STREET MONSTER! 1968 Dodge Coronet 500 - Testing And Tuning The 440 After Transmission Mishap

In this video: Vacuum advance testing and ignition timing discussion on performance built 440 with aluminum heads; torque converter stall speed discussion and comparison; reading spark plugs; modifying aftermarket transmission dipstick tube; road testing a Mopar B-body with sway bars; and one burnout.
It's alive! After a week long detour through let's-see-what-happens-when-you-crack-your-torque-converter land, Mark's Coronet 500 is back on the ground and making delightful exhaust sounds once again. Now we can finally get back to what it actually came here for - tuning the rowdy 440 big block under the hood! I'll spoil the surprise for you... it's awesome.

[@craigbenz4835]

You can never complain about headers too much.

[@minnesotatomcat]

Numbers matching only means normal people can’t afford them. I love the modified look of this thing, and he probably doesn’t have $250,000 invested in it.

[@Coronetguy]

Your right and … your right!! But it drives like some of those priced cars..

[@mikemiller3650]

You keep saying Green like it's a bad thing. LOL. Love all those High Impact colors. Need more trucks in those colors

[@ScottDLR]

I like it!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’m just not a high impact guy at all. Or a green guy. And I know some members of the viewership feel the same way. Haha.

[@mickangio16]

Just not right on a '68

[@ScottDLR]

@@mickangio16 Not the worst someone has done.

[@mickangio16]

I remember the first car in that color in my area. It was a brand new '70 Road Runner with Cragar SS wheels. I can't think of the words to describe the feeling about it at the time. Did you like it? Hate it? One thing for sure, you couldn't help but notice it above anything else in your line of sight. I guess the reason why I am a bit sensitive about the high impact colors is because they represent an unforgettable period of my life. I have owned among many other musclecars when I was young a white '68 Coronet R/T, a '70 B5 blue Road Runner, a '70 purple GTX, a purple '70 340 Dart, and foolishly passed on a '71 purple Challenger R/T 440 4 spd with all the wings & stripes. I didn't buy the Challenger because I had both my Dart and my black '64 Polara 500 w/440, 4 spd, and 4.56 Dana at that time. I did get a '70 Challenger later but it was a Special Edition 383 2bbl car in dark bronze metallic with an R/T hood and painted black up the middle like an R/T. Before 1970 you just didn't see cars in that bright green, bright yellow, purple, orange, ... except the "Big Bad" AMCs that beat Chrysler to the punch by a couple years but they were fairly rare. One of my friend's older brother had a new "A scheme" AMC SC/Rambler. There was a very eye catching Big Bad Orange AMX in the neighborhood and Verdoro dark green Firebirds and especially GTOs were popular.

[@robertwest3093]

The exhaust note that this car has is my absolute favorite! And I don't think the cam choice could have been any better. Maximum lope at idle without wanting to die when the throttle slams shut. You have this setup dialed in spot on, Jamie!

[@jeffrowlette]

I love this channel ❤️ Mopar man here...i have a 68 Barracuda Notch-Back.....everything Mopar is 😎

[@richardtibbetts574]

Notchback huh? I like that style. It’s like a small Roadrunner.

[@jeffrowlette]

@@richardtibbetts574 That is LITERALLY what I tell people! It's the same green as the Coronet in the video....318/392 stroker making 500 HP

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

Natchbacks are one of the best lookin CARS of all time .

[@marcgendron6745]

Grinning ear to ear watching you drive that thing ! How can you not love it .💯👍

[@beljames1563]

What could be more handsome than a 68 Mopar.....any model???? I'm waiting....What sounds better than a big block mopar????....still waiting.........

[@javimacias1215]

A 1969 Dodge Dart GTS with a 383. Well, at least I got one right.

[@user-tn9cr7ne4r]

I like the blacked out chrome makes it pop looks like a awesome ride

[@dracones3020]

I have a 73 charger, fixing it up to be my first car. Your videos have helped so much

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

That’s awesome. Happy to help!

[@bigjohn75]

Every time I hear a Dodge get on it! the hear on my arms stand up

[@jamesblair9614]

The stylists really did a great job on those quarters and rear, I particularly like the deck lid with the slight spoiler feature. It’s funny that they had to use the corporate doors and roof, but got free rein on the door jambs back.

[@cbobmonster]

Hell yeah sick car. glad you did the burnout I was wondering 😂😂

[@Anthony-nw5zv]

That Coronet has a really nice stance and sounds good 😊

[@jamessharp9790]

Really good running street car. 68 best looking Coronet too.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yesssss. I totally agree.

