Unless you were a cop in the 1980s or early 1990s, chances are good that a 1987 Dodge Diplomat isn’t going to be your cup of tea. I get that…mainly, because I’ve heard it almost every year I’ve been an active car geek. I can’t explain why I like Mopar M-bodies as much as I do, but believe me when I tell you this: you will have one hell of a time finding a better example than the one before you now. That’s no hyperbole, that’s genuine, no kidding truth. This isn’t Grandpa’s untouched garage-find. This isn’t an absolutely ragged ex-cop car that is begging for a merciful death. This is what happens when someone who has the same…um, “unique” tastes in cars that I have has money and a vision.
On it’s own, you have to admit that this particular gold Diplomat SE (note: Fifth Avenue-like front clip and padded roof) is still amazingly clean. Most of these that are still running are on their last legs, so it’s nice to see one that has managed to survive relatively unscathed. But it’s not original, and that’s a blessing too. The 318 was a dog in stock form, even if you performed the “Lean Burn-ectomy”, and the transmission was the A904 automatic…it’s durable enough for the stock setup, but three gears and a very, very long-legged rear axle did no favors for a Diplomat. The beauty of the M-body is that it’s mostly a rehash of an A-body, accepts any small-block Mopar, and of course, there’s cop-spec components out there. The 318 went flying in favor of a Mopar Performance crate 360, and the transmission was treated to a GearVendors under/overdrive unit. With 3.55 gears out back, the setup turns 3rd-over into a 2.77 final drive ratio, so you have highway ability without revving the hell out of the car, but you have a proper gear ratio out back to get away from stoplights.
And one added bonus: outside of bare-bones cop cars, nobody has ever really complained about M-body interiors. They might not be the ultra-luxurious pillow-topped Fifth Avenue seats, but those benches will treat you well on some long cruises.
$3,700 is the buy-in. Seriously, what the hell would you change on this car? This is Craigslist hunting gone perfectly right…we hope someone goes for this old Dodge and turns many a mile with it.
Craigslist Link: 1987 Dodge Diplomat SE
I would drive that.
Yes! For the price of the gear venders, you get a free 360 to boot
wow, nice diplomat. other than using aluminum front sub frame mounts and ditching the rear axle rubber insulators I would cruise this as is.
Super deal, but I see that drivetrain ending up in a Duster or a Dart.
Well heck, if I’d known about this when I was in Macon to see Gregg Allman’s FUNeral procession, I’da rolled on down and picked it up, the F’Astro van project coulda waited. Unfortunately Indy to Palm Coast is outta my budget now, even for a gearvenders and a practically free, quite nice car.
The only change would be is the wheels. Add some police wheels and the car is perfect. The car that price is a steal.