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

uplanderguy

There's something that's making me think that's a '75, but I can't describe what.

Those were a mid-model-year introduction, and the 2+2 (which I like a lot better) wasn't but seemed to be a slow rollout. Our hometown dealer didn't get a 2+2 until Feb. '75. I had two male friends with new 2+2's that year (one the son of a Chevy/Buick Service Manager), and I knew a girl from my class who had a Towne Coupe. All were 262's and were Turbo-Hydramatic.

Subsequent model years were better as to brakes, and more power from a V8 (305 available), but the simple styling of the '75's is the best IMHO (mostly, lack of those little 'corner bumperettes' added in the back, and the '75 2+2 instrument panel is better IMHO).

Hard to believe that car is as old now as a 1926 car would've been when that Monza was new.

fintail

Here's that Tempo - dashcam software made a small image for some reason, along with another old Ford with fun stripes:

uplanderguy

Somebody got a new car!

andre1969

That Bronco II pic jogged my memory. A bunch of my relatives from my maternal Granddad's side of the family lived (I think they've mostly died or moved away) in a small town called Alta Vista, VA, off route 29 a bit south of Lynchburg. One of them had a Bronco II. I can remember my grandparents taking me down there in the spring of 1986, and riding in it. I did a Google street view, and, dang it it isn't still around! Or rather, it was, as of 2008...When I was a kid, it seemed like we went down there an awful lot in the 70s and early 80s, although in my mind it's probably more often than it really was. I can remember going down twice around 1995-97. Once, for Aunt Alice's 90th birthday celebration, and then about a year later for her funeral. And that was the last time we went down. We always talked about going down to visit, but just never did, although I think my uncle might have gone down for a funeral or two.

Uplanderguy's comment about that '75 Monza being as old as a 1926 car was when it was new, got me thinking again about just how fast time goes by. It doesn't seem all that long ago, but the last time I was down there was like half of my life ago! And that ride in the Bronco II is pushing 40 years ago!

andre1969

Not a car, specifically, but here's something car-related. The other day, I was doing some cleaning/purging at my Grandparents' old house. Out in the garage, I found this spray paint can... I didn't know how long spray paint and such lasts, so I looked it up. Apparently, once it's been used, it only lasts a few years, at best. So, considering that's a pretty good drawing of a '77 Impala, I'm guessing it's safe to presume this can be tossed?

uplanderguy

'77 Impala all right.

I'd probably toss it!

Speaking of years going by....I'll be 66 in about three weeks. I can hardly believe it. I do look back and wish I'd have taken a few more personal risks. I was an internal auditor by trade, so I guess that's no surprise.

On May 18, it had been 44 years since I graduated college. That was also my parents' 74th wedding anniversary, and would've been my paternal great-grandfather's 140th birthday. I can remember him. He died in 1964.

kyfdx

uplanderguy said:

'77 Impala all right.

I'd probably toss it!

Speaking of years going by....I'll be 66 in about three weeks. I can hardly believe it. I do look back and wish I'd have taken a few more personal risks. I was an internal auditor by trade, so I guess that's no surprise.

On May 18, it had been 44 years since I graduated college. That was also my parents' 74th wedding anniversary, and would've been my paternal great-grandfather's 140th birthday. I can remember him. He died in 1964.

We were born in the same month.. My father would be 104, if he were still alive. I think the oldest relative that I remember would have been his mother, who was born around 1900-1902 (not sure on the year). My father died young, and I was mostly around my mother's side of the family, who were younger.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

'77 Impala all right.

I'd probably toss it!

Speaking of years going by....I'll be 66 in about three weeks. I can hardly believe it. I do look back and wish I'd have taken a few more personal risks. I was an internal auditor by trade, so I guess that's no surprise.

On May 18, it had been 44 years since I graduated college. That was also my parents' 74th wedding anniversary, and would've been my paternal great-grandfather's 140th birthday. I can remember him. He died in 1964.

So I guess I can toss that old bottle of Trak Auto brake fluid, that has a drawing on it of what looks sort of like a cross between a '74 Matador coupe and an old Marlin! Heck, I think Trak Auto itself has been gone since 2000 or so! I read that you should usually toss any leftover brake fluid after a year, because moisture gets to it really quickly.

