It really depends on the models. Sometimes the Plymouths were shorter bodies than the Dodges but had the same powertrains, sometimes the Plymouths didn't get the same powertrain options. Sometimes the Plymouths were almost as nice as the Chryslers, but again lacked something like powertrain options to set them apart. Thinking back to the 'cloud cars' of Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Cirrus, and Plymouth Breeze, the Dodge got the 2.4L I4 and the V6, the Cirrus got the V6 and a nicer interior, and the Breeze got the 2.0 I4 and 2.4 I4 if I am remembering right. For hotrodding the cars from the late sixties and early seventies, sometimes it made sense to get the Plymouth body and shoehorn the biggest engine from a Dodge or a Chrysler that one could get, since there were usually engine mounts and other things that would even let it be installed with predominately factory parts, even if those were not originally used in a Plymouth. The Plymouth weighed less with a slightly shorter wheelbase (less rear passenger legroom) so one would get just a little more power to weight ratio out of it, plus the Plymouth might already be decontented enough in its options to further have less weight.
I had this headlight signature seared into my mind; the was the default police cruiser in the mid to late 1980’s, this and the Diplomat. I’ve come to love this blocky, formal shape, preferably with dog dish caps on steelies, in a non-offensive color like ice blue or gray, the perfect wannabe undercover conveyance.
@@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474 Yup, the Gran Fury and the Diplomat were used by the NYPD all through the 1980s. The 80s were a particularly bad decade for crime in NYC. Every time I see one of these cars I associate it with sleaze and violence.
@@MrSloika For sure! I lived out in the country, but not far from Baltimore. The country towns had no crime back then, but the big city was dangerous, murders left and right
If I am not mistaken the Salon designation was actually an upgraded trim package over the base Fury. I grew up in a Chrysler family so really enjoyed this.
Chrysler sounds - 1st gear from the Torqueflite goes all the way back to the 60’s; their blinkers were always distinctive and of course, the starter. 80’s rear drives with automatics had like a 2.24 rear ratio, but the first gear ratio in the transmission was something like a 2:78 instead of the earlier 2:45 ratio. Made 1st gear a lot peppier and better mileage in top gear w/o overdrive.
I had an 87 Diplomat SE way back in saner times. Wow this makes me miss it. Top 3 or so cars I ever owned relative to loving the machine. 318 and Torqueflite were beyond perfection in operation together.
Which one of these models had the "overdone" taillights? Meaning they had horizontal ones smaller than on this car, but also vertical ones on the edges. I always chuckled about it, owners thinking it was the "classed up" model. It also made me think of the Griswold wagon. Lol
@@mikewillett5076That was the first generation LeBaron. Before they would move them to the FWD K platform. Also had the slats on the side fenders like the New Yoker and Fifth Ave.
My father drove a gold Dodge Diplomat police car that was just like this. He really loved that car and they definitely had that no nonsense cop car look.
Mopars In the 70s and 80s you can make the windshield wipers go on without the key in the ignition. It worked with my parents 78 Cordoba and my father had a 1980 dodge van it did the same thing. If you put the hazards on then the left or right signal on, and the wipers on the wipers will go on without the key in the ignition. When I was a kid I used to play in the cars. It will probably work in this car.
YEP !! And the radio would play with each “flash” - on-off-on-off - then if you held the brake you could listen to the radio normally. I learned that one on a mid-60’s Ford!
I started my auto mechanic career at Faddis Motors (Chrysler Plymouth Imperial) in 1984 and was the new car prep guy. I remember those Road Ready stickers well. Despite the Chrysler build quality at that time there was rarely any issues with a new Gran Fury or 5th. Here's a quirk you missed. Check out the fit of the fuel door. There were a few complaints about that. When I talked to the zone rep about it he said it was a known issue. The problem was the stamping dyes were worn out and never got around to fixing it. And the lock up is controlled by a spring in the valve body. There is no solenoid to disengage it. Want to raise the lock up mph? Stretch the spring or install a stiffer one.
My 85 Reliant SE had the seesaw fuel door. It was on a pivot and you pushed in on once side to open it. No notch to tug and flush with the body. I always thought that was cool and simple and Ive never seen it in any other vehcicle.
Was about to say the build quality on these was absolutely terrible, but they sure were durable and reliable. Back in the late 80's when my Chevy was in the body shop for an extended period, I had a rental 5th Avenue. Pretty much the Gran Fury dash with a few more appliques. Would be something to have now since they are still cheap to buy.
wow i need to look in the mirror. I too started my work days in a chrysler dealership in 1984 (C.R.Moore. vinita Ok.) I still remember how cool the new Lasers looked back then.
A great, informative video as always! Your understated observations about Chrysler build quality are spot on. Dad bought a 1976 Aspen wagon that was, to say the least, an adventure. When we picked it up from the dealer, we found a dozen trim screws all around the drivers side footwell, obviously left out of the matching holes in the trim around the windshield. Dealer prep? Well, not really...When it was a week old, the battery died. We quickly figured out the voltage regulator was out to lunch, but the dealer argued it was an intermittent fault, so refused to replace it since Chrysler would only pay them back if it fully failed. That was a preview...I really liked driving the car, and it seemed ok until rust started forming on the front fenders after ONE Upstate NY winter. Then the tranny went. That was rebuilt and lasted another 3 years before going out again. That second failure in less than 80 thousand miles sent dad to the Honda dealer where he bought his first Honda Accord. He's now a proud Honda loyalist for over 40 years...
Good job keeping this car so impeded by governmental controls while keeping it running today. The LA 318 has not change much since it was first introduced. 80s small blocks all share the exact same accessory mounting points and fittings. Every part of this Fury can be removed and or replaced by a corresponding part from the decade before or after with nearly no negative side effects. It is interesting that you "adjusted" the lean burn carb instead of just installing a Carter two barrel without the computer connections but it seems to have worked while keeping the appearance of originality. I had a 73 GranFury. It was a different body and had a 400 BB. I would bet that even this car would have some interchangeable parts with your '83 (specifically the ignition). This is a labor of love and you are doing an excellent job. There aren't many of these left that are this clean.
I used to rent the Chrysler 5th Avenue in Florida from Budget back in 1983... It was usually their Luxury Car selection back then at Orlando locations...It drove very nicely... However it did have the typical Chrysler squeaks and rattles along with all the options... PS I also used to install Rusty Jones back in the day and noticed the plugs in the ends of the rockers at the beginning of the video...I still have some of the original stickers...Thanks for posting !
Adam, good to know you still have this car! Back in the early '90s, I had an ALMOST mother-in-law who drove one of these. She and the car were practically twins. I loved her, and she loved the Plymouth. Good memories. Thank you.
My dad had a 1978 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, so your Gran Fury brings back a lot of memories. Same 318 engine (only his had the original Lean Burn system, which was problematic and was eventually disconnected), same dashboard (I remember those brushed aluminum gauges very well). The LeBaron had supremely comfortable velour seats, and floated down the road. I can recall the engine knocking and pinging badly. When you slammed the doors, a cascade of rust would fall on the ground (it was obviously rusting underneath the fake wood panels) even though the car was only a few years old when he bought it. Eventually the transmission let go in the mid 80s, which caused my dad to basically give it to his mechanic (who I understand got it going, and then cut the roof off the back and turned it into a backwoods pickup truck to haul fire wood from his property). Enjoyed this episode.
The M body Plymouth Gran Fury was known as the Plymouth Caravelle from 1978 to 1982 and from 1983 to 89 as the Caravelle Salon in Canada. A Plymouth m body wasn't available in the U.S. untill 1982 after the larger R bodies were dropped. The Canadian market had both the Plymouth Caravelle, Dodge Diplomat, and the Chrysler Lebaron and after 81 the Fifth Avenue. When the R body cars were dropped Plymouth in the U.S. finally got an m body and for some strange reason it was named Gran Fury while its Canadian counterpart was stilled called Caravelle. Maybe to avoid confusion Chrysler kept the Caravelle name in Canada as the car had been on the market since 77 and was already established. The U.S. would eventually get a Plymouth Caravelle based on the smaller E car sister to the Dodge 600 in 85. The E body Caravelle was introduced to Canada for 1983 so the bigger M body Caravelle became the Caravelle Salon instead of getting the Gran Fury name like its U.S. sister. Confusing right?
