Any 77-81 2dr M Owners Here?

D

Dr Lebaron

Member
Hi,
Wondering if there are any 77-81 2dr M owners here?
Lebaron/Diplomat/Caravelle.

I'm trying to find enough owners, who are in need of roof rail weather stripping.
The rubber that goes around the windows on the doors and is attached to the roof.

If I can get enough people together, I can get a run of repos going.
Looking at @160 a pr.

Please don't say F's
They don't work.
Soooo close, yet so far away.
 
You may be right about the F-car stuff on the '77-'79 cars, but the on the '80-'81s it works perfectly. Same door, same glass. The '80 F-car door I picked up for my '81 LeBaron coupe bears this out, but the later cars had the same short wheelbase as the F-cars.

Nice to have a another M-car fan on the board!

FYI: 1981 LeBaron coupe, originally a Slant-Six automatic. 217K miles on the original drivetrain afore I pulled it. I converted it to a V8/4-speed using all factory parts from an F-body... still in process (by a long shot). If all goes well, it may well be the meanest '81 M-coupe on the planet. I've got about $7K invested in parts, not including the engine. :dance:
 
I didn't have a 80 Volare with me at the time [had one] but tried the weatherstripping on a 79 Lebaron, 80 Lebaron and a 77 Aspen at the same time.
The 80 works on a 79 Lebaron
The 79 works on an 80
NOS Aspen does not work on a 79
Used Aspen does not work on a 79
Metro Moulded does not work on a 79
I did not try the F on the 80 because the 80 Lebaron's would work on the 79 great and vice versa, but no luck w/ all the F's
The F's rubber is thicker and there is no indent for the glass, so the glass hangs out on a retarded 16 degree angle and there is no way to adust the door out THAT far.

Only Dr's here own M's?
 
the third doc is um.... well....... ask mr340.

and doc fibreglass is off in space somewhere, I mention him only because he brought me great joy at the MoFarts not that I recall reading his typing here.

btw yes, the third actually 2nd doc "Doc Wolframite" did drive an M albeit a sedan amongst others.
 
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I used to own an '81 Lebaron. Loved it to bits, but abandoned it in South Dakota. Comfy and awesome. :(
 
BootHead said:
the third doc is um.... well....... ask mr340.

and doc fibreglass is off in space somewhere, I mention him only because he brought me great joy at the MoFarts not that I recall reading his typing here.

btw yes, the third actually 2nd doc "Doc Wolframite" did drive an M albeit a sedan amongst others.
Click to expand...
FYI he's a semi free man again.....
 
Need we speak of him? Scary that the guy had like 3 or 4 usernames around here, never mind the rest.

I am the first Doc. Been here since the first day. :dance:

The problem with weatherstripping is that it changes shape over the years. Mine's still in good shape (astounding after 14 MI winters before nestling in my garage, and 217K miles) but I wouldn't attempt transferring it to another car.

From all my research and experience, though, the '80-'81 M-body is identical to the '75-'80 F-cars from the center of the B-pillar forward.

BTW, I'm also converting an '82 Imperial to a 4-speed using F-car parts. Other than locating parts, it's a cakewalk.
 
Welcome...and I had a 1980 2dr Caravelle...triple green with a 318/2bbl, 904 and a 8 1/4 with a 3.21 suregrip. Sadly sent it to the wreckers before I understood what I had....:doh:
 
Dr.Jass said:
The problem with weatherstripping is that it changes shape over the years. Mine's still in good shape (astounding after 14 MI winters before nestling in my garage, and 217K miles) but I wouldn't attempt transferring it to another car.

From all my research and experience, though, the '80-'81 M-body is identical to the '75-'80 F-cars from the center of the B-pillar forward.

QUOTE]

I've had my M for 13 yrs and my F almost 30.
The 77-79 M's roof is @ 1/2 inch wider.
The F's will snap into a 77-79 M, but you can't close the door properly and the glass hangs out on an angle.:sick:
Been there, done that.:doh:

Also I find a different factory part # for 80 M's than 80 F's:confused:


I'm up to 10 folks so far, but need more.:dance:
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thrashingcows said:
Welcome...and I had a 1980 2dr Caravelle...triple green with a 318/2bbl, 904 and a 8 1/4 with a 3.21 suregrip. Sadly sent it to the wreckers before I understood what I had....:doh:
Click to expand...

That's a shame, but I've scrapped cars in the past too, only to find out I shouldn't have done it.:doh:
 
Ask Stretch about my '72 Rallye doors... he still owes me a pair. :D

Make it 11--I've spent so much on this damned '81 LeBaron, what's a little more for weatherstrips? Hell, I've got 3 grand tied up just in suspension and brakes at this point... :dance:

As for the roofs being different, that surprises me since the 4-door Ms always used the same front doors and windshields as their F-car counterparts (the front doors from an '89 M will fit a '76 F perfectly), and the '70s F-car windshield I have for my '81 M is dimensionally identical... :hmmm:

:huh:
 
Dr.Jass said:
Ask Stretch about my '72 Rallye doors... he still owes me a pair. :D

Make it 11--I've spent so much on this damned '81 LeBaron, what's a little more for weatherstrips? Hell, I've got 3 grand tied up just in suspension and brakes at this point... :dance:

As for the roofs being different, that surprises me since the 4-door Ms always used the same front doors and windshields as their F-car counterparts (the front doors from an '89 M will fit a '76 F perfectly), and the '70s F-car windshield I have for my '81 M is dimensionally identical... :hmmm:

:huh:
Click to expand...

