Dodge Challenger 1978 - 1983
| Years Produced | 1978 - 1983 |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1.6-Liter l-4 |
| Horsepower | 77 hp @ 5200 rpm |
| Torque | 87 lb/ft @ 3000 rpm |
| 0-60 Mph | 14.9 sec |
| 1/4 Mile | 20.1 sec |
| Top Speed | 96 mph |
| Fuel Economy | Not Added Yet |
| Transmission | 5 speed manual,3 spe |
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Dodge Challenger 1978 - 1983
Overview
The Dodge Challenger is a car produced by American car maker Dodge. The name Challenger was used for three different generations of automobiles, but all of them were two door coupes. First generation and last were pony cars and the second generation was subcompact car.
The second generation of the Dodge Challenger was a subcompact car and was built from 1978 to 1983. The Challenger was a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupe, which was known outside US as Mitsubishi Sapporo/Scorpion.
The Dodge Challenger was identical to the Plymouth Sapporo. The Challenger emphasized spottiness, with bright colors and rape strips, while the Plymouth emphasized luxury, with more equipped trims.
Variants
Unlike its predecessor, the second generation of the Challenger had only four cylinder engines, both of Mitsubishi origin. The entry level Challenger featured a 1.6 liter straight four that developed 77 horse power @ 5200 rpm and a maximum torque of 87 lb/ft @ 3000 rpm. The engine was available with a 5 speed manual or a 3 speed automatic. The engine had decent fuel economy, returning 22.8 mpg / 21.7 mpg (manual / automatic) in combined cycle. This engine had a very short life, the 1.6 liter Challenger was sold for only two years, in 1978 and 1979.
Top of the line was the 2.6 liter straight four, which was abnormally large for a four cylinder engine; the big problems with large four cylinder engines are vibrations, but Mitsubishi developed the engine using balance shafts that helped to dampen this effect. The 2.6 liter had a top power output of 105 hp @ 5000 and a maximum torque of 139 lb/ft @ 2500 rpm. Like the other straight four, this engine was available with both the 3 speed manual and the five speed automatic. As for the fuel consumption, the 2.6 liter Challenger returned an average of 18.1 mpg / 16.5 mpg (manual / automatic). The 2.6 liter Challenger was sold trough out all its production life.
This engine received great reviews for both the low level of emissions without a great power loss, as well the smoothness gained by the addition of the balance shafts. The engine also had some problems, the most common being the warping and/or cracking of the cylinder heads due to heat, and fixing this problem was very expensive since the parts had to be shipped straight from Japan, and rebuilt heads were hard to come by during this time. Another problem with the Challengers, like many carbureted cars of this era, drivability often suffered with the stock carburetor, so an upgrade kit which included, among other things, larger carb jets which richened the air-to-fuel mixture.
The choice of the two small engines was Dodge's response to the petrol crisis. Comparing to the previous generation of the Challenger, that returned 8-10 miles to the gallon, the second generation Challenger was pretty economical.
Standard features included bucket seats, a tachometer, temperature and oil gauges, adjustable steering column, remote hood and deck release, electric rear window defroster, overhead console with clock and lights, tinted glass, locking gas cap, power brakes, power steering, dual horns, and four-speaker FM stereo with cassette player; leather seats, cruise control and mono roof were on the option list.. Overall the Challenger was a well-outfitted car.
In 1982 the Dodge Challenger & the Plymouth Sapporo received an update, which included: concealed drip moldings around the windshield to reduce noise, double toe board with sound absorbing fabric, deeper trunk with redesigned and relocated fuel tank. Under the body, the suspensions got new rubber isolators to improve ride and noise.
Additional Information
The Dodge Challenger was sold in about 77,000 units, with 12 to 14,000 being sold each year.
The Dodge Challenger got a recall of about 15.000 units over the the possibility of engine compartment fuel leakage due to an inadequate staking operation that may allow fuel to leak by the fuel pump diaphragm and discharge from the pump body through the pump breather hole.
In 1983 the Challenger was discontinued, making way to Mitsubishi products that entered the US market in 1982. The Dodge Challenger didn't had a direct substitute, but the Mitsubishi/Dodge joint produced some other affordable performance car like the Eagle Talon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Plymouth Laser that had turbocharged engines and All Wheel Drive Systems.