I actually love these cars! My last car before my eyes got too bad to drive anymore from retinitis pigmentosa was a 87 Diplomat. The interior was immaculate and the body was not bad. It was dark blue with a light gray interior. I miss that car to this day. I love the sound of the torque flight transmissions too.
One of the cool thing about the lockup torque converter is that by locking up and eliminating slip in the transmission, it was very similar to giving you an overdrive gear. The rpm drop could be between 200 and 400 rpm at speeds between 45 mph and up. And in some of the 4 speed automatics, you could get lockup in either 3 or 4th gear. Lockup torque converters are still used in current automatic equipped cars, and they have many modes of engagement. It took a while for this feature to get properly sorted out, but it’s one of the good things that happened to automatic transmissions. And automatic transmissions with lockup clutches existed in various forms beginning in the late 40’s to early mid 1960’s when they fell out of favor for the very strong and solid 3 speed automatics used after that. The lockup converters began to reappear in the late 70’s and early 80’s due to increasing emissions and fuel economy standards.
I remember a brick or barn red one of these local to neighborhood in my youth with full disc covers like yours. I am half surprised you have one of these, but yet I’m not. I guess I’m More impressed at the depth of your truly patriotic collection of cars. I truly appreciate that you are a proud Detroiter. The top of the windshield and A pillar always upset me about them. That and the antique exterior door handles. It was no sheer look Mitchell GM but it did try to imitate it best it could. If anything the Fifth Avenue must have inspired the Caprice Brougham LS. Also I’ve met many boomers that have made so much money deleting lean burn and also converting GM diesels to gasoline, literally it was a fundamental aspect of their career success.
Salon was the premium trim level on M body 4 door sedans as was in the B Body Fury for 1977 and 1978, similar to the upgraded trim level that made an ordinary Fury coupe into a Sport Fury coupe.
Oh, does this vehicle bring back lots of memories of a bygone era. They were available with power windows and power locks, as well as tilt steering wheel and cruise control. The Fifth Ave version was quieter and more plush; both the available velour cloth or leather seats were quite comfortable. It had all of the power features, with a power moonroof available. By 1988, driver's side air bags became standard.
Hard to put my finger on it but something about this car and so many other Mopars that I just like and feel so comfortable in. Including the instrument lighting that I like so much.
I had lots of those cars. Diplomats, 2 and 4 drs, 5th aves, miradas and cordobas. They are very easy to make drive even sportyer. I used to add a aftermarket overload coil springs to the back. They mount on the axel tubes and the top woud rest on the frame rails. It would take a month or more for the springs to settle down. But would the car ever handle great, became very stable in the back. I would usually adjust the front torsions down slightly. Another simple trick to do would be replace the pitman and idler arms with the longer C body arms. That would give a bit of a quicker steering ratio. The squad cars were fun and usually had front bucket seats. In 1980, any of those cars that had the 318 actually had regular electronic ignition instead of the lean burn. But any year could easily be converted to the regular electronic ignition. I had the first year mirada cmx in morroco red with the 2.45 ration rear instead of the 2.22, and after doing some supertuning on the motor, that car became quick and fun to drive. I miss that car the most. You could be driving in town and if you were running 35 or less, you kick it down and it would drop down to first gear and stay until you were going about 55 then shift into second. Thats where it felt really quick. I still have now a sharp clean silver 85 5th ave with lower miles.
I work for a small company in the mid-eighties and for about a year my company car was a 79' Aspen station wagon,, it was loaded to the max with very low mileage and a 318 and I loved it,, it was so nice.. I remember being surprised because I had heard so much about how terrible those cars were,, but it was not...
I drove quite a few M-body police packages back in the day. They held up well and did the job. My mother had a civilian-spec Diplomat with the Slant Six... Hardly a race car, but an excellent road car thanks to Chrysler's delightful torsion bar front suspension. They weren't fancy or overly impressive... But they were honest cars. No pretense. No sizzle, only steak. Great family cars and daily drivers at reasonable prices.
In the early and mid 80s I had many occasions to ride back-and-forth to the airport in more diplomats and Furys than I could count. I thought they were piles of junk. But they always lasted. And I don’t remember ever breaking down and one. Then seeing yours as nice as it is makes me want to have one of those back. Thanks for sharing!
We had a 1978 Plymouth Caravelle that was basically the same car as this, complete with 318 lean burn - all in all it was a pretty solid car we drove it many many miles
You mentioned the first gear whine, which reminded me of a customer I had back in 1973. One of my good customers bought a new 73 Buick LeSabre, and he was complaining about the first gear whine. I told him it was normal for a TH350 trans to do that. The very next time I saw him, he had traded his LeSabre in on an Electra 225. Why? Because the Electra had a 455 and a TH400 with no gear noise.. I'm not sure that the gear noise would make me trade in my 1-2 month old car in on a new one, but you never know!
Great looking car Adam. M-bodies are a particular favorite of mine…honest cars that were quite outdated but withstood the test of time thanks to their durability. I hope to locate a clean Diplomat or Fifth Avenue sometime in the near future.
Lot easier to find Fifth Avenues, as they sold to oldsters who kept them inside and didn't rack up the miles. The Diplomat and Gran Fury's mostly saw duty in fleet service.
@@seed_drill7135 that has certainly been my experience too thus far. I know the Fifth Avenues were pretty strong retail sellers, where the Dip and Gran Fury were primarily sold as fleet cars where the vast majority have been used, abused and disposed of years ago.
My best friends mom had a diplomat when I met him at 3 years old...that car just kept going...around age 15 or 16 we were replacing the alternator and realized it had the high output alternator that came with what I guess is a severe duty package? Oversized sway bars bigger brakes transmission cooler 4 barrel carburetor...I always thought that car would be such a great sleeper since it handled well and stopped great...maybe drop in a big block and hurt feelings 😂 It did eventually run low on oil driving back from Florida, overheated a bunch of times and lost compression on multiple cylinders...would still start on ether but didn't have the power to move itself any longer...she went out with dignity and had everyone's respect...RIP
These cars almost put me in mind of the Checker A11's and A12's. So common that they just blended into the background, but they just kept doing the job.
Chrysler used so many parts through their whole line, the buzzer and turn signal clicker take me back to my mom's '86 Horizon and even though it didn't have a/c let alone semiautomatic temp sensing it had a similar heater control layout.
Adam, several years ago my wife and I needed a second car, and upon searching the used car ads, I came upon a 1985 Dodge Diplomat, for only $200.00. It was actually in fairly decent shape. Unfortunately, with the lean burn 318cid in it, it got about 8mpg around town. I eventually sold it to a co-worker, who was a big Mopar fan, for $300.00.
Another great video. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember when cars like this Dodge Diplomat were offered. I remember they were used for everything from taxicabs to police cruisers to fire chiefs vehicles.
My dad had big Ford company cars 73-93, then in 83 he got served an 83 Diplomat 318. It absolutely flew compared to the Fords, and it was pretty tight. But this is more stylistic in review. But it still would whip an 83 Ford. Thank you.
It's not exciting, but it's a perfectly good transportation car, and looks 100 times better than any new car. I absolutely love all the chrome all over it, and the fact that the bumpers are not plastic. The whitewall tires with actual sidewalls and bright shiny full wheel covers are very classy. Todays cars have black 30" wheels and "tires" with pretty much no sidewalls. I love the hood ornament, manual window cranks, and the 100% NON DIGITAL dash, even the fake wood. If that engine has never been worked on, I would suggest replacing the PLASTIC cam sprocket with a steel one. WAY back when I was 16, I bought a beautiful 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger with a 318. I drove it for several years, until the engine destroyed itself when all the plastic teeth sheared off the cam sprocket. Another common issue with the 318 is the timing chain cover. It goes between the water pump and block, and is made out of aluminum. There are coolant passages cast into it, and the aluminum tends to corrode, allowing coolant to leak into the crankcase. I am not a fan of the "lean burn" system, at least the original version in the '70s. And as with all emissions crap, it usually gets wors not better. I'm sure there is a way to disable that system. I currently drive a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis, which I bought a few months ago with only 36,000 miles on it. I prefer the Grand Marquis over the Crown Vic P71, because it has softer suspension, much more comfortable seats, an overdrive transmission, and a 2.73 rear axle, which lets it cruise on the highway at just above idle The 727 TorqueFlite is a very strong transmission. The Celebrity was JUNK. It was front wheel drive. I will never own a front wheel drive car. I was a city fleet services mechanic for 41 years, and worked on a lot of them. We usually got rid of cars when they hit 100,000 miles. Very few Celebritys made it that far without major work, usually the transmission.
