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

29621 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2013 at 10:51 AM

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Messages Page 2745 of 2963

#27436 of 29621 Re: Valiant [robr2] by andre1969

Jan 04, 2013 (11:38 am)

Replying to: robr2 (Jan 04, 2013 11:19 am)
Chrysler switched everything to Unibody for 1960, with the exception of Imperial. In fact, Chrysler coined the word "Unibody". However, the cars still have sub-frames up front and in the back, so at a quick glance, looking underneath one, it might appear to be body-on-frame.
 
The 1960-66 Imperial used the 1957-59 frame, and while the body looked very similar, it was beefed up, so the car was sort of a hybrid of unit-body on top of a frame. Similar to a current-day Honda Ridgeline or Pilot, I guess.

#27437 of 29621 Re: . [uplanderguy] by fintail

Jan 04, 2013 (12:09 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 04, 2013 4:38 am)
I don't mind numbers when they mean something. 2002 came close to engine displacement in cc, but not exactly.
 
I wonder if some thought a 62 was an old model in 1964, just because of the name.
 
About bumpers - the 70s railroad ties are ugly, but you could bump to your heart's content without receiving a $1000 repair bill.

#27438 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [andre1969] by berri

Jan 04, 2013 (12:07 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 04, 2013 11:17 am)
I remember when I was in the military in the 70's that light colored cars like yellow or powder blue seemed more common in the southern states (went with those sansabelt pants, white bucks and belts - just kidding!). A buddy of mine actually bought a big old used, maybe 69 Mercury Marquis convertible in a very light blue shade with white leather. I learned that in cut-offs you could get burned by white leather seats just like darker colors. A nice thing about those light colors is that they didn't seem to show the dirt too badly.

#27439 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [berri] by andys120

Jan 04, 2013 (1:43 pm)

Replying to: berri (Jan 04, 2013 12:07 pm)
A nice thing about those light colors is that they didn't seem to show the dirt too badly.
 
That wasn't the case with the (optional) white leather sport seats in my '86 Mustang GT convertible. They never looked clean.

#27440 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [andys120] by berri

Jan 04, 2013 (2:59 pm)

Replying to: andys120 (Jan 04, 2013 1:43 pm)
I was talking about exterior colors. I imagine white leather is tough to keep clean. I don't know why more vehicles don't offer saddle colored leather, that used to be popular and I think works well.

#27441 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [berri] by ab348

Jan 04, 2013 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: berri (Jan 04, 2013 12:07 pm)
Pastel paints were quite common even into the '70s. I remember visiting the Chevy dealer in the fall of '74 to see the new '75 models, and they had several cars in a very dull and rather odd-looking pale blue. The Chevy color chart calls it "Medium Blue" but it was almost closer to a blue-gray drab color that the military might have used. It seemed to have been only used that one year.
 
I remember in '72 visiting the Plymouth dealer here and he had a new 2-door Scamp hardtop in the showroom in a pale blue shade called "Blue Sky" with a white vinyl roof and a white vinyl interior. Sounds sort of feminine, but it really looked sharp. Back then it seemed Mopar had a lot of non-metallic pastel paints in their assortment - maybe their large taxi and fleet business required such shades.
 
Ford in the late '60s/early '70s sold a lot of cars in a very pale pastel blue they called Diamond Blue. I remember seeing that color everywhere, on Mustangs, Custom 500s, Fairlanes, you name it.

#27442 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [ab348] by uplanderguy

Jan 04, 2013 (4:26 pm)

Replying to: ab348 (Jan 04, 2013 3:36 pm)
I'd say that color you remember on '75 Chevys is the same color andre wants on a '75 LeSabre convertible. GM shared colors across divisions then, for the most part, but it was not unusual for the divisions to call them different names. That powder blue was pretty popular in my memory on '75 GM's. The only other blue I remember off the top of my head on '75 Chevys was a metallic, turquoise-blue.
 
My parents bought a new '74 Impala Sport Coupe (all four windows rolled down) in the last week of Aug. '74, when the dealer had received a few '75's by then. Dad wanted to avoid having to use unleaded gas. There were two '74 Impala Sport Coupes that were identically sticker priced ($4,408.00), but one was maroon with a white painted top and had the black and white herringbone cloth interior (like a nice sport coat!), and the other was a pastel light green (with white painted top) that resembled baby diarrhea to me. It had a nice pattern cloth light green interior. I wanted the maroon one so bad it hurt, but Dad picked the pastel green one.
 
Come to think of it, when he bought our '77 Impala coupe, I wanted the firethorn coupe in the showroom that was $200 more and had a 350 4-barrel instead of a 305. Dad didn't want four barrels or to spend $200 more (sigh). I guess I've become my old man.

#27443 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [uplanderguy] by ab348

Jan 04, 2013 (6:55 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 04, 2013 4:26 pm)
My parents bought a '74 Impala too, in that same maroon metallic with the black houndstooth cloth interior. It was a 4-door sedan and was an ex-Budget rental - my dad was friends with the local franchisee - and he bought it in the summer of '74. I liked the look of the car but it was not much fun to drive as I found it just too big and the engine had driveability problems due to emissions - when the choke pulled off, the thing ran really lean and would almost die when moving from a stop, then leap forward.
 
That sports coat fabric on the inside didn't impress me much. We had previously owned '63 and '69 Impalas and their interiors were much nicer than the '74. By then GM was moving the Impala downmarket some and the Caprice was becoming their equivalent car to the older Impala. I remember thinking the fact that the bench seats didn't have a section of vinyl in the center of the seat seemed really cheap, like the older BelAirs and Biscaynes of the '60s.
 
We didn't keep it long and dad replaced it with a Hornet Sportabout. Later on he bought a '79 Impala 4-door, also from his friend at Budget, in Dark Carmine Metallic with red cloth inside, which was a much nicer car than the '74.

#27444 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [ab348] by kyfdx HOST

Jan 04, 2013 (8:35 pm)

Replying to: ab348 (Jan 04, 2013 6:55 pm)
'74 Impala was my driver's ed car. Maroon, as well.

#27445 of 29621 Re: Buick convertible... [ab348] by uplanderguy

Jan 05, 2013 (2:59 am)

Replying to: ab348 (Jan 04, 2013 6:55 pm)
Here are the '74 Impala standard cloth and 'Sport Cloth' seats. (Ours was like the blue shown here, but light green). Hard to see, but there were buttons along the seat backs.
 
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1974_Chevrolet/1974_Chevrolet- _Full_Size/1974%20Chevrolet%20Full%20Size-08.html
 
I liked the seats, especially the way the rear seat looked like a 'couch' in the coupes...large, full-length-and-depth armrests on the side panels and 'filler' panels on each end of the back seat back...but didn't like all the black plastic on the instrument panel that year. At least the steering wheel was color-keyed that year, unlike the older Impalas of that generation.

Messages Page 2745 of 2963

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