1979 Dodge Diplomat Station Wagon - The Green Machine
Description
My parents bought this car new. They used it as their family car until 2001 when my father died. My mother kept it until she moved in 2003, when I acquired it and drove it regularly until 2015.
As Dad was a career Marine, the Dodge got the nickname "The Green Machine", but later on they also called it "The Green Hornet".
My Dad kept track of all the mileage: local and long trips eventually added up to well over a million miles. The original odometer finally gave up the ghost somewhere over a million miles (it is saved, in a box, in the car) and was replaced with a used one; my Dad noted the starting mileage on the replacement and logged trips from that point, too.
The battery is dead, so the car has not been started since December 2015; the starting amps required exceed the capacity of my current car to get it going via jumpers. Hopefully it will still run, but lubrication should be checked before cranking.
The car is in restorable condition, and is mostly original, except for the carpet in the front, some parts in the engine compartment and the transmission, which has been rebuilt several times, plus other items that may have worn out and been replaced from 1979 to 2001 and later. There may be some things that I am not aware of, but there are a lot of records and receipts in the glove box that could tell a story.
The faux wood trim peeled off long ago, so the car is green all over instead of (almost) looking like a woodie. The only body work that has been done, other than several ding repairs and paint jobs to keep it shiny, was after an encounter with a stray herd of cattle out west that involved my parents, several semis, a bus and another handful of cars. The cattle got the short end of that deal; they were not very attentive pedestrians. Has some rust, examples in two of the pictures, and the chrome and upholstery need work.
The last time I drove it, in 2015, I noted that it needs both brake and power steering work. The windshield is cracked, but does not impede visibility. There is a leak in the front that drips onto the passenger side floor, but the car is under shelter, so the interior has stayed dry, except for any effects of ambient humidity. The AC needs repair. The tires are still inflated, but would need to be checked for dry rot. There are other items that would need to be addressed for a full restoration.
This car is a survivor, having weathered hurricanes Hugo, Bertha, Fran, and most recently Florence, plus several not named.
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