So not unlike many restoration projects I’ve worked on, something often pops up that makes you have to set some part of the work aside and tackle some unexpected. That’s about the same with writing as frequently as I do, multiple articles all nicely lined up and a couple fillers nearly ready to go. Then BAM!!! Up pops a car show or a I read something I want to react too. As it is with this piece.
I wish I could just write all day, every day, but I have a “paying” IT job which is a 7 days a week job and manage to squeeze out all the normal life stuff including ‘honey do’ list as long as I am tall.
So while tackling one of those tasks this past weekend, I happened upon a small cluster of cars at end of the a very large parking lot that normally adjacent to a COSTCO. At first glance it looked like a group of a flock of Chrysler Lebarons. But I was wrong, well sort of.
These cars are the offspring of a collaboration between Chrysler and Maserati. I wrote a piece a while back on the Maserati/Chrysler TC (http://wp.me/p2YxYx-14x). Check that out.
Mindful that I have frozen seafood and burgers sitting in back of my wife’s Lexus (it has a bit more cargo room than my C6), I planned on just saying hi a grabbing a couple of shots, but you know how car people are!!!
I asked if I could take a few shots with my Android phone and a couple of the guys said sure. Then a guy approached me and I said “Hi.” I told him I had thought it was a local LeBaron club when I first saw the cars. Well the gentleman was Mr. Hemi Anderson, TC America Tech expert in all things TC. Hemi let me know that although they were similar in appearance the underpinnings were different – different wheel base and all. He assured me that the TC was the original design and that Chrysler came up with the Lebaron as cheap alternative. His TC had about 11K miles and he drives it only on long drives – like this one (he hales from just outside of Vegas) or his annual Florida drive. He was a wealth of knowledge and I wished I didn’t have a car full of groceries to get home or I could have spend a few hours going over every car with him.
Here’s a few shots:
Those Wheels are similar to the ‘plastic hub caps” that are on my son’s Lebaron.
There were a total of 8 cars and waiting for more to show up.
I do like the wheels…I think they’d look good on my son’s Lebaron.
Removable Hardtop with ‘Opera’ window.
You can find this car club at http://www.chryslertcbymaseraticlub.com/.
Thanks for reading
Tim
It’s more than likely a head gasket if it’s adjacent cylinders. Not a difficult job to do yourself, but expensive for a shop to do. Headbolts will need to be replaced as they are torque to yield (stretch bolts).
Try contact Forward Motion for replacement parts
http://www.forwardmotioninc.com/
I have a 1989 TC 4 cylinder that just lost compression in 2 cylinders
not sure what to do
It’s more than likely a head gasket if it’s adjacent cylinders. Not a difficult job to do yourself, but expensive for a shop to do. Headbolts will need to be replaced as they are torque to yield (stretch bolts).
Try contact Forward Motion for replacement parts
http://www.forwardmotioninc.com/
I’m in need of any information or discussions about problems and solution of the TC abs system.
Also I have a Color photo poster of a white TC, that was hanging in ghe dealer show room when I purchased my TC.The photo is 45″W31″H. It was given to me by the dealerafter they sold their last TC. Anyone interested can text or call me at 805-8685582 I can send you a photo.
Hello I am trying to find some rear calipers for an 89
tc
Hi,
I recently got a 1989 Maserati TC, and I have to admit that I absolutely love this car! Can’t quite explain it, but the car, for whatever reason, just seems to put me in a really good mood daily …
As such, I was thinking about asking Drew Barrymore out for a cup of coffee, some good conversation, and a few laughs…
I’m just wondering, out loud, does anyone out there, by any chance, know if Drew knows much about brake, or electrical systems?
Hope that she likes coffee …
Thanks!
-Otto Pedersen
I have an 89 TC for sale needs work
Hi Bob, If you want to send some pic I can post them up on the blog and facebook page. Tim agcarrestoration@cox.net
You should have called me; I would have drove down to see this show!
The TC failed because it looked like a LeBaron. it was intended the other way around, but the TC was two years late to market. You could also argue that the LeBaron was actually a better looking car.
While I do agree with you about the look of the LeBaron – it is longer and that makes it looks like a nicely balanced car. I think they should have used the wheels from the TC on the LeBaron.
As to your comment about it being to market two years late. I think that happened at least one other time in Mother Mopar’s history. And that was with the pony car race. I have a quick article coming up on that.