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

stickguy

In my daughter's new neighborhood, I noticed a house with a project looking 2002 parked out front. And a newer 2 series in the driveway. Last time by I looked closer, and there are actually 2 2002s there (red and blue) and what looks like I assume is an E30 (the 3 series that came before the E36?)

kyfdx

Michaell said:

Out and about today, spotted a very clean E30 4-door in red. Caught a glimpse of the trunk lid and it was an ix model.

That is a rare spotting..

kyfdx

stickguy said:

In my daughter's new neighborhood, I noticed a house with a project looking 2002 parked out front. And a newer 2 series in the driveway. Last time by I looked closer, and there are actually 2 2002s there (red and blue) and what looks like I assume is an E30 (the 3 series that came before the E36?)

Yes, E30 came before E36.

2002
E21
E30
E36
E46

benjaminh

stickguy

I saw a Bug of that vintage yesterday but it was electric blue and "hotrodded". Lowered, flared, oversized tail pipe. so I assume the motor had been breathed on too. It was parked in a parking lot so driving around.

xwesx

Bug is really nice. Somebody clearly cares about that one!

PF_Flyer

Mickey Rooney background movie today

benjaminh

xwesx

Sweet. Reminds me of my friend's Willys wagon.

benjaminh

PF_Flyer

That's a LOT of iron in this morning's movie!

tjc78

Nice ride. I prefer the earlier models, but I wouldn't throw any of them out of my driveway!

PF_Flyer

It's cars like that that made my daughters ask, "Were the roads bigger then?"

tjc78

LOL... no bigger than a Tahoe or Suburban!

fintail

BOF SUVs are the land yachts of the 21st century. The Escalade I rented is a 21st century Fleetwood.

PF_Flyer

I think a smart car would fit on the trunk lid

ab348

tjc78 said:

LOL... no bigger than a Tahoe or Suburban!

Just a lot lower and less intimidating.

ab348

Nice day here today and lots of old stuff is out and about. Saw a restored '73/'74 Dart Swinger 2-dr HT in traffic, looked brand new and totally stock. Also saw a real oddball for these parts, a Honda Wagovan, most of which biodegraded here 25 years ago, must have been moved here from a dry climate. Also a sighting of the orangey Fiat Barchetta I saw last year one time, cool little thing.

PF_Flyer

Friend just sent me a pic of a sighting today

berri

52 or 53 Buick Woodie? Not quite sure when woodies with real wood components went away.

andre1969

I hadn't been paying much attention, but it does look like the Tahoe and Suburban have porked up a bit in recent years. For the longest time, it seemed like the Tahoe came in around 199", and the Suburban was around 218-219", but I just googled it, and the Tahoe is now around 204", and 224" for the Suburban. FWIW, the Continental was an almost petite 212.4" in 1961, but gradually grew. However, it wouldn't hit 224" until 1969.

Looks like the Expedition has grown a bit, as well. 210" for the regular model, and around 222" for the extended version. I think the shorter version was around 205-206" for the longest time.

andre1969

berri said:

52 or 53 Buick Woodie? Not quite sure when woodies with real wood components went away.

I think Plymouth tends to get credit for having the first all-steel wagon, in 1949, although you could argue that Jeep did it earlier. However, you could also argue the Jeep was also truck-based, so not a "real" wagon. But it's a fine distinction, as many of those late 40's/early 50's cars were more truck-like, being tall, upright, and having good ground clearance, than later cars that followed.

Considering how little of that '52-53 Buick wagon is actually "woody", you'd think it would be all-steel, with the wood just being a veneer. But, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't still structural, at that point. I'd imagine all wagons were steel by 1954. I've seen a few '54 Chevies that look like a Woody, but in the description it calls them a "tin woody". And the Ford Country Squire by that time has sort of a clunky look, indicating the wood (or a fascimile thereof) was just slathered over the existing sheetmetal.

The Chevrolet Suburban actually offered an all-steel body as early as 1935, I think. But it was considered a truck, rather than a car.

imidazol97

Roadmaster Estate Wagon, 1953
Also available on the Super chassis.

berri

"Tin Woody" - where's that southern blues band playing this week

kyfdx

stickguy

nice patina on that baby. Keep it as is, drop a coyote under the hood, and have some fun!

that reminds me, I never found the 2nd half episode of some car show (never saw before or since) where they decided to do up a shop truck, and got a Ford of around that vintage. They also got an ex-police Panther crown vic, But instead of just upgrading the truck with the drivetrain from the CV, they decided to take the truck body and drop it on the car chassis. Seemed like overkill to me! I wanted to see the interior. I think they were keeping the full cab from the truck so literally just using the underpinnings.

I never thought a CV would make a good PU chassis, but what do I know!

andre1969

stickguy said:

I never thought a CV would make a good PU chassis, but what do I know!

Depending on the year Crown Vic, it might be a good platform for modification. I think it was 2003 that they started hydroforming the frame, and that made it stronger. It also got rack and pinion steering that year. And, it's probably easy to upgrade it to copcar and/or Marauder components?

stickguy

well, it was a police interceptor so they at least started with heavy duty!

If I could even remember the name of the show I would poke around on MT TV site and stream it.

explorerx4

Last Chance Garage? Saw part of a show with s CV they cut up.

tjc78

stickguy said:

well, it was a police interceptor so they at least started with heavy duty!

