Better yet, I remember being a teenager waxing those cars with Simoniz, Blue Coral, etc for only $10-20 bucks as a side hustle
. By hand without a buffer!!
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Vehicle Sighting - 1968 Buick (full-size) in very rough shape
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. By hand without a buffer!!Peter Egan wrote an article in Road and Track about high water marks. He felt 1965 or 1966 (don't remember which) was the high water mark for the auto industry in general. Most models had a lot of style, and pretty good performance.
Think (1965/66): Mustang GT, Shelby GT 350, Fairlane GT, Galaxie 500 XL, 7-Litre, Thunderbird, Impala SS, Camaro, Chevelle SS, GTO, Firebird, Corvair Monza, Sport Fury, Charger, Challenger, 911, DB5, 275GTB, ... , and on and on. Sure there were ugly duckling but most manufacturers both foreign and domestic were making some very nice (and now classic) products in that/those years.
Of course the big difference is that big vehicles these days get 20 to 25 mpg(or more) on the highway.
Put new tires on it and I see far worse driving around here.
I've read that Cadillac really was the "standard of the world" c. 1965.
My tastes run to slightly later, partly influenced by improvements in safety.
1968 saw the introduction of side-marker lights, rear lap belts, and front shoulder belts. I think dual master cylinders came in slightly earlier - '67?
Stylewise, I really liked the '63 and '69 Impala, '68 Malibu, '68 Ford, '67 and '68 Plymouth Fury, '67 and '68 Chrysler, and '68 Pontiac.
My favourite Japanese cars tend to be from the early '70s.
I also like the '90s VW Eurovans, and square old Volvo wagons.
I know , I have strange and random tastes.
If I were to make an educated guess, I'd say that this poor old thing has been sitting where it is for a good couple of decades.
Something mechanically bad must have happened to it and it was brought to a shop and the owner didn't have the funds to fix it.
The body looks quite rust free and the frame is probably okay. Every part of the brake hydraulics would need replacement by now and the engine will need a rebuild because it's probably locked up, although maybe not.
These cars are also not all that valuable.
Still, if someone wants a project, mechanical work is a lot easier than repairing extensive rust.
Something mechanically bad must have happened to it and it was brought to a shop and the owner didn't have the funds to fix it.
The body looks quite rust free and the frame is probably okay. Every part of the brake hydraulics would need replacement by now and the engine will need a rebuild because it's probably locked up, although maybe not.
These cars are also not all that valuable.
Still, if someone wants a project, mechanical work is a lot easier than repairing extensive rust.
430 was a powerful engine. That platform replaced the nailhead in 1967. My aunt had a 66 Wildcat 4 speed. My cousin (female) would melt the right rear tire to show off in front of the guys. She also bought a 1969 Shelby 500 Mustang. Car gal….
I can endorse the '68 Malibu and '68 Ford. Both very nice.
My university room-mate borrowed his parents' '63 Cadillac deVille for the winter of '68/'69. What a magnificent car. Smooth power, road like a dream. Kind of big though. We had it parked in a snow drift and dug it out for occasional trips home and Sadie Hawkins night.
I had a "Turbo Brick", an '86 740 Turbo 4MT+OD. Bought it new and kept it for 18 years. But in my opinion the design of the 240 has aged better.
My favourite Japanese car? - any year 240Z or 260Z.
Of course I liked the 240/260/280Z - the straight six and that incredible dashboard? Wow!
But truth be known, sports cars have tended to be at the bottom for me. In order, from favourite to least favourite body styles:
Minivan, wagon, 5-door hatchback, 2-door hatchback, 4-door sedan, 4-door HT, 2-dr sedan, 2-passemger sports car, convertible ...
There's no accounting for taste, right?
Favourite Japanese cars (and contradicting my stated preference for 4-doors in some cases):
'71 - '73 Datsun 510 2-dr, 4-dr, or wagon
'69 - '70 Datsun 1200 4-dr sedan
'71 - '75 Toyota Corolla (any body style)
mid-'70s Toyota Crown wagon
'69 - '71 Mazda 1200 (sedan, coupe, or wagon)
'69-'71 Mazda 1500/1800 (coupe or wagon)
Early '70s Mazda 616/RX-2
That's the funny thing ... this car has appeared on the lot quite recently. I'd say it definitely wasn't there even a month ago. I'd like to know the story.
Can we add the '65 327/375 Fuelie? I can tell you the small blocks were better balanced than the big blocks.
Yes I though "Corvette" a couple of times but it somehow didn't get onto my list.
At one point I was interested in a 2nd gen Corvette for sale (not many in my area). Not a great colour (gold) but nice otherwise. But it was late in the day and the dealer wanted to secure it for the night. Someone had taken it for a test drive and not returned the keys, and they were worried it was going to be stolen. So they put it in the shop over night. And it was stolen anyway.
The base 327 was a very good engine, fairly light and plenty powerful. Heck I'm a big fan of its smaller brother, the 283.
Massey Ferguson (a major farm equipment manufacturer) used 2 automotive engines on its combines. A Chrysler slant 6 on the smaller ones and a GM 327 V8 on the larger ones. Being chosen to power products made by an independent party is a big endorsement.
When I was a kid a lady in my apartment building bought a brand new 1965 Impala with the 283 V8. It was maroon in color and all of us kids on the block admired it. She was an airline stewardess commuting from upper Manhattan to JFK airport 5 days a week (she started when it was called Idlewild airport and had enough seniority that she didn't fly anymore but worked in 'customer service' IIRC.)
It was fun (for a car admirer) growing up with cars parked up and down both sides of the street. I remember Camaros, an AMC Javelin w/ 390 engine, a Jaguar XKE, Caddy's, Lincolns, Chrysler Imperials and many mundane cars like Novas and Dodge Darts, later on I remember a Roadrunner 440, Dodge Chargers and even an oddball Plymouth Cricket (which was a British car rebadged IIRC).
I agree that the 60s were the high period in American car manufacturing but it's sad that the 'big 3' didn't have the foresight to realize that gas guzzling vehicles would fall out of favor sooner or later. All 3 had European operations for engineering but didn't seem to use them well.
It was fun (for a car admirer) growing up with cars parked up and down both sides of the street. I remember Camaros, an AMC Javelin w/ 390 engine, a Jaguar XKE, Caddy's, Lincolns, Chrysler Imperials and many mundane cars like Novas and Dodge Darts, later on I remember a Roadrunner 440, Dodge Chargers and even an oddball Plymouth Cricket (which was a British car rebadged IIRC).
I agree that the 60s were the high period in American car manufacturing but it's sad that the 'big 3' didn't have the foresight to realize that gas guzzling vehicles would fall out of favor sooner or later. All 3 had European operations for engineering but didn't seem to use them well.
I also remember reading that Ford's 300 ci 'straight six' was often used for industrial purposes because of it's durability etc...
Actually, the cars parked on the street were an accurate measure of a neighborhood. A slew of varied marques indicated diversity and employment/education levels.
Speaking for my friend's log chipper (municipal sale)
Inside job
edit: The family of a high school buddy was perennially 'scraping bottom'...severely alcoholic father, ruthlessly insane mother, dope dealing/arrested/convicted brother and a hyper moody, withdrawn sister. The other sister who ran away from home (really) was referred to by us as "the smart one"; none of us ever met her.
They bought a used '66 Buick Electra 225 convertible in 1971.
Not a good idea.
The engine just blew up during a trip to the store (30 mph streets). The oil pan became a 'parts chunks holder'.
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I think the problem is that few American consumers ever pay the world price for fuel. So fuel economy has never been much of a priority for the big 3. If their main customers had been paying $5 to $7 per US gallon for fuel, fuel economy would have been a focus.
In that same vein, why do modern pick-up trucks have to be so big? Compare a 1960s pick up to a modern one. Imagine what sort of fuel economy could be achieved with a modern "1965 Ford F150" sized vehicle.
If it’s like the houses on the forum should fetch $15k over
Many people esp in the large pickups and SUVs don’t keep their vehicles centered in their lanes going over the Ben Franklin here…
