Fifth Avenue Freeze Out
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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- Chrysler’s final 20th century rear wheel drive family sedan, the Fifth Avenue cost substantially more than it’s more advanced front wheel drive siblings. But did buyers really get “more”? And why was this one built by former American Motors workers in the former American Motors plant?
The 5th Ave saved my life. The bumper was touching the driver's door when all was said and done and I walked away with a seat belt burn on my neck. Quality engineering.
🤯
Don't leave us on such a cliffhanger tell the whole story!
My husband worked in the St. Louis assembly plant doing maintenance painting in the summer of 1982. He said they were building the Chrysler Fifth Avenue, Dodge Diplomat, and the Plymouth Gran Fury all on the same line .Got to see the entire assembly process from the welding of the raw body panels, to the very cool painting process, interior installation, wiring, dash, to final assembly and drive off. Such neat memories. They sure don't build em like they used to! Thanks for bringing back the memories!
I love all kinds of cars from Fat rides to Miatas. I bought a '84 Fifth Ave. with about a bazillian miles on it and a lean burn miss that never went away except if you drove it over 60 MPH. I loved that car so much. It carried me through tons of Erie, Pa. snow back and forth to work and never let me down. I ended up trading it for a new 2001 Dodge Dakota and I miss that road hog to this day. Those pillow seats were awesome!
My dad had one. I learned how to drive with it. I loved that car so much. And hello fellow erie person!
I've owned 2 of these. Fantastic car, and like you said, an absolute tank in the snow it would go anywhere
I still have one it is a 1985 it is my second one. Love these cars. My first one my wife got into a accident head on with a concrete pillar it never made it to the water pump. I love these cars.
You forgot that body style was also the Dodge Diplomat which made up 95% of all Police Vehicles at the time. We had 20 of them with 360's.
A well prepped 360 with all the cop suspension and brakes would make for a great hooligan ride.
When I was in Jr. High in the 90s a friend's dad had a Fifth Avenue. I recall many of the gauges and displays on the dash being housed in their own deep set circles and the whole thing having a pearlescent effect.
I had a ‘87 Fifth Avenue. Great car. Miss it
This is a true story. My wife went into labor. Her mother lived just about ten minutes away. We called her because she was going to be part of the birth at the hospital(she had permission to be in the room) she drove a 5th avenue which was much bigger than my car(escort) Long story short.....the wife was only in labor for @ 20 minutes ......we pulled into the fire station across the street. My son was born in the backseat. My father in law had a plate made for the back window that said "birth place of....."
Ppp
You could now say, "He was born (on) in 5th Avenue". LOL.
@Hal Johnson wow that baby came out quick thanks for sharing it’s amazing how a big moment like that you remember the vehicle. 👍
@@Daniel-fd3wp I was shocked when the paramedic said "this baby is crowned" All my baby classes were wasted...LOL.....my neighbor was mowing his lawn and I held him up as we got in the ambulance and said "Its a boy"
Im truly grateful that you shared your life experience. Is the national Enquirer still reporting on aliens being borne in the back seat of a 5th Avenue. Please remit.
I still drive one of these.. an 86. Really good cars.
Chrysler was going to use the fuel injection system form the "81-"83 Imperial on this generation 5th Ave but with all the problems they had with the fuel injection they stuck with carburetion instead....And like Steve said these things go like tanks in the winter..... Especially with snow tires.
Those were SHARP in black with the dark red leather interior, red pinstripes and the wire wheel covers with the special locking center cap. Of course the reliable 318 V8.
There was a front wheel drive Imperial that was a "Sperlich Special". Yup, the "R" body cars were the last cars made at the Lynch Road plant in Detroit, MI which closed in April 1981. Yes, many were built at St. Louis, MO (Fenton) which opened in 1959 and closed in 2009. Some were also made in Windsor, Ontario Canada, which still operates today under Stellantis. Looking through old tax photos of my area, in one of them, at my neighbor's house you can see him working on a 1985 Diplomat and in front of it is my 1982 Toronado, as we were doing front end work on it. I can date the photo back to June-August 1988 based on the fact that the car has license plates on it and I registered it on Wednesday June 1, 1988 (I still have those license plates in my garage, although I sold the car in 2009). I remember that Diplomat because out for a test drive one day, someone hit the fender and we had to replace it.
