Finding stalled project cars for sale is not that unusual, and people will purchase these with a view to finishing what someone else has started. Sometimes this happens, while sometimes it doesn’t. The latter seems to be the case with this 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440, and after sitting around waiting to be returned to its former glory, the time has come for it to head off to a new home. It is located in Lapaz, Indiana, and is listed for sale here on eBay. With bidding now sitting at $9,300, the reserve has been met. The Charger looks set to head off to a new home where, hopefully, it will get the restoration that it so richly deserves.
It appears that the previous owner commenced the restoration process by stripping the car of all of its original Silver Poly paint, and that’s about as far as it has gone. As well as a healthy coating of surface corrosion, there are some significant rust issues to be addressed with the Charger. Both quarter panels are pretty bad, and it looks like the trunk floor might well be in the same boat. It also looks like at least some of the floors will require replacement, but while there is a very obvious coating of surface corrosion under the car, it does look as though it is structurally sound.
Most of the black interior components are present, but like so much of the car, it will need a complete restoration. Everything is showing the sort of deterioration that you would come to expect from a 51-year-old car that hasn’t been meticulously maintained, so there is going to be some work here. The dash, gauge cluster, center console, and wheel all look like they would restore okay. The car will definitely require new covers on the seats, new carpet, and new upholstery on the door trims. So, there’s a bit to do there.
The Charger is not a numbers-matching car, but it is fitted with a 440ci V8 and automatic transmission. Everything looks to be present, and the owner does say that the Charger ran when it was parked. The fact that it was parked 13-years-ago suggests that it will probably need at least a fuel system flush before it kicks back into life, but given the amount of work that is required on the rest of the car, it would be a nice bonus if it could be fired up fairly easily.
I know that we have readers who are hesitant to purchase half-finished projects, and I fully understand this. They can become disheartening quite quickly, and I suspect that this might at least partially account for why the owner purchased this Charger as it sits 13-years-ago, and the project hasn’t moved forwards since. It isn’t the worst Charger that we’ve ever seen by any stretch of the imagination, and while it might not be an easy project, at least the next owner can see precisely what they are getting themselves in for.
A 68 charger is a cool car but it is an expensive car to restore.
At least the reserve was met and it’s not another $20,000 shell!! Great car when done but this one is in need of a tremendous amount of work!! Be prepared to weld some panels rebuilt the motor and go over the entire rest of the car!!
As has been said, this will take a lot of work to get it into shape. Whether it’s worth the money it depending on the desire of the purchaser. Personally I think this one will be under water almost immediately on this one.
“Everything is showing the sort of deterioration that you would come to expect from a 51-year-old car that hasn’t been meticulously maintained…”.
Understatement of the year. It hasn’t been maintained at all. It’s like a corpse in the bone field, maintained by the coroner to watch how it decays.
If you are going to take on someone else’s project, this would seem to be the best kind, with very little work accomplished. Much easier than say, a half finished car that turns out to have been done poorly. Then you have to check and possibly repeat all the prior work.
I like the tail light design on this year model and the small side markers on the fenders and quarters. Small and subtle.
If this car was a low mileage, original thru & thru I can see it bringing big money, but the 440 title with a non matching number car with the correct parts that came with the car as built new should also bring in high numbers. Sometimes people buy cars for their title and complete another that may be a better prospect to complete. A good paper trail may be in order, by keeping both titles and passed on to the future owners. Only my opinion to cut down on fraud.