From the forest to the (concrete) jungle

SMOKE-EATING SOUTHERNER 

I was out amidst the warehouses of Bushwick last summer when I rode past this hot tomato:

Talk about a fish out of water! This rugged beast has all the hallmarks of a truck meant to work hard in the countryside. No nonsense, brutish, tall stance, heavy duty wheels, serious trailer hitch, and a windowless cap on the bed all speak of an early life far away.

This is a Chevrolet truck from the '80s. I usually pride myself on being able to discern the year and model of just about any vehicle I encounter but the truth is that this basic truck body was introduced in 1973 and ran with almost no alteration until 1987! My best guess is that this is from 1980-1985 and is a 3500 series (which stands for 1-ton capacity; the most heavy duty of the small trucks).

This truck is still adorned with various badges and decals from its former life including this particularly ominous one (don't mind the shadow claw).

I'm a big fan of the fancy brushed gold-leaf lettering on fire department vehicles of this era and was happy to see it still here (though the name of the specific department has been removed). Whoever painted this door red went right over the door handle and lock because why not?
*Again with the scary claw hand from my nightmares

  B-1  is the designation of this ride, as loaned by the South Carolina Forestry Commission. What that means I have no idea! Loaned by? Maybe somebody can answer that one for me.

The dashboard has evidence of this being an official work truck; the spot where there would be a radio instead has the plastic delete plate over it, with a water temperature gauge installed right into it. No air conditioning either, and heavy rubber floor covering in place of any carpet ensures that this beast can be hosed out after battling a blaze in the muddy woods.

This is just as tough-looking as you can get. The brush guard is no joke, built to make your way through dense brush and probably small trees. Those wheels are super heavy duty too with 8 lugs and locking front hubs for the 4-wheel drive. No worries about being hit by a careless parallel-parker in this.

This brute stares danger in the face! I'm not sure what the two openings on the top half of the grill are for, but I'm guessing one is a spot to plug jumper cables into and maybe the other was a siren?

Changing the oil on this would only require you to get down there and do it; no jack required.

Here's a close up of that face. There were so many engine and transmission combinations available for this rig that I won't even hazard a guess as to what drives this thing. I know it's an automatic and that it has 4 wheel drive, everything else is up to debate.

There are some dents and scrapes around the body which seem totally appropriate. 

Looks like it might've battled a rock wall or stump in its forest adventures.

I've got to close this one out with a great image from the front page of Martin & Martin Auctioneers of South Carolina, which showed up when I searched for Forestry surplus from that fine state. These are relaxed, down home folks; not afraid to wear boots and a hat, or to pull their pants up to a very high level. Here's to you, good people of South Carolina!

Mopar Graveyard roundup!

MOPAR GRAVEYARD UP NORTH

Last year I was kicking around up north with an old friend when he mentioned that there was a gas station that sometimes had old cars laying around. It turned out to be the find of the year because they had the winged '70 Superbird roosting in the gravel lot (that post can be found here: http://nychoopties.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-holy-grail-of-nascar-vehicles-show.html). While the 'bird stole the show there were several other relics hidden about that I swore I'd get to eventually, so here's the Mopar treasure trove roundup!

This great burgundy behemoth greeted us when we first pulled in:

This is a 1976-1977 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham in Claret Red. Everything about this car screams excess.

This is basically the last dinosaur wandering the cooling Earth wondering where all its friends have gone, not realizing it was as good as extinct already. A full 4 years after the gas crisis that shocked the American public into mileage consciousness this beast lumbered off the assembly line. How Chrysler could feign surprise when on the brink of bankruptcy in '79 is beyond me.

Behold the sign of puffy leather sofa seating and leisure suit style!

Apparently this has a Hemi in it (which I seriously doubt). Most likely there is a wheezing and emissions-strangled 400 V8 lying dormant beneath its massive hood.
*It is a bit of irony that this car, while escorting its parent corporation to insolvency, was named New Yorker just a year after the famous "Ford to City: Drop Dead" headline regarding the presidents aversion to helping stave off NYCs own bankruptcy. 

This is a sad image indeed. We were told that this thing runs like a charm and was driven to this spot just so the owner could remove the front end. Here it sits beached with a perfect drivetrain, dead.

The New Yorker was the higher-end version of the Newport. However in this year the New Yorker inherited the front and rear treatment of the mighty Imperial which had just been discontinued. Somehow this registered with the general public, making the '76 model a minor hit. This probably added to Chryslers delusion that they ought to continue building 5,000 lb cars that got 8-12mpg.

Too bad the front end of this yacht was in demand as the body looks cherry.

With all the windows down cruising along in total cushy silence I bet this would be the ultimate cruiser. Fred from the B-52s probably had this ride when he was about to set sail in Love Shack.
Now let's do some exploring around the property . . .