With the VIN, we win: 1C3 for US made Chrysler passenger car, B for manual seat belts and no air bags, F for 5th Avenue, 6 for Special, 6 for four door sedan, P for 5.2L (318 CID) V8 with two barrel, 6 is a check digit, H for the 1987 model year, W for Kenosha, WI assembly and the rest is the production sequence. The Kenosha, WI plant as you noted was purchased from "All Makes Combined" and stopped vehicle production on Friday December 23, 1988 and then continued on as an engine assembly plant through 2010. The plant opened in 1902 as the Thomas B. Jeffery Company.
It appears that the notes are directions to Hiller's Garage/Hiller Motors Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram at 635 Mill St, Marion, MA 02738, which still operates today. The Holley two barrel in these was a real heap and that probably was the reason it went back there. LOL. Yup, this is a "model" in a pig suit and is a gussied up Aspen and Volare at its core. No tag, can't brag, but should be paint code FW9 Olympic White exterior paint.
I came close to buying a used 88 model after I convinced my parents I was not going to drive slant sixes anymore and move up to a V8. I just couldn't stomach the used car price of $7500 for a two-tone silver over red 5th Ave because underneath it was the same as the 79 Volare I was driving. This, I walked away and plunked down $7300 for a privately owned 89 Crown Vic. Loved that car and put over 160k on it before it developed problems that I wasn't willing to fix. Had it for 7 years and sold it for $800.
@@LongIslandMopars My friend's father had a 1987 for several years. I believe it got hit once, it was repaired and he drove it several more years before selling it.
My 82, which was the only yr they called it a New Yorker 5th Ave, was built in Windsor. My 85 was built in MO and my 87 was built in WI. The 82 was the best of the 3, by far!
I love seeing the history and where the old chryslers were built I work for chrysler I started at the sterling heights assembly and when I would drive by the old lynch rd plant on my way to work it was kinda sad but here in motown it's a usual story I'm at the detroit assembly complex mack plant we make the new jeep grand Cherokee L the 3 row model and the regular 2 row overflow that the jefferson north can't build due to demand
@@adamtrombino106 Yup, that's correct.
Back in the 80's-90's I did lots of back yard auto repair for friends. A late friend Benny Mongillo had a white 1985 Fifth Ave with a red interior he bought new and kept in pristine condition. He had it many years and it was extremely reliable.
I like looking for past video cars in the background 😬
Steve - Your point about the tooling for these cars being paid for many times over since 1976 being responsible for the profits made per unit is something I never considered. It reminds me of how many thousands of times the telephone cables I work on have been paid for since they were installed (some over 120 years ago!) by subscribers.
When I bought my '79 Trans Am in 1999, the couple that sold it to me were true PA natives. The husband said, "The dang government has gotten their taxes probably 5 or 6 times on this car".
Think of the profit margin on a $89,000 hellcat redeye, it must be one of the most profitable vehicles in the entire industry
This should make everyone KNOW that most things we're subjected to are nothing more than RACKETS.
There was once a time when big companies made enough of something, the price would drop like a rock... But naturally that didn't upset them because of course, they'd sell MORE and still make their money.
All that started to change in the Fifties and was RAMPANT by the Nineties... New for the sake of new, higher prices every six months...
It amazes me what new cars sell for... It's more amazing that people keep buying them.
And I'm flabbergasted that the snot green, four door, six cylinder strip out Nova sedan is now considered "a classic" and can sell for ten grand with a rusted through floor 😒
I'd really like to get back into the old car hobby, but "regular people" were priced out a long time ago.
@@slicksnewonenow - RUclips + eBay + the internet in general have absolutely made things more challenging as far as just acquiring a decent vehicle goes. It's almost required that you know the seller personally (like your grandma is selling her beloved '70 Yenko Chevelle SS LS6 that she bought in September 1969, etc) in order to get something reasonably priced that's not completely rotten. Deals are still out there but be prepared for years of searching.