2:12 That false roof looks "cost effective", to put it politely. It reminds me of the wig they put in the Lincoln Versailles in its last couple of years.
I like these cars. They're not exactly graceful or elegant, and always seem to be in a "dull" color like grey or beige when you see them today, but they're honest to goodness tough cars and represent the best of one of Mopar's lowest points. These were comfy old fashioned family cars for a rapidly changing automotive landscape. While I think most would agree an equivalent LTD Crown Vic or Caprice was an overall better car, these Gran Fury's, Diplomats, and Fifth Avenues held on for a long time. I remember seeing a black 5th Ave with red pinstripes and whitewalls years ago, and it was a sharp, handsome machine. Saw a white fury on the highway a few weeks back. Sadly they've gotten rare, just like all the other bread and butter cars of the 70s and 80s. I'm glad this one has been preserved and enjoyed as a part of your collection!
I had an 87 Gran Fury (ex detective car) i but it from the city auction for $300. It only has 85k on it. It was the 318 4bbl. It also has bucket seats, with rubber for mats. It had a block on the shifter to keep it from being shifted into low gear. The rest and was an 8 1/4 with 3.21:1. When you floored it, it would break the tires and bring limited slip. It would kick the rear sideways. I noticed the smog equipment on yours. Mine was void of it. I guess the city removed it. It also had no cat. It was surprisingly quick and had plenty of power. Very different from the 5th avenue of my friend. Much healthier. It also has different handling. It was stiff and cornered very well. I miss the car. I traded it dead even for a 73 bronco with a 302. Not bad for $300 and 4 years of driving. I bought it in 93 and traded it in 98. I'd love to have another.
I repaired the headliners in many of the Chrysler versions down through the years,all the plastic trim around the headliner was covered with headliner material which did not like to be touched so it wore quickly.
Another vehicle from the days of my youth when I started driving. I rented a 5th Ave to go from TN to NY and back and really could tell it was a lower quality to my father's Mercury Grand (they used the "D") Marquis and grandfather's Coupe Deville. Although comfortable, it was notably less grunt and not the same level of finish. It was as if they took a lot of corners to save a buck.
These Gran Furys are rarer than the Diplomat/Fifth Avenue cousins. This has gotta be one of the cleanest and nicest Gran Furys out there. Most of the Gran Furys went to law enforcement or taxi use, they didn't have nearly the sales numbers of its Dodge and Chrysler counterparts. This civilian spec, super clean Plymouth is just a gem. I've always wanted a Gran Fury/Diplomat/5th Ave but like most cars of this vintage they're either beat all to hell or on rare occasions you'll find a creampuff like this car but they want waaay too much for them. Hopefully I'll find a nice one someday. P.s. I'm glad you've been giving your Mopars some more love, Adam
I like your videos. I'm from Europe and we did/do not not see US cars often over here. And they are very different from European cars from this time period. Especially the interiors. Very nice to see, thank you.
My old Dakota has the 3 speed Torqueflite transmission and has the exact same whine in first gear. It's interesting that the under hood arrangement of major components is very similar as well.
Glad to see you've got some malaise era specimens as well. I'm doing my part...have an 84 chrysler e class, an 84 tempo, an 84 new yorker turbo, etc. Oh plus a gm x car. Really enjoy your channel
Nice unique grill integration with signals. The glove box treatment is attractive. Good compliment of gauges. That seat cover is full Pulp Fiction blanket. Hard to believe this is 1983 - the styling is stuck in 1970s. What was the point of Rusty Jones spraying the inside of the engine compartment? I have never seen rust originating from the inside of the engine comparment. Rusting through from the bottom sure but not top down. No plastic diamonds in the hood ornament, sad and not very Gran.
I think this platform was also a Chrysler LeBaron for a while. This rendition of the LeBaron had some extra taillights positioned vertically on either side of the trunk lid. I think this was while the R body was in production. When the R body ended this platform became the New Yorker for 1982 until 1989.
Enjoy your videos. Envy your collection. Always impressed with your knowledge. How many vehicles do you own and could we have a video where you show us your whole collection? It would be very interesting.
My uncle’s last car was an ‘82 Dodge Diplomat and I remember being so disappointed the few times I drove it. It was equipped with the 318 but was so sluggish a dead feeling. As you say, the handling was pretty firm and not so bad for that era. Compared to his two previous Chryco cars, a ‘56 Desoto Fireflite and a ‘68 Fury lll (he didn’t put many miles on them) the Diplomat just felt cheap. I didn’t mind the styling so much, in fact I like the tall greenhouse that I wish we had more of these days. What I didn’t like so much were the interior materials and appointments. Definitely a Mopar low point for me.
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the ugly duckling M-bodies. In the mid-eighties, I worked as a detailer at a body shop in New Haven, CT. We did a lot of repairs for the police department and they had a large fleet of Plymouth Gran Fury's. I was always amused by the the fact that most of the patrol cars had slant-sixes, but the unmarked vehicles driven by the plain clothes officers and administration had 318s. Also, we had the honor of doing the repainting and graphics on a fleet of brand-new, 1987 Plymouth Reliant K-cars. As if the interiors in the vehicles weren't small enough to begin with, they managed to cram cage dividers between the front and rear seats! Despite all the quirks, I thought they were kind of cool looking. They were dark blue with white doors emblazoned with "City of New Haven". They also had genuine Whelen light bars (proudly manufactured in Westbrook, CT) They were actually pretty good handlers with the police suspensions and the 2.5 liter, fuel-injected 4 cylinders which had pretty adequate power considering how small the K-cars were. Ah the eighties...😮
When you were discussing the rear in this car and said "Don't peel out", that made me think of my 1972 Buick Skylark Custom. It had a stock 350 2-bbl, and it was very easy to peel out with it, whether I was the only person in the car or I had 4 passengers. At one point I bought two used 15 inch rims and put them on the back, and it was still easy to peel out with it. I have no idea what the axle ratio was in it though. Talking about acceleration, the slowest accelerating cars I ever drove were my dad's 1982 Buick Regal, which he had bought new, my grandmother's `87 Dodge Aries with the 2.2, which she had gotten new, and my grandfather's `84 Chevy S-10 with the 1.9 Isuzu engine.
These Chrysler M body cars were indeed popular among police departments along side the Chevy Caprice and Ford Crown Vics of the era. I watch a tv series called "In The Heat of The Night" that came out in 1988 and lasted until 1995 and yes these Chrysler M body vehicles were certainly very popular back then although they are very rare to find but then again they are a part automotive history.
I had an '82 Interceptor during my senior year of high school and for a few years after that, and I really liked it... A lot. Mine was the 318 4bbl model, light blue, black steel wheels with drilled pov caps (which looked awesome with a set of brushed narrow beauty rings that I picked up at Pep Boys a couple weeks later.) and whatever size tires, I wanna say they were P225/70R15 (the only thing I'm a little hazy on was 225 part. the rest of it is correct.) and a huge exhaust system. Oh yeah, and it had a spotlight in each A-pillar. My Dad picked up a pair of them at auction over summer break between my 11th and 12th grade... one red, and one light blue. Other than the color, they were identical. I didn't have a whole lot of time to think about it, like only a few seconds really, but he said if I wanted one, he'd pay for it up front, he'd cover ½ of it and I could make payments on the other ½ to him. He even gave me a choice of which one I wanted, and I picked the blue one. Lol- he said he would have put money on me picking the red one! He got them for $2500 each, so I couldn't say no to that deal. All I had to do was figure out where I was gonna get $1,250 while I was a full time HS student. I was already working the full serv pumps at the local Shell station, but once school started, my hours were going to be just a few after school and whatever I could get for the weekends.
