Sunday, December 23, 2018
1963 Buick Wildcat
Believe it or not, there was a time when Buick made performance cars. The 401 c.i. V-8 in this Wildcat produced 325 hp and a mind-bending 445 ft.lbs of torque. This car features bucket seats, and what was a pretty new idea in 1963: the shifter is in a center console rather than on the steering column.
Friday, December 21, 2018
1978 Plymouth Fury A38-Pursuit
Let me tell you about the greatest police car ever made. In 1980s, when police would try to pull over a speeder, if the leadfoot driver was in a old GTO or some other fast car from a bygone era, he would just drive away, knowing that the cop couldn't catch him. That's because police cars had gotten a lot slower. The Dodge St. Regis (what kind of name is that?) police car of 1980 probably only had a 318 V-8 to pull all that weight around, thanks to big engines going out of fashion. Not to mention the fact that Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy, and its future dependent on cars that were economical and just not much fun.
But in 1978, those things hadn't happened yet. That year, the Plymouth Fury police model was America's fastest car, with an incredible array of high-performance equipment.
From hemmings.com:
"The A38 package added brawn to the otherwise sedate 218-inch-long sedan, beginning with heavy-duty tuned suspensions "matched for high-speed handling and police duty," per period literature. The A38 also added slotted 7-inch-wide heavy-duty wheels, heavy-duty front disc/rear drum brakes, fabric-belted radial police pursuit tires, 500-ampere heavy-duty battery with heat shield, 100-ampere alternator, high-capacity radiator, calibrated 140-MPH speedometer, oil gauge, more responsive power steering with hose heat shields, and grass shields for the catalytic converters. Its differential was Chrysler's 9¼-inch unit offered with an array of ratios for various department needs, while an engine oil cooler and more were optional."
"Hidden from view were one of four engines, beginning with a standard two-barrel 318 altered for stressed service. Options including tuned versions of the 360, 400 and 440, all of which still featured four-barrel carburetors."
"With the exception of a full-size Chrysler, the 440 was unavailable for public use, and even then, the civilian version was rated for 195 hp. Those destined for police cars were instead rated for 255 hp and 355-lb.ft. of torque. The extra power was enhanced by dual catalytic converters fitted to a true dual exhaust system and electronic spark advance (except in California) and supported by heavy-duty parts like a shot-peened nodular cast-iron crankshaft, double-roller timing chain drive, moly-filled top compression piston rings, high-load valve springs with dampers, a windage tray, chromed and hardened exhaust valves. Bolted against it was the stout TorqueFlite automatic.
Also in 1978, the Michigan State Police launched its yearly performance-based police car tests, a true best-bang-for-the-buck evaluation that dramatically differed from those done jointly, since 1956, by the Los Angeles County Sherriff's and Los Angeles Police Departments. Michigan's result: the 440 Fury handily bested the competition. Supplied with a 2.71 rear gear, it went from 0-60 MPH in 9.2 seconds; top speed was 132.7 MPH."
But in 1978, those things hadn't happened yet. That year, the Plymouth Fury police model was America's fastest car, with an incredible array of high-performance equipment.
From hemmings.com:
"The A38 package added brawn to the otherwise sedate 218-inch-long sedan, beginning with heavy-duty tuned suspensions "matched for high-speed handling and police duty," per period literature. The A38 also added slotted 7-inch-wide heavy-duty wheels, heavy-duty front disc/rear drum brakes, fabric-belted radial police pursuit tires, 500-ampere heavy-duty battery with heat shield, 100-ampere alternator, high-capacity radiator, calibrated 140-MPH speedometer, oil gauge, more responsive power steering with hose heat shields, and grass shields for the catalytic converters. Its differential was Chrysler's 9¼-inch unit offered with an array of ratios for various department needs, while an engine oil cooler and more were optional."
"Hidden from view were one of four engines, beginning with a standard two-barrel 318 altered for stressed service. Options including tuned versions of the 360, 400 and 440, all of which still featured four-barrel carburetors."
"With the exception of a full-size Chrysler, the 440 was unavailable for public use, and even then, the civilian version was rated for 195 hp. Those destined for police cars were instead rated for 255 hp and 355-lb.ft. of torque. The extra power was enhanced by dual catalytic converters fitted to a true dual exhaust system and electronic spark advance (except in California) and supported by heavy-duty parts like a shot-peened nodular cast-iron crankshaft, double-roller timing chain drive, moly-filled top compression piston rings, high-load valve springs with dampers, a windage tray, chromed and hardened exhaust valves. Bolted against it was the stout TorqueFlite automatic.
Also in 1978, the Michigan State Police launched its yearly performance-based police car tests, a true best-bang-for-the-buck evaluation that dramatically differed from those done jointly, since 1956, by the Los Angeles County Sherriff's and Los Angeles Police Departments. Michigan's result: the 440 Fury handily bested the competition. Supplied with a 2.71 rear gear, it went from 0-60 MPH in 9.2 seconds; top speed was 132.7 MPH."
Monday, December 17, 2018
1946 Dodge Power Wagon
If you like old cars and trucks, you cannot help but stand in awe of a vintage Dodge Power Wagon. Mechanically derived from Dodge's 1942–1945 3/4-ton WC series military trucks, the Power Wagon was introduced in 1946 as the first civilian production 4x4 truck.
It's always been curious to me why Ford and Chevy didn't make anything like this or indeed any 4x4 vehicles at all in the mid-20th century. America's population was a lot more rural then, with a lot more folks driving on terrible roads. Apparently it just never occurred to people to buy 4x4s. I'm told by old timers that people living in the hills of Kentucky back in the day usually bought Oldsmobiles because that was the car that survived longest on the state's terrible roads.
In the 1950s and 60s there were two Power Wagons. One as a 3/4 ton that looked like other trucks and vans made at the time. But Dodge was also selling the same straight-outta-WWII vehicle you see pictured as late as 1963.
It's always been curious to me why Ford and Chevy didn't make anything like this or indeed any 4x4 vehicles at all in the mid-20th century. America's population was a lot more rural then, with a lot more folks driving on terrible roads. Apparently it just never occurred to people to buy 4x4s. I'm told by old timers that people living in the hills of Kentucky back in the day usually bought Oldsmobiles because that was the car that survived longest on the state's terrible roads.
In the 1950s and 60s there were two Power Wagons. One as a 3/4 ton that looked like other trucks and vans made at the time. But Dodge was also selling the same straight-outta-WWII vehicle you see pictured as late as 1963.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
1971 Dodge Challengers - one spotted in the wild!
There are some popular collector cars from the 60s and 70s that you see all the time on the street. Ford Mustangs and most Chevy models for example. Then there are some you never see. Recently I saw this unrestored Dodge Challenger in rush hour traffic in Seattle. I couldn't tell you the last time I saw one anywhere but at a car show. I think most of them were driven into the ground when new, and the their build quality wasn't great in the first place. So most survivors are fully restored, like the car pictured below.
Thursday, December 6, 2018
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner hardtop convertible
The Ford Motor Company struggled in the early postwar years, but by the mid-1950s it was conducting business in a way that might politely be described as "overconfident".
Now this might be hard to believe, but in the 1955 Ford was still a privately-held firm, with the Ford family itself owning 25.5%. Ford also owned its own iron mines and steel plants and made every part in house, with the exception of tires. Ford went public in early 1956, and the success of its initial public offering, which raised $660 million (about $6.5 billion in today's dollars), seems to have gone to its head. Specifically:
* In the fall of 1957, Ford launched the Edsel program, often considered the biggest product launch failure of all time. By the late-1959 cancellation of the project, Ford had lost $350 million. And one wonders how they managed to lose that much, given that:
(1) Ford promised that the Edsel would be a whole new kind of car, when really it was just a Ford or Mercury with a new skin.
