The Chevrolet Malibu was a mid-size model which replaced the ever-popular Nova. Click below to find your next car. Why? 1979 Dodge Ram Charger. He could probably have bought a new Omni with what he paid to fix the Audi. It's been off the road 25 years or so, I bought it never hearing it run turn over or anything, I just got . This is a 1979 Dodge St. Regis. While closer in exterior size to the Diplomat, the Intrepid nearly matches the St. Regis in interior room. In the fall of 80, a wheel bearing failed, causing the front wheel to part company with the rest of the heap. (never used personally, I only drove in summer). 1979 DODGE St.Regis Vintage Original 2 page Print AD White car photo Music USA Opens in a new window or tab. Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States. There is a good chance that the following car may be an ex-prop from the show - it matches the main photo and the last thumbnail with . The more basic S model was produced for fleets which had no vinyl roof, no chrome roof band, no hood ornament and bench seats. I swear, I do not think that Audi was out of the shop more than six weeks for the five years he owned it and, once out of warranty, it seemed each repair bill was at least $1000. The RCMP used only a few of them for highway patrol duties back in the day. Compared to its 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco predecessor, the Dodge St. Regis shed 5.5 inches in length, 2.7 inches in width, 3 inches in wheelbase, and nearly 900 pounds of curb weight (dependent on powertrain). on average and handled pretty well. One of very few Mopars that I have had zero contact with. Furthermore, CHP officers act as bailiffs for the California Supreme Court and California Court of Appeal, as well as providing security at buildings occupied by the State of California. I will include two cans of R12 refrigerant with the purchase of the car. Turns out it could not even be certified for the road without spending a ton of $$$. Wow, we really do have some things in common, although I think your LeBaron experience was even worse than ours. It really needs at least a 4 bbl, mild cam, headers, and a 2.5 inch duals. Never buy a used cop car. I always suspected that might have been a feature rather than a bug. The 225 Slant-6 inline-6 was now the standard engine with optional 318 and 360 V8s; a three-speed automatic was paired to all three engines. It may be rare, but this looks like one of the crappiest built cars from that era. The ability to accelerate to 80-100 mph quickly makes all the difference, and the 1981 318 equipped Gran Fury did that. GM Car Calibration Request; JEEP; UTV; GARAGE SALE DEALS. 1986 Chevrolet C/K 10. owner's manuals. all combined to keep sales low. My brother took it over, and when he sold it in the fall of 83 it was in better shape at 5 years old than when it was brand new!. Surprisingly, a similar glut of inventory occurred approximately 10 years ago, near the end of Daimler-Benz ownership of Chrysler: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/. The LTD switched to the mid-size Fox body platform from 1982 and also gained a fuel-injected 302 V8, then was phased out from 1986 when the new aero-styled front-wheel drive Taurus arrived. He never even got it on the road, as he didnt even had a drivers license yet! the engine was a 318 V8, and unlike today's cop cars, these could only go but so fast. So, old perceptions die hard especially when large sums of money are involved. I dont know if they could have made a more low-rent industrial looking unit if theyd tried. Oh, and the car is luxurious enough to have cruise control, AC ( good chance of working or relatively easy fix ) and FM radio with more than one speaker, non cloth seats not falling apart. Pulled the miserable tired original seats and stored them. The test led to the purchase of Ford Mustangs in 1982, for use as traffic enforcement cars. [1] In total, 64,502 examples were produced. It was very fatiguing to herd that thing on the open road for any length of time. Ive known some people who still have working Lean Burn cars and even as a Mopar guy I consider them miracle cars to have one still working 35 plus years later. For 1990, the Dodge brand re-entered the full-size segment with the fifth-generation Dodge Monaco. Wow only am fm and no cassette no 8 track player and one station working. They should change the breather sticker to Lean Burn of Death. mtm352: I was a career Trooper, and