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Going to look at 65 Coronet- what to look for?

YY1

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Hi, all.

I'm mainly a 66/67 and 71-74 guy.

There a project 65 Coronet near me that looks pretty solid from pics I've seen.

I'm going to look at it tomorrow after work.

I know 62-65 can have cowl issues. Are there any other common problem areas I should pay extra attention to?

Thanks.
 
Being a 66 67 guy as well, when I got into the earlier ones I was surprised how often the floors were rusted even with a decent car.
 
The fenders trap junk and rot behind the welded in brace rear of the wheel wells and rocker panels can rust through rear of the lapping seam.
Mike
 
Trim items - especially exterior - are pretty difficult to find. Rust areas as already mentioned. No aftermarket quarter panels that I'm aware of.
1-year-only Torqueflite, still had the weird rear axle ends IIRC.
Condition is everything on an early B, IMO.
 
My Upper and lower cowl rusted out in my '65 Satellite that spent most of its life in SoCal. My rocker panels are pretty rusted too on BOTH sides. Also had significant rust in the passenger side lower firewall area where the passenger's feet sit. I took the fender off and could see the carpet. Also have rust in rear lower quarter panels by the wheel wells. Also have rust by the rear windshield at the bottom of the "C" pillar behind the stainless moldings.
 
If your possible new project is a 500, and if it's missing that unique "500" trunk emblem; you're looking at anywhere from $400 to nearly $2K for that little gem.

I don't believe ANY trim inside or outside is being reproduced. As you likely know, the "Coronet" script emblems and the fender "500" emblems are identical for '65 and '66.

A buddy is building a '65 Coronet 440 ragtop, and he's been having problems finding big block motor mounts, nice hood trim, and a correct spare wheel.
 
That 65 Coronet should have come standard from factory with a pussy magnet installed. Be sure to get good wiper blades due to all the panties thrown your way when cruising at slower speeds.
 
i think the biggest issue is lack of body panels. bondoed up/patched rust buckets are perpetual projects. to me the body is everything. bolt on stuff is nothing compared to trying to rebuild the body.

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They tend to rust under the trim where the quarter panel mates up to the sail panel.
 
They tend to rust under the trim where the quarter panel mates up to the sail panel.
Look closely underneath..... particularly by the torsion bar crossmember area and out back underneath the rear trunk area by the bumper brackets and inner quarter drop panels. If the cowls upstairs are rotted, most probably the floor and kick panel area downstairs have gone south as well.
All of these things can be repaired/replaced if you have the love/patience and skill to do it. Early B's just take the stage based on their reputation through the Super Stock ranks.
 
Might be easier to list the areas that don't rust.
On my 62, the UCA brackets on the inside of the inner fenders were rusted away.
 
Bring a flashlight and crawl up under the dash and look up towards the wiper pivots. The seals that go around pivot shafts dry out and leak water down to the carpet, which then leads to rotted out floors due to damp carpet. Passenger side pivot will be a challenge to see because of the heater box. Also look at the heater valve for signs of corrosion. They can be rebuilt but expensive. When under the hood look under the black rubber cowl flap on the passenger side to see if its packed full of debris, if it is really look at he seams on the cowl itself for signs of paint bubbling. When you open the passenger door there is another dust flap on side of cowl, this area tends to get plugged up with debris, but its hard to access. Also when in the trunk look up under the filler panel between the decklid and back glass, the chrome trim likes to hold moisture and they rot out in that area. Pull up trunk mat and look at it, because of said window area leak, water will rot out trunk floor due to rubber holding moisture.
If you have a mirror on handle I suggest to bring it to help in those tight areas.
Yes the trans is a one year only cable shift (regardless if its column or floor shift, the nice thing is tailshaft is now a slip joint rather than the ball and trunion set up. Rear axle will be the standard flange set up, last year for tapered axle was 64. As any car you intend the purchase take your time bring a jumpsuit and be prepared to crawl under it. Bring a magnet and a fiber cloth rag and ask owner if you can apply to typical rust prone areas to see if there is excess body filler.

Best of luck, let us know how it goes.
 
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All of the above,62-65 different animals. Alot of things are hard to find,if someone says fits 65,you'd better check it before you buy.
There are some good souls parting cars that are honest and fair,not many! The trim clips are going to kill you,as will taillight lenses and nice front bumpers,door locks,etc. Good luck,post pics,get a service manual.1965 doesn't have tapered rear axles.

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Everyone's given you a good run down of problem areas. I owned an ex-Arizona 65 Coronet that still had minor rust in the lower doors and quarters (where all the window gunk gathers moisture.)

Parts chasing is fun, with trim and unique parts the worst. Not many parts repopped for these cars. Even if they are, it's usually just for a short time, so get them while they're hot...

If you do end up getting the car, you should also check out: 1962 to 1965 Mopar Web Site

Lots of info and tech on the early Bs. Not everything's current, but it was a great resource for me.

