I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

ab348 · June 2020

fintail said:

I liked those hubcaps too. I remember around the time I was in high school, someone in town had a new Ciera wagon, one of the last of its type, in what seemed like a fairly bright for the time gold with those hubcaps. I kind of secretly thought it was a nice looking car.

Back in the mid-'90s when I decided I was tired of apartment life and needed to get a place of my own I realized that I would not be able to live downtown and thus would need a daily driver vehicle. But most money would be going into the house and associated purchases so I needed something used. There was a Ciera wagon that lived in the neighborhood where I was at the time, yellow paint, woodgrain, tan inside, that had always caught my eye and seemed a nice vehicle. I figured that would be the perfect car for my needs. I had no idea how rare it was. A note left on the windshield of the "If you decide to sell, please call" variety elicited no response unfortunately. Memory tells me it was like this with the wire wheelcovers.

uplanderguy · June 2020

I thought those cars in general looked good as a wagon...all four of the divisions.

I won't go so far as 'timeless', but as usual I think, simple ages the best.

sda · June 2020

tjc78 said:

sda said:
This was the last car dad bought for himself before his eyesight became so poor he couldn't drive any longer. It was a good comfortable boring car. I did like the garnet red color.
Whenever I see one of those I think of the movie Fargo

Fargo is fun to watch just for the ‘new’ Oldsmobiles. Stay away from the log chipper!

Dad didn’t normally buy new cars. I can only think of three, the 76 Cutlass wagon, 76 GMC Sierra 15 4wd, and the 95 Cutlass Ciera SL II. The Ciera was the top of the line that year, all power, V6. It had two options, keyless remote and power driver seat with electric recliner. We had just moved back from Europe to rural Va in 76. He traded for the Ciera when his 85 Grand Marquis LS ac required major repair, a refrigerant leak that involved removing the dash.

kyfdx · June 2020

Fargo might be my favorite movie.

roadburner · June 2020

I was impressed with the first generation Grand Am and Cutlass Salon four door sedans because they had bucket seats and a floor shift. I'd pick up a 1973 Salon if I had more garage space; I'd leave it stock except for the beyond pathetic 7" sealed beams- they'd go in the trash and be replaced by Cibie or Hella E Codes.

tjc78 · June 2020

kyfdx said:
Fargo might be my favorite movie.

It’s a guilty pleasure for me. I can’t turn it off... wife hates it lol

omarman · June 2020

"He was funny looking...more than most people even."
"Go Bears!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt5GsfNcDzA
Never gets old.

explorerx4 · June 2020

I'm a big fan of Cohen brothers movies.

tjc78 · June 2020

The “true coat” scene and Shep with the belt are priceless too.

explorerx4 · June 2020

A blue with muted orange stripes Viper ACR, White Nissan GTR and early mid sixties Olds convertible(top down), copper with lower area silver colored.

uplanderguy · June 2020

Liked Wade, the quintessential dealership owner of the time.

"You're not selling a damn car here, Jerry!".

My daughter talked us into watching Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" the other night. Offbeat like a Coen brothers movie. I liked it. Of course, it was set in 1965 but the main car you see again and again is a '68 Dodge Coronet wagon. Would it have been so hard to get a '65 or older? Of course the rest of my family rolls their eyes.

tjc78 · June 2020

Lots of movies screw up the cars, that is for sure. Whenever I mention it my wife always says, what does it matter? I said for car guys, it does!

andre1969 · June 2020

Well, in responding to two previous posts at the same time, the other day I watched the original pilot of "The Incredible Hulk", where David Banner's wife dies in a fiery car crash. They were out for a drive in the country in a 1973 Grand Am 4-door sedan. They have a blowout, David loses control, rolls the car. He's thrown clear because, well, nobody wore their seatbelts then. But, here's the thing that bugs me...when the car is actually in action rolling over, all four windows are rolled down. But when they show it in flames, the windows are fully up, and David is trying frantically to get into it, to get to his unconscious wife.