one of my favorites all around was my unmarked 1980 St. Regis. Various party buddies employed numerous bubble gum and bobby pin repairs before we finally drove it to the wrecker at the direction of the police. CHP Police Car Site. Select a vehicle trim below to get a valuation. Just seemed like a neat feature to my younger self. Deriving its name from a 1950s Chrysler trim package, the St. Regis was the first example of downsizing of the full-size Dodge sedan line. Cars for Sale in; Houston, TXCars for Sale in; Jacksonville, FLCars for Sale in; Miami, FL Either someone needs to use the antenna trimmer or the plug on the end of the cable is messed up and its not making a good connection. The "St. Regis" name first saw use as an uplevel trim package on the 1956 New Yorker hardtop coupe and again on the 197478 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham coupe. The rpm lock, when engaged, keeps the motor running at a desired rpm, to power the lights or for the air conditioning on those hot sunny highway days. The police car version of the Belvedere sedan was a . Here we take a closer look at those conservatively-styled box-shaped sedans, which were designed to Serve and Protect, to see exactly what police car fleets consisted of back in this decade. Unfortunately for Chrysler, their luck just straight-up sucked. 1979 brought the CHP multiple vehicle test. That year the CHP put a limited number of Ford Fairmonts, Chevy Malibus, Plymouth Volare Wagons, and Chevy Camaro Z28's on the road for an 18 month test. I have 253k and still rolling. One of my fellow students, who was not known for his good judgment, had a rather battered one and six of us crammed into it to go somewhere local. February 21, 2015 78 comments. I recall reading a quote from a Chrysler engineer once saying that the transverse torsion bar suspension was mandated for marketing reasons and there really was no way to model what it was doing in the computer or elsewhere. Lol. Driven one winter since new. Let's check out this unbelievable 40,000-mile survivor. One of the more rare Chrysler cars to this day, as they were mostly used for cop cars back in the early 80s and most all of them were crushed. Early versions of this generation Malibu had six-window sides and fixed rear door window glass. We had chunks of the black painted stripes just fall off the car. Weve made a few changes to it over the years to make it more comfortable and fun to drive. Im afraid it went beyond the rail yardsChryslers infamous sales bank occupied the Michigan State Fairgrounds, and anywhere else that unsold inventory could be stashed. 136,000. Seeing how bad they looked in less than fifteen years, given the choice, Ill take vinyl over whatever Dodge was using for leather. For that matter, both the Chevy and Ford both got more development money than the Dodge and got it sooner. You really wanted the intersection to be very, very clear before you started to make a left turn. Funny the Aspen was actually better. Air Resources Board) to modify the exhaust for patrol duty. No St. Regis, but the Sask Highway Traffic used them, the guys who enforce truck& commercial vehicle stuff, weigh scales etc.The cars were a kind of dark brass color, In contrast to both the Monaco and the Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. Good Lord! Even a highly reputable repair shop in my city could not rectify the problem. Oh my gosh this is my CL post. What's in the box: 1-43 1979-81 Dodge St Regis. I drove a later model Volare a few times for work and it steered much better, so I suspect it may have just been our cars particular set up. In the books survey, officers wrote that the 360 powered 1980 St. Regis was the best Mopar police car of all time. It featured a unique retractable headlight cover, 5.2-litre and 5.9-litre V8s and a three-speed automatic transmission. I still cant get past the way Dodge partially wrapped chrome bumpers with plastic, leaving exposed plastic edges. It has a newer battery. The idle needs to be re-adjusted (Ill do that myself more than likely, before its purchased) and the suspension bar that holds up the rear trunk needs to be replaced. I told the BIL not to buy it but he didnt listen. It was delivered with missing emblems, loose bolts, etc and it got worse from there. (includes original 1979 License plate that came with the car when I purchased it). Some continually blew transmissions. The best cure for Lean Burn is to pull it, replace