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Power plus: US 1967 Dodge, Plymouth, AMC, Chrysler, and Imperial cars

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Power plus: US 1967 Dodge, Plymouth, AMC, Chrysler, and Imperial cars

1967 was one of the boom years of the muscle car era - so let's start with engines. Chrysler had a wide range, from the slant sixes with single barrel carburetors to that famed giant of muscledom, the 426 Hemi.

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The 1967 version of the base two-barrel 383 had a longer-duration cam and smaller carburetor venturies (1 1/8 inch) than the 1966 383, for better gas mileage and quicker low-end response at the cost of some wide-open-throttle power. This engine used regular gasoline and was essentially an economy engine for larger cars, with the torque needed to carry a big and fully loaded Plymouth, Dodge, or Chrysler up any hill the owner might encounter.

The 440 V8 was just one year old, but Chrysler changed its head casting to reduce intake and exhaust restrictions. A new version of the same engine, dubbed 440 TNT by Chrysler and 440 Magnum by Dodge, had a hotter cam, bigger four-barrel carburetor, lower-restriction exhaust manifolds, heads with bigger valves, and dual exhaust, with a double snorkel air cleaner. Cars with this engine had to have a heavy duty suspension.

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On the other end of the V8 engine scale was a new "LA" 318. It was loosely based on the 273 V8, using a similar "thin wall" casting, similar wedge-shaped heads, and hydraulic tappets (to avoid adjustments) - the first year a 318 had them. Horsepower was the same as in the old A-series 318 (230, gross), but the engine was much lighter.

Finally, the two slant six engines (170 and 225) had revised combustion chambers, and now shared a camshaft - the one formerly reserved for the 225 - adding 14 hp to the 170. The Torqueflite automatic transmission gained a new 3/2-part-throttle kickdown, so it didn't have to be floored for acceleration, making the powertrain more responsive.

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Altered low/reverse servos in the automatic transmission made shifting into reverse smoother; and all Chrysler Corp. cars had a two-channel braking system (one for front, one for rear), with a fluid pressure warning light, to avoid catastrophic brake system failures.

Here's the full range of engines for Plymouth (Dodge and Chrysler were similar, though Chrysler was limited to the larger ones):

170225273273 HP318383 383 HP426 440
Plymouth nameSlant sixCommandoCommandoHemiSuper Commando
Horsepower (gross)115145180235230270325425375
Peak hp (rpm)440040004200520044004400480050004800
Torque (lb-ft)155215260280340390425490480
Peak torque240024001600400024002800280040003200
Carb barrels11242442 x 44
Air cleanerQuietQuietQuietLoudQuietQuietDual snorkelLoudDual snorkel
FuelReg.Reg.Reg.PremiumReg.Reg.PremiumPremiumPremium

Valiant was sold with slant six or 273; Belvedere (including Road Runner, GTX) with 225, 273, 318, either 383, 426 Hemi, and 440; Fury with 225, 318, either 383 and 440; and Barracuda withi either 273 or 383 four-barrel. A special 440 with 350 hp and 430 lb-ft was available on Fury wagons, while the Barracuda 383 was rated at 280 hp, 400 lb-ft with peak torque at 2400 rpm (presumably due to air path restrictions). All horsepower ratings are gross - measured without any engine accessories. In 1972, the industry switched to net readings, dropping some ratings by 50 hp.

The base 170 slant six engine gained 14 hp, after sharing the 225's hotter cam; and the Torqueflite automatic transmission gained a new 1/3-pedal kickdown, so it didn't have to be floored for acceleration and felt much more energetic.

Line Diagram


All Chrysler Corporation cars had torsion-bar front suspensions and leaf-spring rear suspensions, with a hypoid rear axle, all tuned to put the power to the ground more effectively; the front suspensions, at the time, were generally seen as provided better handling than domestic competitors. The automatic transmission was a three-speed TorqueFlite in two forms - the base A-904 for smaller engines, and the A-727 for the rest. Most cars had a three-speed manual transmission at the entry level, with an optional four-speed manual; common options included air conditioning, AM and AM-FM radios, and passenger-side external mirrors.