As for taking risks when you're younger, ain't that the truth! I just remembered, that it was about 19 years ago now, that I went out to near Cincinatti to buy my '76 LeMans and drive it home. I think it was about 500 miles. I don't know that I'd just casually hop in an almost 30 year old car that I didn't really know that much about, and trust it to go 500 miles, nowadays. And then to think now, that car is pushing 50!

kyfdx

19 years ago..

fintail

I think somewhere in the garage I have a dried out tube of GS27 scratch remover that I got when I bought the W126 (well over 20 years ago now), I think the package features a generic late 90s style car, and is well past its expiry date.

Thinking of how time passes, the fintail now is like a 1935 car when I bought it, which in about 10 months will be 30 years. Oldest person I have known is my maternal great grandmother, who was born in 1900 - she passed away at 100 and lived pretty independently until age 99, so I have many memories of her. She finally went into assisted living as the stairs in her house became too much. I see a lot of her in my mom.

andre1969

Thinking about those Monzas, I remember the models with the single round headlights seemed scarce enough, that on the rare instance I'd see one, I wouldn't immediately recognize it for what it was. Seems like the vast majority of them were the sleek 2+2 hatchback.

I know at some point you could get the slick front-end with the quad headlights on the notchback coupe, but they seemed a rarity. I've seen a brochure pic of one, but don't know if I've seen one in person. And, at some point I think you could get the single round headlight front on the 2+2 hatchback, but outside of a brochure photo, I don't think I've ever seen one.

Interestingly, looking up sales stats, the 2+2 hatchback and the notchback seemed neck and neck. Some years, one style would outsell the other, but not necessarily by a huge margin.

With the Sunbird, it looks like the notchback was the more popular model though, and usually by a wide margin.

For some reason, I seem to recall reading that the final Monzas that were re-serialed and sold as 1981 models, but I can't find anything to support that. However, Wikipedia mentions that since the J-body was being introduced in April of '81, as an '82, GM extended the production run so that dealers would have enough inventory to carry them to that point. Still, it must have been rough trying to sell a "new" 1980 model, in, say, March of '81! Although nowadays, I'll still see 2023 cars and even an occasional 2022 still being sold as a "new" car, so it's more common these days I guess.

fintail

Out on the road today, saw a 69-70 Impala 2 door HT (the angled C-pillar rather than upright) and a crazy sighting, a very unrestored looking 41 Cadillac convertible out on a busy arterial street and keeping up with traffic just fine.

stickguy

parked out front of an upholstery shop, a 72ish Cougar convertible.

tjc78

Rare one here… GM built some cool stuff and got miles out of a platform like no other.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLnU8uAB/

uplanderguy

andre, I do seem to remember the 1980 model year for the Monza being extended into normal model year 1981 but I don't believe they were ever called or titled as 1981's.

By then, in my memory anyway, it seems like they were a favorite of young women buyers. I still liked them better than a Chevette. Now I'll say, I don't believe there were any chronic bad areas in a Chevette, and I'm aware of some high-mileage ones back-in-the-day, but they did absolutely zero for me. Made in Wilmington, Delaware, they still just screamed 'import' to me. I can't stand seeing metal inside the car painted the same color as the exterior of the car, and Chevette had some of that.

Those last Monza Towne Coupes, in my memory (too lazy to verify), had an exposed horizontal seam near the top of the quarter windows. I hate visible seams but especially there.

Those cars were built at Lordstown just down the road from me, both in the late seventies and now. just about in the middle of where I grew up and where I live now.

The first J-cars were built at Lordstown as well. I remember driving around the lot of the plant pre-J-car introduction to catch a glimpse, and I did see one. My first impression was that the taillight styling was cribbed from the Triumph TR-7.

RE.: TJC78's tiktok post about the Ninety-Eight--when the Ninety-Eight, Electra, and Cadillac FWD versions came out, unusual for me, I thought the Olds was the best-styled. I get the better handling versions that were sold under various 'Touring' guises, but I like the standard (bright, no ribbed vinyl) trim better.

uplanderguy

RE.: Old auto chemicals--in 2010 when I bought my Strato Blue '64 Studebaker Daytona Hardtop from eBay--the car had been sold new at my hometown dealer--in the glovebox was a tube of Studebaker Strato Blue touch-up paint. The bottle looked otherwise exactly like what I was buying from GM at the dealer, thirty years later, except for the Studebaker trademarks on it.

It was mostly dried up, but when opened, it smelled like....well, you can figure it out. I did keep it around even after I sold the car, as a shelf thing.

stickguy

an assortment this weekend. Hope I remember them all!

a very nice '65 GTO. Dark green. Loved it. and today, a 1970 (I think) GTX. Looked unrestored but in nice shape. And a mid-80s Monte Carlo SS that looked brand new. Also a later (70s) VW bus in period brown with orange trim. Still the round front end. and a 70s or so Land Cruiser (the original style).

fintail

Out on foot saw a nice yellow and white pre-81 squarebody, a mid 80s Tercel 3 door, and a 68 Mustang. Also coming to mind recently is a Kia Borrego and a white maybe 1979 or so Chevette.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

RE.: Old auto chemicals--in 2010 when I bought my Strato Blue '64 Studebaker Daytona Hardtop from eBay--the car had been sold new at my hometown dealer--in the glovebox was a tube of Studebaker Strato Blue touch-up paint. The bottle looked otherwise exactly like what I was buying from GM at the dealer, thirty years later, except for the Studebaker trademarks on it.

It was mostly dried up, but when opened, it smelled like....well, you can figure it out. I did keep it around even after I sold the car, as a shelf thing.

Speaking of paint, I finally saw that “Cacti” color you wanted to get on your Corvette. It’s here, in Joe Raiti’s video about the E-Ray Corvette. Reminds me of a 1950s pastel.

https://youtu.be/BBOty0ZwLu0?si=o4jjAJtv0oh-ZYjD

uplanderguy

I didn't want that color; I wanted the Caffeine Metallic. I wanted to like the Cacti because it was different (new color), but I just didn't like a color on a Corvette that I was also seeing on the Trax, LOL.

It's already been discontinued. It didn't last even as long as Caffeine Metallic.

andre1969

GM had a really pale, non-metallic green in 1975 that looked similar to that:
It's not a color I'd normally think of for a sporty car. Yet, at the same time, I think it looks better on that Corvette than I would have thought.

uplanderguy

We had a '74 Impala Sport Coupe in that identical combination. Honestly, it was a nice car, but I hated that color.

I liked the conservative good looks of the '75 Impala Sport Coupe, but either of the two styles of body side moldings you could get, didn't stick to the car for even five years it seemed. The brochure bragged about the moldings being glued on instead of drilled, but...pffft.

For some reason, the wide side moldings of the Caprice didn't have that issue.

ab348

Ah, my mistake on the color. I remember the Caffeine name now that you mention it.

On the '75 Impala, are those wheel covers the right ones? I don't recall ever noticing that style on those.

explorerx4

Speaking of Bronco II's we had an 87.

kyfdx

That Cacti color looks great on a Trax, though.

uplanderguy

ab348, those are not factory wheelcovers on that '75 Impala. I've seen those before somewhere; I'm thinking maybe on '93 and later Caprices, but just not sure. Here are the (unfortunate IMO!) '75 full wheel covers:



The optional skirts don't do that body style any favors, IMHO.

stickguy

Speaking of caprices I saw an early bathtub model on the highway this weekend. Looked and sounded rough. Never liked that styling.

ab348

stickguy said:

Speaking of caprices I saw an early bathtub model on the highway this weekend. Looked and sounded rough. Never liked that styling.

Neither did I. I think Chuck Jordan, who was in charge of GM Design in that era, was packing up his desk in prep for retirement when the Orcas were being done.

andre1969

uplanderguy said:

We had a '74 Impala Sport Coupe in that identical combination. Honestly, it was a nice car, but I hated that color.