it with a standard Chrysler electronic ignition and a matching non Lean Burn carburetor. The drivers power seat looks different than my standard non power seat. Ram 1500. The change in powertrain was unpopular, as officers found the top speed of the vehicle was reduced to below 100 mph when fitted with a lightbar (or 65 mph on a grade). Had one ,115 mph top end but handled great, took a tremendous beating and hung together quite well.. My buddy had an ex Town of Avon Gran Fury, it was pretty beat when he got it. Both being wheeler-dealers they made a trade of cars for ad time. It could work. MOPAR BIG BLOCK, NICE 1981 DODGE ST. REGIS IN GREAT SHAPE RUNS AND DRIVES, ULTRA RARE 1976 Dodge Charger Sport-360 V8-Edelbrock Carb-Hooker Headers, 1966 Dodge Coronet Police Car Sedan 1966 Police Car Used Automatic. My car had its original Lean Burn ditched by the original owner, when my dad got it, he found it had been converted to points and he converted it to standard electronic ignition. Sweet looking car. We are always looking for good bang shifty stories, projects, photos & videos. While shifting to an intermediate chassis allowed the St. Regis a smaller exterior footprint over the 1974-1977 Monaco, it remained far larger than its Ford LTD and Chevrolet Caprice competitors (at 220.2 inches long, an inch shorter than a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham). A rebranded version of the Eagle Premier (adapted from the Renault 25), the 1990 Monaco was the first version produced with front-wheel drive, slotted above the Dodge Dynasty in size. The car runs fine and yard drives but will need fully serviced and probably the brakes gone through and of course new tires before it could be considered roadworthy. It would be the last full-size Plymouth model ever built. 1979 Dodge Diplomat Station Wagon - Million Mile Dodge / The Green Machine. Switch to inches. The retracting headlight covers were a nuisance, too. Id do it myself, its simple. The way the seat has the tear in the photo looks like vinyl to me. He has been writing about cars for several years with a string of published books to his name. The Dodge St. Regis is a full-size Dodge automobile built from 1979 to 1981. its not close to stock and would make a cool ride if your OK with 4 doors. Always wanted to be a rally expert but never had the right car for the job? Rough rider since it is older and it handles OK. Great in snow, and mud since it is 4 wheel drive. Towards this I have a Motorola radio, lights, federal pa 200 siren and speaker, sl-20 flashlight, radar, and other items to come. It wasn't an MSP car originally, but it is a real police spec machine, originally hailing from Virginia. Im really not feeling the love for this car. (Jeff Hwang thought this might be of interest to you all. Wow, I dont think Ive ever seen a St. Regis that nice. Do you remember who you sold the car to? It was 5 degrees outside or I would have followed it and photographed it when it came to rest. 1979 Dodge St. Regis. In addition to its highway patrol duties, the CHP also provides other services including protecting state buildings, state facilities, and state officials. Nowadays, I have my 2012 Chrysler 300c (Hemi of course), my 1977 AMC Gremlin, and my 1969 Toyota Corona. Definitely not police issue. Eventually, the linkage got worn enough that you could just press lightly down on the lever to drop into second and then tap it upward to catch third. Dodge St. Regis Base 1979 Dodge St. Regis Base 1980 Dodge St. Regis Base 1981 Dodge Stealth Base 1991 Im sure its simpler than I think. The Lynn Townsend era had seen many, many screwups in managementthe Sales Banks, the 1974 C-bodies that couldnt have come at a worse time, a strict no small Chrysler policy that blew up in their faces when the Cordoba (yes, it was a small Chrysler compared to a New Yorker) proved to be a sales blowout that the company had desperately needed, and of course the problematic quality control gripes had eroded Chryslers reputation. Replacement motors are very thin on the ground. . The CHP tried some marked Camaros in 1992, and used a few 1993 and 1994 (and 2001 and 2002) Camaros for truck enforcement. It was the replacement for the Maverick which in turn was the replacement for the Falcon. A lovely book of photos and descriptions of police cars manufactured by Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler during the years 1979-1984. If these are civilian cars mocked up