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

iluvmysephia1

Yep - I bought Dad's '73 Gold Duster with a slant 6. Reliable, fairly powerful motor. It was the rest of the car that started falling apart, namely the suspension. Never a problem with the automatic tranny, either. I do like that black '62 Dart 440. In an odd way. It's weird looks grows on you.

andre1969

I think suspensions tended to be a weak spot on Mopars in general. I remember when I bought my '89 Gran Fury copcar, from a dealership that specialized in refurbishing old police cars, they said that the weak spot on Caprices of that era was the automatic transmission and on Fords it was the engine, while on the Gran Furys and Diplomats it was the suspension.

And, when I had my '79 Newport, I remember striking up a conversation with a guy who drove a cab, and he said kind of the same thing about them...engines and transmissions were more durable for the most part, than competing Fords and GM cars of the time, but suspensions were a weak spot.

I also remember my '68 and '69 Darts as being a bit problematic when it came to suspension work. I wonder if one problem is that the V-8 models used a lot of the same suspension components as the slant six models? At least, I can tell from experience that an upper ball joint and upper control arm are interchangeable between a '69 Dart GT slant six, and a '68 Dart 270 that originally had a 273 V-8!

iluvmysephia1

The black '62 Dart has a pushbutton automatic tranny, too. Which would be weird, too. But not a deal-killer, of course.

xwesx

So, now that I'm using my '69 C20 as a daily driver for the next few weeks, I can sure appreciate the Rancho RS9000 shocks I installed on it last summer! Man, that truck rides so nicely now.

berri

Those downsized 62 Mopars are hard to find, especially with more base drivetrains. Many were long ago converted to muscle cars because of their light weight. Personally, I've always liked their uniqueness.

andre1969

iluvmysephia1 said:

The black '62 Dart has a pushbutton automatic tranny, too. Which would be weird, too. But not a deal-killer, of course.

They're easy to get used to. Also, I don't know if they were the same by '62, but in 1957, they actually had safety features built into them to keep you from pressing "1", "2", or "R" at too high of a speed. If you pressed 1 or 2 at too high of a speed, the car would simply stay in its current gear (2 or Drive), until your speed dropped low enough. And, I think the threshold was around 11 mph for reverse. If you hit reverse at a speed higher than that, it would go into neutral.

I can't imagine that having the car suddenly go into reverse while it's moving forward at 11 mph would be good for it, though...

fintail

Those Darts - always make me think of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

stevedebi

ab348 said:

stevedebi said:

Andre,
Your repair woes remind me of when I owned an '87 Toyota Corolla FX. Not the "hot" 16 valve, just the basic one that could not get out of your way. I got it free from my mother in law. Got it in 2007, so 20 years old and 70K. Anyway, put around 1K into it over the years, and used it to go the couple of miles per day to work. I was filling it up one day and the gas went on the ground instead into the tank! Turns out the hose had rotted out. I ended up keeping it for a few more years, but eventually it would have taken too much to justify the miles saved on my new car. I think everything went out or was going out, all the small stuff like CV boots. Would have been around 1K again, so I sold it for 300. The engine and transmission were fine, and here in CA the body was in good shape. It is still running, a co-worker bought it, fixed it up, and gave it to a relative.

That car was sloooooow. And my mom in law was offered either power steering or A/C. She took the A/C, but the car was basically impossible to park - unless you were moving, it was a real haul to turn that FWD. Neither of my kids was interested in it, or I would have fixed it up for them. I knew my kids were smart...

That takes me back to the mid-80s. First decent-paying job, living in my own apartment, going out a lot, lots of girls to go with me. My '77 LeMans 2-door was a good car but getting passe, especially among the classier ladies I liked to chase - they saw it as going towards the greasy side a little too much (though I liked some of those kind of girls too! ).

I read all the car magazines and they were just ga-ga over Toyotas of that era. A girl I liked had a boyfriend who had a new Celica and that seemed the way to go. But when I went to the dealer they had a 16-valve Corolla fastback, a similar coupe, and the MR2 as well. I fell in love with the MR2 and ended up with that. But whenever I'd see one of those 16-valve Corolla coupes I would wonder if I shouldn't have gone with that instead, since the MR2, while a gas to drive, was fairly useless for anything resembling normal use like carrying anything in the trunk or more than 1 passenger. For whatever reason Toyota didn't sell the FX version in Canada back then, which I remember all the magazines loved.

I would have people ringing my doorbell every few months wanting to buy that '87 FX. Until I explained that it was the normal engine, not the 16 valve job. That ended the conversation quick.

The car was quite maneuverable at speed. I can see how a 16v with a stick would be quite the hoot. Oh yeah, mine was the automatic, I don't think I mentioned that. Dog city.

iluvmysephia1

I can't imagine that having the car suddenly go into reverse while it's moving forward at 11 mph would be good for it, though...

Definite nabob on that one! I too like the '62 Dart's uniqueness.

tjc78

Wonder what the engine problems were on the Ford police cars ?  Most were the 302 which is pretty darn reliable.  The only thing I could think of is low oil pressure as they got miled up, but old Fords don't need a lot to keep going.  

berri

I always thought the front of the 62 Mopars looked a bit better on the Plymouth, or at least less weird despite it's concaveness, but the interior and rear looked better on the Dodge.

I had the old 302 on an Explorer and it had serious problems with pinging on regular fuel, as well as a bunch of nickel and dime stuff like belt tensioners and some other odd stuff I don't remember. Dealer and Ford rep's never resolved it and I moved on to a Honda.

omarman

The 302 probably was the most common Ford police package engine in the 80s. But I'm wondering if mechanics are recalling problems with Ford engines actually being failure prone or just lacking power. Or both? The 1991 Ford Police Package offered the 302 SEFI with 160 hp or an optional 351 HO 2VV with 180 hp. I'm quoting numbers from Ford Police Cars, 1932-1997. Just at a glance, the main problem I see is not enough power to push the big box Fords around! That 351 was using a variable venturi 2-barrel carb. Wonder how many new car engines were still relying on carburetors back in 1991?

tjc78 said:

Wonder what the engine problems were on the Ford police cars ?  Most were the 302 which is pretty darn reliable.  The only thing I could think of is low oil pressure as they got miled up, but old Fords don't need a lot to keep going.  

fintail

Saw what I am pretty sure was a 2000 C43 AMG, very rare, maybe 25 imported that year, final run car.

iluvmysephia1

1962 Dodge Dart 440 with slant 6 automatic push-button

One can see somewhat of a resemblance to the next Dart body design in the back here. It is possible, anyway. What an unusual design. In the end, I like it. Love ta cruise over to St. Louie and take the $9,900 car for a spin and a closeup look-see.

andre1969

While a V-8 would be more lively, I have a feeling that even with the slant six, a '62 Dart wouldn't be too bad. They were fairly light cars, and in those days, I think the slant six was usually mated to a 2.94:1 axle, so they had a little more kick to them. I know in '67, in the compacts at least, the standard axle with a 225 was a 2.94:1, but they switched to a 2.76:1 in '68 to improve fuel economy a bit.

stevedebi

omarman said:

The 302 probably was the most common Ford police package engine in the 80s. But I'm wondering if mechanics are recalling problems with Ford engines actually being failure prone or just lacking power. Or both? The 1991 Ford Police Package offered the 302 SEFI with 160 hp or an optional 351 HO 2VV with 180 hp. I'm quoting numbers from Ford Police Cars, 1932-1997. Just at a glance, the main problem I see is not enough power to push the big box Fords around! That 351 was using a variable venturi 2-barrel carb. Wonder how many new car engines were still relying on carburetors back in 1991?

tjc78 said:

Wonder what the engine problems were on the Ford police cars ?  Most were the 302 which is pretty darn reliable.  The only thing I could think of is low oil pressure as they got miled up, but old Fords don't need a lot to keep going.  

I had the 302 on my '78 Fairmont sedan. Man, with the light body, that car could really move.

Mr_Shiftright

IIRC, the timing chains liked to stretch.

stevedebi

Mr_Shiftright said:

IIRC, the timing chains liked to stretch.

You mean the 302? I didn't realize it was sophisticated enough to have timing chains. Never heard of it, but I only had 132K on it when I finally sold it.

texases

Most all V-8s have a short timing chain from the crank to the camshaft. They chain can 'stretch' (wear), and they often used nylon gears to quiet the noise, that also had a the bad habit of disintegrating...

iluvmysephia1

While a V-8 would be more lively, I have a feeling that even with the slant six, a '62 Dart wouldn't be too bad. They were fairly light cars, and in those days, I think the slant six was usually mated to a 2.94:1 axle, so they had a little more kick to them. I know in '67, in the compacts at least, the standard axle with a 225 was a 2.94:1, but they switched to a 2.76:1 in '68 to improve fuel economy a bit.

Yeah, they say that 1962 Dodge Dart 440 body is light. It sure doesn't look light ta me! But if you look at the detail I spose it isn't that clunky full of a body. The flare outs on the back aren't really even bulky.

kyfdx

texases said:

Most all V-8s have a short timing chain from the crank to the camshaft. They chain can 'stretch' (wear), and they often used nylon gears to quiet the noise, that also had a the bad habit of disintegrating...

Yeah.. my 1970 302 broke a timing chain at 113K miles..

andre1969

According to my old car book, a Dart 440 4-door sedan with a slant six has a base weight of 3045 lb. For comparison, the '61 Dart Phoenix 4-door sedan, which was about the equivalent in rank, started at 3350 lb.

A '62 Impala 4-door with the 6-cyl was 3510 lb, but that was the era where they were still using the old, heavy "Blue Flame" engine, which was actually heavier than the V-8! My old car book, unfortunately, averages the weight of the 6- and V-8 for the Galaxie 500, so it's hard to get a direct comparison. But it lists that average as 3650 lb.

texases

3045 lbs is no feather weight, but we had such lower expectations back then, the 225 was fine...

iluvmysephia1

Ahh...chirpin' the tires not necessary for this padre.

explorerx4

A mid 70's dark Olds 4 door hardtop sitting in a driveway. It was huge!

berri

A true battleship. Now had that been a 59 Flat top it would have been an aircraft carrier

fintail

Assuming this is the same car, it already sold, sorry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqYXRj7xTTk

berri

Liked that video Fin. But after awhile of silence I was a bit startled when the engine suddenly started up. And what's with that guy in the reflection of the paint looking like he's doing Ninja or something? Had that been a Caddy or Lincoln in that color, he might have found himself stuffed in the trunk in long term parking at O'Hare. Some of the guys that owned those kind of cars were a bit jumpy and always sat with their back to the wall.

I also liked that 64 Dodge in the video pics after the 62. That one year design was kind of nice and clean with a nifty coupe C pillar.

berri

One other comment on those truncated 62 Mopar's. When I wanted a car while in college during the latter 60's I figured I could get a great price on one of those Dodge or Plymouth's since they were unpopular when they originally came out. Wrong! I think most had already been bought cheap and mod'ed out as muscle cars. The ones that hadn't, like 4 dr sedans; maybe owners were just hanging on to them because of the depreciation hit. I think they were decent for the times mechanically.

iluvmysephia1

I wonder why MotoExotica still has the car on their website if it's already sold. Seems like sloppy bidness to me.

Michaell

iluvmysephia1 said:

I wonder why MotoExotica still has the car on their website if it's already sold. Seems like sloppy bidness to me.

Lots of dealers farm out the website maintenance to third parties, and there is often a lag with inventory updates.

fintail

Oh, it's not like you were really going to buy it, iluv And if you want one, others are out there.

Although I have to say, this Dodge looks like a better deal than the red Datsun.

iluvmysephia1

Although I have to say, this Dodge looks like a better deal than the red Datsun.

If I did actually go after one of these classics I would really freak...myself out. I prefer the Datsun - I saw a picture of the '68 411 Bluebird somewhere on the net and it also said "sold" and the amount was only $3,100 at auction. That car is worth $3,100 to me, that's for sure. About $5,000 more than that, really.

fintail

It only brought $3100, and they wanted something like 12K for it? Wow. For $3100, it was almost definitely worth the gamble.

iluvmysephia1 said:

If I did actually go after one of these classics I would really freak...myself out. I prefer the Datsun - I saw a picture of the '68 411 Bluebird somewhere on the net and it also said "sold" and the amount was only $3,100 at auction. That car is worth $3,100 to me, that's for sure. About $5,000 more than that, really.

stevedebi

kyfdx said:

texases said:

Most all V-8s have a short timing chain from the crank to the camshaft. They chain can 'stretch' (wear), and they often used nylon gears to quiet the noise, that also had a the bad habit of disintegrating...

Yeah.. my 1970 302 broke a timing chain at 113K miles..

Guess I lucked out on my 130K Fairmont!

kyfdx

stevedebi said:

kyfdx said:

texases said:

Most all V-8s have a short timing chain from the crank to the camshaft. They chain can 'stretch' (wear), and they often used nylon gears to quiet the noise, that also had a the bad habit of disintegrating...

Yeah.. my 1970 302 broke a timing chain at 113K miles..

Guess I lucked out on my 130K Fairmont!

That's pretty good.. by the time I put 48K miles on my '77 Cobra II with a 302, the engine was the only thing that was still good...

Mr_Shiftright

Well they can run okay with the stretched chain...they are just doggy....

andre1969

Now that I think about it, my Dad had a '71 Torino with a 302, that got passed down to him when my Great-Granddad died in '77. It threw a rod around 1978 or so, and my Dad simply abandoned it. I have no idea how many miles were on it, but probably less then 100,000. However, Dad was also rough on cars, so it may not have been totally the car's fault.

Despite the old yarn about cars not lasting that long in those days, Dad was the reason my Mom's '66 Catalina convertible was pretty ragged out by 1972, from what I've been told.

iluvmysephia1

It only brought $3100, and they wanted something like 12K for it? Wow. For $3100, it was almost definitely worth the gamble

That's right, fin...and that auction was at Oklahoma City, only 235 miles south of me here. Wow. Great deal for somebody in an old Bluebird. That one looked as sound as any I've seen on the net, ever, too.

omarman

Spotted a 1955 Ford Parklane just like this one above except for color. Green and white finish like the pic below. Looked minty fresh parked at a Columbus med clinic lot on the far north side late this morning.

imidazol97

I had to do research to figure out what the Parklane was. I remembered hearing the name, but drew a blank because all the wagons were "Country" or "Ranch." Parklane was for 1 year only to compete with Nomad. It was an upgrade on the Ranch two-door with Fairlane interior quality and the sidespear of the Fairlane models.

Thanks for bringing back that memory with your posting.

berri

Nice pix and as I recall the 55 Ford had a good durability reputation.

stevedebi

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well they can run okay with the stretched chain...they are just doggy....

Yeah, the mechanic called mine "tired" when he looked it over at about 120K. That is pretty representative.

I remember in August of '89 I drove from Albuquerque to CA in that car. Coming into CA, there are a series of very long hills on I-40. The car posted an overtemp light near the top. I had to stop and let it sit (with the engine running) for about 5 minutes to cool it down. This happened on about 5 of those long hills. It was a long drive that day.

On that stretch this past August, the temperature hit 119 degrees. I don't know what it was in '89. But that "Tired" engine didn't like it much. Neither did I.

fintail

I am in Canadaland for a few days. I have seen a Suzuki Aveo, a couple Geos, and a Fisker Karma, along with a ~68 Riviera on a flatbed. No JDM stuff....yet.

fintail

In the special displays at the Vancouver auto show, spotted a 288 GTO, F40, Testarossa, 2000GT, 930 Turbo, ex-Dean Martin RR Corniche, very pretty 1950 Caddy with 30K miles and original finishes, James Bond Aston Martin DB5, old Land Rover that drove around the world in the 50s, and some other custom stuff.

berri

Speaking of Caddy's, the other day I spotted a really nice condition 55 or 56 coupe out for a sunny spring romp. The chrome could blind you! I always liked the finely meshed front grills on those vintage Cadillac's. I admire the guy for driving it around in town in traffic, but I think I'd be a little hesitant with one in that kind of condition.

Mr_Shiftright

Ah, those were Cadillac's Golden Years, for sure.

hpmctorque

I saw two Buick Reatta coupes within four day. The first one was white, driving south on I-95 between Baltimore and DC. I couldn't tell what condition it was in since I was traveling in the opposite direction. The second was silver, parked along a main artery in a MD suburb. From the drive-by glance I got of it, it appeared to be in good cosmetic condition.

Prior to these two I hadn't seen a Reatta in many months. I wouldn't mind having one as a weekend cruiser.

stickguy

I was driving behind a white reatta convertible on the NY thruway yesterday. Look a bit tatty.

hpmctorque

stickguy said:

I was driving behind a white reatta convertible on the NY thruway yesterday. Look a bit tatty.

That could be a restoration project if it's mechanically and structurally sound.