(2) Ford did no studies on whether the Edsel could be profitable.
(3) Ford never test-marketed the vehicle and proceeded under the assumption that buyers would like it when it hit the showroom (they didn't).
(4) Incredibly, Ford didn't dedicate any assembly lines to the early Edsels, so they were built on the same lines as Fords and Mercurys, causing confusion as workers attempted to switch back and forth between parts bins and assembly routines, resulting in cars of poor quality.
* In 1956 Ford created a Continental division to sell its new super-premium Continental Mark II, a car which cost $10,000, or close to $100,000 today. One has to wonder what the point was, given that even at that price, Ford lost $1,000 on every Continental Mark II.
* Last but not least, we have the car pictured. The 1957 model was one of the most successful Ford products of all time, outselling Chevrolet and making Ford the number one seller for the first time in many years. But take a look at the Skyliner hardtop convertible, another short-lived project into which Ford sank a lot of money. From Wikipedia:
"The Skyliner top has seven reversible electric motors, four lift jacks, a series of relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof and two locking mechanisms for the trunk lid, and a total of 610 ft (185.9 m) of wiring."
Potential buyers asked the obvious questions: What happens when one of those electric motors rusts? Or one of the ten solenoids wears out? How long can this car last? And Ford had anticipated these questions. So guess what? They completely over-engineered the whole system so as to guarantee long-term reliability resulting in, again, a car on which Ford lost money on every copy.
Now this might be hard to believe, but in the 1955 Ford was still a privately-held firm, with the Ford family itself owning 25.5%. Ford also owned its own iron mines and steel plants and made every part in house, with the exception of tires. Ford went public in early 1956, and the success of its initial public offering, which raised $660 million (about $6.5 billion in today's dollars), seems to have gone to its head. Specifically:
* In the fall of 1957, Ford launched the Edsel program, often considered the biggest product launch failure of all time. By the late-1959 cancellation of the project, Ford had lost $350 million. And one wonders how they managed to lose that much, given that:
(1) Ford promised that the Edsel would be a whole new kind of car, when really it was just a Ford or Mercury with a new skin.
(2) Ford did no studies on whether the Edsel could be profitable.
(3) Ford never test-marketed the vehicle and proceeded under the assumption that buyers would like it when it hit the showroom (they didn't).
(4) Incredibly, Ford didn't dedicate any assembly lines to the early Edsels, so they were built on the same lines as Fords and Mercurys, causing confusion as workers attempted to switch back and forth between parts bins and assembly routines, resulting in cars of poor quality.
* In 1956 Ford created a Continental division to sell its new super-premium Continental Mark II, a car which cost $10,000, or close to $100,000 today. One has to wonder what the point was, given that even at that price, Ford lost $1,000 on every Continental Mark II.
* Last but not least, we have the car pictured. The 1957 model was one of the most successful Ford products of all time, outselling Chevrolet and making Ford the number one seller for the first time in many years. But take a look at the Skyliner hardtop convertible, another short-lived project into which Ford sank a lot of money. From Wikipedia:
"The Skyliner top has seven reversible electric motors, four lift jacks, a series of relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof and two locking mechanisms for the trunk lid, and a total of 610 ft (185.9 m) of wiring."
Potential buyers asked the obvious questions: What happens when one of those electric motors rusts? Or one of the ten solenoids wears out? How long can this car last? And Ford had anticipated these questions. So guess what? They completely over-engineered the whole system so as to guarantee long-term reliability resulting in, again, a car on which Ford lost money on every copy.
Monday, December 3, 2018
1931 Ford Model A pickup truck
I've seen this truck on the street and from the sound of its engine, it's definitely all original. That's all the more remarkable given that the early to mid 30s Ford is the most popular vehicle of all time for building hot rods.
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