Resto prospect: '69 Polara 2-dr. 383

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MopaR&D

MopaR&D

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Hey guys I'm looking for a second opinion on another Mopar I'm considering buying with the intent of fixing up a bit and reselling for profit. The car in question is a 1969 Dodge Polara 2-door hardtop with a 383 4-bbl and 727, supposedly factory HP engine but I'm not sure about that yet. First some pics:

Rust-through on the lower front fender, inner layer seems solid though
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Floor pan
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A little rust under the edge of where the backseat goes
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Rear quarters, both look like this you can tell the bottom is starting to rust out
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The owner is looking for $2500, does that seem reasonable? I checked the VIN and it has an 'H' engine code which signifies 383 4-bbl but there isn't one for HP engines that I can find. I also scraped off and tried to read the pad on the block but it just says '383' and '142' whatever that means; no HP symbol I can see. Can someone give me some insight on this?

And other than the rust in the pics the car is solid, the whole under-chassis area is solid with only minor surface rust in places.
 
just sayin from experience .........i have had C-bodies before and they are awesome cars .......if you wanted to love and cherish it for years to come then i would say its a good candidate.

but if you want it to flip for profit .....RUUUUUUUUN

C-bodies have a horrible narrow market and most C-body buyers want something for nothing...i have had C-bodies on the market sooooo long i ended up junking them........yet an A, B or E ....never a problem moving them.

some diehards will disagree with me but im talking from experience .....dont waste your time
 
The 69 Polara/Monaco is one of the coolest, toughest looking C-body ever made, especially in a 2-door hardtop. Price seems ok, maybe a little high but those cars are not known to be worth alot, I would see about trying to get it for less. Does it run and drive, is a full interior included?
 
I see what you're saying Rani, certainly not as desirable as the other bodies but this one seems a little more special than your typical 318-powered 4-door Fury lol. I see it as a decent entry-level Mopar to get myself enough money to invest in a good A or maybe B-body. Looking on the price guide sites these go anywhere from $4000 in low-end condition to $9000+ in restored level. Along these lines Rani what cars (whether old Mopars or not) have you had the best experience making profit off of?

66340 it does run but isn't really driveable, the brakes need to be gone through to make it road-worthy and he said the tranny slips a bit but does work. I think I will ask $2000 and see what he says.
 
If want to fix it for yourself thats OK.But to make a profit,thats going to be real real tuff.
 
MOPEkidD-3 said:
I see what you're saying Rani, certainly not as desirable as the other bodies but this one seems a little more special than your typical 318-powered 4-door Fury lol. I see it as a decent entry-level Mopar to get myself enough money to invest in a good A or maybe B-body. Looking on the price guide sites these go anywhere from $4000 in low-end condition to $9000+ in restored level. Along these lines Rani what cars (whether old Mopars or not) have you had the best experience making profit off of?
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well true that its no 318 more door but i have had a newport 2 door with a facory 440 and a sport fury, also a 383 HP and i could hardly give away either one.

im not really a flipper but more of a hoarder but when i have sold any A-body 67-72 did real good .......early As are tough too bcoz they are typically a smaller market than 67-72. 71-4 B=bodies are usually good for big profit if played out right.

i would venture to say you would have better odds making money with other cars like fords, GM or anything but a c-body.

i sold two el caminos one 68 and one 81 .....and the 81 did better of the two ....GM cars are easy to find buyers for.

if you go with this C i wish you the best but would hate to see you get stuck with it.
 
Ok that's some useful advice I might reconsider and hit up craigslist for some rustangs lol... I really love the car but if it won't make any money with a little TLC it's not much use to me
 
What about a 4-door '73 Dart? Just took a look at it today, could probably get it for $800. Slant-6 runs but has a knock on the bottom end; owner took the head off and redid the top end thinking the noise was there but I heard it run and it sounds like a rod knock. Other than that it is in GREAT shape, no rust at all and even the vinyl top is still there. Interior is super clean as well.

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MOPEkidD-3 said:
What about a 4-door '73 Dart? Just took a look at it today, could probably get it for $800. Slant-6 runs but has a knock on the bottom end; owner took the head off and redid the top end thinking the noise was there but I heard it run and it sounds like a rod knock. Other than that it is in GREAT shape, no rust at all and even the vinyl top is still there. Interior is super clean as well.
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if i had money .....even i would be into that one .........thats a good one IMO lots of more door dart interst here .....prolly wont get rich but definately make a few bucks .......might need an engine though......i would run it till it makes a window in the block behind the starter. :joker:
 
I agree with the others here, not really the best prospect to flip. Not much interest.
The aftermarket parts support for C bodies, as I found out is not too good. I was going to buy(not to flip though) a fairly decent 64' Newport 2dr 383 Pushbutton AT(which was a cool new experience) car six months ago for $3K. I did some research, and made the right choice. Needed a lot of interior parts, dash pad, steering wheel, and so on that aren't easily obtained. Looks like you need carpet, door panels and of course a seat.

Though, I'm still kicking myself for not buying a non-running, barn find 69' Polara 2 DR, 318 for $60 at a farm auction in 01 or 02. Looked pretty solid, no outside rust out.
Had the really nice rare hubcaps(think 92-93' Ramcharger rim style) too, could have got $100 for just those. What was I thinking?
 
To flip? No. As a cool Mopar to drive? HELL YES! That huge car in OD Green just looks TOUGH!
 
Elwood67 said:
I agree with the others here, not really the best prospect to flip. Not much interest.
The aftermarket parts support for C bodies, as I found out is not too good. I was going to buy(not to flip though) a fairly decent 64' Newport 2dr 383 Pushbutton AT(which was a cool new experience) car six months ago for $3K. I did some research, and made the right choice. Needed a lot of interior parts, dash pad, steering wheel, and so on that aren't easily obtained. Looks like you need carpet, door panels and of course a seat.

Though, I'm still kicking myself for not buying a non-running, barn find 69' Polara 2 DR, 318 for $60 at a farm auction in 01 or 02. Looked pretty solid, no outside rust out.
Had the really nice rare hubcaps(think 92-93' Ramcharger rim style) too, could have got $100 for just those. What was I thinking?
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The owner of the Polara has the carpet and seats he just pulled them to pop out a dent in the floor pan. Anyway I have one more car to check out, a '74 Dart Sport with a slant 6... I will most likely go with the '73 4-door though because it's so dang cheap
 
I have had a few C-bodies and they are the funnest to drive I think. As for the 383 in the Polara, Is the engine Orange or blue??? If its a 383 HP car for 2K, you could have lots of fun. Looks like it has fairly new duel exhaust too. The brakes may need to be done, but on any of those cars, its a good idea. The four door dart for $800 isn't a really bad deal, but if it has a knock in the bottom end, the engine is going to need to come out, be rebuilt or replaced then re-installed, so lets say another $800 plus. Now your at $1800 for a four door six banger dart. The dart sport may be cool... but thats yet to be determined. I vote for the C-Body. :)

My old 69 300

My old 72 Fury

and my old 72 Imperial


You would LOVE the Polara
 
Oh, the car will also have an 8 3/4 rear and a lot of the BB HP cars had sure grips. Would have had the heavy duty 727 trans too... I really if you could get that car for $2k, you would be better off. If it has a Sure Grip, thats $500 rite there. Also could have 15" H wheels. If it does, well... Lets just say you could pay half of the car just by selling them. C-bodies are overlooked, but 'cuda's and Challengers aren't everything. Plus, you and three or four buddies want to go on a road trip, You would have so much room.

...Now I want it. Ill trade my truck for it
 
Dang you guys are making this a hard decision! lol I can get a good running slant for next to nothing from someone I know, the only real expense would be time/labor which I have plenty of now that summer's underway.

I know the Polara has 3.23 gears with sure-grip in the back and it does need the brakes gone through and a trans flush at the least. I would love to have that car but I most likely won't even get it registered and insured in my name so I can't drive it and enjoy it at all. And parting it out isn't an option, I can't have a half-disassembled car sitting at my buddies' place for God knows how many weeks/months lol. If I did take off the valuable stuff to sell I would have to find a cheaper part to put back in and I feel like that wouldn't be worth the trouble. What are "H" wheels btw? You can see from the pic the ones on there just look like stock steelies...

Again my main priority is quick cash, i.e. fixing up old cars and selling them to people who just want to drive and enjoy them. If I'm stuck selling parts to other enthusiasts I feel like I'll just spend a lot more time haggling and making less in the end. After all there are new cars for sale every day and there's no short supply of Mopar A- or C-bodies around here.
 
Keep an eye on it for a little bit, I may be interested in it in the future...
 
c body hands down , i had a 69 monaco 2dr hardtop , 383 hp , 727 , 3:55's , full power buckets , ugly green . Out of my countless clunkers i enjoyed that the most , not to mention the sizeable backseat :D
 
Neither if you are looking to flip and make money. The polara is rusty, and usually what you can see is just the tip of the iceberg. The other seems to need a motor. Maybe can find one cheap, but still a /6 more door. Small markets for both cars.
 
Well guys I ended up getting the Polara for $2g flat. I've been working on it a few days now getting it running well and man it's a badass ride. The 383 runs pretty good but I will most likely pull it and give it an overhaul with new gaskets, paint, maybe timing set etc. and make it look as factory-correct as possible. I'll also rebuild the front end, go through the brakes, and get some new tires to make it drivable.
 
Mope, I bought my 69 Polara 500 convertible for $2500. It is an H code 383 4bbl. It is a HP 383 rated 5 horses less than the Road Runner 383 according to my 1969 parts manual. It is the medium green with rust in the sme places as yours. It needs body work, paint, new interior, and top. BUT, it runs like a monster and is great fun to drive. I usually get thumbs up from other drivers when I take it out for a cruise. I managed to buy a "parts" 69 Polara 318 car ($400) for the body panels but I just can't seem to find the heart to dismantle it since it only needs interior and paint! Have fun.
 
RaniDart70 said:
...but if you want it to flip for profit .....RUUUUUUUUN

C-bodies have a horrible narrow market....dont waste your time
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This sums up my opinion spot-on......trying to flip C-bodies for a profit? I'd rather be trying to sell ice cubes to eskimos. I love 'em too, but only to own and enjoy, not flip. Fuhgettabouttit...
 
.............That C body is cool but will be a hard sell, don't forget u said the tranny slips, will need a rebuild also.......kim.....
 
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