Although I’ve lived in LA for seventeen years, I’ve spent very little time in “the Valley.” For those not familiar with LA geography, most of LA lies in a coastal basin encompassing Hollywood, Downtown, and the Port of LA. However, along the north side of the basin a large mountain ridge cuts across town creating the San Fernando Valley. Once full of Orange Groves, the Valley has since filled up with suburban homes, apartments and condominiums.
Today, the Valley is chock full of people and three pinch points isolate it from the rest of LA. Due to geography, narrow highways funnel too much traffic through not enough road, creating near continuous traffic slowdowns at each point. Despite this, I made my way North over the weekend to visit my cousin, and found this excellent Curbside Classic parked across the street from her Valley home.
In 1968, the Valley was the perfect playground, and this was the perfect playground car. Thousands of young families came to these newly minted bedroom communities to bring up their kids, and turned to Detroit’s station wagons as the perfect solution to haul their brood. Based on the six digit black plates on this wagon, it may have lived in this suburban playground from day one.
The Playground was also well represented on TV, where the Brady Bunch (perhaps the Valley’s most famous residents) used several Mopar B-body wagons to transport Mike and Carol’s large brood, in this case a ’69 Plymouth.
While over on Adam-12, Officers Reed and Malloy occasionally worked alongside this menacing B-body wagon. Dressed more formally than the civilian variants, this Plymouth focused on enforcing the Playground rules.
Getting back to our car, Dodge placed the Coronet nameplate on their intermediate B-body in 1965, where it remained until 1976. No longer shiny and bright, our car still carries refreshed sheet metal, and the new lines for ’68 closely followed the example set forth by the ’64 GM intermediates (outside a very angular and thick C-pillar carried over from Dodge’s 1967 model).
Dodge offered the Coronet in three trim levels in 1968, and while some manufacturers make it difficult to determine trim levels, Dodge spelled things out on the rear quarter panel. Mid level models read “Coronet 440,” while top trims declared “Coronet 500.” This Coronet Deluxe (the base model) replaced numeric values with the mighty Fratzog, as seen here.
The front quarter panel shows the scars of a long life lived Valley style. Those round marker lights were used on almost every Chrysler in 1968 and only ’68, which makes model year identification a snap.
Some internet articles suggest Chrysler dropped these markers in 1969 because certain executives didn’t care for their appearance. However, I think the switch to reflectors in ’69 was a cost saving measure. The round markers required a metal housing, plastic lens and a light bulb while the ’69 part only required a plastic housing and a second glued on reflective element.
We can also see a bit of rake added to the front of the car (an easy modification thanks to torsion bar front suspension), and a stylish Rally Wheel. Since these wheels weren’t offered until 1970, they are clearly a modification, and the only visible custom touch.
This interior shot shows a very nicely preserved interior, and a sharp eye can spot the tailgate control lever for the dual action tailgate. Dodge kept the ’67 roof line on the B-body wagons, but for 1968 they added a two-way tailgate.
Continuing with our playground theme, the back also includes a collection of old Tonka toys, ready for the sandbox!
This shot confirms the overall interior condition. Some argue these B-bodies might be the best car the company ever built (at least before the 1970 refresh), and overall interior quality provides support for this argument. No fancy leather or power accessories, just a cloth bench seat, roll up windows and a big hula hoop steering wheel (with the cheapest possible horn button). Overall, our Coronet is built “Tonka Tough.”
I should note Paul Niedermeyer spent time in a similar ’65 Coronet wagon (chronicled here in his auto-biography series). While the article doesn’t say for sure, I’m confident his Father’s Coronet did not come with Air Conditioning. Paul’s father celebrated a frugal lifestyle (or should l say parsimonious one?), preventing young Paul from enjoying such luxuries.
In contrast, a careful study of the photos shows evidence this car has factory air. In the rear shot, an “Airtemp” sticker appears in the right rear window (the correct location). Up front, a barely visible pair of face vents mounted low in the dash center confirm the A/C option.
