'68 Belvedere Basic

[yettoblaster]

Recently bought a 4-door Basic with a straight body, ok paint, 318, dog dish hubcaps, the whole bit.
Needs most of the interior.
I just cruise it by the ocean.
4bbl and dual exhaust. Otherwise pretty taxi/cop car stock.
Loose; wanders (need to dial in some toe-in).

I love it though. It's my project car. Runs good, but needs improvements (especially suspension/steering). It's a barge.

Have a catalog for parts, but looking for alternative (cheaper) ideas.

 

[Homstead]

Welcome to the site! The car sure looks in great shape!

 

[polywideblock]

welcome

 

[Budnicks]

Welcome to FBBO

 

[yettoblaster]

Thanks guys!

Yeah, for $4k it seems like a lot of stuff won't require the nickel/dime bloodletting.

Glass is all intact. Lights work (except dash).

 

[MoparMitch]

Welcome to the Madness !!

 

[68sprtsat383]

Welcome nice car

 

[Car Nut]

aboard!

Nice ride!

 

[super-bee_ski]

Hi!
Welcome aboard and thanks for joining the forum
What ocean?

 

[roadrunnerh]

Welcome! I owned almost the exact car back in around '94 (long gone). Same color, brownish interior, 4 door, 318 auto and MANUAL steering. Does your also just have rubber matting or carpeting?

 

[roadrunnerh]

Is this your car for sale on ebay???
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Plymou...ash=item4d3af80733:g:jZoAAOSwT5tWPTGP&vxp=mtr

 

[yettoblaster]

Is this your car for sale on ebay???
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Plymou...ash=item4d3af80733:g:jZoAAOSwT5tWPTGP&vxp=mtr

Looks like it. That may be from the owner previous to the owner I bought it from for $4k.
They did some work to it, but ultimately wanted to put more money into a couple other sixties MOPARS they had.
The Ebay add I saw that certainly was this car has been taken down as soon as I bought it.
I saw the ad you linked while researching this car. Not sure if it's the one I bought, or one just like it.
The wheels are a dead give away.
They wanted to keep the chrome aftermarket ones just like your linked pic shows.
Fine with me!

 

[yettoblaster]

Welcome! I owned almost the exact car back in around '94 (long gone). Same color, brownish interior, 4 door, 318 auto and MANUAL steering. Does your also just have rubber matting or carpeting?

Mine is bare steel above and below.
Stripped except for seats and door panels.
Original color a bit more light brown.
It got hit and repainted by Miracle Auto maybe 15 years ago. Slightly more yellow/cream now.

 

[yettoblaster]

Hi!
Welcome aboard and thanks for joining the forum
What ocean?

Pacific!
I'm on the California coast about 70 miles South of San Francisco.

 

[HT413]

Sweet ride. i also have a belvedere, a 69 2-door post car. 68/69 Belvederes sure are rare! Price is bound to go up up up haha.

Regarding your comment about having a catalog of parts but looking for cheaper alternatives, well you came to the right place. Tons of honest people here plus several that specialize in mopar parts sales.

So what are your plans for the old girl?

 

[eric383]

Welcome to FBBO. I love the sleeper look.

 

[yettoblaster]

Sweet ride. i also have a belvedere, a 69 2-door post car. 68/69 Belvederes sure are rare! Price is bound to go up up up haha.

Regarding your comment about having a catalog of parts but looking for cheaper alternatives, well you came to the right place. Tons of honest people here plus several that specialize in mopar parts sales.

So what are your plans for the old girl?

It's a driver.

Great for Sunday joy rides by the ocean so far.
I kind of like rumbling along to the dual exhaust music, while stinking out the Teslas behind me as I cruise by the National Marine Santuary (Monterey Bay).

I can't see sinking tons of dough into it but it has potential as a sleeper I suppose. I like the styling and that it's Basic, like a Chevy Biscayne.

They made police cars and taxis out of the Basic four door. I've always been a fan of the dog dish hubcaps.

I might spring for the police type steel wheels, over the 14" Valient rims on it presently.

Someday after I fix up the interior I may let my son-in-law shoot the exterior (he's great with paint).

I could see firming up the steering and suspension some, but for now it drives and runs pretty good. Just needs some TLC over time.

Not in a big hurry to hot rod it or anything. Just having low buck yucks as a mild hobby car so far.

It's got potential, but I have other expen$e$ (luxeries: like eating, and sleeping indoors). ;-)

 

[moparedtn]

I love the car.

On the dash lights, I'd say there's been plenty of folks here who have gone through the same thing with theirs (including me). Nothing a bunch of volt/ohm metering (and maybe some back-wrenching upside down under the dash) can't cure, trust me.

You start posting up here as you go through things and folks will respond.
We're all in this together!

 

[yettoblaster]

I love the car.

On the dash lights, I'd say there's been plenty of folks here who have gone through the same thing with theirs (including me). Nothing a bunch of volt/ohm metering (and maybe some back-wrenching upside down under the dash) can't cure, trust me.

You start posting up here as you go through things and folks will respond.
We're all in this together![/QUOTE]

Thanks!
Called in my first order to Classic Industries, for some turn signal lenses and gaskets, etc.

I think next will be the proper 15" wheels.

That dashboard is a high priority too. The only lights that work are oil pressure, and high beam (pretty dull red glow, but sorta there).

Looks like pulling the panel (since there's no dash cover presently) might be the easiest way.

Anyway, I've got it over in the Member's Projects forum.

There are much more involved projects than mine!

 

[moparedtn]

Thanks!
Called in my first order to Classic Industries, for some turn signal lenses and gaskets, etc.

I think next will be the proper 15" wheels.

That dashboard is a high priority too. The only lights that work are oil pressure, and high beam (pretty dull red glow, but sorta there).

Looks like pulling the panel (since there's no dash cover presently) might be the easiest way.

View attachment 340055

View attachment 340056


Anyway, I've got it over in the Member's Projects forum.

There are much more involved projects than mine!

Yep, been there. My dash (pretty much identical to yours) had all sorts of issues also. Nature of the beast with these, apparently.
I pulled the cluster and spent an entire afternoon/evening with it on the workbench, methodically cleaning every contact point on the PC board (a pencil eraser works wonders, honest!) and replacing all the bulbs and their sockets with new ones, which are readily available.
I even hooked up jumper cables from the cars' battery and clamped the other ends to my wooden workbench (don't try this at home, kids) so I could test each circuit with 12V as I went; having a factory service manual for wiring diagrams helped a lot, too.
I replaced the voltage limiter at that time also. HIGHLY recommend you do this, regardless of whether or not you think it needs it. Trust me.
I got every gauge and light working eventually on the bench before finally installing the cluster back in the car.

It's a royal pain in the *** to remove that cluster if you don't have any of the trim/padding already removed...
but once done, it turned out to be one of the more satisfying projects I've undertaken on the car, not to mention a bigtime money saver. Companies out there that restore these instrument clusters want big $$$.
It's simple stuff once you're into it. Have at it!