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

Mr_Shiftright

Top fits very well for aftermarket! Wheels are heinous.

texases

Are you sure it's a convertible? I've seen some amazingly detailed fakes. Don't aske me why someone would go to that amount of trouble, but they do.

fintail

I actually got close to it...the framework looked real. And of course the Eldo coupe had a completely different roofline, so if it was a fake they had to chop it up anyway. Would have been a lot of work!

andre1969

Top fits very well for aftermarket! Wheels are heinous.

I guess it fits well in the sense that there aren't wrinkles and it looks like it might seal fully, but the proportioning is horrible! It looks like it might have worked on a 1979-85 Eldo/Riv/Toro, but this car just doesn't lend itself well to that particular top.

One thing I've always wondered about aftermarket convertibles...with the top framework, lift mechanisms, etc, are they actually custom-fit to the car they go on, or do they just take generic, stock parts, and make them fit the best they can? Or, perhaps, take some old factory convertible parts that would more or less fit? For example, an old Chevy II, Dodge Dart, or Ford Falcon convertible might have some key dimensions close enough to these modern cars that their parts could be made to fit?

Mr_Shiftright

Well there are plenty of regular production cars that have the most awkward-looking tops, too. (Saabs, Minis, PT Cruisers). Some cars were just not meant to be flip-tops.

At least this aftermarket top fit nicely, which 99% of them certainly do not. Designing a snug-fitting bow system is pretty tricky. Most choppers use existing frames from other cars--hence the problems.

texases

I see what you mean. Here's a listing for one
And here's a photo of a different one:


Edit-sorry for the red X, you'll get bigger pics clicking on the link...

fintail

That one in the ad looks like it might even have the same wheels.

I bet those things cost a pretty penny new.

andre1969

That Eldorado actually looks pretty sharp with the top down. And even top-up, I don't think it looks bad. I think one thing that helps is how the rear window has more slope to it, in contrast with the more formal, upright shape of the one that Fintail posted.

I think a lot of cars these days are hard to turn into convertibles, because often the window sill line and the slope of the rear deck don't line up, so when you chop off the roof to make a convertible, it's hard to make it flow. Older cars that had that "Coke bottle" look, or simply had a low rear deck that was the same height as the window sill line were easier to do.

Mr_Shiftright

No it doesn't look bad at all---the big problem with chopped cars is of course how well they stand up to weather.

imidazol97

I really like the Eldo convertible top down here in white. The wheels look pretty good. I could see straight spokes without the curls being better.

The top up has an unusual bulge at the cross piece in front of the one at the rear window; it bulges up a little bit. The red one in the picture seems to have a higher top at the rear window--giving it a jaunty look.

boomchek

Much nicer looking than the red one. Especially the C pillar area has a nice slope to it.

fintail

And the last batch of weirdos from me for a month at least...so, dig in and enjoy

Land yacht

Never heard of this "model"

I've never seen a bustleback in this condition, perfect colors, no vinyl top, weirdo engine...wow

Lots of points

Wagon

Light duty hauler

Cooler than a Sunliner

The 70s in vehicle form

Fun to drive no doubt

Interesting claim and price

This should get some bids

"Muscle Car"...no...but Andre-mobile...yes

Well-preserved

Good old name, bad 70s colors, good bids

No, that's ok

Spare parts bonanza

"Personal Limo"

Odd even for a Trabi

Heavy hitting Fiero

ghulet

....spotted in (one of the many near me) BHPH lots: an '85 (I think--was that the only year it became Electra-fied?) LeSabre (Limited, I'd guess...lotsa chrome, factory wire hubcaps, matching vinyl roof) sedan, looked very nice (I'll examine it tomorrow), Light Sage Poly. 4400 in stick-on price window labels.

hpmctorque

That '76 Electra looks virtually perfect. As the last of the really big ones, and a real icon of the old Detroit, it and the '76 Fleetwood have a certain appeal. Of the two, I prefer the Buick.

bhill2

That Volvo is a new one for me. I have owned several Volvos, including a '62 122, and have never seen one (at least a sedan) with a bench front seat. It must have been an option in some markets. Does anyone know if it was offered in the US? In any case, if those are US dollars in the asking price the seller is using something probably not widely available in the US.

andre1969

I prefer that Electra to the Caddy, as well. For me, part of it is that the Buick is a hardtop, but even if we were comparing it to a Sedan DeVille, which was still pillarless, I'd still go for the Buick. I just find the Buick to be more sleek, tasteful, and understated, plus, as these cars go at least, a bit more youthful and sporty.

