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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)
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I remember the two-door quarter windows differed between the '78 LeMans and Malibu...the Malibu's was straight on the bottom while the LeMans rode uphill a bit towards the rear of the window. Same with the sedan's little extra C-pillar quarter windows.
The '78 4-door LeMans also had that uplift, and that exterior styling difference was one more reason why I chose the Pontiac over the Malibu.
Yeah, I liked that little kick-up in the beltline of the LeMans, versus the Malibu. I think it looked really good on the 2-door, a faint nod to the old "coke-bottle" look of the '60's. It seemed a bit too abrupt on the 4-door LeMans, but at least they tried to make it different.
I know from experience that a back door from a '78 LeMans will fit a '78 Malibu. One of my friends in college had a '78 Malibu Classic, and one night leaving work, for some reason he cut it really tight and hit a guardrail, smashing one of the back doors. IIRC, it actually tore through the sheetmetal! Well, I found him a LeMans back door in the junkyard and got it for him. We tried to put it on ourselves, but had trouble lining it up. My neighbor, who helped me paint both of my Darts, got it on for us though. And we swapped the interior trim so it would match. Only problem though, is that the Malibu was midnight blue, while the LeMans was a pale lemon yellow. He had that car that way for awhile, but eventually his wife got tired of it and took a blue spray paint can to it.
FWIW, the Malibu/LeMans (and Bonneville-G) doors will interchange just fine, as all the creases line up. However, a Century/82-84 Regal and Cutlass Supreme are a bit different. They might still fit, but the sheetmetal is different. On the Malibu/LeMans/Bonneville, the lower part juts out a bit below the crease, but with the Cutlass/Century/LeMans, it's just the opposite. Also, I don't know if the formal roofline doors (80+ for Olds/Buick, '81+ for Chevy/Pontiac) will fit the non-formal roofline cars. They might have changed the angle of the C-pillar, but I'm not sure. And also not sure about wagons. I always wondered if you could put a wagon door on a sedan (the earlier ones at least), and get the benefit of improved ventilation, since you'd have the vent window in the C-pillar, and the vent window in the door?
I'd be surprised if a Malibu/LeMans/Cutlass/Century wagon door would fit the same-year sedan, but I don't know. In my memory, anyway, the rear-vertical-edge of the sedan door/window frames slanted more on the sedan than on the wagon. Not a very reliable way for me to guess though. LOL
Check out ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's car collection on AutoWeek.com. Some desirable, others not so much, but all are interesting. I don't expect he'll get much behind-the-wheel time anytime soon.
Yeah, I seem to remember that too, plus I was thinking that the top edge of the door window would slope down slightly toward the rear on the sedan, versus the wagon. But, looking at pics of them online, the '78-80 Malibu sedans are pretty flat across the top, and just from eyeballing it, the rear edge of the frame looks to be about the same slope as the wagon.
I think it's an optical illusion, because the '78-80 sedan has that sloping rear window, plus the triangular side windows, which might make the whole thing seem to slope off more.
I think the more formal roofline that the sedans started getting for 1980 (Cutlass/Century) was a vast improvement over the previous roof. I thought the Olds/Buick "Aerobacks" were very awkward looking, but even on the Malibu and LeMans, I think the '78-80 roof just seemed a bit too big for the body of the car. Like they tried to fit a full-sized roof onto a midsized car, and it made the rear deck seem a bit stubby.
Most cars are like that now, with the C-pillar out too far back in relation to the rear axle, IMO at least, and then with the stubby trunk. So maybe the '78-80 Malibu/LeMans were ahead of their time in that regard!
I can accept it, if one is a Soviet fetishist - a good history of postwar Soviet cars there. The 63 Impala is amusingly out of place, too, being from the height of the cold war and all. Almost kind of looks right with the knockoff Caddys and Packards.
His no doubt useless guillotine-fodder son had a more typical collection, seen here
Real oddity today, an Isuzu I-Mark sedan, the old kind like this:
Or maybe it was a Buick-Opel - I couldn't see the badges, but I think it was a later Isuzu badged car.
Also saw the same beige Volvo Amazon wagon I see now and then, a late (stacked lights) colonnade style Malibu coupe, and not old but rare, an E55 wagon.
I think the front fender looks nearly identical to a Chevette. I've always thought that. Maybe the Chevette was spawned from an Isuzu--seems I may have heard that at one point. I was one of those guys that preferred a '76 Vega to a Chevette when they came out, although there weren't a whole lot of us.
That's right. Chevette and I-Mark have the same platform, also shared with a period Opel/Vauxhall. It was a "world car" of sorts.
I like the small bumper Vegas, but they seem most prone to fall-apart.
to me, the giveway on those early I-Marks was the windshield/A-pillar area. No matter how much they tried to differentiate the cars, that was one area that seemed to not change. I've read somewhere that when they redesign a car, the cowl/windshield area is the most expensive part to change, so often they'll try to do as little as possible to it.
That I-Mark in the pics looks like it has those same "sport" mirrors, or whatever they called them, that my '76 LeMans has.
As for the Vega-versus Chevette thing, I think the Vega was definitely sportier looking, whereas the Chevette was just a cheap little car. IIRC, the 4-door version didn't even come out until what? 1978? That I-Mark is a tinny looking little thing, but it looks like they put more effort into it than what went into the Chevette.
For looks, I actually like the '74 and '75 Vegas best...don't like the yellow taillight on the '76 and '77 although the wagons avoided that. I thought that bumpers and outside mirror on those early Vegas looked doll-house dainty. My grandparents bought the very first Vega our little dealer got in...sadly, it was a two-door sedan, 3-speed, only options AM radio and white-stripe tires. In six years, it had 3,000 miles. That's not a typo. So, they never experienced the stuff that about everybody else did. I have dreams every once in a while that I haven't visited them in years and that the Vega is still in a garage. My grandparents passed in the early '80's. They sold the Vega to my aunt who lived about 40 miles away. Her husband had to change fuel filters twice just to get it home. They sold it after a year or so.
I saw a Morris Minor 1000 in traffic the other day and sped up to catch a better look. It was in very good driver shape with no obvious defects and a nice coat of light gray (non-mettallic) paint with good chrome, they had their wind wings wide open to catch a little breeze on a warmish day.
Minors came in two-door and four-a 2-door that looked like this door form as well as wagons and convertibles, this one was a 2-door and looked much like this one>
British popular cars of the post war period (1945-65) were usually frumpy and archaic looking but there was a certain perkiness to the Morris Minor. Had they been a little better made and more aggressively marketed they might have been effective competition for the VW Beetle
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I had a neighbor in the '80s who drove an I-Mark diesel; same engine that was available in the Chevette at that time. It was slow as molasses, but she loved it.
Had they been a little better made and more aggressively marketed they might have been effective competition for the VW Beetle.
The big advantage that the Beetle had over other small imports was a relatively large dealership network and an ample supply of readily available parts. Otherwise, the Morris Minor had some advantages over the Beetle, such as a better heater and stability, and, I think, better fuel economy.
From a design standpoint, I believe the Fiat 1100 was a stronger Beetle competitor than the Morris. In addition to the advantages cited for the Morris, the 1100 was very space efficient.
From a design standpoint, I believe the Fiat 1100 was a stronger Beetle competitor than the Morris. In addition to the advantages cited for the Morris, the 1100 was very space efficient.
Well no argument there. The Millecento was one of the best popular-priced cars of postwar Europe and a far more modern design than either the Beetle/Bug or the Morris 1000. My in-laws had one when they were stationed in France and remember it fondly. But, like the British makes, Fiat never had the comprehensive dealer network that was crucial to the success of the VW Beetle.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
the Vega was a nicely styled car.
I like the early wagons, with the Camaro style front end:
That'd be a lovely car with a modern V-6 and a 5-speed.
Why a V6? Heck, the GM 2.4L 4-cyl with 180hp would be just fine. Oh, with the 6-speed manual transmission, please.
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Torque. Then you don't need 6 speeds. This is, after all, a station wagon we're building. Torque = displacement. Once you start with large displacement 4 cylinder engines, you have balance problems which further complicates them. V6 = cheap, easy to fix power. Besides, I wouldn't want a FWD Vega.
Point(s) taken. Perhaps the 3.7L V6 from an Infiniti? That's set up for RWD.
I can't imagine 300+ HP in a Vega. My cousin had one when we were teens.
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I agree with you Fin on the early Vega. Too bad it was so poorly engineered. I think all too often I've seen a vehicle come out very clean looking in design, only to be tarted up over time for the sake of "change".
= displacement. Once you start with large displacement 4 cylinder engines, you have balance problems which further complicates them. V6 = cheap, easy to fix power. Besides, I wouldn't want a FWD Vega.
The Cadillac ATS's base 2.5 4-cylinder would also work just fine in that Vega wagon.
Modern 4s are so powerful now, a GM NA or turbo unit would work - it does need to be RWD.
If one wants a 6 for balance issues , why not a nice I6 - hard to get smoother than that. I think they might weigh a little less than a V6 too - a Vega has to be pretty light, I have to imagine a big V6 would make it nose heavy. Plenty of good smaller I6 out there - even an ordinary 1980s-90s era MB or BMW unit would work.
Put the 2.0 turbo 4 & transmission from the Solistice in it. Plenty of torque.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
Heck, just find a Buick 3.8 of the ~200 hp variety and throw it in the Vega. They used to come with 'em, anyway. Well, okay, that was the Monza/Sunbird/et al variants, and back in those days it only had around 105-110 hp. But, since a 3.8 used to fit, I don't think it would be too hard to get a newer one in there. Or if you want a bit more pep, throw in the 240 hp supercharged version.
One advantage of the Buick 3.8 is that it's a pretty light engine as far as V-6es go. At least, it was for its era...they might be lighter nowadays. It's also compact.
Didn't that engine require removal to access the back two sparkplugs on the Monza and its GM variants?
Also, I think the CTS's 2.5 4-cylinder would be more in keeping with the Vega's original powertrain configuration than the 3.8. For more power there's the 2.0 turbo, used in the ATS and CTS, and previously in the RWD Solstice and Sky.
I'd only heard that required on the V8 engine, which was never used in the Vega wagon they renamed the Monza, anyway.
A nice old V6 would be fine--that way you don't have to build the car up very much. 300 HP would twist that thing like a pretzel. And besides, no electronics to deal with--think of it has a Volvo P1800 ES that could actually get out of its own way.
well, you could always tub the thing like all those V8 conversions. Though that might impact the utility value just a bit.
I will want a V8 Volvo wagon some day. No rational reason. I just do.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
They already made one--it's called a Ford Fairlane Ranch Wagon
I bought a 71Vega GT for $400 when I was a senior in high school in 1978. It burned more oil than gas, but it never failed to start and got me to destination . I actually liked that car that in my freshman year of college I traded it, got $200, for a 1976 Pontiac Sunbird coupe, luxury interior, sport wheels, ps, pb, air, 5 speed manual, 231 (3.8) V6, 105 hp. It felt like a sports car compared to the Vega and many of the cars of that era. It would get an honest 30 mpg on highway trips. Remember it was 55 mph America and I would cruise around 62 unless in Va, where they would get you at 60. I drove that car for 7 years. It was decently reliable and running well when I traded it with 85000 mi for a 1980 Mazda 626 coupe in 1983. Guess what my next car was? 1982 Cadillac Cimarron , with a 4 speed trans, my stick shift Caddy.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
ah, so you were the guy that bought it. Like finding a Wonka golden ticket.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
That'd be a lovely car with a modern V-6 and a 5-speed.
