Older Restoration: 1957 Dodge Coronet Royal
Finding a slightly older restoration that is in good condition is always a plus, because if the restoration has held up to that point, then it’s usually a pretty safe bet that the work has been done well. The owner has undertaken several restorations during his lifetime, but has decided to downsize his collection as he has gotten older. For the more technically minded, this is not an accurate restoration, as the trim has been upgraded from the standard Coronet trim (which is what this car is) to the higher-spec Royal trim. If this is a car that appeals to you, then you will find it located in Bountiful, Utah. It is listed for sale here on eBay and is being sold with a clear title. Barn Finder Ikey H spotted this one for us, so thank you for that Ikey, and keep them coming.
The Coronet definitely presents well. The only obvious signs of any real restoration work is a patch in the floor on the driver’s side. The trunk floor has been replaced, as has the quarter panel on the driver’s side. The lower quarter of the passenger side has been professionally repaired. Most of the external chrome and trim has either been replaced with NOS parts, or they have been replated. The car has also been fitted with a NOS windshield. The owner says that the car needs a polish and detail, but I think that it still looks good as it is.
The interior has been the beneficiary of the restoration treatment, and it generally looks pretty good. The seats, door trims, kick panels, and dash have all been restored. The original radio is hanging loose in the dash, but that has been rectified since this photo was taken. The headliner is sagging a bit, but that should be a fairly easy fix. I also noticed that the carpet is not a great fit, but this might just need a bit of moving and tweaking to get it right. There are also some wires hanging down under the dash, but that won’t be a problem. I like the fact that the owner was patient enough to wait for the correct upholstery material for the interior restoration, rather than going with something that was just close to right. That’s an indication of someone who cares about his restoration.
The Coronet still has its original 325ci V8 engine, but it has been fitted with a new TorqueFlite transmission. As part of the restoration process, the engine was rebuilt a few years ago. The owner says that he has experienced some issues with the carburetor recently, but he has now installed a new carburetor. The suspension has all been rebuilt, and the entire braking system has been replaced. As part of this process, the car now sports front disc brakes.
Bidding for this Dodge Coronet has been solid, but not spectacular. It is a nice car, and it looks like it might be the sort of car that you could climb into and drive a fair distance with some confidence. The restoration work on the car generally looks to be of quite good quality, but there are a few detail items required to really make it stand out. With bidding currently sitting at $10,655, it will be interesting to see how high it goes, especially since it is my favorite type of auction. There’s No Reserve on this one.
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Comments
As has been mentioned here recently, it’s interesting to see how Chrysler’s ’57 models were truly heads-and-tails above GM and Ford. GM would take another 2 years to come up with a similarly long/low design with their ’59 offerings, which are great. I love the ’57-59 Fords, but they too aren’t quite as cool as this car.
More splendid art work by the late Virgil Exner.
My first Mopar. 57 Coronet. Traded in my 55 Chev Bel Air. Then traded 57 Dodge for a new 66 Charger. The 57 Dodge made me a Mopar guy the rest of my life. After well over 100 Mopars, am hooked on the 57-61. 66-70. Can’t stop. Pick up 61 300 convert next week.
As time goes on I come to realize that Chrysler had a wide variety of CIDs for its engines and series of engines. It seems like something new comes along all the time. I always thought that Dodge offered a 318 or the Red Ram, then the hemi above all that. But it turned out that Chrysler had its variations, DeSoto had its own variations, and so did Dodge and Plymouth. I know a guy who restored a Custom Royal convertible. It runs a hemi, and I think the guy said it was a 354. Whatever, it was a great job…
geomechs, I love the plate on that car.
this car belongs to a buddy of mine one of 2 in the whole usa.. he owns a resto shop that does 50s an 60 convertables. he does some great work. bennie buckner. he has a web site to advertize his shope. that’s bennie in this pic.the eng. is in the other
the other pic of bennie’s 57 dodge
James, how do you know there are only 2 of these cars in the whole country?
