So today I purchased a 1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue to scratch my Mopar itch and to give me something to drive while I get my vans sorted.

The bad first- It has a 318 and it has the Chrysler Computer Controlled Fuel System. Worst of all, and the reason I got it for $800, was that a previous owner had back the car up with the driver's door open and the dor got jammed forward. The door folded like an accordian and the front fender got tweeked too. So I need to track down and have painted a front left fender and a driver's door, and I need to have the pinstriping redone on the fender and door. The driver's door is hard to close and doesn't get anywher near to a watertight seal, but I will be getting that straightened shortly, hopefully.

Now the good:

88,800 original miles. Black with a dark red leather interior. Every single option available in 84- including the sunroof and the factory rear amp. The fabric on the sunroof cover has come off, but that is an easy fix. The car is dirty, but very solid and everything works. The car basically needs the fender and driver's door, and a really good cleaning and tune up. THe long shag-like interior carpet is in good shape and it even has the original floor mats. Again, everything needs a good deep clean, but it is still in good nick.

Long term plans include swapping it to a slant six with a wide ratio 904 to help with the acceleration. Short term plans include dumping the lean-burn ignition and carb for an HEI system and a Holley 4360 carb sitting atop an old Edelbrock SP2P intake. That should wake the car up nicely and help improve the poor gas mileage.

Pics will follow shortly. I am swamped this week and next, but by the end of next week I should be able to start clenaing it up and making it purr like a Chrysler should.

Its hard to get a good photo of a black car at dusk:





I really wish the tires had been mounted whitewalls out.


I already found a junkyard with a fender and door off of a blue 87 5th ave, so I just need to get some red pinstriping and some black paint in the factory color code.


The rear seats look like they have never been used!



Front seats have been used, but really are still rather soft and mostly just need to be cleaned.



You can fit five bodies in there!



I found some of the original sales documents in the glove box: shipping weight = 3660. Original sales price = $15, 354.00 The car even came with a mail in complaint form! Bad days for Chrysler indeed...

Hmmmm. I can see some slotted mags with tri-bar spinner center caps might be somewhere in the future.

Sweet,if it ever stops snowing over here I know just where its future slant power plant is Dang that back seat looks like a good place for a nap If you had a friendly bodyshop that looks fixable Reed,nice find

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83 B-150 slant 6,4 speed. 79 B-300 360 pathfinder 4x4. 74 W-300 318 4x4 git-r-done 80 B-100 sl6,4speed

Thanks! I think I am just going to get a fender and door off of a junked fifth ave and paint them black myself. Then I can install them and be good to go. The pillar itself didn't get damaged, which is good. It was just the shell of the door that crumpled.

Yeah, that hydro motor out in your shed will someday have a new home.

I gotta tell ya, lean burn SUCKS! This car will either accelerate nice and strong, or just sit there and do nothing but ping. Usually it just sits and pings. When it decides not to accelerate, it sounds like someone is playing castanets under the dash. I figure an HEI ignition with a four barrel carb should remedy those problems. I got a distributor out of an 86 Ramcharger with standard ignition so the advance curve should be pretty close.

Two words: Cop Rims, dog dish caps, beauty rings...(wait, how do I know that).

Hey, that's seven words! But yeah, that would look killer too.

OK. I gotta get the car IM'd (emissions check-ed) before I can transfer title. Last year the car needs to pass emissions.

Should I try and get the lean-burn system running acceptable or should I go whole hog and upgrade to HEI and a four barrel carb? The lean burn shudders, shakes, usually doesn't accelerate, and pings like crazy. It looks like the motor is about 95% original, so the sensors are probably the original Mopar parts. The factory service manual is in the mail, but I also have a Hayne's manual that covers component and SCC testing. I could also swap to HEI and put a slant six BBD on.

So, what do you think? Fix the lean burn? Swap to BBD? Or, swap to four barrel?

Also, I confirmed the car has the 7 1/4 rear axle with 2.2 gears! Yay! Probably the most undesireable rear axle ever put in a rear wheel drive Mopar! But it sounds good so I am going to leave it alone. The more I get into this car, the more it seems like the original owner bought it, rarely drove it, and then nobody did any maintenance on it. The engine is really very clean and the original parts number stickers are still on most of the stuff under the hood.

I'd see if it passes emissions as-is. If not I'd try the HEI and BBD. You can sneak that in there so it's nearly invisible.

2.2 gears! Man, that thing would accelerate so much better with even 2.76s, but with the tall tires I'm thinking 2.93.

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Joshua

Yeah. My short term goal is getting the motor running good and tuning and building it for max torque. That is why I got an old Edelbrock SP2P intake and I am want to try running a spreadbore Holley 4360 carb. Torque ios my friend on this vehicle.

When the time comes to install the slant I am going to get a wide ratio tranny and possibly change the rear gears or rear axle.

Thanks for the advice! I'll see if it passes before I do anything else. Once it passes, the cats are gone, the lena burn is gone, and the fun begins.

I could see ralleys working on that thing...
U wanta trade drivetrains? I gata running/driving super sixed slant and trans ready to go...

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'74 Duster 225 Super Six w/904
14" Cragar SS wheels

Thanks for the offer, but shipping would kill the deal. I have a motor lined up, and I can piece together the rest of the necessary bits over time.

Whew! Junkyarding in the winter SUCKS!

EricW was a HUGE help and came over today and helped me get a new fender and door from a junkyard. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I couldn't have gotten this work done without Eric's help. The bad part was that while we were at the junkyard we got absolutely SOAKED with rain and SNOW while working in the boneyard. I couldn't see because my glasses first got water all over them and then fogged up. I put them in my pocket and was almost blind. It didn't really matter since it got so dark I couldn't really see anything under the fender anyway...

But for $50 I got the fender and door I need, so now I need to get the painting supplies and strip the other fender and door down. Again, THANKS ERIC! You really helped me out today.

I am waiting for my factory shop manual to arrive so I know what kind of paint supplies I need to get to repaint the door and fender.

Nice Reed!

My cousin had one of those when they were new. Really comfortable car to drive. I always loved working on it for him.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

how tough was the inner fender??? I had an 87 white on tan. I was able to find the fender and door in the PAP. THE SAME ONES YOU NEED lol. I left the inner fender off because it was a PIA, I was 17, no patience, and I only paid 175 for the car . The 318 seized in L.A.X, and thats where the story ends. G ood Luck

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put your seatbelt on. Ima try sumthin

Proud NEW owner of a rusted project 1967 Plymouth Valiant with a 170 slant six