Back in the 1960's, I think one car households were still the norm for the most part. So I guess if most buyers were going to get a second car, it would be something cheap, small, and stripped down, rather than a second nice, well-equipped car.
My grandparents on my Dad's side of the family only had one car at a time. On my Mom's side though, they'd always have a car for Grandmom and a truck for Granddad. The trucks tended to be cheap and stripped down, although I think Granddad bought a '73 Chevy 3/4 ton that had an automatic transmission and air conditioning. I vaguely remember it being sort of a Gulden's mustard color.
It's only anecdotal, but I worked with a guy who's now in his eighties, who used to talk about the '60 Valiant he bought new. He always said how 'peppy' it was, but how it was built poorly. He described it breaking a ball joint as he pulled into his driveway, and (yes, I find this hard-to-believe), in seams in the body was something like a piece of tape that he saw a loose end on, and proceeded to pull a several-foot-long section of whatever it was out of the seam.
He traded it on a '64 Rambler Classic which he always said was "the best car I ever owned". Growing up in a Chevy family, I did my share of goofing on Ramblers but I have heard similar comments over the years.
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That would make sense, as ball joints have always seemed to be a weak spot in Mopars. And, the early models were probably thrown together a bit more sloppy than later versions.
As for the slant six, if that Valiant had the 225 version, it would've been pretty quick, actually about on par with some of the standard sized cars with their base V-8's. I vaguely remember Consumer Reports doing a compact car test in the early 60's. I think the quickest car was a tie between an Olds F-85 with the little 155 hp 215 V-8, and a Valiant or Lancer with the 145 hp 225 slant six. Both did 0-60 in about 13.5 seconds.
Ball joints were definitely a problem with my '68 Dart. I think part of the problem might have been that the V-8 used the exact same ball joint as the slant six. Sometimes I wondered if even the mid- and full-sized cars used that same ball joint, because I remember them all being the same price in the Kanter parts catalog.
My mother's car would later get a Porsche 912 engine thanks to my dad - I wonder if that increased or decreased resale value. Her next car was a gigantic T-Bird, so that was a change,
Right out of college and reporting to active duty in a brand new 71 Sebring. Yep, didn't pass inspection for a base sticker because the ball joints were bad AND a tie rod problem as well. Probably lucky I got through the mountains. Dealer just acted like it was no big deal and replaced it all. Probably figured that since I was an officer, if he tried to blame me, he'd have a military lawyer on his [non-permissible content removed]. Should have known that was going to be a tipoff about my future with that car
Regarding the old slant six, I can't recall but I think the base slant 6 was a 170?
Yeah, initially the base slant six in the compact cars was a 170. IIRC it had 101 hp in the early years, but they bumped it to 115 in later years. The 225 had 145 hp. There was a high performance option called "Hyper-Pak" that used a hot 4-bbl and an intake manifold modeled after the Cross-Ram big blocks, and got the the 170 up to something like 148 hp. The 225 was bumped to 195 hp, I think.
In 1970, the 170 was replaced by a 198 slant six that had 125 hp. When they went to net hp for 1972, the 198 dropped from 125 to 100. The 225 dropped from 145 to 110, but there was a 100 hp version, which I think was used in California. As emissions controls got worse and Dart/Valiant got heavier, the 198 was eventually dropped and the 225 made standard. Wikipedia says the 198's last year was 1974, but I thought it was earlier.
When you do the gross-to-net conversion, sometimes you have to wonder how any of those old cars moved at all. 101 hp gross is probably around 80-85 net. Even worse, the initial Falcon used a 144 CID 6-cyl with only 95 gross hp, and the first Corvair only had a 140 CID flat six with 80 hp!
I think one of the slowest compact tests of that era I read was of an early 60's Comet, which weighed a bit more than the Falcon. It had the 95 hp 144 6-cyl and a 2-speed automatic, and I think 0-60 took close to 30 seconds!
Honda came after Toyota and Datsun but they did have their motorcycles and they had a great reputation.
Honda approached the stores that were selling their motorcycles and offered them the opportunity to sell cars.
Honda's first cars were the flimsly 600's that didn't hold a candle to the cars Toyota and Datsun were selling so most of the motorcycle dealers turned Honda down.
They made a bad decision they would live to regret.