I'm glad Chrysler kept making the M-bodies when everything else in their line-up went FWD, especially until 1989. I think the late-'88's and '89's had driver-side airbags as well. Great video as always Steve. I hope your Junkyard Crawls spot a St. Regis or another R-body someday.
Yes, they did and the VINs reflect that.
89 had air bags. 88 89 were made in the amc factory and had a stronger k frame. So the upper control arms wouldn't want to bend inward from bad roads
@@ron1836 1988 models also had airbags mid-year. I decoded a trim tag on another YT channel (Classic Ride Society) of a 1988 "M" body in the junkyard that had airbags.
@@googleusergp May 1988 was the changeover date.
@@googleusergp You are correctly. Airbags were introduced late year in 1988.
Walk down memory lane - grandparents had a brown 81 New Yorker and a silver 87 5th Avenue
I has one of those. Got rid of the lean burn system. Put a stock Chrysler box and distributor in, eliminated the catalytic converter. Made it from a 16 second car in the 1/8th to a 10.0 flat.
I'm not sure what model years they were but, if I'm not mistaken, our local police department had this style of Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Fury for quite a while. They replaced their big, mid 70s Ford LTDs with them and the cops hated them. After that, they started buying used Crown Victorias that were former state patrol cars.
Cool! My grandparents had one of these in the late 80s into the 90s. Burgundy with matching interior and landau top. It was a very nice car.
I had a go through anything car. It was a 1985 LTD the small style everyone called it a Zephyr or Granada. I smacked the transmission on an upturned manhole cover on RT46 in Bergen Co NJ in 91. Couldn't justify repairing it it was 2 grand to fix. Loved that car.
NJ: 21st century roads with 20th century signing. LOL. Good old Route 46. That's 3 into 46, LOL.
I remember my cousin bought one of these new and when he showed it to me I was surprised that the torsion bars were switched to transverse! They were still awesome cars for the times!
Those thngs were like driving your living room couch! (and about as fast)
The interiors on those cloth or leather were beautiful
I VERY BRIEFLY owned an '83 "Fifth Avenue" ($225 in '04; QUESTIONABLE TITLE!) I preferred this car to my '79 Cadillac DeVille! This car (AT LEAST) WORKED!
My grandmother's last car was a 85 5 th ave just like that one. My parents had a matching 85 New Yorker.
Steve, you mentioned the New Yorker........
Twenty years ago, my 2nd wife and I had an '89 New Yorker.
Very high mileage on it, so I got it for a mere $400.
Even with the high mileage, that car rode nice.
Unfortunately, we only got about 10 months of driving from it.
The engine threw a rod. And it was cheaper to bia different used car, than to buy a replacement engine.😂
(Sort of like it was cheaper to divorce that 2nd wife a year later, and spend these last 19 years single, than to continue an unhappy relationship.😂)
I never realized that someone could snag that front suspension for a quick upgrade to a project. I'll definitely be keeping that in mind next time I'm at the Junkyard.
MoPar Al , just installed a Mustang front suspension in a 1964 Studebaker Lark. Check out his channel. I also heard I’d people using Ford LTD front suspension in F series Ford trucks. Hope this helps give you ideas.
I bought a 77 aspen for the 318 motor and trans and slowly parted the rest of it out. When I was about finished with it someone who wanted all the front end suspension parts for a hot rod pickup contacted me. I sold them all the suspension parts and told them they could have the rest of the car so they could pull it at their leisure. It worked out great for me.
I love the style of these cars. Sure...it's pretty plain but there's just something about them that I really like.
When I met my first wife in 1989 her parents had a new 1988 Chrysler Fifth Avenue. Light blue, plush light blue interior (not the leather).
They sold it to me around 2000 for $1500. They had done a repaint on it and it was in decent shape.
I drove it for a while and ended up literally giving it away because no one would pay for it. Looked good and running/driving.
What a dog of a 2 barrel 318 though.
But I wish I still had it now. Not sure why but I do.
