Looking to sell 1975 Cordoba for a Vet, any tips?

[77newyorker440]

Hey guys,

It has been a while, hope you are all doing well! Now that I am in college, I don't have a ton of time for the NYB, but I have been helping a neighbor who fought in Vietnam as he tries to sell his 1975 Chrysler Cordoba during my breaks. I had a few questions:
1- I will post pictures later on, but if you know anyone who might be interested in this type of car, please let me know. I am trying to get it to a good home so my neighbor knows it will be taken care of.
2- About how much are these usually worth? This one runs well, has a decent interior and some rust around the wheel wells, IIRC about 50,000 or so miles.
3- What type of body is a Cordoba? Is it a B-Body since it is similar to a Charger?
4- Any tips about repairing/selling these? I am much more familiar with C-Bodies, so I wasn't sure if there were any specific points of interest.

Thanks!
77newyorker440

 

[3175375]

Hey guys,

It has been a while, hope you are all doing well! Now that I am in college, I don't have a ton of time for the NYB, but I have been helping a neighbor who fought in Vietnam as he tries to sell his 1975 Chrysler Cordoba during my breaks. I had a few questions:
1- I will post pictures later on, but if you know anyone who might be interested in this type of car, please let me know. I am trying to get it to a good home so my neighbor knows it will be taken care of.
2- About how much are these usually worth? This one runs well, has a decent interior and some rust around the wheel wells, IIRC about 50,000 or so miles.
3- What type of body is a Cordoba? Is it a B-Body since it is similar to a Charger?
4- Any tips about repairing/selling these? I am much more familiar with C-Bodies, so I wasn't sure if there were any specific points of interest.

Thanks!
77newyorker440

@Moseman

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I could be interested.
Priced always high as with any Mopar these days.
It is a B body
Easier to work on than a C body.

 

[CBODY67]

The Cordoba and Charger SE of the same year are "cousins". Same body with some differences in grille, tail lights, etc. The Charger SE had standard vinyl buckets whereas the Cordoba had leather buckets and console. Cordoba had trunk carpet and the Charger SE had a vinyl mat. Even if the two cars were optioned the same, with the options on the Charger SE matching what was standard on the Cordoba, which few I saw were, they would both be nice cars.

On Cordobas, the orientation was toward luxury as the Charger SE was about "performance" (or trying to bank on the prior performance of earlier Chargers). Both could be optioned with the 360HO or 400HO engines, which both had true dual exhausts and no cat converters from the factory. The 400 2bbl was standard in the Cordobas, but the 360 2bbl and 318 2bbl were no-cost options. Tach and gauges were optional in both cars, too. Bucket seat/console cars had the SlapStik shifter from the prior year Chargers. All of the Cordobas had rear sway bars, to go along with the standard radial tires.

Both were on the B-body platform, but with a different VIN letter to designate them as different.

1975 was the first year for lockuo-torque converters, which locked-up at 27mph. Later years, that speed was raised to more like 53mph.

In TorqueFlites, it's normal for a slightly harsh engagement of "R" when coming from "P", anyway. With the lockup converters, they are locked up in "P", so they have to unlock when the transmission goes into "R" from "P", which can make that shift seem harsher. A friend had a new '76 Charger SE 360 that got a Chrysler reman TF under warranty for that issue. After several thousand miles, the reman unit started doing the same thing. Just a part of "the breed", it appears.

In looking around on the Internet, there are some very high-priced Cordobas out there, but usually they are the "museum pieces" with very low miles and still look new. To me, they are NOT the typical Cordoba.

Personally, as I wanted a 400HO Cordoba back then, settling to keep my '70 DH43N car, I'm not so sure they are easier to work on, UNLESS it's a 318 or 360 (with respect to spark plug changes).

1976 was the first year for a tilt steering column in any B-body, so none in 1975 model B-body cars. Still, they were nice cars. Quiet and smooth, but still with Chrysler ride/handling traits of the time. Good factory stereos, too.

There are a few price valuation places on the web, including at the Hagerty Insurance's website.

Good luck with the sale,
CBODY67

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I'm not so sure they are easier to work on, UNLESS it's a 318 or 360 (with respect to spark plug changes

Parts availability makes them easier to do work to I should have said.
No air temp II, no unobtainable wiper shear bushing, ball joints are cheap and readily available. The lean burns were on the 400, that is easily eliminated, with a quicky file on the metering rods the lean is gone.
Plugs and even headers is not bad on a BB car.

 

[CBODY67]

Parts availability makes them easier to do work to I should have said.
No air temp II, no unobtainable wiper shear bushing, ball joints are cheap and readily available. The lean burns were on the 400, that is easily eliminated, with a quicky file on the metering rods the lean is gone.
Plugs and even headers is not bad on a BB car.

Thanks for the clarification. I recall that the plugs' accessibility is tighter on a B-body due to the narrower distances between the wheel wells. The rear plugs needed to be done from underneath, as it appeared back then, compared to C-body B/RB cars . . . from the way I looked at it back then.

I was thinking that ELB didn't start until 1976, mid-year, on normal 400 4bbls and 440s? Then expanded to LA motors later on. To me, that's a "minor deal" compared to ATC I or ATC II.

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[57fury440]

Pictures?

 

[volaredon]

I had a 75 cordoba and a 76 charger SE as my 1st 2 cars.
Now have b body 78 fury.
All you said above is right except that lockup converters didn't start until 1978.
My 78 is a very early production (9-77) and still has non lockup version with the drain plug even. No lockup converter ever came with a drain plug.
I have it "written" somewhere that this was so, possibly in one of my old factory service manuals or an old service bulletin. Would have to do some digging.

Also right, on when lean burn started.
May have been some released early, for test marketing or some such reason

 

[CBODY67]

For clarification, I looked at www.hamtramck-historical.com . The 1977 Dealer Order Guide stated that Electronic Spark Control (aka ELB) use had been expanded for 1977. Which would mean it was around in 1976, but not for initial production. Just on 400 and 440 normal V-8s in 1976, as I recall. 1977 ELB was available on HD LA and B/RB engines, plus the normal V-8s.

1977 also got "low-slip" torque converters, but 1978 was the first year for "lock-up" torque converters. LU converters never were on any factory Trailer Towing Package vehicles.

CBODY67

 

[Moseman]

@Moseman

Actually, I am thinning the herd somewhat. I have 3 Dobas at Unique in Mankato for sale. Good cars, but I need some room. I am keeping the show cars and the one that will get the 512 motor.

 

[fury fan]

... lockuo-torque converters, which locked-up at 27mph. Later years, that speed was raised to more like 53mph.

I believe you mean 35mph. Dad's '80 Diplomat hit lockup at 35, no matter what the driving conditions were. Trying to get a small trailer up to highway speed at 80% throttle? Here, let me help you by further reducing the performance of a 120hp 318 fighting thru 2.24 axle gears.

For clarification, I looked at www.hamtramck-historical.com . The 1977 Dealer Order Guide stated that Electronic Spark Control (aka ELB) use had been expanded for 1977. Which would mean it was around in 1976, but not for initial production. Just on 400 and 440 normal V-8s in 1976, as I recall. 1977 ELB was available on HD LA and B/RB engines, plus the normal V-8s.

1977 also got "low-slip" torque converters, but 1978 was the first year for "lock-up" torque converters. LU converters never were on any factory Trailer Towing Package vehicles.

CBODY67

I don't see if the OP specified, but LU would only be for smallblock engines (essentially).
They did do some bigblock LU transmissions, but my understanding is that they were quickly warrantied out for non-LU units and removed from regular production.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I believe you mean 35mph. Dad's '80 Diplomat hit lockup at 35, no matter what the driving conditions were. Trying to get a small trailer up to highway speed at 80% throttle? Here, let me help you by further reducing the performance of a 120hp 318 fighting thru 2.24 axle gears

Haha
My '76 Cordoba had 2.45 and low slip, or low stall to the rest of the world. It got better mpg at 65-70 mph than 55 mph.
My parents had a '82 new Yorker with a 999 lock up, another 80mph car in a 55 mph era.

 

[CBODY67]

LUs were on LA and B/RB motors. They were NOT on anything HD or HP.

The local Chrysler tech, when I asked him about the LU situation, said "27mph" which I verified in the literature. That was on a Cordoba, I believe, with a 400 in it. "The converter locks up, the engine gets quieter", he added. My '80 Newport 360 2bbl locks up at 53mph, thereby avoiding many issues as to road speed and "skips" at certain speeds which can't be removed by tune-ups and such.

An observed issue with the LU converters relates to the necessary heat treat on the splines in the converter snout. IF they are not hard enough, they will fail at some time in the future, especially on reman converters. Best to delete the LU feature, at rebuild time, on that account as it can leave you stranded when that happens.

My '80 Newport 360 2bbl is the ONLY year they put a 318-size BBD 2bbl on a 360. Which is why the carb base pad matches a 318. Which also explains why the 360 had less rated horsepower than a 318, that year. Chrysler was probably scabbing to save money and meet emissions at the same time.

After that first model year, I suspect that Chrysler changed their LU speeds for particular vehicles and powertrain combinations.

Enjoy!
CBODY67