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. Of course we cant forget visual proof of why the St. Regis population dwindled rapidly in the Eighties.. I don't know if it runs or not, it looks all complete, has the . For that matter, both the Chevy and Ford both got more development money than the Dodge and got it sooner. on average and handled pretty well. New Land Rover Defen, New 911 GTS, with 7spd manual mtm352: I was a career Trooper, and one of my favorites all around was my unmarked 1980 St. Regis. New emissions controls, not yet countered by technology. 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. I made an error, but hey. 1978 Dodge Van Color Chart . The St.Regis looks like one of the worst. with no issues. 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 Lol. I bought an estate out over the summer, this car was part of the deal, so I'll tell you all I know about the car. Chrome housing, clear lens. ACCOUNT. 1979. Dodge would not market a rear-wheel drive sedan until the 2006 Dodge Charger. The Chevrolet Malibu was a mid-size model which replaced the ever-popular Nova. Perhaps push bumpers and prisoner partion screen (great for grandchildren or wife). dimanche 15 novembre 1981, Journaux, Chicoutimi :[diteur non identifi],1964-2017 I only had the car at 135 once. But most of them had style. Plastic over part of the chrome bumpers, body panels that do not line up right, rust on the body, wrinkles in the vinyl top, missing trim, broken interior door handles, the door panels and dash look very cheaply made, things dont line up, the dash design looks like a patchwork off pieces from different jigsaw puzzles. The retracting headlight covers were a nuisance, too. The leather wouldnt have held up that well. The CHP also maintains a SWAT team on 24hour standby to respond to any terrorist activity. Even then, these were unusual to see, but I remember thinking it was much nicer than I expected. I have a 1979 Chrysler Newport, 318 LA small block 2bbl, TF A 904, AC, PS, PB, AM FM, cruise control (works well), base interior. The automatic transmission has been serviced and a third row has been added to the radiator. In the future Ill be equipping it with period correct equipment as a Chiefs Car. 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. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Runway Classic Video: The Mighty Convair 880 Takes Off Again, http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/12/chrysler-bank-on-it/, http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/R-bodies.html. There are only handful of St Regis around, and fewer of them is in heavily salted Michigan. Seems really tacky. I dont know if they could have made a more low-rent industrial looking unit if theyd tried. Popular Cars for Sale. 1979 Chrysler Newport & Dodge St Regis Police Cars Press Photo & Release 0081 Opens in a new window or tab. They could hit one hundred five mph. The digital clock lights, ut does not reset. The Impala was found to rival other models well with good performance, decent interior trim and a large boot. In addition to its highway patrol duties, the CHP also provides other services including protecting state buildings, state facilities, and state officials. Wow, I dont think Ive ever seen a St. Regis that nice. I ran the power wire from the later harness over to the original factory power wire. hampered performance as did the loss of the 360 four-barrel after their first year; in 1980 and 1981, they used a 318 four-barrel. CHP Police Car Site. Its hard to say. At the end of the 1970s, the Big Three were all moving towards smaller, lighter machines. We live in South Carolina, so rust is not really an issue. Do you remember who you sold the car to? Looking at that last photo, he wore what appears to be a denim-like leisure suit to prom. You would think the full-sized cars would offer leather. It had a 360 four-barrel and that good old never-breaking 727 Torqueflite transmission. A gorgeous 1979 Illinois State Police Dodge St. Regis I made from Taigo's car on NFS Addons. I know the seats werent leather too. Call 916-661-8753 with any questions. Police officers also gave it better ergonomic ratings. Learn more before you buy, or discover other cool products in Vehicles. 1979 Dodge St Regis Police TJ Hooker R Body 1979 60,100 Automatic Davis, California, United States View 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) NO RESV 1979 V8 (360 CI) 52,000 Automatic Broad Brook, Connecticut, United States View 1979 Dodge Magnum XE ALL ORIGINAL (Cordoba, St. Regis, 1978 Dodge Magnum GT) 52K I have been showing the car for a few years and it has won some awards at car shows. The 1981 318 was a decent police vehicle. Even after it warmed up it would sputter and bog down on tip-in from idle. Wow, we really do have some things in common, although I think your LeBaron experience was even worse than ours. I still cant get past the way Dodge partially wrapped chrome bumpers with plastic, leaving exposed plastic edges. The leather interior door handles need to be re-attached. 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 popular Dodge Diplomat was based on Chryslers mid-size M-body platform from 1977. Options $0. Thats an operator error on my behalf Haha. 