Elvis’ Last Sandwich: 1977 Dodge Aspen

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The other day, we featured a Porsche 911 that clearly resided in the care of an owner with a unique personality. Well, that’s just the way the world is – everybody’s different, and we all have to accept the weirdness and the many forms it takes. Although the seller of this sharp 1977 Dodge Aspen wagon is a little clearer in his description here on eBay, he still throws out a curveball by repeating the phrase, “Elvis last sandwich.” 

A quick Google search doesn’t reveal any historical context for this utterance, but there is a reference to Elvis’ favorite sandwich, which consisted of peanut butter, bananas and bacon. An argument could be made that the colors of this Aspen closely resemble those of a PB-and-B-and-B sandwich, but I’m not sure if that’s the seller’s intent. Regardless, this Aspen looks like quite a nice survivor with the only alteration being the lowered suspension.

The venerable 318 V8 is said to run smoothly and is paired to an automatic transmission. The Aspen still has functional A/C and was equipped with power brakes from the factory, but most everything else is manually controlled. It retains its original paint job and is said to be free from any major corrosion. With under 80,000 miles from new, this Aspen has enjoyed a fairly quiet life and appears to be a lifelong California car, now residing in Sacramento.

With plenty of room for the kids and their gear, this groovy Aspen wagon could be a fine alternative to a Hyundai  that has a car payment attached. With a fully carpeted cargo area, there’s endless space to stick rowdy children or haul back the day’s latest junkyard finds. The bidding has reached over $2,000 but the reserve remains unmet. What do you make of the asking price and the reference to “Elvis last sandwich”?

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Comments

  1. Jeffro

    Elvis has left the building!

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  2. leiniedude leiniedudeMember

    Yes, Elvis has left the building. Sorry. Rolling Temple of opportunities. Well, maybe for some. I’d just raise it back to stock height and enjoy. Beat me Jeffro! By that much!

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    • Jeffro

      But I did beat you. Victory is mine!

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      • leiniedude leiniedudeMember

        In my best Arnold Schwartzenager voice, I’ll be Bach. J.S. I Enjoy your comments, keep them coming. Great fun!

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  3. Larry McNaughton

    The only possible connection I can see besides the colour of the car is that Elvis passed away in 1977.

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    • Scot Douglas

      Well, that, and they’re both overweight. ;)

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      • Cory

        These are light cars…Very light !

        3,500 pound wagon !!!

        This is why with the 318 2 barrel I got mine to run mid 15’s in the 1/4 mile ! Totally non modified just a different carburetor, albeit still a small 2 barrel !

        I replaced the smogger power robbing factory 2bbl with one I had from a 68 Dodge Coronet and the car woke up even with 2.45 :1 rear axle ratio !!

        With a 3.21 gear ratio, duel exhaust it would run high 14’s easily, add a 4 barrel low 14’s easily ..

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  4. edh

    I’ll admit lowering this turd has dramatically improved it’s appeal to me.

    Like 1
  5. KevinW

    Probably did a poor man’s lowering job with too many coils cut in the front, resulting in a harsh ride. I speak from experience, haha!

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    • Cory

      NO COILS !!

      Torsion bar suspension, all you do is turn the bolt a few times to either raise or lower the front of the car..Yes,5 minutes is all it takes..

      This is why so many Mopar’s are sitting too high in the front, the idiots don’t know how to set them and jack the front up, thinking oh..oh..thats how it was, is etc…

      I bet it handles like its on rails,ride probably isn’t that harsh,but should adjust the torsion bars so it sits about 1/2 inch higher in front,and lowering blocks in the rear,easily fixed by air shocks just pump them up a little..if it does ride harsh..

      Like 0
    • Skloon

      I think these had torsion bars in the front

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      • Ed P

        Transverse torsion bars to be exact.

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  6. Ralph Terhune

    These cars didn’t utilize coil springs in the front. They had a torsion bar suspension.

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  7. leiniedude leiniedudeMember

    From the Ebay ad. I lowered the car 3”, by adding lowering blocks back, and adjusting the torsion bars front. Nothing has been modified or damaged. It could be made back to stock height within one hour.

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  8. Joe Haska

    Like this car! Your Elvis explanation sounds right, I don’t know. Lowering these early MoPars as pointed out is a piece of cake, and I think a big improvement, next a set of trick wheels, and off to the grocery store

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  9. Tonyf

    The seller says car has a/c, I don’t see a compressor and the controls on the dash have no a/c designation. Maybe 55 on the hwy with the windows open ?

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    • Ed P

      I was wondering the same thing. Maybe 4-60 a/c?

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  10. Bob S

    These were really bad cars. Lousy electrical, terrible emissions. They didn’t run well new. Early and Mid 70’s Valiants were good though.

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    • Cory

      If they had ther lean burn ,spark control COMPUTER can be seen as it is mounted to the air cleaner,then some did run rough,no power and agree with you..

      BUT….

      This one doesn’t have it,so it has performance and runs smooth and reliable,quicker starts,better gas mileage and NO emissions on it..

      All you do is get a vacuum advanced distributor,Mopar Orange Box ecu (works the best) and MUST change the Carburetor,a non smog era 2bbl from a 318 would work and the car will wake up and have POWER,it will jump off the line and perform really well the 318 wakes right up the 360 wakes up better !! And if its a 4barrel enjoy tire burning starts !! This is even with the era’s 2.45 axle ratio !!! Even some had 2.21 axle ratio’s..Add a 3.21 and hang on !

      As for electrical,all the dozens upon dozens of Mopar’s of this era I have owned had no electrical problems ! 2 had the wire from the battery to firewall that needed a change after 30 years and 1 needed a wire from the starter to the firewall changed..the rest works fine.Dad owned these new without problems..So,1970’s,80’s,90’s00’s,teens I have been around Mopar’s 60’s and 70’s cars ..Yes own new LX Hemi cars too !

      Like 0
      • grant

        That’s a lot of exclamation points.

        Like 0
  11. Mitch

    My ’77 Volare Premier wagon was one of the best cars I ever owned, & performed quite well with the 318. This car doesn’t have A/C, I have no idea what the seller means by it having it.

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  12. Mark

    I grew up near Sacramento. We had a similar family wagon, complete with fake woodgrain. I can still smell the vinyl upholstery. This reminds me of the fashion back then- everyone wanted their hair “feathered” like Farrah Fawcett- even the guys. Hang a macrame dream catcher from the rear view and cruise to the lake!

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  13. scottymac

    Air Force put me in West Germany 1978-80. Our unit was assigned a Volare wagon with the 225 two barrel slant six with Canadian emissions (less restrictive than the States). I was told (heh, heh) it would do 100mph+ on the autobahn. My only other Mopar experience was a rusted out ’64 Valiant station wagon I bought for $75 when I was stationed in Grand Forks, N.D. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t do 100mph!

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  14. Rustytech RustytechMember

    Needs wood grain on it. Too much tan! I found these to be very dependable, the new style torsion bars were somewhat more complicated but performed well. The problem with these was they rusted overnight, ( at least in the snow belt ) it rare to see a rust free example today. Great find!

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  15. Jubjub

    I like this. So suburbia in the ’80s.

    We had a Volaré wagon that my older siblings really beat the snot out of and it survived and still served well. One brother likened his driving to Jim Rockford or The Bandit. It had that same caramel interior and I remember some multi tone fade in the cargo area.

    Remember going to the junkyard with my brother to rob the bits off of a Duster to do the Lean Burn delete.

    Like 0
  16. Moparman MoparmannMember

    Add a set of Magnums, restore to stock height, and I’d be good to go! :-)

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  17. Car Guy

    A set of the factory police car wheels and hubcaps would give it a meaner look. A different color would help too.

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  18. irocrob

    I had a 2 door 1978 aspen and it was great car. 318 auto green on green. I even dragged cars home to Canada with that beast. A good reliable car but salt took its toll.

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  19. tirefriar

    Slammed with factory stock body side moldings and wheel covers, this car just makes me laugh. I would probably laugh even harder if I saw it pull up at the stop light next to me

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    • tirefriar

      Well, I guess I pressed the post comment button a tad too quickly. I want to add that being lowered but with completely stock look and plain vanilla one at that reminds me of something I see hoarders drive, low cars overloaded with junk…

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  20. steve m

    We had this car new….well 1 year old, dad bought it off my uncle. Same color and all, except I think ours had the slant 6

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  21. chad

    had the ’64 dart wagon during the early ’70s. 170 idled so good a glass of water on the hood showed no ripples. Fella in town specialized in these vehicles in sales/maintenance. When the body started disappearin I pop riveted the tin roof off the collapsed chicken coop on it to pass inspection. A great ‘college car’ till on a run a few mi north to Burlington, VT. Saw a ’66 wagon w/PA plates’n a ‘cherry’ body on it @ a garage (4Sale sign in window, nother 170).
    Next time by – stopped in & bought it.
    Drivin back the 100 mi of interstate I heard an ugly ‘bang’ & lookin in the rearview saw 2 lanesa cars behind, dodging the starter & pieces’a block. Put the ’64 in the ’66 & drove it around all the outside (perimeter) states in the US loaded down w/my cast iron pots’n pans, skis, text books, etc. Goin up Tioga Pass got er into 2 gear, downta 20 mph justa crawl up.. Now an east coast kid, hadda pull over’n peak. Twisted this Right Coaster’s mind. Parked in the turn out, crossed the road & peared down 3 thousand feet to the bottom! Seemed like a god had poured a bucket’a hot pitch outta da sky, dribbled it on that mountain to make a road.

    After a yr. of travel & 9 mo wrk in Cal, I returned – to grad school, now it wuz WV. When it lost power there (over 300K ticked over) I gave it away for an ‘80s ventura hatch w/a 350. A lill different car.

    School all done & came up to MA & drove cab for a guy w/a fleet of…
    You guessed it – votaries & aspens (nxt generation after the dart). All wagons too. Couldn’t get away frm em!

    Some likeum, some don’t…

    Kinda ‘falcon motor guy’ now. Over 30 yrs bronk owner. Nother 170 but a straight 6. Not a slant. But Boys! That 300 / 4.9! mmm…
    “the gasser thassa diesel”…

    Like 0
  22. HeadMaster1

    Chad, you went to grad school? I can’t even understand your writing, wth?

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  23. Martin Sparkes

    The spare tire lives under the floor cover in the back. If you were 18 and your mom had that car, you could remove the spare and hide two cases of beer in the space.

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  24. HeadMaster1

    If you’re in a warm climate, remove the doors and cut the roof off, get yourself a white suit and a “little person” to drive you around

    Like 0

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