But how would that solve the fact that they started rusting at the end of the production line?
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
renamed the Monza, anyway.
You may be right. Maybe the sparkplugs were accessible in the V6, but not the V8. I remember that it was even difficult to reach the rear plugs in my '78 LeMans 305.
So you saw Wayne Carini tonight?
no, but I saw the info blurb for it. I assume that is why Newman had a 960 though! My desire goes back way before this. Maybe he copied me?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I had forgotten about that. One advantage to the Buick V-6, versus the Chevy V-8, is that the spark plugs pointed slightly up, and were above the manifold, versus down and under, as on the Chevy. So that might help a bit.
However, I'd imagine that a V-6 engine will still be mounted as far back as a V-8, as the transmission, brackets, and such would all be in the same spot I'd think. So it might still be hard to get to the back of the engine.
FWIW, I remember the back spark plugs in Mom's '86 Monte Carlo being hard to get to, as well. The one time I changed them I did something I learned watching Granddad work on Grandmom's '85 LeSabre...I jacked the car up and went in through a gap in the wheel well.
It wasn't precisely "engine removal"; it was unfastening a motor mount to raise the engine enough to change that plug. The interval was 22,500 miles.
On the subject of GM engine bays, I've noticed that even the engine by in my '76 LeMans doesn't seem all that user-friendly. There's not as much room under the hood as you might think, for a car that size. And to add to the fun, the long hood really doesn't open all that far.
Seems like most of the Chrysler products I've had over the years have had better accessibility under the hood than equivalent GM products. Even my '68 Dart, which was somewhat packed with its V-8 in the compact engine bay, wasn't too bad.
One added "bonus", I've noticed, with the Pontiac V-8, is that if you get a/c, it looks like the compressor makes the #2 spark plug almost impossible to get to. Wonder how you're supposed to get to it? I haven't had them done in the LeMans yet. I did have them done on the Catalina, when the mechanic did a bunch of other work on it a few years back. Wonder if he had to take the compressor loose to get to it?
I remember that the Chevelle and Monte Carlo (so I'd assume the others, but not sure) started having braces under the hood too in '73, so that didn't help.
My '76 LeMans has some bracing under the hood, so yeah, they probably all started doing that. But, sometimes you never know. For example, I noticed that Lemko's '89 Brougham has more bracing under the hood than my grandmother's '85 LeSabre did. I don't know if that's because the cars were different years, or if that was once difference of the C/D body versus the B, or what?
Back in the very late '60s I read that Volvo turned out a V-8 for marine application (Volvo-Penta). IIRC (which I probably don't) it had a certain amount of resemblance to a doubling of the 4-cylinder job in my car. I felt cheated.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
I watched the episode this morning (I DVR it). Loved the car. Even had a stick!
I really would like to know what he paid for it. I hate when they leave that part out. Especially when (as he seems to be doing this season) he hangs onto the cars instead of dragging them to an auction.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I've noticed that too. Maybe the seller doesn't want it known, or Wayne treats some cars as a labor of love and loses money but doesn't want to admit it.
80s day again here - saw a 928 with BBS style lace wheels, a Fox derived Mercury Marquis, and the highlight - an immaculate debaged blackout trimmed dark grey LWB W126, pre-1986 style, sitting on what looked like chrome Centra wheels. Perfect for a Miami Vice drug distributor. Also saw a second gen MR2.
probably some of both. On the deals where the seller participates in the show, I could see why they don't want it publicized. Wayne, he does the show for publicity, so I don't feel sorry for him. At least you find out in the auction episodes.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
He does fine, no reason to feel bad if he loses, indeed. He makes plenty from the high income clients he deals with, and he gets paid for the show too, no doubt. Maybe that covers his losses, so he can justify having a little fun. Seems like a good guy.
86 / 87 Chrysler 5 avenue. Mint, mint, mint still had the now defunct dealer emblem and old blue NJ plates. Odd site.
The interior on those is really something.
2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve