MoPar quirks and/or anomalies

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A56

MoPar Affliction
FABO Gold Member
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I found this interesting explanation on the Transamcuda.com site. I'm sure that although this was for the 1970 MY it applies to many years before and after. So if your MoPar has "quirks and/or anomalies", this from an authority who was there should shed some light on your car especially if it's somewhat original.

Copy and pasted:
There was a post recently about which exhaust manifold was correct for AAR's and T/A's. Years ago when I first started my site I posted what I thought at that time was the correct ones. I received this email from Bruce Thomas. As you will read you see his explanation on this.
This was sent to me mid to late 90's. At that time he owned an outstanding AAR Cuda. Here was his email to me.
Jeff, I was asking about the exhaust manifold. I have seen a good number of AARs and TAs both "original and restored" which had exhaust manifolds with and without embossed part numbers. I have worked for Chrysler since December of 1970. At our plants we only identified and tracked parts by the Chrysler P# (Part number). Date codes had no bearing to our line workers.
If the part number was correct the part was used (sometimes it did not have to be the correct part number. It just had to fit. i.e. one white door panel and one black door panel or a Dodge emblem on one side of the car and a Plymouth on the other side).
When the lines were filled with parts the assembly workers would use the correct part number that was most convenient / closest to them. Many times that resulted in the older stock staying in the back and the newer stock being applied.
Every so often the line Supervisor would have the work areas cleaned up and the stock would get shuffled. Stock that carried a Supplier Date Code of last year would be used the next year if the part was "interchangeable" (different Part number but would also fit)
or used if it was a "carry over Part number (i.e. a part number for a 1969 unit was also used in the 1970 model year.)
In short, as long as the part was at the plant and would fit on the car it would / could be used. Once we got to the end of a model year ( This was called "Build out"). We would build all remaining cars in our "Build Program" using whatever parts that were there. Sometimes a car would get built even if all the needed parts were not there. These build out specials would sometimes look very strange but the Plant manager made his production quota. Even if it did not have all 4 wheels. Of course these cars were not supposed to be shipped to our Sales Bank until they were corrected.
 
Makes sense . Many believe the production process to have been an exact and precise system back then .
But I suspected it was a much looser environment . I remember getting new vehicles delivered to the dealership with incorrect emblems or grills etc even in the early 90s. At both GM and Chrysler dealers...

Yesterday we went to a friends for Thanksgiving . Turns out her father worked at the St. Louis plant from 1974-1992 as a T&D guy and later in management. One item I asked him about was if employee ordered vehicles got special treatment . He smiled and said yes . Someone would sort of follow the car/truck along the line .
 
Makes sense . Many believe the production process to have been an exact and precise system back then .
But I suspected it was a much looser environment . I remember getting new vehicles delivered to the dealership with incorrect emblems or grills etc even in the early 90s. At both GM and Chrysler dealers...

Yesterday we went to a friends for Thanksgiving . Turns out her father worked at the St. Louis plant from 1974-1992 as a T&D guy and later in management. One item I asked him about was if employee ordered vehicles got special treatment . He smiled and said yes . Someone would sort of follow the car/truck along the line .
Concerning how employee bought vehicles were assembled. At IH back when they built Scouts, they would allow the employee that ordered the Scout to walk the assembly line as the the vehicle was built. However they had to stop that process as for popular well known employees as the Scout was being built the assembly line workers regardless of how the vehicle was suppose to be built, theywould install high end options. For example if an AM radio was specified they would put in the top of the line AM FM. Standard interior, no,, the line workers would put in a Deluxe interior, chrome wheels in place of steel wheels and so forth. It would cost more to send the vehicle to repair than to go ahead and send the vehicle so they stopped the practice of allowing employees to watch their Scout being built.
 
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Concerning how employee bought vehicles were assembled. At IH back when they built Scouts, they would allow the employee that ordered the Scout to walk the assembly line as the the vehicle was built. However they had to stop that process as for popular well known employees as the Scout was being built the assembly line workers regardless of how the vehicle was suppose to be built, theywould install high end options. For example if an AM radio was specified they would put in the top of the line AM FM. Standard interior, no,, the line workers would put in a Deluxe interior, chrome wheels in place of steel wheels and so forth. It would cost more to send the vehicle to repair to get it changed back so they stopped the practice of allowing employees to watch their Scout being built.


I can see that . Maybe that is why Larry smiled when I asked him .
 
This reminds me of the debate over W2 heads being installed on some early 80s pursuit vehicles. A well known circle track racer swore he had dismantled cars with W2s but everyone said it was BS because of emissions .
I contended that back then Chrysler would have bent the rules on a few cars to ensure a fleet order . Besides I am pretty sure Cop cars were exempt from emissions just like heavy trucks were. And to top it off I own an NOS cast iron W2 intake . Looks exactly like a 360 TQ intake but with wider bolt spacing .
 
And........."I bet " this kind of thing went on with ANY of the manufacturers
 
this is my dad's initial list of issues when he picked up his 67 Dart.
upload_2021-11-26_10-47-50.png

upload_2021-11-26_10-48-28.png

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He then had front end, tire, driveshaft and rear end noises and issues

this is all in the first 20,000 miles.
 
Too bad the lemon law wasn't in effect back then. And that is why after me buying several new Mopars and getting bad cars I went to Honda in 1980. It was the 1st car I ever bought that I didn't have to go back to the Dealer for any defects. Unfortunately American cars were not equal in Quality to the Japanese cars. The problems noted above were workers on the line that didn't give a **** because their job was guaranteed.
 
Too bad the lemon law wasn't in effect back then. And that is why after me buying several new Mopars and getting bad cars I went to Honda in 1980. It was the 1st car I ever bought that I didn't have to go back to the Dealer for any defects. Unfortunately American cars were not equal in Quality to the Japanese cars. The problems noted above were workers on the line that didn't give a **** because their job was guaranteed.
The workers on the line were only part of the problem. US Automakers in general were slow to implement effective assembly techniques and robust fixes when problems did occur.
US manufacturers back then had extensive option selections, about everything was available on any car. And US vehicles had extensive body and interior changes almost every year. That made the vehicle assembly process very complex. The Japanese imports on the other hand were bought off the dealer showroom floor here in the US as the car was. Possibly the only selectable options were things the dealer did like floor mats or paint sealant. At that point in time Japanese durable goods design and manufacturing was way ahead of how the same things were done in the US.
Best practices like: statistical process control, gauge R&R studies, design for manufacturability were in use in Japan in the 60’s. It was not until the import car invasion occurred that US manufacturing implemented similar practices to improve vehicle quality. The US manufacturers with a captive and growing market had gotten lazy. Japan had rebuilt their manufacturing base after ww 2, with help from the US, and got it right.
Today manufacturing in the US is as good as it is anywhere. It is advantages that off shore manufacturing has with low wages and not being held to environmental laws that stops US manufacturing from dominating.
 
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If you read the defects they were caused by the line workers and not added on accessories.
 
i use to build them a short time in mich. take a look at a couple of my early post and you might get an idea of a typical day at work. ive seem some strange things that the build sheet didn't even mention. and that list of items wrong in the first 20k miles above is about half what was normal. if there was a lemon law back then, we'd all been out of business.!
 
The workers on the line were only part of the problem. US Automakers in general were slow to implement effective assembly techniques and robust fixes when problems did occur.
US manufacturers back then had extensive option selections, about everything was available on any car. And US vehicles had extensive body and interior changes almost every year. That made the vehicle assembly process very complex. The Japanese imports on the other hand were bought off the dealer showroom floor here in the US as the car was. Possibly the only selectable options were things the dealer did like floor mats or paint sealant. At that point in time Japanese durable goods design and manufacturing was way ahead of how the same things were done in the US.
Best practices like: statistical process control, gauge R&R studies, design for manufacturability were in use in Japan in the 60’s. It was not until the import car invasion occurred that US manufacturing implemented similar practices to improve vehicle quality. The US manufacturers with a captive and growing market had gotten lazy. Japan had rebuilt their manufacturing base after ww 2, with help from the US, and got it right.
Today manufacturing in the US is as good as it is anywhere. It is advantages that off shore manufacturing has with low wages and not being held to environmental laws that stops US manufacturing from dominating.
The Japanese also have a societal ethic of pride, saving face. At one dealer I worked at, they sold a Volare'. A month later the owner brought it in for some small repair. Another mechanic going to parts and back noticed the front fender on the other side had an Aspen emblem.
At coffee the guys were talking and related a car that had been back for a rattle numerous times. Finally one guy got in the trunk and they went for a drive. He pinpointed the rattle in a place in the rear 1/4 that was welded in. Sent it to the body shop where they cut it open and found a beer bottle. Someone on the line was PO'd about something.
In 1973, I started apprenticeship at a Caterpillar dealer. Went looking for a new car. Looked at Pintos and Vegas. Build quality was horrible, especially the interior. On my way to a Dodge dealer, I went past a Mazda dealer, so turned in. Took an RX3 for a test drive. Waa hoo, that was fun. Build quality was great. Bought an Espace Blue Coupe, 4spd. Only trouble I had was 2nd gear synchros from blowing the doors off 350 Mustangs and Camaros. 340 Darts and Dusters were too quick. I sure would like that car today.
 
My family had '67 Dodge Coronet brand new, two Plymouth Scamps '71 & '73 brand new, '68 Formula S Barracuda new and I had my brand new 69 Cuda 340 and none of those issues ever came up.
 
Every one here owns a 60's or 70's Mopar and a lot of you say that American car are the worst built cars of the area and now. But these worst built cars of the area are still on the road. Where are all those japanese and european best built car of that area now? Oh that's right they all have been crushed and made into new japanese cars and why did all of those companies ship their manufacturing plants over here if Americans are so bad at building things. We are the greatest country in the world, despite the fact that our own government is trying to destroy that fact.
 
I bought a 68 Road Runner 4 speed, 383 in Jan.68. The 833 trans at that time was in production for 4 years already and I couldn't shift into 2nd gear from the get go. I was in the Air Force in Dover Del. and took it to the dealer there and he said there was a groove not machined in the box causing the problem. The only other problem with that car was with the window cranks where the rubber would fall off because the rivet was strong enough. I have to admit it was a fast car.
 
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