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.. Ottawa :[Le droit],1913-jeudi 15 octobre 1981, Journaux, Ottawa :[Le droit],1913- Shop millions of cars from over 22,500 dealers and find the perfect car. The Diplomat was a much better car, quality wise. Powered by a 318-cubic inch V8, that car was so slow that the agency feared it stood no chance of keeping up with the old muscle cars still on the highways. A second oil crisis hit in 1979, and while Chrysler's new front-drive Omnirizons sold strongly, the company was sinking around them. 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. Volare Wagons, and Chevy Camaro Z28s on the road for an 18 month test. In place of redesigning the full-size C-body, Chrysler developed the R-body as an update of the intermediate B-body (last released in 1971, dating to 1962). This car brings back a lot of bad memories for me, sadly. It could work. Takes me back to my days in uniform. Even a highly reputable repair shop in my city could not rectify the problem. The St. Regis trademark. My dad eased one in 1978 and it was junk with a capital J. The car was so gutless that they removed the mufflers and ran straight pipes out past the bumper. I did test drive a used one sometime in the mid-1980s. Some of the last police cars I had were the 1981 R bodies with the 318 four barrel. The skimpy 7 1/4 rear end wore out prematurely. This is a HEAVILY OPTIONED CAR with Power Seat, Power Window, A/C, P/S, AM/FM radio, Tilt Steering Column, Cornering Lights, Cruise Control. A quick trip to the junkyard and he had everything he needed to convert it to electronic ignition. The car was almost impossible to drive at 30 mph unless you dropped the transmission into second and held it until you got to 35 or so. Usually its an easy fix for radio shops, and pulling it off isnt that hard. its not close to stock and would make a cool ride if your OK with 4 doors. All this wears the cars slap out before they finally get rid of them. My favorite kind of Craigslist car ad: by someone who knows what the heck hes writing about. It came with a 4.9-litre V8 and a larger 5.8-litre unit (restricted for police use only), with electronic fuel injection later arriving for the 4.9while a carburetted 5.8was still fitted through to 1991. The name Ford Fairmont was a long-running nameplate in Australia, but in North America it was produced only from 1977 to 1983. In California, the St. Regis was fitted with a 190 hp four-bbl 360 V8. Following its introduction, the Dodge St. Regis saw heavy use as a police car in the United States. Hope it goes to an owner who keeps it up and keeps it original! A/C, Cruise, PWR seat, windows, Special handling package, 3 tag car. I used to see these on police shows on tv when I was a boy. We had chunks of the black painted stripes just fall off the car. $9,495. 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 owner's manuals. Just seemed like a neat feature to my younger self. Sweet looking car. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Even so, the original unit in the St Regis has FM radio that I really hope for ( AM only in North Michigan doesnt return many channels ). If you were feeling spacey, you could have sprung for this. the GSP not only puts over 100,000 miles on their cars but they also bounce them across medium strips and accelerate as fast as they can to speeds well over 100 MPH. I bet that car is rare with leather interior. Nor have I tried. Back then I saw the RCMP use 79 Newports & 80 Gran Furies in service on the prairies. I fixed it then and 20 years later it needs it again. By comparison, the downsizing of the GM A, B, and C-bodies in the preceding years were seismic events and the Volare/Aspen and LTD downsizing debuts were also rather big deals. Since I worked in the Chicago area, I needed both acceleration and top speed. Weve made a few changes to it over the years to make it more comfortable and fun to drive. I dont know of any St. Regis having leather seats. Buy It Now +C $44.54 shipping. But word did get out that the officers positively loathed these things! 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. 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. I did this to my St. Regis and ran a early 1990s AM/FM cassette and it blended right in. 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. In contrast to both the Monaco and the Diplomat, the St. Regis was offered solely as a four-door sedan. My dad put a factory rear anti sway bar on it, I replaced the rims with factory 7inch and cop sized tires instead of the smaller tires my dad had on it. 1978 Dodge Challenger. A person could probably write a whole book on it. Dodge, Plymouth, and Chrysler Police Cars 1979-1994 notes that the 360 powered St. Regis, Newport, and Gran Fury were the fastest and best performing police cars of the era. I got a replacement motor last year and Im happy to see those doors working again. Worked great for a long time until the display died. I can see dumping the lean burn but convert to points? If you have something to share let us know. 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. The interior of the St. Regis got beat up pretty easily and the frameless door glass got kind of loose but I dont remember having the glass fall out. #stunning #suv #astonmartindbx707 @astonma, RAM! I used to own a 79 St. Regis back in the late 80s. Why? Goodyear GT+4 tires were installed at 58,500 miles. Coinciding with the 1979 fuel crisis, high interest rates and the uncertain future of the company forced Chrysler into a high proportion of fleet sales for its full-size sedans. 