Time Warp

[Jack Meoff]

Okay.....I know it's not a Mopar but....
The missus wanted to go for an ice cream yesterday....gorgeous day, why not hop in the Fifth and go to our local ice cream shop for a cone. We stopped at my buddy's on the way to see if he wanted to come with us but he was just making dinner.
He had this parked in front of his house.

1962 Mercury Comet straight six, three on the tree.
He's had it for a while and I've driven it before.
I jokingly said "Maybe I should take the Comet" and he tossed me the keys. My wife has never been in anything like this before so I thought she'd get a kick out of seeing what driving was like in 62.

Manual steering, manual brakes and a three on the tree.
Man what a blast!! I learned to drive a standard when I was a kid on a 62 Studebaker Lark....totally brought me back.
The missus was watching me drive it with a WTF look on her face....like I said....not a Mopar but man was that fun!
I might have to find myself an old Plymouth with a three on the tree now...a friend of mine just couldn't grasp the concept of how this bloody thing worked...don't think he's all that great with a stick to begin with and the idea that it was on the column just twisted his head.

Too much fun!!

 

[NoCar340]

There was a '69 Fairlane fastback with a 351 Cleveland 4V/C6 auto about a block from my house when I was a kid. Dark metallic red, tan interior, slots, white-letter bias-ply tires, HiJackers, floor shifter with the auto column still in place... a total blueprint-'70s hot rod. I used to go down and look at it once in awhile. I got to know the owner when I was 14-15 years old, and he offered me the car for $1,600. My folks wouldn't let me buy it. I still saw the guy from time to time over the next few years, and always asked about it. I hadn't seen him in quite sometime when I'd heard he passed away several years back. I always wondered about the Fairlane's fate.

I was helping a friend of mine move a couple years ago, and we had to stop by his work to get something out of the storage area. Lo and behold, there's the Fairlane. Untouched. Covered by dust. No worse than the last day I saw it as a young kid. It's an absolute time capsule from my childhood! I guess the guy put it in storage in 1993 and it's been there ever since. The family stopped paying storage on it when Tim died. The owner of the business will not release the car to the family unless they pay the storage. I asked my friend about it, and he said, "If you go in there and offer him maybe six, eight hundred bucks he'll let you take it." I'm in no way a Ford guy, but this is such a blast from the past that I really want to buy the car. I don't want to change anything about it. But, I have two cars already and no place to put the big fastback... plus, after 20 years of storage I'm thinking it needs some serious attention. So, for the time being it sits but I'd be lying if I said I'm not tempted to go buy it.

 

[Jack Meoff]

What are the odds of finding that car again??
That's very cool...but I hear what you're saying about space for it...

 

[ramenth]

But, I have two cars already and no place to put the big fastback... plus, after 20 years of storage I'm thinking it needs some serious attention. So, for the time being it sits but I'd be lying if I said I'm not tempted to go buy it.

Buy it. It'll give you something to drive while you're building the Challenger and the Imperial.

Seriously. The Old Man and I restored a '57 Dodge Coronet club coupe back in '99. It was parked in a barn since '69. Drained the tank, set the points, replaced the plugs and wires (broke my heart since we were pulling the original plugs and wires off it), rebuilt the fuel pump, changed the oil; it fired right off and held 60# of pressure at idle for the first few minutes. After warm-up the pressure fell to 40#.

We went through the brakes later on, flushed the coolant, serviced the trans, changed the P/S fluid, the owner had us put new rubber on it and away it went after we got the cosmetics done. I'd have driven that car anywhere if it was mine.

 

[ramenth]

From your two stories, it might be something about Ford.

I'm gnawing at the bit to get the '54 up and running. Disk brake conversion, keeping them manual, going with an electric wiper system in it and putting new rubber on it. Got to get the switches for the overdrive (Dennis Carpenter has 'em now) and put a set of new sneakers on it. Technically its the Old Man's car so we're going with what he wants done. Gonna lay the complete leather interior out of a '90 New Yorker we have, complete with power seats and seat belts.

That car is a blast to drive. That big ol' steering wheel filling the dash, the three on the tree. I drove it all summer one year as my daily driver (and if I can get it up and running will again) and with the OD I got 23mpg combined driving.

 

[Jack Meoff]

From your two stories, it might be something about Ford.

I'm gnawing at the bit to get the '54 up and running. Disk brake conversion, keeping them manual, going with an electric wiper system in it and putting new rubber on it. Got to get the switches for the overdrive (Dennis Carpenter has 'em now) and put a set of new sneakers on it. Technically its the Old Man's car so we're going with what he wants done. Gonna lay the complete leather interior out of a '90 New Yorker we have, complete with power seats and seat belts.

That car is a blast to drive. That big ol' steering wheel filling the dash, the three on the tree. I drove it all summer one year as my daily driver (and if I can get it up and running will again) and with the OD I got 23mpg combined driving.

Now that you mention the Ford thing....it's a wonder I became a Mopar guy.
Seems everybody had a Ford or a Chevy when I was growing up.
However I do remember when I fell in love with Mopars.
My dad's friend had a 68 Dart...a forest green four door, plain Jane, slant six.
I always thought it was very cool....but the big one was when my aunt pulled up in a 67 Polara and took me for a spin....the look of that thing and the way it felt on the road.....I was done like dinner on the old Chrysler cars.

That being said....there were some very cool off brands I remember growing up....the big LTD's, T birds, the 60's Pontiac's my uncle used to have.

But man....did driving that old Comet ever take me back....
What a time warp.....old cars are just too much fun....

 

[ramenth]

My old man was a diehard Ford trucks and AMC pass cars guy. He'd buy nothing but Ramblers and Jeeps when it came to haul us kids around and when it came time to haul the equipment it was nothing but Fords.

My sister gave him a '72 Duster that had been beat the shit out of. One of my sister's Navy peers bought the car, drove it to Texas. It blew up on the way there. He had a local vocational school's auto shop class rebuild the engine. They put a 360 in place of the 318, bolted it to the 904, converter and all. The engine mounts weren't bolted down. The damned thing knocked. Pop got it, pulled the pan off and found out some of the rod and main bearings weren't even installed when the school kids "rebuilt" it.

He got new bearings and some shim stock, since he couldn't afford to do it "right." He got a 727 with a 360 converter off one of the guys he worked with, along with a driveshaft the guy had laying around.

We drove that car to SC when my sister and her husband were re-assigned from Memphis to Charleston. Been sold on Mopars since.

But... there's still some Ford blood in me. Got the '78 F250 grandad bought new off the lot and bought my '89 F150 a few years ago to replace my Ramcharger. And nothing beats just cruising around in the '54.

 

[Jack Meoff]

My old man was a diehard Ford trucks and AMC pass cars guy. He'd buy nothing but Ramblers and Jeeps when it came to haul us kids around and when it came time to haul the equipment it was nothing but Fords.

My sister gave him a '72 Duster that had been beat the shit out of. One of my sister's Navy peers bought the car, drove it to Texas. It blew up on the way there. He had a local vocational school's auto shop class rebuild the engine. They put a 360 in place of the 318, bolted it to the 904, converter and all. The engine mounts weren't bolted down. The damned thing knocked. Pop got it, pulled the pan off and found out some of the rod and main bearings weren't even installed when the school kids "rebuilt" it.

He got new bearings and some shim stock, since he couldn't afford to do it "right." He got a 727 with a 360 converter off one of the guys he worked with, along with a driveshaft the guy had laying around.

We drove that car to SC when my sister and her husband were re-assigned from Memphis to Charleston. Been sold on Mopars since.

But... there's still some Ford blood in me. Got the '78 F250 grandad bought new off the lot and bought my '89 F150 a few years ago to replace my Ramcharger. And nothing beats just cruising around in the '54.

