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

andre1969

Here's the later style of Buick wheel I'm thinking about...

I had thought about getting a set of these for my Grandma's '85 LeSabre when I had it, but I guess it's a good thing I didn't, because years later, I found out that C-bodies and B-body wagons used a 5" bolt pattern, while B-body coupes and sedans used the 4.75". Actually, AB348, I think it was you that pointed out that distinction.

Oh, I saw a '79 Delta 88 sedan yesterday. I was at a friend's cookout, and the neighbor had one. It was pretty ratty looking, but still ran. The neighbor was at the cookout, so we had a chance to chat a bit. Turns out it was the neighbor's first car, and he decided to hold onto it all these years. He didn't buy it new though...too young. Graduated high school in 1992. The guy also had an '88 Lincoln Town car, Cartier edition, I think. Anything BUT high dollar collectibles, but it was still kinda cool to meet someone with roughly the same taste in cars as me.

berri

Guys - just go with the Florida edition: wire wheel covers, vinyl top, gold trim option and don't forget the flat hat (and maybe some golf clothes)

roadburner

A white belt and matching shoes will really finish that look off- just add an "Ask Me About My Grandchildren" bumper sticker...

berri

Oh, forgot to throw in those big, oversized sunglasses with the side flap extensions! I'll go with your bumper sticker, but some of the grumpier ones might instead have those "spending my kids or grandkids inheritance" stickers, particularly if any RV or the like is also involved.

imidazol97

@berri said:

oversized sunglasses with the side flap extensions!

Those sunglasses with the large side frame piece, some of which have plastic lens in the side arm, actually do help those with cataracts and glare from light in cloudy eyes.

I had those when I was having my eyes replaced. Before surgery, they helped with the side light causing blurring on the cataracts. Afterward, they helped because of light sensitivity and some clouding which caused fogging due to the procedure for adjusting my astigmatism. Of course, that clears out after many days.

roadburner

I wear a leftover set from my cataract surgery when I cut grass, although I suppose I should also don some white socks with black leather shoes to complete the look...

ab348

@roadburner said:
I wear a leftover set from my cataract surgery when I cut grass,** although I suppose I should also don some white socks with black leather shoes to complete the look.**..

Holy cow! I do that sometimes now! I always wear leather shoes when I cut the grass, for safety, and now that I'm not working I wear athletic socks every day. Sometimes the white ones come out of the drawer...

andre1969

Oh hell, I'll confess that I have a pair of white leather loafers. They've been called everything from pimp shoes to "Cousin Eddies". Maybe I should have worn them last week when I took my '79 5th Ave up to the Carlisle Mopar show, to complete the look!

I don't have a white belt, though. Just can't bring myself to do that. One of my friends though, who I think is going through midlife crisis, said he wanted one a few months ago. At one point he also said "The world has no place for old people", and I came very close to asking "Then why are you looking so hard for a white belt?!"

I probably should get a pair of decent dress shoes, though. Last time I had to go to a funeral, I wore a pair of black harness boots with a suit, but they shined up well enough to almost pass for dressy, I guess...

One of the downsides of not having to dress to impress at work, I guess...the wardrobe tends to fall apart. Only time I put on a corporate noose (i.e., necktie) is for tragic events like a funeral, court date, or wedding.

Michaell

@andre1969 said:
I don't have a white belt, though. Just can't bring myself to do that. One of my friends though, who I think is going through midlife crisis, said he wanted one a few months ago. At one point he also said "The world has no place for old people", and I came very close to asking "Then why are you looking so hard for a white belt?!"

You guys don't watch a lot of golf, do you? White belts are the new in thing with the 20-somethings on tour. Doesn't matter which color pants, either.

Of course, it helps to have a 28 inch waist.

stever

I've left dress shoes in Chicago and Huntsville the last two years. Get 'em from the thrift, suffer through the wedding or whatever for a few hours, and then regift them to a thrift store where I am.

Classics? Well the owner of the newer Vette in the next block showed up with an older one in his driveway. Red, tan top, side pipes. Looks like a '69 vintage or so. And looks better than his newer one. Never met the guy but I think he may be retired GM.

lemko

@andre1969 said:
I don't really care for wire wheels on newer, 70's/early 80's cars, but I've owned a couple that had them. Well, wire hubcaps, at least. My Grandmother's '85 LeSabre had them, as did my '79 5th Avenue. I don't think the LeSabre's spokes looked bad, but the Chrysler's did. The LeSabre, at least, had sort of a thicker, intricate pattern that gave a more expensive look than the Chrysler. The Chrysler's spokes also stuck out further, which only drew attention to the fact that they were just hubcaps.

Cadillac had a good looking wire hubcap back in the 1980's, I thought. It was so flat that even the center cap didn't jut out very far, so they gave a better illusion of being a true wire wheel than most of them did. Here's a pic I took a few years back of Lemko's '89 Brougham...

I think it wears them well. I'm trying to think...did GM even offer any type of alloy or sport rim on these big RWD Caddies, or were they always just hubcaps, regular or otherwise? For some reason, it seems like optional wheels were popular on the '77-84 Buick Electra...first those Magnum style wheels, and later on sort of a finned aluminum wheel, that was also common on wagons. But I just can't picture one of the sister cars...a Caddy or a '77-84 Olds Ninety-Eight, as having anything but either wire hubcaps or regular metal ones.

Nice picture!

texases

Saw one of these yesterday, but in worse shape:

ab348

@texases: I always thought those needed a giant wind-up key on the rear deck. Those things were complete cartoon cars.

stickguy

An early gen 1 Mazda RX7. Rare these days.

And a smart car on the highway that did have a giant wind up key on the back.

laurasdada

In the opposite direction, an MG Midget! In orange, or a derivation of yellow/gold? Man, that thing makes a Mini look like an Escalade!

hpmctorque

@texases said:
Saw one of these yesterday, but in worse shape:
>

Great car for tight parking spaces. You could parallel part it, or just park it with the front or rear bumper parallel to the curb. I've seen Smart cars and 1960s and 1970s Fiat 500s parked that way in Italy. No parking ticket was issued, but I don't think you'd get away with that in more orderly countries.

andre1969

Isn't there some kind of Sean T intense ab workout called "X-90"?

I remember my uncle looking at those things used back in the late 1990's. He thought it would be useful because it's small, but sat up high enough that Grandmom could get into and out of it without too much trouble. Thankfully, he passed.

I don't see the point of them, myself. They're no shorter than a 2-door Tracker/Sidekick of the same era, but the Tracker at least had a marginal back seat. And with the back seats stowed (I can't remember if they came out or simply folded), they had a pretty big cargo area. My housemate had a '98 Tracker, and when we moved, we used it to transport the TV sets. One was a 32" tube and the other was an old 25" console. They didn't fit at the same time; we had to make separate trips. But I didn't want those TV's bouncing around in the back of my truck, and they wouldn't have fit easily in any of my cars, except maybe my DeSoto, if I moved the spare tire, and tied the trunk lid down.

And the Tracker, at least, was less girly-car looking! The X-90 looked like it was designed for teenage girls who grew up on Hello Kitty and Dora the Explorer, although I don't think either of those were out yet back then.

imidazol97

This is NICE! Perfect.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Buick-Other-GS-9-690-actual-mile-award-winning-gs-400-v-8-4-speed-/221488001720?forcerrptr=true&hash=item3391b6b2b8&item=221488001720&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

stickguy

If you want an original one, probably best you will find. Nice restoration model too. But dang, pricey.

texases

Gulp - $99K?? I'd rather have a $25k runner.

Mr_Shiftright

Nice car, but priced double what it's worth. Even with low miles, pristine condition, excellent options, I'm not seein' more than $45K. It hasn't been a "hot" muscle car at the auctions, either for the past 5 years--kinda stagnant.

Gee, a 340HP, 4-speed trailer queen. How quaint.

berri

I like that 60/70's Buick intermediates are now getting some attention and respect. They put out a nice product for generally a small premium over the back in the day popular Olds, Chevy and Pontiac models.

ab348

Yellow interior is cool. GM offered that in '67 in Olds and Buick intermediates. Don't think Chevy on Pontiac followed suit. WE NEED YELLOW INTERIORS AGAIN!

stever

Clean looking Toyota Previa.

(Also spotted a new looking '99 Quest but I guess they aren't quite classics. Was an identical match for the one I had, minus the dents).

Oh and a well used Toyota Starlet.

andre1969

Saw a nice looking burgundy '79 Malibu Classic sedan yesterday, but it got squashed. On an episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard"

I was surprised at first, that they'd smash up a car that new, but then discovered it was a later episode, from around '83-84. CMT is playing the episodes out of order...I swear Daisy just got her Jeep this past weekend, and that was around '80! I was also a little disturbed at how flat that Malibu got squashed, but then Enos did land a ~4200 lb '77 Fury on top of it! I'm sure many cars, even well-built modern ones wouldn't hold up so well under that kind of pressure. And for some reason, they took all the windows out of the Malibu, and I'm sure that no doubt weakened the structure.

robr2

Yesterday while driving up to Burlington, VT, I spotted a car carrier with 2 Lincoln suicide door convertibles, a Falcon and two generic mid 40's pickups.

In Montepelier, VT I spotted a well-worn Peugeot wagon. Then again, it's Vermont so it's probably a solid daily driver for a ski bum.

texases

A blue '76 Malibu 4-door in traffic, looked pretty clean.

andre1969

@texases said:
A blue '76 Malibu 4-door in traffic, looked pretty clean.

There was a fairly light, metallic blue that seemed really common on the Malibus of that era. I always thought it looked pretty classy.

texases

This must have been a repaint, it was a solid blue, kind of like the current Mustang's 'Grabber Blue'.

robr2

Today on the SE Expressway in Boston, I saw a Mercedes Benz 600 SEL V12 Lorinser. In MB parlance, it was a W140.

Mr_Shiftright

Looked at a nice '63 Buick Riviera--been in the same family all its life, and the claim is that it was the first '63 Riv sold in San Francisco.

A few odd things about it---it's white with tan leather (which doesn't quite work for me), and it doesn't have AC, which is a shame.

I used to own a '63----white on white with AC--loved that car but I could never cure the overheating problem at high speeds, nor could all the King's horses and all the King's men. I took that car to automotive Legends and the final verdict was an engine tear down and probable block replacement. For a young man in his first paying job after school, that was too forbidding a prospect, so I sold it.

texases

We are spoiled today with how trouble-free cooling systems are. A guy on another forum's restoring a '52 Caddy, he can't figure out how to stop it overheating, even at low speed. He's done all the obvious stuff, now he's thinking it's accumulated rust/minerals/who knows in the block, kinda like your Riv's verdict.

lemko

I saw an extremely nice dark blue 1978 Chevrolet Malibu Classic sedan with a dark blue vinyl top on the 6300 block of Oxford Avenue in NE Philly on my way home from work yesterday. That car looked like a time capsule.

fintail

On the highway today - must have been a show somewhere today: 41 Olds coupe, 33-34 Chevy 3 window, ~32ish Ford rat rod, Ford "highboy" style rod (I assume these are all reproduction body these days), chopped ~52 Chevy hardtop, maybe 66 Vette, I think a Jensen-Healey, later run MGB.

hpmctorque

@Mr_Shiftright said:

I used to own a '63----white on white with AC--loved that car but I could never cure the overheating problem at high speeds, nor could all the King's horses and all the King's men...so I sold it.>

Any idea of how the subsequent owner dealt with the problem?

Mr_Shiftright

Never heard about that, but they were warned. Thinking back on it, I wish I had used one of those instruments that detect heat using a wand....is that a pyrometer?

Another thing I considered but never did was to pull the cylinder heads and have them magnafluxed.

laurasdada

@robr2 said:
Yesterday while driving up to Burlington, VT, I spotted a car carrier with 2 Lincoln suicide door convertibles, a Falcon and two generic mid 40's pickups.

In Montepelier, VT I spotted a well-worn Peugeot wagon. Then again, it's Vermont so it's probably a solid daily driver for a ski bum.

Sure, but did you stop in Waterbury for an ice cream???

When I was a ski bum in Burlington, my daily driver was a '78 VW Scirocco. Of course, it didn't snow that winter.

robr2

@laurasdada said:
Sure, but did you stop in Waterbury for an ice cream???

Waterbury wasn't on the agenda. I've been to Ben & Jerry's 5 or 6 times, done the tour twice....

fintail

In podunk, saw an earlier Tempo coupe, pristine new looking ~95 Riviera slowly and questionably driven by a little old lady, nice big ~66 Imperial coupe, very clean Taurinental, 70s style hot rod model A...I think there's a car show around here today, maybe I'll find it.

imidazol97

Saw a Buick Electra 225 in perfect condition. Color for the 72 or 73 car was Champaign Gold Poly from what I can determine. That works out to a nice neutral tan with a touch of deep yellow.

On the other hand I saw a picture of a 64 1/2 Mustang that will lead a parade of cars in HamiltonFairfield near Cincinnati at a 3-stop cruise. The car has fender skirts. I can NEVER recall having seen a Mustang of that style with fender skirts. Never. It has beautiful wheels that may not be correct for that year. I think those wheels were for the Hi Performance 289 that came later.

http://antiquecars.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/cropped-1964.5MustangLeadCar.gif

andre1969

I think I might have dodged a bullet. About a year and a half ago, I saw an '81 Imperial at a used car lot up the street, and was interested in it. But talked myself out of it, and eventually it wasn't there anymore. Well, it's back, and I have to admit, I had been thinking about it again.

This morning, I rode past that dealership with a friend, who had picked me up to help him move some furniture, and he noticed that Imperial too, and pointed it out to me. I said yeah, I've seen it before, and have been somewhat tempted.

Well, we moved the furniture, and then he dropped me back off at my house. About 5 minutes after he left, he called me. My first thought was crap, he got into an accident or something. But nope, he called to tell me that he noticed, as he drove past that dealer on the way home, that Imperial's hood was up, with a big cloud of steam coming out from underneath, and a couple workers standing around.

Now yeah, it is a 33-34 year old car, and it could be something as minor as a radiator hose. But still, knowing that car is acting up, it makes me thankful that I didn't buy it!

I'd also love to know the story behind that car. It sat on their lot for a few months back in early 2013, but eventually sold, as far as I know. But then, earlier this year, every once in awhile I'd see it on their lot. It's painted Frank Sinatra-looking blue, even though it's not an FS Edition, so it sticks out pretty well. And in the past couple weeks it's been showing up in their front row, highly visible. However, it's not showing up on their website. Kinda strange though, that it would be on their lot for a year and a half!

ab348

The Mustang looks ridiculous with those skirts on it.

fintail

Those skirts really are heinous on that Mustang. I've never seen anything like that before. I think of those wheels as being on a 66 GT, but I am not a Mustang expert.

fintail

I visited the small town car show today, and was surprised at the amount of cars and variety. I took a bunch of phone pics - I will post them in a few bactches. Here's the first group:

One of my favorites in the show, an as-new Hillman Minx:

Something for Andre - 73 Hurst/Olds, this has to be pretty rare:

Unrestored Terraplane with cool Buck Rogers hood ornament:

Wild custom 54 Ford, done in the 60s I think:

Neatly done 58 Ford bus conversion:

"2 Litre"

Neat little SS with a 6:

More to come maybe tomorrow.

kyfdx

2 Litre Gremlin? That is the one you don't want...

Mr_Shiftright

1,097 Hurst Olds in 1973--there were more white than black ones. The '73s are worth less than 1/2 what a 1972 brings.

bhill2

@kyfdx said:
2 Litre Gremlin? That is the one you don't want...

They actually considered putting that engine in the Pacer, but wisely decided not to. That one would have run in the same bracket as a Mercedes 240D.

omarman

Hard to look at but here's a link to a 1967 Mustang which seller claims was sold new, dealer-equipped with white vinyl top, wire hub caps, wood grain applique and a continental kit. Only good news? No fender skirts.

Mr_Shiftright

Well take off all that junk and you'll have yourself a nice $15,000 car.

hpmctorque

@fintail said:
I visited the small town car show today...>

That Hillman does look nice, but it reminded me of just how spartan the interiors of most European mass market cars were, back in the day. The Japanese and domestic imports continued that tradition into the 1980s. The Corollas, Civics, Pintos and Vegas weren't exactly luxurious inside.

I like the Terraplanes. I see some resemblance with some of the European styling from that era.