That shade of green makes me think of 1974 moreso than 1975, but I tried googling "1974 Impala light green" and the brighter, metallic hue tended to pop up, like this:
Although, a Monte Carlo did pop up, in what looks like it might be that more pale, washed-out green.

But, for '75 that green seems to pop up more often. And it's the same one, code 2642 for both years, with the rather uninspired name of "Medium Green." I guess the marketing department cut back on its budget that year?

uplanderguy

I like that light metallic green ‘74 color much better than what we had. My friend’s parents’ new Monte Carlo Landau was that light metallic green.

I’m thinking by that time, the fancier-sounding names were being used only by the prestige divisions, even though the colors were the same, lol.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

Ah, my mistake on the color. I remember the Caffeine name now that you mention it.

On the '75 Impala, are those wheel covers the right ones? I don't recall ever noticing that style on those.

@uplanderguy
I saw what I think was a caffeine Corvette a few weeks back. Unusual color. Kinda like it.

Everytime I see a white Corvette go buy, I say, "There goes uplander." LOL
I saw a whole truck load of white Vettes last week , but then I realized they were
all covered with white plastic to protect the finish. I'd like to see the Vettes underneath
to see the colors and the varying wheels.

Is there another car that gets covered for shipment?

sda

andre1969 said:

GM had a really pale, non-metallic green in 1975 that looked similar to that:
It's not a color I'd normally think of for a sporty car. Yet, at the same time, I think it looks better on that Corvette than I would have thought.

andre1969 said:

GM had a really pale, non-metallic green in 1975 that looked similar to that:
It's not a color I'd normally think of for a sporty car. Yet, at the same time, I think it looks better on that Corvette than I would have thought.

Dad had a friend who had a 74 Coupe DeVille in that color, with matching vinyl top and darker green leather interior. I didn't mind the green interior so much, but not the exterior color.

stickguy

Audis do

uplanderguy

I gotta say, I like this bare-top '91 Coupe DeVille with cloth interior, regular-old non-digital speedometer, and 24K miles. So obviously a Cadillac, and really, nothing else quite like it (for good or bad) at the time:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-cadillac-deville-13/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3p68Qc4SYfSLepZO86Cn20MOLV5u1VU3ucPMfqjJ6AdgF-5idIuojqKqw_aem_AYS4iRuYnS54Pq7R1hdyJUIxlSbZxkPX2y0ivDgQntBRXiibSxQbGDWpJY6H1RJnSZ_xdlOpyXX5WRCbaGmxuAFs

I like that instrument panel, but I wish Caddy had plastichromed the A/C vents. And of course, the driver's airbag technology then resulted in ugly, bulky steering wheel center sections. Still, a roomy, luxurious American coupe, never the likes of which will be seen again.

ab348

Yes, I saw that last evening and quite like it. I would prefer blue inside instead of red, but picky, picky. I like the lack of vinyl roof. Best version of that engine also. Amazingly low miles. There was one there last week with over 100K miles but in very good condition that went for just under $7K. I like this much better.

andre1969

Those '89-93 DeVilles, in general, were a nice step up from the shrunken '85-88 models. Although, as time passes, I can appreciate the '85-88 a bit more these days, too.

I wonder what production figures were like, in later years? The most recent year my auto encyclopedia breaks out production by body style for the DeVille is 1990. That year, they sold 131,717 Sedan DeVilles, and only 17,569 Coupe Devilles. There was also a Fleetwood coupe, with only 2,438 built, and the Fleetwood sedan, with 22,889. Fleetwood sedan production includes the Sixty Special which, according to my book, was on the same 113.8" wheelbase as the other sedans. Apparently the only stretched ones were in 1987-88, when it was on a 115.8" wb, vs 110.8" for the regular sedans.