I'm pretty sure I'd be beaming like a kid driving your '54....
I never get a chance to drive 50's cars anymore.
Last one was about five years ago.
A friends 59 Impala....three on the tree....whatever the small Chevy 8 is....can't recall what it is.....but that was a lot of fun.
Big car!! Manual everything.
Before I took it out he told me.
"If you think it takes 100 feet to stop, hit the brakes when you're 300 away" :laughing6:

 

[Mr.Lopar]

was probably a 283
I've got the 70s n 80s taken car of, just gotta get the 46 goin so I can drive it
I would like to get a 50s Plymouth, and of course a 60s mopar of some sorts, gotta get one from each era

 

[Jack Meoff]

was probably a 283
I've got the 70s n 80s taken car of, just gotta get the 46 goin so I can drive it
I would like to get a 50s Plymouth, and of course a 60s mopar of some sorts, gotta get one from each era

For some reason I'm really digging those early 50's Plymouth business coupes.
And I'd love a 62 Valiant.....

 

[alf44]

the first car i remember my dad driving was a 61 plymouth wagon 4 door. next was a 59 chrysler saratoga 4 door with a transplanted 383,auto. looked kinda like christene in the movie,, but bigger,lol. dam that chrysler was fast for its size.. one morning my mom was taking us kids to school and a old lady ran a stop sign, hit the rear corner hard enough to spin us around. only damage was a dent by the gas filler door !tough beast

 

[Jack Meoff]

the first car i remember my dad driving was a 61 plymouth wagon 4 door. next was a 59 chrysler saratoga 4 door with a transplanted 383,auto. looked kinda like christene in the movie,, but bigger,lol. dam that chrysler was fast for its size.. one morning my mom was taking us kids to school and a old lady ran a stop sign, hit the rear corner hard enough to spin us around. only damage was a dent by the gas filler door !tough beast

When I was bringing my Caravelle back from the dead at my buddy's shop there was a guy two doors over working on a 59 Saratoga...
What a monster of a car!!

 

[alf44]

wish i can find one, and show my mom,lol she would love a ride.

 

[kkritsilas]

The first car that I can remember my dad having was a '57 Plymouth Belvedere. I'm pretty sure it was a 6 cylinder (don't know if it was a slant 6 or not) with a push button automatic. It had manual steering and brakes. He sold it off in 1966/1967. We nicknamed it the "Batmobile", as the TV show was running (and I was a huge fan, tuned in to every show, "same bat time, same bat channel"), and the fins on the Belvedere reminded us of the fins on the back of the TV show Batmobile (the original George Barris black and red one with the "turbine/rocket engine"). The original Batmobile was made from some Ford prototype that Barris got hold of.

Kostas

 

[ramenth]

The first car that I can remember my dad having was a '57 Plymouth Belvedere. I'm pretty sure it was a 6 cylinder (don't know if it was a slant 6 or not) with a push button automatic. It had manual steering and brakes. He sold it off in 1966/1967. We nicknamed it the "Batmobile", as the TV show was running (and I was a huge fan, tuned in to every show, "same bat time, same bat channel"), and the fins on the Belvedere reminded us of the fins on the back of the TV show Batmobile (the original George Barris black and red one with the "turbine/rocket engine"). The original Batmobile was made from some Ford prototype that Barris got hold of.

Kostas

Original '57 would have still had a flat head six.

 

[kkritsilas]

Ramenth:

Thanks for the information. I clearly remember how hot the vinyl seats got when it was sunny outside, and my dad struggling to get the car parked. He had built up some pretty big arms back then.

Kostas

 

[Jack Meoff]

Parallel parking my friends '59 Impala with manual steering was fun....

 

[Mr.Lopar]

with the power steering out on the stinkin Lincoln, I didn't even attempt to parallel park

 

[Jack Meoff]

with the power steering out on the stinkin Lincoln, I didn't even attempt to parallel park

I've found a dead pump is worse than no pump.

 

[Mr.Lopar]

probably cuz with the dead pump with no fluid, there was nothing but air in the system