Author Topic: Classic cars thread (Read 1005 times)

Sandman · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2002, 05:55:32 PM »

First car I ever owned was a '66 Mustang... sometimes I kick myself for getting rid of it... then all I have to do is remember what toejamty suspension it had.

Old cars look nice... new cars drive better.

SunKing · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2002, 06:10:57 PM »

I currently own my dream car since '88

68 Mustang convertible

Just put a new tranny and 302 in it, new paint job to boot..

Gadfly · « **Reply #17 on:** December 13, 2002, 08:17:39 PM »

Daddy's new toy:

'55 T-bird, 60,000 original, frame off runs like a champ, drives like a, well, a 1955 model car. Red Hardtop as well.

'55 Tbird

Octavius · « **Reply #18 on:** December 13, 2002, 09:20:49 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Sandman_SBM
First car I ever owned was a '66 Mustang... sometimes I kick myself for getting rid of it... then all I have to do is remember what toejamty suspension it had.

Old cars look nice... new cars drive better.

Now why not bring back the old bodies? Throw in some modern suspension, the same engine (but up to todays standards), and anything else that needs modernization and bingo.. I'd drive it!

Leslie · « **Reply #19 on:** December 14, 2002, 04:43:17 AM »

That would be way cool. Maybe some '55 Oldsmobile Super 88's, or '57 Chevy's.

Those were the days when cars were cars, and works of art. That means a minimum of plastic parts, metal body and not light material, lots of chrome, high performance stock engine and transmission, heavy duty suspension.

Octavious, that is a neat idea. The one I would buy, if I had the money, would be a Model T Ford, modernized to today's standards. A car like that would be a good hunting or fishing car...much more fun than a pickup truck, unless it was the Model T pickup truck.

Les

Fridaddy · « **Reply #20 on:** December 14, 2002, 05:22:30 AM »

Alright, here is mine.
For those who do not know what it is, it's a 1980 Triumph TR-8.
Called the TR-7V8 in the UK.

Under that hood is a 3.5 liter (225CID) V-8. I have tweeked the carbs (dual strombergs, not my fav carbs) so it has about 150 HP. 0-60 mph in about 7 sec and the top end is about 144 mph, I have had it to 120 mpg and let me tell you that was interesting in a such a small convertable.

I got it off E-Bay with 55,000 miles on it for US$5,000. Best money I have ever spent.

Bonden · « **Reply #21 on:** December 14, 2002, 05:39:53 AM »

Gadfly, that's one beautiful T-Bird

And man, it is RED!!!

beet1e · « **Reply #22 on:** December 14, 2002, 09:35:42 AM »

Lazs - Sorry to split hairs, but it always pisses me off to hear Jaguar E-Types referred to as the "XKE". I bet the Jaguar pictured even had "E Type" in chrome lettering on the back. XKE was the name of the engine. There was a whole XK range - XK120 (3.4 litre) XK150 (3.8 litre) and the last straight six which was the 4.2 litre.

The last E-Type was the 5.3 litre V12. The fastest of all of them (3.8, 4.2, 5.3) was - believe it or not - the 1961 3.8 litre. Why? Because it didn't have to have all that anti-pollution crap for the American market. That came later. For the US market, the headlamp covers had to go. That was a shame - they made the car streamlined.

As a little aside, did you know that the clock at Britain's Houses of Parliament is often known as Big Ben? That's an error - it's the bell that's called Big Ben - and it weighs 13 tons!

lazs2 · « **Reply #23 on:** December 14, 2002, 10:10:36 AM »

The trend is toward retro.. look at the PT cruiser and ... the new Tbird... everyone is betting tired of driving cars that look like they were made out of plastic and lef in the oven till they half melted.. I seriously can't (won't try) to tell one from another.

You can take and old car and make it drive and handle as well as the better "sports" cars. My ElCamino has all modern suspension and bilstein shocks (get to you soon GTO on the control arms) modern air conditioning units and steerin etc. but... it's a lot of work and not for everyone. I think the current trend of making "faux" "classics" will continue.

beetle ... shoulda said jag E type. A buddy bought the first V12 hardtop in the Bay area.. at 120 mph the back window blew out.. they fixed it but it didn't instil confidence... that and the fact that it had a dozen towing charges before it was a year old.... when it would start that is... and that wasn't very often. Later seen V12 sedans and they wouldn't start either.... the ford jags are fine.

MT.. I tore the house up looking for the "list" it was from a concours show... I also recall it being in a book of values I have around but couldn't find it either... as I recall the list was pretty short. Bet some of you better internet searchers can find the listing..
lazs

loser · « **Reply #24 on:** December 14, 2002, 05:08:54 PM »

1970 Plymouth Valiant Duster.

340
Torqueflite 727 with 2800 stall converter
8.75 " rear end

Everything is pretty tame on the car, as Dodge parts aren't cheap to replace when they blow up.

