Car Fanatics

[street]

Beautiful collections!
I'm not a car person but I do admire people that are, and take pride in restoring and keeping outfits looking excellent.

All I need is something to get me from A to B and it really doesn't matter what.
Even a good saddle horse will do. Lol

 

[Car-Guy]

This thread got me thinking about cars of past and cars of today... I love the 60's vintage cars... I guess because that's when I grew up and started to drive.

Back then, it was pure brute horsepower, real steel and leaded gas. High tech was a AM radio and an electric clock. Primary tools were, common sense, a hammer, pliers, screwdriver, and maybe some electrical tape... The sounds of dual exhaust, and a four barrel in a 427ci / 425hp engine was something to behold. Automatic transmissions (slush buckets) were a joke to real car nuts. 4 speed manuals were the only way to go.

Today, the the engines tend to be smaller but HP is much higher (or it can be anyway) and is much more technology driven. Today I've got a 6.2 liter (378 ci) blown motor that cranks out over 700hp from the factory with full warranty... Lot's of plastic and the inside is like a computer center. Automatic trans (8 speeds or better) are the only way to go today. Tools required, Masters in EE or CS...

Today's cars are more reliable (usually), safer (usually), faster, quicker, last much longer, get better gas mileage, etc, etc.

The list/comparisons go on forever... All in all, I love the 60's vintage cars, but I'll still take the latest and greatest ICE cars of today.

See, you can teach old dogs new tricks. Or if you like, change can be good, sometimes!

 

[Dtail]

This thread got me thinking about cars of past and cars of today... I love the 60's vintage cars... I guess because that's when I grew up and started to drive.

Back then, it was pure brute horsepower, real steel and leaded gas. High tech was a AM radio and an electric clock. Primary tools were, common sense, a hammer, pliers, screwdriver, and maybe some electrical tape... The sounds of dual exhaust, and a four barrel in a 427ci / 425hp engine was something to behold. Automatic transmissions (slush buckets) were a joke to real car nuts. 4 speed manuals were the only way to go.

Today, the the engines tend to be smaller but HP is much higher (or it can be anyway) and is much more technology driven. Today I've got a 6.2 liter (378 ci) blown motor that cranks out over 700hp from the factory with full warranty... Lot's of plastic and the inside is like a computer center. Automatic trans (8 speeds or better) are the only way to go today. Tools required, Masters in EE or CS...

Today's cars are more reliable (usually), safer (usually), faster, quicker, last much longer, get better gas mileage, etc, etc.

The list/comparisons go on forever... All in all, I love the 60's vintage cars, but I'll still take the latest and greatest ICE cars of today.

See, you can teach old dogs new tricks. Or if you like, change can be good, sometimes!

You forgot the smell of gas burning in a 64 Mustang convertible upon acceleration.

 

[Car-Guy]

You forgot the smell of gas burning in a 64 Mustang convertible upon acceleration.

Minor detail but I think you mean a 64 and 1/2 model year..
But yes, the sights and smell of burning bias tires are still clear in my mind.

 

[Dtail]

Minor detail but I think you mean a 64 and 1/2 model year..

Yes CAR guy.

 

[doneat54]

Oh yeah!!??


THIRTY-SIX real horsepower baby!


1957, spent 7 years restoring it, finished in 1999. Still have it, have driven it about 18k miles since.......

 

[Car-Guy]

Oh yeah!!??


THIRTY-SIX real horsepower baby!


1957, spent 7 years restoring it, finished in 1999. Still have it, have driven it about 18k miles since.......

18k miles in 22 years.....That's about two or three fill ups a year.....

 

[Dtail]

Oh yeah!!??


THIRTY-SIX real horsepower baby!


1957, spent 7 years restoring it, finished in 1999. Still have it, have driven it about 18k miles since.......

What is the 0 to 60? Guessing close to 13 seconds....

 

[38Chevy454]

...

Today's cars are more reliable (usually), safer (usually), faster, quicker, last much longer, get better gas mileage, etc, etc.

The list/comparisons go on forever... All in all, I love the 60's vintage cars, but I'll still take the latest and greatest ICE cars of today.

See, you can teach old dogs new tricks. Or if you like, change can be good, sometimes!

Also today's cars all kind of look similar within a class of cars, they just don't have the style older cars did. Remember how every year there would be some changes within a model, between the major model changes? Now the car looks essentially the same for all years between major model changes.

I agree that we have the best of hp and efficiency today. Even the revered big blocks of past can now make more hp than ever thanks to years of development.

Some of my old cars I have had that are now gone:
1937 Chevy pickup hot rod
1938 Chevy 2 dr sedan, with the 454 big block engine. My namesake for this and other forums.
1949 Ford COE (Cab Over Engine) hot rod truck
1959 Chevy El Camino restomod
1960 Chevy El Camino
1964 Buick Riviera, IMHO one of the best looking cars straight out of the factory
1963 Buick Riviera, supercharged 401 nailhead engine
1959 Ford F-100 pickup
1970 Camaro drag car

 

[Car-Guy]

Also today's cars all kind of look similar within a class of cars, they just don't have the style older cars did. Remember how every year there would be some changes within a model, between the major model changes? Now the car looks essentially the same for all years between major model changes.

That's a fact... I can usually (90+%) tell you the exact year of any Ford, Chevy or Dodge made from 55 to about 72 just by looking at a few details... Can't do that for many made after ~2000. Sometimes just a taillight, grill, gas cap or trim line change between the years but there's almost always something to give it away pretty quick.... Sometimes while watching Barrett Jackson, I'll try to beat Mike Joy at naming the year of a particular car... Drives the DW crazy listening to me talk to the TV.

 

[mountainsoft]

I know this is mostly a heavy metal crowd, but my 1976 VW Rabbit was my car obsession for most of my life. I started driving it in high school, and did my best to restore it in 2017. I put well over 400,000 miles on that car. Loved it.

Unfortunately, by 2018 I realized I didn't have the time or desire to keep working on cars, and didn't want it taking up space sitting in the garage. So I made the difficult decision to sell it. The young guy I sold it to changed a lot of things with it and it didn't even look like the same car anymore. Sad...

Full story with more pictures and video on my web site at: Life With My VW Rabbit - Anthony Watson

 

[Car-Guy]

What is the 0 to 60? Guessing close to 13 seconds....

I would guess ~25 seconds since I "think" top speed for a mid 50's VW was "maybe" ~70mph. But I'm just guessing at this one.


Another VW factoid, I seem to remember they banned VW's from the golden gate back in those days since strong winds would blow them around while crossing the bridge..... At least I remember an old Bill Cosby joke about it...

 

[Jerry1]

I would guess ~25 seconds since I "think" top speed for a mid 50's VW was "maybe" ~70mph. But I'm just guessing at this one.


Another VW factoid, I seem to remember they banned VW's from the golden gate back in those days since strong winds would blow them around while crossing the bridge..... At least I remember an old Bill Cosby joke about it...

In Michigan there is the Mackinaw Bridge. A Yugo did actually blow off the bridge.

 

[doneat54]

What is the 0 to 60? Guessing close to 13 seconds....

You mean minutes?


I used to have a 1950 Beetle. 25hp and non synchro transmission, had to double clutch all the downshifts. Straight cut gears in the tranny too. It was a canvas sunroof car. My ears would be ringing for a couple hours after a highway run. It would do 55 as long as you didn't hit a hill, a headwind or a large insect.

Sold it about 7 years ago I think.

 

[RockyMtn]

Latest "toy" is 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Had a number of BMW's and Jaguar's over the years. All convertibles. Love top down driving.

 

[doneat54]

And then this was DW's "compensation" for surviving 20 years of marriage to me (11 yeas ago!). A few years back the engine grenaded on the highway. Had a vintage Benz specialist build up a new engine and install it. That engine cost about $3k less than the house my parents bought that I grew up in in 1973. The value of that car has gone up so much in the years we have had the car that I could justify it, and maybe even make a but of $$ selling it now.

It's a '69 280SL. Notice the vanity plate....

 

[aja8888]

Here's my latest project car (now complete). 2005 Mustang with 64 K miles on it. Many new parts, fixed A/C, new brakes, tires, etc. Not a classic like some of the cars I previously owned, but a nice Spring and Fall driver in south Texas.

 

[Ready2Go]

I had one just like it until about 6 or 7 years ago... Even the same color... I had a 4 speed in mine and it was a real beast back in it's day.... It's one of only two cars I wish I would have kept...

I have had a lot of people come up to me at chows and said the same thing. Marina Blue is the color name. Mine is 4 speed with bench seat.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

And then this was DW's "compensation" for surviving 20 years of marriage to me (11 yeas ago!). A few years back the engine grenaded on the highway. Had a vintage Benz specialist build up a new engine and install it. That engine cost about $3k less than the house my parents bought that I grew up in in 1973. The value of that car has gone up so much in the years we have had the car that I could justify it, and maybe even make a but of $$ selling it now.

It's a '69 280SL. Notice the vanity plate....

That is a sweet Pagoda. I drove Benzes for a while when early 80s diesels were going cheap. I had a W123 coupe and a wagon, both toward the bottom of the Mercedes price range, but still bearing the marque's build quality.

Unfortunately, rust got to my MB wagon and someone totaled the coupe for me. Benzes are less popular around here than BMWs, so vintage bimmers are easier to find. I have an '83 633Csi in the garage as well as a couple E34 5 series cars that are my daily drivers. Here's a pic of the E34s, a 525i wagon and a 540i sedan. They're road warriors, not show cars.
View attachment 38058

 

[doneat54]

Last one.

A 1956 "Singlecab" VW pickup that I bought out of California in 2018. This was run until the 70s, then left in various places on a huge property near Atascadero. Left outside to give it some "prairie sunburn". Californians call it "rusty". This truck is incredibly original and has it's original engine. I have done a full "paint nothing" mechanical restoration on it. Of the 9 or so date coded parts that I took out of it while restoring it, every single one was dated 1 or 2 months before production of the truck.

But you want to talk about slow? This thing couldn't outrun a Rose Bowl Parade.

Factoid: The VW buses/trucks are only 9" longer than a Beetle. They are unibodies also, you can't "unbolt" the body like you can a Beetle.

 

[Car-Guy]

I have had a lot of people come up to me at chows and said the same thing. Marina Blue is the color name. Mine is 4 speed with bench seat.

Thinking about this a bit more and I do believe mine was a darker blue... Not 100% sure... I do remember thinking many, many years ago that all 66's were blue, but I've seen a few yellows, blacks and even a green one over the years... Still I'll bet 70+% of them were some shade of blue. It just seemed to be the right color for that car.

 

[arbeadub]

doneat54, I admire your restraint, I so want to get a scraper and flake that paint off. I would probably do too much damage and not make it better.

 

[doneat54]

doneat54, I admire your restraint, I so want to get a scraper and flake that paint off. I would probably do too much damage and not make it better.

I have a magnetic bumper sticker that I had made for it. It says "It IS painted."

 

[eytonxav]

This thread got me thinking about cars of past and cars of today... I love the 60's vintage cars... I guess because that's when I grew up and started to drive.

Back then, it was pure brute horsepower, real steel and leaded gas. High tech was a AM radio and an electric clock. Primary tools were, common sense, a hammer, pliers, screwdriver, and maybe some electrical tape... The sounds of dual exhaust, and a four barrel in a 427ci / 425hp engine was something to behold. Automatic transmissions (slush buckets) were a joke to real car nuts. 4 speed manuals were the only way to go.

Today, the the engines tend to be smaller but HP is much higher (or it can be anyway) and is much more technology driven. Today I've got a 6.2 liter (378 ci) blown motor that cranks out over 700hp from the factory with full warranty... Lot's of plastic and the inside is like a computer center. Automatic trans (8 speeds or better) are the only way to go today. Tools required, Masters in EE or CS...

Today's cars are more reliable (usually), safer (usually), faster, quicker, last much longer, get better gas mileage, etc, etc.

The list/comparisons go on forever... All in all, I love the 60's vintage cars, but I'll still take the latest and greatest ICE cars of today.

See, you can teach old dogs new tricks. Or if you like, change can be good, sometimes!

Still have my dwell meter and super sun timing light from back in the day. The other big difference between back then and now is tires. I went through my wide ovals in 3K miles and the traction sucked, while now you can still run some pretty respectable times with stock tires.

 

[arbeadub]

I have a magnetic bumper sticker that I had made for it. It says "It IS painted."

I have considered what has been done on some car shows where they treat the "patina" with some kind of inhibitor and clear over it. Most of my "Junque" is lucky if it gets the rattle can while I mumble "it rubs the lotion on its skin or it gets the hose".