Mopar Muscle: 1969 Dodge Coronet R/T Project
The 1969 Dodge Coronet is my favorite car of all time, and the performance models are some of the more unsung muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s. A sister car to the Plymouth Road Runner and the Dodge Charger (yes, they are the same platform!), the Coronet was a platform capable of many things. Some came equipped for daily use, while models like this R/T and the Super Bee could be had with various performance options including a Six Pack! Although the Charger holds more value nowadays, Coronets and Chargers could be equipped very similarly when they were new. Although this R/T is rusty, I have seen much, much worse. Find it here on eBay in Kentucky with no reserve and bidding at $2,850. Thanks to Jamie for the tip!
The interior of this car is very rough, but mostly complete including the original 150 MPH speedometer. As rusty as other ares of the car are, the seller claims the floor is solid metal and from the pictures that appears to be accurate. The floor is a common rust area in B-bodies, and entire pans can be had from various sheet metal suppliers. The seats are clearly in need of repair, but the basic structure appears intact enough to be recovered.
Though this was originally a 440HP equipped car, the original engine is long gone and the car is being sold without one. An upside to the engine being removed is engine bay visibility. Why does it matter? Because these cars rust everywhere, and with the engine removed many of the common areas can be easily seen. It looks like the front subframe rails are intact, as well as the fender aprons, but it is hard to tell for sure from the pictures. The only non-visible place of concern would be behind the batter tray, as the fender aprons tend to rust from corrosion over time.
This car will need quarters and a trunk pan at the least, but much like the floor pans (which this car does not need) these pieces can be easily sourced from a variety of manufacturers with Auto Metal Direct being the primary supplier. While these cars cost as much to restore as contemporary Chargers, they don’t generally hold the same restored value. Nonetheless, if the new owner gets into this car for the right price, it will surely be a worthwhile project for a car that stands out in a crowd!
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Comments
The good thing about this car is that you can buy most of what you need from catalogs.
There is no challenge here at all, other than doing the work.
@Miguel. Just like the so called restoring of a Ford A!
Andy Kuhn , my very first gear head buddy , bumper pulled w/chain a 100 miles home a 1968 Cornet R/T . Andy’s 68 was clean , clean , clean with the remains of its original 383 blown to pieces sitting in its place . He junked that 383 an in its place went a fresh 400 hp 440 6-pack backed up by a four gear . Andy attributed the cleanliness to the factory colors of green over green . Best 100 dollar salvage yard save I have ever been a part of .
Great story! Not to quibble but an R/T wouldn’t have had a 383 from the factory. The 440 Magnum was standard, just like with the GTX. The 383 was standard in the Super Bee/Road Runner.
This was my 68 R/T….sold it to buy my airplane in 2001. Never thought I’d miss it as much as I do. All she lacked was paint for being restored and was a factory air car. Lighting up the tires sure brought a smile to my face.
The other R/T I owned about the same time….A 67.
That car in Mexico has the Charger flip around headlights. It is a cool look on that car.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda…..
I’d rather do my flying in one of these Steve.
This is the one I fly….
And this is the one I’m putting back in the air….1943 PT-23.
Think we’ve all had stuff we wish we’de kept …but i’m digging the vintage Fairchild PT23 (cant reply on that actuall picture)
Back in the early 70’s a good friend of mine had a ’68 2dr HT Dodge Coronet 440 that was a real sleeper. The 440 referred to the trim level, not the engine. It evben had a bench seat. It had a 383 high performance engine and 4 spd trans from the factory. He won some races with it, but he kept it stock. A bonus was he had low insurance rates with it, it was listed as a 2dr dodge Coronet V8 with standard shift. His next car was a ’71 Challenger and boy did his insurance rates go up even though it had a 383 also. I have always liked the ’65-’69 Mopar intermediates of all the various flavors they had.
I wonder if it is worth it to buy this car. He wants around $3500.00 USD. It has a 318 V8 automatic with no A/C. He also redid the interior with a cheap material. He says he is the original owner which is easy enough to check with the paperwork.
Not “yes’ but “Hell, Yes!”.
Miguel, that appears too be the 500 trim level on the wagon,with the extra stainless on the side,also with the medallion in the center of the grille, on U.S. cars there was red 500 numbers,if this car was born in Mexico,it may have other insignia. Also don’t kid yourself a finely tuned 318 that is in good shape will run like Snott.
Here is the cheap looking interior.
Looks like it took a trip to TJ for the upholstery
It was done in Guadalajara. The car is still in Mexico.
Question- Why does the feature car, a 69 R/T have a regular straight dash panel and the station wagon photo that Miguel sent in(thank you) have a dash like a super bee? Anybody
I can’t speak to the car in above, but the station wagon was built in Mexico and they used what they had.
I don’t think two styles of dashes were available here.
My 69 R/T has a straight dash with the 150 speedometer.Rallye dash was an option on the coronet R/T.
Cool car and it’s optioned with TWO shifters!
Already up to 6200.00 people are nuts! LMAO
The R/T is the equivalent to the GTX,while the SuperBee/Roadrunner were optioned similar.440 was standard in the R/T likewise the GTX. But if you wanted a Hemi, they could only be ordered in the Bee and Runner.The dash in the wagon is the high option for these cars,you could have it from 68 in chargers,runners,bees and GTX’s and R/T’s much better than the horizontal speedo, the round gauge pac, included speedo,tach,clock?oil,temp,amp,fuel gauges way cooler, then the straight 150 speedo.The steering column in the R/T is not original to the car. The 68-69 R/T and Bee,are also my favorite muscle cars,while they are 1″ longer then there Plymouth brethern the rear quarters are more aggresive,and curvy and I will always have a soft spot for these cars. As for the charger of the same yrs. commanding more cabbage,I feel they are very close in price. I too had an R/T,which was a hi-optioned car with the fresh air hood,rally pac gauge,bucket seat console,floor shift auto,and with the scoops on the rear quarters,triple black with a white tail stripe.I traded my 73 FLH,and I got cash,a 70 torino G.T. and the R/T. The thought of selling the R/T,haunts me to this day.
Thanks for the information about the dash panel and more. In my a lot younger days, about 1978 or 79 I was offered to buy a 1969 GTX and it was a 426 Hemi, 4- speed, medium brown, black cloth top and black inside. I had my pick of that car or a 1957 Chevy two door h/t or a 1955 Chevy two door H/T. All in show room condition, 2500.00 each, take one or take all.
Somebody needs to invent the time machine so we can go back and rectify our mistakes, with what we know now.
So, what did you do? Don’t leave us hanging like this! I would have to go with the Hemi.
Lots of good information here in the comments! I’ve owned a 1969 Coronet since 2003 (I’m 22, you do the math on that one) and I doubt I could ever love a car more. Miguel, I feel the same way about the time machine! A friend (also my age) is living our dream. His dad was smart enough to buy up all the cool looking old Mopars he could back in the 1980s (including a 440 4-speed Charger Daytona) for pennies!
Hey Glen, At that time I was making about 140.00 per week. I paid 100.00 a month rent plus heat, elect., telephone. I did not buy any of them( with regret) I stayed with my 1969 Camaro that I gave 400.00 for. I had that car for 9 years.