440 Six Pack Diplomat Wagon FS (Not mine)

Ele115

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Mr C

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I remember this car from the magazine days. I'm surprised it has survived and was not chopped up for the drivetrain.

What is the most significant to me is the level of preservation of the car and the quality of the build...not chopped up. The woodgrain looks amazing.

I'd turf the 440 Six pack emblems and put some road wheels on it.

Great sleeper.
 

Ele115

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I definitely remember someone in about 91 or 92 showing me the magazine. I could swear they made some drag strip passes and ended up with a dead cylinder and had to get another 440, or was that another car but it was an F or M with a 440 six pack and it was making really good 1/4 mile times then lost a cylinder. It was a magazine the enlisted kids had in their barracks in 91 or 92 and they showed it to me. I loved the article and the car being a wagon, that's the only reason I looked at the magazine and remember it.
 

Aspen500

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At work, I've seen quite a few cars that looked darn nice until,,,,,,,,,,,you open the hood and the wiring looks like a spaghetti factory with scotch locks, wire nuts (which should never be used on any mobile wring, only stantionary like a building), connections twisted together and taped (or not taped), wires running every which way, cheap hardware store crimp on terminals, etc. I always wonder WTF?
 

Ele115

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When you start spending time around old cars, you'll see a lot of wire nuts and other simply awful wiring. Cars burn down because cousin Jed was an electrical genius. Happens all the time. I just love the old "twist the wires together and put masking tape on them" method.
 

Aspen500

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Better is "the handyman's secret weapon" duct tape. Maybe it's just me but I always figure do it right, do it right the first time or don't do it at all. There's a word for some cars and that word is cobbled. Still, that Dippy appears nice other than the wiring that looks like it was done by a 6 year old. In the grand scheme of things, having to completely redo the wiring harnesses is minor compared with other things on a car (like rust repair for example). That said, for $25,000 you shouldn't have to rewire the car first thing when you get it home. Also, what does the other wiring look like that we can't see? Nice car with problems.............
 

Duke5A

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$25?? for a car worth $7k and a motor worth $3k? Absolutely nuts. There is nothing special as far as a collector is concerned in that car as a whole.
 

Ele115

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They will eventually get something close to that if it's marketed well. A new truck can easily go for over twice that. If someone offered them 20-22 they would take it, and they have ten into it, tops. Old cars in so-so condition of any type and make with nothing special bring over ten every time. decent AMC pacers are bringing over ten anymore and ten years ago you couldn't get $3500 for a clean one. People who can't afford the clean muscle cars and belly button marques are out to score old cars of any type now just to have one and not pay $100,000. They will pay $10,000 and up just to tell everyone they know that they have something vintage in their garage. They have to go after the yuck cars now and those are going WAY WAY up. Fairmonts, Buick Apollos, LTD Wagons with 351's, AMC Concords, GM G Bodies are getting crazy and old trucks are too. Anything Mopar is going high.
 

BudW

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The Craigslist has a new listing (I wanted to see this, so looked for it):
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/d/kempner-1978-dodge-diplomat-wagon-with/7253611012.html
Also a YouTube link:

My opinion is this car is a lot nicer than mine but I agree – not worth 25k. Maybe ½ of that, though (I shrug).
01414_cTweXBhwjrL_0CI0t2_1200x900.jpg

00R0R_iBIWBA6XuCf_0CI0t2_1200x900.jpg


My thoughts on the car.
The paint seamed to be too nice, so I took a look at the pictures.
Screenshot 2021-01-13 150252.png

This one, you can see where they didn't tape off the door VIN sticker and you can see overspray on the original sticker.
I also do not think the woodgrain is original, either. The trim appears to be original.

I have not seen these before (the add-on bracket, on above picture). I think lubing the door latches (or removing, cleaning then lubing of the) would be more effective.

The underneath has been painted black.
Screenshot 2021-01-13 153142.png

No mufflers in sight. Single exit?

Not sure what to think about the fuel tank issue:
Screenshot 2021-01-13 153106.png


I've not seen many center consoles in wagons. I've head they were available on Load Runners (and Dodge equivalent), but not sure (and not seen one in person).
00G0G_3OcRkSML82t_0CI0t2_1200x900.jpg

The trim code DYR4 = 60/40 or 50/50 reclining seats using Leather and Vinyl in the R4 paint code. The center console code is C16 – which I don't see on the trim tag – but can't see all of the tag to verify. The trim tag would have center console listed sense it is part of the body work needed, before paint.
78 Dip SW 440-6 Tag.png


I see some headliner sag

What is with the exterior trunk handle?
CI0t2_1200x900 a.jpg

Green circle.

One last thing, this is a picture of the "rear disk brakes".
Screenshot 2021-01-13 153241.png

Not a good contact patch. Also, the "aftermarket?" setup just doesn't look right to me (but could be wrong).

Note: my big block will have exhaust manifolds on it - so might look a bit (or somewhat) close to this once done).
BudW
 

Mikes5thAve

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At least the add mentions repaint and undercoating. The floor console was probably added when the engine went in or at some other time because someone preferred it.
It looks like a clean car but that's a very big stretch in price for it. I'd hate to see the price they'd be asking if it were a t-top coupe.
 

BudW

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There is the pair of floor tunnel console brackets to install - but the bigger issue is finding the tilt steering column with no shifter attachment. Most floor shifted cars didn't come with tilt steering.
That column would be a hard one to find and apparently the vehicle price reflects that...
 

Oldiron440

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I don't know what you can build for 25 k, the carbs are a grand, if you were to have it painted an easy 10k plus. Another 10 in the drive train.
 

Mikes5thAve

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I don't know what you can build for 25 k, the carbs are a grand, if you were to have it painted an easy 10k plus. Another 10 in the drive train.

Who's to say it has a 10k paint job? You can get good ones for a lot less then that. Nothing from the description screams out it has a 10k drivetrain either especially when it was built in the 80s.
 

M_Body_Coupe

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Umm...guys, so based on my personal experience restoring the coupe: $$$ rack up real quick when you do a complete resto.

So here it is, just for shits and giggles, a break-down of what my spend was:

1) Engine parts and labour - $7,748.81
2) Fuel System - $258.80
3) Cooling System - $236.86
4) Exhuast System - $1,410.81
5) Front Suspension - $1,174.49
6) Rear Suspension - $593.52
7) Rear Axle - $649.92
8) Brake Hardware - $577.90
9) Body Work - $7,000.00
10) Body Parts and Misc Components - $686.56
11) Transmission - $607.86
12) Car Interior - $1,067.96
13) Misc Stuff - $171

GRAND TOTAL => $22,195.00

...and believe me, my ride does not sport what you'd believe a $7K body job should bring. I was stuck in the ATMOBS until Mark pulled through for me with one of his connections.

Bottom Line: very easy to have a price tag that will never fetch an equivalent return, let alone profit on a car build. Luckily for me this was never my goal, and my justitifcation for the expenses when my wife asked was: "honey, it's just money, I spend on the car - we keep it, I spend on booze, women and you spend on divorce lawyer afterwards - we lose it!". Ha ha, so she tolerated my addiction, and we are still happily married...
 

Oldiron440

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I haven't checked on this color but pearl reds can be over $600 a gallon, quality paint materials on a vehicle this size can be 3k.
 

Duke5A

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Unless there is collector value in the chassis then these cars are never worth the sum of their parts. I just don't see it.
 
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