[@AllensAutomotiveReparations]

That car looks and sounds amazing I know its the "wrong" color and the trim is "wrong" but it looks really cool and I dont normally like vibrant colors let alone slimer green. Love the exhaust note as well, looks to me like Mark has got a fun rowdy hotrod that will not get mistaken for anybody elses as it is very unique. Nice work on the tuning looks like it'll roast the tires and spray rubber at will and that cold start ability from the Edelbrock is fantastic. Gotta love it.

[@user-hi2ev7ug4l]

Nice job finishing up on '68 Coronet....thanks

[@RandallSoong-pp7ih]

Beautiful Beast!

[@OlderNotNecesarilyWiser]

All right leak free! You got that car running amazingly, sounds good and looks fantastic!

[@johntevault3945]

My most recent Mopar score is a 68 Coronet 440. It came with a 318. I had a 340 waiting for an easy swap, and this car was it. The car has 11 inch drum brakes and a front sway bar! It is a fun driver with some rust, but I love it. Thanks for the entertaining, continuing sagas of what it takes to keep these sweet cars alive and driving! I have 3 of my own and find that overwhelming sometimes. Can't imagine video on top of that!! Great job keeping us entertained!

[@Welcometofacsistube]

My first mopar was a 1968 coronet 500 two door 383/727//3:55. Really miss that car

[@user-rg7qu7ml2b]

That "filler" between the backlight and the trunk lid is called the Dutchman panel and the rear window is properly called the backlight.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’m not willing to involve myself in that level of pedantry.

[@CarTech1976]

Another great video, thank you! That was an awesome car as well.

[@user-vn4id9ro2t]

Absolutely love this coronet! Yes it is not correct, but I think 1970 chrysler would approove of it! Those tailights and back valance look so mod 60's! I totaly dig it!

[@kenchorney2724]

When people ask me "what kind of headers do you recommend?", I ask them "what kind of exhaust leaks do you prefer?".

[@Coronetguy]

You speak the truth!!! Lol

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

😅 too real!

[@clembob8004]

Very nice car, and it sounds like the 440 is running really well. I actually like the lime green and black trim combo, very tastefully done. If I want to nitpick, I would say the Superbee logo just doesn't belong on the car, it should just be a plain black bumble bee stripe. That, and a full blackout on the grille, which really gives the 68 Coronet a mean look. And I also really like the black wheels with the small caps. Oh, and no leaks! That's nice. Finally, headers on a big block Mopar really are very hard to live with. A good set of high perf stock manifolds would do just fine I think.

[@Coronetguy]

The super bee stripe is the last change to make. I already have the bubble bee stripe waiting for warmer weather to tackle that . Thanks for the kind words!

[@Littlehotrodshop]

That yellow 68 Coronet I brought by last summer is a 500. Probably somebody swapping parts in the '80s pulled off the tail lights and tail panel and installed 440 tail lights. It's been fun finding all the 500 parts to reinstall on the car

[@Coronetguy]

This car had deleted all the cool parts too. It had the shallow lame taillight frames no trunk panel no front grill emblems changing out the stripe will be last thing In my conversion .

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh nice. I didn’t realize that. Apparently there were a lot of ‘68 500s? Haha.

[@edsmachine93]

Sounds great, the Coronet 500 turned out great. The idle is alot better. Really throaty! 👍 Thanks for sharing.

[@Grandadsjunk]

You got it running real nice sounds fantastic and looks great good job brother just beautiful great example of a great car

[@TonyMancini-js2br]

Beautiful car.❤

[@robbleblanc]

I love those gauges! Beautiful car!

[@paulkoski8759]

That is a beast of a car I wish I never sold my 71 challenger and my 72 Cuda and my 69 gto sold them to help my parents not loose there house I was 15 you know how many yards I had to mow to get those cars and now I would spend close to 100,000 to get those back and in the condition they were in they was supposed to replace or buy them back I've been waiting since 1996

[@sayrerowan734]

The exhaust note is SCHWING!!

[@garrrrrryyy]

What a ride just beautiful

[@nickstadler2451]

I played around with mechanical and vacuum advance a lot on my 440 with aluminum heads and a street cam. The best performance and best mileage was indeed that what Birdsong explains.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

For this combination, it works! I just don’t like that people with other, very different combinations might try the same thing and break stuff.