as CHP units, they could be any year off the lot, including 1979 models. Cars used by California Highway Patrol 1929 to present. Although it is not a police package car, have cloned it to represent the police department from the 1980s TV show "TJ Hooker"that starred William Shatner and Heather Locklear. This was 1979 and Chrysler still had dial radio with pushbutton Cadillac had digital soundsytems on all models back then. It was a 318 with a 2.45 gear and it was beyond sluggish, it struggled to move because the Lean Burn wasnt functioning properly. All this wears the cars slap out before they finally get rid of them. That is me. 1979 Dodge LRT Express. The rest of the fleet split the difference. The rear drums were resurfaced, ew shoes installed and the wheel cylinders overhauled. Even AMC, the perpetual fourth-place finisher, bowed out at the end of 1978 with no real replacement in sight. Then, there were the perpetual front end alignment problems. Undercoating must have good protection despite its limit. The Chrysler R-body cars (like their 197478 predecessors) arrived at precisely the wrong time, as a second gasoline crisis hit the U.S. in 1979. It recently passed the rigorous California biennial smog inspection, s it has done since I have owned the car. This was all new body style for 1979-81 Pure stinginess to carry that awful climate/stereo from the last body style into this one. Especially if it was known to have a lot of build quality problems on delivery. Overall the look is not bad, but it has a cheap look. Money couldnt have been an issue, Im sure it wouldnt have broken the bank to source a decent Electronic unit. Wow, what a cool find! The Diplomat has been a long staple in American history mostly recognized as police cars throughout most Gateway Classic Cars Click for Phone O Fallon, IL 62269 (644 miles away) 2 27 1984 Dodge Diplomat Of course, my perception may be influenced by the fact that my parents were having a rather disastrous experience with my moms 1978 LeBaron and I may have just tuned out Chrysler news at that time. State inspectors snipped the police lights, including the spot light, and the wiring for the hideaway headlight motor. But.this..Chrysler pioneered breakerless ignition, to convert a Chrysler product to points, thats like peeing on Walter Ps Chryslers Grave! Even then, these were unusual to see, but I remember thinking it was much nicer than I expected. Its been kept up mechanically and give me enough gas money, Id drive it coast to coast without worry. The skimpy 7 1/4 rear end wore out prematurely. 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police Roof hardware: Federal Signal AeroDynic light bar D Dech Sayyasavee 103 followers More information 1979 Dodge St.Regis Maryland State Police | Roof hardware: F | Flickr Emergency Vehicles Police Vehicles Old Police Cars Sports Car Racing State Police Police Department Fire Trucks Plymouth The first example of downsizing of the full-size Chrysler sedan line, the R-body is an evolution of the B-body intermediate chassis. In the book's survey, officers wrote that the 360 powered 1980 St. Regis was the best Mopar police car of all time. Good ones are extremely hard to come by. Takes all kinds, I guess. The car does well in 40-100+ accelerations but dead-stop launches tend to bog. 1979 Dodge Challenger (Brochure). Or not. The digital clock lights, ut does not reset. Its been one of the most reliable cars Ive had (thanks to my dads rebuild) so far and because were down a vehicle in the family fleet it got put back into daily driving service again. 1980 Dodge Power wagons (Brochure). Ten years earlier the full size Chrysler cars came out with the cockpit styling and hoods long enough to land a plane on. In the winter of 1993, I was hunting for a replacement for my ruined 67 Sport Fury and looked at a couple of Magnums, both with actual leather. Your parents experience with a 78 LeBaron mirrored mine. I wonder if anyones ever tried to fit one on. I think their sales would have been much greater. Most disastrous of all was the 1980 Dodge St. Regis supplied to the California Highway Patrol. Learn how your comment data is processed. Appearances in The Blues Brothers and the television series T.J. Hooker assured the Dodge St. Regis would remain in the public eye for many years, though few were made and they quickly disappeared from the roads. Lol. Although I was then and am still a total car nut, I dont recall these big