Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

toomanyfumes

Wow that's awful. How'd he get it titled as an International when it's almost all GrandAm? I'm surprised no interior shots, I'm sure it's really special.

gsemike

I was wondering about the interior too. He's got the Alero dash but the beltline is so much higher from the truck. I wonder how you can see out at all

fintail

Had the old beast out today, first time in maybe 5 weeks. Started on the first turn of the key and ran pretty sweetly, as well as anyone can hope from an unrestored car of its age. The longer I have it, my enjoyment only grows:



Turned a few heads, too...I especially an old man who turned and watched me go by, probably not having seen such a car for 40 years.

It'll be going in next month to have the cooling system hiccup examined and hopefully fixed.

lemko

"Duel" exhaust.

stickguy

that's the old Peterbuilt (Pretty sure there is a specific name for that style cab) from Duel (hence your quotes at the bottom).

Recreated at Disneyworld in the movie park.

andre1969

that's the old Peterbuilt (Pretty sure there is a specific name for that style cab) from Duel (hence your quotes at the bottom).

I think that style of Peterbilt was called the "Needle-Nose", and made from 1955-61, or something like that.

IIRC, there were actually three trucks purchased for the movie "Duel". One of them was destroyed at the end of the movie. A second one was bought to use as a backup truck, but it kept stalling out and causing problems, so I don't think it actually got any screen time. That's the one that's still around, and shows up at shows and tours from time to time. It ended up on eBay once, a few years back. It was also in a movie called "Torque" or "Biker Boys" or something like that a few years back. It actually had a cameo chasing an orange-red Valiant! I think it also made a biker wipe out.

A third truck was bought a couple years later to shoot some additional scenes to pad the movie out to feature length. Originally "Duel" was a tv movie meant to fit into a 90-min time slot, including commercials, so it was only around 75 minutes long. It proved popular, and they wanted to release it in theaters, but had to shoot another 10-15 mins to puff it up to feature length. I think the extra scenes are where Dennis Weaver stops to help a school bus driver who overheated and the truck turns around and comes back, and the scene where he's at a railroad crossing and the truck suddenly comes up from behind and starts pushing him towards the train. And I think the scene at the gas station, towards the beginning, was lengthened as well.

I've heard that this second truck was blown up in the late 70's, in another movie.

There was yet another truck purchased for use in an episode of the Incredible Hulk called "Never give a Trucker an Even Break". This episode used a lot of stock footage from Duel, but they had to buy a truck, and a Valiant, to shoot some new scenes with Bill Bixby and the other characters. At some point in that episode, David Banner, a lady truck driver, AND one of the bad guys ends up driving the Valiant, so they had to put all three actors in a light blue shirt, as that's what Dennis Weaver wore in the original movie.

It's been a long time since I've seen it, but I think there was a Peterbilt Needle-Nose in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" for a brief moment at the end. It runs over one of the cannibals, in a scene that's quite graphic, even by today's standards. And I remember Leatherface hitting the driver's door of it with his chainsaw.

stickguy

If old dennis had just let the (lady?) at the gas station put on the new fan belt, he might have gotten away with his car and briefcase!

andre1969

Yeah, it was a lady. Lucille Benson. "Take a look at mah snakes, if ya have time!" There was a run-down '58 Plymouth parked behind her gas station...



Good Lord, I watch too much tv!

BTW, here's the Texas Chainsaw Massacre truck...


IMCDB lists the Duel truck as a Peterbilt 281 and the Texas Chainsaw truck as a Peterbilt 351. I'm not truck-savvy enough to know what the differences are. When I was a kid, I always thought the Duel truck was an Autocar!

Some Autocar trucks did have a strong resemblance to the Duel truck...


Apparently this one is from a Charles Bronson movie called "Messenger of Death". Never heard of it before, but after seeing that truck, I'm kinda curious now.

stickguy

same picture both times. And looks like a '59(?) Caddy next to the plymouth.

and usually with trucks, at least with the IHs that I spent a lot of time with, they looked the same and the numbers related to the engine or chassis parts.

andre1969

Oops...just went back and fixed it, so the Texas Chainsaw truck should show up now.

Mr_Shiftright

Mr. Peterman, a lumber baron of sorts, purchased Fageol Motors of Oakland, California, a truck builder, in 1938, and started making his own trucks for the public in 1939.

So the first Peterbilts are pretty much Fageols.

fintail

Bargain beater of the day The 240D listed 4th from top

Mr_Shiftright

I really don't think a 240D is safe anymore for modern freeways. You couldn't pull the skin off a tub of rice pudding with that thing.

texases

But that 240D " runs strong - 30 mpg regardless of speed"! Funny they mention 'speed' in a 240D ad...

fintail

Could be worse - 220D, 190D fintail, ponton diesel, etc. Heck, it is $1300...if it starts, drives, and stops with no drama, it's worth that.

stickguy

Fin, thought of you when reading the latest car and driver. They had a piece on a Benz restomod from some German company called Mechatronik. s 1970 W111 280SE 3.5, transplanted with an AMG V8 and modern upgrades.

sounds like right up your alley. And only about 400K, for the ultimate Benz sleeper.

bhill2

Oh yeah. My mother's cousin had a Fintail 190D. Magnificent car; built like a bank vault, and with about the same acceleration.

Mr_Shiftright

So you say, but you get stuck in the right lane of a freeway, say by a stalled car, and you're going to stay in that lane until nightfall, because there's no power to escape. Been there, done that with an old 300D non-turbo.

A 240D is just too slow in today's world. it's like driving a 1930 Model A Ford. Might be an okay city car--a city like Omaha, with no hills (I don't think).

fintail

Oh come on, how often will that happen? It's just a compromise of a $1300 car.

I agree, for highway cruising, that car is no good...but there's a lot of other driving done by many people.

Mr_Shiftright

It gets worse...the car can't accelerate onto a freeway entrance. It can't climb a hill of any size. It pretty much has to be driven as if your own car had a brick under the gas pedal about halfway down.

Taxi service in a small flat town---that's about it. 0 - 45 mph.

bhill2

It can't climb a hill of any size.

That kind of surprises me, because diesels usually have a lot of torque. Or did you mean that it will climb the hill but you will be able to read 'War and Peace' before it gets to the top?

texases

Without a turbo the 240D does not have torque like a more - recent diesel.

I remember following one onto a freeway (sloooowly), I passed, got up to 60, him at about 40. About 5 miles later there he comes, passes me at 65. 0-65 in what, a mile or more? Not good for any heavy duty freeway work. And plent of modern and fast gassers get equal mpgs.

fintail

0-45. Would work in town here, or even for some highway duty (the lemmings here dawdle down 405 at 50 in a 60 on clear wide open days). I even get a running start for hills in the more powerful fintail - that can be compensated for. Again, it's $1300...the positives might outweigh the negatives.

stickguy

well, the answer, as always:

Crate hemi.

texases

Ask, and you shall receive:

fintail

Like the Mechatronik 280SE - a big AMG engine can fit under the hood, I bet something crazy could be done with that old diesel. Would cost ya, though.

fintail

If it was an early 380SL or some years of 450SL, no big loss. Spoiler is kind of lame though, hood scoop is amusing.

fintail

I've seen their work before. Insane stuff with prices to match, but no doubt a huge amount of engineering had to be done to get it right, and German labor isn't cheap.

I think Leno is also building a W108 sedan with some kind of AMG engine. Fun thing, fintail engine bay is virtually identical...hmmm.

qbrozen

ya know, the fact that the front tires are like a foot in from the fenders, it doesn't give me great confidence that they focused too much on the handling aspect of this beast.

texases

And that radiator looks puny, to me. Wonder how well it 'handles' hot weather?

fintail

You'll have to do a lot more than drop a big engine in a 107 to get any handling out of it - most engine transplants don't seem to factor in suspension. As I think Shifty has called it, something of a German Buick. It's a boulevardier.

qbrozen

exactly my point. I hate when builders just up the power and call it a day.

Mr_Shiftright

Awesome! That's a pretty slick installation. The 450SL motor is such a slug....might be overkill however. A nice fuel-injected Mustang motor would be nice in a 450SL, hooked up to an OD transmission and a kit from Vintage Air. What's not to like then? Better performance, better MPG, better AC, and you get your parts at Kragen!

explorerx4

I think that's a Mopar orange and I like how the black scoop sticking out of the hood kind of mirrors the black top over the body of the car.

steine13

You guys are missing the point -- it's DaimlerChrysler done right!!

Greetings from the Fatherland -Mathias

lemko

Heck, I thought the answer was always "Chevy small block!"

Mr_Shiftright

No, no, lem---if you going to do something different by rodding a Mercedes SL, you don't want to fall down at the last minute and install a cliche. :P

tjc78

And that radiator looks puny, to me

It does look small, but there are two electric fans mounted on it. I am sure that certainly helps out.

fintail

Convertible today here in the sun and warmth - today noticed a 68 Cutlass convertible, similar vintage big Buick convertible, 60s VW convertible, ~65 Corvette convertible, late 80s RX7 convertible, couple of 65-66 Mustang coupes.

fintail

Oops, hit the wrong thread, too late to delete.

Old car goes into the shop in a week, hopefully will solve or at least diagnose the cooling system weirdness. Had it out today, had a guy approach me in a lot and talk about it for awhile - he really liked it. Had to see under the hood and everything. I'm usually very accommodating when people want to look closer - I am rarely in a hurry when I have the old car out.

tjc78

Hey Mr Shiftright,

Just a quick ? A poster on another forum I frequent was asking about his parent's 89 Lincoln Town Car.

I gave him some advice on what I think its worth and curious if I was too harsh.

One owner 89 LTC, 180K. Everything mechanically is perfect. A/C functioning.

Ripped door panel, needs vinyl top and paint shot. A little surface rust on one door. I can't remember the Ford color name but basically brown/brown. It is a fairly low option car (Exec Series).

I told him to list it at $1250 and take $900. Fair?

qbrozen

I'd probably list it at $1500 just for fun, but be happy to take half that.

stickguy

for 3 figures, I'm surprised you haven't bought it for your wife to replace the benz.

tjc78

OK, at least I'm in the ball park. I just don't want the person to think this a 3 or 4K car which from what I reading may have been the case.

qbrozen

It won't fit in my garage. :P

stickguy

it will when you build your dream one.

but since the MB sits out under the trees anyway, who cares?

Besides, after you fix it up, TJC will buy it from you

qbrozen

oh, the MB doesn't sit outside. That's my wife's one garage spot. The 135i is my one garage spot. The minivan and 540 currently sit outside.

tjc78

TJC will buy it from you

Only if he repaints it a different color than brown!

Mr_Shiftright

I think gbrozen's estimate is more than fair. I'd say more like $500--$750 tops. I wouldn't be surprised if he put it on eBay and got no more than a $350 bid.

tjc78

Thanks for everyone's input. I knew I may have taken the wind out of their sails and wanted to be reassured!