[@80spodcastchannel]

Uncle Tony is probably drooling watching this

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I don’t think so 😅

[@user-ll5uo1xf1c]

Love that car!!! Super job you did

[@joshuajesch7154]

Love the burnout. That color has grown on me some. That car has a good soul. It trusted you to be its savior...thats a compliment I'd say....but what happened to our "and remember"?...lol

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

You got one - “It ain’t easy being green!”

[@davestark2015]

Alright new video !!!!! My happy place 🎉

[@rboynton8671]

Nothing like old muscle! Thank for the videos!

[@scofab]

Fun hanging out... thanks again.

[@mtbpirates]

Great job Jamue! Awesome car.

[@SE-me2pt]

Awesome job! Great car , nothing better than a 440 for pure consistent, reliable power. A real muscle car don't need no stinkin line lok or power braking to do burnouts! Carter style carburetors are the way to go for the street unless you like to constantly check for leaks and enjoy finnicky tuning problems based upon the way the wind is blowing on a particular day. Jamie rules when it comes to getting catalog builds (and other nightmares) usable .

[@tarikhammad4651]

Great job Jamie

[@alexshortsplus]

You turned a super 🐝 bee into a killer bee😅

[@mikefredericks2846]

Sweet Rod ! ! ! ! !

[@allanperryman388]

Sounds great 👍

[@BigfootsnMopars]

Nice work. Such a fantastic car. 🦶🏾

[@rlp2806]

Sweet Frick'n car! Great video!

[@Mclovingarage]

That’s a beauty!

[@mediamain6]

It does sound pretty damn good!

[@user-im1ut8mg6q]

Badass man...we use to live in Vancouver...i remember going with dad to woodburn in the late 90s to go racing...we moved back to Ohio still have duster and we still racing it❤️

[@user-cg1ki9gt4p]

westport wa.state here young sir. years ago .i mean years. i saw the one and only yellow submarine. that was way cool. as a young teenager. it stuck in my mind. your car has that flavor. good on you. thanks for the memory burst.

[@greghansard357]

Another great episode. You are doing a great job with your content and channel! And, yes, I don't understand the popularity of the unboxing at all. 😮

[@Brian-nm8ie]

Thanks for the video! Amazing car. I'v been really wanting a 1960's hardtop Mopar and this video convinced me that I need to make this a reality. Even a ratty one in primer. I think they look so good with slotted mag wheels.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yessss. I highly recommend that!

[@dadalebreton184]

You can tell if its higher stall by looking at the welding marks from the tork guts. More angled are the welding lines, usualy the higher the stall. I know there's much more but after identifying few torks, you get better at it. 3600 was high to go get groceries. Lol Nice explanation with that timing light.

[@majorpayne5289]

👍Oh how sweet (& green) it is :-) & those silly squealing belts! It’s only talking to ya, J! *Dang anti-seize. Where a little can be a lot! Lol! I’ve used so much of that stuff within my refrigeration service career. Gotta have it.

[@kenjohnson3641]

She sounds good

[@Cstoreri]

Thx Jamie… see ya tonight hopefully!

[@steveash9831]

I'm laughing because you timed it perfect again! You posted a video at the same time that I called it quits for the day. You also timed the engine perfectly. Sounds great! My Charger likes the manifold vacuum for the advance. It's a good thing, because those Weber carbs don't have a provision for a vacuum hose. I'm going to reveal what I am doing on my roof soon, because it is becoming dangerous, so I must stop. My neighbor shot at me with his BB gun today! He is either annoyed or jealous. Lucky for me, I am skinny, so he missed me! What am I going to do for kicks now? Everything I come up with is life-threatening!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Dang, I’m good. Get off the roof 😅

[@michaeladamo6279]

Another great video! Don’t forget about the cam have a big part of the sound! The car would look so much better if the chrome was chrome again. I’m not busting on the car. I would be proud to own it.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Of course - the cam is key. Agreed!

[@michaeladamo6279]

@@DeadDodgeGarage I just checked the map 2935 miles to you

[@snoopyboobs]

hurrah! Dead Dong Garage does it again!! I like subdued cars or I like bright green or orange, no inbetwixt. Did you say horrible butchery or debauchery? I'm gonna assume the best and guess debauchery.

[@SuperSatelliteGarage]

To Bee … or … Not a Bee Doesn’t matter much here! NICE JOB 👍🏽👍🏽

[@minnesotatomcat]

Nothing against chargers but I almost prefer the body lines on the coronets just cause you don’t see them near as often, and it’s just a wicked looking car. It sounds good, headers are a pain in the ass but they give you that lovely rumble 👍

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

No I totally get it. The Coronet (specifically ‘68) is a damn fine looking car. I tried to finance a ‘68 Coronet in 2013. The bank said it wasn’t worth the asking price… but they said the ‘66 Charger was worth *more* than the asking price, so I got that instead.

