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

explorerx4

We have a law that your lights must be on when your windshield wipers are on.
One thing I find annoying, mostly Japanese cars, is that thy don't automatically do that.

uplanderguy

Spotted outside the Chinese restaurant I ate at last evening. Either a '69 or '70 Chevy 3/4 ton C20. In my memory I seem to recall the '70 having silver/argent 'relief' for lack of a better word, on all the small horizontal pieces of the grille, but not certain. I also remember "350" badges under the side marker light on the front fenders of vehicles so-equipped, which makes me think this truck is a 307. It has a column-shift Turbo-Hydramatic which makes me rethink the 307 idea. The odometer read 99612.

If that thing could talk.

stickguy

definitely looks like it worked for a living. Back when trucks were intended to, and the cabs were small but the beds were big!

sda

Looks like the owner did the in fashion ‘patina’ look, perhaps a flat clear coat to seal it? Beyond a point, which this one is, I dislike that look. It needs a respray.

uplanderguy

It just struck me as 52 years in NE OH, LOL.

I think it's a '69 with the blacked grille, although of course I realize that could've been done at any point.

Someone on here has a '69 C-series truck, as I remember it in their signature line, but I can't remember who. I'd think he'd pipe in here at some point.

Michaell

uplanderguy said:

It just struck me as 52 years in NE OH, LOL.

I think it's a '69 with the blacked grille, although of course I realize that could've been done at any point.

Someone on here has a '69 C-series truck, as I remember it in their signature line, but I can't remember who. I'd think he'd pipe in here at some point.

@xwesx has one.

My dad had a 1970 C10, bought new.

andre1969

It looks to me like it's been sanded down a bit here and there, with some body work and such. I wonder if they're getting it ready to repaint?

And, next time someone goes off about how dangerous GM's saddle-tank trucks were, just whip out a pic of that and show them the REAL good old days, when the tank was in the cab with you!

I think my Granddad had a GM truck of that era, but my memory's fuzzy. The earliest truck I can remember him having was a 1973 Chevy that was kind of a mustard color with white contrasting. He traded that for a '76 GMC crew cab that was kind of a burnt-orange/copper color, again with white contrasting. That '76 is the one I have the most memories of.

One of my relatives had either a '71 or '72 Chevy pickup. They moved to southern MD when I was somewhat young, so we didn't see them all that often, but I seem to remember he had it for quite awhile....definitely well into the '80's, I'm thinking.

sda

Dad only bought 3 new vehicles, he preferred 2-3 year old used. One of those that I remember fondly and drove a lot was a 76 GMC Sierra 15. Solid white roof, red body. It had the dual body side moldings that would have outlined a two tone paint had that been selected. Full GMC wheel covers with faux lug nuts and black wall Uniroyal tires that had the appearance of snow tires, but were all season. 350 4bbl, PS, PB, auto, full time 4wd, gauge package, AM radio, base interior. It was a handsome truck. I loved driving it and there was no hiding it was a truck. The ride was stiff and bouncy yet handled surprisingly well. It was great thru mud and snow. It wasn’t that quick and gas mileage was around 10 mpg.

uplanderguy

xwesx has one

Thanks, I'd be probably more likely to have remembered if we used real names here like almost every other place.

When the '73's came out, I was pretty wowed. I thought the upper-line wraparound instrument panel with a lot of woodgrain, was pretty darn nice for a truck. But I think the '67-72 (which I also liked) seemed to hold up better where I lived, body-wise. I never really liked the '60-66 styling.

andre1969

I thought the '72 Dodges were pretty much the truck that brought the industry kicking and screaming, into the 70's. But then when the '73 GMs came out it was almost like, dare I say, "Suddenly it's 1980?"

The Dodges just didn't seem like they aged all that well, and as we went into the 80's and then the early 90's, they still just seemed like thinly disguised 70's trucks to me. And the Fords back then, seemed like they just couldn't shake off the '60's, and by the time the new '80 came out, it was like they finally caught up to the '73 GM trucks. The '80 F-series took better to facelifting though, I think. The '92-96 style was pretty attractive to me. Meanwhile, once the GMs went to that style with the quad headlights, that sort of mimicked the newer trucks, it just seemed dated. This is what I'm thinking of...


