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

srs_49

seem to recall Consumer Reports testing a Fairmont with the 200 6-cyl, which had something like 88 hp, and I think they got 0-60 in about 15 seconds.

We had one of those. 1977 I think. My wife claims she would be passed by trash trucks coming up a long grade to our community.

andre1969

My grandparents had a 1981 Ford Granada coupe with the 200 6 cyl. I was only 11 when they bought it, and maybe 15 when they traded it, so I never got to drive it. And Granddad drove pretty leisurely regardless of how much power he had. So, I never got to experience, first-hand, just how bad that car probably was!

Its replacement, a 1985 small LTD with the 3.8 V-6, was a lot quicker, and I spent a lot of time driving that. It seemed decently quick at the time, but I imagine that if I had to revisit it today, I'd hate it.

Mr_Shiftright

62 Impala -- put in $50,000, take out maybe $15K-$17K if the gods are smiling

67 Nova -- I simply cannot believe that someone bid $5,600 for that atrocious rat of a car.

71 C-10 -- refreshingly honest ad actually.

texases

I like that Nova a lot more than the Impala, seems like a good car once the paint's done. $50k and no trim, but holes?

Pickup's a mess, why bother?

Mr_Shiftright

Did you see the rust bubbles on the Nova?

tjc78

The Nova appears to have been on the right track. The engine bay looks pretty nice IMO. The body would need a lot of work. The fitment of the doors is really bad and it appears to have had some bad patchwork done in the past.

It probably easily needs 5K of body work unless you can do all the prep yourself.

RE: Oven Cleaner. What the heck was he thinking? Didn't he ever hear of Goo Gone?

texases

Rust bubbles --Yes, but it seems the price'll take that into account. Body work, for sure. But the undercarriage and trunk interior didn't look too bad (rust-wise).

explorerx4

The back of the Nova looks like it had something like Krispy Kritter or something like that on the trunk lid.
Also, one of the doors looks like someone tried to shoot their way out of the car.

hpmctorque

The Fairmont and Zephyr were introduced in the Fall of 1977, but they were 1978 models.

srs_49

hpmctorque - you're right, thanks for the clarification. That was a 1978 model year Fairmont we had.

qbrozen

So you had the sister to my Zephyr.
Mine was a 2-door, surprisingly enough. But a total stripper. Not a single damned option in that car, as far as I know. Not even a radio.

texases

"So you had the sister to my Zephyr. Mine was a 2-door, surprisingly enough. But a total stripper."

So the sister's a stripper... :surprise:

xwesx

She may not have had flair, but she had it where it counts. :P

qbrozen

lol

andre1969

She may not have had flair, but she had it where it counts.

Wonder if she had a nice, sturdy rear-end?

xwesx

Depends... was it a wagon? Wagons are demolition derby favorites, and there's a reason for that!

andre1969

I was thinking more along the lines of the ratio. Was she short or long? Oh, wait...when they said this was gonna be a drag race, I didn't think they meant THAT! :P

explorerx4

I'm starting to think that Nova is related to Christine.

hpmctorque

Careful, or the authorities may require that a "Parental Guidance Required" or "Viewer Discretion Suggested" be posted on this topic.

xwesx

Hahahahahahaha; I was beginning to think the same thing! Nice follow up, though Andre. :shades:

andre1969

Wonder if I should bring up the Swinger that my grandparents had over to their house from 1975-77?

Don't worry...it was the Dodge Dart variety! :P

fintail

Quick trip through local Craigslist:

80s wheels

For Francophiles

Not many of these left

Calling uplanderguy

And again

Maybe he wants something ratty

Fat cat

Not a high water mark

What old cars were really like

The weird year

Has to be one of the best out there

Shove it

qbrozen

Wow. Not sure I have the patience to count all the lies in the chevette ad

tjc78

Yeah, "collectible" OK.......

That style Riviera isn't all that bad. That touchscreen system, was pretty advanced for 1988. Think about it, 25 years later and they are just starting to be commonplace.

The BMW is nice. My lack of knowledge for Euro cars shows. I had to look up what a "Guibo" was. Never heard that term before.

texases

Is that Chevette a "Scooter" model? Super stripper?

edit - I guess not, this one has a rear seat, the 'Scooter' didn't even have that!

"very safe little car ... great for a first car "

Only if you HATE your kid... :sick:

Mr_Shiftright

84 Mazda 626 -- yawn...but hey, something to knock around it.

1984 Peugeot diesel: "been known to put 1,000,000 miles on these 4 banger diesels" -- maybe on the back of a flatbed truck?

'55 Stude -- parts car

'64 Stude-- parts car

'88 Riviera -- the price is right!

'61 Cad 4D HT -- a little pricey with that body damage---try $9950, take $8900.

'67 Ford Custom -- might need a price adjustment--has dents, nasty engine bay, could be worth saving with an "econo-resto" by a thrifty buyer.

'72 BMW Bavaria --$11,800 for a Bavaria? Good luck with THAT. Try $5500.

'76 Chevette--really worth about .50 cents, but $1000 would be a good buy--these little crates can actually chug along for quite a while--but $2600 would be the value of a Pebble Beach Chevette :P

texases

"$11,800 for a Bavaria? Good luck with THAT. Try $5500."

That Bavaria begs the question - "Why not spend the same $$ on a newer AND better 5er?"

Mr_Shiftright

I have tried...SERIOUSLY tried...to listen to others explain the merits of the Bavaria to me, but when I get in one and drive it, all I see is an old frumpy barge of a car that is expensive and difficult to fix. Apparently the market agrees with me on this one.

texases

If I was spending $12k on an expensive to repair BMW hobby sedan, it might be more like this M5.

Mr_Shiftright

That car is 10X a Bavaria.

hpmctorque

Ikn ow you mean the best Chevette on the planet, but Pebble Beach Chevette seems like an oxymoron.

fintail

Talked to a salesman today I dealt with when I bought my car - he's picking up a project car - 65 Riviera. One family owner, 80K, slightly neglected but apparently its needs are easy. I think he said it is kind of a bronze on saddle, local car, headlights work smoothly - will be interesting to see how it turns out. He said he just wants to make it a driver.

Turn signals on my project car are being quirky again - sometimes work fine, sometimes work weird (irregular blinking time and brightness), sometimes nothing. I think the module is dying. I had to try to rap it with a pliers handle to see if it would help, nope.

Had it on the road a bit today as the modern car was in for an adjustment. Went to Costco, parked in the boonies, when I returned of course a car parked near me, but at least it was behind me:



Stopped by the dealership to get the keys to the modern car before dropping off the fintail - again 50 years difference:



Several people at the dealer came out to look at the old car - such a good 15 footer.

lemko

What's the bobblehead on the dash?

I think the Esso Oil Drop man would make a good mascot for the top of the fintail's dash as it has sort of that vintage European vibe. I recall seeing the image of this character in the background of a lot of old LeMans races.

xwesx

You have a "boonies" at Costco?! Every time I go to one of the stores in Anchorage, the parking lots (which are huge) are packed!!!

fintail

It's the Costco in Kirkland, which has a huge zoo of a parking lot. There are also a few other stores within 10-15 miles, so the customer base is smaller. I always park way out, and laugh at the "trollers" looking for a close spot.

fintail

It's a Detroit Red Wings hockey player - something I found soon after I bought the fintail, and had to have it, as I had seen nodders in period cars on TV. It's a conversation piece, and period correct (I think the small series of bobbleheads is from 1962).

andre1969

Years ago, after my Mom and stepdad first bought their '98 Expedition, they started parking way out in the boonies at parking lots. I used to laugh at them, but not anymore, because after buying my 2012 Ram, I've turned into them! That thing is a real pain to park and maneuver in tight corners, so it's easier to just go and park way out in the empty spots.

lemko

There's a girl at work who bought a new Elantra and she parks it way on on the edge of the parking lot away from everybody like I do when I bring my Cadillac DTS.

Did you ever notice that everytime you buy a new car, park it out in the boonies, and you still have this guy parked next to you no matter what?

tjc78

I recently drove my cousin's new Silverado 2500 4 dr. His has a 3" lift on it as well. It's a monster, and I wasn't parking in between anything with it!

I had a lot of seat time in a Navigator and it didn't seem too bad to park, but nothing like a car (even a land yacht).

fintail

That's a good use for the boonies, easy to park large vehicles. Sadly, most people who drive those behemoths just park them, without skill, in normal spots.

I am usually one of the first in the parking garage at work, and I choose a specific space - it is long, with a pole on one side. I can get close to the pole and then back up far, so the car is kind of tucked away from door ding risk. In the building where I live, the people who park beside me are relatively competent at parking, and I also have a pole on one side, which I see as protection.

andre1969

My problem with the Ram is its height. Even though it's only a RWD half-ton truck, it sits up higher than some 4x4's. And with the height, it's hard to judge when parking. The hood really doesn't slope down all that much, so when I'm pulling forward, I can see something disappear under my line of sight in front, yet still have plenty of room before I hit it. Same with looking out the back. The sides of the bed and tailgate are so high that it's hard to lift anything up over the sides, like I could on my old Silverado. The headrests on the seats also make it harder for me to see, when backing up. And, even looking out the side windows, it's hard to judge, because you see less of whatever is beside you than you do with a lower car. I always back into my parking spot at work, so it's easier to get out when I leave, but I usually have to roll down the window and look out, to make sure I'm in the lines okay.

tjc78

Yes, the height is what gets you. That was my problem driving my cousin's truck. My Grand Marquis sits fairly low and I've never daily driven a big truck so I'm totally not used to it.

I'll still say this; if want overall horrible visibility come drive my 2012 Lacrosse. Backup cam and parking sensors are worth their weight in gold on that car.

fintail

I looked at this old beast today for someone on a MB forum

Printed price is $2999, I'd offer like $2K. It's very original, straight, complete, seems to run ok, and is a very late production car. But, it is a little weathered, and has a few areas of rust bubbles, especially behind wheelarches and in the front passenger headlight area. Structurally, it is fine. Not a real collectible, but some nut might want it.

andre1969

Nice looking old beast. Hopefully somebody rescues it and appreciates it.

fintail

Like my old car, that old diesel photographs better than it really looks. Maybe just needs a good cut and polish. The rust would be the biggest hindrance, even if it is just cosmetic.

srs_49

That's a really nice photo of your two Benz's. Really highlights the styling changes that have occurred over 50 years.

I actually think your fintail is more distinctive. From a distance, the new MB could be mistaken for any of a dozen similarly styled cars.

fintail

Thanks. The stand up grille does it, I think. Back in the day, few cars had that - even in the higher price range, and it stood out. Today, most pretentious lux and near-lux players have it, and stylists are a lot less creative today, too.

qbrozen

hmmm... all the buttons from the bottom of posting a message screen are gone, so I can't make a link. You'll just have to copy and paste this... and you MUST look. This is one of the goofiest things I've ever seen.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-Chevy-Corvair-conv-shorty-/121100719015?pt=U- S_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c322a53a7

And this has to be the greatest misuse of the phrase "excellent condition" I've ever read.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1953-HUDSON-HORNET-HOT-ROD-RAT-ROD-KUSTOM-GASSER-- RARE-LEAD-SLED-TWIN-H-POWER-/330913031997?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item4d0bf4273d

fintail

I've never been able to grasp the "shorty" concept, always looks weird and wrong. Seems quite a few 57 Chevy wagons/panels met that fate in the 70s.

Hudson has a bit too much patina for my tastes. Some closet hipster types seem to like that.

Mr_Shiftright

I think that Hudson will be just fine once you shovel out the rat dung, rivet some sheet metal to the floors under the seats, and strap in a few lawn chairs.