Dodge: Dart, Coronet, 440, 500, Charger, Polara, Monaco

The 1967 Dart was reskinned since the year before; more strengthening members, with reinforced steel bows for the hardtop roof, made it more rigid. Optional wide tires forced a two inch increase in track for clearance, and the bodies were lowered, giving the Dart a sportier stance.

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The company was able to squeeze in a big 383 V8 for the Dart GTS, which provided a great deal of power for the lightweight car; but there was no room for air conditioning, and the handling suffered from the added weight. The Dart lost much of its character in the generational shift, but you can't argue with the numbers: production shot up from 225,800 in 1966 to 309,000 in 1967. (Though if you were really being fair, you'd have noticed that 1965 production had been 413,400, a number the Dart never reached again.)

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As an extended version of the Valiant, the Dart rode on an extended wheelbase, the largest of any compact in the industry - 111 inches, allowing for good legroom. Body styles included four door sedans, and two door hardtops as well as the two door convertible GT, which was given a glass backlight in 1967 to replace the troublesome plastic used in the past. (The GT was also given black headliner and a stamped steel roof frame that folded away). The wagon hadn't made it past 1966.

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The standard engine was the smallest slant six, with an optional 273 V8 in two and four barrel carburetor versions. The alternator was lightened, with better waterproofing on engine wiring. The Dart ran to 70 inches wide, with a 39 foot turning circle and a hefty 2,840 - 3,100 pounds of weight.

The "standard" Dodge was the Coronet - including the Coronet Deluxe, 440, 500, SE, and R/T. The only really new styling was in the grilles, deck trim, and fender-mounted turn signals. These cars were big in the taxi business - sometimes the best selling taxis - where they tended to have a 225 cid slant six for gas mileage. Optional engines included the 273 V8 (180 hp, gross), 318 (230 hp), 383 (270-325 hp), 440 (375 hp and only on R/T), and Hemi (425 hp).

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The R/T - named with permission of Road & Track magazine - had a false hood scoop and a unique grille along with a standard 440 Magnum engine and handling package. The SE was a four door upmarket sedan competing with the upmarket 500.

The Charger was essentially a Coronet with a restyled back end, in a move that would be repeated on the Duster. The Charger had debuted in 1966, but 1967 brought a much larger choice of engines, including the new 318, the 440 Magnum (TNT), and the Hemi. The Sure-Grip differential was standard with the four-speed manual.

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Front seats were given a center section so that, with armrests put away, it could carry five people, with optional no-cost split seats and short console; the rear seat folded flat for 7 feet of cargo. The dashboard boasted full instrumentation, and a huge number of performance options were available. Charger weighed in at around 3,630 pounds.

The big Dodges, Polara and Monaco, rode a 122 inch wheelbase, not much longer than the Coronet series' 117 inches, and not much shorter than the Chryslers' 124 inches. Length was 219-221 inches as with the similar Chrysler models. The bodies featured, depending on the model, convex, concave, and convex-to-concave side styling; the Polara and Monaco both grew six inches longer than in the previous year, but more of an attempt was made to differentiate the models. Every V8 engine in the Chrysler lineup was available for the Polara and Monaco; disc brakes were available across the board on these models, and were standard on wagons.

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The instrument panels on the Polara and Monaco were redesigned to cluster common controls together, and to eliminate projecting knobs for safety in a crash, replacing them with pushbuttons, toggle switches, thumb wheels, and slides. The instrument panel was recessed as well, and the dashboard painted with nonglare paint. Weatherstripping was improved by fastening the rubber to the doors with plastic fasteners going into predrilled holes, rather than having it hanging off the door frame. Flow-through ventilation was standard, with air changing four times a minute. Weight ran to around 4,000 - 4,500 pounds.

Organism


The Dodge A-100 Sportsman van continued with a 90 inch wheelbase and surprising interior space. These were surprisingly good sellers, challenging GM and Ford, but their replacements - the "B-vans" - were on the horizon.

AMC

The Jeep Universal, also known as CJ (or, for mail services, DJ) was available with 81 or 101 inch wheelbases, two or four wheel drive, and a choice of two engines; it continued mainly unchanged from prior years.

