July 2016 Car Of The Month Submissions: M Body More Door

[Jack Meoff]

Well the last round for the M's was kind of unfair because everyone goes for the 2 doors. So this month it's all about the more door. I for one actually like more doors.

Stock. Modified. Survivor. Work in progress. They're all welcome.

So......let's see those 4 door baby's of yours.

 

[Justwondering]

Would you believe I have before pictures and in process pictures and only 2 after pictures... both with iffy lighting and at the end of the day. Good grief who's in charge of the camera around here???

 

[Jack Meoff]

Would you believe I have before pictures and in process pictures and only 2 after pictures... both with iffy lighting and at the end of the day. Good grief who's in charge of the camera around here???

Lol.....well you've got a week to take some.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Okay fine. I'll start.

My one of none 1987 Chrysler Fifth Avenue Police Interceptor (Nascar Prototype) also known as The Road Warrior.

Bone stock 318 2 bbl lean burn (no it's not a real cop car). I bought it for $600. Put about $1000 into it and have driven the piss out of it for almost 6 years. I've put 75,000 miles on this car since I've had it. I drive it year round from heatwaves to arctic Canadian cold. It's NEVER let me down ever.

 

[brotherGood]

Alright, Im game. I've got a 1986 Dodge Diplomat AHB. Paid 500 bucks for it..it needed a new windshield and exhaust. Aside from that, there really wasnt anything seriously wrong with it. I had just bought it as a beater while I put money into my truck, but I fell in love with this thing and ended up trading the truck to my dad for the windshield and exhaust. It was my daily for a couple years, while planning to rebuild the top end with magnum heads and a summit cam. Then one day I was pulling into work and the upper control arm broke, as did the shock. So, it was down for about a month or so while I parted out a parts car/fixed mine. Once we got that going, I blew out a rear brake line. Ended up fighting with that on and off until last summer. By then, I had an extra 318 block so we just built that out fresh with the magnum heads and cam and what was supposed to be a weekend swap turned into a 3 year debacle. Needless to say..its been project status since the control arm. Right now, after having some fun and letting a buddy have a blast in it, its down for a while, until I can get new fuel lines in it.

Ultimately, it'll (hopefully) have a stout 360/built 999/Ford 8.8 or Chrysler 8.25 or Chrysler 8.75 (Im still not sure what I want to do) with SG and at least 3.23 gears. I'll be painting it Nightwatch Blue, and keeping the wheels W2 white..think Gurneys Cuda. I have a Mopar 10k RPM tach that will be the centerpiece of the custom gauge setup, with a 160 Speedo adjacent to it. I plan on rebuilding the front and rear suspension so that it'll handle whatever I want to throw at it.

The biggest takeaway I have from this car, is its become the tool I needed to get back into cars. Dad and I had worked on it together..sometimes he would more than I would..but we would treat it as our car. Life has pulled him away from it, but its gotten me back into being passionate about cars. And more importantly, its gotten me to want to actually get out and get my hands dirty, and learn how to do everything. Thats the reason I'll never sell the car..regardless if anyone comes close to the money I've got in it.

 

[Darth-Car]

You may have noticed that the sun outside of your window just disappeared prior to pulling up this post. I can assure you that it was no accident. An eclipse of massive proportions has just taken place due to the arrival of a planet sized space station that is now the ultimate power in the Universe; and a great shift in the Force has occurred. Your world is being rocked by the appearance of none other than Darth Car as he glides along the city streets striking fear in all mere mortal eccono-boxed vehicles with his graceful sweeping black cape covering his majestic, red Corinthian Leather interior.

Ok so much for the opening scene of a bad B science fiction movie script. Darth Car actually came into my life as I was looking for a daily driver M body. Then I found a motivated seller, who was a car collector in Detroit. He had owned a Packard, and Darth Car for the last 15 years, and only drove them both to local shows. Then he found his dream car. ...Wait for it, a 67 Falcon. His wife told him one of the show cars had to go; so he decided to part with the New Yorker.

His loss was my gain. A true M Body, genuine 1982 Chrysler New Yorker, with the Fifth Avenue package. Upon first site my youngest son named the Car Darth Car, and the name has stuck.

Since 2014 Darth Car has seen new upholstery for the driver's seat, a Grant steering wheel, and a new 318 motor, after the oil pump locked up, and the original mill spun a bearing on the freeway.