Righteous! This is a 1966 Plymouth Belvedere II 2 door hardtop in Dark Blue Poly. This is a wonderful car identical to one that a close friend of mine drove in high school.

Engine offerings in the brochure went from the 225 Slant 6 all the way up to a high performance 383 V8. However 24 were known to leave the factory with the mighty 426 Hemi under the hood. If you didn't mind special ordering such a thing, almost doubling the price of the car, and agreeing to forgo any warranty they would build one for you in those days.

Beneath the junk and dirt this car seems straight and restorable. The squared-off lines of the '66 model year always looked great to me, especially with this roofline and that circle of brushed metal on the rear edge of the side trim. Cool car but there's more to explore!

I know this is getting a bit ridiculous but that is a 1974 Dodge Charger peeking out from beneath a massive pile of parts (which includes that white grill bar to a '55 Ford Truck). This model year is identical to the 1973, but the Frosty Green Poly color choice identifies it. This was the final year for Charger which went from the General Lee in 1969 to a personal luxury coupe here. The Cordoba took over in '75.

It wasn't just Mopars in the yard; here lies a 1962 Mercury Comet in Jamaica Yellow. The '62 differs from the '60 and '61 by having a chrome spear running along the top of that concave body line. The chrome is missing but the holes where it was attached remain.

Another Chrysler from the "Fuselage Styling" era is on hand without its front clip. This one is a 1971 Newport in Honeydew (though if I ever saw a honeydew melon that color I'd probably pass it up).

Two more '71 Newports are lurking in the back, one in Evening Blue Poly and the other in April Green Poly.

Finally, another '71 Newport being reclaimed by nature, this one in Glacial Blue. *That piece of rusty cocoa on top just past that tire is actually a front fender for a 1971 Plymouth 'cuda with the front gills or louvers. This is a '71-only part for the high performance 'cuda, not available on the base Barracuda. Even in this condition it's worth more that the car it's resting on!

Finally this tragedy is a barely-discernible 1966 Dodge Coronet in Bright Red. Obviously the grill, hood, and drivers side fender are all missing but I'm 95% sure that's what this is. We're deep into automotive junkyard fetishism here but this sort of archeology is right up my alley. I used to clamber around the hills and woods near my house in high school taking pictures of junk cars in the woods so nothing's changed really.
Next post will include real, drivable finds I'm sure.

I guess yesterday was Mopar Tuesday!

SIX PACK & THREE ROW SEATING

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful so I took a long and ambling bike ride past Coney Island and the Rockaways, around JFK, and all the way out to Rosedale on Long Island. This took me past areas I normally only see from a car window. On North Conduit Ave by the Belt Parkway I ran into this beast:

This is a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner with the 440 V8 and Six Pack carb setup (3 2-barrel carburetors are lurking beneath that hood scoop).

The guy filling up was kind enough not to mind me snapping a couple quick pics. With the side marker lights not being installed (note the rectangular hole behind the bumper edge) I'm guessing this thing is more about drag racing than grocery-getting. I'm willing to bet this guy has another set of wheels for the track, especially with the fully-removeable hood as indicated by the hood pins on all four corners.

Now on to a proper Hooptie, and a massive sled at that!

Just up the street a block or 2 from JFK I ran across this flat black monster! This thing is so huge it deserves its own mailbox.

This is a 1972 Dodge Coronet Station Wagon in all it's spray painted glory. These wagons are getting seriously rare as they're extremely thirsty and impossible to park. I love them though for their muscle car fronts, tall rear quarters, and overall sportiness despite their size. 

By 1972 the Coronet was only available as a wagon and a sedan. This example doesn't seem to have ever had the faux woodgrain panels so prevalent on wagons of this vintage. If it had I would expect to see the chrome trim outlining where it would have been, or at least holes where the trim was installed.

These loop bumpers encasing the grill and lights look great but were unfortunately scrapped when federal safety regulations called for more impact absorbent units the following year.

This thing looks like a leering muppet with its slightly askew googly eyes. Beneath this flat hood lies a V8; either the standard 318 or one of several 400s. I knew someone in high school who had use of his parents immaculate, and very brown, Dodge station wagon with a 440 under the hood (must've been a bit older than this). Despite its gargantuan proportions it was very fast and could lay strips all day. With a gleaming chocolate brown paint job and brown leather interior it was the coolest!

I had to get right in there to show the pointed grill hidden within the loop. If you look at the lower part of the bumper a few inches to this side of the bumper guard you can see a vertical slot. This was the spot where you placed the old school jack for changing a tire. I had this sort of jack on a couple of older cars and they're a bit nerve-wracking to use as the car needs to be on perfectly level ground or it will topple over, ruining the jack in the process. Trust me on this (that's all I'd like to say on the subject).

