Yeah, what is that, anyway? I used to think it was a Roadmaster with the roof chopped off. :/ *shame*

There's only 1 four door, suicide door, American convertible that I know of ;)

-J

Yep, my Lincoln.. 1967, they made approx. 2300 of 'em..We THINK there are 7-800 survivors..

I do recall some structural issues with 'em but yours does appear to be a nice clean example!

wow ... this thread has brought back memories of my '82 Mercury Lynx
was young and had $ ... didn't know any better at the time ... live and learn
bought it new from Marion Ford Lincoln Mercury
been 31 years so I don't remember what the sticker price was
a pretty little thing, 2 door hatchback, black with red vinyl interior, am radio and a/c ...

so weak the engine was I never turned the a/c on until it reached cruising speed, and had to switch it off if I was in heavy traffic and needed acceleration
enormous keys!!! what a dumb idea Ford had there
paper thin driver and passenger door window glass
interior vinyl, panels and carpet faded rapidly and driver seat cracked
dash actually came loose from firewall ... had to find a long Phillips screwdriver and tighten screws
blew head gasket for no known reason, H2O pump went out, timing belt jumped teeth before scheduled replacement
relay in a/c went out ... jumpered it rather than spend a fortune for replacement
hydraulic lifters for hatchback lasted maybe 2 years


... but it did have 4 Michelin XZX radial tires ... lasted the life of the car

don't miss the car at all

should have kept the "73 AMC Hornet Levi's Edition

One of my customers was a diesel mechanic and his grocery getter for many, many years was an Escort diesel. Had to be a rare bird! Early 80s. He may still have it. One thing I always used to notice about the (gas) Escorts was how buzzy the engine was. I'm guessing bad motor mounts? Never noticed it with the Focus.

I still see a fair number of K-cars on the road. Lots of older folks who don't run their cars too hard...one couple I know have been running a Reliant wagon forever. I probably see a half-dozen Aries/Reliants for every Citation these days.

Re: weak engines, I was dating this girl and she had a genetic disposition for lousy cars. (among the jewels she drove while I knew her were a Chevette, a turd-brown 4cyl/4spd 83 Ranger and a Buick Regal that must not have had any shock absorbers left at all-one of the most dangerous things I ever drove) At one point her parents managed to buy a used Geo Metro 4dr with a 3 cyl and AT. I remember us all piling in the car one night, they were going down the highway at maybe 50mph and decided to turn the AC on. Comical-it really was like throwing out an anchor. I think it lost 10mph!

I knew someone that had a diesel Chevette years ago!! Ok, it was his girlfriends car at the time but I did ride in it once!

As I recall, the 1961-69 Lincolns used suicide doors to ease the stress on the then-new unibody construction.

In Canada, the Pontiac T1000 was badged as the Pontiac Acadian. It and the Chevette were produced until 1987.

I knew someone with an '84 or '85 Oldsmobile Omega. It ended up needing an engine job when someone dropped part of a spark plug into the head, which blew a hole in a piston when the engine was turned over.

Wow, I remember Marion Ford. When I was a teenager my Dad's Town Car had the water pump go out on the way home from KY and had it fixed there. Must have been a weakness with the 351 because two years later it went out again when we were in Branson.

When I was at SIU I used to walk up to Vogler Ford in Carbondale when they were on the strip and look at all the new cars and get brochures. I actually won a car from them at a Saluki baseball game. I had the choice of taking the car or taking $100. I took the money. That should tell you how good the car was!

Not really, they pop up on eBay every now and then. The Escort and Lynx were available with a diesel engine for the 1984-87 model years. The diesel engines were Mazda-built and are known for cracked heads.

I know about a dozen quick fixes for Chevette problems. That's the problem with having been in the parts business for 25 years, you're left with a lot of outdated useless knowledge :)

I remember the days when parts stores were stocked with whole aisles of e-brake cables, carb kits, ignition tune up stuff, and bondo. Not so anymore. I laughed pretty hard when a guy ahead of me in line came in for points and condenser for a 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis, and everyone in the store including the manager couldn't find the application :D.

I came up to the manager and said "Ford hasn't used points since 1974".

Newbies.....

That last story, talk about the blind leading the blind!

Whenever I think of an Omega I think of a customer I had, and older Scottish gentleman (least I think that was where he was from, his accent was hard to peg.) He kept that Olds as clean as a pin, and it was a really pretty shade of green. Often wonder what became of him and that car.

Well, yes, & no. When they were introduced for the 1961 model year, there was a resonance that manifested itself at hiway cruising speeds..The solution was to place 4 50 lb weights in the front fenders & the tail, they acted as harmonic balancers. Occasionally, a convertible could be parked on uneven ground in such a way that the doors wouldn't open easily.. The WORST thing was to be rear-ended in a collision, they tended to collapse at the rear edge of the back doors. My car, I've had it to an indicated 100 MPH, & it had PLENTY left, had I wanted to "Press the Issue"... But I backed down, as I thought, you're in a 25 yr old car w/questionable brakes, loosy-goosy front end, no top..So I slowed down to a mere 70, as if that would have made a whole HELLUVA lot of difference..The problem w/these barges was their WEIGHT... My pervertible weighs in at something like 5500 lbs..W/o me in it. The only heavier production cars were the Caddy Fleetwood limos..After a couple of panic stops from hiway speeds, stopping was an article of Faith.. But most of these were driven quite sedately, so they never really had to explore the limits of the car's suspension/braking abilities..

egrand,
have purchased a bunch of vehicles from Marion Ford
82 lynx, 4 ranger pickups, hyundia tiburon, a ford contour that the salesman told me was the 1st of that model they had sold, and a mercury mystique
once was a great place to buy vehicles...but the new owners have destroyed that place...woudn't wish that experience on anyone now
never have purchased from Vogler...I drive within a block of their old location on hwy 51 every day...think they still own the building and use as a parts warehouse

Well my daily driver is an '89 Ford Probe, basically a rebodied mazda 323.

as for my projects..

1966 volvo 122s wagon
1964 honda trail 90 motorcycle
1939 dodge roadster pickup
1939 plymouth roadster

I remember when those Probes came out, I was a detailer at a Ford dealership at the time. They came with a sheet of paper on the front seat, showing how the plastic clips that were on the rear window were to hold the glass to the frame of the rear window while the adhesive cured during transport. I still have one of those papers :)

They had a Nascar edition (as I remember) turbo in 89 too. I LOVED those. Fast as hell :)

I brive a dus ..... i dus a brive

The Honeymooners was an honestly funny series. I liked the mother in law. She could really get to him.
BTW, the TV's shown on the series, weren't Dumonts, they were CBS-Columbia's. :scratch2:

Not sensible as every day transport but I've driven about 25k miles in the last 20 years in this.

Peter


http://www.nostaliatech.co.uk/ss_jaguar.htm
https://i.postimg.cc/KzQ8TTzs/JVS-002.jpg

Wow...... nice little car ya got there.....

Thanks SB. It was one of the fastest saloons on British roads back in the 1930s (0 to 60mph in 17 secs) but most modern cars today can leave it standing.

Peter

This list was compiled by the Autocar in 1936 and the accompanying text highlights how few saloons had more than 3HP/100lb weight.

I have highlighted them with red dots.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...powerLarge.jpg

Figures the Scotch would name styles of cars after American slang for establishments that serve alcohol...Was it okay to consume alcohol in your saloons back in the day?

Gorgeous car and gorgeous countryside there Peter. I bet you've had a lot of great trips in it.

I'm surprised to see Railton listed as an American car. I know the frame was imported from Hudson in the States, but everything else was made in Britain, wasn't it?

The frame AND engine and transmission were Hudson so it was really only the body that Railton added. The straight eight was a nice fast car. Went up Brooklands 1 in 3 test hill from a standing start and lept over the top!

http://www.classiccar.com/forum/uplo...6036346920.jpg

I guess back then it was ok to drive whilst tanked up but you needed to close one eye to do it or you kept having to choose which road to take.

Peter :zoom:

Looks like something out of Bonnie and Clyde, but flipped.

Currently I drive nothing. -_-

Battery is bone dead. And because my job recruiter kept blowing me off, I have no job, and a negative checking account. I am done for now. Damnit! Batteries warranty is done too.

Ah, wouldn't it be a thrill today if we could race around Brooklands in one of these cars...

Thanks for the clarification. I really like most pre-war British cars, but I think a few really stand out like the Jags. I like most of their post-war cars too until the Mark 1. Not that it was a bad looking car by any means, but they seemed to lack the elegance of the earlier sedans (saloons to you).

Especially if it was the ultimate Brooklands gladiator (John Cobb's Napier-Railton)..

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...s_1447436c.jpg

There is still a tremendous atmosphere just standing on the parts of the banking that remain.

The 1950s wasn't really a very good period for saloon/sedan elegance (with the odd exception from the likes of Citroen). I agree that the Mark I could be better but the Mark II was much improved with its thin framed side windows.

Peter

Well, the early postwar years were a sellers' market, they could sell anything/everything they could push out the factory doors... This situation lasted here in America at least until 1949-50. Only then did you see "Progress" being made in automotive design, I.E. more power & ease of control. its also when the car companies got a formula-Front Engine, rear drive, & set about perfecting it, making the car as reliable w/as little maintenance from the owner. That "Formula" lasted into the 1970s-early eighties, til the front engine/front wheel drive package began to dominate, as it still does today.

Just recently purchased this 2011 Ford F-150 XL. It has the V6 with a 6sp automatic. Just about 43,000 miles on it.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps40b49f19.jpg

This is my 1969 Ford F-100 Custom Heavy Duty Special. I've had it for over 3 years now. It was bought new here in Phoenix and has spent its entire life here. Slowly restoring it. It has a 360 V8 with a 4spd manual.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps726443c1.jpg

Just acquired this from my father-in-law. 1956 Thunderbird
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0efaf759.jpg


This is my dad's 1960 Thunderbird that one day will be mine. It has the 352 V8 automatic with factory pwr windows and a/c.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4166d8f7.jpg

This 1981 Delorean, I had to sell about 3 years ago. Needed the money. I still miss it. One day I will get another one. Took 5 years to restore it.
http://i1274.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6b4ae8d8.jpg

I also had a 1974 Gran Torino that got wrecked about 5 years ago. I loved that car.

Not quite as nice as some of the cars here, but this little guy got me around for almost 8 years. It was my first car, a 1989 Ford Festiva my neighbor sold me shortly after I turned 15.

It was really run down (I got it for $200) and nobody expected the car to last long, but I proved them wrong by buying a repair manual and learning how to fix it. The car never left me stranded, and I drove it cross-country several times.

I sold it to a mechanic, who still drives it daily, when I got a 2006 Toyota Rav4. It's nice having a newer car, but it just doesn't have the character my Festiva had.

Another vehicle I had, which I still regret selling, was this 1976 Ford Courier. Probably the only truck I've driven that got 40 mpg.

I found it on Craigslist as a project that never got finished. The guy had already done some bodywork and fixed a bunch of mechanical issues. All I had to do was drop in the newly rebuilt engine.

It was a fun, quirky little truck. Driving it was a real learning experience. It introduced me to the world of points and condensers, lap seatbelts, choke knobs, non-power steering, mechanical lifters and manual drum brakes.

Sadly, times were tight and I had to sell the Courier. I really should have sucked it up and kept the truck, I've never seen another quite like it.

Somehow that looks more like a Toyota than a ford to me.

Almost...it's a rebadged Mazda B1800

Tim, great to see that Courier! My father had one in the late 70s, it was his "gas crunch" vehicle. Man, that thing was tough. I remember him stacking firewood until it was above the cab roof, constantly abusing that thing. People told him it would be worn out at 50k. Sure enough, as soon as the odometer rolled over it started burning oil like crazy.

Festivas always seemed to popular with mechanics...when they were new there were several guys at the local Ford dealer shop who used them as daily drivers. My wife had one before we met, totalled when somebody rear ended her at a stoplight.

Thanks!

The Northwest is a virtual museum of old cars. Stuff you'd never see anywhere else still roams the roads. Classic Minis (sold new here in the 60s), WWII-era farm trucks, DeLoreans, Yugos, Checker Marathons, Honda CVCCs, Daihatsu Rockys...you name it, it's probably out there.

I liked the Festiva because it was a very simple car. Not much to go wrong and very easy to fix. Which is probably what made it popular with mechanics. And virtually every part interchanged with Kias and Mazdas. To this day Festivas have quite a cult following.

Those Couriers didn't survive the years well, unfortunately. They were built with thin sheet metal and the tiny engine wasn't powerful enough. Despite all that, they could handle a real pounding and never complained. Mine had a pretty rough life, and was cobbled together with the best of a half dozen trucks.

You ever seen a Mazda REPU? It was a variant of a Courier with a rotary engine. Incredibly rare and probably the only rotary-powered truck ever made.


-Tim

I've only seen the REPU (I didn't know it by name until you mentioned it) in pictures. As a little kid I thought my Dad was saying that his truck had a "Monza" engine! I used to always sit in the middle of the seat and he would let me do the shifting while he worked the clutch. One of his favorite things to do: just near our house was what passes as a hill around here (not much of one!) and every time we would get to that spot in the road Dad would kill the ignition, let it coast down the hill, then turn the key back on causing a real nice series of backfires. He did that pretty much every single time-I'm sure the neighbors were thrilled! Another time I recall him driving through a corn field, around harvest time...I'm not sure why he would have done that, but I was by his side as usual and it was a ball...there were so many cornstalks stuck in the front that he had to pull the grille off to clean it out. He had rollbars on it, and painted it about once a year. (started off baby blue, then it was white, then finally a pretty dark blue metallic) When he went to trade it in (on a used '76 Dodge D100) the salesman made the mistake of not taking the Courier for a test drive, so he found out too late about all the blue smoke.

Sounds like you had a fun Dad! Couldn't see mine ever driving through cornfields or letting me shift.

I used to do the exact backfiring trick your Dad did. It would also backfire if I let the clutch go too quickly while the engine was still cold. The neighbors probably rejoiced when I finally sold it.

Usually you hear about the dealer nickle-and-diming people on their trade ins. Sounds like your Dad turned the tables on them. I know I'd be grinning from ear to ear if I traded in my beater and they didn't bother to take it for a spin...

worked on many of those courier trucks back in my wrenching days.i liked them.i also liked the ford pinto.saw many of those with well over 150k on them and still going strong.my current daily driver is a 1995 cadillac hearse.55k with a red leather interior.350 LT1 under the hood that gets 27 mpg on the highway.intown i can get 21 mpg.i get many strange looks and some people actually pull over when they see me coming

Haha :D

I like the 1975-78 Mercury Bobcat wagons, the Pinto is just slightly too plain looking for my liking. Then for 1979-80, the Bobcat shared front-end sheet metal with the Pinto, so I don't care much for either of those.