hey there folks, i wanted to find a mopar forum because my first car has been a fun and long story and i thought i could get some advice from some car nuts. i am a knife nut. i can point at a pocket clip and tell you the make model price steel and its exact composition. but cars as much as they interest me to some degree, i am mostly here about mine and would like a place i can look for advice. for about 200 bucks i bought a 1968 dodge coronet from my oldest family friends. the interior is shot and it needs a paint job but it currently is running and oddly, starting, just fine. i am in machining school, im 23 and have a wife and baby. currently living with my parents. My car has a 318 and is a four door, nothing valuable/rare or fancy, so my dad since he grew up around them just sees it as a sedan and is not a fan of me spending any time or money on it. my parents wanted me to get rid of it from day one but i like it a lot and ive gotten attached to it and i wouldnt be able to make anything out of it if i did sell it anyways so ive always wanted to just keep it and fix it up and my wife loves it. and now that its starting reliably (electronic relay module and alternator hadnt been replaced since i got it. new battery, plugs, wires, distributor, cap n rotor, hei ignition instead, new timing chain, carb rebuilt) im hopefully going to drive it a lot more now that im back in mt. it is not restored because imresponsable and have paid my bills and taken care of my family but im hoping i can get some ideas now that im working and were selling our house so ill be up to 0$ again soon cheapish starter mods for a bit more power that dont require a new rear end build? thanks for taking the time to read.

 

Best thing to start with is a good 2 1/2" dual exhaust !!!!!

 

Check! dual cherry bombs currently

 

Welcome.

Wife loves it......there's your reason for keeping it.

As far as being a Sedan and not so desirable, not so true anymore. With cost of the muscle cars so high now the second and third tier of less cool cars are showing up at meets and shows. I find rows of '67 GTXs and '70's Cudas becoming old hat after many years. I now search out the luxury, wagons, fifties, and truck vehicles which more people had and if you hang around them everyone seems to have a story about one 'cause like me couldn't afford the pricey high performance versions. There has been a big surge in the station wagon, 4 door crowd and now they are cool.

You are lucky to have this year and model as the most parts will be available for '68-69 Coronets.

Regarding the performance modifications, start a new thread with that specific title and you'll get a ton of response. If you search this forum or the web you'll be overwhelmed with 318 modifications and engine builds. I have done a few low to medium performance build as many others here so ask away, don't get caught up with the big valve, big manifold, big cam, crowd and make a low end dog out of it.

 

Sorry I have a different opinion.

Unless you can cheaply keep this going as a daily driver, and this precludes dumping a bunch of money into wheels and other glitter, you, as a young, married man with a baby and no place to live have no business screwing with old cars.

Quite frankly, it takes a "special type" to keep these girls going cheaply. There are very few who could do such a thing.

I know this sounds harsh. Your "job one" is to get out of your parent's house.

 

Way too harsh.

Hey 440 did you forget this is a car forum, not a lifestyle forum.

Geez!

 

please read the post before replying, thanks. i said that it is already running and starting reliably as that was taken care of in the past, not with my current situation. should my wife not work and i shouldnt go to school since i have only one car because i have "no business screwing with old cars" ? i am responsable. i never said right now with o money im looking to mod it. i am in machining school RIGHT now, which takes a couple years, sorry, to finish, so will be getting a better job soon and a career. but i would like to make some connections for future opinions ideas and inspirations. i can cool my jets and do the right thing and wait, and im smart enough to ask people who know and do research so the money isnt a waste. im trying to learn. thats all. sorry you have a past full of huge financial regrets. i have 0.

 

please read the post before replying, thanks. i said that it is already running and starting reliably as that was taken care of in the past, not with my current situation. should my wife not work and i shouldnt go to school since i have only one car because i have "no business screwing with old cars" ? i am responsable. i never said right now with o money im looking to mod it. i am in machining school RIGHT now, which takes a couple years, sorry, to finish, so will be getting a better job soon and a career. but i would like to make some connections for future opinions ideas and inspirations. i can cool my jets and do the right thing and wait, and im smart enough to ask people who know and do research so the money isnt a waste. im trying to learn. thats all. sorry you have a past full of huge financial regrets. i have 0. It will cost me nothing to let it sit if i cant afford to fix it up. am i just supposed to just give it away for 50 bucks and wish i hadnt for the rest of my life? other than gas an insurence it currently require me no investment to use as a daily driver

 

Ok, so now that is out of the way, what colour in and out, and what model?

How are you and your tools with a compression test, maybe a manifold and camshaft change?