Opinions needed 1968 Chrysler T&C

Ok folks, I stumbled upon this '68 T&C. From what I know about Chryslers and from what I can tell from the photos, it appears to be fully loaded (including pw, pwr seats, rear AC, 440, etc). I have always liked the '65-'68 wagons.

The car runs and drives. However, the engine has low compression on one cylinder. The transmission has been professional rebuilt. The owner says everything works, but he AC needs charging.

It's a rust-free California car and looks like it is set up for towing.

My questions are: Based on the photos below and small description above, what do you think is a fair price for the car? Also, how expensive/available are parts? And who can give me an idea of what I am looking at as far as restoration costs?

All of the photos can be found by clicking on the link below.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92451820@N00/sets/72157634254978780/

 

And here are some of the photos

 

Who sayz that one hole haz low compression. You need to varify it. And squirt a little oil in the spark plug hole and retest it.(Might give you some idea of the nature of the low compression if it comes up with the oil in it. Valves, valve seats, rings?) Which cylinder, how much variation from the others. As far as partz go, that long roof looks pretty complete. Is it a true "Black Plate" car? Is the bottom as clean as the top? I have a couple numbers in mind but you have to do more home work. What kind of numbers is the seller looking for? Get a number from him-her. If the seller sayz make me an offer tell him-her $400. That's about scrap price for it and the seller sure the heck knows what they will not accept. You have to determine just what the seller has and a starting point for negotiation. BTW, You can plan on $3000 to over $5000 for a 440 rebuild if it's done right and who does it. ...Bottom line, you have to do more home work. Jer

 

Jer's correct. Hard to put a figure on it. I assume, Prof, you're doing this sight unseen? If so, maybe you can get a member or someone else to check it out for you. With the possible motor issue, it would be nice to actually run it and get a compression check.

If everything was ship-shape, this might be a $8k wagon (or more). Without knowing more about it, I might venture an offer in the $2,500 range. I wouldn't go higher than $3,500 though without a full check of it.

 

I just found the car and I'm hoping to get more information and photos from the seller soon.

 

I like it but I agree that it would be difficult to put a value on it, especially if it needs an engine rebuild. Fifteen years ago, this car would have sold to someone who would have yanked out the motor and sold the body for scrap. Now these old big block wagons are rare and desireable. My guess, without better pictures and without knowing just what is needed would be that it'll likely sell for between $2500 and $4500.
The rear ac is a nice option. The pie pan on the air cleaner (which can be seen in an interior picture), would lead me to believe that its the 440 TNT engine ( the high performance version of the 440 as was found under the hood of Charger RT and Plymouth GTX).

 

The pie pan for a *Chrysler* would not say MAGNUM.....

 

No, it would say "440 TNT" on Chrysler, "440 Magnum" on Dodge, and "440 Commando" on Plymouth.

 

HUMMMM, 3K aye? here'z my thinking even if the seller won't budge. Looks like ah Dam nice '68. Too clean to be a salt country car even without the black plate. It had to come from one of the no salt states so try to find out where it lived most of its life. Montana and the Dakota's have rust free iron too yah know! Put a magnet in your pocket and jump ah Big Bird and go see and drive it. If you don't like what you see have the other half of the 'round trip ticket in your pocket too. If you like it after you've checked it out you have two options. Lay the $ down and drive it back or have it shipped back to Tn. and use the other half of the ticket! Worst case scenario 3K+5K+ 1.5K for shipping and you're on your way to a life time of fun and folks giving you thumbs up every where you drive it. That makes you feel all warm .n fuzzy if you've never felt it and you can't put a number on that. AND YOU COULDN'T BUY AH YUGO FOR 10K IN TODAYS MONEY EVEN IF THEY DID STILL MAKE THOSE UGLY LITTLE THINGZ AND IF YOU DID HAVE TO RE-DO THE CAR YOU COULD NOT GET IT DONE FOR THAT KINDA DOUGH, TRUST ME ON THAT. And FYI, If you play it right you can do it in a weekend so you won't miss any work time= WIN WIN, Jer

 

looks decent !!
hard for me to say on the price...what with being so North

 

So a few things that I've noticed... If it were a 9-seater, then it should have two small steps built into the rear bumper (but I have never seen a 6-seater with the dual A/C (and the unique parts for the dual A/C unit are all but impossible to find)), it doesn't have a roof rack (which is kind of rare), or the nifty "assist" handles on the D pillars. The front right fender seems to have been hit and the whole wagon is missing the woodgrain. I can see power windows but not power seats. It does have the tilt-tele steering wheel. It is hard to tell if the headliner is in good shape but if not, they are almost impossible to repair or replace as the original perforated pressboard is unavailable. The color of the carpet is odd. I would agree that given the unknowns, $3,000 is tops.

Dan

 

First of all, thanks to everyone for the comments and advice. After much deliberation, I have decided against the Chrysler. I have always liked the '66 body style best. If I am going to buy one, I think I'll hold out. Until then, I will finish my Country Squire and drive it.

 

I was never a big fan of the styling of the 68 Town and Country wagon myself. But then, several years ago, I was at the Spring Fling Mopar show in Van Nuys, California, and there were two of them in the show. Both wagons had the chrome Magnum wheels. Somehow those wheels made all the difference, and I fell in love with those wagons. Now, its one of my favorite Mopar wagons.
The black one is likely the one mentioned in this thread that just went to auction.
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25446&highlight=chrysler+hidden+headlights






http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7077&highlight=chrysler+wagon+pics

 

Then, of course, theres this one with the 68 Chrysler 300 grille to give it a completely custom look. It looks great with the 300 grille, even though the 300 hood, front fenders and fron bumper weren't used. This one is owned by one of our own members.
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21840&highlight=chrysler+300

 

Does it seem odd that neither the black nor blue wagons have a driver side mirror?

Dan