Old Car Pics

[MoparDan]

I was at my Dodge dealer today getting a tire rotation & alignment on my Durango. They had several old cars on display in the showroom, so I took a few pics.

[Ray1936]

Sweet! You can park that '59 Dodge in my garage any day. There was a time when I thought that was the most beautifully designed car ever.

Tail fins. Sigh.

[MoparDan]

Just for you Ray! It even has your name in Spanish on the license plate: "REY".
I sure wouldn't mind having that for a Saturday night cruiser as it is a creampuff. I tried taking a picture of the interior but the windows were up. All you could see was the reflection of the lights instead of the chromed dash & push button transmission.
My best friend of 40+yrs Mark took me to pick up the Durango & we checked out the Challenger SRTs. According to a salesman, despite the woes Chrysler is experiencing, the SRT & RT are still hot sellers. Mark owned a '70 440 'Cuda when we were in HS; he sold it in '81 when he & his wife were expecting their first child. It was in running condition & needed some work, but he had trouble unloading it at just $1200! I bet he could get around $50k today, even though it needed more bodywork/paint. How the times have changed!

[Ray1936]

That plate would be fine if only it wasn't a California plate, Dan. Everytime I see a driver doing something goofy out here in NV, I notice that the car has a CA plate.

Sort of like Ontario drivers in Michigan. [[Wooops....sorry 'bout that, you Windsor DY'ers.......)

[eriedearie]

Mopardan - those are soooo sweet lookin'! - One of my friends had the '59 in shades of brown that we would cruise all around in. Made many a trip through A&W, Woods, Teds, and Big Boy Drive Inns in her vehicle. Thanks for sharing those sweet pics~! That's when cars had Style!

Sort of like Ontario drivers in Michigan. [[Wooops....sorry 'bout that, you Windsor DY'ers.......)

LOL - hubby drives like an outta towner when we go over the river - that's why I drive - taught at Pershing how to handle a car, raised on freeway driving. If you're going 70 mph or less, stay in the right lane or you deserve whatever happens to ya!

[MoparDan]

LOL
I know where y'all are coming from. I still see Californicators driving their Hummers here; the latest seems to be an influx of Floridians.

There's a Mopar yard I go to occasionally. A few yrs back I was there when they were clearing out a bunch of their late 50s/early 60s stuff to be crushed...a few old Senecas, Coronets, etc.
Here's a link to their page to witness American Iron being compacted only to be eventually shipped off to the Chinese or Indians to sell it back to us. To paraphrase Lee Iaccoca: "What do you call a country that sends out raw materials only to buy it back as finished goods? A colony."
http://www.drmopar.com/funstuff/funstuff.html
Ok, I'll get off my soapbox.

[Jman]

Here's one I wish I would have kept. I sold it in 2004. Lousy pic but all I can find right now.

[Jman]

Mopardan, I don't know if you ever heard of Woodward but I used to cruise Woodward in this 57 Plymouth starting in late 56.

[Redleg81]

Thanx for the pics guys-- Reminds me of my dad's '59 Dodge custom Royal. After all these years [[the car is long gone), I still think the quad rocket tail lights and the swivel front seats it had were "awesome" -- Even to this day!

[MoparDan]

Mopardan, I don't know if you ever heard of Woodward but I used to cruise Woodward in this 57 Plymouth starting in late 56.

I've heard of Woodward before. That Belvedere is SWEET! The GTX is hot too...a co-worker is restoring a '67.
I can't even imagine what Detroit was like 40-50yrs ago when American Iron & Muscle ruled the roads. I knew a guy in the USAF back in the 80s who told me he worked on one of the Plymouth lines & helped build the Roadrunner he ordered.
I grew up next to one of the air bases in San Antonio & Military Dr was one of the main drags. We'd see servicemen racing their Muscle/Pony cars., the Low Riders from the Barrio & some of the high schoolers showing off their rides. I used to cruise my '73 & '74 Charger SEs up & down that plus a few other drags in town. Unfortunately a girlfriend totalled my '74...still makes me sick thinking about it! Anyway, I imagine Woodward had to be a much larger version of that.
I found this on the web. If I could ever get my '73 to see the daylight again, I'd love to attend. Even my wife who isn't into cars much would like to go, so that's saying a lot!
http://www.woodwarddreamcruise.com/

[Ray1936]

Mopardan, I don't know if you ever heard of Woodward but I used to cruise Woodward in this 57 Plymouth starting in late 56.

There are two movies that feature '57 Plymouths. The first is Stephen King's "Christine", the Plymouth with an evil mind of its own, and the other is "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World", where the taxis driven by Rochester and Peter Falk are a highlight of the latter part of the film.

[eriedearie]

Oh MoparDan - you wouldn't believe the muscle cars, classic cars, Model Ts, etc. at the Woodward Dream Cruise every year. Cruisers come from everywhere to be a part of it. It is a blast! We've gone just about every year and had sooooo much fun. It is a real big celebration for the Motor City that takes place over miles and miles of Woodward Avenue. If you ever get a chance to come up north, try and schedule your time around cruise weekend. If you're a fan of Detroit steel, you won't leave here dissappointed.

One of my friends who is a real motorhead - that weekend is his Christmas!

[ccbatson]

The dream cruise is one of this area's jewels. Another, is the Meadowbrook Concourse De Elegance....a must see.

[Jman]

Ray, I haven't seen It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World in over 40 years so I don't remember the cars. Now I need to watch it again. Christine however was a 58 Plymouth Fury as evidenced by the the fact that it had 4 headlights. First year the Feds would allow them. By the way, 56, 57 and 58 Furys only came in one color, sort of a light beige or cream. I think it was called Sand. Christine was painted red for a more sinister look.

Mopardan, do yourself and your wife a favor and come up here to see the Woodward Dream Cruise. More Mopars than you can shake a stick at. I sold my last muscle car just last week. I'm getting to old to fool with them but I'll still go to the cruise.

[Mikeg]

Here's the first of three web pages full of photos I took during a one hour span at the 2005 Woodward Dream Cruise.

[Jman]

Great photos Mikeg. I got a big kick out of the Eliminader.

[MoparDan]

Excellent pics & good info from all y'all!
I know my wife would have a good time...she may act like she doesn't like cars but when she sees a nicely restored classic/muscle machine cruise by, well she changes her tune.
We had beautiful weather on Saturday & saw a few cruisers out & about on the way to my daughter's soccer game. Just more inspiration to get serious about my own beast. There's an area not far from us called Oak Hill & people gather on Sat nights with their rides when the weather permits. Next time I go I'll try to snap a few pics.

[Ray1936]

Here's the first of three web pages full of photos I took during a one hour span at the 2005 Woodward Dream Cruise.

Loved 'em all except for the funny car on three wheels. That ain't nothing but California stupid in my book.

The '49 Ford is prolly my fav.

[Stosh]

I'm sure that this site has been listed here before, but I'm going to have to add it in as a great source for old car advertisements [[and other items) from the 40's through the late 60's. Link is www.plan59.com.

1960 Dodge Polara below.

Attachment 891

[MoparDan]

I'm sure that this site has been listed here before, but I'm going to have to add it in as a great source for old car advertisements [[and other items) from the 40's through the late 60's. Link is www.plan59.com.

1960 Dodge Polara below.

Attachment 891

Sweet! Thanks for the link too!

[56packman]

Nice pictures. The Mopar muscle cars of the 60s and early 70s are currently enjoying a high popularity and high prices at auctions. That said, they are some of the worst built cars in the history of the US auto industry. They have great [[no really, GREAT) drivetrains, installed in some of the most marginal bodies ever constructed. The cars used to rust before you were done with the payments [[24 month loans back then, kiddies) and the door glass rattles back and forth in the door when you close it with the windows down. The interiors started coming apart at the seams before the last coupon in the book was torn out.
To quote a retired Chrysler engineer: "We made some of the best components in the industry and some of the worst cars" Chrysler did have the willingness to let their product people and engineers make fast cars, and they made a lot of hay during the era.
Body fabrication at Chrysler went into the dumper with the introduction of the 1957 bodies, they rushed what was to become the 1958 body a year ahead of schedule, catching the competition by suprise. The '57 bodies were the first designed and built 100% by Chrysler, prior to that Briggs Mfg. did most of the non-styling body design, the metal behind the outer skin that makes a car body work, or not work. Chrysler bought Briggs in December of 1953, and used designs Briggs had already completed for the 1955 and '56 years. Chrysler really didn't make a body that was up to par with GM and Ford until the great influx of managers from Ford that came in with Iacocca.
There was also a culture at Chrysler plants to bang work out as fast and furious as possible, and machienry could be worn past its usable age and still kept in service, Chrysler bought used presses from GM, they retired them due to age and wear, Chrysler would buy them and keep using them.
A car is the total package, you can't take any major [[or minor) parts for granted, a great engine and bulletproof transmission do not a whole car make.

[rb336]

The dream cruise is one of this area's jewels. Another, is the Meadowbrook Concourse De Elegance....a must see.

ah, the days when automotive design was truly an art form

[ccbatson]

We have modern beauties as well. Viper......ummm, well, we have the Viper. Huh? ready to go extinct you say? Well, OK, We have modern beauties until the late 90s.

I would count the Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, but, they are copies of former designs.

[oladub]

Goodbye Pontiac-

Close the door and turn up the speakers and sing the eulogy. Might as well have some fun at the wake.

First the words so you can sing along-

Little GTO, you’re really lookin’ fine
Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389
Listen to her tachin’ up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine
C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO

You oughta see her on a road course or a quarter mile
This little modified Pon-Pon has got plenty of style
She beats the gassers and the rail jobs, really drives 'em why-ee-eye-ild
C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO
~ Ronnie and the Daytonas

Then the song. Hell yes, Americans know how to build cars.

Little GTO by Ronnie and the Daytonas -- GTO's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44kg0...eature=related

[reddog289]

Damn parental controls, Found this now I gotta log off.