These cars are just typically Chrysler for the day. And this must be the nicest Gran Fury Salon out there! These cars were used by many California municipalities as well as the California Highway Patrol. They were not known to be successful in high speed chases. Enter the SSP Mustang 5.0! And....love the slip covers! ;-)
I'd like to see an in depth, side by side comparison of a Gran Fury, Impala and Crown Vic of the same era. My favorite is the Impala and I would probably choose the Gran Fury as second. But maybe a detailed comparison would change my view.
Having a 65 Plymouth Belvedere and doing a big block motor swap. It was 1987...I needed something to drive in the winter time. My father was a police officer in Rhode Island and I ended up buying a retired 83 Plymouth grand fury cop car for $700. It had over 290,000 miles. It got me through 2 winters and i sold it in 1989 for $900.
2:34 I kind of like the styling of these base versions of the platform, especially the wrap-around grill-light assembly. The high roofline doesn't bother me, but by this time, with these models being pushed to the newly revived "full size" marked, it would have behooved Chrysler to stretch the wheelbase a few inches. It would have made these models more credible as big cars while softening the impact of the high roofline.
One of the better cars from the malaise era! Thanks for a great video! I havent seen one of those cars in decades. They look pretty decent compared to some of the stuff sold these days.
I love the simplicity of this car. It's all you need in a car unlike today's junk. Hands down id take the this car over anything brand new if I to choose. I remember seeing them all over the place growing up in the 80s
Buying the ex cop car versions of these at the MSP auction for 500 bucks with 75k on them and using them as winter beaters in Lansing was the best. Those days are long gone, cars go for 20 times that now. Saved my 76 Cutlasses from the tin worm doing that..the 4 bbl. police package cars were really fun to drive, totally agree with the "go cart feel" comment. A blast to drive in the snow. Ive owned these, Impala/Caprices, LTD/Crown Vics cop cars and these are right up there with the LT1 94-96 Caprice 9C1's as my favorite squads..
When I bought my first car that wasnt a handmedown, i looked at these and 5th Avenues being that we were a Mopar family. I bought a 89 Crown Vic that was 5 years old with 39k miles instead. Loved that mushy 4 coil ride...
I was born in 76, and remember these cars well and never liked them until this video. The idiosyncrasies are e feeding, plus how well you say it handles. Pretty cool. That first gear whine was very much a part of the TH200 trans of the same era in the GM cars.
Thank you for sharing Adam. I see this car I think police car and police tv shows and the 1980's. I did not know it shared parts with the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare. That was interesting to learn. I do recall the LeBaron that had the Fifth Avenue package before it become New Yorker Fifth Avenue. Thank you for bringing up the other information about fleet sales and prices.
Great overview brought lot of memories back my dad bouhjt a 87 diplomat new n being a professional mechanic we ran it as my second cat also to 340k miles. Yeah i got a few nervous looks from people as we had added driving lights and had the big performance tires on it 😁
Considering that the vast majority of these cars have ended up as short circle track race cars (like the early- to mid-70's Monte Carlos), this car is amazingly flawless and rare. For what it's worth, you're very fortunate to have this car.
Thanks as always for a nice deep dive into a car that doesn't really get that much attention. I never figured these would be very nice to drive but the idea of Imperial ride combined with go-kart handling sounds very intriguing.
I laughed when you said what you thought a GM stylist would say about this car. Other than the 1978 Seville, this car looks better than any GM product of the day era (easily).
This is the second time I have heard of Rusty Jones. First time was maybe 1981 in an advertising trade magazine. Article about why "Rusty Jones" was adopted as name for rustproofing.undercoating process. I thought it was pretty clever, then never heard of it again. Thanks Adam.
I had a 87 Fifth Avenue beautiful red with red leather interior with pillowy seats. My wife still swears it was the most comfortable car we have owned. It was very nice on long road trips.
I always thought the Fifth Avenue like you had was an absolutely gorgeous car. I don’t know what it was exactly that made it so good looking. Of course the grille and headlight treatment was spectacular. The shape of the wheel cut outs was perfect. And the formal roofline. I guess it was a combination of these things as well as perfect proportions. And prior to that I fell in love with the Dodge Mirada. Maybe I was just weird? 🤪
I always had a soft spot for the M cars. Just good old fashion mechanics that didn't let you down. I especially like the dashboard they all shared. I wish I could find a late 70's Le Baron two door. I like the styling of the M cars. I guess I won't make a good GM designer
When I was a teen, my dad traded in our '75 Chrysler New Yorker for one of THESE! I was pissed, because when I borrowed the Chrysler, it was luxurious, I could fit all my friends in it, and there was plenty of room for my girlfriend and I to recreate! I soon came to really dig the Gran Fury due to the fact that it handled fairly well due to its smaller size and the 318 was an adequate performer! It felt peppy compared to the 440 in the New Yorker because it had to pull all that weight around. The fact that the Gran Fury looked like an unmarked police car afforded my best friend and I the opportunity to don our mirrored shades and cruise the city, and by our mere presence, bringing to a halt any illegal activity that happened to be going on in the area! The warning shouts of "FIVE-O" meant that we were seen, and had thwarted another crime! 😂😂😂😂😂😂 It was a decent car, very reliable, and I was sad when my Dad sold it.
4:52 Don’t forget about the chrysler lebaron 1980 & 1981 model years where the signal lights were above the headlights & that carried onto the 1982 til 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue models
Thanks, Adam. I’ve never driven a Gran or other Fury, but my dad had a couple of M-body Fifth Avenues, so the dash looks very familiar. Of course, I’m sure the Plymouth dash has simulated pine and the Chrysler has simulated Rosewood, Teak or Walnut. 😅 More seriously, the similarities reflect the dire condition of Chrysler Corporation at that time.
I owned a 1979 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country with the fake wood paneling. Fully optioned including the AM/FM Citizens Band Radio. A great vacation car. You could hear truck drivers on the CB and communicate with anyone on the CB channel you selected. The fake wood strips started rusting from the metal reinforcing strips under the plastic strips. Chrysler was in financial trouble at the time. MSRP was $10,500. Bought new with discounts $7000.
As far as a GM person getting driven nuts by the body panels not being flush , there were plenty of GM vehicles during the malaise era of the 70's and 80's that had body panels that weren't flush . Also a lot of cars from that era had that ignition buzzer , and not much horsepower either , just like the weak horsepower of this Plymouth .
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Considering that Plymouth was the "plain Jane" division of Chrysler, I think these Gran Fury models were nice.
It really depends on the models. Sometimes the Plymouths were shorter bodies than the Dodges but had the same powertrains, sometimes the Plymouths didn't get the same powertrain options. Sometimes the Plymouths were almost as nice as the Chryslers, but again lacked something like powertrain options to set them apart.
Thinking back to the 'cloud cars' of Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Cirrus, and Plymouth Breeze, the Dodge got the 2.4L I4 and the V6, the Cirrus got the V6 and a nicer interior, and the Breeze got the 2.0 I4 and 2.4 I4 if I am remembering right.
For hotrodding the cars from the late sixties and early seventies, sometimes it made sense to get the Plymouth body and shoehorn the biggest engine from a Dodge or a Chrysler that one could get, since there were usually engine mounts and other things that would even let it be installed with predominately factory parts, even if those were not originally used in a Plymouth. The Plymouth weighed less with a slightly shorter wheelbase (less rear passenger legroom) so one would get just a little more power to weight ratio out of it, plus the Plymouth might already be decontented enough in its options to further have less weight.
I had this headlight signature seared into my mind; the was the default police cruiser in the mid to late 1980’s, this and the Diplomat. I’ve come to love this blocky, formal shape, preferably with dog dish caps on steelies, in a non-offensive color like ice blue or gray, the perfect wannabe undercover conveyance.
Very true. Got my license in '87. These were THE cop car back then😁
@@ohioalphornmusicalsawman2474 Yup, the Gran Fury and the Diplomat were used by the NYPD all through the 1980s. The 80s were a particularly bad decade for crime in NYC. Every time I see one of these cars I associate it with sleaze and violence.
Yeah for sure with the headlights. I could spot them in my rear view mirror from 2 miles away. Lol
Rick Hunter is STILL jumping the streets with his air breather lid flipped for that turbo thrust passing gear roar!