The car originally had a slant 6 and was purchased from a wreckers yard for 300 dollars. Still had the original colour that it came from the factory with though.

Sandman · « **Reply #25 on:** December 15, 2002, 11:15:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Octavius
Now why not bring back the old bodies? Throw in some modern suspension, the same engine (but up to todays standards), and anything else that needs modernization and bingo.. I'd drive it!

Absolutely! If Ford would build a new Mustang with the body styled exactly as the 65/66 model, but with modern suspension, power plant, interior, etc... I bet it would sell.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #26 on:** December 15, 2002, 11:26:21 AM »

My cousin had a '57 Chevy Convertible that was in pretty decent condition. He just sold it for $45,000. We'd sit and have long chats about exactly what people wanted from classic cars as he was restoring it.

Here's my take:

If I have a classic car, I want to drive it. Its that simple. I'd also like to drive it in a manner that would allow me to survive in the city and on the highways. That means I'd want to modify the steering, the suspension, the brakes, the engine. That woud be a minimum. Things like the interior/exterior I personally would like to keep as original as possible, but am not a super stickler about that and can see the whole side to customizing the body and interior too... its just not my bag.

What we've both found is that for every one person that insists that a classic should stay a classic, there's another that would like the car I just described above.

So, my cousin is building a new '57 convertible from scratch (litterally). He's keeping a log of what is being done to it here. By the time he's done, he'll have a classic that will hold its own with the newer cars.

AKDejaVu

lazs2 · « **Reply #27 on:** December 16, 2002, 08:43:08 AM »

yep... you can make a 57 olds handle, drive, stop and accelerate bettter than 90% of the cars you can buy new but.... It costs a lot and you have a pretty long "debugging" period. My 69 elky has hotchkiss and bilstein suspension with beefed brakes and sway bars and quick ratio power steering.. vintage air ac and a 6 speed.. I could go to fuel injection for the 468 to get a few more mpg but.. I think I will keep it simple for now. Even so... I haven't changed out the wiring harness... no dome lite.. if I had a radio you wouldn't be able to hear it... etc.

Deal is.. I had a 90 mustang ex highway patrol car with some mods... It was quiet and would run 130 all day if I asked it with the ac on and I could listen to the radio.. It also got 24 mpg if you drove it sensibly but.. although I liked driving the car.. It wasn't the adventure the elky is. I don't need to commute so driving is for pleasure.. every trip in the elky is fun. People get a kick out of seeing the car. It is very fast and handles very well for a 3700llb car.. I can follow just about anything through turns and can outtorque anything this side of a viper.

If you have a family and commute... stick with the things the dealer sells ya.. you won't be able to walk after pusing in my 3200 lb clutch for an hour or so in traffic... your ears will be ringing from the exahust and you will be bounced around a little..

If you buy a retro factory car... a PT or tsay the new Tbird... you will have a new car with all the amenities and engineering done. but... before long... it will be one of thousands driving around.

Thing is... it's tough to buy individuality but.. you can have a shop build you anything you want. You can have a '52 cad or 53 studebaker that will do everything as well as the latest hoopty techno rides and some things a lot better. It costs a bunch tho and you still have to have imagination and decent knowledge of cars... It's tough to buy individuality

If you buy a "restored" car you will be amazed at how badly everything works on todays roads and... you will have to learn the skills that most people knew 30 years ago like... setting points or lubbing a front end or adjusting a carb.

lazs

lazs2 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 16, 2002, 08:55:54 AM »

Looking at deja's cousins 57 is a perfect example... all the latest hot rod stuff. Every part superior or equal to anything the dealer sends out on new cars. There are a lot of hot rods out there that are like his car. They are labors of love and couldn't be duplicated for less than about 75 grand or even more. It would take the average person years tpo build such a car. It would take a shop at least a year or more. (tell him to ditch the AOD and put in a 6 speed deja)... See... no matter how "perfect" we allways wanna change somthing.

detroit couldn't build you that car. They would absolutely not put in a lot of those parts because they would be too expensive and/or not be "tested" enough... they could not duplicate em and they couldn't afford to purchas out of house.. the car itself would not look like a 57 chevy after they made it a unibody and put on safety bumpers and airbags etc..

They couldn't duplicate it but they could build something that looked like a '67 chevy or a 65 mustang if.... if you kinda squinted and it was going by kinda fast and you didn't look inside and... and and and.. Plus... in 6 mos... you wouldn't be able to find it in a big parking lot any better than if you had a silver BMW... You would simply have a car that had the boxiness of a 57 chev but was..... a joke. better they go to things like the new tbird that is not a real copy...
lazs

Jochen · « **Reply #29 on:** December 19, 2002, 04:17:13 AM »