Chryslers making any kind of a splash at the time. The Horizon had stick shift and no air conditioning, so he traded it on the LeBaron. The Caprice was Chevrolets mainstay for this period and was very popular, staying in production until 1990. with no issues. I have a line on 5 other cars. It came with a 318ci (5.2 litres) or 360ci V8 (5.9 litres) V8 mated to a three-speed automatic, and its odd, narrow grille was the result of being forced to re-use the bonnet from the Chrysler LeBaron. Its hard to say. Popular Cars for Sale. In California, the St. Regis was fitted with a 190 hp four-bbl 360 V8. Ill let the ad copy speak for itself.) The St.Regis looks like one of the worst. I recall reading in a story of the early days of CNN, Ted Turner met Lee Iacocca. That would kick in around 28-30 mph, causing a massive ping/detonation/lugging event alarming enough to make you let off the throttle. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 2022 Ram 1500; 2022 Ford F-150; . He certainly was worthy of sainthood. The Fab Forums Fox Body Project: Doing A Factory Mini Tub Build Part 3. Buy It Now +C $44.54 shipping. The A/C compressor turns on, ut it blows warm. The Impala was phased out in 1986 when the Caprice 9C1 police pack replaced it, but would come back in the future. And stick/no a-c is the setup to have on the Horizon! For mountain and bad weather areas of the state, the CHP has used vehicles such as Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Bronco, Dodge Ramcharger, Chevrolet Blazer, and AMC Eagle. My son has one sitting behind my shop that he got from an estate a couple years back. Positioned above the Coronet, but sharing the same chassis, were the Dodge Royal and Dodge Custom Royal. 1979 Dodge St. Regis Michigan State Police Find this Pin and more on police by dan gordon. Dont know if Ive previously mentioned that like others, Ive seen rather few of these going all the way back to when they first came out. Good Gravy: Ride On This GSXR600 Hill Climb Bike Running 100% Nitromethane! Its hardly perfect, but like anything else that is mechanically kept up, it has been and continues to be a faithful member of the family fleet outlasting much newer cars meant to replace it. There is no in-between. If you had a variable-venturi Crown Victoria, you could guess whether it would come off at idle speed or tear out the rear end with wide open power. Goodyear GT+4 tires were installed at 58,500 miles. 5.12 x 1.82 x 1.34 inches. 1979 brought the CHP multiple vehicle test. 360 L-code, was white with blue interior. Only owned it for 27 years, lol. Like a 47 Chevy, an 80s LTD for pizza delivery, a Chevrolet Nova from 80s for delivery too. The St Regis hangs around for over a year already, the poor kid has such a hard time selling it, even though it cant be better for a non-garaged car in North Michigan. Its not in as good of shape as this one is. I was thinking the same thing, jerseyfred like the universal power window kits you saw in JC Whitney catalogs from the 80s. I saw one up for sale on CL, I think, dont quote me, like last year, It was going for about $2500-3000, in good original condition I think it was that dove gray color, that they used in the original St. Regis ad, back in 1979 I remember, the ad slogan, Hey, thats my Dodge.. Dodge St. Regis (1979-1981) Dodge Stealth (1991-1996) Dodge Stratus 1gen (1995-2000) . They disappear underneath the headlights. Back then I saw the RCMP use 79 Newports & 80 Gran Furies in service on the prairies. This car will take . The highly boosted steering had no feel and our particular car had very little sense of straight ahead. Mr_Brown99 writes: Bad on gas. These were usually driven by police chiefs and fire chiefs. 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco Chicago IL Police photographed Aug 2007: 1973 Plymouth Fury I Delaware State Police . I can see dumping the lean burn but convert to points? 