Vehicle Description
Vehicle Comments 1982 CHRYSLER LEBARON CONVERTIBLE 2.6 MITSUBISHI
92HP 4 CYL, AUTOMATIC TRANS, AC, POWER TOP, POWER WINDOWS, TILT
STEERING WHEEL, CRUISE CONTROL, NEW CONVERTIBLE TOP WITH BOTH COLOR
BOOTS, MOST IMPORTANT IT IS RUST FREE UNDER AND OVER, LIFE LONG NC
WELL CARED FOR VEHICLE. THESE WERE BUILT BY CARS & CONCEPTS IN
1982, IT HAD BEEN YEARS SINCE ANY DROP TOPS WERE BUILT, AND
ACCORDING TO FACTORY INFO,ONLY 3045 CONVERTS WERE BUILT ALONG WITH
9780 MARK CROSS EDITIONS. TOTAL 12,825 NOT TOO MANY SURVIVE TODAY.
GREAT FUN FOR NOT MUCH MONEY. IT RUNS AND DRIVES NICE. I DON'T
THINK THE ALLOY WHEELS ARE FACTORY, THEY OFFERED A 16 HOLE IN LATER
YEARS, BUT THESE LOOK NICE. $8550.00 THE FOLLOWING IS A MAGAZINE
WRITE UP ON THE LEBARON. I THINK THIS IS THE MARK CROSS EDITION DUE
TO THE 2.6 MOTOR, DOOR EMBLEM,AND LEATHER, AND OTHER OPTIONS. �??No
other car is causing so much excitement.�?� The Chrysler LeBaron
convertible was a mid-year introduction, becoming available in the
spring of 1982. It was the first factory convertible available for
sale in the United States since the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. All
LeBarons were all-new for 1982. Based on the more plebian Dodge
Aries/Plymouth Reliant front-wheel drive K cars that had been on
sale for a year, the LeBaron (sometimes described as the Super-K)
was a move at least slightly up-market. Most exterior body panels
were the same as the K. Notable styling differences were a
waterfall style grill (somewhat resembling that of the previous
year�??s rear-wheel-drive LeBaron), quad headlamps, relocation of
the parking lamps and turn signals to the front bumper, and a
full-width tail-lamp housing. Chrysler used almost all of the
standard K pieces inside the LeBaron. Recessed door handles and
rocker type door locks were one of the few changes, along with a
different style of armrest and door pull. There was less vinyl trim
and the carpeting and other fabrics were of somewhat higher
quality. A significant difference was the attention paid to noise,
vibration, and harshness: between soundproofing, better parts, and
suspension tuning, the LeBaron was upgraded from the base K in 26
separate ways. Two-door LeBaron coupes were heavily modified by
Cars & Concepts in Brighton, Michigan on their way to becoming
convertibles�??the process included 32 steps. They installed a
boxed-in backbone along the center of the car and welded a
three-piece windshield header to the A-pillars. Next, Cars &
Concepts installed new door glass and added door wedges. Finally,
they added a new fiberglass panel to hold the rather small rear
seats and mounted the convertible motor on the floor pan behind the
rear bulkhead. The convertible top itself had a plastic rear window
and broad rear quarter panels; Car and Driver wrote that this
created �??a sort of Conestoga-wagon effect.�?� The top was
actuated from a button on the console, and a padded top boot
snapped into place when the top was lowered. A K 2.2-liter inline
four with a two-barrel Holley carburetor producing 84 bhp was the
base engine. A two-barrel carbureted Mitsubishi G54B 2.6-liter
inline four with 92 bhp and 20 additional ft-lbs of torque was
available for an added $171. Both engines were paired with a
TorqueFlite three-speed automatic transmission. Mileage with the
base engine was 25 city/36 highway by the standards of the day. The
optional engine was rated at 23 city/31 highway and brought the
0-60 time down from about 17 (aargh!) seconds to about 15 seconds.
The LeBaron convertible�??s base price was $11,698 (about $28,900
in today�??s dollars and about 44% more than a LeBaron coupe). For
that money, you got dual outside mirrors (actually taken from the
Dodge Omni 024), power brakes, power steering, and P185/70R14
whitewall tires. Inside you got vinyl bucket seats with a folding
center armrest, digital clock, and an AM radio. 76% of convertible
drivers moved up to Medallion trim, which boosted the price to
$13,998 (about $34,600 in 2015 dollars) and added halogen
headlamps, better gauges, and snazzier wheel covers. The Mark Cross
package cost an additional $861, moved the sticker to a non-trivial
$14,859 (about $36,700 in today�??s dollars) and added the
2.6-liter engine, air conditioning, power windows, power door
locks, and attractive Mark Cross leather/vinyl seats. Other options
included cornering lamps ($57), cast aluminum wheels ($344),
automatic speed control ($155), and an AM/FM stereo radio with
electronic tuning and cassette player ($455). IF YOU SEE THE AD
THEN IT'S AVAILABLE, NO NEED TO ASK. IF YOUR INTERESTED USE THE
PHONE INSTEAD OF THE PRE INQUIRY FORM. 513-TWO4844HUNDRED BOB
