I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

fintail

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a an all time classic and John Hughes at the top of his game.

This one is indeed The 'Burbs. Maybe one that a person is either into or not, but it has always been on my list. So many funny slapstick scenes and good lines.

Speaking of scary 80s movies, this one isn't meant to be difficult, just an amazing atmospheric shot that should please period GM fans:

tjc78

That wagon took a beating especially in II.

fintail

Funny thing, in II, the wagon morphs into one a few years older:

Michaell

tjc78 said:

C’mon guys ... it’s the ‘Burbs! Back when Hanks did stupid humor movies!

Sorry, never saw it.

I'll admit an unhealthy fondness for Bachelor Party, however.

How he morphed from that and Bosom Buddies to a multiple Oscar winning actor is simply amazing.

fintail

Speaking of Tom Hanks, this is another classic - I Gotta Be Me!

tjc78

Yes it is amazing to see his older work and then watch Gump or Private Ryan

Money Pit is just hysterical. Funny story from a few years back. We were in a big meeting about timelines for a slew of upcoming projects. One of the guys says “two weeks”, for one milestone which was completely unobtainable. Someone else blurts out, who are you the contractor from the Money Pit? Most of the room got it cracked up.

andre1969

I never saw "Joe versus the Volcano", but I do seem to recall some 80's movie that involved an over-the-top car chase between a Diplomat or Gran Fury, and a '75 or '76 Catalina. IIRC, it had something to do about a cop who was terminally ill, or something like that, so he was a lot more bold and brazen then he otherwise would have been. I've never actually seen that movie either, but caught the car chase on YouTube once.

Michaell

Philadelphia
Captain Phillips
Cast Away

...and so many others.

explorerx4

2 Smart cars and a Saab 9-7x.

explorerx4

@Fintail, start checking the couch for some found money.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/you-can-own-elvis-presley-s-mercedes-600-limo/ar-BB1bP04i?li=BBnb4R5

stickguy

yowzers. Up to $185K out of the gate, with 8 days to go. Definitely got cool provenance.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-mercedes-benz-600-2/

stickguy

will be interesting to see where that one ends up. some museum in Vegas?

fintail

That rings a bell, This might be it

There's also a fintail!

andre1969 said:

I never saw "Joe versus the Volcano", but I do seem to recall some 80's movie that involved an over-the-top car chase between a Diplomat or Gran Fury, and a '75 or '76 Catalina. IIRC, it had something to do about a cop who was terminally ill, or something like that, so he was a lot more bold and brazen then he otherwise would have been. I've never actually seen that movie either, but caught the car chase on YouTube once.

fintail

600s are amazing, but the Elvis provenance does nothing for me. It's also cheaper to maintain a stone Victorian castle on a sliding hillside than one of those.

This 600 from BaT might be the prettiest I've seen

explorerx4 said:

@Fintail, start checking the couch for some found money.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusiasts/you-can-own-elvis-presley-s-mercedes-600-limo/ar-BB1bP04i?li=BBnb4R5

stickguy

here's the car for TJC!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up0nXgxTMmY

tjc78

stickguy said:

here's the car for TJC!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up0nXgxTMmY

I had one just like it. Mine was a little better equipped and only about 200K more miles.

Shame that one is a crappy exterior color. Well preserved. I’d believe the miles too. The steering wheel edges are always beat on those and this one is perfect.

ab348

The "Lemaise" era? Fellow needs a refresher on that term. Plus I have never heard of dark champagne. Overall his commentary is very annoying. But I do like the styling as he notes, and the wheels are great. I like the fact that it has velour upholstery instead of leather.

Can't find it on the website he mentions so no idea what the asking price is. I do note he has an '84 Delta 88 coupe on the website for $11,500 which is ridiculously optimistic.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

stickguy said:

here's the car for TJC!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up0nXgxTMmY

I had one just like it. Mine was a little better equipped and only about 200K more miles.

Shame that one is a crappy exterior color. Well preserved. I’d believe the miles too. The steering wheel edges are always beat on those and this one is perfect.

Is that a '77?

We had two '76 models. The '76 was the last year without that Mark grille. There was a painted body panel at the top, and the grille didn't extend above the hood. Same coupe body style, as well.

But, that looks like a Town Coupe. Ours was the base model (no Town)

tjc78

No that’s a 79 Town Coupe with the 400. 77 got the waterfall grill but kept the Lincoln dash. 78 received the corporate dash with the silver upper portion. Then in 79 the dash became all “wood” and the option of the digital radio became available.

