I try to avoid the freeway as much as possible, and sometimes manage long stretches without setting tires on I5. But sometimes it can’t readily be avoided, especially for a quick jaunt up to Portland’s airport. So let’s keep the camera handy, and see what might keep us from terminal boredom. Does it just seem to me that (almost) all new cars look alike? Ah; here’s a nice old Chebbie pickup, with a panorama (dog leg) windshield, maybe a ’63 or so. Need a Pickup?
No, someone already has theirs, maybe a ’69 or so, with an Austrian-flag themed paint job. And is that a wood-grained panel behind the proud lettering? DeLuxe all the way. And yes, it still hasn’t stopped raining and being cool here. No complaints; beats the steam sauna some of you all have been enjoying.
A woman driving a genuine CC ’70-’71 Buick Skylark. Now that’s a nice sight. Makes me wonder: is it her car? Or did her BF commandeer her CUV for a fishing trip?
A Lidorati! Or is it a Masercocca? I though this might be the same one I shot for its CC, but the plates are different. Were they all yellow?
I probably missed a few others, but I couldn’t miss this. If only these had six doors on each side, it would make a nice update on the old Checker Aerobus. Oops; speaking of, I almost missed the exit for the airport in my Aerobox, so distracted was I by Big Pink.
And a hat tip to Pixel, who gave me the lowdown on how to turn my Xb into a mega-hauler. After dropping Stephanie and my daughter off, I bought and hauled home a complete little kitchen from Ikea, including an eight foot counter, which just barely fit resting on the dashboard. Now to assemble it…
Last summer I attempted to ride from Grants Pass to Portland on my motorcycle without driving on I-5. Not entirely possible because it seems like I-5 and Hwy 99 merge in many of the mountainous areas of Southern Oregon. It’s a great way to see what travel was like before freeways.
A very nice collection. In my area, I might find one of the above out on the road, but never all on one day.
I really like that Skylark. In 1972, my mom went back and forth between a Skylark and a Cutlass Supreme, finally choosing the Olds because she liked the salesman better. Those Skylarks were not all that common. I’m not good enough on those to help you with the year, but it is certainly not a 72.
I prefer a lot of the 68-9 design myself with the proper Buick swoop down the side.
The pictured one appears to be a 71 as the 70 placed the license plate lower and had a panel with the Buick name between the taillights.
The ’72 Skylarks had a rubber grommet surrounding the tailights . . . and the front and rear bumpers were slightly extended for 2.5mph crash (anticipating the all new ’73 colonades . . . sort of) . . . .
There is a 71 Skylark near me that an older gentleman uses as an every day driver. It’s very rusty and has chrome tape for roof covering after the vinyl roof wore away. The rest of the body is a combination of blue and rust.
Oooh, genuwine metal (aluminum) roof tape? That beats the back-woods Brougham duct tape roof anyday (and probably lasts longer as well)!
Yes genuwine metal roof tape. It’s got a chrome shine to it. It really brings out what’s left of the blue on that old Buick.
I like the primer pickup he can drop it at my place.
Great Uncle had a ’70 Chevrolet C/10 Custom pickup like the one pictured. 350 four pot; camper shell, A/C, loaded (for the day) . . . . THM.
I believe the Chevy being towed in the first picture is a 1960. In ’61, they did away with the dog leg windshield and enlarged the rear window. Strange that the ’60 had a panorama windshield and a mail slot for the rear. Other little known fact–the 1960 had a torsion bar front suspension. I drove one of these for many years until the brake lines rusted out and the timing chain broke.
The dog leg windshield went away in ’64. And the rear window size depended on whether it was a custom cab or not. You can see the line in the rear panel where the optional large window went.
Correct.
I worked with Chevy trucks for a few years…we had a ’56; a ’57; a ’63; a ’64; and a handful of 1965 and ’66 models.
The dogleg/wraparound windshield…the oddest choice for that body-style. Even allowing that it was a work vehicle…at least the late-1950s trucks looked natural with it. Those were bulbous, flowing cabs…given to the style of the times. The wraparound windshield fit naturally.
The 1960 style…not so much. It was almost as if the body was conceived with the idea that that particular fashion frill would soon go away…and it did, in 1964. Once removed, the profile; the door, the open space on the window…all looked a million-percent better; more natural, more integrated.
That damn dogleg cut into what was already a smallish window space, making it, in pre-air-conditioning times, almost intolerable in a working truck. Bad enough in a ’59 Cadillac; but in a truck? What the hell does Mac need with a wraparound windshield?
The 1964-to-1966 body style, in contrast, stands out as a high-water mark. Clean and utilitarian…if only they’d given some minimal thought to interior comfort; gotten away from that damned silver interior paint.
Thanks for the correction.
No, someone already has theirs, maybe a ’69 or so, with an Austrian-flag themed paint job.
That’s not an Austrian-flag themed paint job. It is quite clearly a Canadian-flag themed paint job.
Klamath Falls wasn’t quite so interesting (Big Pink doesn’t have any relatives over here that I’ve seen), but the guy pulling up at the Fred Meyer in a late-60s (69, I think) 442 certainly filled my daily CCCC[…] quota. Sounded nice, too.
That top photo sure reminds me of a little adventure I had once. A friend was giving away a 79′ Chevy pickup that was located in the coast range. So I figured I could pick it up and part it out. I had my 73′ Travelall so I went to rent a trailer. They were all out of trailers at U-Haul so I was going to get a car dolly. But when I told them what I was going to tow they said no. So I went to another rental place and told them I was towing a Geo Metro. Turns out there was reason U-Haul wouldn’t rent the car dolly for that purpose. The pickup fit on it – barely, but the front tires rubbed against the tires on the dolly. I of course didn’t let that stop me. The 392 in the Travelall didn’t really notice it back there all the way over the coast range. But getting into town I found the corners a bit more interesting. Each time I turned a corner the front wheels of the pickup in tow wanted to ride up over the wheels on the dolly. Eventually I just cranked the straps down more and ended up just dragging the dolly around corners with the wheels screeching. But, hey, I got it back alright and made a few hundred bucks!
The woodgrain and the spilt side markers say the Chevrolet has the Cheyenne package.
Unable to determine if it is a 71 or 72. That color scheme was also factory.
Did you try the Swedish meatballs at Ikea?
We had just had a very nice Vietnamese dinner. Maybe another time; maybe not.
Noted that that early 60’s stepside truck was being towed by a modern F-150.
I don’t mind driving the interstate, have plenty of times and have been through Eugene/Salem via I-5, been to Bend, Klamath Falls. Lived in Medford briefly, visited Grants Pass as we had ex in-laws that lived there from 1976-late 90’s, I think but we only went down from the late 70’s to early 80’s.
And then took I-5 all the way from Seattle to LA in 2002 and ply the highway up here all the time, did so yesterday from Seattle to Tacoma where I then took SR 16 across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge up to Gorst before interchanging onto SR 3 to Banibridge Island. Why? I screwed up and missed the ferry so had to drive around the long way!
In the end, didn’t mind as I enjoyed the drive – on such a beautiful day as we had yesterday – and today too.