ghostymosty

OK, searched the later trunk lid and you may be missing the hole for the strut rod to mount to the lid.

The very early 89 model trunk lids have a very different trunk lid hydraulic rod system that actually mounts to the floor area of the trunk and has a second rod on each side. I've never really paid attention to how those hydraulic rods (struts) mount to the lid itself. Searched for a photo and looks like the lid isn't different, probably just a bracket that goes inside the trunk lid for the hinge bolts to go into.

I think the blue interior looks great on this wagon, grey is an interior color that is on my NO list along with green, too depressing. The rust on the fenders is a non-issue as patch panels can be fabricated for that area quite easily by an experienced person. Deal killer for me is the no a/c with a black roof here in SoCal, be like cooking myself in the oven, and I think the asking price is a little optimistic for the condition with the undesirable (to me mods that have been done.

Those rear marker may have been grounding through the front lights, I would check the grounds for the rear lights and make sure they are clean and tight.

Been waiting for someone else to ask 'where is it' so I wouldn't have to. Probably too far from me to consider but you never know if the seller doesn't say.

I never look at buying and restoring someone else's parts car. There is a reason they bought a whole car to get a few parts.

The only problem I see with the SDC is that you must be a member to see what's for sale. I wouldn't want to join unless I already had a Studebaker. My grandfather was a Studebaker man for decades until he couldn't buy a new one anymore. His favorite was a 53 or 54 2dr hardtop, he loved the clean lines and the yellow color of the one he had bought new. The dealer had stuck a hood ornament on it before delivery as a 'bonus' and had to remove it before he would take the car. I never saw that car in person by the time I came around but I've seen photos and it really was a great looking car.

You can usually find the 'gone' cars listed on different sites, still for sale in the same locale. Sometimes they actually sell and the new owner comes onboard this site or the facebook site. You really need to track ALL sites you can find to get a true story. The problem with these sites used to track sales is that the 'value listings' use the asking price as a real sale price and skew the numbers for other people trying to sell their cars. I wouldn't be able to remember all the TC's I've seen taken off a site and relisted somewhere else. Or the number of TC's on ebay listed as sold that show up with the same photos and info 3 months later on ebay after the old listing is removed from the sites history. Sellers don't want the average car buyer thinking that the car has been for sale for a long time. Now ebay has even started removing a listing from my 'watch list' after it expires.

OK, but sold for how much? Is the actual selling price available anywhere?

Would not have been a TC, built in Italy with some components shipped from U.S. (two separate, close locations if I remember correctly) and shipped completed by boat to the U.S. The Cadillac Allante was partially assembled in U.S. then shipped to Italy and finally shipped by plane back to the U.S.

I am pretty sure that using insurance for this repair job will result in a salvage title, reducing the value by a very significant amount. If not using insurance the worst value killer will be a reported accident with major damage on a carfax, etc report. You need to check the strut towers for any shifting which would indicate frame bending.

Dash is Plymouth, that is what got put into Canadian Dodge Polara and Monaco models and this is definitely Canadian since Monaco convertibles were not available in the U.S. when new.

The head restraints were a January 1969 mandate. The earlier cars didn't need to have them but they were optional if you wanted to order them. The build sheet, if it can be found, would answer many questions and enhance the car in buyer's minds. Good places to check for a build sheet are in the bucket seat back springs behind the outer covers, in the springs of the seat cushions or behind the glovebox insert. The upholstery pattern could be checked for availability by researching sales brochures. Just looking at the closeups of the body lines shows nice, even creases, a very good indicator of a solid body on this one that could be verified by an in person inspection. A photo of the way the trailer hitch is attached would be a good idea as well as photos of the underside. The pentastar added to the driver side fender could have been from way back, quite a few people added them because they didn't like having it on the passenger side only. Again, this seems to be a really great shape, honestly well kept car.

Never seen factory buddy seat between bucket seats that had pattern sewn into it, you might want to check if those are covers hogringed over the original upholstery, such as could be bought from J.C. Whitney catalogs. Besides the upholstery pattern the only other thing that looks possibly added are the side mouldings. Looks to be in great condition, especially for a convertible. The car is too far away (and too green) for me to think about it but any serious buyer is going to ask about those two things.

