Questions about the Early 70s Muscle Car Experience

[Downunderwonder]

That is the '69 Ford (Fairlane body) 428 Cobra Jet. They made Mustang body, Torino body and Fairlane body with the same package. Check my replies above for other photos of them.

According to Wikipedia the bodies of 69 Torino and Fairlane had the same codes. Choice of sports back and regular two door. Different motors and trim but 428 Cobras were undifferentiated between Torino and Fairlane again. What a bird's nest. That black one could be anything!

 

[Guild B301]

According to Wikipedia the bodies of 69 Torino and Fairlane had the same codes. Choice of sports back and regular two door. Different motors and trim but 428 Cobras were undifferentiated between Torino and Fairlane again. What a bird's nest. That black one could be anything!

I don't know that Wikipedia says is always right, but the dealerships usually referred to the fastback as the Torino. Because you could get a plain Torino without the big engine. The Fairlane was what they usually called the regular back window. Because, without the fancy engine and hood scoop, it was the same as the Fairlane model. The 428's were only available as 2 door models, but plain Fairlane's were available as a 4 door. I don't guess Torino's could have been 4 door. But they very well may have had the same codes. You are right, any old car discussion becomes a birds nest after many years of misinformation and guesswork. I only know this much, because we had the red one I referred to above. I never even had a chance to see more than one or two others in person.

 

[Mike N]

According to Wikipedia the bodies of 69 Torino and Fairlane had the same codes. Choice of sports back and regular two door. Different motors and trim but 428 Cobras were undifferentiated between Torino and Fairlane again. What a bird's nest. That black one could be anything!

Speak softly carry a big stick. There's nothing like a wolf in sheep's clothing, car wise.

I'm currently looking to do a single turbo LS swap into my 81 Camaro..... I'll ditch the cowl induction hood for a flat one to further inhance the sleeper effect.

 

[Downunderwonder]

I don't know that Wikipedia is always right, but the dealerships referred to only the fastback as the Torino. Because you could get a plain Torino without the big engine. The Fairlane was what they called the regular sloped back window. Because, without the fancy engine and hood scoop, it was the same as the Fairlane model. The 428's were only available as 2 door models, but plain Fairlane's were available as a 4 door. But they very well may have had the same codes.

There's fastback Torinos and fastback Fairlanes but they were officially Sport Roof models. Now people take the Torino and Fairlane off and put Cobras and 428 badges left and right and you wouldn't know what it came from factory dressed as.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Speak softly carry a big stick. There's nothing like a wolf in sheep's clothing, car wise.

I'm currently looking to do a single turbo LS swap into my 81 Camaro..... I'll ditch the cowl induction hood for a flat one to further inhance the sleeper effect.

I wonder if Pigpen's head is still spinning ? Is it a Fairlane or a Torino or even a genuine Cobra? Does it matter that it doesn't have the induction hood which was authentically missing from a few early 69 Cobra's? Is the paint hiding a heap of rust? Can he afford 4$ a gallon gas and 7L of engine anyway? Manual or auto?

 

[Guild B301]

I wonder if Pigpen's head is still spinning ? Is it a Fairlane or a Torino or even a genuine Cobra? Does it matter that it doesn't have the induction hood which was authentically missing from a few early 69 Cobra's? Is the paint hiding a heap of rust? Can he afford 4$ a gallon gas and 7L of engine anyway? Manual or auto?

Yes, I probably shouldn't have even suggested this one. Maybe he should stick with the SS! Ours was an automatic. Ours had the induction hood with the pins that held the hood closed. BTW, ours got a lot of rust on the floor. You probably know more than I do. Nice to see someone still knows about these.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Yes, I probably shouldn't have even suggested this one. Maybe he should stick with the SS! Ours was an automatic. Ours had the induction hood with the pins that held the hood closed. BTW, ours got a lot of rust on the floor. You probably know more than I do. Nice to see someone still knows about these.

No, just curious about these things. I don't think I have ever seen either except in the movies.

 

[Downunderwonder]

I did see a ropey interior baby puke paint rust free 5L one for 9 grand.

 

[ahc]

I wonder where it is now?

Sadly it's probably been scrapped, crushed and sent to Japan and made into a couple of Toyotas. They were cool looking cars though as were some of the Pontiac Grand Prixs.

 

[12BitSlab]

Me current musclecar is View attachment 3801546

SS badges with Z/28 mirrors?

 

[mongo2]

Sadly it's probably been scrapped, crushed and sent to Japan and made into a couple of Toyotas.

Yes, that would be sad.

If that did happen, maybe it wound up in my Camry. I'll go with that.

 

[charlie monroe]

 

[Mike N]

I wonder if Pigpen's head is still spinning ? Is it a Fairlane or a Torino or even a genuine Cobra? Does it matter that it doesn't have the induction hood which was authentically missing from a few early 69 Cobra's? Is the paint hiding a heap of rust? Can he afford 4$ a gallon gas and 7L of engine anyway? Manual or auto?

The cool thing back then was you could order the plain Jane car with the hot rod packages. I'm not a Ford guy, but I believe the Torino was the lower priced model of the Fairlane, similar to the Biscayne being the low buck version of the Impala.

My old drummer is big into the GM B body cars and has owned many of them. Currently he has a numbers matching 67 Biscayne with the 427 and a 4 speed. We did some research and found the car was originally from Canada, it was purple and that was only offered in 1967. With the options this car has, we figure it to be one of maybe four ever built..... making this particular car very rare and valuable.

When we found this car, other than being painted white and needing a right rear quarter panel, it was amazingly complete. It's currently in storage awaiting a complete restoration.

 

[Downunderwonder]

I never will understand how factory original cars that have been taken apart and resprayed are worth so much more than other factory cars lovingly pieced together out of wrecks and resprayed the same colour or even some other colour. Particularly with so many options on the original builds anyway!

 

[El Güero]

1970 Buick GS Convertible

 

[Mike N]

I never will understand how factory original cars that have been taken apart and resprayed are worth so much more than other factory cars lovingly pieced together out of wrecks and resprayed the same colour or even some other colour. Particularly with so many options on the original builds anyway!

Just like Basses, a car is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

 

[SgtHulka]

Now that's what I'm talking about! Can a 10 year old Corvette do that?

 

[Bob_Ross]

a 73 Pontiac GTO, the Judge model.

I stopped reading right there. Buy that one.

 

[Mike N]

I stopped reading right there. Buy that one.

I was unaware that The Judge package was offered in 1973........

 

[Bob_Ross]

I was unaware that The Judge package was offered in 1973........

Yeah, now that you mention it, the iconic GTO Judge was 1969 or '70, right?
Okay, disregard my previous.


But just so my presence in this thread isn't a total waste, I offer this story:

My Mom (!) bought a 1988 Chevy Cavalier Z24 brand new. At the time we laughed at her, because A) a Chevy Cavalier Z24 isn't even a wannabe Z28, it looks like some elementary school art project where the 6-year-old kids try to build a Z28 from memory; and B) da hell?!?! Mom, what do you need a faux muscle car -- or, for that matter, even a real muscle car -- for?

Fast-forward 12 years later, and my Mom is getting a new car, offers to sell the Z24 to my wife (!!) who needs a new car and doesn't care what it is. So we buy it. (Special Mom>DIL deal; I think we paid $100 for it.)

Here's the really funny part: An '88 Chevy Cavalier Z24 is a totally badass muscle car! That thing freakin' ripped! I'm not sure I've ever been in a vehicle that accelerated quite so quickly. If we didn't already have a life Ms. Thing and I might've taken up amateur drag racing as a hobby. Seriously fun car to take out on the highway and just dust everyone around you.

I can only imagine what a real Z28 must be like!