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. . The risks you take when buying a used fleet vehicle. Historic Drag Video: Ultra-Rare Footage Of Art Arfons Green Monster And The Dud Jet Dragster, Great Read: The Man Who Would Be Greyhound: A 1986 Sports Illustrated Profile Of Big Daddy Don Garlits. Then, there were the perpetual front end alignment problems. The seats were a direct bolt on to the St. Regis seat tracks and even the headrests swapped over to the seats. Havent seen one in many, many years though. It really needs at least a 4 bbl, mild cam, headers, and a 2.5 inch duals. Copyright 2023 BangShift LLC. Got 340 engine with MP heads with the big valves, steel crank, KB 10.25 hyper pistons. Your parents experience with a 78 LeBaron mirrored mine. The featured car is in better shape cosmetically than mine and if I had room for it would be all over it, but since my car has been in the family for 30 years will put in the sweat equity it would take to get it back to where we had it looking years ago. Brakes coming totally unset from the factory! The pin that held the shift lever departed, causing it come off in my dads hand. It has a clear California title and is being sold as-is with no warranty. Those St. Regis very rarely, come up for sale, if ever. The Dodge St. Regis is a full-size Dodge automobile built from 1979 to 1981. 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. But you know, a funny thing happened. I liked the compact size but they were tight on space inside. (Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility). Volare has feather like steering also makes it less comfortable to drive on interstate at 70, but its still possible. gasoline (petrol) engine with displacement: 3682 cm3 / 224.7 cui, advertised power: 82 kW / 110 hp / 112 PS ( SAE net ), torque: 244 Nm / 180 lb-ft, more data: 1979 Dodge St. Regis 225-2 TorqueFlite (aut. While closer in exterior size to the Diplomat, the Intrepid nearly matches the St. Regis in interior room. It's this last engine, the E86-coded 440, that was specified for Barry's Fury, along with a 2.71 rear gear, when it was ordered by the Kansas Highway Patrol. Original MSRP $6,847. (ABC Comedic, sarcastic Version of Miami Vice in the same time period). T.J. Hooker s vehicle of choice after season 2. For 1982, the model line was discontinued, with the Dodge Diplomat serving as the largest Dodge; the next full-size Dodge sedan was the 1990 Dodge Monaco (derived from the Eagle Premier, itself a version of the Renault 25). Ive only seen them on the road as they drive by or Ive followed one on I-5 or I-405 freeway. I made the mistake of buying one of these that was used by the Georgia State Patrol for six years. Have you ever wondered what all those boxy American police sedans were from the 1980s in American movies and television shows? 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. 2018 Ford Escape SEL. CLICK the Im really not feeling the love for this car. Never buy a used cop car. Even nicer if you want to stay with a factory radio is to salvage the radio wiring harness from a later 80s-2000 era Mopar, retrofit it to the St. Regis and use one of the AM-FM cassette/CD players and it still looks good and it just bolts right in. The ability to accelerate to 80-100 mph quickly makes all the difference, and the 1981 318 equipped Gran Fury did that. The CHP gradually assumed increased responsibility beyond the enforcement of the State Vehicle Act and eventually merged with the smaller California State Police in 1995. Ill let the ad copy speak for itself.) He certainly was worthy of sainthood. The police car version of the Belvedere sedan was a . But.this..Chrysler pioneered breakerless ignition, to convert a Chrysler product to points, thats like peeing on Walter Ps Chryslers Grave! It was in a church parking lot and I took the picture through the fence from the next door Sports Authority. The rear tires are 80% Winter tires. Good Gravy: Ride On This GSXR600 Hill Climb Bike Running 100% Nitromethane! 1980 Dodge St Regis police car. Generally, it did all these things after lurching just far enough into traffic that people would be bearing down on you. They disappear underneath the headlights. The headlight doors have been manually cranked open. The R represented the best all-around balance as far as speed, power, braking and cornering were concerned. Model T Manual 1924 Chevrolet owner's manual (Canada) 1934 Studebaker Dictator Owner's Manual . Hell, there was probably a time when a little junkyard combing could have gotten you all the spare ballast resistors & stuff you would need for life. I was always impressed with the ride quality and handling, even with the police suspension and police pack components. A Number of Police Departments weren't happy with the Dodge St. Regis Police Car. It took years to find another working headlight door motor. Last, but not least, the 1980-83 Dodge Mirada/Chrysler Cordoba. 1979 Dodge St.Regis Minnesota State Patrol Car Minnesota State Patrol 50th Anniversary car Website for MN State Patrol cars: home.comcast.net/~sgtsletten/site/?