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

explorerx4

That 959 is WOW!

omarman

fintail said:

Here's a fun Instagram - cars parked on the street in Seattle. A little snapshot of some of the oddballs hanging around this area, maybe interesting for people in harsher climates. The most recent pic is a good one:

https://www.instagram.com/parked_in_seattle/

Nice driver's ed flashback. It appears that parked_in_seattle owns a '75 Elite because it shows up 2x!

fintail

I need to go through that Instagram and see if I recall any of the cars. Saw an orange-red 67-69 Camaro out in the pouring rain this evening - couldn't tell the year as it was far, but like many cars, looked shiny in the rain.

Here's another view of the 959:

ab348

uplanderguy said:

That Caddy's instrument panel reminded me that at the time, I thought it was sort-of a weird panel, not even taking the location of the fuel gauge into consideration! The way that center section stood out more than the area directly in front of the driver was a bit different at the time. Of all the big GM's that came out in '77, I like the Buick's panel the best--the instruments sort-of reminded me back in the day, when people had barometers mounted on wood in their offices, etc. I probably like the Caprice panel next, only because of that shiny black panel above the glove compartment. The Impala panel was awful. We had one.

I loved the IP on my '79 Park Avenue. The silver-faced dials weren't the easiest to read but they sure looked nice. I also liked how the overall design was a homage to Buick dashboards of the early late '40s-early 50s, with the clock on the right.



We had a '79 Impala and all that red (in our case) textured plastic on the dash cried out for something different. It was a very nice car otherwise though, very smooth and quiet.

sda

ab348 said:

omarman said:

Top left of center stack just above A/C vents.
Different car but it should be in same place:

What an odd/bad place for a fuel gauge!

Dad had a '78 DeVille d'Elegance and mom a '78 Olds 98 Regency. I preferred the dash in the DeVille just a bit more than the Olds. It had a more upscale look. The gas gauge located in the top center of the dash was easily read, and his had the Fuel Monitor system that consisted of three lights(dots) the glowed green, yellow, red depending upon how aggressive you were accelerating. It was a basic vacuum gauge. I was always amazed how much better mom's 403 Olds ran and accelerated compared to the 425 DeVille. Both were quiet and smooth, the Olds being more reliable and trouble free. I did like the Buick and Pontiac dash better than the Olds or Cadillac.

berri

What an incredible collection and variety of car shots Fin. Very neat!

ab - I'm with you on the Buick IP followed closely by the big Pontiac version.

bhill2

fintail said:

Completely different car, but very similar in initial appearance to mine. I've never seen it before, I hope the guy shows up to a MBCA event sometime.

There are some fun cars on that site.

stickguy said:

Oh, is that your car? Or a twin.

If you scroll down long enough, on the right side you will see a gold (champagne in MB-speak) W126. It is a twin, right down to the wheels, of the one we lost in the fire (sigh).

ab348

I agree on the Olds dash in the downsized big cars. While the overall configuration was fine, with the large hooded instrument/switch binnacle, the layout with all those rectangles for gauges, vents and switch escutcheons in the middle of that vast expanse of plastiwood just seemed uninspired.

fintail

I can believe you miss the car - you know, you could get another one, they are out there

bhill2 said:

If you scroll down long enough, on the right side you will see a gold (champagne in MB-speak) W126. It is a twin, right down to the wheels, of the one we lost in the fire (sigh).

andre1969

I think the Buick LeSabre/Electra dashboard looked great, but it still had issues. First, IIRC, there was no gauge package for it. The Pontiac dash, and to a lesser degree the Chevy dash, was designed to accommodate extra gauges. The Olds dash really wasn't, but you could still get them...it was just obvious they were tacked on.

Second, the silver gauge faces. To me, I think it just looks a bit clashy against the woodgrain. Were they difficult to read? By the time my grandparents bought their '85 LeSabre, the gauge faces were black. And it had a digital clock in the radio, so no need for the round clock on the passenger side.

Third, the glovebox was pretty tiny. On the plus side, it had a metal door. Maybe not the best from a safety standpoint, but it certainly didn't feel cheap!

Another thing I liked about the Buick dash, at least by 1985, was that the padding on it was a high quality, leathery stuff that was less likely to crack than the Chevy dash. I can't remember what type of padding Olds or Buick used, though.

I think my favorite dash is the Catalina/Bonneville dash. It just looks really attractive to my eye. The Olds dash seems odd to me, has sort of a random look to it, with an odd jumble of shapes and sizes. Plus, it only had three HVAC vents instead of the four the other cars had. I'm also not a fan of its strip speedometer, and for some reason, the extremes on the Olds seemed more exaggerated than they did on other cars. My '82 Cutlass Supreme had this trait, too.

GM really deserves some credit for differentiating their interiors though. In contrast, Ford was using the same dash for the LTD/Marquis, although I believe the Lincoln dash was still different. And Chrysler just used the same dash from the cheapest Gran Fury on up to the New Yorker 5th Avenue Edition.

PF_Flyer

What better way to pass a chilly day than to curl up with a good gangster movie

A couple of looks at the mystery car

texases

1930-ish Pierce Arrow?

xwesx

Makes me think of Road to Perdition, though I'm pretty sure that vehicle never made an appearance there. Too classy!

omarman

ab348 said:

uplanderguy said:

That Caddy's instrument panel reminded me that at the time, I thought it was sort-of a weird panel, not even taking the location of the fuel gauge into consideration! The way that center section stood out more than the area directly in front of the driver was a bit different at the time. Of all the big GM's that came out in '77, I like the Buick's panel the best--the instruments sort-of reminded me back in the day, when people had barometers mounted on wood in their offices, etc. I probably like the Caprice panel next, only because of that shiny black panel above the glove compartment. The Impala panel was awful. We had one.

I loved the IP on my '79 Park Avenue. The silver-faced dials weren't the easiest to read but they sure looked nice. I also liked how the overall design was a homage to Buick dashboards of the early late '40s-early 50s, with the clock on the right.



We had a '79 Impala and all that red (in our case) textured plastic on the dash cried out for something different. It was a very nice car otherwise though, very smooth and quiet.

I've posted many times how much I liked all the GM down-sized big sedans, but the Buick was my favorite. After driving my aunt's new Park Avenue in '78, I felt like all it needed was a bigger engine than the 350 it was ordered with. It was smooth, comfortable and looked great.

About a year later I drove a friend's 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville one time but I couldn't really tell much difference in power. Surprising since my friend said it had a 425 V8. It was really nice, leather, lots of options, etc. Still I would really rather have the Buick.

tjc78

andre1969 said:

I think the Buick LeSabre/Electra dashboard looked great, but it still had issues. First, IIRC, there was no gauge package for it. The Pontiac dash, and to a lesser degree the Chevy dash, was designed to accommodate extra gauges. The Olds dash really wasn't, but you could still get them...it was just obvious they were tacked on.

Second, the silver gauge faces. To me, I think it just looks a bit clashy against the woodgrain. Were they difficult to read? By the time my grandparents bought their '85 LeSabre, the gauge faces were black. And it had a digital clock in the radio, so no need for the round clock on the passenger side.

Third, the glovebox was pretty tiny. On the plus side, it had a metal door. Maybe not the best from a safety standpoint, but it certainly didn't feel cheap!

Another thing I liked about the Buick dash, at least by 1985, was that the padding on it was a high quality, leathery stuff that was less likely to crack than the Chevy dash. I can't remember what type of padding Olds or Buick used, though.

I think my favorite dash is the Catalina/Bonneville dash. It just looks really attractive to my eye. The Olds dash seems odd to me, has sort of a random look to it, with an odd jumble of shapes and sizes. Plus, it only had three HVAC vents instead of the four the other cars had. I'm also not a fan of its strip speedometer, and for some reason, the extremes on the Olds seemed more exaggerated than they did on other cars. My '82 Cutlass Supreme had this trait, too.

GM really deserves some credit for differentiating their interiors though. In contrast, Ford was using the same dash for the LTD/Marquis, although I believe the Lincoln dash was still different. And Chrysler just used the same dash from the cheapest Gran Fury on up to the New Yorker 5th Avenue Edition.

Lincoln got the Ford dash in 1978,then in 80 when Lincoln went Panther chassis they got their own dash again.

uplanderguy

RE.: ab348's Impala with red dash--our '77 Impala was red inside too.

I always thought that if you pried that black-with-gold-outline panel off a Caprice Classic, it probably had "Impala" in relief in the plastic panel underneath.

fintail

I'll guess the Pierce-Arrow is a 31-32, high spec model possibly a 12, coachbuilt cabriolet body.

ab348

Yes, the silver gauge faces were a bit difficult to read. Not totally sure why, but I presume a lack of contrast. I remember our '78 Grand LeMans also had silver-faced dials and they were even harder to read than Buick's. I can't really criticize a lack of optional gauges in a '70s full-size Buick though. Agree fully with the comments on the Olds dash. I have a set of the optional gauges for a '77-'79 Olds here in a box that I never installed in my Delta. It seemed a lot of work for a pretty minimal level of usefulness.

uplanderguy

Someone, I think andre, mentioned metal glovebox doors on the Buick panel. Vinyl is safer of course, but I do remember thinking and agreeing back then with a friend of mine who suggested this, that, for example, the '71-76 full-size Chevy panels with heavy metal glovebox doors seemed more substantial than, say, the thin, flimsy plastic door used on '73-77 Chevelles and Monte Carlos. Same with the metal glovebox doors on Novas right up until the end. Those Chevelle and Monte glovebox doors felt like you could pull them right off the hinges with bare hands.

Studebaker panels from '63-66 were padded top-to-bottom, which was quite unusual at that time.

texases

I followed an M 'clown shoe' BMW in today, looked very clean. Those are going up in value, I hear.

kyfdx

texases said:

I followed an M 'clown shoe' BMW in today, looked very clean. Those are going up in value, I hear.

Yeah... pretty much out of reach.
Especially, if you want a later one with the S54 engine from the E46 M3.

I'd love one of those, but with Enthusiast Auto buying them all up, just about impossible to find one for a decent price.

PF_Flyer

PF_Flyer said:

What better way to pass a chilly day than to curl up with a good gangster movie

A couple of looks at the mystery car

Murder, Inc.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

Someone, I think andre, mentioned metal glovebox doors on the Buick panel. Vinyl is safer of course, but I do remember thinking and agreeing back then with a friend of mine who suggested this, that, for example, the '71-76 full-size Chevy panels with heavy metal glovebox doors seemed more substantial than, say, the thin, flimsy plastic door used on '73-77 Chevelles and Monte Carlos. Same with the metal glovebox doors on Novas right up until the end. Those Chevelle and Monte glovebox doors felt like you could pull them right off the hinges with bare hands.

I guess in that era, you still got a bit more car when you moved up from a Chevy. My '76 Grand LeMans has a metal glovebox door. However, I think the base LeMans had a plastic one.

The Mopar R-body uses a drop down bin type of glovebox that's plastic. On my old '79 Newport, it would actually fall completely out sometimes. I had forgotten that little piece of nostalgia...thanks for making me remember it

andre1969

ab348 said:

I've posted many times how much I liked all the GM down-sized big sedans, but the Buick was my favorite. After driving my aunt's new Park Avenue in '78, I felt like all it needed was a bigger engine than the 350 it was ordered with. It was smooth, comfortable and looked great.

About a year later I drove a friend's 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville one time but I couldn't really tell much difference in power. Surprising since my friend said it had a 425 V8. It was really nice, leather, lots of options, etc. Still I would really rather have the Buick.

I wonder if the Coupe DeVille weighed much more than the Park Avenue? With both of them being the C-body, you'd think there wouldn't be much difference, but perhaps Caddy still managed to bulk it up, somehow?

Gear ratios might have something to do with it, as well. IIRC, the 350 Electra came standard with a 2.41:1, but the Caddy 425 used a 2.28:1. There were optional ratios...I'd imagine a 2.73:1 and a 3.08:1 or something like that?

My '76 Grand LeMans has the 2.41:1, and good lord is it slow on takeoff. You can tell the engine WANTS to perform, but it just can't wind up that quick. My '79 New Yorkers, with the 360-2bbl, use a 2.45:1 axle, but seem noticeably quicker off the line, but still hardly a race car. And after getting used to more modern, powerful cars, these old cars that once upon a time seemed perfectly adequate, definitely take some time to get re-accustomed to!

Considering how sluggish the 2.41 axle was, I don't think I'd want to go any taller! Chrysler started using 2.26:1 axles in a lot of its V-8 cars for 1981, but to compensate, they at least made first and second gear quicker.

stickguy

Ever get the de Soto back? Any other changes (deletions) to the fleet?

berri

My '76 Grand LeMans has a metal glovebox door. However, I think the base LeMans had a plastic one.
You know, I don't even remember my 76 Cutlass Supreme glove box door. I recall it had a nice IP for the times though.

uplanderguy

Pretty sure the Cutlass Supreme door was plastic or vinyl.

andre1969

stickguy said:

Ever get the de Soto back? Any other changes (deletions) to the fleet?

DeSoto is still at the shop. I haven't heard any updates since September, but now that it's winter time and the roads are sloppy, I'm hoping the mechanic holds off until spring to finish it. The last time I talked with him, he said it didn't need much. I think bleeding the brakes, re-installing the seats, after he put seatbelts in, fabricating windshield wiper blades for it (apparently not a mass-produced part anymore...big shock there!), and other adjustments here and there.

As for the fleet, here's how it currently stands.

2012 Ram 1500 Hemi
2003 Buick Regal LS (Inherited from my Dad, use it for most of my daily driving to keep miles off the truck)
2000 Buick Park Ave Ultra (currently untagged, needs too much work to be worth fixing...just been too lazy to get rid of it)
1979 Chrysler New Yorker 5th Ave
1979 Chrysler New Yorker base model
1976 Pontiac Grand LeMans "Colonade hardtop coupe" (in fancy GM-marketing speak)
1967 Pontiac Catalina convertible
1957 DeSoto Firedome hardtop coupe.

The only thing I got rid of fairly recently was my Granddad's '85 Silverado, early last year.

stickguy

8 cars should be enough for one person!

iluvmysephia1

andre1969 - you keep going and you're gonna need Jay Leno's airplane hangar ta hold 'em all!

kyfdx

I think I'd have to ditch those New Yorkers, if I wanted to pare the fleet.

omarman

kyfdx said:

I think I'd have to ditch those New Yorkers, if I wanted to pare the fleet.

Keep both of the Buicks? Including the broken one?

andre1969

Well, the 2000 Park Ave will go, eventually. If I was to thin out further the base New Yorker would probably be the next to go. I'll probably keep my Dad's Regal around for awhile, at least until it starts becoming too unreliable. I've already had to have it towed twice. First time was for intermittent stalling, which turned out to be a combination of the fuel filter, MAF sensor, and some other stuff. Second time was when the water pump went out. Luckily, it made it home both times, so it didn't actually leave me stranded. Still, I don't think I've had to have a car towed since my old '89 Gran Fury copcar started developing an appetite for starters, back around '02-03. Well, I did have the DeSoto towed, when it went off to the mechanic.

At one point I thought about getting a nice mid-life crisis car, like a 392 Charger. But, if I did that, I'd definitely keep the Regal around as a beater. But I've also found that, the older I get, the less I want to blow money on something like that, even if I could afford it.

explorerx4

A gray RHD Skyline!

Michaell

explorerx4 said:

A gray RHD Skyline!

There are a few I see regularly here in the south Denver suburbs. Still a cool sighting.

fintail

Out in the drizzle this afternoon - a chrome bumper MGB (brave), 2x XJ40 Jags, both nice - one an early model in immaculate condition driven by a little old lady, 80s 323 wagon, 86-87 Prelude Si.

fintail

Watched Mecum for a few minutes - prices seem really strong. I liked the "quartet" of MB Black series cars, I really like the SL65 Black Series, seriously rare car. The group brought 910K.

omarman

My friend likes old Detroit iron. "Antiques" she says, although I still don't like calling cars from my youth that word. After watching for a few moments a hemi 'Cuda went for 205K and then a hemi Daytona sold for 260K I think. We clicked it off when company came but I saw a Boss 429 on screen before answering the door. Wonder if it was real and what something like that goes for now.

Mr_Shiftright

omarman said:

My friend likes old Detroit iron. "Antiques" she says, although I still don't like calling cars from my youth that word. After watching for a few moments a hemi 'Cuda went for 205K and then a hemi Daytona sold for 260K I think. We clicked it off when company came but I saw a Boss 429 on screen before answering the door. Wonder if it was real and what something like that goes for now.

A Boss 429 should be worth well above $300K.

PF_Flyer

Hoping this is just a bad cold and doesn't morph into the flu. Today's feature film to keep my mind going has some ID challenges

stickguy

That bus brings back childhood memories of the red and tan lines buses.

PF_Flyer

stickguy said:

That bus brings back childhood memories of the red and tan lines buses.

Rockland Coaches!

stickguy

Yes.

tifighter

Currently in Zurich, and today saw an old guy driving a nice Ferrari 412 in dark grey with Lichtenstein plates. Complete with crazy old man hair and a tweed sports coat. He pulled the whole thing off rather well, IMHO.

And I always had a soft spot for the 412.

fintail

Crazy old man probably hiding Auric Goldfinger's vault. I like those cars a lot, sharp lines.

Several years ago there was a blue one for sale locally, in blue, similar to this:



So tempting, but I have to imagine massive running costs even for a sunny Sunday driver.

Mr_Shiftright

Figure $2 a mile.

stickguy

Not bad. Hard to imagine doing more than 1k per year on a toy like that, so less than $2k annually. So $175/month.

fintail

Plus purchase price. I don't know what one would bring today, but nice looking ones were down around 30K not terribly long ago. I suppose they probably won't depreciate. A lot of them were automatics, too.

texases

stickguy said:

Not bad. Hard to imagine doing more than 1k per year on a toy like that, so less than $2k annually. So $175/month.

Unfortunately it doesn't come evenly. So you'll have periodic EXPENSIVE stuff, some of which I'd think ties to time, rather than miles.

Mr_Shiftright

stickguy said:

Not bad. Hard to imagine doing more than 1k per year on a toy like that, so less than $2k annually. So $175/month.

Yeah, averaged out. Some years will be better than others, depending on when major services are due. If you buy one fully serviced and turn-key, you might get away fairly cheap for a while. It's certainly worth getting a $500 PPI from a marque expert.