Somehow I have a feeling that replacement of the front springs of that Lincoln Sports Car are gonna be just a bit more than $180. Didn't those things have some kind of air suspension? Or was that just the Continental sedan?
Yeah, they had that air suspension and it really looks ugly when they fail. Two girls I knew had one of these LSCs with a failed air suspension. The car was an unintentional low rider. Both girls had low-paying jobs and could not afford to fix it or convert it to conventional springs.
If you can call gambling a sport, I guess it fits. You'll be gambling a small fortune to fix whatever's wrong with this car and praying nothing else goes.
I am thinking I should paint my van fuscia with florescent green highlights and put 20" rims on it. Would that outdo this pink atrocity? :P
Of course, the problem then is that I would actually have to look at it (life size) for the 10 minutes it took me to drive it to the nearest crusher, and that would probably scar me (and anyone else unfortunate enough to see it) for life. :sick:
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
that LSC stood for "Luxury Sports Coupe". It was common back in the 70's and 80's to call a 2-door car a "sport coupe". My '86 Monte Carlo was a "sport coupe". So was my 1980 Malibu. For a few years Pontiac offered a version of the LeMans called the Sport Coupe that was a minor step above the LeMans coupe. It had a set of dummy lights on the decklid and some badging here and there, and I think used the nicer seats out of the Grand LeMans. But that was it. No added performance. And you still had to pay extra for all the sporty looking stuff anyway, like the bucket seats, floor shift, console, rally wheels, etc.
I wouldn't even want that frame I mean steel does actually weaken once it hits a certain temp. Industrial steel starts breaking down at around 2,000 degrees I bet automotive steel is less strong then that.
2 decent late 80 rims $40 Rear end $200 Bumpers are great - need rechroming $10 The steering column is a tilt telescoping and could possibly be salvagable. $.50 Pass side window crank $1249.50
I mean, it is very nice for what it is, but come ON...that price is a bit silly. Still, I'd rather have it with that engine than the 450 (this is a 280SE, not a 380 as is stated once). They did also have a 380SE ('85), in pretty decent shape, with the all-126-made-in-the-early-80s silver with blue (or was it black?) leather, hardly any rust, straight, not messed with, really a bit nicer than most I see (which is less and less often). That one was $1750....hmmm.
Other cars they had on the lot: *'83-ish pop-up headlight Toyota Celica GTS coupe (non-hatch with the Spectraman taillights, I actually like these better than the hatch), kinda ratty but only $1000-1100, IIRC. *the saddest Maserati BiTurbo coupe I've ever seen, red with tan and black painted rockers, probably not factory (and probably to hide the rust, which had attacked the trunk), and to match.... *the nastiest BMW 633CSi I've ever seen, with a big dent on the left front fender (really, no straight panels), faded red-orange paint (probably factory, though), strange add-on rear headrests (as if the sightlines on that thing weren't bad enough) and the added bonus make-people-think-it's-an-89 BMW alloys (from a 525i, kinda flat)....this car was probably an '81 or so (couldn't tell), I think they wanted like $1150 for it *a VERY nice looking mustard-colored FJ Land Cruiser (I think a '75), no price (wondering what these go for).
hahaha.... the Alpine UU cassette deck in that car is the same as the one I have in my truck right now. It looks a bit out of whack in both vehicles, I am afraid.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
That's a very nice 116. Might be worth it to a MB nut, little else. Probably better to have around than a 380SE.
When I was in school a local lot had a Euro model 116 280SE, with cloth interior and a 5-speed! It was red with an odd checked cloth upholstery pattern, and it looked quite nice. They wanted something like 3K for it, and it was gone relatively fast.
My eyelids slammed shut on that 280SE when I saw the words "small rust bubble"....maybe back East that's no big deal, but out West any rust, or even HINT of rust, is a huge whack on value. Still the interior looked very nice.
1980 isn't exactly a stellar year for Mercedes Benz as we are still in the era of loony climate controls and fairly thirsty engines. Out my way, this is a $2,000 car all day long.
And the transmissions jerk your head off, compounded, as you say, by the need for high revving. I'm more enamored of the torquier Benz engines that came later or of say the BMW 6s of the time, which were much more robust.
That old New Yorker looks very much like the 1950 Chrysler Traveller that my parents had when I got my learner's permit in 1965. Except that the Traveller had a factory roof rack, two-tone paint (chocolate and beige), and leatherette seats. The back seat folded flat, opening into the trunk floor... (large enough to sleep in, hence the name "Traveller")
As I recall it had a strange 2-spd, semi-automatic transmission (lift off the throttle to shift) and, yes Shifty, very heavy steering.
By the time that I got my driver's license, it had been replaced by a 1957 Fireflight 4-dr, which I thought was WAY cooler.