That '76 looks bargain-basement, as far as Electras go, with just the vinyl seats and such, but it's still a nice car. If I was to seek one of these out, I think I'd want one of the posh Limited models, but I certainly wouldn't turn a nice base model away. Heck, that beige isn't even my favorite color, but I think it looks good on this car.

andys120

Never heard of this "model"

-'76 Cadillac Fleetwood "Johnny Cash Model". Isn't that the one that's got bits and pieces from five or six different model years.

andys120

I just find the Buick to be more sleek, tasteful, and understated, plus, as these cars go at least, a bit more youthful and sporty.

"youthful and sporty" are not words that would apply to any full sized Buick after about 1967--unless you're comparing them to Bargillacs. It'a funny how every big Detroiter from the late 70's was trying to imitate a Cadillac or a Mercedes, sometimes both!

andre1969

Wow, I find myself REALLY liking that '77 Catalina! Those coupes are fairly rare, too...only 14,752 built that year. Although I looked up some stats in my old car book, and see there were 14,757 Grand LeMans coupes built in '76...so it's really no more rare than that. But Pontiac also built around 21,000 base LeMans coupes and 15,000 Sport coupes in '76, and I tend mentally lump all LeManses together, as different trim levels of the same car, whereas I think of the Catalina and Bonneville as different cars. GM's marketing magic at work, I guess.

White with a buckskin interior wouldn't be my first color choice, but still that car makes me wish I had a spare $2500 or so lying around, and the time to go out to Missouri to pick it up! It looks really sharp without a vinyl roof, and with those rally wheels. I always loved that grille, too...sort of an early form of the crosshair that later became a Dodge trademark. The car almost looks too clean, sleek, and sporty to be a 70's car...which may explain why it didn't sell. Back in those days, people wanted luxury, or at least the perception of it. The Bonneville outsold it by a wide margin, yet by the standards of the time, even the Bonneville was considered a bit of a sales failure. Plus, by this time I guess most people who wanted a coupe would've still been going for a Grand Prix.

andre1969

"youthful and sporty" are not words that would apply to any full sized Buick after about 1967--unless you're comparing them to Bargillacs.

Well yeah, that's exactly what I meant. Compared to most of its peers of the time, cars like the Cadillacs, Olds 98, Chrysler New Yorker, Lincoln Continental, and to a lesser degree the Grand Marquis (which to me has trouble hiding the fact that it's a gussied up LTD), I find the Buick to be the most youthful, sporty of the bunch. Or, if you wanna look at it another way, maybe the less aged, old fogey :P

fintail

Cool, I called it as an Andre-mobile, and I was right :shades:

I think that Electra would really benefit from a set of period Buick mags.

Mr_Shiftright

81 Cadillac Seville Diesel --- holy crap! someone bid $7100 real American dollars and the seller turned it down? WHAT?!!! :confuse: Oh, he's going to rue this day.

1988 Fiero/Corvette -- If the seller wants more money, for what no doubt was a considerably investment, he's going to have to give way more info on the engineering used; otherwise, it's just another quirky resto rod and the bid is fair.

1962 Volvo 122-- Hmmmm. Hey guys, should I send $25,000 to Valparaíso after reading three lines of non-information on the car?

1960 Edsel Ranger Convertible --- Dear Ray. I'm sorry but they made 76 convertibles that year, and saying yours is "1 of 1" because it has a certain color, and an extra mirror, that others didn't, is merely a form of "puffery".

Hmm...I'm seein' some problems here....lotsa little pits on chrome, undercoat peelling off frame, no decals on engine or in engine bay, "economy" V8, not the 352.

I think his price is too high by about $15,000 to $20,000.

boomchek

I love the Electra. Everything about it is so 70s America that we watched and admired on TV in the 80s in communist Poland. For some reason that good feeling still remains when I see cars like that.

The Deville bustleback is indeed in great shape, especially fgor a car with 100k+ miles.

The Caddy wagon uses the GM B body (Caprice Roadmaster) wagon parts, including the interior bits. Reminds me of our family wagon.

Cutlass Donk "I got $11,000 just in the rims and tires. All together I got about $30,000 in this car." :surprise: What a way to blow $20k if he's lucky to sell it for $10k.

Volvo does look like new, but I doubt he'll get the $25k unless a museum or Volvo itself buys it from him.

The Rolls Royce replica builder - any color, any style interior, any scale. There should be classic car police that monitors people with bad taste who are set on ruining a one of a kind car by remaking it in their own vision . That Rolls Royce is impressive though. I'ts huge when you stand by it at Petersens. Here's me with it:

explorerx4

fin, i am proud of you.

andre1969

but I finally uploaded the pics I took at the GM Nationals in Carlisle, June 2009. I haven't been in as much of a picture taking mood lately, so it's a bit more sparse than usual.

fintail

Nice pics. The Pontiac looks great. And that Caddy it is next to...something a lunatic would drive

Speaking of MD plates...today I saw a previous generation Corolla with MD plates, all the way out here. I can't imagine driving something like that cross country.

jjmcnc

Here's my next project. A '65 Imperial Crown ragtop. It came with a captain's cap. What do you think?

fintail

A captain's cap....just like Ethel Merman's son in law in his 62 Imperial in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World"

toomanyfumes

It'll be a cool, unique cruiser once it's finished.

Mr_Shiftright

Not a bad idea if you can keep costs under $25,000, which would be your very maximum net worth if you did a 100 pt restoration. Very sturdy drivetrain, and 60s convertibles are holding value and the public's interest. Body looks good, and it appears to be all there---if you had to hunt down those chromey little bits outside and inside, that could be tough to find. Treat your trim pieces as precious unobtanium, because they are. Even dented up stainless trim can be repaired and restored.

texases

Neat and unique - but I worry about that missing rear window - did lots of rain get inside? Not good for so many things!

Mr_Shiftright

Upholstery is generally pretty easy to fix or replicate---but not cheap.

A car like this you generally tear apart anyway, No doubt that interior will all have to come out. Once you have the top off and the interior completely out, you're ready for bodywork and paint.

Not sure I'd get into a "frame-off" with a car like this, though. That gets very $$$.

One has to be very strategic taking on a project like this, since there is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. One has to plan, budget and line up vendors and parts before the first nut is loosened. (no pun intended)

explorerx4

buying or selling?

texases

I was more wondering about the floor pans being rusted out - not like they have them in stock somewhere, but a good body shop can handle it, of course.

Mr_Shiftright

It's a very rare car, this model and year---but again, rarity does not always equal value. An earlier 300 convertible, even if more plentiful, will bring a good deal more money.

Or you could be happy with something 2 years newer for maybe $10K? By 1965, the term "Imperial" is somewhat meaningless anyway. Here's a very decent looking '67 Newport ragtop:

http://cars-on-line.com/42932.html

Nonetheless, being a rare car, I hope someone at least preserves the '65--a street restoration, or amateur restoration, would be fine for a car like this.

PS: By "rare" I mean rare by American standards, -- 633 total that year.

stickguy

A few weeks ago (not sure which thread) someone posted an ebay link to an early (IIRC) Corona wagon. Or was it a cressida? Anyway, brown with woody side panels. somewhere in the mid 70s.

well, I saw on just like that the other day cruising around town. only a quick glance, but did not notice any rust or body damage.

cant be too many of these left in clean running condition. Especially if it spent most of its life in NJ, where they do use salt.

Mr_Shiftright

got an e-mail about this Lamborghini Gallardo for sale:

How's that for depreciation? $100k in 5 years?

Or a mere $25 a mile to drive it.

http://www.ferraris-online.com/pages/carintro.php?reqcardir=LA-GALL-00756

ghulet

:confuse: not that this takes away from the car necessarily, I just think it's amusing that a $195k car built in 2004 has a cassette player (it does also have a CD, but still).

lemko

Shoot, I have no problem with a car having both a cassette and CD. A lot of my older music is still on cassette!

andre1969

My Intrepid just had a cassette player, but as part of the deal I had them install a 12-disc CD changer in the trunk. Honestly though, I can't remember the last time I even used the cassette player.

Nowadays, with those Ipods and satellite radio and other junk that you can tune into your radio remotely, without having to splice anything, I don't even mess with my CD player all that much anymore.

fintail

For the mileage the depreciation is painful...but for the age vs. price, that's actually really good!

Mr_Shiftright

Painful for the seller is often good for the buyer, yes :P And thus god made all things beautiful.

I've often wondered if any car in the world ever had a combo 8-Track/Cassette player when that transition was occurring? Or a combo record player / 8 Track?

I miss 8-tracks. The sound was really good and you could repair them very easily. I remember them in 60s T-Birds especially. I still see them every now and then (8 Track tapes I mean) at garage sales, usually with the worst music imaginable on them. Makes sense, since nobody played them, so they survived. Not unlike some old cars that were too bad to drive very much.

andre1969

I've often wondered if any car in the world ever had a combo 8-Track/Cassette player when that transition was occurring? Or a combo record player / 8 Track?

I'm guessing no, simply because an 8-track player takes up a lot of space, as does a cassette player. So I'd imagine that a radio designed for both would be an awfully bulky item. Plus, back then, radio options were awfully expensive. Factory 8-track probably ran around $200 so, and cassette probably ran about the same. In 1983, Cadillac gave you the choice of 8-track or cassette for $299, but that price also included a signal-seeking radio and, I believe, 4-speaker stereo, rather than just the one speaker up front.

Looking back, it seems like the switch from 8-track to cassette happened almost overnight, but the transition from cassette to CD was much more gradual. FWIW, I believe 1983 was the last year that GM offered an 8-track, and I'm sure the rest followed suit.

Mr_Shiftright

It's pretty ironic though that cassettes are more durable than CDs and VHS tapes more durable than DVDs. I volunteer at the local library, and I've tracked the number of checkouts on an item before it is retired for damage. VHS tapes outlast DVDs by about 25% as a rule. Some VHS tapes have gone 250X, but more like 125 is about normal lifespan. A DVD or CD is lucky to make it to 80. People are savages. :mad:

lemko

My Seville had both CD player/6-disc changer and a casette which was really cool. My DTS just has the CD but it also has a port for an Ipod which would be cool...if I had one.

andre1969

I think my oldest VHS tape goes back to May 1984, when I taped "V: The Final Battle" in its first run. However, I have no idea if it still works or not, as I can't remember the last time I even used a VCR! We still have one in the living room, but I can't even remember if it's hooked up or not. We keep it there because it's the only piece of equipment that has a display for the time. So basically, it's a big, 20 pound digital clock!

Probably not the best use of resources, but I've done worse. I bought a tv back in 2001, and they gave me a free VCR to go with it. I never even took the VCR out of the box, but instead used it as a door stop, for my bedroom door which wouldn't stay open. I think I ultimately gave it away as a Christmas gift.

To the credit of DVDs though, I can't ever remember having one fail on me. I guess they will, eventually though.

imidazol97

>A DVD or CD is lucky to make it to 80.

Is the damage to the polycarbonate side in the way of scratches making it not read or skip? Does the library have a resurfacing device for the poly side?

boomchek

To the credit of DVDs though, I can't ever remember having one fail on me

Someone once speculated that CDs and DVDs were engineered wear out within a certain time period, because if manufacturers really wanted them to last forever, they would have made them with a protective case, sort of like floppy disks in the 90s. This allows manufacturers to bring in new technology that people will be obligated to buy. I sorta agree with that point, because I have some great CDs that have scratches and I can't play them anymore. :sick:

boomchek

I just think it's amusing that a $195k car built in 2004 has a cassette player (it does also have a CD, but still).

The audio unit along with the climate controls are out of the Audi parts bin (appropriately since Audi owns Lambo).

A 2007 Dodge Charger I recently sold also had a CD/tape unit in it from the factory.

And Mercedes Benz, up until recently (early 2000s) only offered only a tape deck as standard audio equipment in most of their lineup excpet S or SL class. CD changers and players were expensive options. :surprise:

Mr_Shiftright

when I said savages, I meant it. These DVDs are so mangled I'm tempted to post a photo just to give you some idea of what people do to library items. If your fingernail catches firmly on the scratch, I think that's it for a DVD or CD.

WELL THEN---back to cars gentlemen? Please forgive my diversion into car audio nostaglia. Not sure this topic should be for "obscure items on obscure cars"!