For some reason my first thought when seeing this was “shrunken Century/Regal wagon”. RWD A-body Century, not the later FWD ones. I think it’s the two-tone and the hubcaps that somehow conspired to create that mental association.
Interestingly done, by the way. If they just wanted to suggest dinoc, one would think they would have left the rocker panels white and just painted the center section brown. Maybe there was also rust repair done? Interesting hubcaps too, that look more VW than Dodge to me.
It is. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to which model year it is from?
Front clip and inner front door panel are from later post-facelift cars. But two-color paint was only offered from the factory the first year or two and was never popular. Neither bumper is original or is missing trim caps. Rear tailight lens identifies this as a Plymouth Reliant or Chrysler LeBaron, not a Dodge which used three-section lenses on the Aire, 400, and 600. Of course, all of these are easily interchanged. The most interesting year marker for me is the 1981-only rear door treatment with fixed large windows that can’t roll down. From 1982 onward, the main section of the glass was made smaller and the (no longer openable) vent window larger to allow the window to roll down further without the wheel cutout protruding into the area the glass needs to roll down into. Compare the proportions of the two pieces of 1981 rear door glass from the car in this feature to the post-1981 car in the attached photo – the fixed section is twice the size in the newer cars. But as with so much else on K-cars, the old and new doors are interchangable so they’re not a sure indicator for model year.
At least from the side view it looks like a clever and austere treatment for a vehicle that the owner either had kicking around, good-running but appearance-challenged, or which he acquired in that condition for nothing. Even the mirror treatment “mirrors” the front bumper rub strip. How about THAT…though that may have been to use up material already paid for. Nothing wasted…
I do notice the speed shop decals on the rear side window. Humor…or can you really do such things to a 2.2L Chrysler Four?
I can’t tell from the photo, is this contact paper or brown paint? If the latter, I suppose it’s easier than trying to match the paint, but that would have been a better result.
Wow what a wagon paint it light and it looks like the grisworlds wagon.
I like it! It’s old, what the hell. Paint it however you like.
For some reason my first thought when seeing this was “shrunken Century/Regal wagon”. RWD A-body Century, not the later FWD ones. I think it’s the two-tone and the hubcaps that somehow conspired to create that mental association.
Interestingly done, by the way. If they just wanted to suggest dinoc, one would think they would have left the rocker panels white and just painted the center section brown. Maybe there was also rust repair done? Interesting hubcaps too, that look more VW than Dodge to me.
I think the wood grain WAS the rust repair!
Lol
What’s going on with the rear bumper? It doesn’t look right.
I’m guessing it fell off such as the front is getting ready to do..
I like the mirror treatment myself, this looks like quite a cobbled together item.
It is. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to which model year it is from?
Front clip and inner front door panel are from later post-facelift cars. But two-color paint was only offered from the factory the first year or two and was never popular. Neither bumper is original or is missing trim caps. Rear tailight lens identifies this as a Plymouth Reliant or Chrysler LeBaron, not a Dodge which used three-section lenses on the Aire, 400, and 600. Of course, all of these are easily interchanged. The most interesting year marker for me is the 1981-only rear door treatment with fixed large windows that can’t roll down. From 1982 onward, the main section of the glass was made smaller and the (no longer openable) vent window larger to allow the window to roll down further without the wheel cutout protruding into the area the glass needs to roll down into. Compare the proportions of the two pieces of 1981 rear door glass from the car in this feature to the post-1981 car in the attached photo – the fixed section is twice the size in the newer cars. But as with so much else on K-cars, the old and new doors are interchangable so they’re not a sure indicator for model year.
(I know way too much about K=cars….)
At least from the side view it looks like a clever and austere treatment for a vehicle that the owner either had kicking around, good-running but appearance-challenged, or which he acquired in that condition for nothing. Even the mirror treatment “mirrors” the front bumper rub strip. How about THAT…though that may have been to use up material already paid for. Nothing wasted…
I do notice the speed shop decals on the rear side window. Humor…or can you really do such things to a 2.2L Chrysler Four?
You might want to Google 10 second minivan.
I actually prefer this treatment to the original wood.
I’ve’seen this treatment on other ex-woody wagons. I like it.
Seeing a K-car wagon is very rare these days. Seeing a woodie example even more so.
double negative — an actual woody !
Are the hubcaps baby moons screwed to the stock wheel cover?
By the stickers in the window this must be the work of a genuine car person, with somewhat limited options and finances.
A for effort. In this case I won’t grade on results.
Whoa. Good catch.
I can’t tell from the photo, is this contact paper or brown paint? If the latter, I suppose it’s easier than trying to match the paint, but that would have been a better result.
To me, fiberglass/vinyl ‘wood’ = Fail
I have to congratulate the photographer for the excellent framing and composition of that picture! Best Buy, indeed.