We had a nearby VW dealer that couldn't keep beetles or buses in stock. You picked your color, paid MSRP which was around 1800.00, put down a deposit and you waited six weeks UNLESS you bought one of several that they LOADED with accessories for around 2500.00.
I'd imagine heaters were still an option, at least until the Feds made it mandatory to have some kind of ability to defog the windshield. I can't remember what year that was though...maybe 1965? I seem to remember the government started cracking down on the automakers and their antics around 1965.
Whitewall tires would've definitely been an option.
What about power steering and brakes? I imagine a car that light wouldn't really need them, but were they ever offered as options?
At some point, there was a semi-automatic transmission offered.
They would add accessories like mud flaps, juke floor mats, extra mouldings etc. Even air conditioning could be added on the 12 volt ones. Not a smart thing to do! Never saw a roof rack except at recent car shows. They did make a shelf that went under the dash. Never power steering or brakes which would have been impossible to install. Heaters were standard and they were worthless. Sunroofs were a factory option.
The Auto Sticks came out in 1968 and were strange and inefficient as can be.
VW's were pretty primitive in those days and Datsun and Toyota were much better cars.
I remember when I managed a large Sears Auto Center, we sold remanufactured VW engines that were totally complete with reman carbs, generators, starters, new plugs etc. all we had to do was take the air filter off the old engine, add three quarts of oil and slap it in! I had a guy who could do one in a half hour.
I remember when I managed a large Sears Auto Center, we sold remanufactured VW engines that were totally complete with reman carbs, generators, starters, new plugs etc. all we had to do was take the air filter off the old engine, add three quarts of oil and slap it in! I had a guy who could do one in a half hour.
Try THAT with a modern car!
There was an episode of Guinness Records where a small team (four guys, I think?) removed and installed a VW Bug engine in a minute. Oh, yep, here we go: Bug Engine Record.
I wish I could change out an engine in my plow truck that quickly! LOL
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I'd forgotten all about Sears auto centers. They were actually hopin' places when I was much younger. Seem to be disappearing nowadays - similar to the Sears stores in general. But I guess Sears leadership these days is more about real estate than retailing.
Sears auto lost their edge somewhere along the way. We used to use them exclusively for tires and alignments, but over the past decade, the prices have crept up to where they aren't even competitive anymore. My guess is they used to have some exclusive deals on parts that they no longer get.
Last time I went for an alignment was about 3 years ago. I found that, whereas they used to charge something like $79.95 for lifetime alignment about 2 or 3 years prior, it was nearing $100 and had, I believe, a 1-year guarantee. The last time I went for anything tire related was when I showed up with a set of wheels and tires and asked them to mount and balance them. They quoted me $200 and I promptly left and bought my tire machine the next weekend for $500. Best tool I ever bought, as it has saved me thousands. Moving guy asked if I'd sell it to him. Not a chance.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Sadly, Sears has gone downhill and in a big way. Some of this has been self inflicted as they tried to be Walmart and Nordstrom at the same time. They lost their good people. The internet and big box stores have taken their toll too. I fully expect Sears to go away soon and it's sad for me to watch. Very sad. I was proud to say I worked for Sears but now I'm almost ashamed to admit that I did.
I like the store that we have here and, even though I shop around, I tend to buy all of my appliances exclusively from them. Not that I buy many, but my W/D, range, water heater, a couple of refrigerators and a freezer, heck, even vacuum cleaners have all come from there. LOL
I used to buy a fair number of tools from them as well, but now all the Craftsman stuff is made overseas like everything else, so I don't really have any incentive to make the extra effort anymore.
The folks at the the Auto Center are pretty good here, too. I don't do much in terms of taking my cars to shops, but I have purchased a few sets of tires there in the last few years. I like them because I can get what I want, and I *don't* want Blizzak! Everyone carries Blizzak here, and the attitude (even at Sam's / Walmart) is that you get what we give you. At Sears, I can order whatever suits my fancy, as long as the corporation carries it, and it doesn't cost me any more than it would if they had it in-stock.
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
I remember Bugs running just under $2,000 in the late 60s.
When my Dad's Valiant threw a rod, he got a Falcon. He happened to break down in front of a Ford dealer at 6 am going fishing and had to wait for the dealer to open to buy it. Then he had to wait for his bank to open since they didn't think the bum had any money and wouldn't take his check.