Mom had a Coronet 2-door post that was
Bronze and beige. Hers had a 325 red ram hemi and torqueflite tranny. As I
recall, it was a really nice car for a used
car. Mom paid $125 for it in ’64. Not
long after she married Dad, they traded it for a troublesome DeSoto and after that,
nothing but Cadillacs. Still like the looks
of that old Coronet.
Some floor pan repair done, trunk repair also. Headliner falling down and bows are cracked. Some gauges inop. and carpet should be replaced. Rest is pretty good.
Rust repair on floor and in trunk. Headliner is actually falling down and plastic bows are cracked. Some gauges are inoperable. Carpet needs attention. Rest is pretty good.
This would look great parked next to the 57 DeSoto we saw earlier. Fins to the left! Fins to the right!
I like it. It’s got character and doesn’t look like the current cookie-cutter cars sold today.
The lower front bumper bars are miles out of line. They don’t even fit in the openings.
Replace the blue with light green and you have my first car. It had new tires and mostly new dual exhaust. Needed a rebuilt master cylinder, a pitman arm, and a front seat cover. Sears had close out seat covers only in green.
I rebuilt the 4bbl carb, and it ran. An old German mechanic then adjusted the carb as he drove from dive bar to dive bar. It was dark, but he knew where the adjustments were by feel. I bought 2 Stroh’s in each bar. He wore lots of Aqua Velva and a purple sweater with a deer jumping over a creek. His outfit was perfect for the occasion. I miss that car more than my 1957 Chevy.
Stroh’s! I bring back multiple cases of Stroh’s when I go up north in the summer.
An old timer saw me drinking a Stroh’s in a bar about 10 years back and asked:
“You know why you don’t have to pee when you drink Stroh’s? Because they brewed the piss out of it!”.
Wonderfull car.
Good work.
Someone is going to enjoy this beauty
Engine looks to be a later model B or RB engine not the 325 Poly.
This car set the standard for lower , longer, wider, where you have to lift yourself up to get out
Well now we are going the other way
Not many people want a sedan anymore because they want to sit up high and step out of a car
K T Keller said ” we make cars to sit in ,not pee over ”
There’s looked so modern next to a 57 Chevy
I would have a hard time choosing between Desoto, Chrysler ,dodge and Plymouth also Imperial
While the seller’s writeup correctly identifies the car as a Royal, somehow the listing identifies the car as a Cornet Royal. There’s no such thing. The car is a Royal. It is not a Coronet. Coronets were the lowest price full size Dodge cars in 1957. Royals were the mid level car and Custom Royals were the highline cars. The 325-4V engine was an optional upgrade as was the cast iron A466 Torqueflite. Too bad when the brake upgrade was done, a power booster wasn’t installed. Let’s take a leap of faith and hope that it has power steering. Being a hardtop, the car is also a Lancer, in this case a Royal Lancer. Currently sitting at $11511 this car is still bargain priced.
And there ya go……who’s Christmas tree will this be sitting under ? Miss my 1959 hardtop mopar….
I absolutely love the color combination of this car! I wish I had the cash and the garage space for it! From the owner’s description it sounds like he has done a very loving restoration job with this car. You can tell he’s not real happy about parting with it, but as he stated in the ad, things change. I hope whoever winds up with this car will continue to baby it and take it to shows so that everyone can enjoy it.
These are so cool. I’d take This over a tri-five any day if given some cash and a choice.
Hey Rex! Do you recall brands like Fallstaff, Hamms, Blatz, and Schlitz?
Tried Stroh’s once and didn’t care for it.
So many brands of beer vying for your
attention back then. Ah, to be a young
man again!!
I wish I still had mine. I was a junior in H/S, and I thought it was one of the nicest cars in the parking lot. Mine was a 4 door, metallic black & creme. The factory tube radio worked perfectly, and the 2 antennae on the back, plus 1 one on the passenger fender provided incredible reception. Would bury the speedo. Hey, when you’re 17, you’re invincible ! Good thing the Good Lord was watching over me.