awesomness!
To answer your first comment, Superdessucke, by 1977, the Dodge would have been considered a clapped-out, pretty much worthless old pile of junk – most muscle cars had a similar fate of being abused by a series of owners.
40 years ago, it was possible to buy something like the R/T convert – as a runner – for only a few hundred bucks, with a tidy example, maybe up to $1000-1500, depending on model and condition. At least we could in SoCal.
Don’t forget the gas crisis which left these cars with nobody to take care of them.
Power steering and manual drum brakes were pretty common during that era. I too had a 68 Dodge Coronet 4 door. I remember It had that exact same master cylinder too.
since i skipped all the comments, and went right to your question before i forget. the Bs taillights are cooler . less cabobulated? more to the point. it’s a damn taillight? owned a 70B maybe i’m biased. now i’ll go back and read the rest.
It’s funny the options we take for granted nowadays. AC, PS, PB, killer stereos, we’ve grown accustomed to having things like this even in modern base cars and trucks. Even automatics with overdrive, imagine a new car with 3 on the tree as standard, say what on who’s tree??
Like the ’68 RT here, not a convertible fan but it’s still a muscle machine. 383 is gonna need some help to really get this thing moving, not a bad engine but this is kind of a big car, needs cubic inches to be right.
Glad it’s back out and on the market….not a bad price for a rare mopar convert in this condition.
I think I’d rather have the 429 Tbird listed ^^^ up there
Oh H*LL NAW! (Again) What’s up with all these rust bucket Mopars?! JUNK!
There’s Keith. Mopars + rust= Keith comment
Oh Snap! you got my number…..LOL!
Agreed. I am building a Charger convertible – found a trashed Vert Satellite and installed it in the Charger – If I did it again, I’d find a vert and install all the Charger stuff on it.
You’d have to brace the hell out of this body to keep it straight before you did anything else. I’m in the don’t really like rag top crowd and you look at this car ( or lack of car ) you can see why. I’ve said this before cars are money Pitts and rarely a good investment. This hobby is supposed to be about enjoying your vintage car. There are still a few of us out there that get our enjoyment on the build more so then the drive and never really finish working on our cars. This car needs to much for my liking and for that reason I would never buy it. My car needed a bunch of fab work but no where near what this needs. I wouldn’t pay any more than $4k and even then I’d be questioning my sanity. I give it no more then 10 years and the clean up will really be underway and all these rust buckets will just get crushed.
Keith and crazyhawk …barn finds would be no fun without you guys…I’ve never owned a mopar..but I’ve nearly shat myself riding in one.