A Valiant threw a rod? Was it a Slant Six? If so, I thought they were virtually indestructible, and that the 273s and 318 were very tough engines too?
Oh, that's just the family story as I remember it and that could be what the salesperson told Dad at the dealersship. He could keep his outboard running but didn't mess with cars much.
Oh, that's just the family story as I remember it and that could be what the salesperson told Dad at the dealersship. He could keep his outboard running but didn't mess with cars much.
My paternal Granddad was the same way. Spent his whole career working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and did a lot of maintenance and repair work. But, for some reason, that caring for railroad machinery just did not translate over to cars. My maternal Granddad was always getting after him to take better care of them, change the oil, etc.
We were at the B&O railroad museum in Baltimore once, and I remember them having one of the coaches from the train that crashed into Union Station just before Eisenhower's inauguration. Granddad mentioned he used to work on that train. And Granddad's specialty, as I recall, was brake work. IIRC, brake failure on one of the coaches is what caused that train wreck, so hopefully that's just a coincidence!
I don't remember ever seeing my Dad change the oil in the cars. My brother and I walked him out to the Valiant one day and won a bet by counting the spark plugs. He was off by two - don't remember the details, but his '53 Buick had been a V-8 so he probably thought the Valiant was one of the ones that had a V-8 option.
My Dad took a cue from Granddad when it came to cars, and was bad about maintaining them as well. But my maternal Granddad came to the rescue a few times. Dad tended to buy beaters, and I remember one of them blew the engine, and Granddad dropped a Chevy 400 in it. I think it was the '62 Corvette that Dad had, which would make sense as it would be the same bolt pattern as whatever smallblock had been in there. The other beater I remember Dad having was a '64 GTO, which would've used a B-O-P bolt pattern. Unless Granddad swapped the transmission for him, as well? Both cars were stick shift.
When my Great Granddad passed away, his '71 Torino 4-door got passed down to Dad. After my parents divorced, he moved to Florida. Soon after, he ended up throwing a rod in its 302 and Dad abandoned it.
My father tended to be rough on cars. When he met my Mom, I think he had a '65 Impala SS 396. That car threw a rod as well, and he abandoned it on a lonely country road, around 1971. He also drove my Mom's '66 Catalina convertible alot, and it was pretty ragged out by 1972...brakes mainly.
Eventually he learned his lesson, I guess. He now has a 2003 Buick Regal LS that he bought in late 2003 with about 19,500 miles on it. Either he's taking good care of it, or the car is really durable (or both), because it's held up pretty well.
My Dad didn't put many miles on a car--usually around 6K a year until I started driving! He wasn't a car nut by any means, but he did believe in routine maintenance. That's where I picked it up--he was of that mindset that "things last longer if you take care of them". Though he had cancer the last year of his life, I remember looking at his Corsica and saw it hadn't had an oil change in a year. I took it to his local dealer and had it done for him. Priorities had changed.
I thought of my parents last night. A car I'd normally walk by in a different color, stopped me in my tracks as it was so unusual. It was a bright green ("Spring Green") '72 Chevelle SS454 hardtop, black top, black vinyl buckets, totally stock. I liked that color and so did my Dad. Dad spied a base-model Chevelle Sport Coupe in that color at our dealer's. My Mom didn't even drive and always had no opinion on a car, but we took her down to drive by that Chevelle anyway. She replied that she didn't normally give a whit about cars but that she hated that color. We didn't get it.
A good friend of mine eventually bought a used '73 Chevelle SS in that very color and I liked it a lot.
Hard to imagine now, but my Dad and grandfather (who lived in our town) always went down in the fall to 'new car introduction night' at our Chevy dealer's. I looked forward to that as a kid, for months! It was a big deal...cider and donuts, scoop up all the brochures and all that. You'd see people you knew. My Dad could've bought a new Chevy in the spring or so but he'd still want to see the changes. I miss that.
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If that "Spring Green" is what I'm thinking, I can see it being a bit polarizing. The color I'm thinking is a bit bright...something that belongs on a Camaro, Nova, or Chevelle, but not as well-suited to a big car. Now that I think about it, with the big '72 cars, the only green I can remember them in was a light, sort of sage green, and the dark "Sequoia" that my grandparents' Impala had. I don't think I've ever seen one in that bright green.
