I have owned a few Volare's and Aspens, always loved the grill and look of the 76-79 cars, the 1980 grill not so much. One thing to be careful of, and you are probably aware already, the gas filler location is a notorious "puker" so be careful putting gas in around that beautiful paint, especially on a full fill.

I haven't done much but I did get my grill a bit further along.

The inserts are not attached yet, just in place and it will be painted black and then I will polish the leading edges.

I'd love to see a mock-up picture of it on the car!

OK, I was planning on that anyway.

Here is the grill surround on the car.

Had to make left, right and center bracket.

Ready to do the finish work and paint next.

Added the wheelwell trim and the front and rear glass trim, still waiting on upholstery but I did get my insurance set up and next weekday off I'll be getting my tag to drive it without worry.

Finally able to finish up my grill and install it, still waiting for the interior. But I have an cam swap in the near future anyway so that will be next.

Here are some pics.

WOW!! That grill looks GREAT!!

Man that grille looks sweet in there!

That grill looks great, love the look. I love the Volare and Aspen body style from 76-79 and have owned a few (hate the 1980 gill). This is a great looking build.

You are an artist and a fine craftsman.
A lot of work has been put into the subtle details.
A car that Chrysler should have designed.

The car looks great Henry. Very nice work.

Thanks guys, I'm on someone else's timeline with the interior but when it's done I'll post a good amount of pics of the finished car and its details.

Upholstery is done, picking it up this weekend and hopefully get the install complete.

Pics to follow next week but here is a shot the shop sent me. Fits the 70s/80s theme perfectly

Love the Groovy Interior, great job and will fit the car perfectly....

At about 98% done, it's time to let the "Story" be told!

1976 Volare Volatile

                You are looking at a pre-production 1976 Plymouth Volare “Volatile”.  Specifically built for the Mexican/Austrailian market, the Volatile was meant to be a performance and trim package similar to an R/T or Road Runner that we had here in the states.

Performance

The export market was not concerned with fuel mileage so they opted for a true upgrade from the American market’s small-block 360cid to the big-block 400 4 bbl with an estimated 265 hp, which was alot to have in the gasoline restricted mid-70s. This was mated to a 727 torqueflight transmission w/ a Hurst “Stick Shifter” and then to an 8-3/4” banjo rear axle, gear ratios in 3.55 through 3.91 were available while the 3.23 was standard.   Like its American cousins it had standard power front disk, rear drum brakes but was equipped with an oversize front anti-sway bar and optional rear anti-sway bar, tires were 15” polyglass radials mounted on unique cast alloy wheels.

Interior and Accessories

The appointments were typical of all models of that era, but this car had a padded headliner with an overhead consolette but industry new, retractable shoulder belts were omitted. The interior color combinations were special to this model, the front seats were buckets with a floor shift center console, the inserts were cloth in either bold plaids as this car has or bright stripes with solid colored vinyl surround and the same combination for the door panels. Power seats, tinted glass all the way around and power windows were optional but air conditioning was not, surely due to the oversized engine in a mid-size package. 

Exterior Details and Colors

Being an export only vehicle the U.S. DOT mandated crash-absorbing bumpers were not installed on this model so smaller more form fit units were stamped but to keep costs down they were not plated but painted the body color or a contrasting shade to the body or trim, as all trim was colored to match.   Like the American market versions, the two tone paint scheme was very similar but only came in a few of the high-impact colors of the day, dual sport mirrors were standard, the side markers were similar to the ‘71 Charger units, the rear glass and quarter windows had louvers as an option but they were all equipped with a revamped “Challenger” style fresh air hood and dual scoops, also available was a go-wing from the ’70 model year.

Heritage and the Present

This super rare Plymouth was found in Mexico modified into a “Hot Rod” by what we believe was the original owner,    (A Chrysler Corporate, Export Division Principle) titled in his name but never registered as we would here in the states.  Seems the 80’s custom tricks were abound as it had a hole cut through the hood for a velocity stack, headers, side-pipes, traction bars, lots of stickers, air shocks and of course big and little 14” aluminum slots, the color was green but different than the factory made it plus had the two tone painted over.

We rescued it and brought it back to its “Day-Two” condition with just a few modern updates and improvements as some of the original, unique parts are no longer to be found. The wheels are an interpretation of the missing originals and are so period correct, the colors are as close as possible to the original and the mechanicals all have been rebuilt to make a fun and a reliable driver, a Cheetah Shifter, Performance Cam, Ported Iron Heads, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake w/ Holley 750 carb and an aluminum Champion radiator are the upgrades

I hope this was an interesting story about a car that I think until now, nobody has heard of….

The 1976 Plymouth Volare “Volatile” 

               

interior, only missing floor mats and center console lid

2 more pics