Movies and tv shows do annoy me sometimes, how they portray cars, crashes, and such. I love how it seems like, especially back in the 70's, every time a car had a blow out, the driver would lose control and have a horrific crash. And it's amazing how easily cars rolled over, and caught on fire back then!

FWIW, in that pilot there were three different cars that rolled over...the Grand Am, an early 70's Hornet that also had a blowout and lost control, and a Celica that David flipped over and rolled down an embankment after he got miffed changing a tire and hulked out. And every singe one caught on fire. The Celica even exploded with a fireball that would have been worthy of Dateline NBC doctoring up a '73-87 GM saddle bag truck!

Oh, also I think this might be the first time I have ever seen a Grand Am with just hubcaps, and not some kind of rally wheel...

fintail · June 2020

A woody, I wonder when those died out, early 90s maybe. I know there's a mid 80s Ciera wagon in my area I spot now and then - that's how things are in the PNW.

The car I recall was like this, but I swear it was a brighter gold. I don't mind it - the A body wagon isn't bad looking. Once ubiquitous - I knew several kids who's family had one when I was in grade school. Now, they are obscure indeed:

Speaking of Fargo, when I was in college, I knew a young woman from the Philly area - she said people here, especially maybe in the location where I was closer to the border, "people here sound like they are from Fargo". I thought that was amusing, I don't hear it.

ab348 said:

fintail said:

Back in the mid-'90s when I decided I was tired of apartment life and needed to get a place of my own I realized that I would not be able to live downtown and thus would need a daily driver vehicle. But most money would be going into the house and associated purchases so I needed something used. There was a Ciera wagon that lived in the neighborhood where I was at the time, yellow paint, woodgrain, tan inside, that had always caught my eye and seemed a nice vehicle. I figured that would be the perfect car for my needs. I had no idea how rare it was. A note left on the windshield of the "If you decide to sell, please call" variety elicited no response unfortunately. Memory tells me it was like this with the wire wheelcovers.

tjc78 · June 2020

First time I went to Minnesota I couldn’t believe that people do in fact speak like in the movie Fargo. Not nearly as exaggerated of course, but it’s there.

stickguy · June 2020

a couple garage queens on my block out the last few days. Guy across the street has a 65 Mustang convertible, restored by his father about 10 years ago (so must have been pushing 80 when he did it). drives occasionally. Looks nice, dark blue. V8, automatic.

and first time in years, another guy a few houses up had his Grand National out. black of course. Looked brand new. usually I just see it in the garage wearing a cover. Not sure if brakes were sticky or he just had to get used to them because he seemed to lock them up a little and slide on some gravel at the stop sign!

fintail · June 2020

New member of the garage where the fintail slumbers, never seen it before:

Earlier Series III car before 1986, had some storage grime but extremely clean under it. Perfect for re-enacting a Sixteen Candles scene that will always stick in my head.

Also saw a 60s Elan on the road, late run Mark VIII, E30 cabrio,

sda · June 2020

fintail said:
New member of the garage where the fintail slumbers, never seen it before:

Earlier Series III car before 1986, had some storage grime but extremely clean under it. Perfect for re-enacting a Sixteen Candles scene that will always stick in my head.

Also saw a 60s Elan on the road, late run Mark VIII, E30 cabrio,

Those were beautiful cars before the big bumpers, but still very handsome.

fintail · June 2020

I suspect the 80s cars are easier to live with than late 70s ones (the V12 engine bays are terrifying), but they all have a rep for eating people alive. I can see how they lure people in though, very pretty cars. They always make me think of this:

sda said:

Those were beautiful cars before the big bumpers, but still very handsome.

uplanderguy · June 2020

Just got done watching "Fargo". It had been awhile for me. Our 23-year-old daughter watched for the first time and did not like the violence. I think the movie has held up.

ab348 · June 2020

In the "Things I Learned Years After The Fact" dept: the cool '75 GMC pickup that Rocky drove in the Rockford Files series and which I always loved was actually Jim Garner's personal truck, as per a post on Twitter by his daughter Gigi. This newspaper clipping supports that.

stickguy · June 2020

That is a cool truck. Would be even better as a short bed step side!

kyfdx · June 2020

That was a great show..

stickguy · June 2020

It was. Fun, campy and Rockford had a nice sarcastic touch.

kyfdx · June 2020

stickguy said:
It was. Fun, campy and Rockford had a nice sarcastic touch.

Supporting cast was great, as well... Rocky, Angel, etc.

ab348 · June 2020

I loved the Mike Post/Pete Carpenter music - I call it Oklahoma jazz. Not just the theme but the scoring used throughout. A fellow on Youtube has taken the time to capture all of the production music used in episodes of the show and made it available both in a summary edition and season by season, which is taking dedication a bit far, but whatever. I downloaded the summary version,, about 50 minutes worth, and have it on the USB library I use in my car. There's some good traveling music there.

andre1969 · June 2020

The Rockford Files also had a ton of cool cars. I can recall one episode that had a '57 Windsor that, in the context of the show, was supposed to be an ex-police car. But I'm guessing that most likely, it was just a civilian model made up to look like an ex-police car...

I caught the Rockford files a lot in reruns when I was older, but one episode that always stuck with me, from when I was a small kid, was one where the body of a woman was found in the trunk of a Chrysler LeBaron in a parking lot. And sure enough, here's that car!

Whomever put together the Rockford Files entry on the IMCDB sure must have had a lot of time on their hands, because that is a VERY comprehensive list!

fintail · June 2020

CHiPS is another with a huge IMCDB entry, fun stuff.

Rockford Files was new just before my time, but I remember it in reruns. I remember hanging out with a grade school friend after school one day, and we were watching cartoons. His mother (German, and always seemed very stereotypical to me) walks in, scolds us for watching "trash" or something, and changes the channel to the Rockford Files - never will forget that.

sda · June 2020

fintail said:
CHiPS is another with a huge IMCDB entry, fun stuff.

Rockford Files was new just before my time, but I remember it in reruns. I remember hanging out with a grade school friend after school one day, and we were watching cartoons. His mother (German, and always seemed very stereotypical to me) walks in, scolds us for watching "trash" or something, and changes the channel to the Rockford Files - never will forget that.

I’m surprised she just didn’t turn it off. Multiple times dad ( who isn’t German) would come into our den, his three kids watching tv. He would quickly turn off the ‘idiot box’ and prompt us to do something constructive, like reading. He had no patience for tv.

fintail · June 2020

She seemed a little kooky to me, nice, but funny. The kid's dad was like a drill sergeant (hell, he worked at the juvenile detention center) and I remember the lectures and orders about grades etc. I also think my friend took several years after high school to leave home and maybe not even communicate with his parents, so I guess that happens.

No wonder kids liked hanging out at my house, my parents didn't really care so long as the police didn't show up.

On that note, my dad hated sitcoms and anything Disney.

Relating to cars, I remember my friend's dad bought one of the last boxy Town Cars in 1989. When I visited the area several years ago, I saw it parked near their house, still looking clean. I also remember his older brother had a late 70s Cutlass that my friend and I covered with water and stuffed snow into the locks during a cold spell around maybe 1989, as revenge for something.

sda said:

I’m surprised she just didn’t turn it off. Multiple times dad ( who isn’t German) would come into our den, his three kids watching tv. He would quickly turn off the ‘idiot box’ and prompt us to do something constructive, like reading. He had no patience for tv.

uplanderguy · June 2020

My mother let me watch anything, but my Dad was the macho-type, so any show with a female lead (Mary Tyler Moore, 'Bewitched'), or any sitcom he found dumb (e.g., 'Green Acres'), his standard line was "Do we have to watch this?", LOL. But I would.

uplanderguy · June 2020

ab348--re.: the dark blue on the current Malibu you saw--I am nearly certain I saw one yesterday. It drove past me in an intersection and was a dazzling, very metallic dark blue (not navy blue though). I took a pic behind it that's not real clear. It was a '19 or '20 model as it had the center chromed grille bar which was new for '19. Not a fan of the Malibu's zig-zaggy lower grille, though.

