How stuff works

[aceofspades]

Yeah, doesn't sound like they know to well. Pretty much bashing the 300.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1979-1982-chrysler-cordoba-300-cordoba-ls.htm

 

[YY1]

J body "based on Aspen/Volare" is kind of a stretch.

I'd expect more detail from a site called "how stuff works"

 

[DeltaV]

The '79 300 is the Rodney Dangerfield of B Body Mopars... don't get no respect.

 

[kkritsilas]

J body "based on Aspen/Volare" is kind of a stretch.

I'd expect more detail from a site called "how stuff works"

The J bodies ARE based on the F body, All the front and rear suspension pieces interchange. The J bodies (Mirada, Cordoba, and 1980s Imperial coupe (stretched))are the exact same dimensions, to the tenth of an inch, in the case of the Mirada/Cordoba (imperial has a stretched wheelbase, but otherwise same) as the F body four door cars.

The later M bodies (Diplomat are also the same as the F bodies., rear drive New Yorker and Fifth Avenue of the 1980s) are the same chassis as well.

Front suspension is transverse torsion bar. Rear suspension is leaf springs. Either 7.25" or 8.25" rear ends. A few 4 speeds in the F bodies, but almost all A904/A998/A999 automatics (60-70 A727s in the 1980 Mirada CMX with the 360). engines were either slat 6s, or 318 V8s (mostly 2BBl, but some 4 BBL).

 

[YY1]

I understand all of that, but that's like saying the 68-70 B is based on the 66/67.

There's a lot of stuff that's the same, but it needs further explanation.

 

[kkritsilas]

I understand all of that, but that's like saying the 68-70 B is based on the 66/67.

There's a lot of stuff that's the same, but it needs further explanation.

There isn't a lot to explain. Ma Mopar was spending almost all of its engineering/development time and money on the FWD cars. They used the exact same platform over and over again. The basic platform is the F, in 108" (2 door F) and 112" (4 door F) wheelbases. The Js are 2 door cars on the 112" wheelbase (the Imperial is a J, but stretched, I think 4"). The Ms are the same as the Fs, but there are almost no M two doors. The rest is exactly the same, not derived from, exactly the same, to the extent that all mechanical and chassis parts interchange (again, Imperial being the exception).

The thought currently is that the early F bodies had such a poor reputation, that Chrysler wanted to distance the newer versions from the original rust/k member issues of the F bodies. So the Dodge Aspen became the Dodge Diplomat, the Plymouth Volare became the Plymouth Fury/Grand Fury, and the new cars were all M bodies. Early 1980s New Yorkers, and all the 1980s Fifth avenues were also M bodies, and took over when the R bodies went out of production. J bodies were supposed to be more "upscale" than the F bodies, and considered a line onto themselves, but are really Fs (or Ms, for that matter) under the skin.

The sister site, forfmjbodiesonly.com will give you all the answers that you could ever want.

 

[YY1]

My point is- for a site called "how stuff works", simply equating a J body with an F body is a bit weak.