I always wondered...how were those things without power steering? My Granddad had a '53 DeSoto Firedome but it had power steering. I never got a chance to drive it because he sold it a few months before I got my learner's permit. I know they at least change the ratio on the steering when it's nonpower, so instead of being like 3.3 turns from lock to lock, it's more like 4.7 or so?
Would it be any worse than, say, a 1968 Dart V-8 with a broken power steering pump? The tighter ratio, coupled with the drag of the non-functioning power stuff, ensured that I had some pretty toned arm muscles...until I got it fixed. And until I stopped going to the gym regularly, and got a desk job.
cool...your parents had a '57 Fireflite? Got any pics of it? I have a '57 Firedome.
As for that semi-automatic transmission, my Granddad's '53 Firedome had it. The way he explained it to me, it actually had 4 forward gears. When you started off you depressed the clutch and could put it into either low or high. In Low, it would use either first or second, and would shift as needed between the two. If you wanted to go into High you had to press the clutch and then shift. Then it would shift as needed, between third and fourth. If you wanted, you could start off in High, but acceleration was tedious. Now I dunno if that's how it worked or not. Granddad got rid of that car 20 years ago, and he passed away 16 years ago, so my memory could be fuzzy!
In a twisted sort of way, I kinda like it from the front. Has a post-apocalyptic look to it that would make Mel Gibson wet his pants. But what were they thinking out back?! Oh, the humanity! :surprise:
Whoa! That's right, Andre. Now that you mention it, I remember that it did have a clutch AND and automatic shift (how bizarre is that?!) I can remember now, my dad trying to teach me to drive that thing... starting in low range shifting manually into high range then doing the "lift throttle to shift thing" to get into top gear. Way too much to think about for a first-time driver.
As for the Desoto, I've admired the pics you've posted of your red/white two-door... a very handsome example of extreme mopar styling. Ours was not so pretty, as it wore a monotone navy-blue, Earl Schibe paint job. I'll check to see if my mom has any pictures next time I see her. She lives out-of-state, so it could be a while.
The Fireflight was a real rocket though. I could start my own thread: "Crazy things I did in Mom's car"... some of them even involved driving.
The 50s cars aren't too bad once you get them rolling...it's the first 3 mph that's tough
That's how my Dart was. Not bad once you got it moving, but parallel parking was, umm, interesting. One of my buddies took his driver's test in it. First time he failed immediately and the cop who went out with him had to drive it all the way back. My buddy said the cop was griping up a storm about my car! He did finally pass with it, though.
It was one of those cars though where you really had to keep it moving while you turned the wheels. If you were completely stopped and tried to turn them, it would give you a workout. My Granddad taught me at a young age though, to coordinate it so I was turning the wheels and moving at the same time, because he hated the holes I was drilling in the gravel driveway!
Many years ago a fellow up the street had a early 50s Chrysler without power steering. For amusement, while driving slowly, he would grab the wheel and yank it hard in one direction. This which would set the car to rocking while the steering wheel sawed back and forth wildly on it's own. This technique had an element of danger as that wheel had the potential to tear your arm off.
The turbo T-types were mechanically identical to the Grand Nationals. These cars hit their stride in 86, but the "before I banged it up" picture looks good and the body parts to fix shouldn't cost too much. I wish that there was more info like miles on the car and any work done, but this could be a good opportunty to finally own one for about 4 grand???
This one is a true project. The car looks to be largely intact and has buckets and console and factory rallys. Since it's not a GS, the ceiling ins't that high on it. I think that it would be good for a do it yourselfer for half the price. It's probaby destined to be a high school hot rod.
He doesn't really want to sell it, but if you don't look at it too close and promise not to negotiate anything, he'll do you the favor. Instead of carrying on, how about mentioning the mileage, if there's any rust not shown in the pics and how the door pins are (most likely bad)
Yeah it is almost always cheaper to buy a off road rig then build one yourself. The problem is most of the ones built up huge like that aren't actually any good at off-roading. :sick:
Uh-oh...you said "Saab" and "reliable" in the same sentence. Better back up on that one.
Porsche 944 Turbo -- car looks great, price is good, and he's done the 3 Tortures for a 944---the transmission/clutch, water pump and timing belt...so you're good to go for many K miles now. I'd definitely grab that car, it's a good deal sounds like.
72 Skylark -- it's not a GS, so it's a nothing car. Certainly not worth a restoration.
67 Mustang---sure, you can put a V-8 in easily. Just order up a crate engine and PLOP. Not a problem. Most people do this, especially with a 6 cylinder automatic, where the whole thing is a lot easier than installing a 4 speed. However, this car has rust, and so the price is not justified at all.
70 Skylark--beware the vinyl roof; check for rust under the "peeling". These roofs like to trap water.
I think that both of those Skylarks are destined to be High School hot rods. Often, a father and son combo will spruce a car like that up when the kid is 14 or 15. Not worth a restore, but maybe a used engine and a Maaco paint job, and the kid will think that he's the king of the road. Maybe if the not running car could be had for half the ask, and the running one were $2500, you could end up with an OK beater for 5 grand-ish.
Looking again at the T-type, the before body damage pics have some sort of ugly 80s period rim on it, and the after has an old Buick rally. While the body damage isn't severe, let's assume that front wheel got cracked and take a close close look at the suspension and frame.
I didn't notice the rust on the Mustang. I think that what we've got here is a collection of beaters that can be fun but not anything to dump alot of dough in to.
The Mustang said something about rust, then about floor repair, then about upper shock mount rust repair, and then I just said "uh-oh" and left the building.
Yeah I suppose you could put some Flowmasters on an old Skylark and get Miracle to take a broom to it and paint it, why not? Harmless cheap fun.
BEATERS: What we are witnessing here today is the winnowing or culling process by which certain old cars live or die over a certain period of time. Those deemed worthy will be saved, and the rest get driven into the dirt and then mostly scrapped or picked over by the scavengers of the Automotive Serengti....
Thus most '70 plain-jane Skylarks will die, while all '70 Chevelle 2-doors will be saved if they can be. Why that is the way it is, hard to say. Part myth, part styling, part the buyers voting with their wallets.
My mom had a silver '79 for the longest time - looked just like that black one (other than color, of course!). The thing would suck about a gallon of gas if you punched open the 4 bbl.... what a horrible rattle trap. It wiggled and squeaked so much you could not hear yourself think. I liked the looks of it, but the likes stopped there.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Comments
My thoughts exactly. When DID Mary Kay and Uncle Bens merge, anyway? :shades:
Actually, I think that "LSC" stood for "Lincoln Sports Car".
Of course, the problem then is that I would actually have to look at it (life size) for the 10 minutes it took me to drive it to the nearest crusher, and that would probably scar me (and anyone else unfortunate enough to see it) for life. :sick:
I think of all those big American cars (LSC included) as two door sedans.
Rear end $200
Bumpers are great - need rechroming $10
The steering column is a tilt telescoping and could possibly be salvagable. $.50
Pass side window crank $1249.50
What a crying crying shame
http://www.waukeganautoauction.com/inventory_show.asp?stknum=L7279&show=6
I mean, it is very nice for what it is, but come ON...that price is a bit silly. Still, I'd rather have it with that engine than the 450 (this is a 280SE, not a 380 as is stated once). They did also have a 380SE ('85), in pretty decent shape, with the all-126-made-in-the-early-80s silver with blue (or was it black?) leather, hardly any rust, straight, not messed with, really a bit nicer than most I see (which is less and less often). That one was $1750....hmmm.
Other cars they had on the lot:
*'83-ish pop-up headlight Toyota Celica GTS coupe (non-hatch with the Spectraman taillights, I actually like these better than the hatch), kinda ratty but only $1000-1100, IIRC.
*the saddest Maserati BiTurbo coupe I've ever seen, red with tan and black painted rockers, probably not factory (and probably to hide the rust, which had attacked the trunk), and to match....
*the nastiest BMW 633CSi I've ever seen, with a big dent on the left front fender (really, no straight panels), faded red-orange paint (probably factory, though), strange add-on rear headrests (as if the sightlines on that thing weren't bad enough) and the added bonus make-people-think-it's-an-89 BMW alloys (from a 525i, kinda flat)....this car was probably an '81 or so (couldn't tell), I think they wanted like $1150 for it
*a VERY nice looking mustard-colored FJ Land Cruiser (I think a '75), no price (wondering what these go for).
When I was in school a local lot had a Euro model 116 280SE, with cloth interior and a 5-speed! It was red with an odd checked cloth upholstery pattern, and it looked quite nice. They wanted something like 3K for it, and it was gone relatively fast.
1980 isn't exactly a stellar year for Mercedes Benz as we are still in the era of loony climate controls and fairly thirsty engines. Out my way, this is a $2,000 car all day long.
The engine in that car is also the old 60s clattery design that needs revving. Many people won't like that.
As I recall it had a strange 2-spd, semi-automatic transmission (lift off the throttle to shift) and, yes Shifty, very heavy steering.
By the time that I got my driver's license, it had been replaced by a 1957 Fireflight 4-dr, which I thought was WAY cooler.
james
Would it be any worse than, say, a 1968 Dart V-8 with a broken power steering pump? The tighter ratio, coupled with the drag of the non-functioning power stuff, ensured that I had some pretty toned arm muscles...until I got it fixed. And until I stopped going to the gym regularly, and got a desk job.