From my own experience headers are a pain to install, but doable. The push button vacuum controller for heater/ac breaks at the plastic tubes where the vacuum hose connector attaches. Controller is not repopped, but there are services that'll rebuild it. The brake rod attaches directly to the pedal arm (not a cantilever like later models) and has an extended end to actuate the brake lights. So if you swap to a manual cylinder/different booster (like for a disc brake swap) you'll need the correct rod for the mc/booster (I had a local rebuilder do this to a 68 c-body booster.) Rear wheelwell limits tire size, esp. since the quarter comes down further over the wheel opening in this era of Mopars. That's about all I can think of for now. I'll add anything if it occurs.
 
Yeah, I wish that 62-65 site was formatted better.

That's about the only online resource, and has been for decades.
 
I passed on the car.

It was pretty solid in general. Cowl looked good as did the rest of the firewall, but the foot area was rusted through on both sides.

Small rust hole and dent on bottom of pass side quarter.
Dent and bondo repair in pass door.
Small dent right at corner of pass fender.
C pillar to body was great in shape.
Rockers looked good.
Didn't get under it.
Most of original light blue paint extremely faded.
Someone started "jammig" the underside of hood area and the trunk gutter in different colors.
Was factory AC car.
No interior. Said to have but didn't see. Sounded like core status.
Fender tag missing.
Both bumpers garbage.
Glass good.
Mostly torn down non-original 383 sitting in bay.

Hit and repaired but flaking in driver's tail light area- lots of complex curves and lines.
Not sure if it could be cleaned up and saved.
That was the the major deal killer, coupled with-
If I'm going to do that much work, I'll just get started on the wagon as it's in better shape and I already have 90% of the parts.

Motivated seller is moving out of state soon.
He said open to offers. Asking was 4K.

If it's still there in a few weeks I might offer a token "get it out of here" price.

Guy also had a very ratty (I mean rust holes and poor weld holes everywhere) 34 Plymouth with a 392 rat rod.
 
I passed on the car.

It was pretty solid in general. Cowl looked good as did the rest of the firewall, but the foot area was rusted through on both sides.

Small rust hole and dent on bottom of pass side quarter.
Dent and bondo repair in pass door.
Small dent right at corner of pass fender.
C pillar to body was great in shape.
Rockers looked good.
Didn't get under it.
Most of original light blue paint extremely faded.
Someone started "jammig" the underside of hood area and the trunk gutter in different colors.
Was factory AC car.
No interior. Said to have but didn't see. Sounded like core status.
Fender tag missing.
Both bumpers garbage.
Glass good.
Mostly torn down non-original 383 sitting in bay.

Hit and repaired but flaking in driver's tail light area- lots of complex curves and lines.
Not sure if it could be cleaned up and saved.
That was the the major deal killer, coupled with-
If I'm going to do that much work, I'll just get started on the wagon as it's in better shape and I already have 90% of the parts.

Motivated seller is moving out of state soon.
He said open to offers. Asking was 4K.

If it's still there in a few weeks I might offer a token "get it out of here" price.

Guy also had a very ratty (I mean rust holes and poor weld holes everywhere) 34 Plymouth with a 392 rat rod.
no pics for us ,we love pics:BangHead:
 
No pics. Sorry.

It was sensory overload in that shop.

He also had an FWD John Deere model I've never seen and a 70's three wheeled honda goldwing powered fiberglass kit car among other things.
 
All of the above,62-65 different animals. Alot of things are hard to find,if someone says fits 65,you'd better check it before you buy.
There are some good souls parting cars that are honest and fair,not many! The trim clips are going to kill you,as will taillight lenses and nice front bumpers,door locks,etc. Good luck,post pics,get a service manual.1965 doesn't have tapered rear axles.

View attachment 1385432

View attachment 1385435

View attachment 1385437

View attachment 1385442

View attachment 1385451
All of the above,62-65 different animals. Alot of things are hard to find,if someone says fits 65,you'd better check it before you buy.
There are some good souls parting cars that are honest and fair,not many! The trim clips are going to kill you,as will taillight lenses and nice front bumpers,door locks,etc. Good luck,post pics,get a service manual.1965 doesn't have tapered rear axles.

View attachment 1385432

View attachment 1385435

View attachment 1385437

View attachment 1385442

View attachment 1385451

All of the above,62-65 different animals. Alot of things are hard to find,if someone says fits 65,you'd better check it before you buy.
There are some good souls parting cars that are honest and fair,not many! The trim clips are going to kill you,as will taillight lenses and nice front bumpers,door locks,etc. Good luck,post pics,get a service manual.1965 doesn't have tapered rear axles.

View attachment 1385432

View attachment 1385435

View attachment 1385437

View attachment 1385442

View attachment 1385451
I love the 65 Coronet, and have had 5-6 over the years. Love your 65 More door!! especially in the maroon my favorite all time color!! Here's a pic of my 64 More door Bel. It is getting a satin black roof, mags for the rear, and I will probably fab another MW scoop for it out of 20 ga mild steel.

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