A friend of mine in high school had an old police package Diplomat. We put a 360 4 bbl. in it. Suprised the Hell out of all the rich kids with their brand new Camaros, and, Mustangs!
I remember lots of Friday and Saturday night debauchery occuring as a teen in the 80s, like huge bonfire parties in the woods with half the school there , and when you saw that headlight shape approaching,there was no mistaking who it was and what you do, and that's run like the Dickens!
@@Rumpleskin None, and they're all accurate!!! LOL. How did you know I would be here? I only click on perhaps one of Steve's videos a week. Do you realize how much I'm helping Steve? People like you clicking on the video to see if I posted bumps of the views and Steve gets paid for views. I find Steve amusing, and also his fanboys!!!
@@bradkay I admit that Steve does make mistakes. I have even caught some, and commented about them. But in reality, every single person on the planet makes mistakes. Back to Steve...yes, he makes mistakes. However, his overall automotive knowledge is considerably more than most "car people". His knowledge covers (seemingly) the entire spectrum from Fiats to REOs. Most "car people" knowledge is limited to specific vehicles that they love. For example...My historical knowledge is focused mainly on '47-'55 Chevy Advance Design pickups; '60-'66 Chevy C10 pickups; and '73-'80 Chevy C10 pickups. Over my decades, I have owned vehicles from several different auto brands. And worked on many brands. But except for what I mentioned, I couldn't tell you what the history of those other vehicles were (as Steve does). So I can understand that you may not like Steve. And I can't disagree, that he makes mistakes. But, as I said, we all make mistakes.
In Mexico with a slant 6 this was called a Dart and with a V8 it was called the Magnum. Sometimes this car came with the 1980 Plymouth Volare front end with the Diplomat rear end.
My father's last sedan before he passed, was a 1985 Diplomat 4 door. It was a 318 car. Somebody removed the Lean Burn equipment from it. It ran ok. But I remember it always had squeaky suspension and burned a quart of oil every week. Mom hated it, she was, and still is, a Chevy lady.
@Greg Kellow My Dad growing up was Strictly a Chevy truck and Buick cars for my Mom. My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford ranger and my Dad shook his head. Im big on Mopars now.
@@Daniel-fd3wp Well, my Dad was usually a BIG Cadillac guy, I'm talking Fleetwood's and DeVilles. But he got a deal on the Dodge. He used to have Dodges before us kids came along. Mom grew up in a Chevy home and her Grampa was strictly Buicks. And I work as a tech in a Chevy dealership.
I had a 1988 Diplomat with the police package 318-4 with the 3 speed trans 125 mph speedo. It had external oil coolers for the engine, trans and the power steering unit plus the HD suspension, sway bars etc.. It was in a wreck so i removed everything cop car related put it all in my 1980 Dodge Aspen R/T it all bolted right up! I love watching and listening to all your videos Mr. Steve!!! Thanks!
A family member managed to get an 88 model with the police package. It wasn't crashed so it all stayed intact. He painted it a different color and drove it. Fun cars!
Yep, I built myself one of the Chrysler Lebaron 2-door coupe one time, I put a 1969 383 and matching 727 in it. Then I put in an 81/4" sure-grip out of a cop car in it with the heavy duty leaf springs and rear sway bar with an adjustable pinion snubber. And that rear end could hold everything that engine and trans could throw at it. Best I got was a 9.36 at 77mph in the 1/8. I know, it could have been better, but the car was awesome just the way it was.
Chrysler did a very nice job for 1980, given their limited budget at the time, putting a formal roof on the Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron sedans and coupes. Helped Chrysler distinguish them more than the 1977-1979 sedan models, from the Aspen/Volare rooflines. Though, the 1977-1979 Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron coupes were beautiful cars!
There were a number of Diplomats, Volares and Aspens in my family, and the front transverse torsion bar suspension had a tendency sag some with age. I preferred the original 1977 roof design on the Diplomat/Lebaron sedans. I found the 1980 formal roof, too reminiscent of fleet taxis and police cars.
I had an 80 coupe. Those were built on the short Aspen 108 wb, not the 112.7 sedan frame like most M cars were. Anyhow, with the 225, I got almost 300k out of it before it was burning as much oil as I could put into it, and fouling plugs. It was peppy because it had the 2.94 and 1st yr wide ratio TF trans. Great mileage as well. Neat car. If I could find another survivor, I'd buy it.
I'm also old enough to remember when those were new as well. They were the bread and butter car for many police departments. I remember seeing them in widespread use in places like NYC, Philly, and Washington DC.
I had that exact car in the mid ''90s 2 dr, slant 6, automatic, that creamy yellow beige color inside and out. It was actually a great car. I ended up giving it to my brother in law when I moved south to Georgia from Michigan. By then the rust was starting to take it's toll and one of the reasons I moved south was to get away from winter and rusty cars.
i had one of these when i was 17 it was a 1981 i think and it had bucket seats and a floor shift 318 2bar automatic dark blue inside and out with a emblem said type s on side windows
I drove a ‘73 Dodge Dart Sport in ‘77, 2door, Copper Mist paint ext., Beige interior(bench seat), White vinyl top. 318 v-8, and very slow 2.76 rear end. But a great cruiser.
I bought a Diplomat in 1992. I believe it was a 1985, can’t remember. The color was Gunmetal Grey. Took it over 300k miles before I got rid of it. It still ran, but had problems with various parts. Amazing, durable vehicles.
My Mom had a 86' Fifth Avenue. Simple 318, 3 speed automatic, I've never seen a boxy looking car get such good mpg on road trips. Comfortable too, think we put over 300k on it. I don't remember I think it had the 5 digit odometer. Unfortunately Michigan winters finally claimed it. My Mom got a space ship looking 93' Grand Prix, my Dad drove it till the wheels fell off. Traded it as junk an got a 93' Geo Metro 4 door hatchback. Used to see these things all the time but now don't see them anymore. Kinda sad in my opinion.
My folks had an 85 Diplomat they bought used and is what I earned my driver’s license with, shortly after I also earned my first ticket which was for “exhibition driving” aka doing a burnout in a parking lot. The car had a four barrel 318 that actually had decent power.
As a kid we would sit outside and watch the cars headlights, markers and taillights along with listening to their engines and figure out what car or trucks and even motorcycles we saw. Some of it was our early warning system for when the parents were coming home, partially because there was not much else to do and partially to see if we knew the lights and sounds. I passed a lot of hours doing that as a kid in the late 60's and 70's.
I really liked it. I am the second owner of a 1980 2dr Dodge Diplomat with t tops. I bought it in 2016 and put about 2500km on it a year. Mine has a 318 in it as well as bucket seats and floor mounted automatic transmission. I just love taking it to cruise nights.
I had an 87 four door. Great car. Got it for free because it needed brakes. It had Ice cold A/C, seats like a sofa. The "Dippy" as she was named by friends.
When I was an MP in the Marines at Camp Lejeune in 1999, they had a 1988 Dodge Diplomat police car. It had the gumball lights on the roof and a bullet hole in the hood (from a training exercise) Since I was a LCpl at the time, I always got stuck driving it on shift because all the Cpls and Sgts got the pick of the newer cars.
Drove cab in the first year of university. The boss purchased most of his fleet from government surplus (so, yeah, radio delete). They were sturdy reliable beasts and most ran on propane which made them cheap when you were paying out of your night's take. Only gripe: shitty heaters. They were okay around town but if you got out on the highway on a cold Alberta night, you were hard-pressed to keep the windows clear let alone stay warm.
Actually a fourth, the Plymouth Gran Fury starting however the LeBaron went to the FWD K platform for 82 so that left three, the Diplomat and Gran Fury for the US and Caravelle for Canada. And wasn't it the Dart in Mexico?
Those were just de-smogged variants of previous years' engines for the most part. Because Mexico at that time had different emission standards than the US and Canada, the "leftover" engines that didn't make 1981-82 standards in the US and Canada would have been used.
@@googleusergp I am not sure where you get your information but Mexico was closed at the time. The engines in the Mexican cars were made in Mexico, it was the law.
@@mexicanspec OEM information. Parts books. Service literature. OEM information. And their designs came from.....the USA who engineered them. They may have been made/assembled there due to Mexican law about content but they were not designed or engineered there. They were engineered here and assembled there. The parts books at the time, even for the US would have listed those engines as "Export". A lot of export engines are "leftover" in the sense that they would NOT meet current US standards due to emissions, but would be OK for export markets without those same restrictions. So a 1979 360 that was legal here to use in a 1979 new model year car but not for 1980 could be used in Mexico. Case in point: The Buick 350 V8, VIN code "X" was last used in 1980 in the US, but was used for export markets after that time.
Had an "81 Diplomat with a slant 6. Green exterior, mint green interior and an alligator style vinyl roof. The slant.6 that year had hydraulic lifters.
If every car and truck was a hotrod there would be nothing in the junkyard to look at. Plane Jane cars and trucks are the most interesting and worthy of restoration. I know of a bunch of 6 cylinder Mustangs from the 60's still going strong with a ton of character. Money buys power all day long but appreciating the simple good things in life is a better joy that does not fade and the cars last longer too.
I can remember when those were new also. Was just starting HS when it was made. At least you still had a lot of older 60's and 70's muscle cars in the student parking lot.
My older son had a 2 door Chrysler Lebaron coupe as his first car. We installed a high performance Mopar cam in the 318 and it really woke up the car. Black with red cloth interior. He still reminisces about the car. Thanks for the video and enjoy the 4th of July 🚀
It’s crazy to think that you’re more likely to find a Cuda, Roadrunner, or Challenger than one of these Diplomats now a days. Still see more than a few Fifth Aves rolling around though.
The 1980-81 LeBaron and Diplomat 2-doors were downsized to the 108.7" wheelbase Aspen platform from the 112.7" M-body and gained interior room (up one cubic feet in EPA index) with head and shoulder room increased slightly, though legroom and cargo volume went down. Code "G" in the 7th place VIN (ahead of the serial number) is St. Louis built.
First new car I ever owned was a 1980 2 door Diplomat, very nice silver with red interior and a black landau roof. Great car, really wish I could find another decent one.
didn't know about the horizontal torsion bars on the LeBaron / Diplomats. My parents had two: a '77 Lebaron. Later, they had a '85 5th Avenue. Loved both cars! Thanks for the detailed info. I see that '63 Imperial in the background still. You KNOW you want to do a video on it. Come on!
When I was like 17 we bought a '77 Coronet (midsize) 4-door. Blue, rear seat full of dog hair, slant six and a true radio delete car. Paid $50 for it and sold it I think for $450 just cleaning it up. The Lebaron with the signals on top always looked like someone put it together upside down.
My son was born( not conceived) in the back seat of a New Yorker of this vintage. Just came faster than expected. He was fine and it makes for a cool story.
While the guys with custom hot rods liked that system for their projects some guys driving Diplomats etc found a way to replace them with the A body set up. The transverse torsion bar system was intended to mimic the GM/Ford float. Chrysler abandoned two decades of having its own unique ride/drive. It didn't get it back until the 93 LH cars.
Bought one of those back in the day that was in a-1 shape 318 powered but didn't run gave $200 for it, that fancy computer ignition deal was bad and back then they were super expensive, so I rewired it for the old style Chrysler ignition module, I didn't have any timing advance with the modification, but she still drove great, the guy I got it from wasn't to happy when I fixed it in his driveway and drove off, it only had 60,000 miles on it, leatherish interior air all power, sold him for $1,500 a few months later
Except for the headrests, I am actually surprised how good of shape that seat appears to be in. And double surprised that no one has removed it, to use in some hot rod project.😎
Great video Steve. I could spend hours in that yard. Unfortunately there's very few places like that in the UK. Many years ago there was a yard on a farm near where I lived. Because my sister was friends with the farmers daughter I was able to get in and pick a few parts for a car I was restoring. There was stuff that had been there since WW2 with tree's growing through them. After the farmer gave up the whole place was sold to a scrap metal dealer and they bulldozed the whole lot. If I could go back about forty years with a £1000 in my pocket and buy up as much as I could carry and bring it back to 2022 I would make a fortune! Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?
The humble Dodge Diplomat was THE police car for most of the 1980s. Often after 3 years of 24-hour police (ab)use, they were auctioned off to taxi companies who drove them until the wheels fell off. Unless equipped with the 360, they were slow. Cops who remembered the 440 Dodge Cornets of years past hated the Diplomat's sluggish performance.
Spring of 1980 i was looking for a V8 Aspen with the Sunrise package but all i was seeing were Salesbank 3 speed sixs on the lots . No one wanted to special order since F production was to end mid April and the dealers were loaded with base 6s in pastel colors . 1 sales guy did call saying he had something i might like so i went back . It was a Sunrise but when he started it you knew it was a 6 . He said just look as he pointed out the Super Six labeled air cleaner under the hood and that inside it had a console with the OD 4 speed . Nice cranberry red with the red interior but the granny gear with OD truck trans and the 6 wheezing thru a 318 carb without the actual torgue left me cold . Finally managed to get a v8 close to what i wanted but St Louis was screwing them together with whatever parts and paints happened to be available that day . Ended up taking the 2nd car the factory shipped for that dealer order as it was close and the line was no more. Might have been the last V8 Aspen but it was such a Lemon i traded for a 82 Ford when the GTs returned .
I had an 81 Diplomat coupe for a minute of my life. Super 6 (was available on M Bodies in Canada till 83) was a smooth running engine. My first car was a 78 diplomat coupe with a 360
In the mid 1980's I got a ride to highschool every morning with two neighborhood Mom's who had a carpool. One had an Aspen wagon and the other had an almost new Fifth Avenue. Both cars had basically the same bones / dashboard...one was a rust bucket and the other was luxury!
How did you guys paint them? Was it automated or were you spraying them? I'm always interested in hearing how you guys used to do things back then, especially the pre 80 stuff 👍
@@MoparRob440 I sprayed under the hood on the drivers side then the door jams and the back of the door. There was a person on the passenger side doing the same thing. Then it went through automatic sprayers. We had 30 seconds to spray a car before the next one came down. They were different colors so we had to bleed the old paint out for the new color.
@@426Hemiroadrunner how long were you working there? I guess I'm curious what the oldest cars were you painted and if they were painted with the same method. I always wonder how all the "experts" who didn't work on the assembly lines when "X,Y,Z" car was new know "exactly" the correct methods, finish on various parts/bolts/fasteners, etc. and it seems like the guys who actually built them aren't around or interested in providing actual experience from what was done on the assembly lines and how it varied day to day
@@MoparRob440 Exactly. I stopped going to car shows as all the "armchair experts" come out. "You know that clamp should be green, not red". "You know that hose had a blue stripe, not a red stripe". Yes, but car makers had many suppliers and sometimes you put on what you had in the parts bin. The line didn't always stop for the "right part". The car makers often had two or three approved suppliers of parts so as to not get caught without what they needed and to avoid price gouging by the supplier. If Suppler A knows that B is also supplying the line, they will be less likely to price gouge the OEM. Plus, these were cars built by humans. They got tired, they came in pissed off, they had a fear of losing their job, the boss was on them for being too slow, whatever. Mistakes were made. The "human" factor is not always accounted for in a restoration. Even the "rare" cars were "just another car" as they went down the line behind the econobox in front of it.
My cousin had a 78 four door 318. He always complained about it but he drove it for years without very much trouble. He lived in Nebraska and cars seem to last longer than they do in Michigan.
Those Chrysler products had the most floating type ride in its class due to the transverse torsion bar front end. The front shocks because of the design did very little damping of motion, so the front shocks could last forever... at least as I remember these vehicles. It gave the vehicle what Chrysler called the "big car ride" , but had so-so handling characteristics. Still the drive trains with the slant six, LA series v8's, and 904/998 transmissions were time tested and reliable.
I remember riding in a brown Dodge Diplomat with a big gold Sherriff's star on the side when I was a kid. I think it was my first ride in a Chrysler Corporation product...lol
Someone could use those transverse torsion bars, and if the K frame isn't rotted out too. K Frame from an 87 Fifth Avenue went up for sale and wasn't on the market long. Only 1 company I know of that makes t-bars for these cars, but production was put on hold until further notice while they work on fixing an issue with their steering boxes. So much potential and increased interest in these M-Bodies over the last few years.
My folks used to have a mid 80s Chrysler New Yorker. Man that was a great car and plush. My mom whined for years after they got rid of it about how much she missed that car.
Ha! I randomly say “diplomatic immunity” several times throughout the week. Of course in a drawn out foreign accent followed by my best Danny Glover impression of “has just been revoked”!
Had an 85 sedan EX CHIP car. 318 GM 4bbl carb tough machine handled very well but slow. Chrysler sourced GM carbs for the police cars on 85-89 model years. Sturdy reliable lot of car for the money.
Hollyweird probably helped with those production #s with about every movie that had a cop scene in the 80s and early 90s there sat a Diplomat. Now after the Crown Vic ruled the patrol we have come full circle with the Hemi Powered Charger and has to be the most feared image in your rear view mirror. Namaste 🙏🏼
Something to mention. There was also a Diplomat SE, which was very similar to the Chrysler luxury variant except for the fact that the turn signals in the top were a different style and it still has the license plate slot in between to taillights.
My wife spoke of a Diplomat she bought brand new, 1979 or 1980, which was an unsold Police Duty car, which was ordered but never delivered to the municipality. She insists that it had a 400 cu.in. engine, high end speedometer, etc. The rear end on it failed three times from excessive power to the rear wheels. Finally, the transmission let go and she got rid of it, it was just 4 years old.
Good stuff thanks for posting, keep up these great vids Steve. I currently own 2 M Bodies, an 88’ and 89’ Diplomat, both AHB, both airbag cars. Always good to see an M coupe. Somebody rescue that one!
My dad had 1 of these and an 85 Chrysler Fifth Avenue. That car had a dual roller and a cam in it.. would blow peoples minds when he would rip off the line at a light. Lol
A friend of mine in high school had an old police package Diplomat. We put a 360 4 bbl. in it. Suprised the Hell out of all the rich kids with their brand new Camaros, and, Mustangs!
Our police Dept had 318 powered Diplomats with 426 Hemi badges as a bluff.
I remember lots of Friday and Saturday night debauchery occuring as a teen in the 80s, like huge bonfire parties in the woods with half the school there , and when you saw that headlight shape approaching,there was no mistaking who it was and what you do, and that's run like the Dickens!
I learned to drive on one like that. A 83 New Yorker with a 318, white with the red velvet interior
Keep up the videos Steve! You're a true automotive genius. Nothing but respect for people like you! Have an awesome day.
Well, this one DOES have fewer errors than typical.
@@bradkay when I read the above comment, I knew you would be here...how many videos do you put out a day junior?
@@Rumpleskin None, and they're all accurate!!! LOL.
How did you know I would be here? I only click on perhaps one of Steve's videos a week.
Do you realize how much I'm helping Steve? People like you clicking on the video to see if I posted bumps of the views and Steve gets paid for views. I find Steve amusing, and also his fanboys!!!
@@bradkay I admit that Steve does make mistakes. I have even caught some, and commented about them.
But in reality, every single person on the planet makes mistakes.
Back to Steve...yes, he makes mistakes.
However, his overall automotive knowledge is considerably more than most "car people".
His knowledge covers (seemingly) the entire spectrum from Fiats to REOs.
Most "car people" knowledge is limited to specific vehicles that they love.
For example...My historical knowledge is focused mainly on '47-'55 Chevy Advance Design pickups; '60-'66 Chevy C10 pickups; and '73-'80 Chevy C10 pickups.
Over my decades, I have owned vehicles from several different auto brands.
And worked on many brands.
But except for what I mentioned, I couldn't tell you what the history of those other vehicles were (as Steve does).
So I can understand that you may not like Steve. And I can't disagree, that he makes mistakes.
But, as I said, we all make mistakes.
@@bradkay brad make some videos
In Mexico with a slant 6 this was called a Dart and with a V8 it was called the Magnum. Sometimes this car came with the 1980 Plymouth Volare front end with the Diplomat rear end.
My father's last sedan before he passed, was a 1985 Diplomat 4 door. It was a 318 car. Somebody removed the Lean Burn equipment from it. It ran ok. But I remember it always had squeaky suspension and burned a quart of oil every week. Mom hated it, she was, and still is, a Chevy lady.
That's great that your mom is "enlightened " lol
I always wanted a diplomat 4 Dr but in ex highway patrol or detective look.
@Greg Kellow My Dad growing up was Strictly a Chevy truck and Buick cars for my Mom. My first vehicle was a 1988 Ford ranger and my Dad shook his head. Im big on Mopars now.
I am from a mixed family. One side Ford, the other side GM.
@@Daniel-fd3wp Well, my Dad was usually a BIG Cadillac guy, I'm talking Fleetwood's and DeVilles. But he got a deal on the Dodge. He used to have Dodges before us kids came along. Mom grew up in a Chevy home and her Grampa was strictly Buicks. And I work as a tech in a Chevy dealership.
I had a 1988 Diplomat with the police package 318-4 with the 3 speed trans 125 mph speedo. It had external oil coolers for the engine, trans and the power steering unit plus the HD suspension, sway bars etc.. It was in a wreck so i removed everything cop car related put it all in my 1980 Dodge Aspen R/T it all bolted right up! I love watching and listening to all your videos Mr. Steve!!! Thanks!
A family member managed to get an 88 model with the police package. It wasn't crashed so it all stayed intact. He painted it a different color and drove it. Fun cars!
I've always thought the M-Body coupes were really handsome cats.
They really are
I got a 80 Dart 2 door as a Daily here in Mexico, very reliable cars
I had a green on green '80 Diplomat 2-door back in the day. Nostalgia!
Yep, I built myself one of the Chrysler Lebaron 2-door coupe one time, I put a 1969 383 and matching 727 in it.
Then I put in an 81/4" sure-grip out of a cop car in it with the heavy duty leaf springs and rear sway bar with an adjustable pinion snubber. And that rear end could hold everything that engine and trans could throw at it. Best I got was a 9.36 at 77mph in the 1/8. I know, it could have been better, but the car was awesome just the way it was.
Chrysler did a very nice job for 1980, given their limited budget at the time, putting a formal roof on the Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron sedans and coupes.
Helped Chrysler distinguish them more than the 1977-1979 sedan models, from the Aspen/Volare rooflines. Though, the 1977-1979 Diplomat and Chrysler LeBaron coupes were beautiful cars!
There were a number of Diplomats, Volares and Aspens in my family, and the front transverse torsion bar suspension had a tendency sag some with age.
I preferred the original 1977 roof design on the Diplomat/Lebaron sedans. I found the 1980 formal roof, too reminiscent of fleet taxis and police cars.
I had an 80 coupe. Those were built on the short Aspen 108 wb, not the 112.7 sedan frame like most M cars were. Anyhow, with the 225, I got almost 300k out of it before it was burning as much oil as I could put into it, and fouling plugs. It was peppy because it had the 2.94 and 1st yr wide ratio TF trans. Great mileage as well. Neat car. If I could find another survivor, I'd buy it.
The leaning tower of power and I noticed No A/C.... Must have been fun to drive. 😄
At least you didn't have to row your own with a 3 on the tree.
That pine cone stuff is called pine straw.The pine cone looks like a grenade or larger.
Memories!
Both my late Grandfather, and my late uncle had retired police service diplomats.
The front spindles on that diplomat can be used for a “big spindle “ brake upgrade for pre 1973 B bodies 👍🏻
I put a 1977 Dodge Aspen K member in my 55 Ford pickup. Power steering and front disc brakes. Keep on crawling!
I'm also old enough to remember when those were new as well. They were the bread and butter car for many police departments. I remember seeing them in widespread use in places like NYC, Philly, and Washington DC.
I had that exact car in the mid ''90s 2 dr, slant 6, automatic, that creamy yellow beige color inside and out. It was actually a great car. I ended up giving it to my brother in law when I moved south to Georgia from Michigan. By then the rust was starting to take it's toll and one of the reasons I moved south was to get away from winter and rusty cars.
i had one of these when i was 17 it was a 1981 i think and it had bucket seats and a floor shift 318 2bar automatic dark blue inside and out with a emblem said type s on side windows
I drove a ‘73 Dodge Dart Sport in ‘77, 2door, Copper Mist paint ext., Beige interior(bench seat), White vinyl top. 318 v-8, and very slow 2.76 rear end. But a great cruiser.
I bought a Diplomat in 1992. I believe it was a 1985, can’t remember. The color was Gunmetal Grey. Took it over 300k miles before I got rid of it. It still ran, but had problems with various parts. Amazing, durable vehicles.
They made alot of cop cars and city cars. I use to see these cars everywhere.
Didn't know they made 2 door model. Never saw one until now.
My Mom had a 86' Fifth Avenue. Simple 318, 3 speed automatic, I've never seen a boxy looking car get such good mpg on road trips. Comfortable too, think we put over 300k on it. I don't remember I think it had the 5 digit odometer.
Unfortunately Michigan winters finally claimed it. My Mom got a space ship looking 93' Grand Prix, my Dad drove it till the wheels fell off. Traded it as junk an got a 93' Geo Metro 4 door hatchback.
Used to see these things all the time but now don't see them anymore. Kinda sad in my opinion.
318 with the baby torqueflite was the best drivetrain in motoring history - absolutely love em!
My folks had an 85 Diplomat they bought used and is what I earned my driver’s license with, shortly after I also earned my first ticket which was for “exhibition driving” aka doing a burnout in a parking lot. The car had a four barrel 318 that actually had decent power.
Very interesting facts I did not know Mr. Magnante! Love this Junkyard Crawl!
As a kid we would sit outside and watch the cars headlights, markers and taillights along with listening to their engines and figure out what car or trucks and even motorcycles we saw. Some of it was our early warning system for when the parents were coming home, partially because there was not much else to do and partially to see if we knew the lights and sounds. I passed a lot of hours doing that as a kid in the late 60's and 70's.
Yep, remember driving a few of those diplomates in the day. I liked them. Thanks for the memories!
I had a few Mirada's that I loved.. just a little more styling! Thanks Steve!
Man! If I had teachers like this in school, I would have payed attention!
Agree
Amen!
Same here!
Except you'd have flunked math, as 13 + 3 isn't 17 ;-)
Paid
My dad bought a 1979 Diplomat 4 door. He had it for 14 years. It was a pretty good car.
I really liked it. I am the second owner of a 1980 2dr Dodge Diplomat with t tops. I bought it in 2016 and put about 2500km on it a year. Mine has a 318 in it as well as bucket seats and floor mounted automatic transmission. I just love taking it to cruise nights.
I had an 87 four door. Great car. Got it for free because it needed brakes. It had Ice cold A/C, seats like a sofa. The "Dippy" as she was named by friends.
When I was an MP in the Marines at Camp Lejeune in 1999, they had a 1988 Dodge Diplomat police car. It had the gumball lights on the roof and a bullet hole in the hood (from a training exercise) Since I was a LCpl at the time, I always got stuck driving it on shift because all the Cpls and Sgts got the pick of the newer cars.
Geez man...PINE NEEDLES, NOT Pine cones !
Drove cab in the first year of university. The boss purchased most of his fleet from government surplus (so, yeah, radio delete). They were sturdy reliable beasts and most ran on propane which made them cheap when you were paying out of your night's take. Only gripe: shitty heaters. They were okay around town but if you got out on the highway on a cold Alberta night, you were hard-pressed to keep the windows clear let alone stay warm.
There was a third sibling, the Plymouth Caravelle, sold in Canada
Actually a fourth, the Plymouth Gran Fury starting however the LeBaron went to the FWD K platform for 82 so that left three, the Diplomat and Gran Fury for the US and Caravelle for Canada. And wasn't it the Dart in Mexico?
Did you ever see the 1981-82 Mexican Dodge Magnums (2 door Diplomatic)? They had a 300h.p. 360, possible 4 speed, & possible Dana 44!
Those were just de-smogged variants of previous years' engines for the most part. Because Mexico at that time had different emission standards than the US and Canada, the "leftover" engines that didn't make 1981-82 standards in the US and Canada would have been used.
@@googleusergp I am not sure where you get your information but Mexico was closed at the time. The engines in the Mexican cars were made in Mexico, it was the law.
Some of the Magnums did have automatics.
@@mexicanspec OEM information. Parts books. Service literature. OEM information. And their designs came from.....the USA who engineered them. They may have been made/assembled there due to Mexican law about content but they were not designed or engineered there. They were engineered here and assembled there. The parts books at the time, even for the US would have listed those engines as "Export". A lot of export engines are "leftover" in the sense that they would NOT meet current US standards due to emissions, but would be OK for export markets without those same restrictions. So a 1979 360 that was legal here to use in a 1979 new model year car but not for 1980 could be used in Mexico.
Case in point: The Buick 350 V8, VIN code "X" was last used in 1980 in the US, but was used for export markets after that time.
Had an "81 Diplomat with a slant 6. Green exterior, mint green interior and an alligator style vinyl roof. The slant.6 that year had hydraulic lifters.
I remember my grandfather bringing home their 87 diplomat from the dealership.
If every car and truck was a hotrod there would be nothing in the junkyard to look at. Plane Jane cars and trucks are the most interesting and worthy of restoration. I know of a bunch of 6 cylinder Mustangs from the 60's still going strong with a ton of character. Money buys power all day long but appreciating the simple good things in life is a better joy that does not fade and the cars last longer too.
I can remember when those were new also. Was just starting HS when it was made. At least you still had a lot of older 60's and 70's muscle cars in the student parking lot.
My older son had a 2 door Chrysler Lebaron coupe as his first car. We installed a high performance Mopar cam in the 318 and it really woke up the car. Black with red cloth interior. He still reminisces about the car.
Thanks for the video and enjoy the 4th of July 🚀
It’s crazy to think that you’re more likely to find a Cuda, Roadrunner, or Challenger than one of these Diplomats now a days. Still see more than a few Fifth Aves rolling around though.
Steve you're a historian!!! Keep up the great work Sir thank you
The 1980-81 LeBaron and Diplomat 2-doors were downsized to the 108.7" wheelbase Aspen platform from the 112.7" M-body and gained interior room (up one cubic feet in EPA index) with head and shoulder room increased slightly, though legroom and cargo volume went down.
Code "G" in the 7th place VIN (ahead of the serial number) is St. Louis built.
I would see that front end and think cop car! 😯
the automotive history is great, but I enjoy the clever, whimsical titles!
Happy 4TH Stevo , Keep doing what you're doing !! love it !!
Good information
When I got to Dover AFB in 1990, this is what the Security Police drove. They switched to Crown Vics shortly after.
They kept that body alive with the very popular "5th Avenue" in the mid 80s
First new car I ever owned was a 1980 2 door Diplomat, very nice silver with red interior and a black landau roof. Great car, really wish I could find another decent one.
didn't know about the horizontal torsion bars on the LeBaron / Diplomats. My parents had two: a '77 Lebaron. Later, they had a '85 5th Avenue. Loved both cars! Thanks for the detailed info.
I see that '63 Imperial in the background still. You KNOW you want to do a video on it. Come on!
When I was like 17 we bought a '77 Coronet (midsize) 4-door. Blue, rear seat full of dog hair, slant six and a true radio delete car. Paid $50 for it and sold it I think for $450 just cleaning it up.
The Lebaron with the signals on top always looked like someone put it together upside down.
I learnd 2 things today....slant 6 diplmats...and people used.the k frame from them for front suspension assy...thanks steve
My son was born( not conceived) in the back seat of a New Yorker of this vintage. Just came faster than expected. He was fine and it makes for a cool story.
Wow! Didn't know about those types of torsion bars!
While the guys with custom hot rods liked that system for their projects some guys driving Diplomats etc found a way to replace them with the A body set up. The transverse torsion bar system was intended to mimic the GM/Ford float. Chrysler abandoned two decades of having its own unique ride/drive. It didn't get it back until the 93 LH cars.
Bought one of those back in the day that was in a-1 shape 318 powered but didn't run gave $200 for it, that fancy computer ignition deal was bad and back then they were super expensive, so I rewired it for the old style Chrysler ignition module, I didn't have any timing advance with the modification, but she still drove great, the guy I got it from wasn't to happy when I fixed it in his driveway and drove off, it only had 60,000 miles on it, leatherish interior air all power, sold him for $1,500 a few months later
Except for the headrests, I am actually surprised how good of shape that seat appears to be in. And double surprised that no one has removed it, to use in some hot rod project.😎
Great video Steve. I could spend hours in that yard. Unfortunately there's very few places like that in the UK. Many years ago there was a yard on a farm near where I lived. Because my sister was friends with the farmers daughter I was able to get in and pick a few parts for a car I was restoring. There was stuff that had been there since WW2 with tree's growing through them. After the farmer gave up the whole place was sold to a scrap metal dealer and they bulldozed the whole lot. If I could go back about forty years with a £1000 in my pocket and buy up as much as I could carry and bring it back to 2022 I would make a fortune! Isn't hindsight a wonderful thing?
The humble Dodge Diplomat was THE police car for most of the 1980s. Often after 3 years of 24-hour police (ab)use, they were auctioned off to taxi companies who drove them until the wheels fell off. Unless equipped with the 360, they were slow. Cops who remembered the 440 Dodge Cornets of years past hated the Diplomat's sluggish performance.
Spring of 1980 i was looking for a V8 Aspen with the Sunrise package but all i was seeing were Salesbank 3 speed sixs on the lots . No one wanted to special order since F production was to end mid April and the dealers were loaded with base 6s in pastel colors . 1 sales guy did call saying he had something i might like so i went back . It was a Sunrise but when he started it you knew it was a 6 . He said just look as he pointed out the Super Six labeled air cleaner under the hood and that inside it had a console with the OD 4 speed . Nice cranberry red with the red interior but the granny gear with OD truck trans and the 6 wheezing thru a 318 carb without the actual torgue left me cold . Finally managed to get a v8 close to what i wanted but St Louis was screwing them together with whatever parts and paints happened to be available that day . Ended up taking the 2nd car the factory shipped for that dealer order as it was close and the line was no more. Might have been the last V8 Aspen but it was such a Lemon i traded for a 82 Ford when the GTs returned .
Great video. These were the best cars for old-school Mopar fans in the 80s.
I had the 84 Diplomat police version. Couldn't kill it. Good solid commercial vehicle
I had an 81 Diplomat coupe for a minute of my life. Super 6 (was available on M Bodies in Canada till 83) was a smooth running engine.
My first car was a 78 diplomat coupe with a 360
This is the last decent looking Chrysler product in my opinion.
In the mid 1980's I got a ride to highschool every morning with two neighborhood Mom's who had a carpool. One had an Aspen wagon and the other had an almost new Fifth Avenue. Both cars had basically the same bones / dashboard...one was a rust bucket and the other was luxury!
I had a 1986 Plymouth caravelle which was the Canadian sister car we didn't have the fury anymore.it had the lean mean 318.comfortable ride
I painted those cars in Fenton Mo. The plants are gone now.
How did you guys paint them? Was it automated or were you spraying them? I'm always interested in hearing how you guys used to do things back then, especially the pre 80 stuff 👍
@@MoparRob440 I sprayed under the hood on the drivers side then the door jams and the back of the door. There was a person on the passenger side doing the same thing. Then it went through automatic sprayers. We had 30 seconds to spray a car before the next one came down. They were different colors so we had to bleed the old paint out for the new color.
Thank you for painting our 1980 Diplomat and 1975 Fury!
@@426Hemiroadrunner how long were you working there? I guess I'm curious what the oldest cars were you painted and if they were painted with the same method. I always wonder how all the "experts" who didn't work on the assembly lines when "X,Y,Z" car was new know "exactly" the correct methods, finish on various parts/bolts/fasteners, etc. and it seems like the guys who actually built them aren't around or interested in providing actual experience from what was done on the assembly lines and how it varied day to day
@@MoparRob440 Exactly. I stopped going to car shows as all the "armchair experts" come out. "You know that clamp should be green, not red". "You know that hose had a blue stripe, not a red stripe". Yes, but car makers had many suppliers and sometimes you put on what you had in the parts bin. The line didn't always stop for the "right part". The car makers often had two or three approved suppliers of parts so as to not get caught without what they needed and to avoid price gouging by the supplier. If Suppler A knows that B is also supplying the line, they will be less likely to price gouge the OEM. Plus, these were cars built by humans. They got tired, they came in pissed off, they had a fear of losing their job, the boss was on them for being too slow, whatever. Mistakes were made. The "human" factor is not always accounted for in a restoration. Even the "rare" cars were "just another car" as they went down the line behind the econobox in front of it.
These were undercover cop cars in my area in pa/ we were taught to wave and smile and not duck and roll !dandy vid
My cousin had a 78 four door 318. He always complained about it but he drove it for years without very much trouble. He lived in Nebraska and cars seem to last longer than they do in Michigan.
I had a 1978 two-door diplomat 318 car. It ran pretty good for what it was and it had a beautiful leather interior
I remember as a kid here in WV the state police had Diplomats everywhere.
I have this same 2-tone color 80 diplomat 2dr as a S-type model with a 360 and factory bucket seats. It moves and is fun.
i had a new 1980 harley and a 1983 chevy pick-up and they both had '55' highlighted on the speedometers.
Those Chrysler products had the most floating type ride in its class due to the transverse torsion bar front end. The front shocks because of the design did very little damping of motion, so the front shocks could last forever... at least as I remember these vehicles. It gave the vehicle what Chrysler called the "big car ride" , but had so-so handling characteristics. Still the drive trains with the slant six, LA series v8's, and 904/998 transmissions were time tested and reliable.
One of my favorite 80’s mopars really wanted one when I stumbled upon my 80 cordoba fun fact 1980 was a non lean burn year from the factory
I remember riding in a brown Dodge Diplomat with a big gold Sherriff's star on the side when I was a kid. I think it was my first ride in a Chrysler Corporation product...lol
With a Slant Six and radio delete on a rarely seen ‘80 Diplomat coupe must’ve been a Chrysler Sales Bank vehicle.😮
Someone could use those transverse torsion bars, and if the K frame isn't rotted out too. K Frame from an 87 Fifth Avenue went up for sale and wasn't on the market long. Only 1 company I know of that makes t-bars for these cars, but production was put on hold until further notice while they work on fixing an issue with their steering boxes. So much potential and increased interest in these M-Bodies over the last few years.
My folks used to have a mid 80s Chrysler New Yorker. Man that was a great car and plush. My mom whined for years after they got rid of it about how much she missed that car.
Ha! I randomly say “diplomatic immunity” several times throughout the week. Of course in a drawn out foreign accent followed by my best Danny Glover impression of “has just been revoked”!
A shame that Dippy is so rough, The 2 door with a 440 in it (goes in easy, lots of room)
makes for a fun ride
Had an 85 sedan EX CHIP car. 318 GM 4bbl carb tough machine handled very well but slow. Chrysler sourced GM carbs for the police cars on 85-89 model years. Sturdy reliable lot of car for the money.
Hollyweird probably helped with those production #s with about every movie that had a cop scene in the 80s and early 90s there sat a Diplomat. Now after the Crown Vic ruled the patrol we have come full circle with the Hemi Powered Charger and has to be the most feared image in your rear view mirror. Namaste 🙏🏼
I can't tell you the last time I saw a Diplomat coupe. Wow.
Something to mention. There was also a Diplomat SE, which was very similar to the Chrysler luxury variant except for the fact that the turn signals in the top were a different style and it still has the license plate slot in between to taillights.
Steve 13 + 3 = 16 what was the extra digit for?
My grandparents had an 88 Chrysler Fifth Avenue
My wife spoke of a Diplomat she bought brand new, 1979 or 1980, which was an unsold Police Duty car, which was ordered but never delivered to the municipality. She insists that it had a 400 cu.in. engine, high end speedometer, etc. The rear end on it failed three times from excessive power to the rear wheels. Finally, the transmission let go and she got rid of it, it was just 4 years old.
The M bodies were great tough cars and easy to drive too.
How about a look at that neat looking camper in the background?
I’ve always wanted to take a clean 5th avenue and go with a 5.9 gas back in the day, or a newer Hemi today! That would be a badass sleeper!
Good stuff thanks for posting, keep up these great vids Steve. I currently own 2 M Bodies, an 88’ and 89’ Diplomat, both AHB, both airbag cars. Always good to see an M coupe. Somebody rescue that one!
Also in Canada there was a Plymouth Caravelle.
I love those silly little M bodies
My dad had 1 of these and an 85 Chrysler Fifth Avenue. That car had a dual roller and a cam in it.. would blow peoples minds when he would rip off the line at a light. Lol
Sgt. Ric Hunter's 1977 Plymouth Fury! Heyyyy!😁😁"It works for me!"😁