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Yeah Allpar doesn't allow external linking of their pictures. I found that out the hard way recently too.
It was a very plush K-car variant
Yeah it was, if Chrysler did anything right in the 80s their interiors were plush and comfortable.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
This is an LX or GLX, had the cool adjustable headrests.
Unfortunately, after the divorce from her first husband, she wasn't able to take care of it as well as she would like, so it was pretty run down. Was approaching 100K when I met her and it needed some work.
Not long after we met, she took a new job that required her to commute about 15-20 miles each way. No way was the Tempo going to survive that, especially in the winter. So, she drove my car for a while then we got her a new '97 Escort. The Tempo got sold to her sister for, I think, $400.
That's an 86 LX, the replacement for the GLX, with facelifted panels and wheels. I think those seats are similar to our car. The steering wheel is the same, I can see that much.
Anyway, I turned it on this past Sunday morning. His pitch was that he was going to build up a hot rod 6-cylinder. OK, i'm thinking he's gonna pull out a 2JZ or something to that effect. Nope. He managed to find a GM 292 I6 from, I believe he said something like 1967, that was still in its original factory crate.
What I found absurd is that his "reconditioning" involved pulling off the valve cover and oil pan and taking a look inside, putting them back on, then spraying the whole thing with a rattle can WITHOUT covering up any holes in the poor thing! He actually got spraypaint inside the intake ports, inside the exhaust ports, inside the water pump inlet, etc. :sick:
The "build" involved putting on 3 single-barrel carbs. That's it. This was his "high performance hot rod" 6-cylinder.
I couldn't take anymore. I turned it off. That was the first 8 minutes of the show.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
A friend of mine in HS had an old duster Slant six with whatever the OEM period correct performance package was called. It was actually a pretty cool car. Not particularly fast compared to say a brand new V6 family sedan but way more character and would run rings around the econobox four bangers most kids had.
I do remember though, the one time he let me drive it. It gave me a whole new appreciation for my 1980 Malibu! My 1985 Consumer Guide has a test of a Topaz, and they got 0-60 in 15.9 seconds, but I think that's being generous. I know my Malibu probably wasn't much faster than that, yet it would blow the doors off that Tempo. I vaguely remember the seating position being kinda like riding in a bathtub, with high window sills. That's the norm nowadays, but at the time, it just seemed strange and stupid to me.
In the long run though, that '84 Tempo proved itself. Mom and my stepdad got about 160,000 miles out of it before trading it on a 1991 or so Stanza that, embarrassing enough, wasn't as reliable. I think they got $600 in trade for that Tempo.
Just going from a 1-bbl carb to a 2-bbl carb, and changing the rear-end from a 2.76 to 2.94:1 made a lot of difference on these cars. Well that, and the appropriate cam changes, I'm sure. The 2-bbl cars only had 10 more hp, and I forget what it did to the torque figure, but it improved power across a wide rpm band rather than being peaky, so it made excellent use of that little bit of extra power.
I am certain my fintail is faster than that Tempo. I used to rev that thing way up and drop it into gear, floor it all the time, etc, and it was still slower than hell. It had an 80mph speedo too...I remember driving with it pegged. The most fun was when the muffler finally rotted out and the car got louder...best it ever sounded. I would drive it like a manual just to make noise :shades:
http://www.gearztv.com/
And here is that very episode... watch if you dare. Maybe someone can see some value that I'm missing and clue me in.
bah!!! wait. Just took a look. The description says that's the episode, but I guess you can't view the whole thing? Looks like it picks up after the "build" that I saw. Good grief, it is as if they know I changed the channel right at that point! :surprise:
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I remember thinking that the V6 Tempo was a pretty hot ride - with 140HP!
I don't remember an AWD version, but since I lived in Southern California at the time, I suppose that doesn't surprise me.
The AWD Tempo was all 2nd generation, I think.
I just remembered a good Tempo memory...I was driving down a city street with a female relative in the car - my mother or sister I think...and I remember smelling something burning. As I looked down, smoke started pouring out of the bottom of the seat. I quickly pulled over and had a look while my passenger freaked out - apparently the power seat motor committed suicide at that random moment (it wasn't even in use). That was fun, and I remember it took some time to find a replacement.
HO seemed like an oxymoron when applied to a Tempo 4 cylinder, because it performed about the same as my '86 Grand Am with the Iron Duke and 5-speed. My Grand Am went 188,000 before blowing the head gasket. The Tempo had ~105,000 when it burned up, and the drivetrain was still in decent shape. We're obviously not talking about great cars here, but the Grand Am had the handling package, which made a noticeable positive difference.
Interestingly, Pontiac applied the name "Tech 4" to its agricultural 2.5 OHV 4. What a misnomer!. A friend once asked me if mine was a diesel when he heard it idling, and he was serious. Those engines got really noisy as they got miled up. The source of the crude noise was the timing gear. For this reason, GM hired John Deere, of all companies, to convert this engine to a timing chain design a year or two before it was retired.
In its last couple of years, you could equip the Tempo and Topaz with the Vulcan V6.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
However, many of my friends' parents had a Tempo of that era. I had a friend in college who had a dark red Tempo AWD with a red interior in the late '90s. He said his family had owned it since new and it had north of 100,000 miles on it. Amazingly, though, the thing was immaculate both inside and out, and my friend took the same care of it his parents had. The last time I saw him, in 2002 I think, he still drove it regularly.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Colts were built by Mitsubishi and marketed as Dodges.
I do remember the seats in that car seemed too flat...the padding lost its softness pretty quickly, and there was no support. Pretty normal for period American cars maybe.
When we moved them to Rochester, MN the following year, we towed the Tempo behind the rent-a-truck, 1050 miles. I don't think had any confidence that the car would make it that far on its own. It was pretty worthless in MN, given the amount of snow they get. It lasted less than a year, then we sold them our '02 Outback wagon which, with the AWD, they were in pig heaven when it snowed.
Dodge Colt - a clone of the Plymouth Horizon, I believe.
I believe that was the Dodge Omni.
This one is the "rare" Omni GLH
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Dodge Colt == Plymouth Champ
Dodge Omni == Plymouth Horizon
Whew, how could I forget such memorable cars :shades: !
How do you know they were all running? Perhaps two of them were parts cars that were used to keep the third one running.
Anyone remember the Shelby Charger from the 80s? My cousin had an 85 and my Dad a matching 86. I thought they were cool back in the day. I haven't seen one in years.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Good point. Now that I think back on it, at least two of the three Tempos were always there (although I can't remember if it was always the same two). Next time I'm out that way, I'm going to drive by that house and see if any of those Tempos are still around.
Another Tempo thing I just remembered...our car had these weird map lights up front, on the ceiling near the windshield. They were chrome, and hinged, like little flashlights. I remember my brother thought they were really cool. I don't think I recall seeing them like that in another car.
That's sure the truth. I suspect the bulk of GM and Toyota's sales fall into that category. Given the numbers of vehicles they sell, that does not bode well. :sick:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX