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Im am actually in the market for a car from the 50s as my daily; hoping for a 56 Oldsmobile 88. When I do, I will most likely add fuel injection for reliable start ups and disk brakes to be able to stop as quickly as the other cars on the road.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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My first was a 1958 Chrysler, after that a 1967 Cortina GT, then a 1964 Skylark wagon, all used. My first new car was a 1973 Pinto Squire Wagon. The 50s were big tanks, heavy, powerful V8s, very quiet, smooth ride, but understeer and not great at mountain roads like I drove in the Sierras and around Lake Tahoe. I only got about 10 mpg but then gas was 25 cents. They were best driven in a straight line for a long way such as down I5 from the Bay Area to Los Angeles and I would never consider one for a daily driver today.
The Cortina was made in the UK, 1500 inline 4, with a 4 speed stick, MacPherson struts and Weber carburetor it was like a little sports car. It had plenty of zip, cornered great, and got as much as 42 mpg. It was be a fun and efficient car today but I totaled it, and though I survived I learned that there are benefits to today's safety features. The Skylark Sport Wagon got me through an 18,000 mile summer-long road trip over 44 states in 1970. That one had a 300 V8, 2 speed automatic and was a very comfortable ride. It had enough power to easily merge onto the freeway, a comfortable ride, and getting about 15 mpg at 35 cents for gas was great. It actually handles well, but with 4 wheels power drum brakes you needed to be careful if you hit a puddle and got them wet.
The Pinto was not subject to that "exploding gas tank": since it was a wagon. With rack & Pinion steering, front disc brakes, and the 2000 cc inline 4 it had sufficient power, handled really well and during that gas shortage time got 25 mpg. Today it would actually be a decent daily but would be running at really high RPMs keeping up with the traffic here at 75 mph.
From about 1998-2006 I had a 1972 El Camino, and it was in fact my daily driver. It was a 350 V8, 330 horsepower, TH350 automatic, and I had done a front disc brake conversion. Most of the time I was getting 11 mpg but got as much as 18 on a long trip. I replaced all of the bushings, shocks and springs and it handled like new, and took it into the Cascade and Olympic mountains often, where it did great on the winding roads, though not like a modern car.
I currently have a 1974 Nova, 250L6 and 3 speed stickshift in addition to our 2 modern vehicles. The power steering is much easier to use than modern, you can do a u-turn with your little finger. The manual drum brakes were bad. I have converted the front to disc which helped a a lot. It's a running project, but a survivor, 112,000 miles, unrestored with original paint and upholstery. With well worn rubber parts it's a bit sloppy on the highway and cornering at speed, but I'll get that fixed eventually. Currently I only take it to car shows and cruise in the country 1-2 times a week in nice weather. Once fully restored mechanically it would be a decent daily driver.
The only one in the age range I ever actually OWNED was a 69 F100 390/4bbl 3 on a tree. Being an F100, it was a stripper truck. perfect old man truck to sip coffee from a thermos while you smoked a cigarette, heater on and the am radio on before going out in the woods on hunting day. Plus, for extra fun the gas tank was in the cab with you.
There was no corrosion protection on these, but the powertrain would run forever. oil optional.
I also had a 60-somethingish gladiator truck that was thrown in as a parts bin when I got my 72 j4000 but I sold all I could of it.
However, dad was a well known collector of GTOs so as a kid the DD was his 66 389-4-4 and the family car was his 69 225 with the 430-4 and could pass anything but a filling station. he pulled the little boat with a 69 SCJ which got like 4mpg (dual carbs on a tunnel will do that) and I loved the 68 camaro 'vert with the I6 and I think a glide. One 65 GTO was a planet killing drag racing machine and his fav was the 67 with the paint job people only dream about that went from show off night to show off night. Those were his goto's I grew up in.
Mom told me stories of the rambler and the belvedere wagon they had but I was too young to have a firm memory. I kinda remember the white wagon..
I thought it would be nice, if money was no object to do a cross country trip in early 70s Lincoln Continetal Town car Or Mark III.
At the same time, Id love to do it in a Citroen SM. I think with age I realized I only need a few things in the car. AC/heat, good v8 and proper road isolation / noise control and radio.
Heated seats, massagers, on board computers, navigation and everything in between is useless really.
I have and drive multiple "60's" cars. The one that sees the most action is a red 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix....original 425A car (389 tripower) with 4 speed. Lots of power and comfort. But make no mistake, going into a corner hard is an adventure!!! The 8 lug Kelsey Hayes wheels and drum brakes actually work pretty well but not nearly up to today's disk brake systems. The other car, a 67 GTO has been highly modified, over 600 horsepower which can rip your head clean off. Also have variable rate power steering which is a dramatic improvement over the original steering.
I have and drive multiple "60's" cars. The one that sees the most action is a red 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix....original 425A car (389 tripower) with 4 speed. Lots of power and comfort. But make no mistake, going into a corner hard is an adventure!!! The 8 lug Kelsey Hayes wheels and drum brakes actually work pretty well but not nearly up to today's disk brake systems. The other car, a 67 GTO has been highly modified, over 600 horsepower which can rip your head clean off. Also have variable rate power steering which is a dramatic improvement over the original steering.
One of my "all time favorite cars" is the '62 Pontiac Grand Prix, and the 8 lug wheels are absolutely timeless!
Never owned a car from that time period. Did test drive a 1967 Mustang convertible with 289 V8 and no power steering and no power brakes. Lack of power steering was only a pain in low speeds, especially in parking lots. The lack of power brakes was a big issue. It was more difficult to bring it to a stop and stopping distance was greater. Another issue with cars from these eras, and some from the 70s & 80s was the car would swing or turn during hard braking. Wheels one or more wheels would lock up and the car would slide in a dangerous manner with rear end swinging out and sometimes the car would come to a stop over both lanes of the road. A restomod of a classic car for reliable engine starts and safe braking would be a welcome change.
I thought it would be nice, if money was no object to do a cross country trip in early 70s Lincoln Continetal Town car Or Mark III.
At the same time, Id love to do it in a Citroen SM. I think with age I realized I only need a few things in the car. AC/heat, good v8 and proper road isolation / noise control and radio.
Heated seats, massagers, on board computers, navigation and everything in between is useless really.
I took a trip in my 66 Tbird from Los Angeles to Hollywood Florida, then up to Boston, and back to Los Angeles back in 2014.
You can see the "bird" by clicking on my user name.
Great car, smooth ride, and people took many pictures of it along the way.
I took a trip in my 66 Tbird from Los Angeles to Hollywood Florida, then up to Boston, and back to Los Angeles back in 2014.
You can see the "bird" by clicking on my user name.
Great car, smooth ride, and people took many pictures of it along the way.
Yes, it had the 390.
I sometimes wish I hadn't sold it, but the Corvette bug bit me, and I was hooked.
The bird was a great car, as is my Corvette.
I have had the Vette for ten years.
I could afford a newer Vette, but this one is a keeper in every sense of the word.
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