1970 Dodge Coronet Forgotten for 30 Years Comes Back to Life As Police Cruiser

The fifth-generation Coronet was an instant hit and became the company's bread-and-butter intermediate. It also joined the muscle car market when Dodge began offering the 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) RB and 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) HEMI V8s in the two-door versions. Moreover, it also spawned the iconic Charger and Super Bee models.

The Coronet was redesigned in 1971 and 1975 before it was sent into the history books in 1976, but the fifth-gen model remains the most desirable iteration.

But while the beefed-up coupes get a lot of love from classic car enthusiasts nowadays, the more mundane sedans and wagons are more common in junkyards and barns than on public roads. And many of them have been sitting for several decades as of 2024. The 1970 four-door sedan you see here is one of them.

This Mopar has been sitting for 30 years as of 2024. And it was retired mainly because the owner got a brand-new car in 1994. But even though it's been sitting outside ever since, the Coronet took three decades of total exposure to the elements like a champ. Aside from a few spots around the rear window (a common 1960s Mopar problem), it doesn't have significant rust issues and is still complete.

There's no info on whether the white paint job is original or a respray, but it still looks good on most surfaces. Moreover, the body panels are straight, and all the chrome trim is in the right places. Including the twin-looped front bumper, which is exclusive to the 1970 version.

But the really cool thing about this Coronet is that it's a bare-bones version without any options whatsoever. You just don't find entry-level cars in such great condition nowadays. And by "bare-bones," I mean this sedan doesn't have AC and power steering, and it was ordered with a radio delete.

The no-frills setup continued under the hood, which hides a 225-cubic-inch (3.7-liter) Slant-6 engine. Introduced in 1965, the six-cylinder powerplant soldiered on through 1970. In this final model year for the fifth-gen Coronet, the lump generated 145 horsepower and 215 pound-feet (292 Nm) of torque through either a three-speed manual or automatic. This one has a three-pedal setup.

Rescued by YouTube's Dylan McCool, the forgotten Mopar agreed to run again after a bit of maintenance. And the inline-six runs surprisingly smooth for a powerplant that hadn't sipped gasoline in 30 years. While most of these "will it run?" videos usually end with the engine firing up and idling, Dylan took things up a notch and took the Coronet for a drive.

But not before he performed a so-called "low-budged restoration." In short, he repainted the top, the hood, and the trunk black and turned the sedan into a police cruiser. He also added "Tennessee State Trooper" decals and a vintage bubble-style police light on the roof.

And the even better news is this Coronet will spend 2024 attending local car shows. That's a great outcome for a bare-bones sedan that would've ended up as a parts car in someone else's hands.