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| I have found a car setting in the weeds that I would like some thoughts on. It is a 57 Dodge Coronet, D-500 with the 325 hemi single carb. It has the 500 plaque on the trunk. It is complete but very rusty. Trunk floor shot, rockers gone, floor gone. The steering wheel is shot, also missing 2 side trim strips, broken windshield, and the air cleaner is gone. Drive train condition unknown. It has (what I think is awesome) is a continental kit on the back that is in pretty good shape, with the tire. I have never seen one of those at a show. I am not familiar with these cars. I opened the trunk and it seemed to have a large black factory plastic unit of some type mounted centered behind the back seat. Was there a type of rear air conditioning or fan on these cars? The guy wont come off of $8000 for the car. What do you think? It would cost a lot of money to bring it back. Is it a good investment? |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Georgetown Texas | Randy Schultz - 2017-08-22 9:44 AM
I have found a car setting in the weeds that I would like some thoughts on. It is a 57 Dodge Coronet, D-500 with the 325 hemi single carb. It has the 500 plaque on the trunk. It is complete but very rusty. Trunk floor shot, rockers gone, floor gone. The steering wheel is shot, also missing 2 side trim strips, broken windshield, and the air cleaner is gone. Drive train condition unknown. It has (what I think is awesome) is a continental kit on the back that is in pretty good shape, with the tire. I have never seen one of those at a show. I am not familiar with these cars. I opened the trunk and it seemed to have a large black factory plastic unit of some type mounted centered behind the back seat. Was there a type of rear air conditioning or fan on these cars? The guy wont come off of $8000 for the car. What do you think? It would cost a lot of money to bring it back. Is it a good investment?
Hi Randy,
Pictures are worth a thousand words here for sure...
D-500s are definitely much more desirable than a regular coronet.
Is it a two door hardtop?
"Very Rusty" and "$8,000" dont sound like a good deal.
Missing the air cleaner and the carb being open to the elements likely means motor is stuck...
These Hemis are more costly to rebuild than a regular engine. Sounds like its been sitting there forever because the guy is unrealistic on his price.
-Ryan
Edited by 61_Imperial 2017-08-22 9:49 AM
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| Yes it is a 2 door hard top, yellow and black. I am new to the forum only my second post so I have no clue how to post picture. I also thought 8 grand was not feasible.
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Expert 5K+
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| the engine is probably stuck, seriously we just saw a very rusty d500 sell for 4000$? and after seeing pics it wasn't completely horrible. but yes pics will let us know.
I would think 3k-4k... its hard to fathom the amount of work and money it is to bring that car back.
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Location: Georgetown Texas | Randy Schultz - 2017-08-22 9:54 AM
Yes it is a 2 door hard top, yellow and black. I am new to the forum only my second post so I have no clue how to post picture. I also thought 8 grand was not feasible.
Hey Randy,
If you want to email to me I can post them on here for you. you can select "attach a file after posting" at the bottom of the response, or paste direct links from Photobucket.
I will PM you my email.
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Georgetown Texas | Thanks for sending the pics Randy. The continental kit is love it or hate it. I am not a fan at all. Virgil Exner worked very hard to make his cars sleek and streamline.. but to each his own!  (Also, that rear bumper is from a 1959 Dodge... so must have been done a few years after) Looks like a 325 Hemi, single 4 bbl 2 door hardtop. Looks like '58 Desoto hubcaps on it too. He may have other FL goodies around. In the end, I don't see a car worth 8,000 as it sits. More like $2500 max. these cars dont grow on trees anymore. who knows! Here are 2 photos Randy sent me:
 
Edited by 61_Imperial 2017-08-23 12:22 PM
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Location: DFW, TX | Difficult car to gauge value of.
On one hand - it's a very desirable model (CRL) built in a desirable body style (2dr hardtop) with some valuable options (D500 / Hemi) and in interesting period color scheme.
On paper, it sounds like a winner!
However, you tell us it's a rusty mess ($$$ to fix) and some hard to find parts have to be replaced (windshield, steering wheel, trim) and the engine likely has to be rebuilt.
I think a fair price is $3-4k, but it will take a lot of money to get it into even a reliable driver condition. If you add on all the cosmetics, it's in the ballpark of just buying a nicely finished driver quality car.
Someone is definitely looking for this car though, so it might sell near that asking price. Good luck. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | 57burb - 2017-08-23 12:40 PM
Difficult car to gauge value of.
On one hand - it's a very desirable model (CRL) built in a desirable body style (2dr hardtop) with some valuable options (D500 / Hemi) and in interesting period color scheme.
It's a Coronet. |
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| that continental kit hurts the value actually. Its something else to remove but that shouldn't be bad.
one its is a coronet, two rusted floors, I bet money the engine is stuck. the good things are its a D500 and it looks complete(complete rust but hey). I would say 3-4k on a good day.
That entire interior is going to need redone... esp since moisture has been getting in from the floor... this is a SERIOUS ton of work to restore. Maybe only a crazy swede would attempt it  |
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| Well that's amazing, I am new to these cars and I sure didn't know it had a 59 bumper on it, that's not good. I personally liked the continental kit because it added 2 feet to the car and looks really over the top. I saw a picture of Lawrence Welk on the net that had one very similar to this one. There already looks like a consensus that around $3000 would be the place to be. But I agree the rust cutting and welding would time consuming and its the rust I don't see that worry's me. Thank you all very much for the input. |
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Location: CA | Got any photos illustrating the rust? For a complete 57 2-dr hardtop car that is a D500 car.. $3k sounds awfully low.. What other options does the car have? I see power brakes, solex glass, heater, and windshield washer, and continental kit which is add-on and rare as hens teeth.. I'm not seeing a very rusty car
Edited by Finsinthemirror 2017-08-23 9:58 PM
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Location: Ontario, Canada | Whether anyone likes the continental kit or not it looks like you have close to the real deal. These kits were manufactured by an outside supplier and advertised in Dodge showrooms and sold as accessories. Here is an ABC factory ad.