Some items on it don't seem consistent with just 2000 miles. Dash insert leather loose and defroster vent plastic warping as well as what appears to be clearcoat wear on a wheel pic. Could have been stored outside in direct sunlight for a couple of years but just has the look of a 20,000 mile car, still really low mileage and a great looking TC.

And I keep looking at this thread hopeful that one of these posts will be a V6, ginger interior, and within 30 miles of me, and priced so that all the work needing done is affordable. NOT YET! Yeah, I know, but when the high priced ones need 5000 spent to get them to reliable driver status I tend to stay away. Case in point was the red one in Perris, Ca with about 35,000 miles but when I looked it up on carfax I saw it hadn't been driven in a very long time. It was also a turbo but the dealer came down about $3000 from initial asking before it actually sold so it had me thinking. Dealer didn't answer my questions so I didn't go look at it.

The other giveaway on telling the 2 apart is the little 'jog up' on the bright trim from qtr panel to the trunk panel on the LeBaron vs the smooth transition on the TC.

For those in California, the state's smog check now looks for non factory and non CARB approved engine controllers. Best way around is to change back to factory just for the test. Unless this controller has a CARB (California air resources board) number then it is good to go in this state.

Tail light and side trim give away that it is a LeBaron. Nice try anyway!

When I needed one I got it from the dealer, but that was 'o so many moons ago', they used them on other cars so might still be available.

Norton gave me a big red warning screen when I clicked on the link to concord aerospace

I'll just say WOW! That black headliner looks great.

I wouldn't use the PAG oil unless every part of the system is totally cleaned out. Ester oil would be the better choice since it can handle being mixed with some of the old r12 refrigerant and mineral oil, the PAG oil cannot. The sites I just looked at recommend no more than 5 or 6 oz of oil since some of the old oil will be in the compressor, some in the dryer, some in the condenser/evaporator, and maybe 10% in the lines. Multiply the charge of R12 X .9 then subtract .25lb and you should be very close unless you want to look up the actual charts that list this, I'm surprised the a/c shop didn't look this up, too much 134A will make the system cool LESS without upping the areas of the condenser/evaporator and capacity of the compressor. R12 to R134a Charge Conversion Formula (pounds only) A charge level between 75% and 85% is recommended when converting from R12 to R134a refrigerant. If no conversion information is provided, there is an easy formula to calculate the difference in charge level. This works when the R12 charge specification is listed in pounds. Take the R12 charge specification and multiply it by 0.9. Then, subtract that result by 0.25 pounds to get the proper amount of R134a charge. Formula: (R12 Charge Specification x 0.9) – 0.25 lbs. = R134a Charge Level As an example, let's say the R12 charge specification is listed at 2 lbs. You would do the following: Example: (2 lbs. x 0.9) – 0.25 lbs. = 1.55 lbs. This indicates that an R12 charge level of 2 lbs. converts to an R134a charge level of 1.55 lbs. R12 to R134a Refrigerant Charge Conversion Charts While the formula above is helpful, you might be strapped for time and need an answer quickly. Below is a PDF of tables that show R12 to R134a refrigerant charge conversions in pounds and ounces: R12 to R134a Conversion Tables – Pounds & Ounces I did the conversion a long time ago in my 79 T-top Cordoba with ester oil, the old hoses, and leak sealer in the 134A refrigerant and drove the car with cold A/C for almost 3 years until I sold it. I don't know how much longer it was working like that but I didn't care.

I stopped using Monroe decades ago. I worked at an auto suspension/brake warehouse that handled both Monroe and KYB but saw 10 Monroe come back under warranty for every 2 KYB. Then the Monroe rep never questioned unless there was obvious physical damage to the outside of the shock/strut whereas the KYB rep went over every return to find a cause and relayed that back to the manufacturer. This was decades ago so I don't know about quality control these days but a ruined reputation in someone's mind is a hard thing to fix.

"Electric shift transmission" tells me all I need to know about the seller. Thankfully it is on the other side of the country and is a 4dr sedan so I would never consider it.