Many Lincoln enthusiasts feel the 77 is the best of the late run cars. 460 was available, waterfall grill and the Lincoln dash.

tjc78

He also says leather was standard.... I don’t believe that to be accurate. I have a 79 brochure somewhere, I’m curious now.

tjc78

ab348 said:

The "Lemaise" era? Fellow needs a refresher on that term. Plus I have never heard of dark champagne. Overall his commentary is very annoying. But I do like the styling as he notes, and the wheels are great. I like the fact that it has velour upholstery instead of leather.

Can't find it on the website he mentions so no idea what the asking price is. I do note he has an '84 Delta 88 coupe on the website for $11,500 which is ridiculously optimistic.

I’m not a fan of those 14” wheels. I prefer the 15” turbines. Fun fact ... the turbines on the older Lincoln’s are not the same as the Panther turbines. Ask me how I know....

uplanderguy

Back to interiors for a minute--Cadillac deVilles never did all that much for me in general; seemed almost commonplace. BUT....I rarely saw Fleetwoods and that name just meant something pretty awesome to me. This 37K mile '71 Fleetwood Sixty Special Brougham is on a FB page I follow and I think the color inside is awesome, and even back then from the brochure, I thought the concept of having the lowest 1/3 cushion on the otherwise-cloth seatback be leather, was a novel idea.

sda

I like a combination of cloth and leather, especially if the leather is soft and supple. It is interesting to how interior construction has evolved. Today you rarely see any exposed screws or fasteners and if you do the press really bashes the look as sloppy workmanship.

andre1969

tjc78 said:

ab348 said:

The "Lemaise" era? Fellow needs a refresher on that term. Plus I have never heard of dark champagne. Overall his commentary is very annoying. But I do like the styling as he notes, and the wheels are great. I like the fact that it has velour upholstery instead of leather.

Can't find it on the website he mentions so no idea what the asking price is. I do note he has an '84 Delta 88 coupe on the website for $11,500 which is ridiculously optimistic.

I’m not a fan of those 14” wheels. I prefer the 15” turbines. Fun fact ... the turbines on the older Lincoln’s are not the same as the Panther turbines. Ask me how I know....

Lemme guess...5 on 5", versus 5 on 4.5"? Or something like that?

That Lincoln would definitely look better with the turbine wheels rather than those hubcaps. I'm guessing the turbines are wider as well? Probably 7", versus 6" for those steel wheels? Sweet car, otherwise though.

I wonder how performance would have been, with the 400. It was cut to 159 hp that year, I believe. But I'm sure it was still pretty torquey. I was hoping they'd at least offer a somewhat quicker axle to help it move quicker, but nope. Looks like a 2.47:1 was standard, and a 2.75:1 was optional. Of course, you don't buy a car like this to drag race in; it's a car to look good in!

tjc78

Those are actually wheels in the one in the video. Novel concept, make wheels look like hubcaps.

Yes different lug pattern between the old style and the Panthers.

My 79 was leisurely at best. It did have the 2.75 rear so maybe a little better. I added true duals with a CAT delete (shh... ), bumped the timing up and ran premium. At the time I think it would have taken my 89 Town Car with duals and tow package. That 79 did love the highway. I buried the strip speedometer more than once.

It also did a nice burnout with the track-loc out back. Ahh to be young and stupid again.

fintail

Maybe he thinks it should go to the LeMay museum?

Turbine wheels are the only way to go.

ab348 said:

The "Lemaise" era? Fellow needs a refresher on that term. Plus I have never heard of dark champagne. Overall his commentary is very annoying. But I do like the styling as he notes, and the wheels are great. I like the fact that it has velour upholstery instead of leather.

Can't find it on the website he mentions so no idea what the asking price is. I do note he has an '84 Delta 88 coupe on the website for $11,500 which is ridiculously optimistic.

fintail

I thought this was a fun spot, look what's in the driveway of the house Trump's family lived in when he was born (nothing political intended) - owner of the house is now trying to cash in on the history:



A fintail must be cared for to survive in the NY climate.

Michaell

fintail said:

I thought this was a fun spot, look what's in the driveway of the house Trump's family lived in when he was born (nothing political intended) - owner of the house is now trying to cash in on the history:



A fintail must be cared for to survive in the NY climate.

I read the article about the homeowner (some Chinese company with a local presence) looking for donations from supporters so they could "gift" the house to him.

fintail

Yep, if I remember right the house is owned by an LLC in another case of trying to conceal ownership, no doubt for up-and-up reasons. Apparently they are looking to get something like 3MM for a house worth 1MM.

Michaell said:

I read the article about the homeowner (some Chinese company with a local presence) looking for donations from supporters so they could "gift" the house to him.

ab348

tjc78 said:

Those are actually wheels in the one in the video. Novel concept, make wheels look like hubcaps.