Drove over to the nearest Chevy dealer and their inventory looked down 40-50% to me, from normal. They still had the pearlescent white new Impala Premier. I love the bright side molding and the chrome-encased side mirrors. $41K sticker, but I'd assume they're dealin'. I probably wouldn't like those rubber-band tires though. EDIT: Instead of a pic I took a short video of the car, which I can't seem to post here. No big deal.

andre1969 · June 2020

sda said:

Dad didn’t normally buy new cars. I can only think of three, the 76 Cutlass wagon, 76 GMC Sierra 15 4wd, and the 95 Cutlass Ciera SL II. The Ciera was the top of the line that year, all power, V6. It had two options, keyless remote and power driver seat with electric recliner. We had just moved back from Europe to rural Va in 76. He traded for the Ciera when his 85 Grand Marquis LS ac required major repair, a refrigerant leak that involved removing the dash.

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a '76 GMC pickup. It was a crew cab, 3/4 ton model, and I remember it had a badge on the rear pillar that had a little teepee and said "Camper Special, 3+3, 8200 lb GVW.

It's weird, the things you can remember...he probably got rid of that truck back in 1986 or 87...I remember they had both it and their '85 1/2 ton Silverado concurrently for a year or two. I was at the Carlisle PA swap meet this past weekend, and saw a 3/4 ton Sierra with that same badge, and the memories came flooding back like it was just yesterday...even though I hadn't seen our particular truck in over 30 years!

Ours was sort of a burnt-orange color, with a white roof and side contrast. It had a 350, which was probably a bit over-matched in a truck that size. I remember Granddad saying it would get about 10 mpg, regardless if it was local or highway driving, and it could be totally empty, or have a camper on the back, it got about the same mpg.

On the subject of HVAC repairs in general, for some reason it seems like Ford products back then were often expensive. I had to have the heater core in my '80 Malibu replaced, back in 1989, and I remember it was around $225. The mechanic said that one of the worst cars to replace it in was anything based on the Ford Fox platform, because you had to really tear the dash apart to get to it.

And, my friend who prefers Panthers traded his '04 Crown Vic LX on an '09 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate in 2012, when it needed HVAC work. It actually still blew cold, but had some kind of short in the system where the it wouldn't stay on. It would keep turning off and on again at random times. This was during a particularly hot spell in the summer, and the car had around 230,000 miles on it anyway, so he used that as an excuse to trade. I forget how much he said it was going to cost to fix, but it was between $1-2K, and I want to say in the upper part of that range.

Honestly though, I don't know how those prices could compare to other models, so these days they might all be expensive. It's been ages since I've needed HVAC work done on a car, other than adding a little freon to the Ram or Regal. I do remember my 2000 Intrepid's a/c compressor crapped out, in early 2009, and sent shrapnel through the whole system and had to be flushed out. The compressor, a new serpentine belt for good measure, and cleaning out the system and other associated damage came out to around $1300.

I used to like blaming that car's problems on the entire world. It was a German-owned company, with a US-nameplate, built in Canada, and with a Japanese compressor!

uplanderguy · June 2020

Tying this into Kramer's '73 Impala on 'Seinfeld'--I just saw the one where Kramer picks up his new license plates and they are "***man". I just cry laughing watching the 52-second clip on YouTube showing him at the BMV.