As for that semi-automatic transmission, my Granddad's '53 Firedome had it. The way he explained it to me, it actually had 4 forward gears. When you started off you depressed the clutch and could put it into either low or high. In Low, it would use either first or second, and would shift as needed between the two. If you wanted to go into High you had to press the clutch and then shift. Then it would shift as needed, between third and fourth. If you wanted, you could start off in High, but acceleration was tedious. Now I dunno if that's how it worked or not. Granddad got rid of that car 20 years ago, and he passed away 16 years ago, so my memory could be fuzzy!
In a twisted sort of way, I kinda like it from the front. Has a post-apocalyptic look to it that would make Mel Gibson wet his pants. But what were they thinking out back?! Oh, the humanity! :surprise:
As for the Desoto, I've admired the pics you've posted of your red/white two-door... a very handsome example of extreme mopar styling. Ours was not so pretty, as it wore a monotone navy-blue, Earl Schibe paint job. I'll check to see if my mom has any pictures next time I see her. She lives out-of-state, so it could be a while.
The Fireflight was a real rocket though. I could start my own thread: "Crazy things I did in Mom's car"... some of them even involved driving.
james
That's how my Dart was. Not bad once you got it moving, but parallel parking was, umm, interesting. One of my buddies took his driver's test in it. First time he failed immediately and the cop who went out with him had to drive it all the way back. My buddy said the cop was griping up a storm about my car! He did finally pass with it, though.
It was one of those cars though where you really had to keep it moving while you turned the wheels. If you were completely stopped and tried to turn them, it would give you a workout. My Granddad taught me at a young age though, to coordinate it so I was turning the wheels and moving at the same time, because he hated the holes I was drilling in the gravel driveway!
WVK
The turbo T-types were mechanically identical to the Grand Nationals. These cars hit their stride in 86, but the "before I banged it up" picture looks good and the body parts to fix shouldn't cost too much. I wish that there was more info like miles on the car and any work done, but this could be a good opportunty to finally own one for about 4 grand???
How are you going to commute in this when the front bumper is half sitting on the ground?
Call the junkyard. Even Hondas die sometime
Have fun next summer
This looks pretty damn good in the pics for 4 grand. Any chance of it being reliable or a decent all season driver?
67 Mustang
Can I throw a 289 or 302 right in here? I know it's rare to see an original 6 but no fun. For the price, it looks good in the pics.
Kind of a beater
Could do worse for the money. Here in the NE anything early 70s/late 60s that is not embarassing is going for alot
One man's beating is another man's opportunity?
This cars scream mullet, but he claims to have done alot. You have to wonder why he hasn't put the interior back together.
Monster trucks are good investments
944 Turbo
Sure looks good in the pics. What's the upside and downside?
I like the T-Type but I have no idea how much I would pay for it.
This one is a true project. The car looks to be largely intact and has buckets and console and factory rallys. Since it's not a GS, the ceiling ins't that high on it. I think that it would be good for a do it yourselfer for half the price. It's probaby destined to be a high school hot rod.
Smokey & the Bandit TA
He doesn't really want to sell it, but if you don't look at it too close and promise not to negotiate anything, he'll do you the favor. Instead of carrying on, how about mentioning the mileage, if there's any rust not shown in the pics and how the door pins are (most likely bad)
Has a "scratch" on the door
Again, monster trucks are good investments
Porsche 944 Turbo -- car looks great, price is good, and he's done the 3 Tortures for a 944---the transmission/clutch, water pump and timing belt...so you're good to go for many K miles now. I'd definitely grab that car, it's a good deal sounds like.
72 Skylark -- it's not a GS, so it's a nothing car. Certainly not worth a restoration.
67 Mustang---sure, you can put a V-8 in easily. Just order up a crate engine and PLOP. Not a problem. Most people do this, especially with a 6 cylinder automatic, where the whole thing is a lot easier than installing a 4 speed. However, this car has rust, and so the price is not justified at all.
70 Skylark--beware the vinyl roof; check for rust under the "peeling". These roofs like to trap water.
Looking again at the T-type, the before body damage pics have some sort of ugly 80s period rim on it, and the after has an old Buick rally. While the body damage isn't severe, let's assume that front wheel got cracked and take a close close look at the suspension and frame.
I didn't notice the rust on the Mustang. I think that what we've got here is a collection of beaters that can be fun but not anything to dump alot of dough in to.
Yeah I suppose you could put some Flowmasters on an old Skylark and get Miracle to take a broom to it and paint it, why not? Harmless cheap fun.
BEATERS: What we are witnessing here today is the winnowing or culling process by which certain old cars live or die over a certain period of time. Those deemed worthy will be saved, and the rest get driven into the dirt and then mostly scrapped or picked over by the scavengers of the Automotive Serengti....
Thus most '70 plain-jane Skylarks will die, while all '70 Chevelle 2-doors will be saved if they can be. Why that is the way it is, hard to say. Part myth, part styling, part the buyers voting with their wallets.
Crackhead
When clones go bad ...
Talk about your kit cars!