So everybody knows a guy who knows people and if your looking for something he either knows where to get one or will find it for you. I asked him to look around for a decent car thats in god shape is older and dirt cheap. He got back to me saying he found a 1966 Dodge Coronet with 75,000 original miles. It's got a 225 slant six. It is a four door which im not to fond of but i said im interested and i will look at it. Right now it is, and has been sitting in a corn crib out in the middle of know where Iowa. As it sits The guy wants $350 for it. It was out and running two years ago when another kid was gonna buy it but that fell through.

So my questions are would you buy it? Besides all the fluids being replaced, new filters, valve adjustments, getting the timing right what else am i going to have to do? The body isn't perfect, but its not too bad. The interior is totally shot and needs redone as you would expect from a car in a corn crib with all the critters.

Im not scared to pull it apart and fix it. I have six months till im sixteen and i can drive it. So i want to get a good idea of what im gonna need to get done and pay for because i plan on making it my daily driver.

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six in a row makes it go

Not knowing you personally my first thought was "hhhhhooooo boy, what a project"

But changed my mind due to YOUR first stated facts.

I am thinking that MAYBE you can get it in drivers status in 6 months if there isnt anything MAJOR wrong with it. First question I think needs answering is WHY the car ended up setting where it is, and why no-one else wanted to drive/mess with/work on/etc the car to start with. Most dont just stash a car because. If you are satisfied with that story and are ready to try and make it ready for your DD just keep in mind not EVERYTHING that needs to be, you want to do will be done in just 6 months without a ton of time and or money. If you still purchase it be prepared for the it wont ______ or the I cant find _______ things that will come along. That said the price is NOT bad, its good actually (without pics just guessing from what YOU have stated) and maybe with the things you mentioned COULD be a good fun car to drive/wrench on as time and money allows. But be prepared for the fill in the blanks also...
HTH
M2C
JMHO

WELCOME to the forum, and we are here for the questions that will arise.


MRO

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MRO....

Cheap, Fast, Reliable.... Pick 2...

Why it was parked was because there was no one who had any desire to do anything with the car. It wasn't special to anyone. People here tend to keep things for no reason. There was a place for it so put it there and leave it.

Between me and my dad asking questions and looking at it it seemed to be totally intact. Wires weren't chewed up and actually looked newer. Could use rear quarters and the passenger side front quarter since its pushed in. As i said before The interior needs redone bad. Other than cosmetically it is a solid car.

Oh and you said usually people dont just park a car and leave it for no reason... Thats what my grandpa did with his 1969 chevy nova SS. Front suspension needed redone (which he has the parts for) and the clutch was going bad. So to this day almost 20 years since it was parked it is still rotting away because he wont let anyone touch it.

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six in a row makes it go

I would go for it. If it is mostly solid with the rust in easy to repair places, I would definitely grab it for a first car/project car. Interiors are actually pretty easy to do if you aren't worried about a factory look restoration. Front eats from other cars can be installed and the rear bench seat can easily be recovered with a slip cover or new upholstery. Flat door panels are easy as pie to make out of hardboard/Masonite and fabric.

I would grab it, get all the mechanical systems cleaned up and upgraded (at least upgrade to a dual chamber brake master cylinder), then fix the body and have fun with the interior.

I like four doors and I like wagons even more. Four doors are much more practical and can carry more people. Plus, it is much easier to get in and out of a four door car. A 66 Coronet sedan that still has its original 225 is a rare vehicle these days. Most of those were butchered to either swap in a v-8 or cut p as parts for two doors.

Pictures would help us help you (plus we just like looking at pictures of old mopars).

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Well i wont be able to get pictures of it until i get it. As of now between my sisters car thats not being used and the trailer in my driveway there is no room for it and my uncle doesn't want it at his shop so ill try and get pictures as soon as posible. i'll be getting it sometime after christmas. I cant wait to get this car. Should be fun.

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six in a row makes it go

It should be fun. My first car was a $250 78 Chevy Malibu station wagon I bought. The floor was rusted out and the carpet was bruning on the catalytic converter. The only reason the car didn't go up in flames is because the carpet was always wet from driving over puddles. My second car was a 1978 Plymouth Volare station wagon that I bought from a friend for $200. It had been sitting beside his parent's house for two years and was covered in moss, had one functioning brake, but ran great. That Volare was a blast. I still miss it.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

So a couple of things you would want to check:

- Bring an ice pick and check the rear torsion bar mounts. Also check the unibody rails where they go up and over the front and rear wheels. This may not be an issue where you live, but it is a common problem in many parts of the country.

- Will the engine turn? A "frozen" engine will very likely cost much more to get running.

- Pull the transmission dipstick. Does the fluid smell burned?

- Is the paperwork there? Can you get a clear title? Do you need one in your state?

Lastly... 4 doors are great cars, and generally much more affordable. That said, they tend to hit a value ceiling pretty quickly. You can put $1000 into it, and have a $1500 car. You can also put $3000 into it, and have a $1500 car. Nothing wrong with building a 4 door, just be aware that resale value isn't spectacular.

- Mac

I'd check it out and see what works and is still there....I usually take a spare battery and a gallon of gas with 2' of hose to run the engine off of if it gets that far.

Personally, that car if white would scream to be a governement car, or a cop car repop...

Good Hunting.

