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its been a while…driving a car without power steering or power brakes is sort of madness.
I concur. Back in the early 70s, I purchased my first brand new car, a 1971 Chevelle SS454. Since it was an "end of the model year deal", I got a significant discount on the car, and was thrilled to have been able to purchase it. The thrill lasted for about 2 weeks, as I didn't realize that it didn't have power steering (it was still an option, back then), and that's most likely why this car was "left over".....and as I drove it home, for the first time, I'm thinking that it drives like a truck!!
My father had this beauty:
1966 Chevrolet El Camino
This picture is not my dad’s car, but it was nearly identical with the same color. Loved that car.
I have no experience with 40's or 50's cars but some with those from the 60's. In the 80's before my senior year in high school I received a family hand me down 1969 Mustang coupe with a 351 Windsor in it. The car had power brakes but no A/C or power steering. Was it fast? Oh hell yeah. It didn't take much effort to smoke some guy in his 1978 280Z who thought he could take me at a stoplight or keep pace with me on the freeway unless I let him. As fun as that was, if you pushed that car over 100 up to close to 110 (which I only ever did twice), it would get so damned squirrelly that you got the distinct feeling you were on the edge of losing control of the car. With respect to the lack of power steering that was fine, even when parallel parking, as long as the car was in motion. Once it wasn't, you had better have had your Wheaties that day because the amount of two handed cranking required just to turn the tires to get out of that spot you parallel parked into, qualified as a work out.
My journey into 60's cars continued when, for reasons I can't even explain, I became obsessed with suicide door Lincolns and just had to have one. The first one I ended up buying was a 1963 sedan which was technically a one owner car and had around eighty-some thousand miles on it. Painted in Bermuda Blue Poly with matching blue metallic leather, it was in near perfect condition. No matter where I took that car, people would always compliment the car and ask me a million questions about it. It came equipped with power everything except cruise control and automatic trunk release. Smooth running, almost whisper quiet, had a real solid quality to it, and was far more maneuverable than you would expect for a car its size. My grandfather, who drove Cadillacs, took a ride in it with me one day. Heading down the 5 Freeway at a leisurely 60 miles an hour, he turned to me and said "Your car rides better than my Cadillac" which was saying something given his car was only a month old. Overall the car was a great cruiser, fun to drive, and worked surprisingly well as a daily driver for the year I used it as one. To this day it's the one car I regret ever letting go of.
Next up was a 1968 Lincoln sedan. Pretty much the same experience as with the '63 as far as ride, handling, and amenities went. The only real difference was it was a bit longer and had a 462 in it which made it a bit more peppier than the '63 which had a 430 under the hood. Not that the '63 ever felt underpowered, but the difference in acceleration was very noticeable. Regardless, the '68 was a great car to have owned.
Lastly, on a whim, I picked up a 1970 Lincoln sedan because it was just too cheap to pass up. Now that was a big car and it rode like one. Everything that has ever been said about 70's American cars being boat-like and wallowy was on full display in this car, and made the '63 feel almost sporty in comparison. Not that it was a bad thing though. It was one of the many charms of owning and driving a car of that vintage because it reminds you of a time that has long since passed. I kept this one longer than I kept the other two, but did finally let it go when I moved to another state and had no room to garage it.
My 60's and 70's car days are a bit behind me now, but if you were to ask me if I would ever buy another car from either of those time periods, I probably would. It might be another Lincoln but only if it was a 1961 or another 1970, '71, or '72 sedan. Or I might give Chrysler a shot and try a 1964 to 1971 Imperial or a New Yorker. As for anything American built after 1973, that would be a "no go" for me. The addition of smog equipment, lower octane fuels, and engine detuning to meet emissions standards didn't do any cars, especially larger ones, any favors. A big car with a big engine, generating horsepower ratings that are positively anemic is not a winning combination.
Parents had a '65 Impala with the 327. It was a fast car that I learned to drive on. Dad had a '59 Chevy fleetside with 6cyl. 3 on the tree. Had the starter on the left side of the floor and the choke on the dash. It took a lot of practice to learn to drive standard but I was sure grateful. While I would like a '59 or '60 Caddy, it would probably turn out to be a money pit as I don't have the tools or the know how to keep it running.
I don't miss vapor lock and the drum brakes that give out during rain storms. Also, that pickup had those vacuum windshield wipers , LOL . Sloppy handling . That Impala was not much fun on winding roads.
Yes, the good thing was that they were simple to work on, but the bad thing was that they always needed attention. Nowadays a car might go 100k miles without a tuneup. Back then at 100k miles the car might be heading for the junkyard.
I think they were underrated as far as longevity.
My '66 Dodge Dart GT V-8 easily went over 150,000 miles with the original engine and transmission (not rebuilt). And I did not drive gently... numerous burnouts (see photo) and winding 1st gear to 40 mph and 2nd gear to 70 mph. Same with my brother's '66 Plymouth Fury III (318 engine).
My mom's '70 Cadillac Coupe de Ville went over 200,000 miles with the original transmission. And a friend's '66 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham had 218,000 miles when he sold it- original transmission.
That would be more economical and easy to service today, than a Tornado or Riviera or similar Cadillac. Buicks and Oldsmobile from 1956 - 1970 would be a reasonable cruiser today. Quiet, comfy, large, heavy.
That would be more economical and easy to service today, than a Tornado or Riviera or similar Cadillac. Buicks and Oldsmobile from 1956 - 1970 would be a reasonable cruiser today. Quiet, comfy, large, heavy.
I had a 78 Continental mark v diamond jubilee edition for twenty years.
Loved that car.
It was the most beautiful, luxury, best riding vehicle I have ever owned.
You don't have to get a CA smog check with old cars, they didn't have any smog controls. I hate smog check.
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1966 Chevrolet El Camino