 

[Justwondering]

Oh my,
I didn't know that Darth Car looked like that. Jeeze Brian, you been sandbagging me.

 

[brotherGood]

Hey Darth..have you been able to get those turn signal indicators on yet?

 

[Darth-Car]

Brother good they were installed in the late Fall, and Darth Car received replacement, red pin stripes, at the same time; however I have no pictures of them at this point in time.

 

[Darth-Car]

Come on Becky Sue let's get some pictures up!

 

[Justwondering]

Working on it.

Had planned on pictures this morning and when I went outside the Suburban is leaking fluid down the length.

Chrysler pictures are tomorrrow.

 

[brotherGood]

Good deal, I take they're working out well for you?

 

[Jack Meoff]

I usually leave it open for a week but I'll give it one more. I know there's more M'slurking out there.

 

[Darth-Car]

Good deal, I take they're working out well for you?

Once I get the summer wax job done I will post some pictures.

I ended up having my body guy install them. He was not sure of the reason why I wanted to add them. Then He delivered the car back to me, and said, "those lights are so very cool. I know why you wanted them. They really work well on the black car!"

 

[rcmaniac791]

I'll shoot again.

'84 Fifth. My first car. Had it 3 years. Replaced pretty much everything suspension and brake related and done quite a bit of power-train work. Dead reliable. Love my couch on wheels. There's the full story of this thing on the other M body submission.

 

[Justwondering]

Where do I begin?
Baggage, we all carry it. I finally dropped some of mine by the wayside two years ago or so. When most of you were being encouraged to work on cars, I was being discouraged. Girls don't work on cars. Girls don't do math. Girls don't go fishin. Go inside and help your mother. Wash, rinse, repeat.

We had inherited my mother-in-law's car (28,000 miles) and it was in raw condition. Headliner hanging, clear coat off the paint, no vinyl roof left and some unknown black grime coating everything. No doubt from the smokestakes near Alton, Illinois.

Paid someone to get it running again. Drove it down to my dad's farm and he managed to back his 1-ton Chevy Silverado into the front. I managed to yank enough of the front left quarter panel away from the wheel so my very angry husband could exit in a cloud of dust headed back to our place.

It occurred to me when I drove home that the car and my husband deserved better. He could no longer physically work on the car. At that point, I decided this girl can learn to work on cars.

Started with this:

and this:

And have managed to get it mechanically sound and road worthy, as well as cosmetically improved. I found this forum and many of you have helped me get this far. Replacing the roof, the headliner, the left fender and header panel, getting lights working, engine running and hoses replaced, learning. You've all been wonderfully helpful.

Now:

Quarter panel, wheel well trim, and header panel are replaced.

Not perfect, but a survivor.
This car and I have much in common in that regard.

 

[BudW]

a HUGE improvement!

 

[Jack Meoff]

Where do I begin?
Baggage, we all carry it. I finally dropped some of mine by the wayside two years ago or so. When most of you were being encouraged to work on cars, I was being discouraged. Girls don't work on cars. Girls don't do math. Girls don't go fishin. Go inside and help your mother. Wash, rinse, repeat.

We had inherited my mother-in-law's car (28,000 miles) and it was in raw condition. Headliner hanging, clear coat off the paint, no vinyl roof left and some unknown black grime coating everything. No doubt from the smokestakes near Alton, Illinois.

Paid someone to get it running again. Drove it down to my dad's farm and he managed to back his 1-ton Chevy Silverado into the front. I managed to yank enough of the front left quarter panel away from the wheel so my very angry husband could exit in a cloud of dust headed back to our place.

It occurred to me when I drove home that the car and my husband deserved better. He could no longer physically work on the car. At that point, I decided this girl can learn to work on cars.

Started with this:
View attachment 16137

and this:
View attachment 16136
And have managed to get it mechanically sound and road worthy, as well as cosmetically improved. I found this forum and many of you have helped me get this far. Replacing the roof, the headliner, the left fender and header panel, getting lights working, engine running and hoses replaced, learning. You've all been wonderfully helpful.

Now:
View attachment 16138
Quarter panel, wheel well trim, and header panel are replaced.
View attachment 16139

View attachment 16140

Not perfect, but a survivor.
This car and I have much in common in that regard.

Your car looks so happy now.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Gonna keep it open till the weekend for any late entries.

 

[BudW]

I'm going to pass, this month.