@@MrSloika For sure! I lived out in the country, but not far from Baltimore. The country towns had no crime back then, but the big city was dangerous, murders left and right
Car deserves way more credit, they were well put together. I had my 5th Avenue for 15 hassle free years.
I remember when these were almost as numerous as police vehicles as the Crown Vic would later become. You have a nice example.
I've always loved the styling of these cars - straight forward and effective.
If I am not mistaken the Salon designation was actually an upgraded trim package over the base Fury. I grew up in a Chrysler family so really enjoyed this.
Chrysler sounds - 1st gear from the Torqueflite goes all the way back to the 60’s; their blinkers were always distinctive and of course, the starter. 80’s rear drives with automatics had like a 2.24 rear ratio, but the first gear ratio in the transmission was something like a 2:78 instead of the earlier 2:45 ratio. Made 1st gear a lot peppier and better mileage in top gear w/o overdrive.
I had an 87 Diplomat SE way back in saner times. Wow this makes me miss it. Top 3 or so cars I ever owned relative to loving the machine. 318 and Torqueflite were beyond perfection in operation together.
I had a 81 Diplomat, 4dr black with red cloth interior. 318, was a great car.😊
Which one of these models had the "overdone" taillights? Meaning they had horizontal ones smaller than on this car, but also vertical ones on the edges. I always chuckled about it, owners thinking it was the "classed up" model. It also made me think of the Griswold wagon. Lol
@@mikewillett5076That was the first generation LeBaron. Before they would move them to the FWD K platform. Also had the slats on the side fenders like the New Yoker and Fifth Ave.
My father drove a gold Dodge Diplomat police car that was just like this. He really loved that car and they definitely had that no nonsense cop car look.
Adam’s breath of historical knowledge (engine types, sales numbers, interior options, comparative prices, design elements), is phenomenal.
Those Diplomats were super quick when turning corners in the city. Could always get rear tires to spin . Go Bronx N.Y.... Fun memories..
Mopars In the 70s and 80s you can make the windshield wipers go on without the key in the ignition. It worked with my parents 78 Cordoba and my father had a 1980 dodge van it did the same thing. If you put the hazards on then the left or right signal on, and the wipers on the wipers will go on without the key in the ignition. When I was a kid I used to play in the cars. It will probably work in this car.
YEP !! And the radio would play with each “flash” - on-off-on-off - then if you held the brake you could listen to the radio normally. I learned that one on a mid-60’s Ford!
Adam, you’re living the dream man! You’ve got all the cool cars
I started my auto mechanic career at Faddis Motors (Chrysler Plymouth Imperial) in 1984 and was the new car prep guy. I remember those Road Ready stickers well. Despite the Chrysler build quality at that time there was rarely any issues with a new Gran Fury or 5th. Here's a quirk you missed. Check out the fit of the fuel door. There were a few complaints about that. When I talked to the zone rep about it he said it was a known issue. The problem was the stamping dyes were worn out and never got around to fixing it. And the lock up is controlled by a spring in the valve body. There is no solenoid to disengage it. Want to raise the lock up mph? Stretch the spring or install a stiffer one.
My 85 Reliant SE had the seesaw fuel door. It was on a pivot and you pushed in on once side to open it. No notch to tug and flush with the body. I always thought that was cool and simple and Ive never seen it in any other vehcicle.
Was about to say the build quality on these was absolutely terrible, but they sure were durable and reliable. Back in the late 80's when my Chevy was in the body shop for an extended period, I had a rental 5th Avenue. Pretty much the Gran Fury dash with a few more appliques. Would be something to have now since they are still cheap to buy.
These cars were reliable mechanically, but otherwise fell apart, and were pretty ugly. 😂
wow i need to look in the mirror. I too started my work days in a chrysler dealership in 1984 (C.R.Moore. vinita Ok.) I still remember how cool the new Lasers looked back then.
Except for failed brakes and universal joints falling out. And the engine not stopping when turned off.
A great, informative video as always! Your understated observations about Chrysler build quality are spot on. Dad bought a 1976 Aspen wagon that was, to say the least, an adventure. When we picked it up from the dealer, we found a dozen trim screws all around the drivers side footwell, obviously left out of the matching holes in the trim around the windshield. Dealer prep? Well, not really...When it was a week old, the battery died. We quickly figured out the voltage regulator was out to lunch, but the dealer argued it was an intermittent fault, so refused to replace it since Chrysler would only pay them back if it fully failed. That was a preview...I really liked driving the car, and it seemed ok until rust started forming on the front fenders after ONE Upstate NY winter. Then the tranny went. That was rebuilt and lasted another 3 years before going out again. That second failure in less than 80 thousand miles sent dad to the Honda dealer where he bought his first Honda Accord. He's now a proud Honda loyalist for over 40 years...
Good job keeping this car so impeded by governmental controls while keeping it running today. The LA 318 has not change much since it was first introduced. 80s small blocks all share the exact same accessory mounting points and fittings. Every part of this Fury can be removed and or replaced by a corresponding part from the decade before or after with nearly no negative side effects. It is interesting that you "adjusted" the lean burn carb instead of just installing a Carter two barrel without the computer connections but it seems to have worked while keeping the appearance of originality. I had a 73 GranFury. It was a different body and had a 400 BB. I would bet that even this car would have some interchangeable parts with your '83 (specifically the ignition). This is a labor of love and you are doing an excellent job. There aren't many of these left that are this clean.
I used to rent the Chrysler 5th Avenue in Florida from Budget back in 1983... It was usually their Luxury Car selection back then at Orlando locations...It drove very nicely... However it did have the typical Chrysler squeaks and rattles along with all the options... PS I also used to install Rusty Jones back in the day and noticed the plugs in the ends of the rockers at the beginning of the video...I still have some of the original stickers...Thanks for posting !
Adam, good to know you still have this car! Back in the early '90s, I had an ALMOST mother-in-law who drove one of these. She and the car were practically twins. I loved her, and she loved the Plymouth. Good memories. Thank you.
My dad had a 1978 LeBaron Town & Country wagon, so your Gran Fury brings back a lot of memories. Same 318 engine (only his had the original Lean Burn system, which was problematic and was eventually disconnected), same dashboard (I remember those brushed aluminum gauges very well). The LeBaron had supremely comfortable velour seats, and floated down the road. I can recall the engine knocking and pinging badly. When you slammed the doors, a cascade of rust would fall on the ground (it was obviously rusting underneath the fake wood panels) even though the car was only a few years old when he bought it. Eventually the transmission let go in the mid 80s, which caused my dad to basically give it to his mechanic (who I understand got it going, and then cut the roof off the back and turned it into a backwoods pickup truck to haul fire wood from his property). Enjoyed this episode.
Love the 77 to 79 LeBaron. This is a cop car.
My 78 Lebaron coupe had vinyl seats.The most uncomfortable seats i ever had.
The M body Plymouth Gran Fury was known as the Plymouth Caravelle from 1978 to 1982 and from 1983 to 89 as the Caravelle Salon in Canada. A Plymouth m body wasn't available in the U.S. untill 1982 after the larger R bodies were dropped. The Canadian market had both the Plymouth Caravelle, Dodge Diplomat, and the Chrysler Lebaron and after 81 the Fifth Avenue. When the R body cars were dropped Plymouth in the U.S. finally got an m body and for some strange reason it was named Gran Fury while its Canadian counterpart was stilled called Caravelle. Maybe to avoid confusion Chrysler kept the Caravelle name in Canada as the car had been on the market since 77 and was already established. The U.S. would eventually get a Plymouth Caravelle based on the smaller E car sister to the Dodge 600 in 85. The E body Caravelle was introduced to Canada for 1983 so the bigger M body Caravelle became the Caravelle Salon instead of getting the Gran Fury name like its U.S. sister. Confusing right?
I actually love these cars! My last car before my eyes got too bad to drive anymore from retinitis pigmentosa was a 87 Diplomat. The interior was immaculate and the body was not bad. It was dark blue with a light gray interior. I miss that car to this day. I love the sound of the torque flight transmissions too.
Good to see the ole Fury again in all her mud flap glory. 😊 Pure utilitarian Plymouth, or “Blowpar” as us GM kids called it-Love it!
One of the cool thing about the lockup torque converter is that by locking up and eliminating slip in the transmission, it was very similar to giving you an overdrive gear. The rpm drop could be between 200 and 400 rpm at speeds between 45 mph and up. And in some of the 4 speed automatics, you could get lockup in either 3 or 4th gear. Lockup torque converters are still used in current automatic equipped cars, and they have many modes of engagement. It took a while for this feature to get properly sorted out, but it’s one of the good things that happened to automatic transmissions.
And automatic transmissions with lockup clutches existed in various forms beginning in the late 40’s to early mid 1960’s when they fell out of favor for the very strong and solid 3 speed automatics used after that. The lockup converters began to reappear in the late 70’s and early 80’s due to increasing emissions and fuel economy standards.
I remember a brick or barn red one of these local to neighborhood in my youth with full disc covers like yours. I am half surprised you have one of these, but yet I’m not. I guess I’m
More impressed at the depth of your truly patriotic collection of cars. I truly appreciate that you are a proud Detroiter. The top of the windshield and A pillar always upset me about them. That and the antique exterior door handles. It was no sheer look Mitchell GM but it did try to imitate it best it could. If anything the Fifth Avenue must have inspired the Caprice Brougham LS. Also I’ve met many boomers that have made so much money deleting lean burn and also converting GM diesels to gasoline, literally it was a fundamental aspect of their career success.
Salon was the premium trim level on M body 4 door sedans as was in the B Body Fury for 1977 and 1978, similar to the upgraded trim level that made an ordinary Fury coupe into a Sport Fury coupe.
Oh, does this vehicle bring back lots of memories of a bygone era. They were available with power windows and power locks, as well as tilt steering wheel and cruise control. The Fifth Ave version was quieter and more plush; both the available velour cloth or leather seats were quite comfortable. It had all of the power features, with a power moonroof available. By 1988, driver's side air bags became standard.
Hard to put my finger on it but something about this car and so many other Mopars that I just like and feel so comfortable in. Including the instrument lighting that I like so much.
I had lots of those cars. Diplomats, 2 and 4 drs, 5th aves, miradas and cordobas. They are very easy to make drive even sportyer. I used to add a aftermarket overload coil springs to the back. They mount on the axel tubes and the top woud rest on the frame rails. It would take a month or more for the springs to settle down. But would the car ever handle great, became very stable in the back. I would usually adjust the front torsions down slightly. Another simple trick to do would be replace the pitman and idler arms with the longer C body arms. That would give a bit of a quicker steering ratio. The squad cars were fun and usually had front bucket seats.
In 1980, any of those cars that had the 318 actually had regular electronic ignition instead of the lean burn. But any year could easily be converted to the regular electronic ignition.
I had the first year mirada cmx in morroco red with the 2.45 ration rear instead of the 2.22, and after doing some supertuning on the motor, that car became quick and fun to drive. I miss that car the most. You could be driving in town and if you were running 35 or less, you kick it down and it would drop down to first gear and stay until you were going about 55 then shift into second.
Thats where it felt really quick.
I still have now a sharp clean silver 85 5th ave with lower miles.
I work for a small company in the mid-eighties and for about a year my company car was a 79' Aspen station wagon,, it was loaded to the max with very low mileage and a 318 and I loved it,, it was so nice..
I remember being surprised because I had heard so much about how terrible those cars were,, but it was not...
I drove quite a few M-body police packages back in the day. They held up well and did the job. My mother had a civilian-spec Diplomat with the Slant Six... Hardly a race car, but an excellent road car thanks to Chrysler's delightful torsion bar front suspension. They weren't fancy or overly impressive... But they were honest cars. No pretense. No sizzle, only steak. Great family cars and daily drivers at reasonable prices.
In the early and mid 80s I had many occasions to ride back-and-forth to the airport in more diplomats and Furys than I could count. I thought they were piles of junk. But they always lasted. And I don’t remember ever breaking down and one. Then seeing yours as nice as it is makes me want to have one of those back. Thanks for sharing!
You unlocked a memory... the Rusy Jones stickers used to be on a lot of cars when I grew up in the 90s.
We had a 1978 Plymouth Caravelle that was basically the same car as this, complete with 318 lean burn - all in all it was a pretty solid car we drove it many many miles
You mentioned the first gear whine, which reminded me of a customer I had back in 1973. One of my good customers bought a new 73 Buick LeSabre, and he was complaining about the first gear whine. I told him it was normal for a TH350 trans to do that. The very next time I saw him, he had traded his LeSabre in on an Electra 225. Why? Because the Electra had a 455 and a TH400 with no gear noise.. I'm not sure that the gear noise would make me trade in my 1-2 month old car in on a new one, but you never know!
Great cars that got the job done in a specific era of time....
Great looking car Adam. M-bodies are a particular favorite of mine…honest cars that were quite outdated but withstood the test of time thanks to their durability. I hope to locate a clean Diplomat or Fifth Avenue sometime in the near future.
Lot easier to find Fifth Avenues, as they sold to oldsters who kept them inside and didn't rack up the miles. The Diplomat and Gran Fury's mostly saw duty in fleet service.
@@seed_drill7135 that has certainly been my experience too thus far. I know the Fifth Avenues were pretty strong retail sellers, where the Dip and Gran Fury were primarily sold as fleet cars where the vast majority have been used, abused and disposed of years ago.
@@seed_drill7135 My Mother In Law drove a Fifth Ave when my Wife and I first met. Definitely a fave car for the Silent Generation😁
My best friends mom had a diplomat when I met him at 3 years old...that car just kept going...around age 15 or 16 we were replacing the alternator and realized it had the high output alternator that came with what I guess is a severe duty package? Oversized sway bars bigger brakes transmission cooler 4 barrel carburetor...I always thought that car would be such a great sleeper since it handled well and stopped great...maybe drop in a big block and hurt feelings 😂 It did eventually run low on oil driving back from Florida, overheated a bunch of times and lost compression on multiple cylinders...would still start on ether but didn't have the power to move itself any longer...she went out with dignity and had everyone's respect...RIP
These cars almost put me in mind of the Checker A11's and A12's. So common that they just blended into the background, but they just kept doing the job.
Chrysler used so many parts through their whole line, the buzzer and turn signal clicker take me back to my mom's '86 Horizon and even though it didn't have a/c let alone semiautomatic temp sensing it had a similar heater control layout.
Another time capsule! Love your channel. Brings back a lot of memories. Always amazing product history & knowledge.
Adam, several years ago my wife and I needed a second car, and upon searching the used car ads, I came upon a 1985 Dodge Diplomat, for only $200.00. It was actually in fairly decent shape. Unfortunately, with the lean burn 318cid in it, it got about 8mpg around town. I eventually sold it to a co-worker, who was a big Mopar fan, for $300.00.
Another great video. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember when cars like this Dodge Diplomat were offered. I remember they were used for everything from taxicabs to police cruisers to fire chiefs vehicles.
My dad had big Ford company cars 73-93, then in 83 he got served an 83 Diplomat 318. It absolutely flew compared to the Fords, and it was pretty tight. But this is more stylistic in review. But it still would whip an 83 Ford. Thank you.
It's not exciting, but it's a perfectly good transportation car, and looks 100 times better than any new car. I absolutely love all the chrome all over it, and the fact that the bumpers are not plastic. The whitewall tires with actual sidewalls and bright shiny full wheel covers are very classy. Todays cars have black 30" wheels and "tires" with pretty much no sidewalls. I love the hood ornament, manual window cranks, and the 100% NON DIGITAL dash, even the fake wood. If that engine has never been worked on, I would suggest replacing the PLASTIC cam sprocket with a steel one. WAY back when I was 16, I bought a beautiful 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger with a 318. I drove it for several years, until the engine destroyed itself when all the plastic teeth sheared off the cam sprocket. Another common issue with the 318 is the timing chain cover. It goes between the water pump and block, and is made out of aluminum. There are coolant passages cast into it, and the aluminum tends to corrode, allowing coolant to leak into the crankcase.
I am not a fan of the "lean burn" system, at least the original version in the '70s. And as with all emissions crap, it usually gets wors not better. I'm sure there is a way to disable that system. I currently drive a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis, which I bought a few months ago with only 36,000 miles on it. I prefer the Grand Marquis over the Crown Vic P71, because it has softer suspension, much more comfortable seats, an overdrive transmission, and a 2.73 rear axle, which lets it cruise on the highway at just above idle
The 727 TorqueFlite is a very strong transmission. The Celebrity was JUNK. It was front wheel drive. I will never own a front wheel drive car. I was a city fleet services mechanic for 41 years, and worked on a lot of them. We usually got rid of cars when they hit 100,000 miles. Very few Celebritys made it that far without major work, usually the transmission.
2:12 That false roof looks "cost effective", to put it politely. It reminds me of the wig they put in the Lincoln Versailles in its last couple of years.
Lee Iacocca was is in control at Ford when they did that to the Lincoln and Chrysler later , Might have something to do with him?
I like these cars. They're not exactly graceful or elegant, and always seem to be in a "dull" color like grey or beige when you see them today, but they're honest to goodness tough cars and represent the best of one of Mopar's lowest points. These were comfy old fashioned family cars for a rapidly changing automotive landscape. While I think most would agree an equivalent LTD Crown Vic or Caprice was an overall better car, these Gran Fury's, Diplomats, and Fifth Avenues held on for a long time. I remember seeing a black 5th Ave with red pinstripes and whitewalls years ago, and it was a sharp, handsome machine. Saw a white fury on the highway a few weeks back. Sadly they've gotten rare, just like all the other bread and butter cars of the 70s and 80s. I'm glad this one has been preserved and enjoyed as a part of your collection!
I had an 87 Gran Fury (ex detective car) i but it from the city auction for $300. It only has 85k on it. It was the 318 4bbl. It also has bucket seats, with rubber for mats. It had a block on the shifter to keep it from being shifted into low gear. The rest and was an 8 1/4 with 3.21:1. When you floored it, it would break the tires and bring limited slip. It would kick the rear sideways. I noticed the smog equipment on yours. Mine was void of it. I guess the city removed it. It also had no cat. It was surprisingly quick and had plenty of power. Very different from the 5th avenue of my friend. Much healthier. It also has different handling. It was stiff and cornered very well. I miss the car. I traded it dead even for a 73 bronco with a 302. Not bad for $300 and 4 years of driving. I bought it in 93 and traded it in 98. I'd love to have another.
I repaired the headliners in many of the Chrysler versions down through the years,all the plastic trim around the headliner was covered with headliner material which did not like to be touched so it wore quickly.
Another vehicle from the days of my youth when I started driving. I rented a 5th Ave to go from TN to NY and back and really could tell it was a lower quality to my father's Mercury Grand (they used the "D") Marquis and grandfather's Coupe Deville. Although comfortable, it was notably less grunt and not the same level of finish. It was as if they took a lot of corners to save a buck.
These Gran Furys are rarer than the Diplomat/Fifth Avenue cousins. This has gotta be one of the cleanest and nicest Gran Furys out there. Most of the Gran Furys went to law enforcement or taxi use, they didn't have nearly the sales numbers of its Dodge and Chrysler counterparts. This civilian spec, super clean Plymouth is just a gem. I've always wanted a Gran Fury/Diplomat/5th Ave but like most cars of this vintage they're either beat all to hell or on rare occasions you'll find a creampuff like this car but they want waaay too much for them. Hopefully I'll find a nice one someday.
P.s. I'm glad you've been giving your Mopars some more love, Adam
I like your videos. I'm from Europe and we did/do not not see US cars often over here. And they are very different from European cars from this time period. Especially the interiors. Very nice to see, thank you.
This reminds me of the police cars in "In the Heat of the Night"
My old Dakota has the 3 speed Torqueflite transmission and has the exact same whine in first gear. It's interesting that the under hood arrangement of major components is very similar as well.
Glad to see you've got some malaise era specimens as well. I'm doing my part...have an 84 chrysler e class, an 84 tempo, an 84 new yorker turbo, etc. Oh plus a gm x car. Really enjoy your channel
Wow congrats love these cars.These things had an incredibly good suspension for the time.
Deep in the Malaise Era.
'83? About a decade after the malaise era.
I'd choose this over a Chevy Celebrity. This is a good looking car and it's got a V8 with rear wheel drive. I like boxy styled cars.
Nice unique grill integration with signals. The glove box treatment is attractive. Good compliment of gauges. That seat cover is full Pulp Fiction blanket. Hard to believe this is 1983 - the styling is stuck in 1970s.
What was the point of Rusty Jones spraying the inside of the engine compartment? I have never seen rust originating from the inside of the engine comparment. Rusting through from the bottom sure but not top down.
No plastic diamonds in the hood ornament, sad and not very Gran.
I think this platform was also a Chrysler LeBaron for a while. This rendition of the LeBaron had some extra taillights positioned vertically on either side of the trunk lid. I think this was while the R body was in production. When the R body ended this platform became the New Yorker for 1982 until 1989.
I remember seeing these all over in that Era.
Enjoy your videos. Envy your collection. Always impressed with your knowledge. How many vehicles do you own and could we have a video where you show us your whole collection? It would be very interesting.
My uncle’s last car was an ‘82 Dodge Diplomat and I remember being so disappointed the few times I drove it. It was equipped with the 318 but was so sluggish a dead feeling. As you say, the handling was pretty firm and not so bad for that era. Compared to his two previous Chryco cars, a ‘56 Desoto Fireflite and a ‘68 Fury lll (he didn’t put many miles on them) the Diplomat just felt cheap. I didn’t mind the styling so much, in fact I like the tall greenhouse that I wish we had more of these days. What I didn’t like so much were the interior materials and appointments. Definitely a Mopar low point for me.
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the ugly duckling M-bodies. In the mid-eighties, I worked as a detailer at a body shop in New Haven, CT. We did a lot of repairs for the police department and they had a large fleet of Plymouth Gran Fury's. I was always amused by the the fact that most of the patrol cars had slant-sixes, but the unmarked vehicles driven by the plain clothes officers and administration had 318s. Also, we had the honor of doing the repainting and graphics on a fleet of brand-new, 1987 Plymouth Reliant K-cars. As if the interiors in the vehicles weren't small enough to begin with, they managed to cram cage dividers between the front and rear seats! Despite all the quirks, I thought they were kind of cool looking. They were dark blue with white doors emblazoned with "City of New Haven". They also had genuine Whelen light bars (proudly manufactured in Westbrook, CT) They were actually pretty good handlers with the police suspensions and the 2.5 liter, fuel-injected 4 cylinders which had pretty adequate power considering how small the K-cars were. Ah the eighties...😮
When you were discussing the rear in this car and said "Don't peel out", that made me think of my 1972 Buick Skylark Custom. It had a stock 350 2-bbl, and it was very easy to peel out with it, whether I was the only person in the car or I had 4 passengers. At one point I bought two used 15 inch rims and put them on the back, and it was still easy to peel out with it. I have no idea what the axle ratio was in it though. Talking about acceleration, the slowest accelerating cars I ever drove were my dad's 1982 Buick Regal, which he had bought new, my grandmother's `87 Dodge Aries with the 2.2, which she had gotten new, and my grandfather's `84 Chevy S-10 with the 1.9 Isuzu engine.
These Chrysler M body cars were indeed popular among police departments along side the Chevy Caprice and Ford Crown Vics of the era.
I watch a tv series called "In The Heat of The Night" that came out in 1988 and lasted until 1995 and yes these Chrysler M body vehicles were certainly very popular back then although they are very rare to find but then again they are a part automotive history.
Adam, you know you are good when so many of us would spend 25 minutes watching a review on a Gran Fury. 😊
I had an '82 Interceptor during my senior year of high school and for a few years after that, and I really liked it... A lot. Mine was the 318 4bbl model, light blue, black steel wheels with drilled pov caps (which looked awesome with a set of brushed narrow beauty rings that I picked up at Pep Boys a couple weeks later.) and whatever size tires, I wanna say they were P225/70R15 (the only thing I'm a little hazy on was 225 part. the rest of it is correct.) and a huge exhaust system. Oh yeah, and it had a spotlight in each A-pillar. My Dad picked up a pair of them at auction over summer break between my 11th and 12th grade... one red, and one light blue. Other than the color, they were identical. I didn't have a whole lot of time to think about it, like only a few seconds really, but he said if I wanted one, he'd pay for it up front, he'd cover ½ of it and I could make payments on the other ½ to him. He even gave me a choice of which one I wanted, and I picked the blue one. Lol- he said he would have put money on me picking the red one! He got them for $2500 each, so I couldn't say no to that deal. All I had to do was figure out where I was gonna get $1,250 while I was a full time HS student. I was already working the full serv pumps at the local Shell station, but once school started, my hours were going to be just a few after school and whatever I could get for the weekends.
These cars are just typically Chrysler for the day. And this must be the nicest Gran Fury Salon out there! These cars were used by many California municipalities as well as the California Highway Patrol. They were not known to be successful in high speed chases. Enter the SSP Mustang 5.0! And....love the slip covers! ;-)
I'd like to see an in depth, side by side comparison of a Gran Fury, Impala and Crown Vic of the same era. My favorite is the Impala and I would probably choose the Gran Fury as second. But maybe a detailed comparison would change my view.
Having a 65 Plymouth Belvedere and doing a big block motor swap. It was 1987...I needed something to drive in the winter time. My father was a police officer in Rhode Island and I ended up buying a retired 83 Plymouth grand fury cop car for $700. It had over 290,000 miles. It got me through 2 winters and i sold it in 1989 for $900.
2:34 I kind of like the styling of these base versions of the platform, especially the wrap-around grill-light assembly. The high roofline doesn't bother me, but by this time, with these models being pushed to the newly revived "full size" marked, it would have behooved Chrysler to stretch the wheelbase a few inches. It would have made these models more credible as big cars while softening the impact of the high roofline.
I used to checked these in brand new when I was a lot attendant at a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer back in 1981...I remember that dash well
Love these videos. How many cars do you own?
The M body with a 318, 81 or later, was one of the best they made. Except for the carburetor.
One of the better cars from the malaise era! Thanks for a great video! I havent seen one of those cars in decades. They look pretty decent compared to some of the stuff sold these days.
I love the simplicity of this car. It's all you need in a car unlike today's junk. Hands down id take the this car over anything brand new if I to choose. I remember seeing them all over the place growing up in the 80s
Buying the ex cop car versions of these at the MSP auction for 500 bucks with 75k on them and using them as winter beaters in Lansing was the best. Those days are long gone, cars go for 20 times that now. Saved my 76 Cutlasses from the tin worm doing that..the 4 bbl. police package cars were really fun to drive, totally agree with the "go cart feel" comment. A blast to drive in the snow. Ive owned these, Impala/Caprices, LTD/Crown Vics cop cars and these are right up there with the LT1 94-96 Caprice 9C1's as my favorite squads..
When I bought my first car that wasnt a handmedown, i looked at these and 5th Avenues being that we were a Mopar family. I bought a 89 Crown Vic that was 5 years old with 39k miles instead. Loved that mushy 4 coil ride...
I haven't seen a Rusty Jones sticker since I was a kid in the mid 80's. Great video...
I was born in 76, and remember these cars well and never liked them until this video. The idiosyncrasies are e feeding, plus how well you say it handles. Pretty cool.
That first gear whine was very much a part of the TH200 trans of the same era in the GM cars.
Thank you for sharing Adam. I see this car I think police car and police tv shows and the 1980's. I did not know it shared parts with the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare. That was interesting to learn. I do recall the LeBaron that had the Fifth Avenue package before it become New Yorker Fifth Avenue. Thank you for bringing up the other information about fleet sales and prices.
Nice clean Plymouth. Salon trim was the ‘upscale’ Gran Fury, basically got you a nicer interior than the fleet/cop version.
In todays times of stupidly huge trucks, even these vehicles start to show some beauty...
Good point.
Great overview brought lot of memories back my dad bouhjt a 87 diplomat new n being a professional mechanic we ran it as my second cat also to 340k miles. Yeah i got a few nervous looks from people as we had added driving lights and had the big performance tires on it 😁
Considering that the vast majority of these cars have ended up as short circle track race cars (like the early- to mid-70's Monte Carlos), this car is amazingly flawless and rare. For what it's worth, you're very fortunate to have this car.
I had a 1983 Dodge Diplomat. Former Memphis, Tn. police car. 318 CID. My parents had a 1985 Plymouth Gran Fury.
Thanks as always for a nice deep dive into a car that doesn't really get that much attention. I never figured these would be very nice to drive but the idea of Imperial ride combined with go-kart handling sounds very intriguing.
I laughed when you said what you thought a GM stylist would say about this car. Other than the 1978 Seville, this car looks better than any GM product of the day era (easily).
This is the second time I have heard of Rusty Jones. First time was maybe 1981 in an advertising trade magazine. Article about why "Rusty Jones" was adopted as name for rustproofing.undercoating process. I thought it was pretty clever, then never heard of it again. Thanks Adam.
"Hello Rusty Jones. Goodbye rusty car."
I had a 87 Fifth Avenue beautiful red with red leather interior with pillowy seats. My wife still swears it was the most comfortable car we have owned. It was very nice on long road trips.
I always thought the Fifth Avenue like you had was an absolutely gorgeous car. I don’t know what it was exactly that made it so good looking. Of course the grille and headlight treatment was spectacular. The shape of the wheel cut outs was perfect. And the formal roofline.
I guess it was a combination of these things as well as perfect proportions.
And prior to that I fell in love with the Dodge Mirada.
Maybe I was just weird? 🤪
😁 I like how he points to the awkwardly placed coil with a hand that has recently cut knuckles. That says it all...
Yep!
I always had a soft spot for the M cars. Just good old fashion mechanics that didn't let you down. I especially like the dashboard they all shared. I wish I could find a late 70's Le Baron two door. I like the styling of the M cars. I guess I won't make a good GM designer
When I was a teen, my dad traded in our '75 Chrysler New Yorker for one of THESE! I was pissed, because when I borrowed the Chrysler, it was luxurious, I could fit all my friends in it, and there was plenty of room for my girlfriend and I to recreate! I soon came to really dig the Gran Fury due to the fact that it handled fairly well due to its smaller size and the 318 was an adequate performer! It felt peppy compared to the 440 in the New Yorker because it had to pull all that weight around. The fact that the Gran Fury looked like an unmarked police car afforded my best friend and I the opportunity to don our mirrored shades and cruise the city, and by our mere presence, bringing to a halt any illegal activity that happened to be going on in the area! The warning shouts of "FIVE-O" meant that we were seen, and had thwarted another crime! 😂😂😂😂😂😂 It was a decent car, very reliable, and I was sad when my Dad sold it.
4:52
Don’t forget about the chrysler lebaron 1980 & 1981 model years where the signal lights were above the headlights & that carried onto the 1982 til 1989 Chrysler Fifth Avenue models
Thanks, Adam. I’ve never driven a Gran or other Fury, but my dad had a couple of M-body Fifth Avenues, so the dash looks very familiar. Of course, I’m sure the Plymouth dash has simulated pine and the Chrysler has simulated Rosewood, Teak or Walnut. 😅 More seriously, the similarities reflect the dire condition of Chrysler Corporation at that time.
Had one as a radiocar in 1982 to 1985. Of course it was the police package. Great car, served me well.
That rusty Jones sticker brought back some memories 😊
My grandpa had one. It was reliable, quiet, felt solid and had a good ride to it. Basic dependable transportation with no unnecessary doodads
I owned a 1979 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country with the fake wood paneling. Fully optioned including the AM/FM Citizens Band Radio.
A great vacation car. You could hear truck drivers on the CB and communicate with anyone on the CB channel you selected.
The fake wood strips started rusting from the metal reinforcing strips under the plastic strips.
Chrysler was in financial trouble at the time. MSRP was $10,500. Bought new with discounts $7000.
In the 1980s the local PD had very similar, Dodge Diplomats as cruisers.
Great paint color, love the light gray interior
As far as a GM person getting driven nuts by the body panels not being flush , there were plenty of GM vehicles during the malaise era of the 70's and 80's that had body panels that weren't flush . Also a lot of cars from that era had that ignition buzzer , and not much horsepower either , just like the weak horsepower of this Plymouth .