Put Up Or Shut Up Challenge: Snatch This '66 Coronet From The Crusher's Jaws!

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

We had plenty of wailing and gnashing of teeth over the fate of the cool cars I saw being eaten by The Crusher over the weekend. It’s too late for those cars, but here’s one that you can save! If you want the right to curse those who crush classic cars for a few bucks, your enraged thunderations will be more impressive if you rescue one yourself.

A guy I know just bought a bunch of cars that had been stored in a forgotten Denver warehouse since 1982, mostly to obtain a handful of seriously cool/valuable ones (such as a numbers-matching, low-mile, factory 383/4-speed ’69 Satellite coupe). Most of the others aren’t particularly collectible, so their most likely fate will be a trip to The Crusher; at $250/ton, most 1960s sedans are worth more as scrap than as project cars.

This Coronet is a tough call; it appears to have a freshly rebuilt engine and it’s damn near completely rust-free, but it’s a 4-door and the body and trim saw their share of wear and tear during the car’s 16 years of driving (yes, it has nearly twice as many years in storage as it has on the road). Its new owner could keep the engine and crush the rest, pocketing a few hundred bucks for the steel and whatever a Mopar small-block of mysterious provenance goes for these days, but he’d prefer to sell it to someone who could get it back on the street. I’d take it, but I’ve already got one ’66 Dodge project and don’t have room for another.

Since it’s a Chrysler B Body, restoration parts should be easy to obtain and it shares suspension/drivetrain components with vast quantities of Chrysler iron; as project cars go, it’s not particularly difficult. So, if you’re within towing range of Denver and you’d like to rescue a classic example of America’s automotive heritage for an easy three-figure price, shoot me an email and I’ll put you in touch with the seller.


Thanks to Rocket Surgeon Rich for the photos!











Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • William Penney William Penney on Mar 08, 2011

    Give me a price, location, and more info on the car. I have the money to save this but I don't want a car that dosen't run.

    • See 2 previous
    • 67dodgeman 67dodgeman on Mar 19, 2011

      William, no sarcasm here. If you're not familiar about the issues with cars that sit for long periods of time, you definitely don't want to pick one up like this. Here's a few tidbits to get you started. The Chrysler torq-flite transmission was horrible for drying out and then crapping out. If you let it sit for anytime at all, get ready for a rebuild. The brakes are shot. Trust me. You'll need to replace everything but the drums. I mean everything. Dry-rot is a bitch. Everything in the interior will need to be replaced. All the vinyl and plastic is shot. I know this without even looking. Plus, most if not all the wiring harness will need to be replaced. I'm facing that task with my own car and I really dread it. Anytime you need to move or adjust the wiring, the plastic insulation will crack and then short out. The tires will let you roll it on a trailer, but no more than that. Relatively minor, but I wrecked my first car not knowing that. Most engine stuff (carb rebuild, dried gaskets) is more simple to fix, but still there. Assuming there isn't a big mud-dabber in one of the cylinder heads. You'd almost want to pull and rebuild before firing it up, just in case. That's just the immediate stuff that comes to mind. IT really sounds like you need to find a runner that needs some TLC rather than an old time bomb needing a complete ground-up restoration. Good luck.

  • Rcousine Rcousine on Mar 11, 2011

    Say it with me: LeMons. LeMons! LeMons!!

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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