A Deeper Look into 1968 Coronet Trim Levels
While writing this posting, Paul questioned whether or not this wagon was a base model. His argument was as follows:
“That doesn’t appear to be a base Coronet (“DeLuxe”) wagon, as those did not have the bright window trim. It appears the 440 badges are just missing for one reason or another. Also, the interior trim on the doors is from the 440, not the DeLuxe.”
Since many changes can occur over 40 plus years, I did further digging and discovered the following:
This image is a mashup of two pages. Click -here- to see the original document.
First, thanks to an online accessory price guide for the ’68 Coronet, I was able to determine which Coronet models came with standard window trim, and further confirm bright trim came as an option on all trim levels.
While bright drip rail molding came standard on the Coronet 440 (as indicated by the green box in the image above), buyers had to step all the way up to the Coronet 500 to get standard door frame and quarter glass molding trim (the orange box). However, Deluxe and 440 buyers could both purchase accessory trim, so bright door trim does not equal a Coronet 440 or 500.
Identifying the various Coronet door panels wasn’t so clear cut, but I looked at many online images for guidance. Most 1968 Coronet 440s I found used this door panel, while most base Coronets used the door panel on our wagon. Compared it to the base Coronet door panel, this embossed pattern uses finer vertical lines and the horizontal lines flare apart at the front of the panel. While door panels are very easy to change out, it appears our Coronet wagon is a Deluxe.
Of course, A/C on a base model is also unusual, but it could be the buyer of this wagon knew how to work the options sheet to their best advantage. Overall I find the result very appealing, what say you?
Awesome find! I love the wagons, they are rare and now seeing more interest from car collectors. Personally I would rather have this wagon than another Coronet model, because of the rarity.
I believe the change from those side repeaters was due at least in part to changing regulations that required a reflector on the side front and rear. But also a good point on the cost of the 68 parts, I have a pair of NOS ones and they are heavy castings – plastic parts definitely would have cost less.
“the change from those side repeaters was due at least in part to changing regulations”
The changes were absolutely driven by regulations, but in this case the ’68 and ’69 parts both met the same regulation, using a different approach. In ’70, the fender markers changed again, as the regulations now required both lights and a reflective element.
My information came from an article posted in Allpar, but it attributed the changes strictly to styling preferences- I still believe cost was a big driver.
Thank you for sharing these photos and sharing information about these cars to us. Hope I’m not being too picky, but could you share a photo with the license plates visible? I love seeing vintage plates on vintage cars. It is something I did not get to experience living in Central New York.
So, does the San Fernando Valley get less smog than downtown Los Angeles?
“would you share a photo with the license plates visible”
I’d be happy to share if I had one, but in this case neither plate was well placed for photos- A vehicle blocked the rear plate, and the late afternoon sun was southwest of the car, leaving the front of the vehicle in shadow.
“Does the San Fernando Valley get less smog than downtown Los Angeles?”
Smog patterns are HIGHLY influenced by geography, and anytime you’re dealing with a valley, the levels tend to be higher. However, I’d say the San Fernando Valley levels are comparable to Downtown- Both areas generate emissions, and then the prevailing winds push the crap East and park it over San Bernadino and Riverside:
https://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20190426/san-bernardino-county-air-quality-receives-failing-grade
Good points about the shadows Dave Skinner and thank you for the article.
I had a ’68 Coronet R/T with a strong 440 and a 4 speed. It was definitely a playground.