Considering how low the coupe sales were in 1990, I'd imagine they kept trailing off, with each passing year. It's interesting to me, how fast the market shifted. In 1980, the Coupe Deville actually outsold the Sedan Deville! Although when they introduced the Fleetwood coupe, it was always a slow seller compared to the sedan. That was the last year the Coupe DeVille outsold the Sedan DeVille, but even in '84, it still held a healthy percentage. But when they downsized, while sedan sales took off, coupe sales dropped.

texases

Here are Wiki's production numbers:


Turns out the wheelbase for the 4-doors increased in '89, but the Coupes were unchanged, so they stayed shrunken inside.

uplanderguy

As is so often the case for me and information that's on online websites, I doubt some of those numbers, although I have nothing to counter with. For instance, why would the coupe's production increase over five-fold from 1990 to 1991? Similarly, why would production shrink to less than one-sixth the 1988 number, in 1989? Doesn't seem to pass the 'smell' test.

uplanderguy

On the subject car, that cracked seal on the rear window would concern me a bit. It's so obvious to see, but I have no idea what could be done to fix it. Somehow I doubt that you could walk into a Caddy dealer and have them look that part no. online today.

andre1969

Just doing a quick spot check, my Consumer Guide auto encyclopedia for 1991 shows 147,908 total. But that's a lumping of the Deville, Fleetwood, and Sixty Special, plus the coupes.

And for 1989, that 4108 number they're showing is just for the Fleetwood coupe. The DeVille coupe sold 23,294 units. The DeVille sedan sold 122,893 plus 26,641 for the Fleetwood and Sixty Special sedans, combined. So total production in 1989 was around 174-175K.

Similar story for 1990. That 2,438 was for the Fleetwood coupe. Add another 17,569 for the DeVille coupe. 131,717 Deville sedans, and 22,889 Fleetwood/Sixty Special sedans. So again, about 174K total.

So, those Wikipedia numbers are a bit suspect. Although, Consumer Guide isn't necessarily the Gospel, either!

texases

Here's the source of those numbers:

uplanderguy

Flammang wrote a book on Studebakers that I have goofed on before.

ab348

uplanderguy said:

On the subject car, that cracked seal on the rear window would concern me a bit. It's so obvious to see, but I have no idea what could be done to fix it. Somehow I doubt that you could walk into a Caddy dealer and have them look that part no. online today.

It is the main cosmetic flaw on the car (some of the red pinstripes could use some help also). I’m pretty sure that rear window seal is only for the “plug” that makes the rear glass smaller and more private. I would think the glass itself is sealed to the body beneath that. But I don’t know where water would go if the plug seal fails. It has to go somewhere. The part is surely NLA but maybe a carefully installed bead of white sealant would do in a pinch. Or there maybe some generic white beading that could be adapted, though off the top of my head I can’t think of anything like that, though you never know.

explorerx4

Not too many around like this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INrKCRHJLaY

uplanderguy

In Stow, OH today, while I was in the C8, I passed a '57-59 Studebaker half-ton pickup, with patina. I'd never seen it nor the youngish driver before. Just when I think I've seen every Studebaker within twenty miles of me, another one pops up.

Leaving early tomorrow with a friend to go to South Bend for the annual Stude swap meet there, even though I don't own a Stude anymore and aren't looking for anything. Just a place to go and see stuff and people I otherwise don't see. Staying in Elkhart--more hotel bang-for-the-buck there.

sda

@explorerx4 said:
Not too many around like this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INrKCRHJLaY

I like the color selection for the various Olds Final 500. Sharp

imidazol97

Is there a saying that you can take the fan out of a Studebaker, but you can't take the Studebaker out of the fan.

uplanderguy

Is there a saying that you can take the fan out of a Studebaker, but you can't take the Studebaker out of the fan.

Yep, pretty much! Although I miss my friend Bob Palma and my dealer friend Ed Filer, and our regional Stude club has lost two well-regarded past officers lately, I've been in the hobby since 1988, a large part of my adult life.

imidazol97

Studebaker has been with me since I was 8 or so and my parents bought a 1950 Studebaker that was 1 year old at the local country garage that served as an outpost for sales for the Studebaker garage "in town."

I was a car fan because my older brother had bought a 1950 Ford when he went to work after high school, and I idolized what he did. I waxed the Stude. I washed the Stude. Especially involved since I was allowed to move it around the barnyard to do things to it.

Pea soup green. Jet airplane styling cues.

Michaell

Not really a classic but I saw two Hummer H2's while out and about this morning.