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Rough Start: Does A Three-Pedal Plymouth Volaré Sound Like A Neat Parts Hauler?


Rough Start: Does A Three-Pedal Plymouth Volaré Sound Like A Neat Parts Hauler?

Let’s be clear off of the bat: this not one of MY weird Mopar finds. How can you tell? It’s a Plymouth Volaré. Oddly enough, even though it’s the genesis for the Imperial and most every other Mopar that I’ve ever owned aside from the trucks, I have never owned a Volaré or it’s identical twin, the Dodge Aspen, and I intend on keeping it that way. I can’t explain why I like one and dislike the other, I just do. So with that being said, BangShift reader “andy30thz” left something in my inbox. I’m going to guess that the lack of updates on the Imperial meant that I was back in the hunt for another project car? Eh, not quite, but take a look and see if his judgement is sound here:

“Another odd ball! ’76 Volare wagon with low miles from the minimal rust state of Washington? Factory small block so potent V8 swap should be a breeze. $3K price would give another $2K to get it rolling….all on a rough start $5K budget!”

I’ve got some…well, concerns. First off, there is no way I’d call this a $3,000 car. Not with missing trim and about two days’ worth of cleanup work going on, let alone the question mark that is the 318 under the hood. At least the motor turns over by hand, so there may be some salvaging to take place, but we’d skip that step and go straight to rebuilt engine. The standard engines in these cars were dogs. The manual transmission part is always a good thing…Aspen/Volaré wagons are the most likely sources to find a three-pedal FJM car, though normally they are packing a Slant Six. Since you don’t have to do the dreaded K-frame swap (or shell out for Schumacher mounts) with this one, we’d say a built 360 or 408 stroker backed by whatever trans our pals at American Powertrain would deem appropriate, like a nice TKO five-speed. And finally, there is that part about “brown wood-paneled station wagon”. But there are upsides: it looks relatively straight and rust-free for a Volaré wagon, it has barely covered 50,000 miles and has been in hiding since the mid-1980s. Parts of the interior that should have bleached and dusted look pretty good from the photos.

A set of Magnum 500s, a thumper of a small block underhood and three pedals in a wagon? It’s a tempting thought, if you are brave enough. Could you get this Volaré moving for five grand? If you’re handy with parts, yes…there are spare transmissions in the back and the 318 may come to life with some Marvel Mystery Oil and some gas down the carburetor. Would you want to, though?

Craigslist Link: 1976 Plymouth Volaré Premier station wagon


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6 thoughts on “Rough Start: Does A Three-Pedal Plymouth Volaré Sound Like A Neat Parts Hauler?

  1. john

    WARNING…Whomever buys this heap is probably interfering with a murder investigation. It looks like something or someone was murdered in the back of mess. YUCK!

  2. Rock On

    You are probably right john. This car has been for sale for ages. There must be something scary keeping buyers away.

    1. Matt Cramer

      Non-running Volare for $2999 ought to scare most buyers away on its own; I wouldn’t be paying that much for it. He’s trying to charge what would be a reasonable price if the car were running and needed no major repairs.

  3. jerry z

    A rust free Volare? Impossible! My parents bought a ’76 that was green with wood siding. Talk about a POS! Good luck trying to get 3K for that. Will be lucky to half that amount.

  4. Igor Shakapopoulis

    Messed with it’s auto-trans Aspen twin about a dozen years ago. My buddy picked one up and we put a cam and Holley carb in it with some headers and Mopar Rally wheels. Don’t think he had $3000 into it when done. He called it the “Anti-Magnum”. Two months later it was gone. Someone waved a pile of cash under his nose, and “Buh-Bye!” no more Anti-Magnum.

  5. ColinV

    That car has been for sale for ever for good reason it is a POS and isn’t worth 1/4 the asking at best. I went to see it and couldn’t get away fast enough especially when a really clean 78 LeBaron wagon (I also looked at it) was up for sale at the same time this heap for $1,500.

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