Bought me a new Mopar

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MB43

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Bought me a new car this afternoon.

1989 Chrysler LeBaron GTC convertible

Turbo 4 cylinder (new Turbo unit)
Leather interior
All power
New tires

It needs paint - it's got that late 80's oxidation thing going on.

It needs a muffler, too.

But it's only $600.

W00t! I got me a new station car!
 
LOL!

I need it to get to work, I'm not gonna hot-rod it just yet.

Maybe after the gas prices come down and I don't need a high MPG car anymore. ;-)
 
Believe it or not, this is the first convertible I've owned.
 
'89 Lebaron's were good, reliable cars, had 2 of them 1 was a turbo
conv. and once I replaced the turbo ...that's how I bought it....
it ran like a top. I sold to a college gal that drove it back and forth
300 miles each way for 4 years. The other was a theft recovery
with 22,000 miles. Some of those super cold winters in Chicago, it
always started and never skipped a beat.
Great price for what you paid. I have seen a few out here in
San Diego, for between 2 and 3 grand. Some in pretty good shape
but others for the scrapper. The ones I had were Midwest cars.
 
Do you recall what kind of gas mileage you got from them?
 
The turbo conv. was about a mile or 2 less than the natural aspirated
one, not bad keep your foot out of it. My mileage was between 21 and
25mpg. and that was pretty much stop and go city driving, and grid
lock highway driving. Both cars were automatic, I don't think
a manual was offered. A manual in the Turbo conv... that would be fun.
 
orangedust said:
The turbo conv. was about a mile or 2 less than the natural aspirated
one, not bad keep your foot out of it. My mileage was between 21 and
25mpg. and that was pretty much stop and go city driving, and grid
lock highway driving. Both cars were automatic, I don't think
a manual was offered. A manual in the Turbo conv... that would be fun.
Click to expand...

Keep my foot out of it? Are you kidding?

21 to 25 is better than the 12-14 I'm getting now, I can live with that. ;-)
 
mikelbeck said:
LOL!

I need it to get to work, I'm not gonna hot-rod it just yet.

Maybe after the gas prices come down and I don't need a high MPG car anymore. ;-)
Click to expand...


When gas prices come down. :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
my 87 lebaron coupe 2.2l TURBO auto ran about 35 freeway and roughly 25 in town but if i got into it i was down to 7mgp.... but i had the boost up too... bout 12#s or so... i miss that car.. but i needed a truck so......
 
That's about what I've been getting. 33-35 on the highway, the computer in the car says the average is 26.1. Not bad...

But it's got some issues.

1. The odomoter doesn't work. The speedo does, though, which I found kind of strange.
2. The top goes down but not up. I pulled the top motor out, topped off the fluid and put it back in. It does the same thing, though. I wasn't able to trace the lines from the top motor, where do they go? I'm assuming there's a piston or something that moves the top, maybe that's leaking or broken? Any idea where it is?

I put a new muffler on it and had it inspected yesterday - it passed with flying colors. :wav:
 
i had a sundance that the speedometer worked but not the trip/odometer. also 2.2, but not a turbo. it was soooo slow (when i pulled the head off, i see that it was because of insanely large deposits on the intake valves).
and a manual may not have been offered in that particular car, but they do make a tranny that will fit :)
 
mikelbeck said:
2. The top goes down but not up. I pulled the top motor out, topped off the fluid and put it back in. It does the same thing, though. I wasn't able to trace the lines from the top motor, where do they go? I'm assuming there's a piston or something that moves the top, maybe that's leaking or broken? Any idea where it is?

Mikel
The top pistons are behind the rear side panels. I assume you hear the pump running when you are trying to get it to go up? If so just make sure it is actually pumping the fluid to the cylinders.

Also with this car make sure you keep an eye on the door hinges. They tend to break away from the door, just take a look at almost all of them in the junkyard. I guess the door is too heavy and the metal too thin where they are welded on. The good news is if you catch it before it messes up the fender it can be rewelded without taking anything apart.
Click to expand...
 
toplscuda said:
Mikel
The top pistons are behind the rear side panels. I assume you hear the pump running when you are trying to get it to go up? If so just make sure it is actually pumping the fluid to the cylinders.

Also with this car make sure you keep an eye on the door hinges. They tend to break away from the door, just take a look at almost all of them in the junkyard. I guess the door is too heavy and the metal too thin where they are welded on. The good news is if you catch it before it messes up the fender it can be rewelded without taking anything apart.
Click to expand...

The rear side panels in the back seat?

Yes, I hear the motor running. If I pull the top about halfway up, so it's kind of hanging over the seats and then hit the button it'll put the top the rest of the way down. It's just getting it up out of the recess where it sits when it's down that's the problem.

I'll check on the hinges, too.

GotDart - I thought I posted pics, but I guess that was another board. Sorry. ;-)

Here ya go!

p1128125327558.jpg


p1128125326879.jpg


p1128125326814.jpg
 
Looks pretty good for $600. You may be able to get away with just wet sanding and a new layer of clearcoat. So how is the interior?
 
GotDart said:
Looks pretty good for $600. You may be able to get away with just wet sanding and a new layer of clearcoat. So how is the interior?
Click to expand...

The interior is perfect... It's all leather, no rips or tears, nothing worn.
 
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