I think shopping for cars has definitely lost its magic. Once upon a time, if one of my friends or family members was car shopping and asked me to go along, I'd jump at the chance. But, my uncle asked me a couple weeks ago to go with him to look at trucks, and my first thought was "oh, crap." But, I gave in.
You're thinking of the right green! In '72 it was only offered on the Chevelle, Monte Carlo, Nova, and maybe Camaro. In '73 it also appeared on the full-size Chevys, and you're right--it didn't look good on them.
I tend to like greens in cars. In Chevys, that light green you were talking about on '72 big cars was bland I think. The green interiors on '71 and '72 Chevys were an olive green. The green interiors on '73 Chevys were a darker, forest green. That's about the only thing I generally prefer about a '73 Chevy to a '72!
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I had my wife's Malibu in for an oil change a couple weeks back, and I looked around at new Chevys, which used to really whet my appetite. Now, I could hardly care. Yawn. I was hoping to see a new Impala in the dark green, but didn't see one.
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I looked up that color (paint code 36) on autocolorlibrary.com and it shows as a medium to dark green/blue, almost a deep turquoise shade. Sure you have the right name?
Edit: OK, found pictures in the proper shade. I remember this color, and rather like it. I think it works better with white top and interior, but here is one with a black top as described:
That's it! On the SS I saw last night, it also had the black hood and decklid striping. The car above, a Malibu, wasn't available from the factory with those five-slot Rally Wheels; they had more squarish slots. My Dad was one of many who really liked that style Chevelle. He waited too long though and the '73, as you know, was much-different. He bought a Nova coupe instead, in a light metallic green.
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Here is the Olds version of that color (called "Radiant Green") on a 4-4-2 with white accents. Looks very nice. How I wish they would offer a white interior like this again, truly in white with black reserved only for carpets, etc., and not a black interior with a just few smears of white.
There's a really pale blue they offer on Impalas these days that I really like. Even though I've joked about how it would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig, it's the color I'd go for. The 2016 Impala offers a color called "Green Envy"...hopefully it'll be popular. And, it looks like that light blue I'm thinking of is out for '16
A few weeks ago I had my Ram in for an oil change, and to get the key fob fixed before the 3/36K part of the warranty was up. While I was there I looked at what they had on the lot. There were a couple of blues that caught my eye, as well as a deep red metallic that makes me think a bit of the Firethorn that my '76 LeMans was originally painted (it's currently a deeper, pimpier burgundy). I've looked at the options list, and there actually are about 3 or 4 different shades of green that are offered. I think most of them are for work trucks, to go with various state, county, and company preferences. At the Carlisle Mopar show back in July, I did see one in a deep metallic green, sort of an emerald/forest color. I think that's the only time I've seen one of the current generation in green.
Oddly, when I was looking at trucks with my uncle, there were a few Colorados and Canyons that were a hue called "Cyber Gray", that in the right light looked just a little bit greenish. At first I thought it was my eyesight, but the salesman said that no, it does look like that. And, looking at Chevy's web page, it looks like the 2016's offer a color called "Rainforest Green"!
Forgot to mention that the SS454 I saw last night had 'Cowl Induction'. As a kid, I always thought that was cool. The hood is one thing I like better on the Chevelle than that 4-4-2.
A '72 GTO would look nice in that color. I'll have to look on Google images for one.
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The Cyber Gray on those trucks is perhaps the best color they offer. It is difficult to find a good-looking metallic gray for some reasons and that is one of the few that looks nice. I have seen the Rainforest Green; it is a bit dark for my tastes, but at least it is green, a color seldom seen these days.
That light blue metallic on '15 Impalas is called "Silver Topaz" for some reason (not sure why they don't say it is blue). It is a color that is reminiscent of those that used to be popular in the '60s and '70s but seems to have fallen out of favor.
Forgot to mention that the SS454 I saw last night had 'Cowl Induction'. As a kid, I always thought that was cool. The hood is one thing I like better on the Chevelle than that 4-4-2.
A '72 GTO would look nice in that color. I'll have to look on Google images for one.
Supposedly, Pontiac called that color "Julep Green" and according to what I found, only offered it in '72 on the Firebird, not the GTO. Yet I could swear I have seen a GTO in that shade. Seems odd.
