mmarshall

I've talked a lot, in Car Chat, about how much I liked the big full-sized American luxury cars from the 1960s and 1970s....particularly '65-'70, which, in general, with some exceptions, I thought were the best years. In that sense, I was probably not a normal teen-ager, who tended to look upon these as Grandpa/Grandma cars. I was also a more careful driver than the average teen-ager....though not perfect, and I had to learn one or two things the hard way, particularly with a couple of shady classmates.

But there is another side to that story as well...a side which also placed me a little more along the lines of the average teen of the period (don't forget, this was at the peak of the classic American muscle-car years). Yes, I liked some of the muscle-cars as well.....while not a hard or aggressive driver by any means, I did like to sample one and stomp the gas pedal once in a while.....under safe conditions. Generally primitive in the handling and brakes by today's standards (except for the Corvette and Shelby AC/Cobra, and, to an extent, the torsion/leaf-suspenson Barracuda and Challenger) they did little else but go like stink in a straight line. And even those with (for the time) decent handling-suspensions had big, cast-iron 6-to-8-liter V8s up front, which weighted down the front end, and made the steering sluggish. I couldn't afford a new one myself, as I simply did not have the money...I was still in school, and had not launched my career yet. By the time I COULD afford one, we were in a time of serious time of economic inflation, gas crises, de-tuned/emasculated engines, increasing regulation, roads and traffic that were getting more crowded, and cars that drove basically like underpowered appliances. (one thing I did like about the 1970s, though, particularly on Ford/GM products, was the ride comfort on the generally soft suspensions/tires....something I sorely miss on many vehicles today).

Anyhow, back to the 60s muscle-cars. Though I didn't get to try every one behind the wheel, I did sample several of them. I thought the GM cars had the best quality-control, the best-quality bodies, the best interior detail, best overall fit/finish, and were the most carefully made, though the non-clearcoat Acrylic-lacquer paint absolutely s**ked, and had to be constantly waxed to keep from oxidizing. Ford and Chrysler had much better non-clearcoat (baked-enamel) paint, but the bodywork and interiors showed a sloppiness missing in the GM cars. Indeed, some of the Chrysler products, despite their very durable engines and automatic transmission (probably the most durable of the bunch) were otherwise assembled as loosely as a House of Cards....some Barracudas and Challengers, particularly the convertibles, flexed so much that their locked doors would sometimes pop open on sharp curves. Even brand-new cars went back to the dealer, time after time, to get things fixed or re-aligned that should have been done at the factory. Believe me, we're spoiled by the quality of today's vehicles. Fords, with their big power disc-drum packages, were clearly the champion stoppers of the group (some competitors also had disc/drum packages, but Ford generally did them best).

My best friend in high school was in a family that won a drawing/contest at a nearly Pontiac dealer, and they were awarded a light green 1970 Pontiac GTO....light green, with the then-new Endura vinyl/rubber front end, quad headlights, 400/350 HP engine, and standard interior package. I loved that car.....He and I had a lot of great times in it (safely), though he got a ticket once for speeding on a secondary road.





I also loved Plymouth Road-Runners....in fact, even though I thought the GM cars were much better-built (except for the durable Chrysler engines), and generally more pleasant to sit in and drive, I always had a strong attraction to '68-'70 Road-Runners (didn't care for the ones built after 1970, for several reasons). The Road Runner, though essentially nothing but a mid-sized Plymouth Belvedere/Satellite coupe with a big engine and some cleverly-done cartoon-derived trimmings, was an absolutely brilliant marketing idea, and sold like hotcakes. It offered wild paint colors, particularly in the 1970 version, huge hood "Shaker" scoops, Road Runner bird-cartoon graphics on the body, trunk lid, steering wheel, glove box lid, and even a hilarious "Beep-Beep" horn that sounded just like the one in the TV cartoon. There was a even more wild "Superbird" NASCAR-derived version with a large wedge-shaped front end and an enormous wing mounted high above the trunk. That version, ironically, was not legal for sale in Maryland, because its front end was not considered a legal bumper under Maryland law. I got to sample a Road Runner that a local cop, who at the time lived across street from me, owned...a medium-blue '69 with the standard 383-4-barel engine.....he knew I was a careful teen, and could be trusted with it....I wasn't about to crack up a cop's personal car LOL. It was a hoot to drive, though crude, loosely-built, and rattle/squeak prone compared to my friend's GTO. My favorite of the Road-Runners, though, was the '70 version (which, unfortunately, even more loosely-built than the '69s) looked like a circus, with the wildest paint colors of the bunch and the most garish looks. My favorite of the (optional) paint colors was the bright-purple Plum Crazy (Dodge called it Plum Crazy, and Plymouth, In-Violet) and the Tor-Lime Green....particularly with the pure-white vinyl seats inside.

ryanSC300lover

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mmarshall

jimbosr1

My first car was a 1969 dodge charger rt/se with the 440 magnum.As you stated it would hall *** in a straight line and smoke the rear tires and get 4 miles a gallon doing it.It was blue with a white vinyl top and was a head turner.
The quality was however lacking because the car had dual points and you had to take the distributor cover off every time you wanted to make a adjustment.GM had the sliding door on there covers.Also i couldn't keep a generator on that car for more then a couple months at a time.
Its amazing those cars hold so much value now as mine had 30K miles on it when i sold it.
I traded it on a 74 javelin.