[@RWO555]

Great vid, epic car and SO HAPPY it has an edelbrock carb on top!!! Edelbrock carbs are like frank's red hot sauce at my place. I put them on everything. Got a sub outta this chevy lover that has a mopar fetish! Keep up the great vids and stay strong my edelbrock carb loving friend!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Thanks! And welcome aboard!

[@stephancardoos1782]

beautiful car!

[@michaelnault5905]

Cool beans! Green beans :⁠-⁠) Just needs some Robin Trower and interior fog seeping out the vent windows!

[@michaelfoster1453]

Fine job! At least now I know how to phase time a distributor. Need to do that to my Windsor based Mustang.

[@staceyrenner5418]

Good lord that's an awesome car. Still on the fence about the blacked out trim though.

[@COUNTINGSLURPULA]

Gorgeous 😍

[@craigbowley6783]

I love a Johnny dangerously reference 👍

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’ve actually never seen that one, so it’s entirely possible I’m referencing a reference 😅

[@keithwight856]

Definitely a cool car

[@allanmcelroy9840]

I have a 360 out of a late model ram in a little dakota, that has a edelbrock 650 on it. Rock solid.

[@marcbrown6391]

I love that car.

[@RayEC70]

Now it makes me think how the tuning you did on my car went. I think I had it pretty close but I'm no expert at tuning. Still learning.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yours was like spot on! I think I tweaked the idle mixtures. I checked the timing curve with a light and it was exactly what I would have done. That’s why there was no video on it. Haha. The only problem we’ve really had on it was the intermittently sticky throttle. I added a second spring and that helped, but it has still been a bit goofy.

[@BlindBatG34]

I dig your Matco rebranded Witte screwdrivers. I have a similar set in blue from Cornwell.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Oh interesting. I have a green set of Cornwells but they’re a different style. I have three sets of those “Matco” drivers - two orange and one green. At least a couple of them have been replaced with newer units, with grips that no longer say Witte. My favorites are the classic red handled Snap-Ons though. I had to order those special because they were being phased out for goofy new ones and the old style were no longer on the truck. AvE did a big screwdriver review and rated the Snap-Ons as just about the best, and that was good enough for me. Haha.

[@488ci]

Cool car, that green 🍏, interesting fix though, 👍

[@rodneybyrd9516]

If that's a "Break-A-Way" TCI converter, it will work great!! I used one in my '70 Challenger R/T 383 (which I installed a tweaked 1977 400 into, with a 275DEH cam) and it was great!! The "Street Fighter" and "Super Street Fighter" units have always underwhelmed me, never really delivering properly. 😢

[@Coronetguy]

It is a break away. Thanks for the info. I had heard good things about them , but was also hesitant due to the other being a TCI!

[@rodneybyrd9516]

@@Coronetguy I loved the one in my lopey Challenger. I also had a dual plane DP4B intake and a 750 Edelbrock AFB with HP exhaust manifolds and real good dual exhaust with an H-connector. My cam was probably milder, but the smaller engine matched that converter perfectly with 3.23 gears!!

[@LaLaLand.Germany]

This is my 1st time here and I am under the impression this is like AvE and Vice Grip Garage had a Doobie (a big one) and called it Rock n Roll. Nice!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Haaahaha. You’re pretty damn close. It’s a vice grip ish mechanic show filmed in the style of AvE with technical information by Uncle Tony, jokes by the hit animated TV show Archer, and musical guest me.

[@steveash9831]

Congratulations Jamie! You got that win you were asking for! Actually, you got two wins! Fixing that car didn't give you any gray hair! Oh wait! What's that I see in your beard?!

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Yeah… those little gray bastards are multiplying. I think I can blame a couple of them on my daughter’s formative years, but the rest were self inflicted.

