benlambo
Member
Hello Everyone,
This is the story of me and my 1968 Coronet 500...
I first set eyes on this copper-colored 1968 500 in 1979. A friend picked it up for $2200 and I thought it was beautiful! He drove it hard for one year, and finally ditched it, bending up the lower front suspension. He kept the drivetrain and sold it to me. By this time I had a 1967 Charger and a 1969 Charger R/T 4 speed, so I just kept the mags and buckets for a 1966 Ranchero I had, then sold it to my buddy's uncle for parts. That was in 1980, it had only seen the road for 12 years.
In 2001 I happen to be near the uncles's farm, so I pop in. There is the Coronet, stripped completely. Disgusted I put her out of my mind and leave. Finally in the fall of 2009, wanting to get behind the wheel of a B body again, I decided to have a closer look at the car. I go back and its gone. I talk to the guy and he said he moved it 8 years ago to the back quarter in the trees. I ask if its for sale. He says if I can move it I can have it. I walk almost 2 miles in the mud, with a bad back and find the Coronet in the trees. It is black with tree sap. No front suspension, no passenger door, no side windows (passenger rear was rolled down), interior completely stripped, trunk pried open, bullet holes in the driver's fender and the passenger fender beat to death. All wiring in engine bay stripped, and no tail lights. Even the driver's taillight bezel is missing. It begs me to save her, and a month later I tow her home!
Towing her home, the rear end seizes up, shreds the tire, and destroys the drivers wheelhose and trunk floor. I also lose the driveshaft in the process. I finally get home, after towing a distance of 40 miles in 3 hours. A month later I'm in a supermarket in a town an hour away and recognize a Dodge buddy of mine. I tell him of my project, and I find out he owned it in 1978. He sends me some pics from those days.
I've been collecting parts for her all winter, and a running parts car came home in May 2010. It may be a peice of crap to most people, but she is still beautiful to me after all these years. I researched the VIN and found out she was a special-order 500 made at the Lynch Road Plant, for a Canadian buyer. 318 auto, buckets, and not much more to brag about...lol.
In the process of finding the car, researching her, collecting parts and so on, I have met a lot of great people. Thank you for a great site, and giving me a chance to share my story.
If there are other members from the prarie provinces, feel free to contact me.
Ben
This is the story of me and my 1968 Coronet 500...
I first set eyes on this copper-colored 1968 500 in 1979. A friend picked it up for $2200 and I thought it was beautiful! He drove it hard for one year, and finally ditched it, bending up the lower front suspension. He kept the drivetrain and sold it to me. By this time I had a 1967 Charger and a 1969 Charger R/T 4 speed, so I just kept the mags and buckets for a 1966 Ranchero I had, then sold it to my buddy's uncle for parts. That was in 1980, it had only seen the road for 12 years.
In 2001 I happen to be near the uncles's farm, so I pop in. There is the Coronet, stripped completely. Disgusted I put her out of my mind and leave. Finally in the fall of 2009, wanting to get behind the wheel of a B body again, I decided to have a closer look at the car. I go back and its gone. I talk to the guy and he said he moved it 8 years ago to the back quarter in the trees. I ask if its for sale. He says if I can move it I can have it. I walk almost 2 miles in the mud, with a bad back and find the Coronet in the trees. It is black with tree sap. No front suspension, no passenger door, no side windows (passenger rear was rolled down), interior completely stripped, trunk pried open, bullet holes in the driver's fender and the passenger fender beat to death. All wiring in engine bay stripped, and no tail lights. Even the driver's taillight bezel is missing. It begs me to save her, and a month later I tow her home!
Towing her home, the rear end seizes up, shreds the tire, and destroys the drivers wheelhose and trunk floor. I also lose the driveshaft in the process. I finally get home, after towing a distance of 40 miles in 3 hours. A month later I'm in a supermarket in a town an hour away and recognize a Dodge buddy of mine. I tell him of my project, and I find out he owned it in 1978. He sends me some pics from those days.
I've been collecting parts for her all winter, and a running parts car came home in May 2010. It may be a peice of crap to most people, but she is still beautiful to me after all these years. I researched the VIN and found out she was a special-order 500 made at the Lynch Road Plant, for a Canadian buyer. 318 auto, buckets, and not much more to brag about...lol.
In the process of finding the car, researching her, collecting parts and so on, I have met a lot of great people. Thank you for a great site, and giving me a chance to share my story.
If there are other members from the prarie provinces, feel free to contact me.
Ben
