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1960's Pontiacs

278 messages,  Last post on Aug 05, 2012 at 9:10 AM

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Messages Page 27 of 28

#259 of 278 Can Anyone Help This Person? by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jan 29, 2012 (9:13 am)

Here's an interesting Pontiac question in our ANSWERS department. Can any of you help him out?
 
http://answers.edmunds.com/question-Did-rear-windows-1974-Pontiac-Grandville-rol- l-part-way-146909.aspx
 
Thanks!

#260 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969

Jan 29, 2012 (9:40 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 29, 2012 9:13 am)
I just popped over and left an answer. In short, for 1971-74, the Grand Ville coupe had roll-down windows, but in '75-76 they were stationary.
 
I thought it was a bit odd that if you got the cheaper Catalina, you got roll down windows, but the more expensive Bonneville and Grand Ville (Bonneville Brougham for '76) were stationary. But, by that time, I think the attitude was starting to become who cares if the back windows roll down? It has air conditioning!
 
I remember as a kid, I really didn't give a second thought to the stationary rear windows in Mom's '75 LeMans, '80 Malibu, or '86 Monte Carlo coupe, although my Grandparents' '82 Malibu Classic wagon always sticks out in my mind! Nor, did I pay any attention to the fact that they were stationary in my other grandparents' '77 and 81 Granada coupes. Their '75 Dart Swinger was a hardtop, but I don't remember it that well.
 
Honestly, it wasn't until I bought an old '69 Dart GT hardtop, in 1989 when I was in college, that the memory of roll-down rear windows and true hardtop styling came back to me. Most of my friends, who weren't used to riding in something that old, thought it was pretty cool, too.

#261 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [Mr_Shiftright] by uplanderguy

Jan 29, 2012 (10:08 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Jan 29, 2012 9:13 am)
The '75 Grand Ville hardtop coupe's rear windows were fixed and did not go down at all. The '74 was the last two-door hardtop Grand Ville where all four windows went down. The '75 Catalina hardtop coupe did have small quarter windows that rolled the whole way down, however.

#262 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [andre1969] by uplanderguy

Jan 29, 2012 (10:23 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 29, 2012 9:40 am)
I remember when Dad and I first glimpsed a black-vinyl-top-over maroon '73 Chevelle Malibu coupe parked way out back of our Chevy dealer, before introduction day. We were both pretty shocked about the lack of rear-roll-down windows. I remember thinking, 'well, if it's OK for the Cadillac Eldorado, it's OK for a Chevelle I guess', some time later.
 
The '78 Malibu sedans, with rear windows that didn't roll down--that, plus, the 'donut' spare tire--I had a hard time getting over though.

#263 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [uplanderguy] by andre1969

Jan 29, 2012 (10:39 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 29, 2012 10:23 am)
The '78 Malibu sedans, with rear windows that didn't roll down--that, plus, the 'donut' spare tire--I had a hard time getting over though.
 
When did the B and C-bodies go to compact spares? I know my grandmother's '85 LeSabre had a compact, but I guess they switched over sometime between '77 and then? Maybe 1980, when the B/C bodies went through another round of weight reduction?

#264 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [andre1969] by uplanderguy

Jan 29, 2012 (12:19 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jan 29, 2012 10:39 am)
When did the B and C-bodies go to compact spares? I know my grandmother's '85 LeSabre had a compact, but I guess they switched over sometime between '77 and then? Maybe 1980, when the B/C bodies went through another round of weight reduction?
 
'80 is probably right, although I don't know for sure. My parents' '77 Impala had a full-size spare tire. Matter of fact, my '93 Caprice Classic had a full-size spare although it was optional at extra cost.

#265 of 278 Re: Can Anyone Help This Person? [uplanderguy] by andre1969

Jan 29, 2012 (2:40 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 29, 2012 12:19 pm)
I've thought about trying to find a compact spare for my '76 LeMans. The trunk isn't very big, as it is, but worse, where they put the spare tire, part of it ends up occupying the deepest part of the trunk! Whenever I put my beer cooler in there, I have to position it just right, and I put a towel over it to keep it from rubbing on the underside of the trunk.
 
I guess it might be easier/cheaper to just get a cooler that's not quite as tall.

#266 of 278 '66 Pontiac full-size... by andre1969

Jan 29, 2012 (2:51 pm)

backed into a driveway in Linthicum Heights, MD. Couldn't tell the series, as I just saw it from a distance, and only for a split second. Looked like a hardtop coupe, and dark green.
 
Also spotted, out on Interstate 97, a '76-79 Volare coupe rolling along. Silver with a burgundy landau top, which gave you those oddly shaped, square opera windows. It looked like it was in pretty good shape. No visible rust, paint still fairly shiny, top in good shape.
 
One thing that really struck me as how odd this car looks, by today's standards. Normally, the 2-door looks better than its 4-door counterpart, but by this timeframe, often it was just the opposite. I thought the same thing with the Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch. The 4-doors have a handsome, somewhat modern look to them, but the coupe just seems more dated, with the opera window cliche.
 
I think the difference is even greater with the Aspen/Volare, as the coupe rode a 4.7" shorter wheelbase, and was noticeably lower. Meanwhile, the 4-door version might have represented the birth of the trend towards taller, more upright cars that persists to this day. I think this coupe would have also looked a lot better if it didn't have that landau roof.

#267 of 278 Re: Bucket-seat full-sized cars ca. 1969-70 [uplanderguy] by hpmctorque

Jan 29, 2012 (2:55 pm)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Jan 26, 2012 1:45 pm)
"I had a new '90 Corsica 4-cyl. 5-speed for 108K miles and 6 1/2 years."
 
I understand that the Chevy 2.0 4-cylinder was prone to head gasket failure, so you did well. What condition was your Corsica in at 108,000?

#268 of 278 Re: Bucket-seat full-sized cars ca. 1969-70 [lemko] by hpmctorque

Jan 29, 2012 (3:04 pm)

Replying to: lemko (Jan 27, 2012 7:35 am)
"My best friend had a 1980 Chevrolet Citation...He managed to put 195K miles on this car..."
 
That's impressive! Did your friend's Citation have the Iron Duke 4 or the V6? Either way he beat the odds.

Messages Page 27 of 28

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