I know this may sound silly I watch your Videos Steve after work at least twice because your words per minute. I have to soak in and get that knowledge. If it’s a Vehicle that catches my eyes and ears it’s 3 times . Thanks Steve and Super Shane. 👍🎥👍
360s were available in M-bodies until 1981. Also they are an absolute bolt in wherever the 318 was in later cars. Done several. Love the seats. Very comfortable for long trips. Still own three, one being the one year only 82' RWD NewYorker with a factory Thermoquad 318.
I see no record of that, unless it was perhaps a special order/police/fleet issue.
The end of the 360 in passenger cars was with the 1980 R body.
@@plainbrownwrapper9688 Correct, at least for the US market. After that, it was trucks in the US market for the 360 V8.
@@googleusergp I worked for a Plymouth dealer in the late 70s and there were plenty of 360 2bbls in all kinds of M, F and J bodies. Lots in station wagons, 80' Miradas, 80' Cordobas, 2 door Cavavelles, Diplomats, earlier Volare based Road Runners, Aspen street coupes, etc.
The 4bbl 360s were not as common, but came in the CMX Miradas and LS(pointy nosed)Cordobas as well as Volare and Diplomat, Caravelle/Gran Fury police cars, as noted.
First thing I'd order for the Fifth Avenues, I was putting a 360 in, was a 3 core rad for a 1980 Volare 360 equipped police car.
The next was a trip to the bone yard for at least an 8 1/4" axle, as the 360s would take out the Fifth Avenue's 7 1/4" axle in no time flat.
The last year you could get the 360 with a 2 or 4 barrel was in 1980...And only in the Volare/Aspen and any of the R bodies(Mostly police cars).They never offered the 360 in the M body in 1980...You could get a 4 bbl 318...But that was the highest option...I don't know why they didn't offer it when the Aspen was the same configuration.....But I've never seen any option list offering a 360 for 1980 in the M body....Starting in 1981 Chrysler phased out the 360 in any passenger car......They only put it in trucks....If there were any factory 360's installed in 1980 in an M body,they would be like the holy grail of M bodies.Nothing like a Hemi,but super rare nonetheless.
The official car of Mike Ehrmantrout.
I had one of the twins to this during my Senior year of High School. It was an '82 Plymouth Gran Fury Police Interceptor. My Dad bought two of them at a town auction for $2500, not running. We had this kind of understanding that when it was time to get my first car, he would help me out by paying for half of it as long as it wasn't something stupid. It broke down to $625, but I had to pay for getting it up and running. He asked me if I wanted one of them, and I couldn't think of any good reason to say "no". None of the other kids in school had a police car, so why wouldn't I want one lol? He helped me out as far as figuring out what to do about getting it going. It needed an ignition control module and a ballast resistor to start with, plus a full tune up, just because. Once it was running we found that it also needed voltage regulator because it was charging around 16 volts. Bad news because it was basically cooking the battery. Anyway, I drove that car for around for probably four years or so before it was finally time to permanently retire it.
Many good reasons for your dad recommending this old police car for your first buggy - you got to learn some troubleshooting and wrenching, you'd be driving something tank-like in those critical first 4 years of driving, and there was definitely a cool factor of piloting a police interceptor! Respect to your dad!
@@wes11bravo Plus, if it stopped running, a spare ballast resistor and some common hand tools got you going again, until the Carter or Holley stalled it out, due to the rotten carburetion. LOL. Once it warmed up, you were off to the races though. The Chrysler V8s were bulletproof.
What's with you and Holley carburetors? Have you ever actually tuned one?
@@gteefxr3094 Yes, as well as wrote parts catalogs for parts for them and every other make for 11 years. Ask yourself this: If they were so great, why did Chrysler switch to a Quadrajet in the last years of their V8s being carbureted? Holley and Carter still made carburetors at that time, but why go to a direct competitor such as Rochester (part of GM)? Because it was and still is a superior carburetor. The problem with Rochester carburetors isn't the carburetor, it's the "mechanics" that attempt to "fix" them.
Smart Dad...Lol. You were in a safe car that cost almost nothing compared to everything else available. And you got to learn some mechanic skills. Add that to the fact that you drove it for four years and it is probably the cheapest car you will ever own.
Interesting fact about the rear window plug, and I'm sure none of my friends will know about it either, thanks to Steve, I can enlighten them.
