Grille Frame - 1985 Lebaron

[82Lebaronconv]

I'm looking for a new grille frame for my '85 Lebaron Mark Cross convertible - NOS or mint used. Chrysler Part Number is 4074586. This is the heavy die cast piece. I want to replace the original on my car as it is pitted. I think 1982, 1983 and 1984 will work as well. Any leads will be appreciated. I've already checked with a number of Chrysler Parts vendors, but no one has this part in stock.

[Pete in NH]

Hi,
You might try pluging the part number into partsvoice.com and see what comes up.

Good luck.

[88 aries]

85 had a different grill pattern compared to the 82-84, id look for a 85 if your going to concour's

[82Lebaronconv]

I know that the '85 had a different grille insert than the '82-84 Lebarons. My grille insert is fine - the part I am looking for is the outer die cast piece called the grille frame. I think that this part is the same for '82 thru '85. In '86, the Lebaron K was extensively restyled and grille was given a more rounded appearance. I really don't like the '86 Lebarons that much, especially the front bumper. It just doesn't seem to blend well with the rest of the car. I like the '84 and '85 models the best.

[nszotovich]

You are correct, the 82-85 grill frame is the same part. They do come up on ebay from time to time, so keep checking. Good luck!

[marty mopar]

OK here's the deal on the frille frames


4103708 1982-83 I have these

4074586 1985 don't have

4318501 1982-84
same as: 4103708 (1982-83) and 4270572 have these



4334613 1986-88 have these

[82Lebaronconv]

Marty. Thanks. I'll check these part numbers on your website. I also own a 1982 LeBaron and I can't see any difference between the grille frames. They look absolutely identical. My guess is that Chrysler just changed the part number at some point.

I had no luck trying to find this part at salvage yards on the internet. I did go onto car-part.com and got several hits under the 1985 part number, but none of the yards I contacted actually had the part. It seems that most salvage yards do not keep their inventory up to date on their computers. The same thing happened to me a few years ago when I was looking for a rear bumper reinforcement bar and cover for my '82 and came up empty even though computer searches on a number of salvage yard websites turned up hits under the part numbers. One yard I spoke to admitted that they frequently throw out parts for older cars that have been hanging around too long and usually do not bother to delete them from their online inventory listing. From people I've met who are familiar with the used auto parts industry, I have learned that yards make most of their money supplying parts for late model cars - cars no more than 10-15 years old. Vintage stuff tends not to sell very quickly, and having a lot of slow moving vintage inventory around is considered a nuisance and a cash drain. There is not enough money in the older car parts to begin with and it costs the yard money to keep inventory on their shelves. So stuff that doesn't move quickly gets tossed. There are a few yards that do specialize in vintage cars, but most of them are focused on earlier automotive eras - like 60's muscle cars or cars of the 30's, 40's and 50's. 1980's K cars and other vehicles from this era don't have enough collector interest for them to want to keep parts in stock. I've really only found three reliable online sources of K car parts:

Arizona Parts (Marty Mopar) - www.arizonaparts.com
Brad's NOS Parts - www.bradsnosparts.com
Deception Pass Motor Parts (Len Dawson) - www.dpmotorpars.com

Of the three, I always start with Arizona Parts as I have bought the most from him in the past. Brad's does have a lot of NOS K car parts in stock, and I've bought a few items from him that Arizona Parts didn't have, but his prices are very high. I haven't bought anything from Deception Pass yet, but they do appear to have a lot of inventory for K cars - all NOS, and they came highly recommended on the WPC club website. If you need a number of items for your restoration, maybe the best bet is to snag a good parts car if you can. A 1980's car in salvage condition probably won't sell for much more than scrap value (typically about $300 in my area) and this is easily less than a large parts order from an online vendor, especially with the cost of shipping.

[nszotovich]

Thanks for your insight.

[82Lebaronconv]

Well, I finally discovered that the 1985 Chrysler LeBaron grille frame is actually slighly different from the one that was used in 1982-1984. The 1985 frame is thicker above the top part of the opening for the grill insert by about half an inch. So I'm still looking for this part and haven't had any luck. I've contacted every parts vendor and salvage yard I can think of. Part No. is 4074586. I'll take NOS or very good used, so if anyone is at a salvage yard and spots a 1985 LeBaron with a good grille, I'm interested. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[K-CAR_WAGON]

This yard in Pa. has 2 1985 Chrysler Lebaron's listed in his inventory (but it might be out of date). Unfortunately, they will not remove/ship parts from the U-pull it junkyard area or give you information about the condition of cars / parts in the U-pull it sections. I probably will not be going there until next Spring.

http://www.wegotused.com/?page_id=104&c ... ame=harrys