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Across AMC cars, new engines were introduced - a 290 V8 (brought out in mid-1966 for the Rambler American) with 200 hp, and a pair of 343 cubic inch V8s, with 235 and 280 hp, with the higher power version having a four-barrel Carter carb and higher compression; the 343 was a bored 290. Two straight-six engines were also offered, a 145 hp and a 155 hp 232, and the automatic transmission gained automatic altitude compensation. AMC cars also offered deep-dip rustproofing and ceramic coated exhaust systems for longer life.

Text Vehicle registration plate Font Auto part Logo


The Ambassador received new styling inside and out, with clean convex sides and an uncluttered appearance on the outside. The wheelbase increased two inches from the prior year, overall length 2.5 inches, for a total 118 inch wheelbase and 202.5 inch length; weight was 3,155 to 3,310 pounds, light for its class. Eight models were made, with major designations of 880, 990, and DPL. The old torque tube drive line was replaced by an open driveshaft and one-piece rear housing use coil springs and a four-link trailing-arm suspension, uncommon for American cars, and providing a softer ride and easier maintenance. The front suspension used coil springs mounted over the upper A-arm and a sway bar. Wagons gained a folding second seat and a spare tire, along with more room for third seat passengers and more locking storage space. The DPL featured plush upholstery and even had throw pillows.

As with the Chrysler vehicles, AMC refitted dashboards to be safer, with instruments in front of the driver, a padded panel top, and removal of protruding knobs and buttons; AMC had already added a brake warning light in 1962, but the collapsible steering column, four-way flashers, and automatic turn signal return were new.

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The Rambler series included three basic series: 220/440/Rogue, Marlin, and 550/770/SST. The 220/440/Rogue was similar to 1966, but six cylinder models got bigger brakes and better automatics; the 290 V8 was made optional, and a three speed manual replaced the four-speed manual as the standard transmission. AMC refreshed interiors and added safety features. This series had a 106 inch wheelbase and 181 inch length.

The Marlin moved to the Ambassador chassis, so Ambassador changes applied to the Marlin. The 550/770/SST, with a 114 inch wheelbase and 197-198 inch length, included a wagon version, and were all new for 1967, with a new body and rear suspension. This series gained the safety features mentioned earlier, as well as two inches more rear set leg room, two inches more shoulder room, and another 20 feet of cargo space for the wagon. Every Marlin and Ambassador had shoulder belt anchors, so dealers could install shoulder belts if desired; they had standard split bench front seats with separate adjustments. These cars also used the new open driveshaft and Ambassador-style rear suspension, unsually advanced by American car standards of the time.

Plymouth: Fury, Belvedere, GTX, Valiant, Barracuda

by Lanny Knutson. © Plymouth Bulletin. Reprinted by permission. Transcribed by David Hoffman.

The cute little heart with its arrow-tipped tail was everywhere in Plymouth's advertising that year. Done up in the Mod Art style in vogue at the time, it suggested that, cupid-like, Plymouth's heart was reaching out to win your own. If you were an owner of a competitive make - especially if that competitive make's name was Pontiac, holder of the third place in sales Plymouth coveted - Plymouth was out to win you over.

Text Font Love Heart Brand


For the first time in its 39-year history, Plymouth was offering four lines of cars, three of them completely redesigned. Plymouth, confident it could fulfill its advertising pledge, was all set to win.

Plymouth Fury

The flagship of the Plymouth line was due for its first restyle. After wresting styling leadership from General Motors in 1957, Chrysler had tried it again in 1962 but with nearly disastrous results. From then on Chrysler more or less conceded styling leadership and followed the General's lead.

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When Plymouth's updated full-sized car finally appeared in 1965, it bore the long straight lines and square corners that sold a lot of cars for General Motors in the early sixties. Ironically, at the same time, G.M. switched to a curvaceous flowing style. With the usual three-year lead time necessary in designing a car, Chrysler would have been unable to respond to the new style by 1967 even if it wanted to; but it was able to soften the lines introduced in 1965.

The Engle knife-edge running along the fender tops from front to rear was still there, but with a kickup over the rear wheels interrupting the straight line. The tops of the front fenders were slanted inward which, together with a similar indentation in the bumper, surrounded the headlamps. Headlamps remained vertically stacked, a style that was becoming outmoded; Pontiac had started doing it in 1963, but dropped it from the Grand Prix in 1967 and from the rest of the line in 1968. Ford also dropped the cue in 1968, while Plymouth and American Motors' Ambassador followed suit in 1969. (Scrounge pointed out that Cadillac had kept stacked headlights right into the 1968 models, except for the Eldorado.)

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At the rear, the flat trunk lid displayed an interesting "beak" at its center (or was it a vestigial boat-tail reminiscent of the speedsters of the Thirties?). On the VIP, Sport Fury, and Fury III, the rear panel was nearly filled with lights - three per side, with back-up lights in the middle segments. The section right under the beak contained aluminum trim that bore red reflective material when mounted on VIP and Sport Fury cars, and was plain when installed on Fury IIIs. The Fury I and II bore just two light segments per side.

The body sculpting of the previous two years was replaced by slab sides, broken up by larger wheel openings and a full-length indentation at bumper level, and no rear fender skirts; the wheel openings of the Sport Fury were outlined with bright moldings, and the VIP highligted them with a wide trim molding running from front bumper to rear. The only sheet metal to remain from 1965-66 was on the sedan and station wagon roofs.

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Fury III prototypes, shown on one brochure picture, bore an unchanged '65-66 roof. However, by production time, the triangular lines of the C-pillar became parallel. A new "Fast Top" became standard on the VIP and optional on the Sport Fury; with wide C-pillars and Barracuda-like rear side windows, it gave the appearance
of a fastback. Instead of meeting the rear deck with a crease, the Fast-Top joined it with a gentle curve.

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The four-door hardtop's roof was redesigned to surround the rear window, giving it a more luxurious appearance that was especially desirable for the upscale VIP. At the base of the rear windows of both the four-door hardtop and Fast-Top was a vent not unlike that found on the front cowl - the exit vent for the new Flow-Through ventilation system. Entering at the cowl, air would fully change four times a minute at 60 mph with no sensation of wind. Though ingenious, the system did not prove to be popular or useful. Owners of the high-end cars on which Flow-Through was installed tended to prefer air conditioning.

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The new driver-oriented dash used Safe/Flite instrumentation, lit by external floodlighting - an old concept refined to be more effective than inside-the-instrument
lighting. Toggle or roller switches lessened injury
to unbelted occupants; and both shoulder belts and head-rests were now optional. The standard crushable steering column
could be topped with Tilt-a-Scope steering, for both tilt and fore-and-aft
adjustability. Buyers could choose AM, FM-AM, and eight-track radios, with an optional rear speaker.

Diagram Line art


At the top end of the Fury engine lineup was a new 375 hp 440, replacing the 365 hp 440 that had just become available in the 1966 cars; the extra ten horses came from smoother passages and bigger valves in the heads. The change was meant for the new Belvedere GTX, but ended up in the Fury as well. The 440 engines installed in station wagons produced "only" 350 horsepower.

The new lightweight "LA" 318 engine was standard for all VIPs and Sport Furys, as well as Fury II and III hardtops and convertibles; other Furys got the 225 Slant Six unless their owners opted for a V8.

Belvedere and GTX

Not much change here except for three little letters...plus three numbers:
GTX 440. But that was enough!

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Since it had just been launched for 1966, the 1967 Belvedere had little more than trim changes. That would be true the next year; the only sheet metal variation for 1968 was on the trunk lid to match new tail-light lenses.

The remaining changes were limited to trim, such as an argent painted lower panel on the Satellites (in the same fashion as on the '66 Signet). The single headlamps of 1966 were exchanged for duals, with the high beams taking the place of the previous year's parking lights, which were moved down to the bumper.

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There were two new Belvederes, one each at the bottom and top of the
price scale. With the demise of its Valiant wagon, Plymouth attempted to
replace it with the Belvedere wagon.
They managed to get the price close to the most expensive
Valiant wagons, and it did outsell the prior Belvedere I wagon, but
it wasn't a compact. The Belvedere wagon was stopped after one year.

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But on to the three letters and numbers They were in reply to questions used by people like Hot Rod Magazine's Eric Dahlstrom: "How will you tell it's a hemi?" One possible problem with the Street Hemi, the most powerful engine to come out of Detroit in 1966, was that it was installed in cars that, except for discrete 'HEMI' badges, looked no different from those powered by 318s and slant sixes. "It pays to advertise," claimed Dahlstrom, and that's what Plymouth did for '67.