I had an 81 LeBaron with a slant six that looked like the Fifth Avenue and it had a factory installed CB radio 🙃
CB radios were all the rage in 1981. It was "social media" of 1981. LOL.
Don't forget the ketchup to go with the salt and pepper! Napkins, too!😂
My mom had a 77 Aspen when I was young. Exactly like the one on the cover of that brochure. Baby blue with white vinyl interior, t-tops and a V8 with the floor shifted automatic. I would love to be able to find another one for her.
Great video! I’m getting used to liking on “what’s on the glove box!”👋😂👍
My parents had a 5th Avenue when I was a kid! Great car and the only think I didn't like about it was the red leather interior would get really hot in in the summer. Haha!
I have an 87 Fifth, and really like the car. I understand that Iacocca wanted to stop building these cars much earlier as they represented the "Old" Chrysler Corporation. Green shade guys said No Way!! These cars have a dedicated following of Mopar fans.
Looks really good in the junkyard.
I learn something from you every time I watch you show..
& I'm not kidding..
Cheers from Vietnam
Dad, in one of his few strays from Cadillac, had a silver fifth avenue. It was a real dog on the road. Someone before him took the lean burn stuff off and gave it a standard ignition distributor. That was it's demise, it had the wrong distributor gear and chewed the cam gear up. It always has a ping, and was a bear to start in cold weather.
Lean Burn and Ford's Duraspark were total crap, that's for sure.
@@googleusergp Fords variable Venturi carbs, same c rap
@@openroad6522 Yup, another junker.
Great 👍 review ! These were pretty good cars back in the 80s the M platform also consisted the Diplomat and GranFury/Caravelle in which were based on the 70s Aspen/Volares .
Mike Ehrmantraut's car from breaking bad & better call Saul
Good Morning Gents ! 🇺🇸
Tear drops on the city, Bad Scooter searching for his groove
Gave a instant like cause my Mom's 86 5th Avenue. White, white top, red interior. My Mom bought it from a older couple who drove it to California & back. They sold it to my Mom cause it was an easier car to take my grandma to dialysis. She drove it for years. We went to Florida and back in it. Super comfortable. That little 318 had a little pep. I remember my parents arguing about a up coming exit. And I remember my Dad putting it to the floor to pass cars. That was fun.
Great on gas to. Especially compared to the 3.1 v6 that was in my uncles Lumina. We traveled together but when they ran empty we still had a half a tank.
This is a fun sentimental car of mine. Michigan winter finally started taking its toll and my old man can vouch driving through a frozen farm field to get around stuck trucks in a snow drift. But I think he hurt the car doing it cause after that it got parked, ended up getting scrapped. Not to many of these left so I smile whenever I see one.
I bought a '78 LeBaron coupe for my youngest son's first car. It belonged to the wife of a retired Chrysler salesman and was a real nice car. I had to get rid of the lean burn system and it ran much better afterwards. It was totaled when an uninsured kid ran a stop sign and hit my son who ended up with back problems because of it.
You Are A True MOPAR Guy
The last passenger car installation of the famous 225 Slant 6 was in the 87 Plymouth Gran Fury and 83 for the Fifth Avenue. Same with the Dodge Dakota--1987. The Dakota got the new "cut down LA" 3.7 90 degree V6 to replace the 225 Slant but they didn't bother reengineering the K-frame for the M-bodies as they knew 89 was the last year. These were popular police cars in NYC in the late 80s--the Gran Fury. Also, that Kenosha plant DID get shuttered soon after as it was a very outdated plant and the local government wasn't making a good business offer for them to stay so they dropped the M body and moved the L body (Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon) production to Mexico, shuttering 5500 local jobs.
No, the last passenger car use of the Slant Six for North America was 1983, not 1987.
@@googleusergp yes that's correct. 83 for passenger cars, 87 for Dakota and full size pickups as the base engine.
@@jaylestingi5418 Correct.
The mid sized Dodge Dakota pickup debuted in 1987 with the new LA based truck V6 underhood, or a four cylinder. Dakota pickups never came with the slant six.
@@benbrown2119 That's correct. The other trucks did get the Slant Six in 1987.