I tried googling "Julep Green Pontiac" and the closest thing that came up was this, which looks digitally enhanced to me...
Of the two pics posted above, I think the Cutlass looks better. Maybe it's the contrast with the white striping., whereas I'm not as crazy about the black vinyl top on the Chevelle. Also, it could be lighting, but the Cutlass looks just a bit darker. Sometimes, when these cars get re-painted, they also don't quite match the factory-original hues, so maybe one, or the other, or both isn't quite the same shade as they left the factory in?
I've had my Mustang for over 24 years. For about the last 15 years, the check engine light would flash some sequence until the engine was warmed up and it was related to the ambient temperature. Only when your foot was on the gas pedal. If it was in the 50's it pretty much would keep flashing unless I made an effort to put some heat in the engine. If it was warmer, it would flash for a while, then eventually go out. 3 years ago, the car got new wires/cap/plugs and a new computer. After all that, the check engine light behavior was exactly the same. The car never failed emissions, tested a dozen times. Of course, I would get the engine warm before getting tested, not a big deal. Go on a warm day, run it in Drive at 55 or so for a few minutes. This morning, it was in the mid 50's, and I was shocked to see the light didn't flash today. I just checked it by turning the key to ON to make sure it still works, and it does. The only thing I've done a little different this year is take it out for some longer, than I had in the past, rides in the country, so I left it in Drive more often.
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Re.: the new Impala, I just did a search and there is only one Rainforest Green Impala in my search area (whatever that is)--14 miles away. A 2LT, $33,965 after the $2,500 cash back.
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Ahh yes, I remember the good old days of making sure the car was nice and warmed up before taking it to the emissions test. It's nice to just go in and have them plug into the OBD-II these days.
I don't know if these were old wives tales, or really helped, but I'd heard that driving around in second gear, as well as letting a little water trickle down into the carb, would help blow the system out. Just don't get *too* much water in there, because it won't compress quite the same way a fuel/air mixture will!
How many miles are on that Mustang now? Does it still have to go through the emissions test where you live, or has it gotten old and "classic" enough yet? Here in Maryland, they test back through 1977. But, once it hits 20 years old (used to be 25, but they changed that around 2009), you can get limited-use historic tags, which exempt you from the emissions test.
Mustang passed it's last emissions test in July. It's 24 years old, cars are tested until 25 every other year. Going to hit 39k in another 100 miles, or so. Was going to put it away this weekend, but I think I'll wait another month or so.
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My grandparents on my Dad's side of the family only had one car at a time. On my Mom's side though, they'd always have a car for Grandmom and a truck for Granddad. The trucks tended to be cheap and stripped down, although I think Granddad bought a '73 Chevy 3/4 ton that had an automatic transmission and air conditioning. I vaguely remember it being sort of a Gulden's mustard color.
He traded it on a '64 Rambler Classic which he always said was "the best car I ever owned". Growing up in a Chevy family, I did my share of goofing on Ramblers but I have heard similar comments over the years.
As for the slant six, if that Valiant had the 225 version, it would've been pretty quick, actually about on par with some of the standard sized cars with their base V-8's. I vaguely remember Consumer Reports doing a compact car test in the early 60's. I think the quickest car was a tie between an Olds F-85 with the little 155 hp 215 V-8, and a Valiant or Lancer with the 145 hp 225 slant six. Both did 0-60 in about 13.5 seconds.
My mother's car would later get a Porsche 912 engine thanks to my dad - I wonder if that increased or decreased resale value. Her next car was a gigantic T-Bird, so that was a change,
Regarding the old slant six, I can't recall but I think the base slant 6 was a 170?
In 1970, the 170 was replaced by a 198 slant six that had 125 hp. When they went to net hp for 1972, the 198 dropped from 125 to 100. The 225 dropped from 145 to 110, but there was a 100 hp version, which I think was used in California. As emissions controls got worse and Dart/Valiant got heavier, the 198 was eventually dropped and the 225 made standard. Wikipedia says the 198's last year was 1974, but I thought it was earlier.
When you do the gross-to-net conversion, sometimes you have to wonder how any of those old cars moved at all. 101 hp gross is probably around 80-85 net. Even worse, the initial Falcon used a 144 CID 6-cyl with only 95 gross hp, and the first Corvair only had a 140 CID flat six with 80 hp!
I think one of the slowest compact tests of that era I read was of an early 60's Comet, which weighed a bit more than the Falcon. It had the 95 hp 144 6-cyl and a 2-speed automatic, and I think 0-60 took close to 30 seconds!
Honda approached the stores that were selling their motorcycles and offered them the opportunity to sell cars.
Honda's first cars were the flimsly 600's that didn't hold a candle to the cars Toyota and Datsun were selling so most of the motorcycle dealers turned Honda down.
They made a bad decision they would live to regret.
Sunroof?
Saw a nice example of a tan Bug from the late 60s just yesterday cruising out here. Looked like the original shade of paint.
Whitewall tires would've definitely been an option.
What about power steering and brakes? I imagine a car that light wouldn't really need them, but were they ever offered as options?
At some point, there was a semi-automatic transmission offered.
The Auto Sticks came out in 1968 and were strange and inefficient as can be.
VW's were pretty primitive in those days and Datsun and Toyota were much better cars.
I remember when I managed a large Sears Auto Center, we sold remanufactured VW engines that were totally complete with reman carbs, generators, starters, new plugs etc. all we had to do was take the air filter off the old engine, add three quarts of oil and slap it in! I had a guy who could do one in a half hour.
Try THAT with a modern car!
I wish I could change out an engine in my plow truck that quickly! LOL
Last time I went for an alignment was about 3 years ago. I found that, whereas they used to charge something like $79.95 for lifetime alignment about 2 or 3 years prior, it was nearing $100 and had, I believe, a 1-year guarantee. The last time I went for anything tire related was when I showed up with a set of wheels and tires and asked them to mount and balance them. They quoted me $200 and I promptly left and bought my tire machine the next weekend for $500. Best tool I ever bought, as it has saved me thousands. Moving guy asked if I'd sell it to him. Not a chance.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I used to buy a fair number of tools from them as well, but now all the Craftsman stuff is made overseas like everything else, so I don't really have any incentive to make the extra effort anymore.
The folks at the the Auto Center are pretty good here, too. I don't do much in terms of taking my cars to shops, but I have purchased a few sets of tires there in the last few years. I like them because I can get what I want, and I *don't* want Blizzak! Everyone carries Blizzak here, and the attitude (even at Sam's / Walmart) is that you get what we give you. At Sears, I can order whatever suits my fancy, as long as the corporation carries it, and it doesn't cost me any more than it would if they had it in-stock.
We were at the B&O railroad museum in Baltimore once, and I remember them having one of the coaches from the train that crashed into Union Station just before Eisenhower's inauguration. Granddad mentioned he used to work on that train. And Granddad's specialty, as I recall, was brake work. IIRC, brake failure on one of the coaches is what caused that train wreck, so hopefully that's just a coincidence!
I don't remember ever seeing my Dad change the oil in the cars. My brother and I walked him out to the Valiant one day and won a bet by counting the spark plugs. He was off by two - don't remember the details, but his '53 Buick had been a V-8 so he probably thought the Valiant was one of the ones that had a V-8 option.
When my Great Granddad passed away, his '71 Torino 4-door got passed down to Dad. After my parents divorced, he moved to Florida. Soon after, he ended up throwing a rod in its 302 and Dad abandoned it.
My father tended to be rough on cars. When he met my Mom, I think he had a '65 Impala SS 396. That car threw a rod as well, and he abandoned it on a lonely country road, around 1971. He also drove my Mom's '66 Catalina convertible alot, and it was pretty ragged out by 1972...brakes mainly.
Eventually he learned his lesson, I guess. He now has a 2003 Buick Regal LS that he bought in late 2003 with about 19,500 miles on it. Either he's taking good care of it, or the car is really durable (or both), because it's held up pretty well.
I thought of my parents last night. A car I'd normally walk by in a different color, stopped me in my tracks as it was so unusual. It was a bright green ("Spring Green") '72 Chevelle SS454 hardtop, black top, black vinyl buckets, totally stock. I liked that color and so did my Dad. Dad spied a base-model Chevelle Sport Coupe in that color at our dealer's. My Mom didn't even drive and always had no opinion on a car, but we took her down to drive by that Chevelle anyway. She replied that she didn't normally give a whit about cars but that she hated that color. We didn't get it.
