Strobogrammatic Savoy courtesy of Providence Pete!

STROBOGRAMMATIC SAVOY

Providence Pete has had incredible luck recently finding old rides. He recently sent me a couple teaser snaps of the car below and I begged him to head back for more. Behold this quirky spaceship from the most recent Strobogrammatic year!

This is a 1961 Plymouth Savoy with remnants of its original Mint Green visible amidst the rust/primer/patina ruckus. This car is awesome and you should show respect. Doff your caps!

Come on already! Few rides are as outlandish as the '61 Plymouths in the front.The grill, when taken on its own, is the shape of an anvil. Not only that but it curves rearward as it goes down. It has legit eyebrows and an eager (if kinda off putting) expression. The center of the bumper has that ribbed section drawing the air into its mighty maw. The movie car from Christine was a '58 Plymouth but this is easily sinister enough to have filled that role.

This golden emblem in the grill is a combination of hyper stylized images. The original logo for Plymouth was of the Mayflower (Plymouth Rock, get it?). By the late '50s it had become so abstract that you couldn't really tell what it was. Then the Valiant debuted in 1960 with a streamlined rocket emblem in the upright launch position. This looks to be a combination of the two, and a proper precursor to the Fratzog (a made up word for the 3 pointed emblem that would arrive later).

Look at this overhanging aggressive stance! The frowning eyebrows hang over the headlights, which in turn are leaning over the bumper.

The original parking brake; a log.

The rusty drippings on this beast make for crazy patina. Moments of Mint Green can be seen just above the wheel center and on the rocker panel.

The Savoy wasn't putting on airs. The dealership sales brochure from the era calls it "The economy line for 1961". Above the Savoy was the Belvedere, and above that the mighty Fury. That line running back from the eyebrow over the wheel well originally had a bit of chrome on it (only in the very front). The Belvedere had the same short chrome trim on the front fender but the rear chrome extended to mid-door. The Fury had an unbroken chrome line from front to back.

The rust pattern on the hood is so odd I figure it must have had a pile of leaves on the drivers side or something. I've also seen cars that spent years under a tarp for their protection completely rotted as any moisture couldn't escape.

 Give it up for Siddartha Guatama chilling on the front seat! A full width bench was the Savoy standard. The brochure bragged that the dealer could adjust the seat height and angle to perfectly suit the new owner.

The dashboard is stupendous! First of all the steering wheel has clear acrylic top and bottom, with that space age rectangular horn ring. The push buttons to the left of the wheel are the transmission controls (I'm 99% sure it's sitting in Drive). The buttons to the right are optional heating controls (below the furthest button is a lever for opening the vent). The white square below the speedometer is where the close would be had it been ordered. One amazing (not included) option that was available for this car was an under dash record player!

Even the smallest details are well thought out in this era.

This chrome spear would've continued further towards the front had it been a higher trim level.

From this angle you can see the huge reverse light on the back panel. This was an option in '61 with the sales literature going so far as to point out that it was a safety item.

This is the taillight housing for 1961. They just hung on to the side of the car like rocket boosters. It certainly looks cool when they're working properly but are very susceptible to damage.

A little more Mint Green remains on this side. The short roof 2 door with post is a Savoy exclusive. Both the Fury and Belvedere had a long, sloping roofline in a hardtop style.

Original poverty caps on Mint Green steelies complete the thrifty look. That tire with its dry rot and years of dirt in the flat crease says this hasn't moved in years.

Well there we have it; a super sonic space age slab holding down a driveway in Providence. Nothing beats the oddity of '60s Mopar design in my book. Every Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth in this era had weird touches like square steering wheels, these overhanging eyebrows, pushbutton transmissions, and unique but equally crazy dashboards. These are unibody cars so tackling a really rusty restoration would be daunting. However the drivetrain technology is tried and true with everything easy to work on. Even the quirky pushbutton trans worked very well; it was only discontinued later in the '60s to save something like $1 per car. Some day I would love to own one of these. Pete - if you see a sign on this wreck one day hit me up!

Big Peet from Providence submits a hearty pre-SUV (low on the S, heavy on the UV)

BARELY TAMED UTILITY VEHICLE
One day recently my phone started blowing up with massive green images. It seems that someone in Rhode Island has pulled off an impossible trick in keeping a rust prone classic truck alive!

This is a 1961 International Travelall in Metallic Green. International stands for International Harvester; a company established in 1901 to make farm machinery, construction equipment, and work-oriented trucks. The beast you see before you here represents IH dipping their toes into the passenger vehicle business for the first time.

The front of the Travelall only looked like this for 2 years. The year previous had stacked quad headlights while the year after had a single headlight on each side.

The Travelall is a massive Suburban-like vehicle that could seat 5 well fed adults and most of the furnishings of a home. Seriously these are YUGE up close. The Travelall was introduced back in 1953 to acknowledge that farmers had families they might want to drive to town occasionally. The first edition looked like their standard pickup in the front with a mini-schoolbus looking rear. This tall cabin look with some aerodynamic styling cues is vastly modern in comparison.

This interior shot shows a large "radio delete" plate on the dash meaning that this truck was never ordered with one. That speedometer pod is the only indicator that I know of to show that this is not a '62 model. Both years are 99% identical but the '62 had a more modern dashboard that was twice as wide as this little opening.

The transmission is a bit of a mystery to me but I'm guessing it's a 3-on-the-tree manual. The automatics tend to have a small window on top of the steering column showing which gear you're in. I've also seen floor mounted manual transmissions in Travelalls so who knows?

You've got to love the early '60s script!

Another shot of the super basic interior.

This truck looks right at home in its handsome green hue with autumn leaves scattered about.

1961 was the year that IH released the very first Scout (model 80). Between the Travelall and the Scout the passenger car portion of the IH business was bigger than ever. Eventually it would be its undoing as labor costs and a debilitating 6 month strike around '79-'80 halted all passenger vehicle production for good.

I had a '79 IH Scout II that had a 304 V8 and 4 speed manual trans. It was the quintessential IH vehicle; the engine would start every time (including 12 degrees below in the middle of a Western Mass night!) but the body was eviscerated with rot. These beasts will run forever, working as hard as you want them to. To see one not rusted completely is a treat.

The rarest of the most common vehicle in America

SANFORD AND SON 10 YEARS LATER

Somewhere in the East Village I stumbled upon the most charmingly out of place farm implement:

This is a 1961 Ford F-100 pickup truck in Torch Red. To me it looks pretty damn happy too!

The F-Series was introduced in 1948 and continues on through the present day. The standard F-150 has been the best selling vehicle in the U.S. since 1981. Let that sink in for a minute; out of every vehicle available for sale in this country for the past 35 years the descendant of this humble little workhorse has outsold them all.

This is the direct evolution of the truck used in Sanford and Son. Just because it's one of the greatest shows to grace a television I'm linking it right here; Desmond Wilson is at the wheel starting at 20 seconds (though the TV truck is a 1951).
*Interestingly the original TV truck ended up in the hands of a real-life junk man who loved it. His survivors sold it a couple years ago for $28,000 looking just like it did on TV.

The list of options from the factory was pages long for this rig when it was new, but this seems to have almost none of them. The white painted bumper and grill up front instead of chrome, and lack side trim all speak to a truck ordered for work. There is an antenna, a passenger side mirror, and a rear bumper though, all of which I believe are options. Funny to think of having the choice of denying a rear bumper these days but back then you could even get a vehicle without a heater if you wanted to say a few bucks.

This is a rare model though because it is a unibody truck. The bed and the cab are actually welded together as one piece as opposed to having the bed be separated. This was only available for 1961-1962 along side with the traditional separate cab & bed models. To see one now is pretty neat.

The wide white walls are alright I suppose if only because the trim is all white.

Get a load of that tailgate! It is as basic as can be. There is zero mystery as to how things work; there are the "hinges" which are basically a round peg at the lower corner of the gate going into a hole. There's a latch on each side as plain as a door handle. A small chain would hold up each side of the gate when down.
There is plenty of style sprinkled around this little beauty though. Dig the rear edge of the roof, the fender flares, and those subtle precursor to fins emerging from the front to the back of the bed.

That trailer hitch is the wimpiest I've ever seen! Maybe you could tow a canoe or tiny trailer.

I do love the spare tire mount. On the step-side version of the bed it would be in the same place but on the outside of the bed.

The priorities of the original owner are on display here; basic three-on-the-tree manual transmission, no gauges except the included speedometer, and yet there is a radio! The 2 blank circles on the dash would have contained additional gauges if ordered. The white painted background would be chrome too if a higher trim level. The 2 knobs on this side of the dash are lights and wipers, and on the other side is a choke and fan controls (which tells us that this does have a heater after all).

At some point in its long history the seat was recovered in that white vinyl. Mexican blanket treatment is always a great option! Note the complete lack of door panels.

If you're looking for the gas cap just follow the line of ruined paint up the side.

On really deluxe models the roof could be painted a different color starting at that curved line behind the door window. From here we can see the unibody as the door is the only break in the lines.

This emblem tells us that this truck was built with the basic inline-6 cylinder engine. A classic V with the 8 above it would be here if it were indeed a V8. Still it's so cool though; a lightning bolt and a gear for your lower end model? Awesome!

Well we'll leave this little punk here in the spot where there hasn't been a farm since the late 1700s. This truck is the perfect embodiment of a Ford as it is a reliable vehicle built for a purpose and within reach of the common man. With an oilcan, a rag with some soapy water, some gas, and a battery you could probably drive this thing for the next 200 years. I was just happy to see one in Manhattan!

It's time to honor a veteran who's making it in the private sector

CJ5 BY JEEP BY WILLYS

Out near the Home Depot on DeKalb Ave in Brooklyn I stumbled upon the most capable off-road vehicle I'm likely to see in the city (with the exception of that armored Military vehicle from May 12th), Behold!

This is a 1961 Willys Jeep CJ5 in Redwood Poly with the optional metal hardtop.  

Usually when a vehicle is relegated to snow plowing duties its life as a registered car on the streets is over. This one has all the gear to hook up a plow and start working but here it is showing off a current inspection sticker at age 55.

Meyer is still producing lifts and other snow plow equipment today.

Just about everybody knows that the Jeep was invented out of necessity for the military. In late 1939 or early 1940 it was becoming obvious that  the U.S. was going to be involved in the war. The Military contacted 135 different companies asking for a working 4 wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle. 2 companies answered, one of which was Willys-Overland.
With the exception of the headlights being larger and closer together and the formerly flat fenders having a bit of a curve this vehicle is just about identical to the Army version. 

If you can imagine this ride without any of the white hardtop and doors you can see how small and basic this thing is. With the windshield folded down the entire height is somewhere around 4 feet!

In between the windshield wipers there is a small clip. The windshield frame is hinged on the lower corners, allowing it to be secured flat against the hood. That clip will attach to the small ring protruding from the hood. I believe the larger tie down in front is for a strap that would further secure the windshield as you achieve the top speed of around 63mph!

Who says the passenger need their own door handle?
There is an indentation on the red body line below the rear quarter window that looks like a holster could fit in it. That is where you would attach a side mounted spare tire if you were so inclined.
Rust is obviously working its dastardly magic on the body.

The design of the top is function over form all the way; basically a metal box. However, in winter I'm sure it would save your life over a canvas top no matter how wimpy the heater is.

Taillights that double as turn signals is all you get; those orange spheres are just add-on reflectors. No reverse lights for this bad boy!

This stylized Willys stamp is just as it would've been on the 1945 model.

This beast has worked for living for sure. Not only does it have a plow, but the back has a trailer hitch + two ferocious hooks. If you have a farm or property at all this can do just about anything you want it to.
The original transmission is a 3 speed manual meant for torque and strength more than speed. All Jeeps were 4 wheel drive with a high and low setting. In first gear with the transfer case in Low you can basically pull a stump out of the ground. You could also get out and let it drive along a field and it won't outrun you as max speed in that setting is somewhere around 6mph!

I guess no cop has the heart to write a ticket for this thing being parked 3 feet from the curb! The front wheels are chocked so who knows how good the e-brake is.

This is a pretty small ride so it's not the worst city car parking-wise.

Look how basic the interior is! the dashboard looks like Fountain Green might be the original color, though that red is a perfect looking match for the factory Redwood. The steering wheel size should answer your question about power steering. That tiny center is indeed a horn button, just don't go slamming it in anger. The turn signal is a complete unit bolted to the steering column much the way the wiper motors (not shown) are attached to the windshield frame.
The one gauge in the center has the speedometer, water temp, and fuel level. The three gearshifts represent the trans, and one each for High or Low.

With the level of rot I don't know if I'd chance using that little step, but it's a charming touch.

Big shout-out to the player focused enough to tag Jeep rims!

This is old technology folks; if you want 4 wheel drive you leave it in neutral, get out and turn each of the front hubs to lock them, get back in and engage the transfer case, then drive. What, are you in a hurry?

I'll conclude with this close up. Cracked glass, rumpled metal roof that's pulling away from the windshield frame, and tiny T-Rex-arm wipers askew and looking altogether insufficient. Owning a Jeep like this mean all comforts are out the window. You buy this because you want a reliable and versatile appliance as opposed to a cruiser. While I've never owned a Jeep I did have a Scout when I lived in snowy Western Mass, and it was unstoppable in any weather.
Keep up the good work Willys!