Jass, you are now # 14:bravo:
I had a parts page emailed to me that makes me real stupid after 12yrs of
screwing around.
Same part # for F'and M's says that book:wtf:
So now I believe it's all in the door adjustment and how compressed the rubbber was for 30yrs.
Both M's at the same door adustment snapped back and forth no problem.

The Metros' are ugly/ill fitting/junk repops I hear the F crowd complaining about.[smilie=l:
So it's just a matter of getting decent quality, properfitting repros.
Now that I can get F guys on board, I'll have lots of people.:giggedy:
 

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Stretch said:
"BUDY:!!! LOOK AT THE PHOUCKING SIGN!!!!!":toot:
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My mistake cost me a couple hours' worth of hot water. How much was yours worth? :D :D :D

Hey, did I tell you Nick passed away last Tuesday? I'm truly bummed. He certainly was a character. Funny guy.

Not trying to make anyone look stupid, OtherDoc (you'll always be OtherDoc to me :D ) but trust me on this: I've spent a couple decades studying Mopar interchangeability and have this stuff nailed pretty well. GM guys love to talk about interchangeability; they haven't a clue of what it means... 2nd-gen F-car doors have different body lines and won't swap, but I can take any 2-door F/M car door of any brand and mount it perfectly on my LeBone. Always being #3, Mopar made the most of their tooling dollar.

I feel pretty confident in saying that if you ever need swap advice on Mopars, PM me or ask in the forums. It's not bragging; I've just learned an awful lot and will gladly share that which I know. My LeBaron is a spectacular conglomeration of all things Mopar, from the E-car rearend to the '69 GTS trans to the fourth-generation B-body big brakes and third-gen B shifter handle.

Also let me know if you're interested in a very-clean first-gen LeBaron coupe. 318/auto, red/red with a white landau vinyl top, missing only the mirrors and detail stuff. I think it's a '78 with AC and buckets (column shift). I'm buying it because I need the mirrors and a couple of small parts, but I have no want or need of the car itself. I'd hate to crush it.
 
Yrs ago when I bought the F Metros from NOS Reproductions, they told me they wouldn't work, and I thought it was BS.
I had to sign a form saying I can't return them if they don't fit.
And they didn't fit.[smilie=l:
But from what I hear from F guys, is Metro's don't fit F's either.:doh:
We all had or heard of crappy fitting auto repops and Metro's are just that.:sick:

I did all the swapping on cars and since both the 79 and 80 M's went back and forth, I thought F was a different part #

I have another mule coming from a 78 Dip, so we'll see how it works.:dance:
 
I can tell you this: the door shell is identical between F- and M-coupes, regardless of year. There may be a difference in the '77-'79 M-car roof rails, but I don't think there is, since the roof rail of the '80-'81 M is the same as the 2-door F-body.

As I've said, from the center of the B-pillar forward, I've not found any difference between F- and M-cars of any stripe, other than sheetmetal... and the '80 Aspolare uses M-car fenders and hood, save for the lack of marker-lamp hole in the F's stamping.

As much as I love how unique my LeBaron is, I realize that from a construction standpoint, it's not all that unique.
 
69.5CUDA said:
that lebaolare looks wicked as hell..like something to attack a laguna
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I was thinking a Monte Killer but yeah same difference. That car is one Ma SHOULD have built!! Thing had wicked attitude!! :2thumbs:
 
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Dr Lebaron said:
The 77-79 roof widths are a little wider than a F

Dunno if you saw this
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3200414

A Dip 2dr with a Volare nose.
The thing is it didn't bolt up as easy as one would think:confused:
Click to expand...

Strange... according to the owner, it did:
Mopar Mike said:
Because the M-body LeBaron and the F-body Volare share the same platform, everything from just behind the front seats forward match up. All the sheet metal lines right up and the mounting points were identical.
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:huh:

I talked to my F/M/J/Y friend today and asked him. He's got a complete set of original Mopar parts books at his disposal, and I'm sure by Monday or Tuesday he'll have the answer to all these questions. Both he and I were under the impression that all F/M-bodies used the same windshield in similar body styles, but he's gonna hit the parts books and get back to me next week. He told me he was under the impression that all the 22-series car (two-door post hardtops) used the same roof-rail weatherstrips, but there was a year break in the actual door rubber--but that was a year break, and not model-specific. Obviously, roof width would have nothing to do with door weatherstrips and as I've said before, I'm pretty sure the door shell never changed design between F and M, regardless of year.

We'll have the facts next week.
 
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