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

berri

Handyman - interesting nomenclature for a 2dr wagon. I hadn't heard that before. Doesn't have the cachet of Ranch Wagon though.

omarman

berri said:

Handyman - interesting nomenclature for a 2dr wagon. I hadn't heard that before. Doesn't have the cachet of Ranch Wagon though.

Not gender neural either. A gender neutral word list offered "fixer or maintenance person" as a politically correct alternative.

andre1969

berri said:

19,500 on a used 03 Regal sounds like it may have originally been a rental back in those days. I got more than few Buick's from Hertz during that era. My experience at least was that Hertz actually maintained their cars.

Yeah, it had been a rental. It was also a fairly early build date car, June of '02, and Dad got it in September of '03. On the plus side, it was only $12,840 out the door with tax, tags, and an extended warranty my Dad insisted on having. I think it would have originally stickered for around $26K new...of course, nobody paid sticker for a car like this...

Oh, last night, I had to run by and see my uncle on the way home from work, and got some pics of the two Buicks together. Kissin' cousins, I guess

ab348

fintail said:

I like that gold/cream car being stock too

Here's a '57 in similar colors on BaT:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1957-chevrolet-bel-air-2-door-hardtop-19/

Unfortunately this one has gone in the direction of being burdened with just about every tacky faux-1950s accessory.

stickguy

I find continental kits to be ridiculous.

this has to be one of a kind. Maybe Uplander wants another one?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1959-studebaker-lark-2-door-wagon/

sda

The Buick Ultra still looks pretty good. Too bad it needs mechanical/brake repair. I imagine you could sell it for $1500 give or take. It was a grand car when new.

jpp75

sda said:

The Buick Ultra still looks pretty good. Too bad it needs mechanical/brake repair. I imagine you could sell it for $1500 give or take. It was a grand car when new.

Agreed, it's a great looking car then and now.

ab348

I don't suppose the Park Avenue wheels would bolt up to the Regal?

That's another thing I never understood, why manufacturers allow engineers to develop wheel bolt/hub patterns that differ from model to model.

Mr_Shiftright

ab348 said:

fintail said:

I like that gold/cream car being stock too

Here's a '57 in similar colors on BaT:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1957-chevrolet-bel-air-2-door-hardtop-19/

Unfortunately this one has gone in the direction of being burdened with just about every tacky faux-1950s accessory.

At least he spared us the fuzzy dice.

tjc78

ab348 said:

I don't suppose the Park Avenue wheels would bolt up to the Regal?

That's another thing I never understood, why manufacturers allow engineers to develop wheel bolt/hub patterns that differ from model to model.

Great minds.... I was just going to type the same thing.

I’d bet they would fit.

explorerx4

kind of forgot these existed.
https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/d/1977-ford/6739893413.html

Ummm, okayyy.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/d/mercedes-e350/6739706658.html

Picture taken WHEN???
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1972-volvo-1800p-1-owner/6739665710.html

Looks nice, lot of work done.
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1996-volvo-850-wagon-with-53/6720427394.html

side windows don't get much taller than this.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/d/1987-cadillac-coup-deville/6731149068.html

andre1969

Y'know, I had presumed they were different, simply because GM likes to do things like that, but, I just googled it, and the '03 Regal and '00 Park Avenue both came up as 5 on 115mm, which is roughly a 4.53" bolt pattern. However, I wonder if the hub openings are the same size?

It's almost tempting, except that the tires on the Regal are still good, while the ones on the Park Ave are just about shot. And, they're different sizes...225/60/R16 on the Park Ave, while the Regal is 215/70/R15.

jpp75

explorerx4 said:

kind of forgot these existed.
https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/d/1977-ford/6739893413.html

Ummm, okayyy.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/d/mercedes-e350/6739706658.html

Picture taken WHEN???
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1972-volvo-1800p-1-owner/6739665710.html

Looks nice, lot of work done.
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1996-volvo-850-wagon-with-53/6720427394.html

side windows don't get much taller than this.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/fct/cto/d/1987-cadillac-coup-deville/6731149068.html

I love the Volvo but I'd also take the Caddy.

stickguy

if you want to +1 the regal (and feel like buying new tires) they are actually pretty close.

Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/Mile Difference
225/60-16 5.3in 13.3in 26.6in 83.7in 757 0.0%
215/70-15 5.9in 13.4in 26.9in 84.4in 751 0.8%

berri

At least he spared us the fuzzy dice.

No Hulu dancer on the dash either

berri

I always thought Studebaker did 2 dr wagons well, but this one is a bity over the top.

I think the Park Avenue was one of the better styled cars of its era.

berri

Surely Cadillac could have done something different with that 1987 second row window. The 4 doors of that era were nice looking though.

stickguy

bright red 1970ish Coupe d'Ville. both windows down on the passenger side. Man that was a long car.

Mr_Shiftright

RE: Volvo P1800---for a "full restoration needed", the price of $8000 is ridiculous. This isn't a Porsche 356.

'06 Benz E350 Wagon --somebody might buy it for somewhere around that price but it's pretty risky. Depends on service records. Poor color.

'77 Ford Landau -- might be helpful if you lived near on oil refinery for re-fills.

andre1969

I wonder what a fair price for that '77 LTD would actually be? I'd think that $15K would be for one of the nicest examples in the world...but this one has bad rubber trim around the windows, seats look a bit worn/dirty, engine bay isn't pristine, and 91,000 isn't exactly a low-mileage honey. If I really, really wanted it, I might offer around $4K or so for it, but I just never was a fan of those. I liked the Mercury Marquis a lot better.

Mr_Shiftright

andre1969 said:

I wonder what a fair price for that '77 LTD would actually be? I'd think that $15K would be for one of the nicest examples in the world...but this one has bad rubber trim around the windows, seats look a bit worn/dirty, engine bay isn't pristine, and 91,000 isn't exactly a low-mileage honey. If I really, really wanted it, I might offer around $4K or so for it, but I just never was a fan of those. I liked the Mercury Marquis a lot better.

I'd say $5000---generous offer would be $7000 if it ran out great and trunk and underside were very clean. As it sits at the price displayed, he'll be buying it a birthday cake every year.

stickguy

I never really liked Ford steering wheels of that era. this style with the droopy spokes, and the straight 2 spoke that I think was in the Torino and some Mustangs especially. The 3 spoke from some mustangs was OK.


This 2 spoke.

ab348

andre1969 said:

Y'know, I had presumed they were different, simply because GM likes to do things like that, but, I just googled it, and the '03 Regal and '00 Park Avenue both came up as 5 on 115mm, which is roughly a 4.53" bolt pattern. However, I wonder if the hub openings are the same size?

It's almost tempting, except that the tires on the Regal are still good, while the ones on the Park Ave are just about shot. And, they're different sizes...225/60/R16 on the Park Ave, while the Regal is 215/70/R15.

FWIW, my Intrigue had 225/60R16 as standard, and was on the same chassis as the Regal.

fintail

MB ad - "Its priced at 2,000 more than book value but its worth that to me. I just put it up to see what kind of feed back i get." - LOL love the gumption

I am in Iowa right now. I have seen a few old cars, always sitting forlorn in a field or in a hoard. Everything here is rusty, even some cars from the mid-oughts. Culture shock from the west coast,

stickguy

go back in January if you really want a thrill. will also help explain all the rust.

uplanderguy

"Ugh" on that Lark wagon. But, thanks for thinking of me!

omarman

Fargo was thrilling to me. Midwest, winter, cars and ... whoops!

ab348

This film is both amusing and educational. It's a tour of the Jaguar plant showing how they built the Mark II in 1961. Amazing amount of hand work.

https://youtu.be/lKJPFRNO344

I thought it was appropriate that the film began with a scene of a Mark II entering a repair shop.

fintail

Reminds me of this shorter video showing fintail production:

https://youtu.be/QhTZMBr_lmg

A bit more automated. Painting without masks, what could go wrong?