I love the Coronet and Plymouth Satellite wagons of this vintage, being of sandbox age when these were made. At that time, Dad was a confirmed Dodge man, starting with a 1964 Dart wagon, which was traded in late December 1966 for a leftover 1966 Dart wagon (one of the last ever produced) in order to get the Torqueflite automatic, thus allowing him to keep one hand free to enforce order in the back seat. In 1968, with three growing kids, he took a hard look at a new Coronet wagon, which seemed so spacious with three rows of seats, and more capable of towing a camping trailer, which was also a purchase under consideration at the time. The car was a demonstrator driven by the dealer’s wife, equipped with virtually every available option, which probably clashed with Dad’s decidedly utilitarian and parsimonious nature. He ultimately passed on the Coronet and opted to buy a second car instead to accommodate an increasingly busy schedule of family activities as well as his daily commute. While I got over that disappointment, the 1971 Coronet wagon that ultimately replaced the second Dart wagon was a real letdown in comparison, a base rubber floormat model with few options and the loose and noisy body structure that the fuselage B bodies became known for.
Did these Mopars have the turn signal indicators on top of the front fenders? I remember someone’s early 70’s Dart having them.. Cadillac had them too for a while I think. They seemed so cool to me, but I can be easily impressed.
Those fender-top turn signals were optional equipment on almost every model. They were funny, you would find them present on some low trim cars and sometimes absent on high trim cars, but they were quite popular.
This is a great find. Our neighbors had a metallic blue 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 sedan. They kept this car until the year 1980s. The mother of our next-door neighbor had a 1969 Coronet 500 hardtop coupe. I remember being fascinated by the full-width taillights that were divided into three, equal sections.
The wagons weren’t too common. I remember them from another late 1960s sitcom – the Ghost and Mrs. Muir. In one episode, star Hope Lange campaigned for a local office, and did so while standing near her 1968 or 1969 Dodge Coronet wagon (the top-of-the-line version).
One note – the Coronet name was not shifted to the 1962 platform until the 1965 model year. That is when the all-new, full-size C-bodies debuted, and Chrysler turned the 1962 platform into its intermediate offerings for both Dodge and Plymouth.
Thanks for the model year info- The text has been updated.
Good job sleuthing out the trim level question. I Googled the door trims too, and found one or two base trim doors that looked different, which is why I thought this looked like a 440 door. But given everything else, including the steering wheel, you’re quite obviously right. A base Coronet disguised as a 440. What’s the point? 🙂
If you have the time, you should click the link and check out that document, there’s lots of interesting info. Dodge offered buyers TWO ways to buy body trim-
1) A la carte, picking and choosing the pieces you wanted
2) In a package including all door and roof trim along with an additional belt line chrome strip.
I’m sure the point was to convince your neighbors you’d stepped up to a higher trim level. 😉
WRT the trim debate… All of the big 3 were (in)famous in this era for building oddball-optioned cars, especially at the end of a model run.
I remember them being advertised as “Spring Specials – we’ll give you options X, Y, and Z for free!”. And what I really think was happening was (let’s say) it was May and they were out of base-trim seats, but overloaded on mid-trim seats. So rather than build/order more base seats and let the mid-level seats languish, they threw in the fancier seats on the base model and sold them as “free options”.
The way Chrysler spit-out cars with a hodge-podge of options during this era means this definitely could, indeed, be a base Deluxe model with a few options that would have come standard on a 440 model. Also, a much easier indicator of factory A/C is simply looking at the HVAC controls. A/C cars had five plastic slide levers (clearly visible in the photo); non-A/C cars had three.
While these might have been the best-looking B-bodies, I’d give the quality award to the previous, more stodgy ’66-’67 cars; the ’68-’69 coupes might have had a better looking roof and more curvy sides, but I’d take the earlier sedan and station wagon.
In fact, I once saw a really cool ’67 Belvedere station wagon drag car at the strip. With much more weight over the rear axle than a 2-door, it popped a massive, Little Red Wagon style wheelie. Unfortunately, it came down ‘hard’ and broke something when the front end hit the pavement so it didn’t make it much past the lights, but it was still a great, if brief, show watching that big Mopar wagon get air.
From what I’ve read, one of the problems with the Sales Bank was that Chrysler often built cars destined for the Sales Bank with odd combinations of options. The Sales Bank cars weren’t ordered by dealers, who had a better “feel” for what potential customers of each model actually wanted.
Strange option combinations and less popular colors were common, which made dealers even more reluctant to accept cars from the Sales Bank.
Somewhat unreliable narrator Lee Iacocca discussed the sales bank thing (among other management stuff he couldn’t believe when he arrived at Chrysler) in his book from about 1985, which I am reading right now (library copy). He got rid of it.
I always took Iacocca’s telling of how terrible things were at Chrysler when he got there as an all-too-typical ego trip. By saying such things, he was able to make it look like he was a management genius.
While there’s no question Iacocca was a superb salesman, a lot of the good things were already in place when he arrived, namely, the K-car. But the biggest gamechanger, the K-car-based minivan, can certainly be credited to Iacocca giving it the greenlight (even though it was Hal Sperlich’s MiniMax idea brought over with him from Ford).
As to the Sales Bank, it might not have been so bad if it had been handled better. Randomly slapping odd option combinations on a bunch of unordered cars wasn’t exactly the best incentive for dealers. They might have been more eager to buy the cars sooner (and at a better price), otherwise.
I dont remember where I read about it, probably Iaccoca’s book. There was a run of brown Newport sedans built without power steering. Dealers refused them and low-ranking corporate employees that had company car privileges were stuck with them.
Chrysler Oz seem to have had a similar approach to oddball spec cars. Below is a Valiant Pacer wagon, one of (IIRC) 9 that came out of the factory. I just missed one for sale about 20 years ago.
http://www.valiantpacers.com/vf/register.asp?iRegisterID=7
This brings back a lot of playground memories for me.
Style-wise, brougham-mania couldn’t come quickly enough. By 1968-1969 we see Detroit really not trying anything new in this market. The 1968 Fords were plain, the Chevrolet was a staid and conservative design and these new Chrysler products were re-hashes. Between 1967-1971, this was about it for “new”. The action was taken by sporty intermediates and redesigned compacts.
I remember back then being completely underwhelmed by what Detroit was offering families. There were really no new looks. I recall that Pontiac kept trying to look lower and swoopier with heavy rear fender and rear end designs, so that is what seemed to have been bought during these years in my blue-collar Chicago neighborhood.
Styling-wise we are in the doldrums between rectangular boxes and rounded rectangular boxes.
Yawn!
Nice find and investigation of the trim options. Random thoughts …
-The placement of the Coronet model ID badge relative to the fuel cap location looks wrong. A few inches forward or down would look a lot better.
– I can’t recognize many cars on the road today by make, let alone model or year, but I think I’ll remember till my dying days, the round side-markers on ‘68 MoPars. They were hugely distinctive that year, and then the boring rectangular ones came along.
– I have a great memory of driving my friend’s Satellite wagon of this style (though with rectangular side markers 😀) to Reno and back to tow home my sister’s Cortina after its transmission failed, and the replacement junkyard trans brought up from the Bay Area in my other friend’s Peugeot 504 was also bad. I guess we all drove future CC’s back in 1975. Except me … I didn’t have a car yet.
One of these remains on my ever-shortening bucket list. One year in college I had a job delivering pizzas. The guy who owned the store would keep a “shop car” or two for use when a delivery guy’s car was down (like when I busted the reverse band in my transmission rocking my Scamp out of a snowbank).
One of those shop cars was a yellow 1970 Coronet 500 wagon. It was about in this condition (but with more rust) on a really high trim car (wood paneling and a/c too). I got to drive it a couple of times and it was the car that made me fall in love with the combo of a 383 and a Torqueflite. Everyone called it the rocket sled.
I saw those a/c vents before I got to your red circles. I remember the Airtemp stickers in the right rear windows of Mopars of that period.
“I remember the Airtemp stickers in the right rear windows of Mopars of that period.”
As do I, but the posting should have included one for our younger readers…
Fixed-
I remember a sticker like this, in the same position, on a ’65 Bel Air wagon when my dad was shopping for a new car. Alas, he went for the Impala trim and no A/C.
The “Valley” gets hotter than the Los Angeles basin in summer. My maternal grandparents lived in Van Nuys back then. It makes perfect sense to be equipping a base trim family wagon with A/C, if it was originally delivered there.
Public service message particularly for anyone new to snow country:
As you now know, don’t attempt to rock a car out of the snow. Pour cheap clay kitty litter under/in front of the drive wheels, or stick anything you can there. Carpet scrap, corrugated card board, whatever. Then drive away.
I did the carpet or cardboard thing a couple of times on my Brooklyn street. Surprisingly effective. There’s always something around in some recycling or trash can, which are stored in the little front yard areas if not at the curb.
These were just great functional and tough cars, and good looking to boot. Around the corner from our house in Towson was a tan stripper ’67 Belvedere wagon that I walked by every day on the way to the school bus pickup on Chestnut Ave. The next year in college, my roomate’s Dad had a metallic light green ’68 Coronet (Crestwood? the fake wood panel model), wagon, loaded to the gills. The Mopar B bodies of this era, as mentioned, may have been some of their best cars ever with the anvil-durable 318s most had and the excellent TorqueFlite, torsion bars, and minimal-to-no pollution controls. I always liked the Coronet’s dash design, one of the first for Mopar with minimal glare surfaces and safety-designed controls, simple and functional. It’s no wonder that their wagons of this vintage are sought after now.
If this Mopar wagon was always in the valley in makes sense that the original owner opted for AC as summer temps often are 20 degrees higher in the Valley han in Santa Monica or most of the LA Basin. I thought tinted glass was always standard on cars that had AC.
The 1968-70 ‘B’ body is probably my favorite Chrysler design, although I wish the wagon lost the ‘66-‘67 roof line. The Coronet 500 Wagon with fake wood is a real looker. The interior and dashboard are sure no nonsense.
I think one of the reason Japanese cars started to catch on is that they were sold with more standard equipment like an AM/FM radio, reclining seats, heater, etc. It seems to me that if more cars going down the production line were outfitted the same the fewer issues would occur, and by the end of the 1960’s the number of options available was almost endless. I believe Ford was the first NA manufacturer to group popular options together in packages not just a level of trim – was it in the late ‘70’s or not until the mid ‘80’s?
Since the coupes are much more likely to be seen these days, I had not realized how similar the A and B body interiors are.
My ’74 Dart was a similar blue.
You see the same effect between the downsized GM A and B bodies from ’77 & ’78.
In the junkyard, I frequently glance over the B-bodies hoping to find something that fits my El Camino.
Handsome wagon and great find.
I moved to Canoga Park back in 1966 from Catonsville MD. I recall that my father had a 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury III 383-4V 2 door in red with black vinyl top as a company car after driving cross country in a 1964 Galaxie XL. My mother had no car so she immediately got a 1967 Plymouth Satellite wagon in the proverbial green with simulated wood paneling and a 318. My father left the Carnation Milk Company two years later, who moved him to the west coast, gave up his Fury and then proceeded to buy the 1968 Cougar I have today.
The valley was pretty cool back then except for one very, very big minus and that was the smog. There were days when we weren’t allowed outside for P.E. It truly hurt to take a deep breath. Also I moved there in June but never saw the mountains making up the valley until a Santa Anna blew away the smog in September. Canoga Park was the far west end back then and one could see a solid wall of yellow towards the east about four miles and it only got denser.
My family owned a 1968 Dodge Coronet wagon when it was new–same color as the Brady Bunch car–and it was the biggest clunker ever! Windows didn’t work (they weren’t power windows), the heat didn’t work in winter…not good in New England in January!! It was traded in after a few years. Then people wondered why Chrysler went bankrupt in the late 1970s. “It’s a Dodge, it’s a lemon”