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

berri

A maybe early 50's green IH pick up truck.

explorerx4

Not often seen

http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/5048679302.html

uplanderguy

Thanks for posting explorer4, I like those cars and as you said, I can't recall when I've last seen a late-'60's Ambassador hardtop. I wish he'd included interior photos, particularly since he mentions buckets and console.

I don't know AMC cars, but the 'yellow jacket' model/nickname and 'production of 100' makes me chuckle a bit, although it could be true. I know that in the Studebaker Drivers' Club, when production numbers are thrown out, they are based on factory documentation in the museum archives or are actually based on someone going through the individual build sheets, as I did when I was trying to find how many '63 Avanti-engined cars were built with the sunroof.

I don't pretend to know the AMC market, but that guy's asking price seems very fair if the car is as nice inside and underneath as it looks on the top side.

I'd have to put whitewalls on it first thing if it were mine.

ab348

That '68 Yellow Jacket is curious. The little bit of info I could find about that name (I had never heard of it before) says it was a '67 thing. AFAIK there is no badging or other indication on it indicating it is a "Yellow Jacket" model. In '67 it was a bit more distinctive as the Hialeah Yellow paint was not yet offered on other models, whereas it became a production color for '68. I wonder if the reason the owner can't find another '68 Yellow Jacket is because they didn't exist that year? This could just be a '68 Ambassador ordered with Hialeah Yellow paint.

roadburner

I want a 1970 Rebel Machine...

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

I'd have to put whitewalls on it first thing if it were mine.

On the subject of tires, that reminded me...I've had my '76 Grand LeMans for a bit over 10 years now, so I'm thinking it's time to replace the tires. They still have plenty of tread, and look good, but I'm just worried about old age getting to them, and would rather NOT have a blowout at 70 mph!

Anyway, I figured I'd poll for opinions here. Right now it has raised white letter tires on it. I figure I could go for raised white letters, whitewalls, or blackwalls. What say you guys?

FWIW, here's a fairly recent pic of it, with the tires it currently has...


I'm leaning a bit towards blackwalls, but I dunno...maybe whitewalls would look okay?

ab348

I think whitewalls, if you could find them, are closer to how it would have been new.

robr2

Raised or outline white letters. Back in days when that car was new, that's what came with rally wheels IIRC.

uplanderguy

My guess is that that car was delivered with whitewalls, even with the Rally Wheels. I was always a [non-permissible content removed] about whitewall width and spacing when I'd buy tires for my Lark...I always looked for about 7/8 inch for that particular car.

I'd vote for whitewalls, but I think the white-lettered looks nice too, as I seem to remember a fair amount of folks using those for the first replacement set on cars like that.

Mr_Shiftright

Early Triumph TR4 parked. Not too bad, but atrocious body panel fit. Definitely an amateur restoration (at least I hope that's what he paid for).

'64 Corvair convertible, automatic (somewhat rare). Looked very original.

kyfdx

robr2 said:

Raised or outline white letters. Back in days when that car was new, that's what came with rally wheels IIRC.

I vote this way, as well

roadburner

Me too.

ab348

On a nice day here in town today, a fine-looking Series 2 E-type ragtop, pale yellow in color, top down, parked at the curb on the main shopping street downtown. Hood and trunk open, three guys with tools fixing something under the hood. In other words, typical British car.

fintail

I'd go for the white letter look too, makes the car seem sportier with the wheels. Also kind of a period touch now - that fad seems to have evaporated. I don't know if any cars in my family ever had them, although maybe the S-10 Blazer, I have a vague memory of it.

If whitewalls, I would do it like uplanderguy and get something just a little wider than the skinny thin whitewalls seen on 80s-90s cars.

berri

I think that vintage GM intermediate is pretty classic looking, so you can probably go with any of the three tire options. Personally, I'd probably steer away from the blackwall because of the darker maroonish exterior color. The whitewall will make it look more classy, the raised letter more sporty. Andre smile, you're in one of those rare can't really lose propositions in life here

stickguy

out driving around yesterday, a nice looking baby blue chrome bumper TR-6. I have always wanted one of these.

andre1969

I dug around some, and found some old pics of my '76 LeMans, I think from when it was listed on eBay. I had forgotten that it was showing white walls in some of the pics.


Unfortunately, it's fairly low resolution, but I guess it gives a good indication of how that car would look with them.

stickguy

I like the look with the raised white letters better. But, to each his own!

explorerx4

Famous actors/actresses with their car or in cars, mostly 50/60's

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/research/63-photos-of-stars-and-their-cars/ss-BBhXHgg?ocid=DELLDHP

stickguy

some neat pictures.

fintail

Isell has posted this 62 Buick before, for sale for ages. I saw it parked on 148th in Bellevue today:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/4995521880.html

Saw a couple MGs today, a nice earlier 60s Beetle, an early Camaro convertible, a 66 Pontiac convertible, 46 Mercury sedan, 64-66 T-Bird quickly followed by a cigar Bird, a Cressida with a "Police Interceptor" label on the rear was good for a chuckle.

uplanderguy

andre, didn't those cars have "Grand LeMans" nameplates on the front fenders? Going from memory here.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

andre, didn't those cars have "Grand LeMans" nameplates on the front fenders? Going from memory here.

Yeah, it should have the badging right behind the wheel openings. Mine was repainted though, so I'm guessing whoever did the paint job pulled them off and didn't bother to re-attach. A Grand LeMans should also have a stand-up hood ornament, and every other one I've ever seen had a black rub strip across the bumper, to hide the bolts. And larger bumper guards.

I think mine was involved in a low-speed impact at some point. It has the grille inserts of a '77 Grand LeMans. You'd think all that stuff would be interchangeable, but I've been told that the inserts for the '76-77 base LeMans, and '77 Grand LeMans, are all interchangeable, but there's something about the way the insert for the '76 Grand LeMans bolts in that's different, so the header panel was supposedly different. At least, that's what I've been told.

Initially, I thought maybe one of the original inserts had simply broken out, and a previous owner replaced with whatever he could find. I did that with an '82 Cutlass Supreme I had. One of the inserts broke, but since they changed them up every year, when I finally found one in the junkyard, I had to buy both sides to make it match. I had found another '82 Cutlass Supreme, but it was a Brougham, which used different inserts.

Here's what a '76 Grand LeMans "should" look like...


I think that year they gave you the option of regular grayed-out Rally wheels like what mine has, or body-color Rallys. And fender skirts, thankfully, were not standard equipment!

robr2

IMHO, the white stripe and fender skirts scream "personal luxury" car whereas the white letter gives it a sportier touch.

uplanderguy

About the only car I think looks as good or better with skirts than without, are the '70-72 Monte Carlo. It looks like skirts were an integral part of the design instead of an afterthought.

Mr_Shiftright

He's sell it quickly if he priced it correctly. The correct price is about $3500, maybe. He's asking high #3 money on a #4 car--that's his problem.

fintail said:

Isell has posted this 62 Buick before, for sale for ages. I saw it parked on 148th in Bellevue today:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/4995521880.html

Saw a couple MGs today, a nice earlier 60s Beetle, an early Camaro convertible, a 66 Pontiac convertible, 46 Mercury sedan, 64-66 T-Bird quickly followed by a cigar Bird, a Cressida with a "Police Interceptor" label on the rear was good for a chuckle.

laurasdada

On the roads, a VW Corrado, primer grey with a black door; a white Triumph TR7 convertible. At the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance: Puma, Allard, AC, Packard, you name it....and Wayne Carini!

sda

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

I'd have to put whitewalls on it first thing if it were mine.

On the subject of tires, that reminded me...I've had my '76 Grand LeMans for a bit over 10 years now, so I'm thinking it's time to replace the tires. They still have plenty of tread, and look good, but I'm just worried about old age getting to them, and would rather NOT have a blowout at 70 mph!

Anyway, I figured I'd poll for opinions here. Right now it has raised white letter tires on it. I figure I could go for raised white letters, whitewalls, or blackwalls. What say you guys?

FWIW, here's a fairly recent pic of it, with the tires it currently has...


I'm leaning a bit towards blackwalls, but I dunno...maybe whitewalls would look okay?

The firethorn red paint is one of my favorites. It had such nice depth. I had a 84 Plymouth Horizon SE 2.2 5sp that was of a similar color, thinking it was Dark Cranberry?? with same color interior. A good friend had a 84 Dodge Daytona 2.2 Turbo in the same color. Yes, the Daytona would leave me in the dust but we had fun..

sda

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

andre, didn't those cars have "Grand LeMans" nameplates on the front fenders? Going from memory here.

Yeah, it should have the badging right behind the wheel openings. Mine was repainted though, so I'm guessing whoever did the paint job pulled them off and didn't bother to re-attach. A Grand LeMans should also have a stand-up hood ornament, and every other one I've ever seen had a black rub strip across the bumper, to hide the bolts. And larger bumper guards.

I think mine was involved in a low-speed impact at some point. It has the grille inserts of a '77 Grand LeMans. You'd think all that stuff would be interchangeable, but I've been told that the inserts for the '76-77 base LeMans, and '77 Grand LeMans, are all interchangeable, but there's something about the way the insert for the '76 Grand LeMans bolts in that's different, so the header panel was supposedly different. At least, that's what I've been told.

Initially, I thought maybe one of the original inserts had simply broken out, and a previous owner replaced with whatever he could find. I did that with an '82 Cutlass Supreme I had. One of the inserts broke, but since they changed them up every year, when I finally found one in the junkyard, I had to buy both sides to make it match. I had found another '82 Cutlass Supreme, but it was a Brougham, which used different inserts.

Here's what a '76 Grand LeMans "should" look like...


I think that year they gave you the option of regular grayed-out Rally wheels like what mine has, or body-color Rallys. And fender skirts, thankfully, were not standard equipment!

Does your back bumper have the black rub strip and perhaps bumper guards? I think the rub strip and all was an option, but they would match front and rear. Looks nice, anyway.

andre1969

sda said:

Does your back bumper have the black rub strip and perhaps bumper guards? I think the rub strip and all was an option, but they would match front and rear. Looks nice, anyway.

Yeah, it does have a rub strip in back, and the larger bumper guards. So, I'm guessing whatever impact it took to the front might have rough enough to damage the bumper. I'm really not too concerned about putting it back to its factory-correct, original state...I guess I've had it long enough and gotten used to how it currently looks, that it just seems "normal" to me the way it is!

berri

I think the whitewalls would bring more attention the car's wheels, which you may or may not want. The blackwalls are probably cheaper and don't require the ww occasional cleaning. The whitewalls or raised letters will make it more obvious to non car people that it is a classic. Really just a matter of what look you're going for and what you want to pay. What engine is in it, the 350?

hpmctorque

andre1969 said:

uplanderguy said:

I'd have to put whitewalls on it first thing if it were mine.

On the subject of tires, that reminded me...I've had my '76 Grand LeMans for a bit over 10 years now, so II'm thinking it's time to replace the tires. They still have plenty of tread, and look good, but I'm just worried about old age getting to them, and would rather NOT have a blowout at 70 mph!

Anyway, I figured I'd poll for opinions here. Right now it has raised white letter tires on it. I figure I could go for raised white letters, whitewalls, or blackwalls. What say you guys?

FWIW, here's a fairly recent pic of it, with the tires it currently has...


I'm leaning a bit towards blackwalls, but I dunno...maybe whitewalls would look okay?

Mine is probably a minority opinion, with important qualifications. Since the LeMans is one of your hobby cars and not your daily driver I'd consider keeping your tires a while longer. Yes, they're old, but "they still have plenty of thread..." Of course, age and sunlight cause dry rot, but how a car is used is an important consideration in determining when tires should be replaced. If you keep the maximum speed to, say, 55-60 mph, especially in hot weather, and use one of your other cars for trips, your tires should continue to serve you well. Heavy loads should also be avoided with older tires. If you intend to exceed moderate speeds and/or drive long distances, you should definitely replace your tires.

Your LeMans looks sharp, in photos and in person.

uplanderguy

After ten years, I'd buy new tires. I've heard more than one story where tires that are properly inflated on cars that mostly sit, have disintegrated in even under ten years on the road. Not being alarmist, but I've heard, and believe, that two things you shouldn't cheap out on, are tires and brakes.

ab348

On Sunday, I saw a 1980 Hurst/Olds W-30 driving around town, white with gold. I have seen this car previously at a car show. Unique in that it has the last of the Oldsmobile Rocket 350 engines under the hood (1980 was the last year of production for that engine before it was discontinued, a bad GM decision).

Here is a pic of it that I took at a car show a long time ago:

texases

Yeah, tires with 10+ years = replace in my book, they could let go unexpectedly.

andre1969

berri said:

I think the whitewalls would bring more attention the car's wheels, which you may or may not want. The blackwalls are probably cheaper and don't require the ww occasional cleaning. The whitewalls or raised letters will make it more obvious to non car people that it is a classic. Really just a matter of what look you're going for and what you want to pay. What engine is in it, the 350?

Yeah, it's a Pontiac 350-4bbl, which I believe was a California/high-altitude engine. As for tires, one reason I've thought about blackwalls or raised white letters was mainly the cost. Plus, either one is easy to find. Whitewalls aren't so easy to find these days, though. Last year, I got a set for my '79 5th Ave, and at first they sent out blackwalls, so I had to send them back and get the order fixed. They weren't too horribly expensive though...I think $404 for a set of four 225/70/R15s, through Amazon.com, and then the cost to mount and balance.

texases

If you had hubcaps I'd agree with the whitewalls, but sporty wheels need sporty tires: blackwalls or RWL.

kyfdx

Way back when the earth was still cooling in the '70s, that car would have had raised white letters at it's first tire replacement. Preferably BFGoodrich Radial T/As.

I lived it... lol

stever

Another vote for the raised white letters.

stever

This is for sale a mile away. No price. '69 C/10.

ab348

^^^ That sure looks clean and fresh!

fintail

90s day here today - saw a Geo Storm GSi, 240SX convertible, stock looking 300ZX, I think a Thunderbird SC, very clean 90-93 Integra 2-door, Canadian spec plastic-hubcapped MB W202.

fintail

Saw an early 00s Ford SVT pickup, 50s Jeep pickup, 560SL, 70s 911, 80s Targa

uplanderguy

Two evenings ago, I saw a bone-stock-looking '64 Chrysler 300 two-door hardtop, in a color similar to 1963 Studebaker "Rose Mist"--a light, metallic color. I normally do not care for the styling of that era Chrysler but this car looked like such a time capsule, it put a big smile on my face.

andre1969

When I was younger, I didn't care for the '63-64 Chryslers either, but my attitude on them has softened over the years. I prefer the '64 models, mainly because of the trim around the headlights that helps square them off a bit, so they don't seem quite as protruding.

IMO the '63 models lost a lot of status, though, in moving everything to the 122" wheelbase. That was okay for something like the Newport, or even the 300, but the New Yorker needed to have more presence to it.

explorerx4

I thought aI saw seeing things, but was behind a Toyota Paseo convertible. I only saw it from the back, but the convertible top which was up, didn't look after market.

Mr_Shiftright

A rare sighting indeed! They were a "one year only" model.

explorerx4 said:

I thought aI saw seeing things, but was behind a Toyota Paseo convertible. I only saw it from the back, but the convertible top which was up, didn't look after market.

fintail

In beautiful Tri-Cities (Kennewick) tonight visiting an old friend. Haven't seen much interesting - this is high desert with lots of sun, does a number on paint over time. I did see a worn looking W116, probably a diesel, still on the road. On the drive over the pass saw a number of cars on trailers, likely headed to the Mecum auction in Seattle this weekend. I will miss it, as I will be over here.

ab348

Enjoy the high desert! Watch out for the tumbleweeds.

stever

Friday night cruising.