I can't remember though...was this style of front-end ever used on the heavier-duty pickups? Or was it just used on the Suburban/Blazer/Jimmy? I don't think it's bad looking, but it's just obvious they didn't put a ton of money into updating the front-end.

uplanderguy

I am thinking that front end was used on the heavier-duty pickups.

A guy I used to work with had, I think, an '86 Suburban he bought new. He called it "Big Red". It was a complete plain jane, panel doors, and was a 4-speed. He said, for what it may be worth, that his dealer thought his order would get filled quicker if he tacked it onto an order for several other plain jane Suburbans the gas company was ordering from him, so supposedly that's what the dealer did.

Totally off the subject: Here's an addition you need, andre, for that new garage!

https://barnfinds.com/547-miles-1979-chrysler-new-yorker-5th-avenue/?fbclid=IwAR1xdAQLSmJ7rVycIITmyzXn7YluFs3rpMKHukq0-M9KBKTRlUyXMv0nswk

uplanderguy

I also remember, foggily, sometime in the '90's, the Chevy dealer in Tallmadge, OH advertising one new Suburban in stock at some ridiculously low price--under $20K I remember. I went and looked at it. It had no A/C and no back seat, which was apparently optional on the entry-level trim. No, I didn't buy.

sda

Dad's GMC looked like the red one in the picture though it had the normal stance with L 78-15 blackwall tires and the standard car size door mirrors. The wheel covers were the same as what is on the blue GMC.
It had the Sierra interior (in red). When we moved from VA to TN in 78, dad sold it. It had less than 12k on it.

xwesx

stickguy said:

On means On though. It is how you can turn the lights on without the car running. So you would not want them to just go off because the key was off.

No, that is not an issue with Japanese vehicles, either. If you want them on, you can just flip the switch while the key isn't in the ignition, and the lights will come on and stay on.

Oddly enough, the Q7 doesn't actually keep the headlights themselves on when I turn off the car either, but it does keep all the other lights on, and they won't turn off until the battery voltage starts to wane.

xwesx

ab348 said:

I cannot understand the point you’re trying to make. In Auto during the daytime you still have DRL headlights on. I see no reason to use anything but Auto.

The point I'm making is that I want my lights on when I drive, and I don't want to flip the silly switch each and every time. Not that it's an overly big deal; after all, I must flip the switch on the old rigs. It's just sad that with basic (and actually useful) tech that has been around in mainstream (e.g., not luxury) brands for over 35 years, it still isn't universal.

ab348

xwesx said:

No, that is not an issue with Japanese vehicles, either. If you want them on, you can just flip the switch while the key isn't in the ignition, and the lights will come on and stay on.

Now I'm even more confused. You said earlier that the Japanese vehicles turn the lights off even if the switch is in the on position if you remove the key. So since the switch is already (presumably) in the "on" position, what position do you flip it to in order to get the lights to turn on without a key?

ab348

sda said:

One thing I love about that set of interior pics: none of the choices offer a black or gray interior choice.

andre1969

Good lord, look at the panel gap between the fender and the front door on that '79 5th Avenue. I almost want to track down whomever was in charge of quality control and let that out the door in that condition (if they're still alive) and smack them on the nose with a rolled up newspaper!

It does look pretty nice. Someone elsewhere said it had probably been rolled over and was actually 100,547 miles, but I don't know. Those seats look awfully nice. My '79 5th Ave finally hit the 100K mark on the way to the Carlisle Mopar show this past summer, and its seats definitely show some wear. So whatever flaws that car has, like the fabric around the rear window coming loose, might just be old age. I notice the trim surround for the power window switchgear on the driver's door armrest looks ill-fitting, but heck it could have left the factory that way!

andre1969

My memory's kind of fuzzy, but I sort of remember Granddad's '76 GMC as having sort of a reddish-brown interior. The seats were sort of a corduroy pattern, but I think the center spot was vinyl. And I definitely remember those silver buckles in the seat pattern!

xwesx

ab348 said:

xwesx said:

No, that is not an issue with Japanese vehicles, either. If you want them on, you can just flip the switch while the key isn't in the ignition, and the lights will come on and stay on.