The two-door hardtop body was outfitted with fiberglass simulated
hood scoops and optional racing stripes, a blacked out grille, and a racing style pop open gas cap on the
rear fender. Inside was a 150 mph speedometer
and optional tachometer, unfortunately mounted out of the way on
the center console.

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Standard engine for the GTX was the 440. Chrysler prepared the engine for its first appearance in a mid-sized car by raising its horsepower rating from the 365 hp it produced for the 1966 full-sized cars to 375 via heads redesigned for bigger valves.

The optional engine was actually 14 cubic inches smaller but with its legendary Hemi heads, dual four-barrel carbs and slightly higher compression ratio, the 426 Hemi produced 50 more horsepower. It was also a bit less "streetable" and required more frequent (and more difficult) tune-ups, making the 440 a more practical choice. Hemis were installed in 125 GTXs, 14 in convertibles (10 with Torqueflite; 7 with four speed transmissions) and 108 in hardtops (48 Torqueflites; 60 four speeds).

Road testers had a field day determining which would win out: cubic inches or horsepower. Generally, they discovered that the Hemi would win on the quarter mile, but since the 440's 480 lb-ft of torque peaked at 3200 rpm and its 375 hp at 4800 rpm while the Hemi had to wait until it reached 4000 rpm for its 490 lb-ft of torque and 5000 rpm for its 425 hp, a race was often tight; and a well-driven, well-tuned 440 could beat a Hemi on any given race.

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The Hemi was available only in the GTX in 1967, unlike the previous year when it could theoretically be installed in any Belvedere (some sources claim that the Hemi was available across the Belvedere line in 1967 as it was in '66, and, in fact, one Hemi was actually factory installed in a 1966 Coronet four-door sedan, according to Mopar Action.)

A good number of 1966 buyers went for all-go-and-no-show, spending their hard earned cash on a Hemi engine in a stripped-down two-door sedan body. To get the same engine in 1967, the buyer had to pay for the fancy GTX body. This situation left many "little guys" out in the cold; so, while 1,510 Hemi-powered Belvederes were sold in 1966, only 125 were produced in 1967. The 440 took away some Hemi sales; the lack of a low-bucks body took the rest. This problem Plymouth would address with a vengeance in 1968. (Hint? "Beep-Beep!")

There was, in fact, one non-GTX Hemi-powered Plymouth available in 1967, but it was sold only to select drag racing teams, and included lightweight front end components and a higher output engine - designed strictly for off-street use.

Still, no matter what its engine, the GTX was a car, as Car Craft's
Dick Scritchfield wrote, "that can be driven to the strip and back home again...with
a trophy!"


Valiant: Mini Mercedes?

A "mini Mercedes" is what Plymouth product planners were calling it, according to Hot Rod's writers. The claim reveals something about the Valiant people's thinking as they designed the car. Unlike its sibling Dodge Dart, the Valiant had no sporty hardtops or convertibles for '67, those bodies having been moved to the new Barracuda line. Thus the Valiant was slated to be the corporate "formal" compact, a mini Mercedes, if you will.

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As a low line V -100, the Valiant looked like the economy vehicle compacts
were originally intended to be. But when decked out with vinyl roofs, rubber
edged bumper guards and bright trim on the window frames, wheel wells,
rocker panels and trunk lid as on the upscale Signet, it did take on the
aura of a junior luxury car.

"The new styling did not have a fast or powerful 'look,' but was graceful,"
said the late Plymouth historian Don Butler, "a combination of crisp beveled
edges, angular but gently-crowned planes, and subtle contour sculpting."
Hot Rod said it was "perform every angle."

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The divided grilles were separated by a filigreed Plymouth emblem, the
taillights followed the rear contours. wrapping up onto the fender tops,
and tile side windows featured the first use of curved glass on a compact.
Although its overall length was unchanged, Valiant's wheelbase was stretched
two inches to 108, and the body was widened by two inches - both the same as the Barracuda.

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The Valiant Signet, only a hardtop or convertible in 1966, was now a sedan only, with two or four doors. It did have optional bucket seats and a V8-and-four-on-the-floor option, but sportiness was supposed to be found in the Barracuda.

