I recently joined, and introduced myself with my B-bodies in the Welcome Wagon forum, so I arrived too late to vote in this R-body poll. Although it looks like minimal interest either way, I would add a positive vote if the poll were still open, because of this:
This is my 1979 Newport, factory A38 police package car with about 265,000 miles. It has the E58 360, 727 automatic transmission, and 3.21 9-1/4 rear axle (with Sure Grip that I added). I purchased it at a police auction in 1990. It has its original drivetrain, but I have rebuilt the engine and transmission. It's essentially stock with no exhaust converters and some improvements to its police suspension including Direct Connection front subframe iron mounts and modified rear leaf springs. The original Electronic Spark Advance system and Thermo-Quad was replaced with a Mopar Performance kit in 1990 and a simpler Thermo-Quad.
As mentioned, the chassis is essentially the same as the 1973-1979 B-bodies with an extended wheelbase. They were only available in four-door pillared hard tops. The body has more overhang that prior B-bodies, so coupled with the extra wheelbase, they are relatively long cars. The cars had several weight reduction features, so even though it is bigger and longer than my 1977 police Fury, it is lighter:
It's comfortable and roomy, handles well, and the the 360 motivates it better than one might expect. It can bury its 125mph certified speedometer, and once it hooks up, it's reasonably quick....