Now I'm even more confused. You said earlier that the Japanese vehicles turn the lights off even if the switch is in the on position if you remove the key. So since the switch is already (presumably) in the "on" position, what position do you flip it to in order to get the lights to turn on without a key?

Hahahhahaha!

In the rare event you want the lights on with the vehicle off, you just flip the switch from 'on' to 'off' and back to 'on'.

xwesx

uplanderguy said:

When the '73's came out, I was pretty wowed. I thought the upper-line wraparound instrument panel with a lot of woodgrain, was pretty darn nice for a truck. But I think the '67-72 (which I also liked) seemed to hold up better where I lived, body-wise. I never really liked the '60-66 styling.

On that C20 pickup, it's really not possible to tell if it is a '69 or '70 from the photo. The only exterior styling difference was that the inner grille liner (the grid pattern) was grey and silver in '69 with it having black highlights (or shading?!) in '70. From the photo, it looks like the grid is fully blacked out on this one, which means somebody must have sprayed it at some point.

I think they added an optional tilt wheel in 1970, so if it happened to have that, then it's definitely a '70!

Any other feature aside, the dead giveaway in '71 was moving the front blinkers from the grille down to the bumper.

xwesx

As we're talking about old GM pickups, it reminds me that I bought a new bed (wooden portion) for the C20. Now I'm pining for spring so I can tear into it and get this new one installed!

It needed replacing about a decade ago, but I kept stalling on it because the shipping to Alaska is just cost prohibitive. However, since I had a trailer (and a little space) in the lower 48 this summer, I figured it was the perfect time to check this project off the list (or at least acquire the parts so I can check it off soon).

stickguy

this is the one I wanted.

stickguy

in philly today, was behind a Dakota sport. somewhat tired looking, but running on temp tags.

The 2 seat convertible version.

xwesx

stickguy said:

this is the one I wanted.

Except with a long bed.

stickguy

no, I want a short bed step side. Look much cooler! and not as long.

roadburner

I saw a 1968 Riviera like this one today; it reminded me of a funny story.



An older retired guy at my church had a pristine 1968 that looked just like the car I saw. At the time I had my 1967 Riviera beater- dull paint, faded vinyl top, etc. Every Sunday I always parked it next to the older gent's 1968. Every time I would come out after church to find that the guy had moved his Riv away from mine. Once he moved it after early service so I moved mine next to it again. Sure enough, he moved it again. I guess he thought my Riv was infectious

Michaell

stickguy said:

no, I want a short bed step side. Look much cooler! and not as long.

Trying to emulate Jon from CHiPs?

stickguy

yeah, he had one. I forgot that. Rocky Rockford had a shortie too but I think it was a smooth side. But also cool.

I remember Car and Driver back in the 70's did a test on an orange one like that. Was cool then too!

uplanderguy

That pic of the Chevy Stepside reminded me that whenever GM redesigned their pickups, the Stepside rear fenders were redesigned to sort-of match the fronts. I knew Ford used their '53 stepside rear fenders for a looonnggg time, and I just saw online, anyway, that they were used through '72, then their stepside was discontinued, only to be reintroduced in '76 and used through '79 with the '53 rear fenders, updated apparently with the fuel filler in the rear of the left one.

Twenty-six years has to be a record for sheet metal to be used in a model, outside of the military-style Dodge Power Wagons.

I'm thinking Dodge used old-style Stepside fenders for a long time as well, but I'm less-familiar by far with those than GM or Ford. Calling andre!

uplanderguy

The GMC interior pics reminded me that the corresponding Chevys with those interiors were the Custom, Custom Deluxe, Cheyenne, and Cheyenne Super. I still prefer 'Cheyenne' as a model name to 'Silverado' which I never liked--reminds me of 'Eldorado' too much.

xwesx

With the stepsides, it makes a lot of sense. Those were designed as a utilitarian feature of the vehicle: The bed is practical at 4'2" x 8'2" (or 6'2" for short bed), the steps provide a ready way to access cargo at all reaches of the bay, and the fenders prevent the rear wheels from flinging crud all over said cargo (and everything else).

