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

andre1969 · October 2021

Here's another shot of the DeSoto, leaving the old place for the last time. My housemate was in my Grandmom's driveway across the street, and recorded it. I'll call this one, "Escape from Glenn Dale"

https://youtu.be/_EI8XufyR6A

I thought this was kinda cool, as I don't think I've ever actually seen my DeSoto in motion from an outside perspective, as I've always been the one driving it! Plus, he caught the car on its "good" side!

kyfdx · October 2021

@fintail
Any idea on these cars?

texases · October 2021

Say 1920-ish? With the nice cars on the left, the working ones on the right. That building with the nice cars is still there (note the window count and the dividers at the roof between the two sections), as appears to be the one with the black vehicles out front:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.683179,-84.0664738,3a,75y,90h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sUjOBi5bUrZcbHbBAygX02g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

The third car from the left seems to have a very distinctive radiator, but I can't place it.

fintail · October 2021

2nd car from L maybe a Dodge or Chevy, 5th car from L maybe a Model T sedan, really hard to tell at this age and resolution.

kyfdx said:
@fintail
Any idea on these cars?

uplanderguy · October 2021

Spotted while making a return at Summit Racing yesterday--'64 Chevy pickup on their turntable. I really never even liked the '60-66 generation of Chevy/GMC trucks, but this one grabbed me. License plate is "NOWYFE", LOL.

ab348 · October 2021

Summit now sells Studebaker hot rod parts?

uplanderguy · October 2021

Believe it or not, that's where I had to go to get a water pump that was correct for my Chevy-powered Studebaker! The one I got from O'Reilly's was not the right pump even though I ordered the right part no. (per their site, anyway).

uplanderguy · October 2021

I never get tired of watching videos like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WmF-w6-EkQ

That Stude is a one-owner, original paint car. Driven by a retired shop teacher friend of his, who would've been in his mid-70's when that particular video was shot.

sda · October 2021

uplanderguy said:
Believe it or not, that's where I had to go to get a water pump that was correct for my Chevy-powered Studebaker! The one I got from O'Reilly's was not the right pump even though I ordered the right part no. (per their site, anyway).

How does the Chevy 283 compare to the Studebaker 289? I guess at this point getting parts for the 283 is a bit easier, but based on your water pump experience, still a task.

stickguy · October 2021

There’s a Chevy of that vintage, similar teal color, near me. I think it has been for sale for ages. Updated but not that extreme.

andre1969 · October 2021

The former neighbors behind my Grandmom's house had gotten a Chevy pickup like that new. I think it was a '63. At some point, it got sold when it was just an old truck, but at some point, the husband tracked it down, bought it back, and restored it.

They moved to Southern Maryland around 2002, but we've kept in touch. The husband passed away back in 2013, but the wife is still doing pretty well. And the truck is still in the family; their son still has it.

It's been ages since I've seen it, but I'm picturing it as a sky blue with a white roof.

My Granddad had a truck of that vintage, too. Possibly two of them. I don't know why, but for whatever reason, I can remember every car my grandparents had, but with trucks, once you get earlier than 1973, it gets vague. I know their first "truck" was actually a 1939 or so Plymouth that Granddad bought, cut off everything aft of the B-pillar, and built a wooden pickup bed. And I think he had a '57 GMC. I'm sure there was something in between those two, though. And then I'm thinking either one or two trucks from that '60-66 vintage, one from '67-72, a '73 Chevy regular-cab, a '76 GMC crew-cab, and finally an '85 Silverado regular-cab.

I do seem to recall my uncle mentioning a GMC from the 60's that was a 3/4-ton, 6-cyl, and a manual transmission. He said it was basically a farm truck...you wouldn't want to take it out on any kind of interstate!

sda · October 2021

Until the mid 60s IIRC, GMC offered some stout V6s that they compared torque wise to V8s. I think most were geared low so interstate driving would have the engines revving hard.

ab348 · October 2021

We had one of those too when I was a teenager and had a place in the country that Dad thought he might turn into a small farm (the produce from which would be mostly for us and family to use). A couple of years of that was all it took to disabuse himself of that notion. The truck used a lot of oil when we got it but my older brother did some sort of rebuild on either the valve seals or the rings, I forget which, and it ran decently after that. But it didn't stay with us for very long after the farm idea went away.

explorerx4 · October 2021

@andre1969,
The Desoto looks like some moonshiner coming out of the woods to make a run.

uplanderguy · October 2021

How does the Chevy 283 compare to the Studebaker 289? I guess at this point getting parts for the 283 is a bit easier, but based on your water pump experience, still a task.

Horsepower-wise, the 2-barrel 283 put out 195 hp, while the 2-barrel Stude 289 put out 210 hp.