[@RabidTransitGarage]

The exhaust sounds virtually identical to my Dart, I have welded Thrush on mine

[@trojan440]

Just as i was gonna comment on the hat you ansured it. Good timing, yes, pun intended.😊

[@MOPARMuscleLEBANON]

love the sound of this thing and always learning something new from your videos man ! my car is running very rich i have an MSD ready to run distributor and recently discovered that there is different sizes of springs to modify the curve and timing any idea about MSDs , mine is a 400 originally a 2bbl now a 4bbl street demon 625

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Indeed, there is a lot of tuning that can be done there. But I can’t tell you exactly what your engine might want…

[@MOPARMuscleLEBANON]

​@@DeadDodgeGarage i was wrestling with the carb since day 1 , car is low on torque on low rpms until you kick the 4bbl ( 4 speeds car ) it feels like on certain mid rpms the car run well

[@billharden7127]

Nice👍

[@alexshortsplus]

2:02 please put the cursing and yelling in. Thats the best part😅😅😅😅

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I’m going to have to disagree. Haha. I want to keep this a family friendly show. Heck, there are kids watching my videos in a high school class for some reason! I have been thanked directly for not swearing. But I think we all know what things are really like in the shop…

[@jhillaudio]

Thanks for the ending payoff! Coulda made smoke though, you had permission...

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

There was a car coming 😅

[@jamesonpace726]

Never heard anyone so happy to report a sunny day. Odd....

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

They’re golden around here, especially during this part of the year 😅

[@AtZero138]

Your a champ!!... I did my bad .. for better A904 swap in the street.. yeah my neighbors are cool to me... So I can only imagine what this took . Haha . Thanks for making me laugh Dude..

[@mickangio16]

I replaced connecting rod bearings on a busy street in Chicago winter with cars driving by & spraying slush all over me working on my '64 Dodge 383 4spd. It lasted about 2 weeks after that. It probably would have lasted longer but I was a maniac. Put my first 440 in it after that in a rented garage with no electricity- another story😁

[@damnitboyrodshop5876]

BADASS.......

[@josecampos-bj6kt]

Been working on a 72 Charger, I would know Aberdeen from just the drive. Thanks.

[@user-cg1ki9gt4p]

little secret, on my old tucks that had brake problems. it looked weird put a cadillac vacuum pump on them, bam dune .works like a dream. they put them on the first gen diesels.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Ah, you mean a belt driven unit. I’m familiar. There is an electric pump under the battery. I learned when he picked it up that this booster behaved the same on the electric pump as it did on engine vacuum when I was done. Problem found! And it’s not the amount of vacuum.

[@RustyFuel]

Just think of every leak as a free happy content coincidence

[@martind701]

Love ya Jamie! If you ever get close to FL let me know. Really would like you to dial my 71 Superbee.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Ohhh, I’d love to. I’ve never even seen one! I saw a white ‘71 in a muscle car book years ago and decided they were super cool.

[@mexicanspec]

Don't forget about the alignment. You want that steering wheel to be straight when driving straight.

[@OldsmobileSBRocket]

Manifold vacuum advance in most cases work for Olds V8's. Low compression Olds V8's, nearly 50 at idle and nearly 60 at part throttle Just like Edelbrock's often give headaches even after throwing a ton of tuning parts. I know from my 318 van days, Dodge usually like less timing.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Right. That has been my experience too. I have tuned a lot of these. I was not expecting it to want all that. But it does…

[@4thdownclown]

Did you turn in the screw in the vacuum advance pod with the Allen wrench? That was a big part of Birdsong's vacuum video. On the Firecore dizzy. Good job Jamie.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

Planned to see if this one was adjustable (I did mention that, right?,) but it ran so well and didn’t have any obvious signs of excessive advance, so I left it alone.

[@pcbullets8726]

That is one badass car! Even if it is green hahaha. I do like the green even if it's not factory.

[@DanEBoyd]

I don't mind the green, but I would get rid of the blacked out marker and fender-top lights, window trims, and etc.

[@tonyb3864]

You got a $100 voucher from Summit? WTF man? I have literally spent many thousands of dollars with them and all they ever gave me was a stinking hat and some crummy stickers. Oh and the more I look at that blacked out trim the more I hate it. Thanks for the video. I appreciate it.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

You haven’t gotten the stupid wine voucher? 😅 I’ve recycled sooooo many of those damn things.

[@rodrocket8216]

Sublime car, nice lines. I reckon I'm in the minority that prefers A bodies. Have had a few bigger '70s vals, including a Chrysler by Chrysler CH coupe, but the A's are a better all round package. To my thinking, anyway. Have a good 1.

[@DeadDodgeGarage]

I love A bodies. At heart I’m an A body guy. I try to have a healthy collection of them at all times. But I’ve tested many As and many Bs, and I always have found B bodies to be the better riding and usually better driving cars.

[@That_AMC_Guy]

You put your Torqueflite in -- you take your Torqueflite out. You bust a knuckle open and you cuss and swear about....!