Captain's Caravelle

[Jack Meoff]

It just dawned on me that I don't have an official thread about the car my user name is named after....I've discussed it elsewhere but no official dedicated thread....

So here it is.....
I'll start from the start.....


My steal of a deal Caravelle didn't really turn out to be. Once I got it home I realized I had just bought "Pandora's Plymouth". It took me $2900 worth of stuff just to get her a safety. Wait for the novel.

I was rolling the dice when I bought it. it was in a seniors home parking lot, no plates and no insurance. All I could do was roll it around the parking lot at about 10 km per hr. Knock it into reverse.... Yep... tranny works, I'll take it. Didn't know what I was really dealing with till I got her home.

I got a 10 day sticker so I could get it home. I drove out of the parking lot and started cruising along in my new baby. Got to the first set of lights. leaned into the brakes to be greeted by... WHAM..WHAM..WHAM! (Ahh... cracked rotor). Then I could smell the overpowering waft of gas. (Ahh... gas leak).
I brought it over to one of my buddy's shops. 3 weeks and $2900 later, she was AT LEAST ready for a safety.

Pic#1 is Me with my baby after I finally got her a safety, lots left to do.

Pic#2 is at my good friends Geoff's shop (that's his touque, eh?) along with Petey the wonderdog (he used full sized pylons as chew toys). Geoff is explaining to me that I just bought a rusting hulk and it needs LOTS of work. He told me to be at his shop Saturday morning at 8:00 am... DON'T BE LATE! He let me use all of his tools and his shop for the entire spring, summer and fall so I could fix my baby. Whadda great guy.

Pic#3 is my Plymouth as "The Primermobile" Just waiting for enough dough to get her painted.

Pics#4 & 5....VOILA!

 

[Jack Meoff]

The bodywork on this thing took forever because I could only use my friends shop on the weekends and I was determined to make it as perfect as I could get it....what made it even easier was that three days after I bought it some unknown asshole backed into the side of it while I was sleeping....took a while to bang all that out........roughly six months of weekends to get the body where I was happy with it...then I got a local guy I knew to shoot the paint. The original color is MU3 gold but when doing the door jambs prior to taking it to the shop I found out the hard way that Chrysler used to prime the cars red and that's where the copper came from in the gold.

Everytime I painted the jambs they were way to light.
After knocking heads with the guy at the paint store we figured it out. So I custom mixed a more copper color with way more flake.

 

[Jack Meoff]

This rusted out slant six shitbox has now become by obsession.
At some point when money allows it will get the full resto treatment.
For now....I saved it from the grave and drive it like I stole it.
This car is too much fun.....Stock Super Six, totally non existent exhaust, no cat.
Loud as hell and what to me seems like a lot more power.
Compared to the identical setup in the Volare this thing has a lot more juice...and volume!

I love driving it when I can. Been so busy this year I've only had it out I think four times....

The mighty Leaning Tower Of Power.....

 

[Jack Meoff]

And now......
A crapload of shots. :sunny:

 

[Jack Meoff]

Yeah....but what's it like to drive?

Glad you asked.....


http://youtu.be/i5p5IiTPOj4

It looks so much better in HQ.

 

[Blackbirdsrt78]

I love it!!! that car is in way good condition. any better and it would be mint. :toothy4:

 

[Jack Meoff]

I love it!!! that car is in way good condition. any better and it would be mint. :toothy4:

Thanks man!
I'm working on it.

 

[alf44]

great thread, pics, and story. ive wanted a 78 or so 2 door dippy with that boat tail trunk- or what ever year had that.

 

[Jack Meoff]

great thread, pics, and story. ive wanted a 78 or so 2 door dippy with that boat tail trunk- or what ever year had that.

Thank you Sir.
I love the boat tails.
77-79 Dip, Caravelle and LeBaron if memory serves.
Mine is the only no vinyl roof Caravelle I've ever seen.
Internet included...

 

[Jack Meoff]

The higher resolution slideshow.....

http://www.forfmjbodiesonly.com/classicmopar/vbpicgallery.php?do=view&g=279

 

[Jack Meoff]

One of my fave pics......
Pissing off the B bodies at a Dodge dealership car show.

 

[slant6billy]

Great Tales of the Caravelle. Before seeing yours I only saw the Lebaron in that sheet metal. I dig the color the most. wonder why the variation on performance? Just an empty cat? Are the carbs both 2 bbl? What about the rearend gear? Is the Caravelle a suregrip? and the Volare open rear?

 

[Jack Meoff]

Great Tales of the Caravelle. Before seeing yours I only saw the Lebaron in that sheet metal. I dig the color the most. wonder why the variation on performance? Just an empty cat? Are the carbs both 2 bbl? What about the rearend gear? Is the Caravelle a suregrip? and the Volare open rear?

I really couldn't tell you.
Both Super Sixes...
Both Carter BBD's.
Could be the lack of restriction I guess..
Cat on the Volare and none on the Caravelle.
Both stock 7 1/4" rears with what I'm sure are both 2.94's.

I don't get it....
Could be learned manners??
The Volare was a one owner grandpa car.
The Caravelle was too but I've been driving it like a hot rod for years now.

I don't understand.....but I like it.

 

[alf44]

both have same carbs,rear ends,trans,weight bout the same. are you running the same plugs in both too?

 

[Jack Meoff]

Yep NGK ZFR5N's in both.

 

[alf44]

my super / with the carter BBD, 904 auto, 71/4 rear ,think 2.94 gears. no cat at all and just a muffler, no dog leg or tail pipe ( fell off )champion plugs, rebuilt dist.runs good with just a slight hint of spark knock at full throttle. runs good but i dont have anything else to compare against like you do

 

[Jack Meoff]

Only thing I can think of is timing.
When I set up the Volare I dialed in the sweet spot and called it a day.
The Caravelle I've advanced it to the max before she knocks.
Keep in mind I run premium 91 (best we have in the non ethanol variety) in all three of my cars.....which allows me to advance the timing a lot more than a regular Super Six setup running regular garbage gas.

That thing used to knock on hills all the time.
Now....not a problem.

That's the only thing I can think of...
But realistically....would it make THAT much difference?
One other thing to consider is I've never put these two up against each other side by side....but the Caravelle does seem faster.....
Strange......

 

[alf44]

i have mine advanced as far as i dare with just that slight pinging when i stomp on it from low speed around 20-30. if im going 50 or more and stomp,,it just drops into passing with no knock. running 87 octane garbage gas. new chain 2 yrs ago.carb was a mail order rebuild ( bbd ) running 15inch rear ranger wheels with 225-75-15, front 14inch ralley with 205-60-14 wingfoot goodyears, so i got the big n littles. my take offs are a bit slow with those rears but it helps gas milage on the hiway

 

[Jack Meoff]

215 70 15's all around on all three but I might go for some more meat on the back when I get new tires.

 

[alf44]

whats your milage like?