1979 Dodge Car Lineup. Besides that, thats pretty sweet ride. As with most police cars, the suspension is stiff, and you feel any bumps; there is absolutely no body roll. We were best friends in high school; hard to believe that 35 years later we are not even on speaking terms. The R-body replaced both the C-body and old B-body cars, killing two birds with one stone; unfortunately, Chrysler's dire financial situation turned worse, leading to Chrysler filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and chairman Ricardo resigning in February 1979 (he would be replaced by Lee Iaccoca, who was recently let go by Ford; Iaccoca would later For Sale: 1997 Subaru WRX P2 WRC rally car raced by Colin McRae, Video: Hoonigan releases update, tribute to celebrate the life of Ken Block, 2023 Summernats 35: Highlights and mega gallery. Maybe it will stay there longer. Saw one of these, white over white, on my drive home the other day. I have since occasionally wondered how these models would have done if they had been kept in production and the bugs worked out. My mechanical skills at the time were far from what they are now so the issue was never solved and the car remained in my possession for a couple more years. 1970-1979 Dodge car pdf sales brochures, catalogs and electronic media. While the St. Regis is of little collector value today (alongside Chrysler/Plymouth R-body counterparts), the mechanical commonality of the R platform with earlier Chrysler vehicles leads collectors to search for scrapped examples for its front disc brakes to upgrade earlier cars (such as the Dodge Dart and Plymouth Barracuda)[citation needed] With the low number built (in comparison to its Ford and Chevrolet competitors) and the high percentage destroyed in film and TV work or retired after police use, very few examples survive today. 1978 Dodge LRT Express. Twenty years later, at least two of my old compadres were still driving the old patrol units. "It sits lower to the ground, it is a car, and it is newer". The St. Regis today is an exceptionally rare sight and comes in two flavors: babied or absolutely and utterly trashed. As Chrysler needed to expedite a downsized replacement for the 1974-1977 C-body to market (in response to the 1973 oil crisis), the R-body was developed from existing underpinnings at minimal costs. shepherdsville kentucky. Menu. I think the St. Regis would have been rather like the beautiful bright red, with white vinyl top and white leather interior Mirada I got around this time, in that it would have been a comfortable highway cruiser, though not the greatest handling machine around town. lol. Im actually using some disc brake parts from a St. Regis on my 66 Dart. Shorter than the 1977 Royal Monaco by five inches, narrower by three inches, and lighter by almost half a ton, the Dodge St. Regis (and its platform mates Chrysler Newport and Plymouth Gran Fury) shouldve worked in the market. This was a new car the year I graduated from high school (and, although I didnt wear it to prom, my otherwise similar leisure suit was a lovely brown polyester double knit with contrasting stitching. The car was very comfy on long distances with its wide pillowy seats that were like a sofa. The St. Regis ended production in 1981 but was seen often thanks to TV cops including Sledge Hammer and T.J Hooker, and many were destroyed in such TV shows. Henry Ford II would only go kicking and screaming, and only after he saw the success of GMads from the later 1970s showcased the full-size girth of cars like the LTD II, Thunderbird and LTD. Those plastic piston brake cylinders were a nightmare until fleet figured that out (swelled up and stuck). The California Highway Patrol tested the St. Regis: * After two miles I bought it in Pa. and drove back to Mi. Of course I later learned that the Monacos performed far better than the St. Regis. Based on the photo and the ad copy, Id say that young man is CC material. The pin that held the shift lever departed, causing it come off in my dads hand. I am the second owner of this 1979 Dodge St. Regis. In the future Ill be equipping it with period correct equipment as a Chiefs Car. Usually its an easy fix for radio shops, and pulling it off isnt that hard. Dad bought a 1985 Audi 5000 demonstrator in late 1985 to replace the beloved Buick and that thing made the LeBaron look good. 1975-1979 Chevrolet Nova 9C1 . In contrast to the clean-sheet Ford and GM designs, the dire financial situation of Chrysler relegated the company to retool an existing chassis. Andrew has a passion for worldwide cars of many types including classic muscle cars and sports coupes, big luxury barges and production sedans. All windows roll up and down with the hand cranks. Pursuit Police Vehicle (2012-2014) Cars belonging to Dodge Charger 7th-gen. 0. My original seats are in storage while Im actually driving around in bucket seats salvaged from a 1985 Dodge Omni that had low back buckets with adjustable headrests.
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