I think I like those Lincoln wheels-that-look-like-hubcaps because they remind me of these wheels that Plymouth offered on the fuselage Furys for a couple of years. Item "4" in the pics:

roadburner

I always liked the Fury GT.

sda

I always thought that our 77 Grand Marquis with the 460 should have been quicker than it was. Acceleration always felt sluggish unless you really got on it. I would play Emmy Lou Harris ' Luxury Liner' ..'forty tons of steel' loudly in the 8 track, lol. It actually sounded pretty good, at least then. The GM did like to swill fuel, however.

tjc78

ab348 said:

tjc78 said:

Those are actually wheels in the one in the video. Novel concept, make wheels look like hubcaps.

I think I like those Lincoln wheels-that-look-like-hubcaps because they remind me of these wheels that Plymouth offered on the fuselage Furys for a couple of years. Item "4" in the pics:

Yes, very similar wheels. I knew another male had them but couldn’t remember who.

tjc78

sda said:

I always thought that our 77 Grand Marquis with the 460 should have been quicker than it was. Acceleration always felt sluggish unless you really got on it. I would play Emmy Lou Harris ' Luxury Liner' ..'forty tons of steel' loudly in the 8 track, lol. It actually sounded pretty good, at least then. The GM did like to swill fuel, however.

I’ve driven both a 460 and a 400 in those cars and there really isn’t much difference. Both are boat anchors.

ab348

roadburner said:

I always liked the Fury GT.

I always thought the '70 and '71 was a bad-azz looking car.

kyfdx

tjc78 said:

sda said:

I always thought that our 77 Grand Marquis with the 460 should have been quicker than it was. Acceleration always felt sluggish unless you really got on it. I would play Emmy Lou Harris ' Luxury Liner' ..'forty tons of steel' loudly in the 8 track, lol. It actually sounded pretty good, at least then. The GM did like to swill fuel, however.

I’ve driven both a 460 and a 400 in those cars and there really isn’t much difference. Both are boat anchors.

Mid-late '70s emissions restrictions.

The 460 in our '72 seemed a lot faster.

fintail

Maybe the slowness wasn't so bad in the days of 55 and slow imports invading the road? My mom's 70s Bird had a 460, I don't recall any complaints about it, but I'll wager my mom never had it above 65, I am the sure the torque made it feel effortless and therefore strong/fast. I vividly recall the car in the driveway with my dad tinkering under the hood, apparently removing some emissions equipment.

For the badazzz Fury, I think most hidden headlight cars can be seen that way.

ab348

sda said:

I always thought that our 77 Grand Marquis with the 460 should have been quicker than it was. Acceleration always felt sluggish unless you really got on it. I would play Emmy Lou Harris ' Luxury Liner' ..'forty tons of steel' loudly in the 8 track, lol. It actually sounded pretty good, at least then. The GM did like to swill fuel, however.

I cannot recall any application where the 460 was deemed impressive in terms of power output. I don't know why that is but it seems likely it is held back by design choices that cannot easily be remedied.

explorerx4

460 was designed for torque(500 ft/lb) not horsepower.

ab348

These wheels look similar to (but are not identical, I don't think) to the ones we discussed on that '79 Town Coupe. Seller says they are 15"?

https://www.hemmings.com/parts/item/20626.html

ab348

Also from Hemmings today we have this:

https://www.hemmings.com/parts/item/20630.html

I have no idea if the price makes sense of not given that I imagine the number of potential customers for a 1930s Packard V-12 is pretty small. But in looking at the pictures, I am again baffled by how flatheads in general actually work and why they were such a popular design. I see the intake and exhaust valves, and the intake side seems fairly straightforward. But I cannot for the life of me figure out how the exhaust gets from the valve openings to exit down below. The casting of the engine block must have been hugely complex. Needless to say, the breathing with these engines must have been very limited.

andre1969

Here's a bit of an odd beast...saw this one on an episode of "CHiPs" the other day...



At first, I didn't pay that much attention to it, until I noticed that, at a quick glance, it looked like a '77-79 from the front, but an older model in the rear door area, rear quarters, taillights/bumper, etc. I thought perhaps they were using several different cars and just splicing the footage together, until I saw, in one long scene, where you got to see the whole car, and realized it was all just one car that was used.

According to the IMCDB, it's a '73 Lincoln limo, and the company that did the conversion also did that oddball front-end. It does look like a bit of a hatchet-job if you pay too much attention to it, but I think it's kinda cool that it sort of predicted the look of the '77-79 models.

**Edit...it just dawned on me, is that a Mark IV grille they stuck on the front of that limo?

fintail

Grille on that limo definitely looks too small for the opening. Looks like a first gen Accord behind it. And the VW Microbus in the background is today the most valuable car in that shot, by several orders of magnitude.

kyfdx

andre1969 said:

Here's a bit of an odd beast...saw this one on an episode of "CHiPs" the other day...