The Stude V8 is an oil leaker, but I really never did anything with my two Stude-powered Studes (I've had two Stude-powered, and two Chevy-powered, V8's).

Online, I see guys telling Stude owners to have their Stude water and fuel pumps rebuilt, as the aftermarket ones for sale now are supposedly mostly cr*p.

I have found that the 283 Stude used in '65 and '66 is a Canadian-built engine of Chevrolet design built by McKinnon Industries, a GM subsidiary. I have seen that they were used in trucks and Canadian Pontiacs. A longtime engine guru in our national club has said that the McKinnon engines have the Power Pack heads, supposedly a good thing. I'm sure Studebaker didn't ask for those, but they were what GM would sell them. In some ways, what Studebaker did to get the Chevy under the hood and to clear the Studebaker steering, is comical. A regular Chevy air cleaner element won't fit--the air cleaner itself is too short, and the hood wouldn't close with the Chevy one. It's a unique Studebaker air cleaner and element. I bought three NOS ones from the major Stude parts supplier, I think I paid $11 each; put one in the car; kept two in the closet.

uplanderguy · October 2021

Funny, I've had several issues with my 283 in this car, although I'll allow that the car is 55 years old even though it has 27K miles.

Carb needed rebuilt almost immediately; when my friend took it off he snapped off a stud and ruined the manifold trying to get it out. Bought a used one from a Stude parts vendor.

Now, the water pump, which I know is a fairly routine thing overall.

I'll tell you, normal oil pressure on a 283 is lower than a Stude V8. I was always used to about 30 lbs. pressure at hot idle in 'drive' on my two Stude V8's. This 283 has 20 when hot, and it's a low mileage car. A wrench friend of mine tells me that's normal for the 283, nothing to worry about.

uplanderguy · October 2021

RE.: That vintage Chevy truck--the wraparound windshield was last used in '63, which is apparent when comparing ab348's truck to the one at Summit Racing.

fintail · October 2021

That style of Chevy/GMC truck is still all over eastern WA, probably half a dozen still living outside within a mile of where I live.

uplanderguy · October 2021

I almost never see them here, but I'll say this--until maybe 25 years ago, I'd see the '47 to first series '55 Chevy trucks often, even still being used as work trucks. I know they built a gazillion of them (hey, they're Chevys), but they must have also been pretty sturdy. I'd see them more often than the next two generations of Chevy pickups.

fintail · October 2021

I think some earlier postwar vehicles were made from a heavier gauge of steel than later models - seems some cars from that era held up well too. I think the 49-52 Mopars are especially known for being sturdy.

Another truck I see constantly is 67-79 style Fords, still all over the place.

On the spotted subject, I am still out here in somewhat podunk - there's a Pinto and Citation about a block from my mom's house, and there's an early 50s Stude pickup being used as an ornament at a garden place.

ab348 · October 2021

uplanderguy said:
I almost never see them here, but I'll say this--until maybe 25 years ago, I'd see the '47 to first series '55 Chevy trucks often, even still being used as work trucks. I know they built a gazillion of them (hey, they're Chevys), but they must have also been pretty sturdy. I'd see them more often than the next two generations of Chevy pickups.

Around here they're all gone now, except for show trucks, but in thinking back I used to see a fair number of '47 to early '55 Chevy trucks in use back in the '70s, as compared to their successors which seemed to disappear more quickly. Even the first couple of years of the early '60s generation didn't last very long here.

As Fin noted, the 1967 gen of Ford trucks seemed to outlive the previous generation quite handily. There are still a few early/mid-70s Fords running around here unrestored.

uplanderguy · October 2021

My favorite pickups are (shocker!) Studebaker Champs (wide, long bed or short, narrow bed--but no wide, short bed or long, narrow bed), '67-72 Chevy pickups, and '61-63 Ford unibody pickups. I also like the '56 Ford with wraparound windshield, although an 82-year-old Stude friend of mine thinks that wraparound windshield ruined those trucks, LOL.

When the '73 Chevy pickups came out, I thought they were pretty--I liked the full wheelcovers, and interiors and instrument panels of the upper Cheyenne and Cheyenne Super models. But where I lived, the bodies sure didn't hold up. I also got tired of how long they built those square-wheel-opening models....even the gen prior to the current one tried to pull that off.

andre1969 · October 2021

I've been lazy posting these things to Youtube, but here's the DeSoto, from the other day, when I got it home, and in the new garage...

https://youtu.be/zl0kydeFZ9M

I was hoping the iPhone camera would record better inside the garage, but eh, I guess it's good enough for government work

stickguy · October 2021

Nice looking floor!

stickguy · October 2021

You planning to paint the desoto at some point?

andre1969 · October 2021

stickguy said:
You planning to paint the desoto at some point?

