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Long Time Mopar Guy, New to B Bodies

XS22J8R

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Location
Chicagoland
I've been a Mopar guy since my teens, but have focused on E bodies. Still own my first car, a Challenger I bought when I was 16, and have currently have 2 other Challengers to keep it company in my garage!
Much as I love E bodies, I have to confess I don't find them especially fun to drive on longer trips at highway speeds. Therefore for shows and cruises more than an hour away I'd get lazy and hop in my '09 Challenger R/T for them.
I get tired of seeing so many late model cars at events therefore felt guilty about being yet another. The idea of having a unusual but not too expensive B body that would be a nice longer haul ride appealed to me, and I decided if I ever found a decent Cordoba or Magnum I'd take the plunge. Maybe due to the fact I like driving my Challenger convertible the best of my little E body fleet, T Tops were a must for my desired car!
Last spring a buddy of mine at work purchased a car from a collector and told me he saw a beautiful Magnum in the guys collection. The guy didn't want to sell it, but then in summer he asked if I was still interested.
Mint burgundy red '78 GT with T tops, I had to have it! Got it delivered here but had to store it while trying to sell my '09 to make room in the garage. I finally gave up, stored the '09 and brought the GT home. I was only only able to take it out a few times before the weather got cold, but so far I love it!

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Welcome from Alabama, nice to have you in the group.
 
I forgot to mention, the cars a E56 360.
Not a ton of options but it has power leather seats for the comfortable driving, and a console.
I'm not necessarily finished with my B Body wanted list yet after finding the Magnum. I have a '71 V code Challenger I have been trying to sell due to lack of garage space, but with the powers to be in DC bent on wrecking the value of the dollar I recently decided to take it off the market, as a nice vintage ride is a better investment than money in the bank losing value by the day. But I'd really rather have another convertible and have admired Coronets for a long time. If I could find a '69 or maybe '70 Coronet R/T convertible to replace the '71, I'd have a perfectly balanced collection I think. 2 E bodies and 2 B bodies.

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It is a B-body. And certainly different than the classic B-bodies that dominate discussions here on FBBO. More pics and performance specs? But maybe even more important? Your thoughts on this generation GT?
 
Stock performance for cars in this era are nothing to write home about. In fact, due to all the new smog devices that were required by the EPA in the 70s killing performance, the cars of the mid 70s to mid 80s are called Malaise Era cars. They also were geared low in an attempt to help boost MPG ratings. I have a dealer brochure but it doesn't list the HP. My recollection is that it might have been 155HP. The "hot" 360 then was the E58 which got you another maybe 10 HP.
 
This is a pretty rare car though. I've seen 2 different production numbers listed for '78 GTs, 681 and 861. Obviously someone transcribed the numbers wrong in one of those figures but I don't know which one is right.
I also saw a figure of 91 T top (actually Chrysler called them T bar) GTs made in '78.
1979 they made more GTs than 78, but 78 was the last year for the big block 400.
The new model was largely designed to try to keep Petty racing Dodges in Nascar from what I've learned. The clear retractable headlight covers were for aerodynamics, due to government standards in place at the time they couldn't sell cars with aero headlight assemblies.
Petty finished fairly well racing the Magnum, but didn't like the car saying it was undriveable above 190 mph, and jumped ship to GM mid season in '78.
Well they tried....
 
Welcome..Very Nice!! I know a local guy that has a Barn full of these Magnums, Magnum GT's & Magnum Force cars...and loads of parts..
 
Yikes!
That magnum looks brand new!
Congratulations!

Welcome aboard and thanks for joining the forum...
From the Windy Mojave Desert...
 
welcome to FBBO
 
hello and welcome to the site from S Carolina
 
Welcome, and nice car. It it a survivor, or has some restoration been done on it?
 
Welcome from North Florida !!!
Have not seen one of those in a long time and that one looks very nice.
Cool T tops and sweet interior :thumbsup:
 
Welcome! You sure don’t see many of them with the flares and T’s... anywhere! :thumbsup:
 
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