I don't know if anyone is keeping up with the Thames retro car reviews, about once a week or so they dig another out of their archives, usually from the bright glory days of the 70s. Here's the latest:

https://youtu.be/xYZFPE3jYNE

Mr_Shiftright

The Jaguar 3.4/3.8 saloons are perfectly constructed in a way to ensure that every bit of road salt and debris will be captured and stored in little rotting vaults throughout the chassis. Restoring one of these is challenging.

I appraised one of these a few years ago where the frame had rotted through, and was re-bolted together with a large, long U-shaped coupler, which was drilled and re-fastened to both loose ends of the frame. It was then epoxied (glued) just for extra measure.

Yikes.

I must confess, though, that I like those cars, warts and all. I believe there is a firm in Canada that restores and modernizes them internally---not sure of the specs, but I think you get a 4.2L engine and 5-speed transmission, along with 4-wheel discs, AC and a non-volcanic cooling system.

jpp75

andre1969 said:

I wonder what a fair price for that '77 LTD would actually be? I'd think that $15K would be for one of the nicest examples in the world...but this one has bad rubber trim around the windows, seats look a bit worn/dirty, engine bay isn't pristine, and 91,000 isn't exactly a low-mileage honey. If I really, really wanted it, I might offer around $4K or so for it, but I just never was a fan of those. I liked the Mercury Marquis a lot better.

Agreed, the Marquis was a better looking car, but I do like the wheels on the Ford above. If you really wanted it I'd say $3,500.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

I must confess, though, that I like those cars, warts and all. I believe there is a firm in Canada that restores and modernizes them internally---not sure of the specs, but I think you get a 4.2L engine and 5-speed transmission, along with 4-wheel discs, AC and a non-volcanic cooling system.

I like them too. The lines of the body are just lovely. And of course that Olde English private club room interior. A shame the rest of them are so, uh, challenging.

I thought the funniest part of the film was when the cylinder heads are being heated in an oven to allow installation of the valve seats. The worker, wearing gloves, removes them from the oven and sets them on a bench. Then he takes off the gloves and hammers in the seats, touching the head as he does so. Whaaaa?

At least the painters were wearing masks of some sort, unlike the M-B guys in Fin's film.

fintail

Saw a G8 with a full Holden conversion and Aussie plates. Also this thing:

berri

Early 50's Nash bathtub coupe

uplanderguy

Nice little building.

With bathtub Nashes, I always wondered about turning radius.

uplanderguy

jpp5862 said:

andre1969 said:

I wonder what a fair price for that '77 LTD would actually be? I'd think that $15K would be for one of the nicest examples in the world...but this one has bad rubber trim around the windows, seats look a bit worn/dirty, engine bay isn't pristine, and 91,000 isn't exactly a low-mileage honey. If I really, really wanted it, I might offer around $4K or so for it, but I just never was a fan of those. I liked the Mercury Marquis a lot better.

Agreed, the Marquis was a better looking car, but I do like the wheels on the Ford above. If you really wanted it I'd say $3,500.

My guess is that the seller would tell you where you could put your $3,500.

kyfdx

fintail said:

Saw a G8 with a full Holden conversion and Aussie plates. Also this thing:

Is that the American Pickers logo on the side of the car?

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

Nice little building.

With bathtub Nashes, I always wondered about turning radius.

I was always curious about that too, but I have a feeling it's not as much as you might think. Cars in those days had a lot of overhang to begin with, and according to Wikipedia, on a Nash Statesman, at least, the front track is pretty narrow, at around 55", compared to 60.5" in back.

If anything, I wonder how tipsy the cars would get in aggressive cornering, with a track that narrow?

fintail

Yep, that's their original store in IA. My grandma loves the show, it was close to my route, had to stop and get her a souvenir.

kyfdx said:

<

Is that the American Pickers logo on the side of the car?

stickguy

Parked next to an E39 5 series yesterday. A wagon. Looked tiny next to the RDX. Almost petite. Actually thought it was a 3 series at first. It was that cinnamon dark red color. Very sharp. I would take one, with a 5 speed!

Mr_Shiftright

uplanderguy said:

Nice little building.

With bathtub Nashes, I always wondered about turning radius.

3 to 4 blocks I think.

xwesx

ab348 said:

I don't suppose the Park Avenue wheels would bolt up to the Regal?

That's another thing I never understood, why manufacturers allow engineers to develop wheel bolt/hub patterns that differ from model to model.

I cannot say this is the situation all the time, but it often depends on the calculated forces involved. So, the total rotating mass, the weight of the vehicle, etc., can all affect the bolt pattern and size of bolts. As an example, Subaru universally used a 5x100 pattern starting in, IIRC, 1995. Then, they introduced a 5x114 pattern for the WRX STI in.... was it 2005? All others still used the 5x100. Come 2015, the Outback, which included up-sized wheels and tires from the prior generation, moved to a 5x114 pattern as well. The Ascent also uses this wheel size. So, now about half of their fleet is 5x114 and the other half is 5x100.

Other manufacturers take a lazy approach to re-badged vehicles and will often not convert them to match their other offerings, so you get weird sizes across the same make that way.

xwesx

andre1969 said:

Y'know, I had presumed they were different, simply because GM likes to do things like that, but, I just googled it, and the '03 Regal and '00 Park Avenue both came up as 5 on 115mm, which is roughly a 4.53" bolt pattern. However, I wonder if the hub openings are the same size?

It's almost tempting, except that the tires on the Regal are still good, while the ones on the Park Ave are just about shot. And, they're different sizes...225/60/R16 on the Park Ave, while the Regal is 215/70/R15.

Andre, if you're interested in swapping the wheels, then I wouldn't worry about the tires. The sizing on them as now is pretty close, TBH, and definitely would fit fine. And, cost of tires at this size is reasonably cheap (maybe $500, mounted, for a nice set)... it's the wheels that you're after, anyway. Tires are just a wear item.

fintail

Saw a nice old car on the road today, a ~66 Polara 4 door HT, brown and light creme, either pristine original or cosmetic restoration, looked nice, younger couple driving somewhat slow on an in-city highway in Milwaukee. Also saw lots of rusty 90s era cars, a couple of squarebodies wearing heavy patina, a preserved late 80s Buick that must be garaged, a similarly nice LeBaron GTC that obviously isn't in the elements here.

andre1969

I always liked the '65- 66 full-sized Dodges. They lack some of the glamour and slickness of GM's comparable offerings, and the wanna-be-an-upscale-car look of the Mercury, but they had a clean, rugged, no-nonsense look about them.

ab348

The seller of this '65 Skylark on BaT says he spent over $16K on the restoration. A lot of it seems somewhat misguided.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-buick-skylark-2/

I had a '64 version that was very similar. The seller is taking a lot of heat for the seats, steering wheel and the replacement vinyl roof in a non-original style (originally it came with a good-looking halo design). I think he may lose his shirt if there is no reserve.

berri

I also liked the 65/66 Dodge Coronet mid sizer. I always thought it was kind of cleanly styled.

texases

ab348 said:

The seller of this '65 Skylark on BaT says he spent over $16K on the restoration. A lot of it seems somewhat misguided.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-buick-skylark-2/

I had a '64 version that was very similar. The seller is taking a lot of heat for the seats, steering wheel and the replacement vinyl roof in a non-original style (originally it came with a good-looking halo design). I think he may lose his shirt if there is no reserve.

It just sold for $9,300. That steering wheel! Yikes!

ab348

Yeah, the bad choices he made that you could see made me wonder what other dumb things he did that you can't see.

uplanderguy

Yeah, the bad choices he made that you could see made me wonder what other dumb things he did that you can't see.

Isn't that always the case, LOL. Whenever I see a car that someone couldn't be bothered to replace all the nameplates, or get emblems in the right places, I think, "Sheesh, I can spot that a block away--more so than I could spot a bad paint job. What can't I see that's screwed up?".