Yeah, eventually. I had to cut off the work that was being done on it at the time, because that guy was just getting too expensive. I just need to start doing some research, to find a good place to finish it up.

explorerx4 · October 2021

When Pontiacs were Pontiacs, at least the big ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDx7uuL4W0M

uplanderguy · October 2021

I saw "The Seven Ups" in my hometown movie theater when it was out, the Jordan Theater, which was named for our town's first WWII casualty.

andre1969 · October 2021

"The Seven Ups" is one of those movies that the local stations used to show during the day on Saturday and Sunday, when I was a kid, so I remember that chase scene pretty well. And the scene of the Ventura going under the back of the semi was used as stock footage in the opening credits of "The Fall Guy," so that part really sticks out.

As far as car chase scenes go, given the era in which that was made, it's really quite impressive. Just imagine how much of that would be CGI these days. And, even though it took place in New York, I'm sure there would be a lot of scenes where it would look suspiciously like Southern California!

While it's easy to tell that much of that footage was sped up to make the cars look like they were going faster than they really were, it still doesn't come off as obvious as it does in other movies. And for the most part the stunts seem realistic, without going over the top.

And, it kinda gives me a new respect for 5 mph bumpers

sda · October 2021

Seven Ups came out when dad had his 73 Catalina. I remember watching it in the theater wondering how they could destroy new cars yet enjoyed it immensely. One plus of those long hoods is the radiator wasn’t immediately damaged as they sat so far back in the engine compartment. Contemporary cars would be out of commission after the first hit. Around the same time there was a short piece that detailed all the reinforcements they made to the multiple cars that were eventually wrecked and how they prepared for the actual event.

stickguy · October 2021

I’ve driven on the roads they used for that chase. But not like they did!

texases · October 2021

Nothing so exciting this morning, but I did follow a '79 RX-7 (which he had on his license plates) in to work today, just about the whole way. Man were they small, a 2021 Corolla towered over it. Paint looked original, a bit faded, and it had the original alloys. No smoke, either, engine must have been in decent shape. Can't remember the last time I saw one.

ab348 · October 2021

This YouTube account (user name NASS) is pretty cool. They take original footage for cities from decades ago, reprocess it for better quality, add non-authentic sound and colorize it. The end result is fun to watch, not just for the cars, but for the buildings, businesses and signs that appear. Here's a short 10-minute film of Los Angeles in the 1950s, but there are other cites done too.

https://youtu.be/5fL8n_aAisQ

xwesx · October 2021

The car cutting off oncoming traffic while it made a left turn early in the video was pretty funny.... some things never change!

imidazol97 · October 2021

ab348 said:
This YouTube account (user name NASS) is pretty cool. They take original footage for cities from decades ago, reprocess it for better quality, add non-authentic sound and colorize it. The end result is fun to watch, not just for the cars, but for the buildings, businesses and signs that appear. Here's a short 10-minute film of Los Angeles in the 1950s, but there are other cites done too.

https://youtu.be/5fL8n_aAisQ

That's neat!

ab348 · October 2021

Anybody interested in a large beige barge? Only 6K miles!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1979-lincoln-town-car-4/

tjc78 · October 2021

I’d take it. Very nice example, I believe the miles. The steering wheel spokes on those is usually the first thing to wear. This one is pristine.

stickguy · October 2021

a few rarities this evening driving around in local traffic. A brown 4 door late 70s Olds 88 (the "downsized" version). Then a late run Volvo 140 4 door sedan in barf yellow (with the big rubber bumpers).

than a nice red Ferrari 348. Could not quite get the trim badge. Look like a hardtop though so maybe a GT? Looked sweet through.

ab348 · October 2021

I had lunch at a yacht club with a couple of buddies yesterday and this was parked out front when I arrived. All the Porsches, Benzes, Jags and the like were just out of frame.

fintail · October 2021

On the road today, one of those time warp days - saw 3x Tempo (2x sedan 1x coupe), 2x Chrysler 300M, Chrysler LHS, Subaru Justy, 1st gen Probe, BMW E30, 1960 Pontiac 4 door post, 55 Chevy

stickguy · October 2021

out driving, an (I assume) 1950s something Dodge PU. Could be an early 60s. Not something I had ever seen before.

roadburner · October 2021

Saw a 1971 or 1972 Vega Notchback. It was immaculate, but totally undesirable. That said, I'd gladly take a GT wagon or a Cosworth.

stickguy · October 2021

I always had a fondness for a V8 swap Vega. though I suspect most of them were poorly done deathtraps.

andre1969 · October 2021

stickguy said:
I always had a fondness for a V8 swap Vega. though I suspect most of them were poorly done deathtraps.

I've probably mentioned this before, but my old neighbor (the one I posted about a bit ago who had a ~63 Chevy pickup) used to put 350s in Vegas and race them. I've also heard that before he turned to Vegas, he used to hop up Corvairs and race them.