It manages to come across as a balanced design in my book even though it is enormous.

It's amazing that this thing has a full luggage rack on the roof since the interior is large enough to have a 4x8 sheet of plywood lay flat on the floor. It makes more sense when you look inside and notice that it has the rear-facing 3rd row of seats in the back. You could take a trip with 5 adults, 2 kids, and all the necessary luggage in and on this ride which is somewhat remarkable.

From this angle you can just make out that miniature wing above the rear window. This is a great detail actually since it directs fresh air down across the rear window for when riding with it down. If the wing wasn't there exhaust fumes would fill up the cabin if you had the window down.

The back door is dual-action meaning that you can open it down flat like a tailgate or swing it open to the side like a traditional door depending on which way you turned the handle.

Unfortunately the headliner is giving out on this ride but it does afford us a view of the rear dome light which could be turned on for the rear facing passengers in the far back.

Straight-up dog dish hubcaps perfectly fit the flat black vibe of this roller. Leaf springs give an idea of how old the technology is on wagons of this vintage. The rust is still very fixable as shown here.

The interior is BLUE like really blue. Unfortunately the plastic try-spokes of the steering wheel hasn't aged as well, turning into a faded green over the years. Just in case you forgot it was 1972 they have a faux woodgrain center of the wheel as well as dashboard surround. I wish I knew what the original color of this wagon was because that interior is so intense! Dodge offered amazing colors in '72 including several different greens, Banana Yellow, an array of golds and browns, and Sun Fire Yellow which was closest to chartreuse.

Here's a glimpse of the rear seat in its upright position. When the rear seat wasn't needed it folded down into the well where your legs were meant to go leaving a completely flat cargo area. With the 2nd row folded down it was colossal inside. In this last shot we can also see where they kept the (full size) spare tire; it was tucked into the side panel along the wall.

Well there we have it; a super-rare wagon hidden away by the airport. Hopefully I run across some other wagons now that the nice weather has taken hold, but for now I feel lucky to have even found one.

Midwood Camel-Bird

DARK CAMELBIRD

Spring has sprung and the bike rides are turning up all kinds of goodness with which to fire up this dormant blog. I've been extremely busy and will continue to be in the near future, but when I find the time I'll post some rides as I have dozens waiting in the wings. Speaking of wings, how about a 'bird?

I was way out in the hinterlands of Midwood in Brooklyn when this brown bird caught my eye. I've loved these cars since Smokey & the Bandit so I went in for a closer look.

Oh boy it's starting to look a little mealy up close. What we have here is a 1978-1980 Pontiac Firebird Esprit. The rumpled front isn't much of a surprise as it's made of hard rubber with a metal framework acting as a skeleton. This was the Endura bumper, the likes of which could be found on the fronts of various Pontiacs since the '68 GTO. 

This particular schnoz has seen some rude parking attempts in its day. The rubber was prone to cracking when hit, followed by drying out and becoming even more brittle. This one has even had the grills replaced with some generic mesh you can pick up at any hardware store.

With the amateur bodywork and repeated touch-ups I'm taking a shot in the dark, but I think the original color on this ride was Dark Camel. This is all up to debate however as someone took a can of rust colored paint and brushed it on. Paint wasn't really GMs strong suit in this era regardless; the Van Nuys plant in California used a water based paint on cars it built in 1981 with predictable results. Most of those cars had paint jobs that failed so spectacularly that they were repainted at the dealers expense.

*Something I'm only noticing now is that yellow eyesore rolling by in this pic. This is the Chevrolet SSR; a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck built between 2003-2006. I consider it one of the ugliest and least-neccessary vehicles of all time.

The lines of these Firebirds still look great to me even in this rugged state. Notice the lack of a hood scoop on this beast. The Esprit version was the luxury edition so more show than go was in order.

She still wears her original wheels.

That Coke Bottle Styling is evident from this angle where the quarter panel has a noticeable haunch. This basic design was one of the most successful and long-lived in Pontiac history with the main body remaining unchanged from 1970-1981.

That rear window and side window interplay is identical to the Camaro of the same decade.

A rear wing and full-width taillights make for a pretty sporty ride in looks at least. Chances are decent that this was built with the lowly 301 V8 motor which wasn't very quick at all.

That proud Firebird symbol still hails from the sail panel where a spot of Dark Camel remains.

Firebird Esprit calls out from a whirlwind of brush strokes. I can't say it enough people; if you're going to paint your car, tape off the chrome and windows and get a can of spray paint! This just looks terrible.

Well we'll leave this frumpy chicken to roost on its Midwood perch. L.A. Rob recently sent shots of a truly beautiful showpiece so stay tuned.