I remember now how a lot of domestic rear wheel drive cars from the 70s and 80s, even with all season radial tires went thru snow a lot better than given credit - this in the days when four wheel drive or AWD was a rarity even in the snow belt. I only got my 71 Cougar with 245/14s on the rear stuck once in 10 inches of snow, and it probably had more to do with getting high centered than traction. A 75 Pinto wagon with fat tires front and rear actually did great cause it seemed to simply roll on top of the pack.
I've argued this with many people over the years. Most of them have been younger people and the argument usually ends when I ask them if they've ever even driven something rear wheel drive.
I actually prefer rear wheel drive in snow and I've only stuck myself once in my 40 years of driving (my own fault for being young and stupid!). I like the fact that you can steer with the throttle if necessary but, good tires are still the key.
If it had a posi rearend, sure. If it had an open rear diff, forget it.
@@catsaregovernmentspies I drove a 1970 Chevy Malibu through several bad Northwest Ohio winters with an open rear differential. I bought it used and already beat up for $450 in 1989. Snow drifts to the middle of the grille, ice covered roads and, every other condition you can imagine. I NEVER stuck that car once. You just have to know what your doing and what your vehicle can handle.
Rear wheel drive cars are great in the snow if you know how to drive them. And the low horsepower V8s of the 70's and 80's are perfect for snow covered roads. They have enough weight for traction, and the power level makes it easier to take off from a stop without spinning the tires.
I had a 78 Camaro with a 250 straight 6, automatic, open diff. I drove it through one of our worst snowstorms with no problem. I've also had a few 77-90 GM B-Body cars. They were also great snow cars. My 96 Buick Roadmaster sedan is pretty good too. It would be better with a limited slip diff. But the 235 wide tires help
My dad was part owner of a Chrysler Plymouth Dodge Imperial dealership in Texas in the early Eighties.
One of his buddies was a Rep for Chrysler and would always get dad WHATEVER he wanted as far as Demonstrator Cars were concerned.
Dad had a string of the wildest stuff I've ever seen... All brand new and all "custom" from the factory.
When he decided he wanted a new Fifth Avenue, he called his pal and asked for a new '83 in triple black with a red pinstripe... And the whole enchilada Police Package... About a month later, the transport showed up carrying it.
It was MAGNIFICENT and ran like a r*ped ape, too!
He LOVED that car and kept it until Chrysler quit offering that model.
I often wonder what happened to all of the crazy sh*t dad had... One was an 81 Cordoba, but with the Mark V style "Bill Blass" paint scheme (white with Navy blue sides and gold pinstripe)... Chrysler offered a stoopud fake convertible top called a "cabriolet roof", but dad somehow got his buddy to send the car to National Sunroof and have it converted into an ACTUAL convertible.
And it had the Police Interceptor package in it, too.
Another wild car he had was a Mark Cross LeBaron convertible with the little Hemi 2.6 turbo engine... Woody sides and all.
But it had an actual rumble seat in the trunk, the lid opened backwards... So the car could comfortably carry six passengers.
Whenever a new model would come along, or they'd discontinue one, dad had to send those cars back to Detroit.
I imagine they all ended up in a wrecking yard up in Michigan.
Cheers!
Steve, you should have mentioned the 5th avenues budget siblings, the Dodge Diplomat and Plymouth Gran Fury, all 3 cars were basically the same.
I have an ‘88, starting in ‘88 and ‘89 they also had equipped the 8.25 rear ends instead of the 7.25 like the rest of the previous years
Love the title of this video, shout out to the Boss!!! 😂 Ten Devils in the freezah!!!😂
Had 1 and couldn't get rid of it except to Victory auto wreckers . Not a bad car for a late 60s driving experience . I called it the Hump backed Volare for that plastic roof extension .
My dad used to get a new one of these every 2 yrs as a bank excec car they had the local dodge Chrysler dealers acct I recall a all silver on silver leather a s a really sharp two tone silver with black sides and silver leather .very lux car comfortable thick carpets good stereo s and amazing ac Dad always said they had the best ac and living in a Florida we needed it.