There was a Valiant 200, but technically it was a decor option for the
Valiant 100 with full-length bright body moldings, a interior between
the 100 and the Signet, and a greater choice of interior and paint colors. For the first time, no wagon version of the
Valiant was available. Plymouth, for one year, vainly attempted to replace
it with a stripped-down Belvedere wagon.

Engine choices remained: 170 and 225 Slant Sixes and 180 hp and 235
hp 273 V8s, the latter being the four barrel 273 Commando, likely a rare
option for the new "formal" compact.


Barracuda: On its Own...

Although last introduced (Nov. 25, more than two months after the other Plymouths' Sept. 19 introduction), Barracuda was hardly least. "Unquestionably the best-looking car in 1967," said Car and Driver. "One of the toughest looking cars this year," said Hot Rod's Eric Dahlquist, "probably the best composite of lines and curves ever issued from Chrysler...why in the world didn't they let these designers loose a lot of years ago?"

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The new Barracuda, the product of the design team of Plymouth Chief
Stylist Dick McAdam, represented Chrysler's first application of the flowing-curves
style introduced by General Motors in 1965. It was the perfect candidate
because, unlike the other Plymouth lines for '67, Barracuda didn't have
a sedan to compromise its sporty styling. The first generation Barracuda
was basically the opposite, a fastback roof grafted on a Valiant body.
After three seasons, Barracuda was on its own, the hardtop coupe and convertible
that had been Valiant's were moved over to the new Barracuda line.

The fastback, nevertheless, remained the flagship of the Barracuda line.
Indeed, the new Barracuda seemed purposely designed for the fastback style
and, in a reversal of 1964, the hardtop and convertible seemed afterthoughts.
With the three body styles, Barracuda matched Mustang, which had been marketing
hardtops, fastbacks, and convcrtibles since 1965. However, Plymouth decided
not to match Mustang's long-hood-short-deck dimensions that had also been
adopted by the new-for-'67 Cougar, Camaro and Firebird.

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For all its new good looks, the Barracuda suddenly seemcd a bit out of style. Barracuda still shared Valiant's chassis, cowl, and windshield, which not only dictated its fore-and-aft dimensions but also its height. A driver sat higher in a Barracuda than in its competitors, comfortably practical but not as sporty.

Ironically, Plymouth had championed the long-hood/short-deck
style on its 1960 Valiant and 1962 Plymouth. But after the sales disaster
of 1962, it was quickly abandoned, only to be pickcd up by Ford's Mustang
two years later. When Barracuda finally adopted the accepted sporty car
dimensions in 1970, its profile appeared similar to that of the '67 Camaro
while, in another irony, the new 1970 Camaro sported a fastback roof that
seemed to be a direct copy from the '67 Barracuda. Had the '67 Barracuda
had been designed in the long-hood, short-deck style, General Motors might
never have introduced its 1970 Camaro/Firebird for fear of accusations
of blatant plagiarism!

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Buyers, too, seemed to agree that the Barracuda was designed to be a
fastback. The Sports Fastback (as Plymouth officially called it) nearly
matched the sales of the Hardtop Coupe (also official nomenclature) and
convertible combined. Although welcome additions to the Barracuda line,
the latter two, with their high cowls and conventional hood and deck dimensions,
seemed to be more sporty compacts than sporty car competitors to Mustang,
et al. .

''If they'd only put a 383 in it,' the auto editors chorused when we
first saw the car," wrote Eric Dahlquist "'It would fit, too; the body's
two inches wider than in '66, but they probably won't. You know Chrysler.''

Text Line Parallel Font Plot


They didn't know Chrysler very well, Dahlquist had to confess, because "that's exactly what they went and did." The two extra inches provided just enough room for a 383 under the Barracuda's hood. Restrictive exhaust manifolding helped keep its horsepower down to 280, compared to its 325 hp counterpart in the bigger Plymouths. (The 325 hp version apparently did become available in the Barracuda later in the model year.) The big engine left room for neither air conditioning nor the power steering that would have been especially welcome in such a front-heavy car. And changing spark plugs on a hot engine was "almost suicidal" according to Dahlquist.

1967 Plymouth in Canada

The Canada-United States Auto Pact, which allowed fully built ears to cross
the border either way, duty free, was in its second full year by 1967.
The Belvedere line took advantage
of the pact, crossing into Canada. Full sized Chrysler cars were still built at the
Chrysler Canada Windsor plant and continued to show differences from their U.S. counterparts.

The most significant differences appeared under the hood of 318-powered
cars, which still used the old
A-type 318, though Allan reported that they had hydraulic lifters for the first time in this year. Also, all Furys except the Fury III three-seat wagon
could be ordered with slant six power, even the convertible.

Other uniquely Canadian Plymouths included a Fury I three-seat V8 wagon
(77 were built), a Fury II two-seat six cylinder wagon, and a Fury II two-door
hardtop (2,405 were sold).


1967 Plymouth Production: Better, but still fourth...

A shallow drop in the U.S. economy in led to a 13.9% drop in passenger
car production for thc calendar year. Chrysler fared slightly better than
most, dropping only 5.7%, increasing its share of industry production.
Plymouth managed to keep its dccrease to no more than 4.7% by cutting into
Ford, Chevrolet, and Rambler sales.

Yes, Plymouth did win a few over. But Pontiac was still in third place.

Chrysler cars: Newport, 300, and New Yorker

The Newport, 300, and New Yorker - Chrysler's three big cars - were restyled with concave curves on their sides, an unusual styling decision. They also had a new grille, as one would expect, and new tail lamps. The three Chryslers were all restyled to look "more different," though their shapes were all still similar enough to be identifiable as variations on a theme.

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The Newport Custom was added to the lineup, with more upmarket interior and exterior trim, in four-door sedan and two or four door hardtop models; it featured, among other changes, black paint inserts on the lower body molding and unique deck lid trim. The interiors had two-tone vinyl door panels, better fabric, and folding armrests.

A four door sedan with four windows replaced the six window New Yorker Town Sedan; the Newport four-door sedan was dropped. Inside, a 50/50 divided front seat with individually adjustable sides for driver and pasenger were available as an option; the passenger side seat back came with a headrest and could recline to 70°.

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1967 Chryslers gained several basic safety items, some of which had been optional but were now standard: a remote-control rear-view mirror (and a passenger side remote mirror on wagons), better front and rear seat belts, and seat belts for the third seat on applicable wagons. Primitive shoulder belts were optional; they folded into roof clips for storage, but had to be attached after the waist-belt was snapped in, and did not automatically adjust once they were in place (making it impossible to lean over and release the parking brake, or to root through the glove box). Bolts were placed in each car, so they could be retrofitted later. Center-seat belts were optional, but again the bolts were put into each car so they could be retrofitted.

Other safety features included a dual braking system with a warning light, inside rear-view mirror, four-way emergency flashers, and impact absorbing gearshift knob (which broke away if needed), collapsing steering column, and padded instrument panel.

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The 300 - using part of the name of Chrysler's previous high performance cars, without the special engines - gained an optional four-speed manual transmission with a heavy duty rear axle (not available on ragtops), though nearly all Chrysler buyers opted for the automatic. Disc brakes and 15 inch wheels were optional on all vehicles, standard on the Town & Country wagons.

The wheelbase on the Chryslers was 124 inches (wagons 122 inches). The overall length ranged from 219 to 223 inches, and width was 79 inches. Turning circle was a generous 43-44 feet, not surprisingly. Engines ranged from the 383 with 270 gross horsepower to the 440 TNT with 375 gross horsepower. All had an independent front torsion-bar suspension and leaf-spring rear suspension with solid axle. Weight ranged from 4,120 to 4,725 pounds (wagon heaviest). Gas tanks (except wagons) held 25 gallons - in today's prices about $70 a tank! (When this was written! Today, it's back down to around $50. When they were new, the price would be around $10, but people did earn less. The tanks were large for a reason: range. These cars were competitive in fuel economy, for the time: full-sized early-1960s Chryslers with the 361 two-barrel often won their class in the Mobil fuel-economy runs, according to Scrounge.)

In-depth looks at other years - including Dodge and Chrysler

Chrysler HeritageHistory by YearChrysler People and BiosCorporate Facts and History


 

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