Consider that when the first "fleet side" pickups were introduced, they were introduced as "style side" pickups. Yes, that sleek look was supposed to be a vast improvement on aesthetics for the discerning buyers. It wasn't until folks started getting the idea that trucks could be sporty that the stepside shortbed started to have an application that required aesthetics to trump, or at least match, utility as a driving feature. As such, the earlier fender styles met the utility need perfectly; might as well leave "well enough" alone!

andre1969

With the stepside versus fleetside bed, I think a turning point of sorts might have been hit with the 1957 Ford pickups. These trucks look especially modern to me, with their more squared-off styling, wide cabs, and hoods that are totally flat across the top. With these trucks, I think the fleetside bed looks better than the stepside.

I think a similar thing happened when GM redesigned for '60 and Dodge for '61. I think the Chevy and GMC trucks still look great with either bed, but the '61 Dodge just looks odd with a stepside, to me. I think part of the problem is that crease along the side, that drops downward, just begs to be carried out beyond the cab...


And the bed looks more like it belongs on a 1951 truck than a 1961 truck!


As for bed lengths, I prefer an 8-foot bed, but I think that's simply because that's what I'm used to. With older trucks, like a '76 GM, that short stepside bed looks great. But with newer, regular-cab trucks, I think the 8-foot bed looks better. Like with my Ram, for instance, I think the 8-foot bed looks fine, but I've seen short-bed models that just look odd to me. I think the problem is that the cabs are bigger, and it just throws off the proportioning.


Now with extended-cab, or crew cab trucks, I think a short bed looks okay, but this single-cab Ram with the short bed just doesn't look right to me.

uplanderguy

Do you know when Dodge started, and finished, using those particular Stepside rear fenders?

Those '61-71 Dodge pickups made awkward crew cabs I think (rarely seen, admittedly)--very big "B" pillar.

ab348

Another thing about Dodge pickups that I was surprised to learn was that they retained a straight axle live front end suspension until the redesign for ‘72.

andre1969

That particular stepside, I don't know. I really didn't keep up with their pickups. It's funny, but pickup truck buyers tend to be the last holdouts for brand loyalty, but my family seemed to just look at them as appliances. I know every car my grandparents had, from the point they got married in 1946 onward, but with trucks, it just seems like nobody really remembers. Even those who should have remembered, you'd think, but passed on, couldn't remember, when they were alive!

I do know that Granddad's first "pickup" was actually a 1939 Plymouth car he bought. He cut the body off, aft of the B-pillar, and built in a home-made wooden pickup truck bed. That was in 1946, soon after they got married. I think they had a '57 GMC, at least one GMC or Chevy from the '60-66 generation, at least one from the '67-72 generation, a '73 Chevy single-cab (I think it was a 3/4 ton), the '76 GMC crew cab 3/4 ton, and finally the '85 Silverado.

I used to like those '61 era Dodge trucks, at least until they went to that "owl-eyed" single-headlight style. Well, until AB348 once said it looked like a toy truck that was blown up to full scale. So now, I can't UN-see that. Thanks AB I still like them, in a weird sort of way, but I definitely would not call them "pretty"

That crew cab style was really awkward. It's like they did the bare minimum to modify the single-cab into a crew cab. I used to think that the rear cut of the doors was the same on both, but now, looking at this pic, it looks like the angle of that curve of the rear part of the door opening is sharper for the back door.


For some reason, these things stick in my mind as being more common than they really were, but that's probably because I see them occasionally at the Mopar show in Carlisle. And I've seen "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" a few times too many.

andre1969

I saw this pop up in a Facebook forum, and thought it was amusing...

texases

That's funny. I think the cars we grew up with, or take a special interest in, we know. The others 'all look the same'. For me, many early fifties cars all look the same.

stickguy

Can do the same in the 70s-80s for imports. Other than the random weird Datsun, it was real hard to tell a Corolla from a 1200 or comparable Mazda or Mitsubishi

fintail

Those trucks make me think of the Christmas Vacation scene and "Fire In The Sky":

andre1969 said:

That particular stepside, I don't know. I really didn't keep up with their pickups. It's funny, but pickup truck buyers tend to be the last holdouts for brand loyalty, but my family seemed to just look at them as appliances. I know every car my grandparents had, from the point they got married in 1946 onward, but with trucks, it just seems like nobody really remembers. Even those who should have remembered, you'd think, but passed on, couldn't remember, when they were alive!

I do know that Granddad's first "pickup" was actually a 1939 Plymouth car he bought. He cut the body off, aft of the B-pillar, and built in a home-made wooden pickup truck bed. That was in 1946, soon after they got married. I think they had a '57 GMC, at least one GMC or Chevy from the '60-66 generation, at least one from the '67-72 generation, a '73 Chevy single-cab (I think it was a 3/4 ton), the '76 GMC crew cab 3/4 ton, and finally the '85 Silverado.

I used to like those '61 era Dodge trucks, at least until they went to that "owl-eyed" single-headlight style. Well, until AB348 once said it looked like a toy truck that was blown up to full scale. So now, I can't UN-see that. Thanks AB I still like them, in a weird sort of way, but I definitely would not call them "pretty"

That crew cab style was really awkward. It's like they did the bare minimum to modify the single-cab into a crew cab. I used to think that the rear cut of the doors was the same on both, but now, looking at this pic, it looks like the angle of that curve of the rear part of the door opening is sharper for the back door.


For some reason, these things stick in my mind as being more common than they really were, but that's probably because I see them occasionally at the Mopar show in Carlisle. And I've seen "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" a few times too many.

fintail

The older stuff can be tough. Sometimes I can link a shape to a maker, but model or year is a guess.

texases said:

That's funny. I think the cars we grew up with, or take a special interest in, we know. The others 'all look the same'. For me, many early fifties cars all look the same.

andre1969

Truth be told, I think you can make the same type of chart for just about any era. Even if the cars aren't dead ringers for each other, they're still a product of the trends that were in vogue at the time, so none of them are going to look radically different. At least, not to modern eyes. And if you're not into cars in general, or at least, cars from whatever era is being shown in the pictures, they probably ARE going to all look the same!

I showed that pic to my housemate, who isn't into cars, and had him guess them. He answered six of the eight as "I don't know." The Cadillac, he said "I don't know...um...Chrysler?" And the Delta 88, he said "umm...Pontiac?".

Actually, in his defense, I should give him some credit for saying "Chrysler" for the Caddy. He's used to seeing my '79 5th Ave, and probably associated that tall grille with a Chrysler. So at least he recognized it as something upscale, and didn't call it a Ford or Chevy or something! And with the Delta 88, at least he got the parent company. And Olds and Pontiac both used split grilles, so there's a bit of commonality there.

With the Diplomat, when I pointed at it I even said "Now you should recognize that one", so he changed his answer from "I don't know" to "that one you used to have"

fintail

Years ago I played the car brand guessing game with my mom, with cars in traffic. I remember to her eyes an Infiniti M was a Buick, and a Scion xB a "Russian car"

kyfdx

stickguy

Like the car. But the wheels gotta go.

tjc78

Here is one for @fintail

https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPd2ydHRy/

stickguy

Not with an automatic!

andre1969

I liked the way those Lumina coupes looked, from the outside, but the interior was just a turnoff for me. Now that they're a rarity though, I think they're kinda cool.

ab348

Off-topic post: a Personal update on my health.

xwesx

fintail said:

The older stuff can be tough. Sometimes I can link a shape to a maker, but model or year is a guess.

texases said:

That's funny. I think the cars we grew up with, or take a special interest in, we know. The others 'all look the same'. For me, many early fifties cars all look the same.

That's the truth! Take, for example, the current set of sport coupes that @andys120 has on the mystery car pix thread.