-D.Idiot

[img]<a%20href="http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r248/thebankerstoy/Cool%20pictures%20of%20Mopar%20cars%20and%20trucks/?action=view&current=1966CoronetPolicecar1-passengerfrontsideview.jpg"%20target="_blank"><img%20src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r248/thebankerstoy/Cool%20pictures%20of%20Mopar%20cars%20and%20trucks/1966CoronetPolicecar1-passengerfrontsideview.jpg"%20border="0"%20alt="1966%20Coronet%20Police%20car"></a>[/img]

Like every body else said-check it out. I got a 83 d150 for free.Southwest truck with absolutely no rust-paint-glass- seat- rear end or springs,but the fact is there is something to work from.$5000 and still counting-still need to do the engine and replace a worn out a 833 - But a 83 d10 with a slant 6 and manual over drive are getting rare - so is the one you are looking at.Make sure the under side is not rotted away.Harder to fix but not impossible.And yes I would at least look at it to see just how bad it is.

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I may be slow,but I"m ahead of you.

And If I only knew at 16 what I know now.... By 18 I had a 70 GTX bank repo that I bought for $50, a 69 Road runner that went off road-the old man was mad-cost me $75 of the winch fee and I pulled it out of the field,my 64 Dart that the floor board rusted out and stopped driving when the clutch slipped,2 64 old jet stars, 67 impala 4 door, 69 ltd,76 fury squad, 74 monaco squad and when I was 18 bought a new 76 charger se.What might seem like nothing now later in life you will be sorry about not getting.Only point I have is get and fix-then buy a throw away to drive in winter to keep the car around.
And after getting rid of a 82 fury 20 years ago got another 84 diplomat that rust free.( not to mention the 83 d150 ) Take your time and fix that old girl up and give her a good home that she deserves for life.Drive that and you wont want anything else to take on a trip- ask anyone here - nothing drives like that old iron and we all love that slant 6.

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I may be slow,but I"m ahead of you.

Hmm sounds reason enough to quit using it as a DD. But thats just me i suppose. And yes he probably doesnt want anyone messing "with his car" as it has sentimental value to him. Now whether he sees it as what is actually happening to it is a whole nother story. (rotting away as it IS doing) MO of course your mileage may vary....

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MRO....

Cheap, Fast, Reliable.... Pick 2...

I have gone to see the car. Everything is there. The main thing thats really bad is the interior as said before its not hard to do. I'm thinking some kind of lo-profile front bucket seats in the front and just a cover in the back.

When we looked at it we looked in the wheel wells and from what we could see the frame wasn't rusted out beside sufface rust as you would suspect for it sitting there. Its been inside most of the time.

They say there is no mechanical problems wrong with it. From talking to the guy i believe him. He wasn't scared to talk about what had happened to the car. He isn't really trying to get rid of it, his son pushed him into getting rid of it. Hes fine to him if i don't buy the car.

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six in a row makes it go

I’m a little late to the discussion, but…
Expect to replace most of the brake system including soft lines just to be safe, except maybe the drums with an eye to converting to a highly recommended duel master cylinder. Making a conversion now will not cost any more except a few extra feet of brake line and a ’67 & up junction block. Brake parts are cheap, purchase only new, not rebuilt brake parts it will be worth the extra few bucks for reliability… Less than 200 bucks

Dropping & cleaning the gas tank, blowing out fuel lines, rebuilding carburetor. Less than 100 bucks

Fluid change, engine oil & filter, coolant, power steering fluid if equipped rear end, and transmission. About 100 bucks

Pay attention to condition of radiator, and heater core. Flush block, and radiator once out of car. If radiator is showing a bunch of white stuff festering, expect to replace radiator. These old units get real thin over time due to bad coolant chemistry eating the copper. Generally it is much cheaper to replace it with an aftermarket unit from radiators.com or equal than recoreing the old one.

Tune up new points, condenser, plugs, cap and wires, (less than 100 bucks), and or swap over to electronic ignition with GM HEI and never set points again. Conversion will cost about 100 to 150 bucks maybe less if you shop smart.
New tires will be needed, as anything much older than 8 years is dry rotted and unsafe. 400 buck range

Maybe some exhaust work.

Replace all front end bushings, and rear spring bushings.. 100 bucks
Probably other front worn end parts will need to be replaced as well so check it over real good following FSM instructions. Also if this is a high mileage car steering gear may need to be rebuilt, so check the output shaft for play and leaks.

I’m sure you will encounter several wiring problems including poor ground connections, bulkhead connector corrosion, and corroded fuse holders.

Now the PIA stuff, like wiper seals, heater box clean out and rebuild, and floor rot repair to get her water tight before any new carpet etc. is installed.

I suspect 1000 bucks will get this car back on the road in good safe reliable mechanical condition.

The interior parts… who knows. I never had to push a car home with a bad carpet and a hole in the front seat… LOL

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
07' 300 C AWD; Now by Fiat, the old new Chrysler LLC

I say go for it. The best part is you will "LEARN" alot. Think of it as a text book just waiting for you to open it and find what is waiting for you.
I'm 55 and still doing (and learning). This Saturday I will travel 3+ hours and pick up a 65 Coronet. Same story,Father bought the car new,after 12 years carb was giving him trouble. The son pulled the carb, took it apart and never got it back together. Father pushed it in the backyard and bought a new car thinking some day he and the boy will get her going again.35 years later, dad is dead,son is gone,sister is putting mom in a home and everything must go to sell the house.So I'll see what I get when I get there. If anything the parts can be sold for what (YOU and I) will have in these cars making 2 maybe 3 times what you paid for the whole car. Have Fun !