I don't know what, exactly, he did to modify the Corvairs...hopefully he didn't try a 350 swap in there. I imagine that'd be enough to give Ralph Nader a heart attack!

uplanderguy · October 2021

Saw a 1971 or 1972 Vega Notchback. It was immaculate, but totally undesirable. That said, I'd gladly take a GT wagon or a Cosworth.

Yeah, the notchback was the totally utilitarian Vega. It is cool IMHO, that they offered four bodystyles right out of the box.

I would like a Cosworth, but a '76 which is available in any of the colors, even though I don't like the '76 taillights. Not too long ago I saw a Road and Track review from back then that put the CV up against some of the better-known Euro nameplates and did surprisingly well.

Other than a Cosworth, for looks I like a '75 GT Kammback the best, although there are upgrades on the '76. I wouldn't have hesitated a minute to buy a new '76 then.

The panel express is sort-of cool too, although rarely seen then or now.

uplanderguy · October 2021

This was my favorite Cosworth color combo. A good friend of mine tried to buy one at an AMC dealer in '78 this exact combo, but his Dad wouldn't cosign for it. I want to say it was $3,500 then.

I seem to remember one of the mags stating that a Cosworth cornered better than the same year's Corvette with radials.

Every one was built about 35 miles down the road from me.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0119-356520/1976-chevrolet-cosworth-vega/

It's absolutely comical to read the bloviating whenever a Cosworth comes up in a Facebook page. Astounding how many 'experts' have never heard of one. Tons of "I had one, paid $2,500 for it new, rusted out, overheated", blah blah blah. Not a Cosworth.

Anything that anybody hated about early Vegas has no bearing on a Cosworth, LOL. The things that made Vegas in general the darlings of the auto press the first few years--styling, number of body styles, handling--did remain, but even better in the Cosworth. The negatives were gone.

New negatives were how new emission standards were in place by the time the car was put in production, and of course the selling price. The one my hometown dealer got in sold for $4,800 although the sticker was $6,300-some. An acquaintance owns the car now and I've seen the sale paperwork when new. It sat at the dealer a year before being sold.

The engineering was pretty advanced at the time. Personally, I wouldn't even want a '76 Corvette. One of the magazines called the C3's the "Flying D....." and I rather agree, LOL.

fintail · October 2021

I just got around to watching that, must be 1951-2. Biggest surprise is at around 5:04, there's a Citroen Traction Avant visible kind of center, black, of course.

ab348 said:
This YouTube account (user name NASS) is pretty cool. They take original footage for cities from decades ago, reprocess it for better quality, add non-authentic sound and colorize it. The end result is fun to watch, not just for the cars, but for the buildings, businesses and signs that appear. Here's a short 10-minute film of Los Angeles in the 1950s, but there are other cites done too.

https://youtu.be/5fL8n_aAisQ

andre1969 · October 2021

I can see what you mean about the '76 tail lights. They just seem like they're too big, for the rear of the car. Still, a pretty attractive package overall, and that really is a great color.

uplanderguy · October 2021

I can see what you mean about the '76 tail lights. They just seem like they're too big, for the rear of the car.

Too big, and I never liked yellow lenses, which always yelled "foreign" to me.

roadburner · October 2021

uplanderguy said:
This was my favorite Cosworth color combo. A good friend of mine tried to buy one at an AMC dealer in '78 this exact combo, but his Dad wouldn't cosign for it. I want to say it was $3,500 then.

I seem to remember one of the mags stating that a Cosworth cornered better than the same year's Corvette with radials.

Every one was built about 35 miles down the road from me.

https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0119-356520/1976-chevrolet-cosworth-vega/

It's absolutely comical to read the bloviating whenever a Cosworth comes up in a Facebook page. Astounding how many 'experts' have never heard of one. Tons of "I had one, paid $2,500 for it new, rusted out, overheated", blah blah blah. Not a Cosworth.

Anything that anybody hated about early Vegas has no bearing on a Cosworth, LOL. The things that made Vegas in general the darlings of the auto press the first few years--styling, number of body styles, handling--did remain, but even better in the Cosworth. The negatives were gone.

New negatives were how new emission standards were in place by the time the car was put in production, and of course the selling price. The one my hometown dealer got in sold for $4,800 although the sticker was $6,300-some. An acquaintance owns the car now and I've seen the sale paperwork when new. It sat at the dealer a year before being sold.

The engineering was pretty advanced at the time. Personally, I wouldn't even want a '76 Corvette. One of the magazines called the C3's the "Flying D....." and I rather agree, LOL.

The Cosworth at our local dealer sat for a year as well. I heard the key to getting serious power was ashcanning the overly restrictive catalyst. A couple of friends in my BMW club own Cosworths and love them.

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

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