The two tone silver over black was one of the most beautiful of the two tone color combinations you could get on the Fifth Avenues. Most of the two tone opted cars also had the very rare alloy wheel option as well. IF i was to buy one today, i would get a two tone Fifth Avenue just because they are so impactful.
@@klwthe3rd deff was a pretty combo nice leather interior with super lux carpet awesome ac nice car for sure
Good morning everyone. 🇨🇦
I had Driver's Ed back in 1982 and we got to have some road time in a Dodge Aspen. It was fun to see just how far we could push the boundaries before the tires would kick out and lose traction.
Great video! I looked at one in 1986. White 5th Avenue with black roof. I decided on a white mercury sable LS. Funny thing I returned to a new 1993 intrepid ES. After that 6 more chryslers. Switched to GM in 2015 cuz I couldn't find a dodge charger w leather seats.
Great cars! I own a '78 Aspen wagon with only 30K miles, slant Super Six, and four speed floor shift. I love it! It's the Fifth Ave's older cousin.
I am not sure but I think this was advertised as a better alternative to the Honda Accord. I remember a big banner in the local dealer's window. It was an odd comparrison but it showed Chrysler looking over it shoulder.
I always loved these cars. I haven't owned one - yet! Though I have owned Mopar F bodies, A bodies, and a C body car once.
We have a '78 Volare wagon front clip under our '55 F-100, it's a massive improvement over the original front end!
I always (sort of) liked these cars, but they skimped on some options I love, no 360 and no high-end sound system (Infinity), I looked away. Thanks Steve!
I have had two Fifth Avenues, one Grand Fury and one Diplomat ex cop car with the three sixty. The last one had a sun roof that was awesome. I never thought I would want a sun roof before that car. Get in on a hot day, roll the right rear window down a little and open the sun roof about three inches and start moving air.
The reason the Fifth Ave was so good all that engineering was well established over the years of building so many cars off that platform great video Steve and yes hot rodders told me for years that front suspension was great for street Rodding older cars from 40 and 50ts cars .👍😎
Cool video. Very informative. I'm new but I love your channel
Drank The Lemon-Aid....thats funny ....my grandfather had a 76 Aspen with a 318.... he passed away in 83 and my dad got the car from my grandmother..it still had the bias ply tires and the bean bag ash tray on the dash board.... after we got new tires and a FM radio installed ... no one could beat my dad off the line..... even with my gram and great aunt in the car ...
When I was a kid we had an 85 new yourker turbo and it was a good car
P.s. If you are referring to the pressure of Lemming like behavior in idealogic application it is specifically purple or grape 🍇 flavor drink mix .(presumably sweetened with diabolical sugar).
I had a 1987 plymouth gran fury police package . It was a dog driving in the city but in the highway it was great . I sold it to my sister and brother-in-law . My sister needed money to pay for a phone bill . She sold it to a scrapper for 200.00 . A running car . I told her to wait until I get home from work to give her the money . Needless to say, she scrapped it for 200 bucks. I miss that car .
Just saw a video Bill from Curious Cars did on one of these. These were the last gasp from Chrysler everything was going to front wheel drive by then. Never thought much of them in the past but I would have one if it were in decent shape.
I had a Diplomat police package car...it had 2.23 gears...still...I don't know how they caught anyone..😂
Highway response unit perhaps.
Love the Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band reference 😊
First concert I saw in 1984, I still have the ticket stub. I used to be a fan of his music. I wouldn't pay bus fare now to see him without expecting change. He's turned into an elitist snob in my book.
Always was.
@@gteefxr3094 Not in the early years. He was much more down-to-earth. He's lost that and consequently, I'm not a fan of his music. In my book, the REAL Boss of NJ music was Pat DiNizio of the Smitheerens. That's a band that has stayed down-to-earth and true to their roots.
Nice little market segment of the Cadillac Seville, Chrysler Fifth Avenue, and the Lincoln Versailles.
Yup, the "Sev-ova", the "Fifth-o-Mat" and the "Lin-ada". LOL.
@@googleusergp As like with "Dipster:"
Fifthster!
One of my friends, who LOVED 1st gen Sevilles, used to call the Lincoln the "Grontinental."
Sevy II?😃
@@DanEBoyd Sure, those work too. LOL.
Some of those diplomats and 5th Avenues were pretty fast
I take offense that only 50 year olds like these cars. When I was 20 there was a two tone 1986 that was mostly red with a silver roof in front of the red Landau top and silver hood and I loved that color combo. I always wanted one just like that. I went to the couple that owned it and left them my phone number if they were ever planning on selling it. It's been 30 plus years and they never called. I still want one.
My dad had a 86 5th best car we ever had
In 86 you could get a high out put 318 with a Quadra jet 4 barrel carb
Dignified grey looks good 😊
No mention of the diplomat bones.....or grand fury🤔
Omni's and Horizons were also built in Kenosha.
M bodies , Volare , Aspens etc ,
were very under appreciated , imo .
Especially the police 🚔 packages
Never knew they were built in ,
Conosha Wisconsin
Glad queen Katie 🐶 is keeping the critters , off the set .
Kenosha
Only built in Kenosha after they merged with "All Makes Combined".
@@googleusergp here in Wisconsin, AMC's were known as "Kenosha Cadillacs" LOL
@@xfactorautomotive1496 That's a bit of a stretch. LOL. At least Snap On Tools (based in Kenosha) could get away with saying that they are the "Cadillac" of tools (or did).
My parents had a early 80s Dodge Diplomat in the mid 90s when i was growing up it was slant 6 and a nice car untill the cadilleck converter plugged up and burned the motor up, it was a shame it was in great shape. My sister and her first husband had a 5th Avenue with 318 also a good car, its funny I'm starting to see these cars now with hot motors and nice wheels and i have to say I drive one
Excellent video Steve
The fifth avenue had an electric fan in the intake that was used as an intake silencer
Had three 5th aves, two Diplomats and had an 80 Newport. Really liked them all, they all had their own features that made them unique. The Newport did have a better ride then the 5th ave, still liked them all though for what each car offered.
They were great cars. Stick a few select bits from a Diplomat cop car under it and they were awesome.
Had no idea these vehicles were Aspen-based vehicles!
My brother-in-law owned one back in the 80’s and it was the vehicle we would usually take to head into St. Paul on cold winter nights to grab pizza at one of our favorite places and then do our crawl of several used record stores looking for CD’s or vinyl to add to our collections!
The “GM Guy” in him would never quite allow him to actually like the vehicle, but I always enjoyed riding in it and thought it was comfortable and luxurious for the era! I even liked the “couch cushion” interior, which I think Chrysler did quite well versus some of the 70’s era GM cars where this touch always looked sloppy to me!
Yup, nothing more than a gussied up Volare and Aspen chassis. Like all of the auto makers back then, "If the shoe fits, wear it". Still done today in many ways.
Had almost every Chrysler "M-body". All of them went through the snow just fine, especially my 88 Gran Fury, fully loaded with limited slip. Surprised a lot of front drivers with that one. Will admit that my Roadmaster Estate Wagon with limited slip had even better traction. Basically only Front Drive Cadillacs could give that one a run for the money. You don't need front wheel drive cars to get through snow.
I like these cars and I've had 3.. An 82, 85, and 87. The 87 was the worst in terms of construction and quality, but the 82 was the best of the 3 by far, and lasted the longest. The 85 and 87 I had both suffered from K member sag, which destroyed tires and effected handling due to excessive neg camber.. Chrysler had a recall on them back in the day.
aS WEIRD AS IT IS, A 5TH AVE IS ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE CARS! i HAVE HAD 3 OF THEM! FANTASTIC CARS!
We always used to get around New England in RWD cars. People today are wimps; I guess. I miss power sliding on snow and dirt! 😢
Steer it with the throttle. Had no problems back in the day with a set of snow tires on our cars.
I'm surprised the Diplomat wasn't mentioned
I loved the looks of these cars - a mini limo look. I owned a 1985 one, gold with matching interior. Not ver powerful as I recall. You comment they were built off of the Aspen/Volare. I would argue that the closer fit is the Caravelle/Diplomat body. Thanks for these videos, I quite enjoy them.
According to the internet, Mr. Phelps is still alive, and is 90.