Lincoln and Buick update - off topic

[nasadowsk]

My friend's got a '76 Ford Country Squire wagon - full size. They sure mean it, too. It's *huge*.

Anyway, it has the hydrualic boost on the brakes, too. And 4 wheel discs - factory!

460/C6/9 inch. That's a fun transmission to rebuild, BTW. It's bigger than a THM-400!

His friend had a Lincolin from the 70's with vacuum operated everything, but the wipers and brakes and steering were hydro. Go figure.

Of course, it's a total deathtrap in any accident where it hits anything solid or bigger than it...

I'm still amazed cars were made so huge. And people complain about SUVs!

 

[countryford]

since we're posting pics of cars.

here is my 1974 Ford, Gran Torino

 

[countryford]

and also

my 1959 thunderbird

 

[58limited]

Nice Gran Torino and I really like the T-Bird.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

countryford

I thought 59 & 60 Thunderbirds had three lights in the rear?

 

[countryford]

frontaloadotmy

The 58 and 59 had only two on each side. Only the 60 had three on each side.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

2 or 3

That is a beautiful car. Do you drive it?

 

[countryford]

I wish

Well the car is currently located in Minnesota at my dad's place, I on the other hand am located in Arizona. I'm trying to get a way to get it out here. It does need some work to get it to where I'd be comfortable driving it all the time.

 

[bongobro]

(T)-Bird Watching

'58 T-Birds had a honeycomb front grille and rear trim section similar to the grille of the 1958 Ford. '59s had a horizontally-barred front grille and rear trim panel (and standard wheel covers identical to the '59 Galaxie).

'60's, as countryford correctly noted, are the only 'Birds with triple tail lights. BTW, two special 'Bird hardtops were built at the very end of the 1960 production run for Allegheny Ludlum Steel. The body and some inside panels were stainless steel...they waited till the very end because the stainless steel panels would have destroyed the dies for the 1960 bodies...I believe both are still in existence. Wouldn't that be a cool ride?

 

[frontaloadotmy]

It sure would

Be cool ride!

 

[bongobro]

High dramatics on (Turbo) Hydra-Matics

Hey, 48bencix, a little clarification on the Turbo Hydra-Matic:

Hydra-Matic debuted in 1940 as an option on Oldsmobiles, and appeared as an option on Cadillacs the following year. Pontiacs offered Hydra-Matics in 1948...

In 1952, the "Dual Range" Hydra-Matic debuted; by 1956, an improved "JetAway" Hydra-Matic was introduced on Oldsmobiles; a "Strato-Flight" Hydra-Matic was launched for Pontiac in 1957; Cadillac changed to the newer transmission also, but they didn't have a fancy name for that one!

By 1961, there were two Hydra-Matics: A "Super" Hydra-Matic (the four-speed version) used in Pontiac Star Chiefs and Bonnevilles, Olds Super 88s and 98s and Cadillacs, and a three-speed "Roto" Hydra-Matic used in Pontiac Catalinas, Venturas, Grand Prixs, and Olds Dynamic 88's.

The Turbo Hydra-Matic debuted in 1964 on Cadillac models (except the 75 sedan and limousines, which used a 1959 chassis and the 1959 Hydra-Matic). In 1965, the transmission debuted on Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks (as "Super Turbine 400.") It debuted as an option on the 1965 Chevy Caprice 4-door hardtop with the Turbo-Jet 396 V8s; in 1966, it was optional with the 396 on Corvettes, Chevelles and Chevrolets. It became optional with all engines by the 1969 model year. Powerglide, believe it or not, continued through 1972!

 

[hydralique]

Powerglide and Corvettes . . .

The Turbo Hydra-Matic ("THM") wasn't offered in the Corvette until '68. Until then if you bought one with automatic it was a two-speed Powerglide. When the "mid-years" Corvette Sting Ray debuted for the '63 model year with a new and much improved chassis, the center tunnel was only wide enough to handle the Powerglide and manual transmissions; after all there was no THM yet. That platform and body lasted through the '67 model year and Chevy didn't bother with the retooling necessary to fit the THM until the next generation Corvette came out in '68. That was of course the "mako" body which lasted through '82.

The 396 was the first version of the second generation Chevy big-block and came out in mid '65. It is a very rare engine in a Corvette, available on late '65s only, when it replaced the fuel-injected 327 on the options list. In '66 Chevy introduced the 427 version of the big block, at which point they dropped the 396 from the Corvette although it continued through '69 for other applications.

The thought of having the big block with only a two-speed gearbox seems funny, but I’ve been told that it worked surprisingly well. After all, with the colossal torque of that engine, gear ratios don’t matter much! Most Corvettes from the mid ‘50s though the late ‘60s had manual transmissions anyway (although the original ‘53 was Powerglide only), so probably Chevy saw little need to speed up the availability of the THM. Given how nice the old four-speed Muncie manual box is, I can’t blame them.