At first, I didn't pay that much attention to it, until I noticed that, at a quick glance, it looked like a '77-79 from the front, but an older model in the rear door area, rear quarters, taillights/bumper, etc. I thought perhaps they were using several different cars and just splicing the footage together, until I saw, in one long scene, where you got to see the whole car, and realized it was all just one car that was used.

According to the IMCDB, it's a '73 Lincoln limo, and the company that did the conversion also did that oddball front-end. It does look like a bit of a hatchet-job if you pay too much attention to it, but I think it's kinda cool that it sort of predicted the look of the '77-79 models.

**Edit...it just dawned on me, is that a Mark IV grille they stuck on the front of that limo?

I think that's it

andre1969

Either C&D or MT did a comparison test of a '76 Caprice with a 400 smallblock, a Gran Fury with a 400 big block, and an LTD with a 460.

The performance was as follows...
LTD: 0-60 in 11.3 seconds, quarter mile 18 seconds.
Gran Fury: 0-60 in 12.2 seconds, quarter mile in 18.2.
Caprice: 0-60 in 12.8 seconds, quarter mile in 17.6

I also found a stat for a '73 LTD with a 429, and it was better, with 0-60 in 10.4 seconds, quarter mile in 17.5

Interesting, that the Caprice started off as the biggest dog, in 0-60, but redeemed itself in the quarter mile. I wonder if that's a result of those small primary/big secondary 4-bbl carbs that I've heard GM was famous for in those days? I used to hear people preferred the 4-bbl to the 2-bbl, because you could get better economy if you drove it gently.

Also, I know a lot changed between 1973 and 1976 when it came to emissions controls, but I wonder if the 460 being slower than the 429 was an indication that it was designed more with emissions in mind?

sda

All are dog slow by today’s standards and 10mpg to boot.

roadburner

andre1969 said:

Interesting, that the Caprice started off as the biggest dog, in 0-60, but redeemed itself in the quarter mile. I wonder if that's a result of those small primary/big secondary 4-bbl carbs that I've heard GM was famous for in those days? I used to hear people preferred the 4-bbl to the 2-bbl, because you could get better economy if you drove it gently.

The GM Quadrajet was a brilliant piece of engineering. You can precisely tune the power and cruise mixtures as well as adjust when the power circuit cuts in. It has mechanical secondaries but there is a spring tensioned air valve above them that can be adjusted to open exactly when needed. Solex essentially copied it when they designed their 4V carburetor.

andre1969

Chrysler started using Quadrajets on its Gran Fury/Diplomat police cars from 1985-89. On paper, it looked like it should be an improvement. HP went up slightly, from 165 to 175 hp, while torque went from 240 to 250 ft-lb. However, in Michigan State police testing, the '85s were worse than the '84's in every respect. 0-60 took a big hit, quarter mile time and speed was worse, top speed dropped slightly, and fuel economy got whacked hard enough to make the Middle East cheer!

I heard part of the reasoning, though, was that when the Michigan State Police did their testing for the 1985 police cars, it was unusually hot and muggy. However, I just looked at an old Mopar police car book I have that lists the MSP tests, and while the Chevy Impala took a big hit in performance from '84 to '85, the Crown Vic with the 351-2bbl was about the same. And the fuel injected 302 actually did slightly better.

But, who knows what the truth was? Mopar police cars in 1984 and earlier used Carter 4-bbls, but I don't have enough carburetor savvy to know which one is better. I know the Mopar huggers tend to like Carters though, and when the carburetor on my old '89 Gran Fury used to act up, I used to joke that it was like a body rejecting an organ that wasn't the correct blood type!

tjc78

roadburner said:

andre1969 said:

Interesting, that the Caprice started off as the biggest dog, in 0-60, but redeemed itself in the quarter mile. I wonder if that's a result of those small primary/big secondary 4-bbl carbs that I've heard GM was famous for in those days? I used to hear people preferred the 4-bbl to the 2-bbl, because you could get better economy if you drove it gently.

The GM Quadrajet was a brilliant piece of engineering. You can precisely tune the power and cruise mixtures as well as adjust when the power circuit cuts in. It has mechanical secondaries but there is a spring tensioned air valve above them that can be adjusted to open exactly when needed. Solex essentially copied it when they designed their 4V carburetor.

Yes it is... but it’s amazing how many people hate them.

tjc78

ab348 said:

These wheels look similar to (but are not identical, I don't think) to the ones we discussed on that '79 Town Coupe. Seller says they are 15"?

https://www.hemmings.com/parts/item/20626.html

I could swear they are 14” but now I’m not sure. I’ll have to dig around more. The 78 brochure I Googled up didn’t have the size of the wheels