"Well, according to the State of New York...you are!"

fintail · June 2020

That's a classic episode. In a later scene where he "stops short" with Estelle Costanza, for a driving scene they show a later car:

The original car, parked next to a lovely then-new MB W140. Also recall Kramer's car was an airbag model:

uplanderguy · June 2020

"Dr. Cosmo Kramer, proctologist", LOL.

ab348 · June 2020

Today was a nice day and to get out of the house I took a drive to Chester, NS, a village along the South Shore of NS that is notable for being a longtime destination of wealthy visitors both from Canada and elsewhere, particularly those from the US gilded age, in the early 20th century. It has retained much of its charm despite the "cottages" that would be considered close to mansion-like in those days. Today most are still kept up nicely but even if the structures are run-down the land there is worth a fortune and so the village has retained much of its special feel of the well-to-do mingling with the common folk. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of summers there in the mid-80s and it was a time that I look back upon fondly. Even today as I was driving around it hasn't changed all that much - although I stumbled across a modern mega-mansion being built along the shore in a secluded part of the village just past the ancient cemetery. At least the new homeowner will have quiet neighbors.

As I was driving into town along the old 2-lane highway I spotted a MG TF coming towards me, obviously restored, and a short time later a mid-80s Honda Civic sedan, quite original looking, both of which were likely vehicles kept there by the "summer people" as they are called. The Civic in particular is nonexistent in these parts due to rust which indicates this one is only used this time of year and then put away. Also an assortment of modern fun cars passed by including a couple of Miatas, a Maserati coupe, and a hyper-expensive Mercedes-Benz AMG Roadster with the DeSoto-like vertical bar grille. While US visitors are pretty much non-existent there so far this year the village still seemed somewhat active with lots of people strolling around on this pleasant day.

As I drove through the village I went past our old liquor store building which I had helped sell when we relocated to new premises. It was worth serious money because it had a large parking lot and we sold it to the village IIRC for use as a depot for their service vehicles. I don't know what happened between then and now but it is a privately owned gym facility these days. But parked out front were three interesting old vehicles, 2 Cadillacs and a ChevyPontiac:

That gave me a clue as to who might own it now for reasons that are too complicated to explain here. Just down the road from there is what I believe was a train station many, many years ago that had been converted into a garage/shop for one of the wealthy residents with an old-car habit some years ago. Today the doors were rolled up, some of the cars were parked out front, and the two fellows that worked there were standing in the shade taking a break. I stopped and asked if I could get a couple of pictures. They were most gracious and confirmed for me the owner of the cars and, I presume, the gym.

They told me that the DeSoto was just finished this past winter and the Stude pickup and Microbus a year or two before that. The '40s sedan out front was a ChryslerChevy along with the International pickup. Inside was the '56 DeSoto and a '40s Studebaker sedan along with two veteran cars, a Model A and a 1917 McLaughlin-Buick.

Inside:

Quite the collection to stumble upon!

explorerx4 · June 2020

Great pictures ab348. Thanks for posting them.

uplanderguy · June 2020

I feel almost certain I've seen that green Stude M-series pickup "('41-48) at a national meet in South Bend before.

fintail · June 2020

Fun stuff, eclectic collection. I think the blue and white Chevy is a 47-48 Pontiac. Two door Chevy is a 38, and I think the Stude car is a 39.

ab348 · June 2020

fintail said:
Fun stuff, eclectic collection. I think the blue and white Chevy is a 47-48 Pontiac. Two door Chevy is a 38, and I think the Stude car is a 39.

You're right about the blue and white car - the "PONTIAC" spelled out on the front should have given me a clue.

I could have sworn they said that the two-door was a Chrysler. But I thought it looked too small for that, and you're correct that it's a Chevy now that I look closely at it.

ab348 · June 2020

Today's adventure reminded me that about 15 years ago I visited Chester to look at a summer people car that was for sale. I didn't buy it because I had been down that same road a few years before with my '79 Park Avenue and this was very similar. 1979 Olds 98, all original paint, a 403 under the hood, no Nova Scotia rust, but just on the verge of getting expensive if you tried to daily drive it. But if someone wanted a nice original old car and had a place to keep it (I didn't), this would have been a good car. I recall they wanted $3K.

sda · June 2020

andre1969 said:

sda said:

Dad didn’t normally buy new cars. I can only think of three, the 76 Cutlass wagon, 76 GMC Sierra 15 4wd, and the 95 Cutlass Ciera SL II. The Ciera was the top of the line that year, all power, V6. It had two options, keyless remote and power driver seat with electric recliner. We had just moved back from Europe to rural Va in 76. He traded for the Ciera when his 85 Grand Marquis LS ac required major repair, a refrigerant leak that involved removing the dash.
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a '76 GMC pickup. It was a crew cab, 3/4 ton model, and I remember it had a badge on the rear pillar that had a little teepee and said "Camper Special, 3+3, 8200 lb GVW.

It's weird, the things you can remember...he probably got rid of that truck back in 1986 or 87...I remember they had both it and their '85 1/2 ton Silverado concurrently for a year or two. I was at the Carlisle PA swap meet this past weekend, and saw a 3/4 ton Sierra with that same badge, and the memories came flooding back like it was just yesterday...even though I hadn't seen our particular truck in over 30 years!

Ours was sort of a burnt-orange color, with a white roof and side contrast. It had a 350, which was probably a bit over-matched in a truck that size. I remember Granddad saying it would get about 10 mpg, regardless if it was local or highway driving, and it could be totally empty, or have a camper on the back, it got about the same mpg.

On the subject of HVAC repairs in general, for some reason it seems like Ford products back then were often expensive. I had to have the heater core in my '80 Malibu replaced, back in 1989, and I remember it was around $225. The mechanic said that one of the worst cars to replace it in was anything based on the Ford Fox platform, because you had to really tear the dash apart to get to it.

And, my friend who prefers Panthers traded his '04 Crown Vic LX on an '09 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate in 2012, when it needed HVAC work. It actually still blew cold, but had some kind of short in the system where the it wouldn't stay on. It would keep turning off and on again at random times. This was during a particularly hot spell in the summer, and the car had around 230,000 miles on it anyway, so he used that as an excuse to trade. I forget how much he said it was going to cost to fix, but it was between $1-2K, and I want to say in the upper part of that range.

Honestly though, I don't know how those prices could compare to other models, so these days they might all be expensive. It's been ages since I've needed HVAC work done on a car, other than adding a little freon to the Ram or Regal. I do remember my 2000 Intrepid's a/c compressor crapped out, in early 2009, and sent shrapnel through the whole system and had to be flushed out. The compressor, a new serpentine belt for good measure, and cleaning out the system and other associated damage came out to around $1300.

I used to like blaming that car's problems on the entire world. It was a German-owned company, with a US-nameplate, built in Canada, and with a Japanese compressor!

Dad’s 76 GMC Sierra 15 was a heavy duty version, full time 4wd, red body, white top, full wheel covers on L78-15 Uniroyal mud type tread tires, base vinyl red and black plaid bench seat, full gauges except tach, 350, 4bbl. That was a stiff riding truck, not very quick, 10mpg was the norm. Dad loved that truck. He didn’t know I did this, but it was a hoot to put it into low range and floor it. It would race through the gears and screaming at 35-40, iirc. Did that once or twice, lol. I would have gotten the responsibility 101 lecture.

sda · June 2020

ab348 said:
Today's adventure remonded me that about 15 years ago I visited Chester to look at a summer people car that was for sale. I didn't buy it because I had been down that same road a few years before with my '79 Park Avenue and this was very similar. 1979 Olds 98, all original paint, a 403 under the hood, no Nova Scotia rust, but just on the verge of getting expensive if you tried to daily drive it. But if someone wanted a nice original old car and had a place to keep it (I didn't), this would have been a good car. I recall they wanted $3K.

