El Camino Replacement

[Secret Chimp]

Having a wagon with all of the wagon space taken up by retarded airbag crap that's probably a third of the value of the car seems kind of dumb.

[hotrodalex]

Eh, practicality is not my main goal. I'd get a wagon because it looks cool.

[Soup DeVille]

Having a wagon with all of the wagon space taken up by retarded airbag crap that's probably a third of the value of the car seems kind of dumb.

The airbag stuff can be better hidden: and the tanks can really be all but eliminated.

[hotrodalex]

The seller says he has more pictures. Hopefully they show the interior and more of the airbag system, plus the undercarriage. I'll probably email him in the next couple of days. I need to do some research on El Camino prices and see if I can get enough money out of it. The main problem is that most of the nice stuff isn't on the car, so the buyer would still have to put it together and won't want to pay as much for it.

[cawimmer430]

Eh, practicality is not my main goal. I'd get a wagon because it looks cool.

Wagons are cool. Get this. 




If I was in America a used 1980s Ford LTD wagon or Chevy Caprice wagon would be the ultimate practical classic car to get IMO. 

[Secret Chimp]

Wagons are cool. Get this. 




If I was in America a used 1980s Ford LTD wagon or Chevy Caprice wagon would be the ultimate practical classic car to get IMO. 

SHUT THE FUCK UP

[GoCougs]

Nah, if you're going to go with a 4-door IMO stay away from anything in the '60s. If you're going to go 4-door, go '70s, and go Mopar. This is just a small smattering of Mopar big block-equipped battle wagons of the era. Also Google such marques as Plymouth Satellite and Dodge Monaco (Blues Bros.' mobile was a '74). Get one with a big block and you're in for some moderate good times.

1971 Plymouth Fury:



1978 Plymouth Fury:

[GoCougs]

'76 Fury. Looks in great shape. 39k original miles. Only a 318 though. Buy-it-now of $5,295.

[Rupert]

@ ^

[Secret Chimp]

Once again, Cougs has no idea what he's talking about.

"Buy from the decade where nobody gave a crap about build quality and the only thing lower than the 0-60 times were the compression ratios!"

[Rupert]

Next he'll tell us he thinks they look sexy.

[Soup DeVille]

Once again, Cougs has no idea what he's talking about.

"Buy from the decade where nobody gave a crap about build quality and the only thing lower than the 0-60 times were the compression ratios!"

Hey, if its what he likes, its what he likes.

Although I do have to recommend a v6 Camry over any of those...

[hotrodalex]

Cougs, I'm not necessarily looking for a 4 door. Not really looking for anything in particular. Basically anything under '72, since that's when emissions started to affect the cars and I don't want to have to deal with that. Plus the styling kind of went down hill after that. European or Japanese cars after '72 are fine, though.

Would you guys recommend a Porsche 914? I'm not sure how expensive they are to work on. Obviously not as cheap as a Chevelle or Camaro, but are they as bad as a 911?

[mzziaz]

You should have gotten a Ranchero in the first place.

But you are young enough to still learn, I guess.

Porsche = pricey parts, so get a good, complete one instead of a cheap project.

[omicron]

A fuselage Mopar is a great idea.

1971 Coronet

1964 Dodge 880

1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

1965 Thunderbird!!

1965 Corvair Turbo

1967 Chrysler 300

1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III

wugga

[2o6]

In all seriousness, what about an old Corona or Corolla?

[omicron]

In all seriousness, what about an old Corona or Corolla?

[GoCougs]

@ ^

Next he'll tell us he thinks they look sexy.

Once again, Cougs has no idea what he's talking about.

"Buy from the decade where nobody gave a crap about build quality and the only thing lower than the 0-60 times were the compression ratios!"

Nice anti-enthusiast I've-never-worked-on-car drivel you two turkeys. Get pasted by a '70s Mopar dreadnaught on the freeway lately or something? Ha, ha.

First, cars of the '70s are better built than the cars of the '60s, and when dealing with plebeian vehicles, they are no slower. Even in the '60s higher compression 4-bbl V8s were not all that common; the average was at best somewhere at about a mild 2-bbl small block.

Second, pretty much no car from the '60s has its original CR, and even if it did, by the time it mattered (greater than ~9:1 in the relatively few cars that had such CRs) you couldn't run it on today's gas anyway without retarding the timing (= killing performance). And also let's not forget non-hardened valve seats.

Take '70s big block Mopar dreadnaught, put in 3.55 gears and a mild cam, and you'd be squashing VW Porsche 944s and '60s Mopar small block wagons till the cows come home.

[GoCougs]

Cougs, I'm not necessarily looking for a 4 door. Not really looking for anything in particular. Basically anything under '72, since that's when emissions started to affect the cars and I don't want to have to deal with that. Plus the styling kind of went down hill after that. European or Japanese cars after '72 are fine, though.

Would you guys recommend a Porsche 914? I'm not sure how expensive they are to work on. Obviously not as cheap as a Chevelle or Camaro, but are they as bad as a 911?

IMO I wouldn't worry about the emissions stuff. Chances are that that stuff is still intact in this day and age is near nil (most jurisdictions stop emissions testing cars older than 30 years, but check your local laws), and if it is, at most it's catalytic converters and a smog pump, which are uber easy to remove.

Problem is with that fairly limited coin you're unlikely to find anything interesting + performance based/potential from the '60s that is in materially better condition than what you've got now.

Pretty much anything European from that era is going to be a major chore to keep on the road; more so than something "interesting" from Detroit.

[Secret Chimp]

First, cars of the '70s are better built than the cars of the '60s

stopped reading

[GoCougs]

Ha, ha, forgot the King Daddy of Mopar dreadnaughts: The '69 - '73 Chrysler Imperial. Some added benefits here - guaranteed big block 440, available in both sedan and coupe, 5,200 lb curb weight, and the addition of safety bumpers in '73 earned the Imp the envious title of being the longest post-WWII non-limo factory stock sedan ever at 236 in (for reference that is a full 4' longer than a modern Camry). There is enough Americanism in one lone example to send the Ruperts and Secret Chimps whimpering into the shadows:

1972 Chrysler Imperial, North Randall, OH.

[Tave]

Chimp actually owns a '67 Mopar, big guy.

[Rupert]

Cougs, I'm not necessarily looking for a 4 door. Not really looking for anything in particular. Basically anything under '72, since that's when emissions started to affect the cars and I don't want to have to deal with that. Plus the styling kind of went down hill after that. European or Japanese cars after '72 are fine, though.

Would you guys recommend a Porsche 914? I'm not sure how expensive they are to work on. Obviously not as cheap as a Chevelle or Camaro, but are they as bad as a 911?

Porsche parts are expensive, but the 914 is a simple enough car. It might be a PIA to work on because of the mid-engine, but I dunno. Browse the Pelican forums or Rennlist and find some common problems, then price the parts.

[Rupert]

@ Cougs

So sad.

[cawimmer430]

1971 Plymouth Fury:

This is awesome. Love that styling (wasn't it called it "Fuselage" or something?).  

The side mirror doesn't look original though. It should be glitzing in chrome!

[cawimmer430]

Ha, ha, forgot the King Daddy of Mopar dreadnaughts: The '69 - '73 Chrysler Imperial. Some added benefits here - guaranteed big block 440, available in both sedan and coupe, 5,200 lb curb weight, and the addition of safety bumpers in '73 earned the Imp the envious title of being the longest post-WWII non-limo factory stock sedan ever at 236 in (for reference that is a full 4' longer than a modern Camry). There is enough Americanism in one lone example to send the Ruperts and Secret Chimps whimpering into the shadows:

1972 Chrysler Imperial, North Randall, OH.

Oh yeah. Now that is pimp.   

[FoMoJo]

Close to your price range.  Not sure if they were exempt from emissions...http://www.fordbroncotrader.com/details.php?id=20485

[GoCougs]

Oh yeah. Now that is pimp.   

If you convert your post-an-American-car-in-every-thread-no-matter-the-subject Internetry to use only Fuselage Mopar, you will have an ally in yours truly.

[GoCougs]

Chimp actually owns a '67 Mopar, big guy.

Yo, dog - I know, I posted in the thread in the past. He's not a "Mopar guy" if he disses the Fuselage Mopar. He's just some knucklehead who says he owns a Dodge.

[hotrodalex]

The Datsun is moving up on the list. Throw some of my surfing window stickers on it, plus a roof rack + surfboard/skiis, and it would be just as sweet. Only worry would be my lack of experience with rotaries.

My dad will be home Thursday and we'll look at the El Camino's fender again. Today I kind of went back and forth on whether or not I actually want to sell it. I've put tons of work into it and I'd hate to sell it knowing it really just needs all of the parts put on it. The problem is that it's a huge pain to install said parts. So I don't know. I'll talk it over with my dad. The air ride wagon looks sweet, though I'd have to see a lot more pictures. There's some rust on the bottom rockers, so I'd have to thoroughly check out the undercarriage and frame. The Datsun doesn't look like it would need anything, except extra littles goodies.