Factory Turbo Reliant Wagon

[dme]

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I went back and it was gone. Cleared out for new stock.

[zin]

Back from the dead thread!!

I'm looking at getting some suspension parts for the wagon and the site is asking if it is from before or after 1/2/86. How can I tell, other than the door jamb tag (unreadable), and is there a significant difference? Given the choice, I'd prefer to order the most correct stuff, but I realize sometime there isn't a good reason for the date breaks...

Mike

PS I've been driving it for awhile since replacing the HG, so I'm working on getting things freshened up...

[butchsuppe]

The later frt strut had an extra bracket about 3" long under the lower spring perch mounted parallel to the shock tube. I'm 90% sure thats the only differance.

[TopDollar69]

The top plates are also different, but you can bolt the newer struts in as a complete assembly with no issues.

[zin]

You mean the strut mounts?

Mike

[TopDollar69]

The top bearing plate assembly.

[zin]

Because I'm intrigued by the lack of facts about these cars (as well as the cars themselves), I thought I'd try to gather some more info... Not quite a registry, I don't know that I could commit myself to it, but maybe...

As a first step, I'm trying to gather VIN numbers.

I've listed what I have so far below. I'm hoping that this will give us some insight, though I'm hoping I can glean enough info to possibly find the original purchase order or contract with Chrysler which would be the mother-lode of info on these cars.

Silver (Johnny) : 1P3BP39EXGF166408
Brown (Mike) : 1P3BP39E5GF193712
White (RIP-TX) : 1P3BP39E7GF164826
White(?) (POPE) : 1P3BP39E3GF166427 (added 06-18-12)

If anyone has additional info they'd like to share, feel free to PM me or post up that info here. It would be great if we could get some build sheets, etc. Really anything would be great!

Mike
PS I thought about doing a new thread for this info, but it seems like everyone that would be interested in these cars is already subscribed to this thread.

[moparman76_69]

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/vin-decoder.html

Here is the breakdown of the white car, the other two are similar except for the check digit and last 6.

Country : USA
Make : Plymouth
Type : Passenger Car
Model Year : 1986
Safety System : manual seat belt
Body : K: Reliant
Series : Medium
Style : 4-Door Wagon
Engine : Chrysler: 2.2L I-4 SOHC MFI Turbo I
Check Digit : 7
Plant : Newark, DE
Serial Number : 164826

[Johnny]

"The Pope" on Turbo Dodge has a white one in Washington.
There is a black one around here (TM)...I am sure he will speak up.
Didnt someone here get a green one?

Thats the only ones I know of.
I did here about a navy one, it was medium blue. Was at an auction in Seattle area. Was used
on an aircraft carrier...used to go chase groceries, errands during port stops.

As far as I have seen, they are all optioned the same.

---------- Post added at 06:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:09 AM ----------

All made within two days at the Newark, DE plant.

[Vigo]

The pre-86 struts have a different lower spring perch too. The springs are shaped differently on the bottom. IIRC you can mix and match everything and it will 'work', but the easiest solution if you cant find the old part is to just swap in a complete later strut.. Rockauto sells quick-struts pretty cheap if you arent after performance handling hehe.

[zin]

Thanks for all the info guys. Here's the list to date:

Silver (Johnny) : 1P3BP39EXGF166408
Brown (Mike F) : 1P3BP39E5GF193712
White (RIP-TX) : 1P3BP39E7GF164826
White(?)(POPE) : 1P3BP39E3GF166427 (added 06-18-12)

Looks like mine is the odd man out, VIN wise, don't know if that means anything

Mike

[Johnny]

Looks like mine is the odd man out, VIN wise, don't know if that means anything

Why? all start with 1P3BP39E

[zin]

Why? all start with 1P3BP39E

Yeah, but mine has a sequential number that seems more out of line than the rest. The others start with 16, while mine starts with 19... That would seem to put it much latter in the production line.

Not knowing their methodology in production makes it hard to know if that means anything or not, might just be that they build the bodies and then grabbed them somewhat at random for the special run, not too unlike how Shelby build the GLHS's. Might even have something to do with the paint?...

Hopefully as we gather more VINs it will get clearer.

Mike

[Johnny]

And mine has an "X" and the others have numbers.

---------- Post added at 12:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:56 PM ----------

By the way, I have a brown hood from one out of a wrecking yard in the Calif Bay area.
Dont know anything else about it.

[zin]

[/COLOR]By the way, I have a brown hood from one out of a wrecking yard in the Calif Bay area.
Don't know anything else about it.

Too bad they don't have the VIN on them, that would have been nice... At the very least we know there were at least 2 brown ones!

Mike

[moparman76_69]

The X is just a check digit, they should all be different. I wouldn't worry about the sequence, I would assume that at least 3000 were made.

[Johnny]

3000...No, there were less than 60 made.

[TopDollar69]

There might have been more than one run of them.

[Johnny]

Maybe, but the guy I talked to that helped build them and worked there did not think so.

[zin]

Maybe, but the guy I talked to that helped build them and worked there did not think so.

I like the idea that they are the rarest of the rare, but I am curious as to why mine seems to be so far out of line with the sequential numbers...

Seems like they would be closer, even if they were kind of randomly picked to be "converted" to turbo... Which might be what happened, perhaps Chryco just collected the bodies after paint, brown being done latter than the rest? It was a time of "do whatever gets it done cheapest"... Or maybe there was an addition to the run after the 1st set were completed? We need more VIN numbers to see if mine is just a fluke or if there are two "groups" of VINs...

Anyway you slice it, I'm very interested in these car's history, the story seems to be getting more and more interesting!

Mike

PS Johnny, it would be very interesting to go back and talk to the guy who helped build them to see if he remembers anything else, or knows anyone else that might know more about them.