14 thoughts on “Ford and Chevrolet Extravaganza! Instead of watching some old football game.”
I had a ’63 Econoline van with the gutless 144 straight six in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with left side cargo doors though.
Kind of a mopar guy, but you can’t beat the lines on the 67 Camaro. Had a 69 Galaxie 500 fastback with the 390 when I was a kid…man I wish I had that car back. Same with the 67 Coronet 440 I used to drive daily. Can’t beat old cars. Thanks for the photos.
I owned one of those 61 Ford Falcons back in 1975, fun car and spit and baling wire repairs were perfectly workable. Underbody rusted out but externally it looked great. Slamming a door or the trunk would deposit rust chips on the ground, and yet it ran without a hiccup. Fun times.
Yeah, in 1969 I had a neighbor sell me his 62 falcon…had 14,000 miles on the clock $140, with gas in the tank.
#1…I think I came a little.
T-Bird is a cute little cuss.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
I had a 68 Ford XL conv w/390 and it was a POS. Traded in for $50 bucks in 73 for my Challenger w/340 that I still have and cherish.
Regarding pic #6 “If this is the …” What is the oldest/newest vehicle that has NO computer chip in it. What year does a guy have to go back to, to get a naturally aspirated, carburated, non-electrically run vehicle.?
I’m not a car guy; ask me about medical stuff and you will be put to sleep with my droning.
Seriously thinking of getting a willy’s jeep…..
GM went to an HEI ignition in ’74, Ford had the Duraspark in ’73. I looked it up, and Mopar went to electronic ignition in ’72.
That is not to say you couldn’t convert later engines to a points ignition, but there is a limit. If the fuel system is electric and the transmission is electrically controlled, then points won’t work – essentially no EFI or Overdrive. Granted there are some mechanical OD transmissions, but they weren’t around long.
I had an ’81 Fairmont, with a 200 straight six, that I converted back to points. I ran it for years with the distributor out of an ’62 Falcon. It had a C4 transmission and a 1 barrel Carter carb.
Later I had a ’83 Monte Carlo that I swapped the electric Q-jet for a Holley, swapped out the remote HEI for a one-wire unit, then pulled the junk TH-200C for a straight TH-350. I could have easily put points in it.
My current truck is a 88 F250 – 351W with a Motorcraft/Holley 4 barrel and a C6 three speed automatic transmission. The ignition is DS-III, but I could drop a points ignition in it with no change in the way it runs. Though I would need to get a hardened distributor gear to work with the factory roller cam.
Essentially these are what you need to look for an TEOTWAWKI rig:
* – Mechanical 3 speed automatic or manual transmission.
* – The ability to run a mechanical fuel pump
* – The ability to source a carb intake manifold.
* – The availability of a points distributor that matches your combination.
The same can be applied to diesel vehicles as well. With the caveat that the injection pump has to be mechanical. 5.9 12 valve Cummins, 6.9 & 7.3 IDI Powerstroke, 6.2 & 6.5 Chevy.
Hell there are plenty of European cars that have small mechanical diesels – Volkswagen and Volvo being the two that come to mind. Though I would never own one in real life, I much rather ride around the end of the world in a Rabbit, than walk.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
To be perfectly honest, other than parts availability, you wouldn’t go wrong with an old Willy’s.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
The Ultimate Willys is the M-38A1, the predecessor to the early CJ-5, but a lot more rugged. Most Parts (Engine, Driveline, Brakes) still available. Only Strangeness is the 24-Volt Electrics- but the Starters and Generators can still be sourced from ‘surplus’ Rebuilders. If you put it back to full Mil-Spec Condition, with the Snorkel Kit you can Ford it up to your Neck in Water. Electrical System is 100% Mil-Spec EMP Proof, too.
After 1970, cars were wimps. After 1976, pickups became the same. I had 69 Mach I 428 SCH Drag Pac. Rear spoiler, louvers, shaker scoop. Put it on early 400 hp dyno for tune. Guy told me “Get this thing outa here!”
First car was a 4-door version of that 57 Chevy. Fun ride with a lot of room, and you could fix anything on it with a screw driver, an adjustable wrench and a hammer.
I had a ’63 Econoline van with the gutless 144 straight six in it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one with left side cargo doors though.
Kind of a mopar guy, but you can’t beat the lines on the 67 Camaro. Had a 69 Galaxie 500 fastback with the 390 when I was a kid…man I wish I had that car back. Same with the 67 Coronet 440 I used to drive daily. Can’t beat old cars. Thanks for the photos.
I owned one of those 61 Ford Falcons back in 1975, fun car and spit and baling wire repairs were perfectly workable. Underbody rusted out but externally it looked great. Slamming a door or the trunk would deposit rust chips on the ground, and yet it ran without a hiccup. Fun times.
Yeah, in 1969 I had a neighbor sell me his 62 falcon…had 14,000 miles on the clock $140, with gas in the tank.
#1…I think I came a little.
T-Bird is a cute little cuss.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
I had a 68 Ford XL conv w/390 and it was a POS. Traded in for $50 bucks in 73 for my Challenger w/340 that I still have and cherish.
Regarding pic #6 “If this is the …” What is the oldest/newest vehicle that has NO computer chip in it. What year does a guy have to go back to, to get a naturally aspirated, carburated, non-electrically run vehicle.?
I’m not a car guy; ask me about medical stuff and you will be put to sleep with my droning.
Seriously thinking of getting a willy’s jeep…..
GM went to an HEI ignition in ’74, Ford had the Duraspark in ’73. I looked it up, and Mopar went to electronic ignition in ’72.
That is not to say you couldn’t convert later engines to a points ignition, but there is a limit. If the fuel system is electric and the transmission is electrically controlled, then points won’t work – essentially no EFI or Overdrive. Granted there are some mechanical OD transmissions, but they weren’t around long.
I had an ’81 Fairmont, with a 200 straight six, that I converted back to points. I ran it for years with the distributor out of an ’62 Falcon. It had a C4 transmission and a 1 barrel Carter carb.
Later I had a ’83 Monte Carlo that I swapped the electric Q-jet for a Holley, swapped out the remote HEI for a one-wire unit, then pulled the junk TH-200C for a straight TH-350. I could have easily put points in it.
My current truck is a 88 F250 – 351W with a Motorcraft/Holley 4 barrel and a C6 three speed automatic transmission. The ignition is DS-III, but I could drop a points ignition in it with no change in the way it runs. Though I would need to get a hardened distributor gear to work with the factory roller cam.
Essentially these are what you need to look for an TEOTWAWKI rig:
* – Mechanical 3 speed automatic or manual transmission.
* – The ability to run a mechanical fuel pump
* – The ability to source a carb intake manifold.
* – The availability of a points distributor that matches your combination.
The same can be applied to diesel vehicles as well. With the caveat that the injection pump has to be mechanical. 5.9 12 valve Cummins, 6.9 & 7.3 IDI Powerstroke, 6.2 & 6.5 Chevy.
Hell there are plenty of European cars that have small mechanical diesels – Volkswagen and Volvo being the two that come to mind. Though I would never own one in real life, I much rather ride around the end of the world in a Rabbit, than walk.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
To be perfectly honest, other than parts availability, you wouldn’t go wrong with an old Willy’s.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
The Ultimate Willys is the M-38A1, the predecessor to the early CJ-5, but a lot more rugged. Most Parts (Engine, Driveline, Brakes) still available. Only Strangeness is the 24-Volt Electrics- but the Starters and Generators can still be sourced from ‘surplus’ Rebuilders. If you put it back to full Mil-Spec Condition, with the Snorkel Kit you can Ford it up to your Neck in Water. Electrical System is 100% Mil-Spec EMP Proof, too.
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After 1970, cars were wimps. After 1976, pickups became the same. I had 69 Mach I 428 SCH Drag Pac. Rear spoiler, louvers, shaker scoop. Put it on early 400 hp dyno for tune. Guy told me “Get this thing outa here!”
First car was a 4-door version of that 57 Chevy. Fun ride with a lot of room, and you could fix anything on it with a screw driver, an adjustable wrench and a hammer.