Maybe some of each. I found this on line just now:
What kind of frame does a Chevy Astro van have?
by Russell Wood. The Chevrolet Astro van is an interesting vehicle because the front of the vehicle has a traditional body-on-frame design, but the frame stops short just after the rear transmission, leaving the rear suspension to hang on the chassis itself.
Yeah, it was my first car that I drove through highschool and work as a daily and I put A LOT of miles on it after putting in new tires and a battery. I also got it tuned up but nothing serious, quite the opposite as a money pit. I realize the Aspen will not be nearly as easy as the van though. I literally just put two bug bombs in the car, came back two days later and changed the battery and drove home and washed and did oil + replaced the tires.
Quote them the price of a new F150 to replace yours! âOhâŠI guess Iâd sell it for $50k.â I once sold a truck unintentionally that way, though, although it wasnât close to $50k. I told the guy I didnât want to sell it and he kept pestering me. I quoted a somewhat out of line price, and he started counting out $100 bills. Oh well. That truckâs long gone now!
Yeah and rodents and snakes and spiders etc.
I canât read all the replies so Iâll just add. My folks had a 78 Volaire, they bought brand new. On the first 1000 miles, the car used oil so bad they had to overhaul the engine. The air conditioner always leaked so never worked. On a trip the transmission went and had to be towed 80 miles in Montana and wait a couple days for a new one to be put in. There were other issues. After a year they traded at the Plymouth dealer and after the deal was done the tire had gone flat at the curb. It was possessed.
Iâm with @Tester: this is a car you wouldnât even want if it were working. Youâll have to spend a lot more money fixing it up than anyone would pay for it.
Iâm not quite as pessimistic although I would proceed cautiously.
Major rust is a deal killer. Here in OK road salt is not an issue but cars allowed to sit in underbrush for years can develop severe rust due to wet greenery.
If rust is not too bad then I would say drain the gas tank and note if any rust flakes come out of it. If so, a new tank and possibly other fuel system related components might need to be replaced; such as lines, fuel filter, fuel pump, or the carburetor.
No expert on these things but didnât Chrysler use the Lean Burn system on vehicles of that era?
Some years ago a long time bud of mine drug a 53 GMC truck out of a wheat field where it had sat for a quarter of a century. Had a 6 cylinder with a 4 inch crack in the block. He JB Welded the crack, fixed a few small things, and it became his daily driver. Fuel tank and carb were fine so either luck of the draw or there was a God looking down on him.
I had a quite different experience when I was using my 62 Caddy as a daily driver. People in town would come up to my wife in the supermarket or wherever and ask her âHow can you let your husband drive around in that horrible old car?â.
Iâve tried that technique. Just makes them more mad ⊠lol ⊠experience says I get less grief if I just say âsorry, not for saleâ. Last time I said that however, the guy complains âThen you should put a sign on the back : NOT FOR SALE!!!â. ⊠seems you canât win for losing sometimes⊠sigh âŠ
I got quite a chuckle, thanks. Reminds me a few years ago I parked my Corolla near the local bookstore, a normal spot, but in between two handicap spots. One of the handicap spots had a big car, Cadillac or something, and the driver was standing next to it eyeing my Corolla. I"m thinking âhey, this might be the first time anybody has asked me if my Corolla is for sale!â. But no, he says to me âWhatâs that ugly white stuff on the paint?â ⊠lol ⊠I explain that itâs wax, that Iâd just waxed the car & my waxing technique is to just leave it on for several weeks before wiping it off. Then he says to me "well, thatâs not how you are supposed to wax your car!! " ⊠lol âŠ
Iâve only seen that sign a few times. Generally on non functional vehicles parked in someoneâs yard. Similar sign stayed on an older Chevy truck in a widowâs yard for years in the town I grew up in. She eventually passed away, the truck is gone, and the house now looks pretty dilapidated. Sad story. Who knows the history. Seems like it wouldâve been better to let someone have it, but maybe it was her husbandâs or something.
I am starting to get that now with this crazy car market prices.
People definitely get attached to their old cars for sentimental reasons. I just finished watching James Bond âSkyfallâ, and at the end the bad guy has the nerve to blow up Bondâs beloved old car. Prior to his car getting blown up Bond was cool as a cucumber, but after his retribution attention increased dramatically. As you might expect, this didnât end well for the bad guy .
What should you do with this car?
Call one of those outfits that says they âbuy any carâ. Then go and buy yourself a 6 pack of cheap beer with the proceeds.
It looks like the car sunk into the ground. The easiest way to check for rust might be to pull back the carpets in the floor and see if anything is left. If you have a tractor with a loader attachment or a front loader you could lift up one end, put down plywood, the mount that end on stands. Repeat on the other end. Then you can inspect the underside directly. Take a big screw driver to poke at the undercarriage, and donât hold back. If you can poke the screw driver through the floor, you donât want the car.
North Carolina is east of the Mississippi, and thereâs plenty of rain everywhere in the state. Expect lots of rust.
I wouldnât waste another moment even thinking about that Aspen
On a more positive note, if you really want to restore a Vintage car âŠ
Obvious examples from that time period wpuld be Mustangs, Camaros, MGs and some Pickups but there may be others.
And BTW, I understand where youâre coming from because Iâd love to have a Sunbeam Tiger, Lous Europa, Jensen Healy or Avanti 2 but thereâs no way I could keep any of these on the road.
I think you can still get the mechanical parts, as the engine and trans were probably put into all sorts of Chrysler products. Would be hard to find trim pieces, interior bits, etc if a full restoration was the goal. But, I donât think youâd have much trouble getting parts to get it on the road.
Looks like Rockauto has quite a bit of mechanical parts for it.
New fuel tanks are available for 1977-1980 Aspen and Volare but not for 1976, there may be a change in the vapor lines that can be modified to fit.
I agree, engine, transmission and generic parts are still available which leaves the body and interior which are pretty important.
More broadly I ran across a M/T review of this car
Great Idea, Lousy Execution: The Story of the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volare
Some quotes âŠ
Problems began to spring up right away, some related to faulty design and others to bad build quality. Safety recalls included hoods that didnât latch properly, engines stalling on acceleration, seat belt tensioners failing to lock, fenders rusting with alacrity, suspension and brake components suffering from early fatigue, omitted muffler heat shields, and leaky fuel hoses.
And these, mind you, were just the recalls. F-body owners dealt with countless other ignominies, including (but by no means limited to) leaky trunks, broken motor mounts, rapidly-wearing suspension parts, seizing brake calipers, and electrical problems in quantities that would make an MG owner blanch. Even the reputedly indestructible Slant Six proved fallible when installed between the F-bodyâs rust-prone fenders.
Wow!
I had a 1977 Chrysler Lebaron coupe and a 1978 Dodge Aspen, I was not disappointed but I donât have high expectations for common used cars.
MotorTrend picks are a joke. Their picks are heavily tied to the company that advertised the most in their magazine. 1971 pick (Chevy Vega) was even worse. Then thereâs the Dodge Omni from 1978, 1981 K Cars, and how can we forget the 1983 Renault.