Greg
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Location: Ontario, Canada | I bought a 57 Dodge that had one of these kits on it and duplicated it. Here are some of my fitting photos and finally my CRL convert with one of my kits installed.
Greg
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Location: Lower Mainland BC | mikes2nd - 2017-08-23 1:34 PM
, I bet money the engine is stuck.
Oh come on. I am sure that that rag kept the moisture out and the engine is just fine.
(NOT)
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Location: Whetstone, Arizona | Finsinthemirror - 2017-08-23 6:56 PM
Got any photos illustrating the rust? For a complete 57 2-dr hardtop car that is a D500 car.. $3k sounds awfully low.. What other options does the car have? I see power brakes, solex glass, heater, and windshield washer, and continental kit which is add-on and rare as hens teeth.. I'm not seeing a very rusty car
I feel the $3000-ish quote is way too low as well....i can sell 57-58 2dr Ht's all day long for $5k and upwards with just a Poly 325....the D500 option has got to add at least another $2-3k on the value....even if it is stuck/locked up...in the photo's im not seeing any major exterior body rot...the floors are easy to repair in these old cars...trunk rot is a little harder to replace
Edited by arizona mopar gold 2017-08-24 3:54 AM
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| He said trunk, rockers and floor are rotted out. If that interior is reasonable, I could see 4k-5k
the rust on the fins (where the trim meets) is a tell tale bad sign, it been sitting exposed for a long time.
It looks like he dug it out of the dirt to put new tires on it, and there is a shrub growing out of the continental kit.
Your right probably 4-5k, looking the quarters they don't look destroyed below.
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Location: CA | I'm just saying that to me, a car I'd consider rusty there is usually visible rust on the lower 1/4s and wheel lips which I'm just not really seeing here. Granted it's only one photo and not a high res one so I'll concede that it's difficult to assess the condition but I'm not seeing anything I'd be terribly concerned with on any 57-59 2-dr HT car. Any project car for less than 8k is going to have rust, especially a hardtop car. They didn't seal well at all and with 60 years or so of exposure.. you're going to have rust to deal with somewhere. |
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| Holly Cow you do some awesome work. Would you consider making another one of those? |
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Location: Ontario, Canada | Randy Schultz - 2017-08-24 10:18 PM
Holly Cow you do some awesome work. Would you consider making another one of those?
I probably have most of the parts for you to build one. Email me. My email is at the bottom of this post.
Greg |
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Location: South Central PA | `I had one without fins !!
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Location: Lower Mainland BC | 62 413 - 2017-08-25 10:01 AM `I had one without fins !!
1954 Dodge Indy Pace Car? Did it do this?
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| how the hell do you even open your trunks? or are they fancy trunk locks? |
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Location: Georgetown Texas | This car is now listed on Craigslist, for $11,500!!! https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/d/1957-dodge-coronet-d500-... |
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Location: Lower Mainland BC |
I emailed the seller regarding the "392":
"I am curious why you are saying the engine is a 392. The 57 D500 engine is a 325 cu in hemi, not 392. The engine data is stamped on the block, in the front of the valley cover. Should be KD500 - nnnn (starting at 1001). Suggest you add a photo to confirm or deny 325 or 392. Good luck with the sale."
He replied:
"Sorry my bad. I have been up all night. I meant to say it was a 325 / Larry B."
So it is a D500. (Confirmed if/when he posts a photo of the engine number).
/Dave F
Edited by 56D500boy 2017-08-25 2:45 PM
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Location: South Central PA | 56D500boy - 2017-08-25 11:49 AM
62 413 - 2017-08-25 10:01 AM `I had one without fins !!
1954 Dodge Indy Pace Car? Did it do this?
It sure did !!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| was the to win the "stupidest place to put a spare tire" award?
Or the "wassamatter your trunk lock broke?" award? |
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| The Craigslist ad says solid body??? |
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| Here is what is going on. There is a guy that has made his job selling out yards of salvage cars to restorers. He contracts to sell cars out of someones yard and splits the money with the owner. He has a facebook page with a huge following called Rescued Rust. His name is Jason McDonald and he has contracts on many yards around the country. This car is in a yard in Missouri along with many other brands that he has been selling and hauling for several months. I drove 6 hours to meet him and physically look at this car. What I have said about it is the facts.The pictures I posted are the ones that he the contractor took of the car. Since then an internet scammer has copied many of his car pictures and posted them on Facebook and Craigslist. He is trying to get people to send him a down payment on cars which he has no authority to sell and can't according to Jason. He is trying to pedal this car. You can tell from the descriptions he knows little about it. It was stated it has swivel seats. What a laugh, look at the pictures he posted you can see it has a ratty stock bench seat. Although it could swivel because it is rusted loose from the floor I picked it up myself. No 392 hemi you all can see it is a 325. This car is not in Taylor Missourt either I looked that up and its a long distance away from it -false location. All I can say is beware! |
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57 Dodge d-500