I have fond memories of mom’s 78 Regency coupe. The 403 was the engine to have. Mom would take their black lab Sheba ‘bye bye’. Sheba loved to go for rides especially when mom opened the Astro roof. From the back seat, Sheba would stand on the top of the front seat and stick her head out the roof, with jowls flapping in the wind. Sometimes mom would pop into a store for 5 min and when she came back she would find Sheba sitting in the driver’s seat looking straight ahead as if she was driving the car. Yes, windows and roof were open.

fintail · June 2020

3K CDN is around 2200 USD which means I bet you could get it for 2K USD tops. Probably a fair deal, looks nice in the pics anyway, good color choice.

That reminds me of one I spotted at a small town dealership in 2004 (yay for timestamps on files). This was very low mileage, and I suspect out of a funeral home - don't see many of these around. Also note the new cars on the lot in the background, along with the old gem:

ab348 · June 2020

That Buick must have been a real treat to drive with a 307 under the hood.

fintail · June 2020

That fintail beside it could probably leave it in the dust.

tjc78 · June 2020

ab348 said:
That Buick must have been a real treat to drive with a 307 under the hood.

I’ve said this before, but my 89 MGM felt like a rocket compared to a LeSabre with the 307. Smooth engine, but totally gutless.

uplanderguy · June 2020

That Stude sedan is a Champion, '39-41 model years (not certain of trim differences between those years). The Champion was a big seller for Studebaker and when the designers and engineers were working pre-production on the Lark, Studebaker President Harold Churchill had photos of the '39 Champion put up around the studios, saying "This is the kind of car we need again". Of course, the Lark was a big hit, at least the first couple model years, and in '59 made Studebaker the largest profit it had had in its then-107-year history.

andre1969 · June 2020

tjc78 said:

ab348 said:
That Buick must have been a real treat to drive with a 307 under the hood.
I’ve said this before, but my 89 MGM felt like a rocket compared to a LeSabre with the 307. Smooth engine, but totally gutless.

I'm sure I've asked this before, but do you remember what axle ratio your '89 Grand Marquis had? And did it have the dual exhaust? One thing that impressed me about Ford in those days, is that they went through some effort to at least improve the 302 over the years, whereas GM just seemed to let the 307 sit there and grow old. At some point, Ford did something to the 302 to get its torque rating to 270 ft-lb by '89, whereas it had usually been more like 240-250 in previous years. It was still only rated 150 hp, not much of a boost from the 140 it had in, say, 1985, but the torque definitely made a difference.

I think it's also pretty cool that Ford offered a variety of axle ratios in those days, plus the dual exhaust option. With GM, I think the only time I've seen dual exhaust on a B-body, is if somebody put it on aftermarket. And they'd usually get stuck with ultra-tall ratios...often a 2.56:1 with 305s and 2.73:1 with the 307, although I'm sure wagons and trailering packages got something quicker.

My 1985 Consumer Guide has a test of an LTD Crown Vic with the dual exhaust, quicker ratio, and other upgrades, and Grand Marquis with just the single exhaust. Interestingly, they're both listed at the same hp and torque...140 and 250 ft-lb, respectively as I recall. But, wouldn't it pick up a few extra hp from the dual exhaust?

One thing I remember about the 307 in my grandmother's '85 LeSabre is that the transmission seemed awfully eager to upshift, almost as if it was trying to keep it from hitting its peak power. I learned that if you shifted it manually, it was a LOT more responsive. I'm sure most automatic-transmission cars are, but the LeSabre seemed even moreso. And, once you got it to higher speeds, it seemed to catch a second wind, like it was finally hitting its peak torque in 4th gear, and there was no higher gear for it to shift to, to put the squash on that.

Years ago, at the public library, I found some kind of big reference manual full of facts and figures, and it listed the top speeds of various cars. I remember looking up 1985 specifically, and remember that the 307, in something like a LeSabre, had a higher top speed than something like a 305 in a Caprice. The 307 did have a bit more torque, 255 ft-lb, versus 245 for the 305, and the peak torque came at a lower rpm, so I don't know if that would have anything to do with it. But, I also have a feeling these top speeds were just mathematical calculations based on weight, gearing, coefficient of drag, torque curves, etc., and the calculations might not have played out the same way in real life.

I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles