79 T Top Cordoba WIW

OK - another WIW question. My friend has a 79 Cordoba, 360, 904, T Tops, generally loaded, decent interior. If it had a gas tank it would run. Rust issues in the quarters. My friend is jobless, way behind on child support, but as a friend, don't want to low ball him either. Any ideas an worth? I know; I know; thread is worthless with pictures. Forgot to take any - too busy taking pics of his other stuff I'm trying to help him sell.

1000 to 1500 bux. Maybe more if the rust isnt too bad and/or you guys can get it running. These cars are barely worth scrap value in non-running condition, hate to say. I bought my 76, running, but without T-tops or rust for $700. $50 or a hundred bux now to make it purr will translate to a couple extra hundo in yor friend's pocket. Even rigging-up a gas can so a prospective buyer can HEAR it run is better than just taking the seller's word for it, no matter how honest WE all know you are.
Good luck with the sale, if "luck" is the right word...having to sell stuff sucks big-time.


I just reread your original post and caught on that YOU are the prospective buyer. Duh, okay, now I get it. It doesn't really change anything value-wise, just the marketing strategy.

I had a chance to take a closer look at the 79 Cordoba my friend has but forgot to take any pictures :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: .

The bad - Looks like it will need some rust repair on the driver's quarter, some on the doors, back by the bumper, starting to rust under the half vinyl top (pulled quite a bit of material off the driver's side). The filler the factory used between the roof and upper quarter panel on the driver's side is really starting to crack; wasn't able to check the passenger side. No gas tank.

The good - factory T Top car, leather interior in decent shape (not ripped up), factory 360 4 barrel that my friend said runs and darn good at that. My friend stated he wouldn't want to see it parted out but go to someone who would fix it right. He mentioned in passing he'd take $500 for it if it were offered. I almost did offer it but couldn't quite pull the trigger (yet). Of course my wife would have a really big cow if I did buy it since I have the 3 A Bodies in my signature to finish and not a lot of room left in the yard. Not really asking for opinions, but if anyone wants to offer any pro or con, I'd listen.

unfortunately, they are barely worth scrap prices as jonnyuma mentioned. i have a buddy that has a mess of cordobas with big blocks, buckets ,consoles, yadda yadda and he wouldnt try to get anyMORE that 6-800 for a running one. they have no real collectable value right now. i paid 500 bucks for my 77 charger SE, buckets,console, running and driving, 2 years ago. i see cordobas for sale a lot, and unless it is a garage kept 20,000 mile, original car , there is really no market for them. there is really no demand for parts either.someday though, they may gain value, but that remains to be seen.

I bought mine as an engine/trans donor for my Ramcharger. The R/C got sold off with the engine out of it and the Cordoba's engine about an hour's worth of work away from being pulled. I decided to put the 'doba back together and just drive/tinker with it.
They're a relatively cheap way to get into an older car, if you like that kind of thing. Some people dont, but they're reading recipes or watching Ellen Degeneres or whatever. They dont cost any LESS to repair, maintain and restore, and for the forseeable future, have no resale value.
Driver: yes
Conversation starter: yes
Collectable: not so much
Investment grade: D

i like your grading (or degrading) curve lmao

unfortunately, they are barely worth scrap prices as jonnyuma mentioned. i have a buddy that has a mess of cordobas with big blocks, buckets ,consoles, yadda yadda and he wouldnt try to get anyMORE that 6-800 for a running one. they have no real collectable value right now. i paid 500 bucks for my 77 charger SE, buckets,console, running and driving, 2 years ago. i see cordobas for sale a lot, and unless it is a garage kept 20,000 mile, original car , there is really no market for them. there is really no demand for parts either.someday though, they may gain value, but that remains to be seen.

What would a low milage garage kept car be worth,

i like your grading (or degrading) curve lmao
It's definitely graded on a curve. Rusty imports and minivans keep them from getting an F.

What would a low milage garage kept car be worth,
i would say 3-5k. but that is also depending on what someone is willing to pay for one. i saw a 30,000 mile garage kept 78 t top doba that someone was trying to get 12k for, but i dont know if it ever sold.on the other end of the spectrum, i have also seen low mileage original dobas and magnums in the 2500 dolar range.the majority of these cars for sale, and i have seen a number of them,end up in 1000 to 2500 dollar range , but these are well used and would need work to get them in a "driver" condition.the right buyer and dollar figure, and you could make a little money, but i just havent seen any kind of real demand for them.

I had a chance to take a closer look at the 79 Cordoba my friend has but forgot to take any pictures :BangHead: :BangHead: :BangHead: .

The bad - Looks like it will need some rust repair on the driver's quarter, some on the doors, back by the bumper, starting to rust under the half vinyl top (pulled quite a bit of material off the driver's side). The filler the factory used between the roof and upper quarter panel on the driver's side is really starting to crack; wasn't able to check the passenger side. No gas tank.

The good - factory T Top car, leather interior in decent shape (not ripped up), factory 360 4 barrel that my friend said runs and darn good at that. My friend stated he wouldn't want to see it parted out but go to someone who would fix it right. He mentioned in passing he'd take $500 for it if it were offered. I almost did offer it but couldn't quite pull the trigger (yet). Of course my wife would have a really big cow if I did buy it since I have the 3 A Bodies in my signature to finish and not a lot of room left in the yard. Not really asking for opinions, but if anyone wants to offer any pro or con, I'd listen.

With all you have listed as good and bad the car is well worth the $500 he would take. The parts alone are worth well more than that. I would love to have a 79 t-top to put a new Hemi in and make look like the 300 but in black. It's a shame the situation your friend is in and hope things improve. I also wish I could finish some of my current projects so I could get something like that to start another one.

I don't know why people say the Cordoba isn't a collectable. I honestly see more Chargers, Cudas ect driving around than Cordoba's. I almost never see Cordoba's (Most have probably fallen apart LOL)) And to see one in great shape is even more rare. Or maybe I just don't know what collectable means haha.

Oh they are a collectible car just not a highly desirable one. Kind of like an AMC Pacer.

Definitely worth the $500. What color is interior/exterior? Cordobas are definitely cool cars, but won't be as popular as the earlier Mopars. Granted the t-tops definitely add to the appeal of some.

Definitely worth the $500. What color is interior/exterior? Cordobas are definitely cool cars, but won't be as popular as the earlier Mopars. Granted the t-tops definitely add to the appeal of some.

Interior is beige/tan leather (it's definitely not a vinyl interior) with a white exterior. I keep thinking about it since it does have the T-Tops. I guess it would be easier to ask forgiveness from the wife than ask for permission!

With the t-tops it would be a fun spring/summer cruiser. Just avoid spending very much money on it and you can probably re-sell it and not lose much. A gas tank, tune-up, and some cleaning ought to do it.Maybe a little rust converter to try to arrest the body rot. If you give $500 for it and the wife objects (I mean like, REALLY objects. Not just the normal amount that we're all accustomed to), it should be easy enough to resell at that price. You might even make enough to take said wife to dinner and a movie, soften her up a little for the next one.

Hadn't thought about it until now but the gas tank may be hard to find!!! They are different for 79 and a 78 will not fit. They also are not reproduced at this time. That would be the only major problem. For 500 it's WELL worrth it.

That's true. I just did a quick search and got nothing. Junkyard time!

What is different from a 78 to 79 with the gas tank. I bought a complete 78 400 Doba last feb, all the body is perfect except the rust under the trunk lid, for 600 and its a really straight body car. I noticed the hood supports were different but looks to have the same hinge mounts but it uses the rods to hold it up. I just assumed that most of the parts would cross over if needed.

the 75-77 hoods use a torsion bar/hinge type and no helper spring at the latch support. when i painted, i took the bars off just because they work like crap and kept hanging up even with new grommets. i took the spring type off of a 79 and with a little cutting on the leading edge of the hinge and adding a spring on the latch support , i was able to make them work. and it looks so much better.im sure the tanks all interchange. the filler neck did not change locations nor did anything else underneath.

Hadn't thought about it until now but the gas tank may be hard to find!!! They are different for 79 and a 78 will not fit. They also are not reproduced at this time. That would be the only major problem. For 500 it's WELL worrth it.

That's true. I just did a quick search and got nothing. Junkyard time!

Can you school me on what the difference is? Thanks in advance!

78 was an oddball transition year. Cordobas got a facelift with rectangular headlights, wrap-around turn signals yada yada yada. Chargers retained the round headlights and previous year's styling. Plus, they threw the Magnum into the mix.
I'm not enough of an aficianado to know the differences year to year beneath the skin. To be honest, until I did the gas tank search the other day, I would have assumed they were all more or less interchangable throughout the whole 75-79 run.
Anybody have a couple of gas tanks they could compare? Say, one from 79 and one from earlier? My guess would be that the difference(es) are minimal and have to do with emissions weirdness that can be fairly easily worked around.

If you look in the trunk of the 79 you may notice that the trunk pan is the same height from side to side. If you look at the 75-78 you will notice a bump up in the pan. You can see this in the new Quanta tanks: http://www.gastanks.com/images/CR21AL.jpg
They say 76 was the cut off and some will say you need a special tank to run duel exhaust. That isn't true as you can move the tank over slightly and get enough clearance. As for the size the older tank had around a 25 gal capacity as the 79 tank has around a 21 gal capacity.

Yeah, my 76 has the hump or bump in the floor and a corresponding hump/bump on top of the tank. Moving the tank over gets a little bit challenging when it comes to the filler tube...its centered on the body, behind the lic. plate, but its offset on the tank itself. None of that really matters though because the problem is getting it to line up once its been moved. You can still run duals if you want to, just run em under the "frame" rails or dump em out either the sides or in front of the axle. The second way, in front of the axle, gives the benefit of blowing debris out from in front of your rear tires if you should ever be inclined to take it to the track.

so even with the "bump in the trunk" (of which my 77 has) you could physically use any tank in any 75-79 but you cannot use a 78 or 79 tank in any 75-77 ? am i correct in saying this.

so even with the "bump in the trunk" (of which my 77 has) you could physically use any tank in any 75-79 but you cannot use a 78 or 79 tank in any 75-77 ? am i correct in saying this.

The bump prevents you from using the tank in the 79 as it gets in the way of pulling up flush with the bottom of the car. The 79 tank without the bump I would guess could fit all years. The problem with using a 79 tank in another year is finding a good used one.

my tank was so rusted out that i just went with a 15 gallon fuel cell. i have access to them but they are in a yard and the chances of getting a good one were slim , so i said screw it and went with a cell.

For anyone following this thread, I've decided to pass on my friend's T Top Doba - don't need another project, it needs too much to get it presentable and I'd hate to buy it and then part it out and tick my friend off to no end.

For anyone following this thread, I've decided to pass on my friend's T Top Doba - don't need another project, it needs too much to get it presentable and I'd hate to buy it and then part it out and tick my friend off to no end.

where the car located at

You thinkin about buying it, PWB? I don't know if 65Dartman will be back here, but you can probably find him at FABO, I think he's an A body guy. His avatar says Strasburg, VA, that's not too far from you, is it? $500 would have me tempted for sure if I wasn't at the opposite end of the continent.

You thinkin about buying it, PWB? I don't know if 65Dartman will be back here,

Yep still hanging around :hello2:
but you can probably find him at FABO, I think he's an A body guy.

Yep mostly a A Body guy, but if the "right" B Body came around I'd be on it like stink on you know what!

His avatar says Strasburg, VA, that's not too far from you, is it? $500 would have me tempted for sure if I wasn't at the opposite end of the continent.

Strasburg is about 20 miles south of Winchester down I81. The Doba is located about 35 miles from me.

Yep still hanging around :hello2:


Yep mostly a A Body guy, but if the "right" B Body came around I'd be on it like stink on you know what!



Strasburg is about 20 miles south of Winchester down I81. The Doba is located about 35 miles from me.

i might be interested in it my daughter boyfriend works in va might see if he can stop and look at it for me