/page/MSP_Cars_1981-1990/ Thousands of car pictures at the link below: www.flickr.com/photos/greggjerdingen/collections/72157631. Ours were disabled early in their sad lives. Click below to find your next car. It was probably easier to do this in my car because it was originally a single speaker AM radio and I ran the speaker wiring from the back and put in some front speakers in the factory holes and hooked everything up to the later harness. Like a lot of old Chrysler products they were driven for years and then simply became scrap. It ran OK, nothing obviously wrong with it, but I realized I liked the looks of it more than I liked driving it. This car runs and drive's beautifully and needs nothing to enjoy. He couldnt believe when he bought the car that someone put points in it. But my dad, who passed away in 2007, actively avoided Chrysler products for the rest of his life. GM actually did move to smaller, lighter machines, starting with the full-size cars and moving downwards from there. For much of the show's run, Shatner drove an equally forgettable . The rims are all Chrysler snowflake rims, but the back two are from a 79 Lebaron and the front ones are for this car specifically. My job as a little kid was to jump out and Fix the headlights as my grandpa would say, the covers would always jam. After the lease went up, he ended up buying it and driving it for 2 more years before buying an 82 Audi 5000, itself a whole nother story. 1978 Dodge Trucks. 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. Full review an, Cool sound No leather seats in the St.Regis, just vinyl.. But, my aunt drove her late-1980s Omni for 289,000 miles and would have bought another one if they had still been in production. 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. 1968 Chevrolet Biscayne Chicago Police Car, California Highway Patrol 1973 Dodge Polara, Italys Carabinieri 505HP Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, 1966 Ford Country Sedan Wagon Fire Chief Car, Ford Police Interceptor Utility (Explorer). The biggest engine available was the Chevrolet 5.0-litre V8 and it was produced until 1983. Its so fortunate the car is equipped with FM too ( I bought a parts radio from ebay for my volare as I cant stand the AM radio in remote north Michigan countryside ) and more than one speaker is a big plus on St Regis. 1980's. It would be the last full-size Plymouth model ever built. Dimensions: 13 x 4.61 x 3.41 cm. He never even got it on the road, as he didnt even had a drivers license yet! I was rewarded with a 1980 Aspen. It has neither. 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. Tyler purchased an ex-Illinois state police 1980 St. Regis with a 360 with a limited slip rear-end. The car does well in 40-100+ accelerations but dead-stop launches tend to bog. Yes, its really confusing to think why there is a transparent headlight cover. This car will take . 0. 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). 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. They should change the breather sticker to Lean Burn of Death. Offered only as a four-door notchback sedan, the St. Regis was styled with frameless door glass (the rear quarter glass was fixed). My engine met its demise when all the teeth sheared off the plastic cam sprocket. Something had to be done, and for 1978, something was done. It was 5 degrees outside or I would have followed it and photographed it when it came to rest. The first example of downsizing of the full-size Chrysler sedan line, the R-body is an evolution of the B-body intermediate chassis. 1979 Dodge Ram Charger. A lovely book of photos and descriptions of police cars manufactured by Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler during the years 1979-1984. Curtis Redgap: The R bodies weren't that bad! Wow only am fm and no cassette no 8 track player and one station working. That car is long gone and sold away, but I originally coveted a St. Regis because my favorite show at the time was Sledge Hammer. ( but I dont think many people thought of searching for St Regis in cars anyway ) and I regret for not saving the photos one year ago, but it popped up again few days earlier. It wasn't an MSP car originally, but it is a real police spec machine, originally hailing from Virginia. But, I digress.) 136,000. Coinciding with its usage in law enforcement, the St. Regis appeared on multiple 1980s police-based television series, including Sledge Hammer!, "The A-Team" and T.J. Hooker. 1980 Dodge Aspen (Canadian brochure). In contrast to the clean-sheet Ford and GM designs, the dire financial situation of Chrysler relegated the company to retool an existing chassis. Undercoating must have good protection despite its limit. Used by a wide variety of Chrysler model lines, the B-body architecture underpinned model lines ranging from the Dodge Coronet and Plymouth Belvedere to the Dodge Charger and Chrysler Cordoba. It went back to the dealer numerous times for things I cant even remember. 360 4 Barrel 999 trans. Out of all the things you listed, Ive only experienced the mirror falling off the windshield, the hard plastic panel that went over the defroster and radio speakers cracking but only after the car well past 30 years old.

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