Johnhav430

I had a 1970 Pontiac LeMans Sport in the 90's. It was a 2-spd auto, 250 I-6, and had drum brakes all around. Maroon with torn black vinyl top. I pretended it was a GTO.

The sheer ridiculousness of that car, was that it was smooth as silk. Even banged up, girls liked it, no joke. It handled like s***. But it could not pass a NYS safety inspection. I have no idea why, but I opened the radiator cap with the engine hot and burned the right side of my neck in Brooklyn. Maybe I was drunk, not sure. I picked up my buddy working on Rector St. and we went to a Dead show at the Nassau Coliseum. I remember him changing out of his $500 suit in the car, then he goes pull over, I have to make a call (at a pay phone). Those were the days!

edit ps this was my 3rd car given to me free. I moved back into a 200 series Volvo when this got junked, and that lasted all the way to the 1998 Maxima SE 5-spd, which I still have today.

mmarshall

Yes, I remember you mentioning your Le Mans/GTO-Wanna-Be some time ago. The 250 in-line 6 was an interesting (for the time) power plant. It was totally different from the similarly-sized Chevy 250 (Stovebolt) 6 in that it had a single overhead-cam.....the only American-designed engine in production, at that time, without push-rods. Its 175 (gross HP) rating was also higher than most other contemporary sixes of the period.

Lexmex

My father had a 1969 Nova that he worked on when I was growing up in addition to a more modern 1979 Nova. He souped up both for power and eventually sold both of them and I loved the power of both vehicles. He then settled on a more luxurious Jaguar XJ6, one for him and one for my mother.

mcomer

It was called the Sprint 6 and the 1968 Tempest Coupe that my Grandmother passed
down to me had it. Special ordered by my Father for her it had front disc brakes,
Posi-Traction Axle, coupe not hardtop doors with quiet but unfashionable door glass
frames, HD suspension, 2 speed Powerglide Automatic and "radio delete".
That sucker would run up to 60 mph in first and just leap into 2nd gear with a huge
surge. (Guessing the Grandma never tried that...)

Htony

Old enough remembering all those cars. But things change. That pink Caddy reminds me of Mary Kay, LOL! I used to drive heavy Chevy Chevelle SS. For many years I drove company supplied cars w/o many choices.

Johnhav430

I'm not sure what the cop cars are on "CHiPs," pretty sure Dodge (not Diplomat, bigger). On the last episode I watched, Jon asks Bear, "How're your brakes?" Bear goes, "Just got new linings last week."

I wonder if the 1976 cop cars had 4 wheel drums, like my LeMans did.

After my Lexus parking brake adventure (I replaced my rear rotors on the LS, and had forgotten to release the parking brake, so when I did and pulled the rotors off, springs and pins went a flyin'), I don't care if I never see a set of brake shoes again....

edit: Looked up the cop car, it's a 1974 Dodge Monaco. Makes sense as it was shot 1976/1977.

edit 2: I looked up front rotors for a 1974 Monaco, and they look like this?? Do the studs come with it? How's this thing secured to the hub? $43 not bad!

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...093115&jsn=465

oldcajun

My first new car was a 1963 Pontiac LeMans convertible. It had a 326 cu in V8 and a 2 speed Corvair automatic mounted in the rear with VW style swing axles. The drive shaft was a solid rod that ran thru a central tunnel with a bearing in the center to create a "bow". Handling was awful, tire wear out of sight, and I broke the driveshaft at about 20,000 miles. It sure was pretty though.

wasjr

Definitely remember these, but never had one. I am a 1970 high school graduate and had friends that had 69 GTO & 69 Olds 442. Had a friend that had a yellow Barracuda, that we called a Bananacuda. Closest I had was a 72 Grand Prix.

Have a cousin that had a 66 Chevelle SS396 he bought new. He sold it when he was getting married and bought a new 69 Nova SS.....which he still has (and he still has the wife as well).

mjeds

The cars I learned to drive on were a 1968 GTO Convertible (mom's bother), 1968 Thunderbird (dad's) 1962 Corvette (dad's), and a 1968 Impala SS (mom's). when I was ages 15 1/2 to 17 years old.

The first car I owned (17 years old) was a 1978 Trans Am.

I've also owned a '71 Mustang Mach 1, '74 Firebird, and a '78 Corvette at various times between ages 17 and 24.

I now have a 1939 Ford Tudor, and a 1969 Mustang Fastback that my daughter is helping me build for herself when she gets her license, though I told her she can't drive it until she turns 19 and has a few years experience under her belt. She will start off with a beater car when she turns 16.. likely my nieces 2011 Malibu, when she buys herself a new car in a year or 2.

mmarshall

That's because that old 2-speed was so compromised in its flexibility that low gear was really too tall for most stop and go driving, and high gear a little too too short for high-speed cruising. And it you think that was bad, consider that Chevy, in the late 60s, marketed an even simpler version of it, without fully-automatic shifting, called Torque-Drive. You manually shifted it from low to high with the lever (and back down) generally at 45 MPH or below unless you were winding it out.

mmarshall

The official Mary Kay color (which the company has a patent on) is not the classic shocking pink. It is actually more of a light pinkish-tan.



The company, BTW, not only gave out Cadillacs to their successful sales-reps, but, in some cases, Buicks and Pontiacs. I have seen both Mary Kay Buick Regals and Pontiac Grand Prix.