If I could even remember the name of the show I would poke around on MT TV site and stream it.

There are so few differences between a civilian Vic and police model it really doesn’t matter. The biggest things are the stiffer/taller springs and shocks along with the higher rear end ratios.

Marauder donor for a pickup swap would be pretty cool. Make mine a trinity supercharged model while you’re at it.

sda

andre1969 said:

stickguy said:

I never thought a CV would make a good PU chassis, but what do I know!

Depending on the year Crown Vic, it might be a good platform for modification. I think it was 2003 that they started hydroforming the frame, and that made it stronger. It also got rack and pinion steering that year. And, it's probably easy to upgrade it to copcar and/or Marauder components?

What did your friend do with the wrecked Grand Marquis that was decorating your yard?

stickguy

did not find last chance on the list of shows. But there are so many that are pretty much the same thing!

andre1969

sda said:

What did your friend do with the wrecked Grand Marquis that was decorating your yard?

Funny you'd bring that up...that actually happened a year ago on this date 9/28. Although it was a Friday, last year. Anyway, he found someplace to buy it...one of those "We Buy Any Cars" type places. He only got a few hundred bucks for it. He probably could have gotten a bit more, if he wanted to put some time and effort into it, but he just wanted to get rid of it with a minimum of fuss, and get on with it.

He's been driving Panthers now since 1999, and on his 4th. He was able to find another 2009 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate, in the same color as the one he wrecked, at CarMax. I told him though, he might want to start thinking about what kind of car he wants to get next, because as time goes by, nice, low-mileage Panthers are going to become fewer and further between. He drives a lot too, so he puts the miles on pretty quickly.

tjc78

Panthers are kind of an addiction .... if you like them you just always want one.

I’ve had three and really want another as a toy.

I’m sure you all find this hard to believe but there are four large forums dedicated to them. Well one (the Lincoln one) is just a sub section.

kyfdx

I'm not surprised.. we have thousands of posts here, just about Studebakers.

tjc78

Yeah with the diverse nature of the web, I’d bet there is a Vega forum too!

jpp75

tjc78 said:

Yeah with the diverse nature of the web, I’d bet there is a Vega forum too!

Back in 2014 I was out here (CO) for work and decided to do the drive up Pikes Peak. About halfway up there's a place to stop with restrooms, a store etc. While I was there about 4 pristine Chevy Beretta's stopped as well. Turns out there was an event called BerettaFest and these folks annually (I think) drove their Beretta's to a common spot in the country.

So yeah, there really is something for everyone I guess.

stickguy

at this point, there is probably a Vega club for only 1972 Kambacks, owned by people with a foot fetish.

andre1969

There's an R-body group on Facebook. It has 273 members. And yes, I'm one of them Some of them are really over-zealous about their cars. But heck, having owned three of them, I'll even admit, they weren't all THAT great.

In contrast, there's a DeSoto group that has 3,310 members. Now, that's a bit of an unfair comparison, as DeSoto spanned 33 model years, and was an entire division, rather than just a specific 4-door sedan-only bodystyle that only spanned 2 1/2 model years of a bleak period in automotive history, and was mostly popular among police departments, taxi drivers, and fleet buyers. And, I'm sure there's more than just one DeSoto group...there's probably some groups devoted to specific years and models.

But yeah, there's something for everybody. For awhile, there was a group called "Alternative A's", that was devoted mainly to the 1973-77 LeMans. In 2005, they came up with that club name, so they could get recognition at the GM show in Carlisle. I think a grand total of four of us showed up that year...me with my '76, two '77 Can Ams, and a '73 LeMans. But, considering what a low turnout the GM show often has, that was actually pretty good! Just to show how bleak that show can be, one year my '67 Catalina won first place in its class. That class, IIRC, was all full-sized Pontiacs, 1949-89 (last year of the B-body Safari)

ab348

Nice-looking 2nd-gen Barracuda coupe on the road today, white vinyl roof, rootbeer brown I believe, with a white Formula S stripe along the bodyside. Quite attractive.

fintail

The facebook fintail group I am in (social media does have some limited uses) has over 7500 members, kind of shocking.

On the road a bit earlier today, saw nothing more unusual than a W212 E63 AMG, funny how hit and miss it is here in the land where old cars survive. Tomorrow I'll probably be in a line of traffic behind a Toyota Corona with a Ford Tempo behind me.

berri

@andre1969
Just join the WPC organization and cover them all

fintail

Saw a rubber baby buggy bumper MG Midget today.

explorerx4

A white 57 Chevy wagon towing a matching camper, followed by a turquoise/white 56 Chevy also towing a matching camper.
Just after that, a pea soup green with white top VW Westfalia van.

fintail

Out again, saw a Subaru SVX and got behind this beast, which cuts a somewhat dashing profile in a crowd of generic bloated CUVs:

explorerx4

Time machine goes back to 1967!

berri

Nice!

omarman

explorerx4 said:

Time machine goes back to 1967!

And the Eldorado too!

berri

So I'm watching the local news and they do a shot of a crime scene home. In the driveway is a Honda and an old Mazda MPV. Remember that kinda minivan, kind of crossover?

stickguy

With normal opening rear side doors. RWD too (AWD optional). I looked at these back in about 1990 (4 cyl, manual trans, find that in a van today!) but ended up getting a Nissan PU instead.