A good friend of mine eventually bought a used '73 Chevelle SS in that very color and I liked it a lot.
Hard to imagine now, but my Dad and grandfather (who lived in our town) always went down in the fall to 'new car introduction night' at our Chevy dealer's. I looked forward to that as a kid, for months! It was a big deal...cider and donuts, scoop up all the brochures and all that. You'd see people you knew. My Dad could've bought a new Chevy in the spring or so but he'd still want to see the changes. I miss that.
I think shopping for cars has definitely lost its magic. Once upon a time, if one of my friends or family members was car shopping and asked me to go along, I'd jump at the chance. But, my uncle asked me a couple weeks ago to go with him to look at trucks, and my first thought was "oh, crap." But, I gave in.
I tend to like greens in cars. In Chevys, that light green you were talking about on '72 big cars was bland I think. The green interiors on '71 and '72 Chevys were an olive green. The green interiors on '73 Chevys were a darker, forest green. That's about the only thing I generally prefer about a '73 Chevy to a '72!
Edit: OK, found pictures in the proper shade. I remember this color, and rather like it. I think it works better with white top and interior, but here is one with a black top as described:
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
A few weeks ago I had my Ram in for an oil change, and to get the key fob fixed before the 3/36K part of the warranty was up. While I was there I looked at what they had on the lot. There were a couple of blues that caught my eye, as well as a deep red metallic that makes me think a bit of the Firethorn that my '76 LeMans was originally painted (it's currently a deeper, pimpier burgundy). I've looked at the options list, and there actually are about 3 or 4 different shades of green that are offered. I think most of them are for work trucks, to go with various state, county, and company preferences. At the Carlisle Mopar show back in July, I did see one in a deep metallic green, sort of an emerald/forest color. I think that's the only time I've seen one of the current generation in green.
Oddly, when I was looking at trucks with my uncle, there were a few Colorados and Canyons that were a hue called "Cyber Gray", that in the right light looked just a little bit greenish. At first I thought it was my eyesight, but the salesman said that no, it does look like that. And, looking at Chevy's web page, it looks like the 2016's offer a color called "Rainforest Green"!
A '72 GTO would look nice in that color. I'll have to look on Google images for one.
That light blue metallic on '15 Impalas is called "Silver Topaz" for some reason (not sure why they don't say it is blue). It is a color that is reminiscent of those that used to be popular in the '60s and '70s but seems to have fallen out of favor.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Of the two pics posted above, I think the Cutlass looks better. Maybe it's the contrast with the white striping., whereas I'm not as crazy about the black vinyl top on the Chevelle. Also, it could be lighting, but the Cutlass looks just a bit darker. Sometimes, when these cars get re-painted, they also don't quite match the factory-original hues, so maybe one, or the other, or both isn't quite the same shade as they left the factory in?
Only when your foot was on the gas pedal.
If it was in the 50's it pretty much would keep flashing unless I made an effort to put some heat in the engine.
If it was warmer, it would flash for a while, then eventually go out.
3 years ago, the car got new wires/cap/plugs and a new computer.
After all that, the check engine light behavior was exactly the same.
The car never failed emissions, tested a dozen times.
Of course, I would get the engine warm before getting tested, not a big deal.
Go on a warm day, run it in Drive at 55 or so for a few minutes.
This morning, it was in the mid 50's, and I was shocked to see the light didn't flash today.
I just checked it by turning the key to ON to make sure it still works, and it does.
The only thing I've done a little different this year is take it out for some longer, than I had in the past, rides in the country, so I left it in Drive more often.
I don't know if these were old wives tales, or really helped, but I'd heard that driving around in second gear, as well as letting a little water trickle down into the carb, would help blow the system out. Just don't get *too* much water in there, because it won't compress quite the same way a fuel/air mixture will!
How many miles are on that Mustang now? Does it still have to go through the emissions test where you live, or has it gotten old and "classic" enough yet? Here in Maryland, they test back through 1977. But, once it hits 20 years old (used to be 25, but they changed that around 2009), you can get limited-use historic tags, which exempt you from the emissions test.
Going to hit 39k in another 100 miles, or so. Was going to put it away this weekend, but I think I'll wait another month or so.
A project for Fintail!
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic