Mention classic car ownership to most people and they might picture a British roadster blasting down a winding back road. Alternatively an impeccably polished vintage automobile on a finely manicured lawn swarmed by concours judges looking for factory chalk marks on the rear axle. Or perhaps freshly restored muscle cars seeking top dollar as they cross the auction block.
While any of these scenarios is a dream come true, sometimes we have to aim a little lower due restraints imposed by real life. Classic car ownership need not be only for the one percent. For the rest of us, more affordable classics might need to have an extra set of doors or are in need of a little work to make the price of entry a little more palatable. As an added bonus, a low cost classic can be driven without fear of door dings, paint chips and increasing odometer mileage. In these series we are going research, purchase, repair, and enjoy an affordable classic vehicle.
The siren song of a cheap classic is something that I seem to be unable to resist. You can double the pull when I have an empty garage just waiting to be filled. This happened to be one of these moments as I had just sold a reliable but cosmetically challenged MG B. I had previously owned and enjoyed a Triumph Spitfire many years ago but this time around the MG had not been driven as much as I expected over the summer.
The main snag was the lack of available seating. During my Spitfire ownership we had one son and the Spitfire had one spare seat. Given the fact that my wife lacks imagination when it comes to old cars and generally refuses to drive or even be a passenger in any of them, this worked out rather well. Zoom forward over a decade to MG B ownership; I now had three sons with various evening and weekend activities, but still only one available seat. So the MG tended to sit more often than not. I still lusted over the classic car experience but a different strategy was called for.
What I really needed was a more family friendly classic car. Traditional classic car thinking is that any car with four doors is merely a potential parts car for a more worthy coupe or convertible. This sort of thinking, narrow minded as it might be, allows for affordable classics in the form of four door sedans. So my search criteria was now set at: cheap, old, four doors, and interesting in some way. Interesting is defined differently for each person, but for me I enjoy vehicles that are a little off the beaten track, so to speak.
Here in Canada we are actually blessed with a diverse history of cars. We have locally produced marques that our neighbors to the south did not receive like Beaumont, Fargo and Monarch. Thanks to our British Commonwealth heritage, humble saloons from Austin, Humber and Vauxhall were sold here longer and in greater relative numbers. We also received budget-minded choices like Lada, Skoda, Dacia when they would have been politically unpalatable in the United States. While any of these would have made for an interesting choice, the mechanical parts supply is made easier with the Canadian marques as they often shared all their underpinnings with a more common American model.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the classic car hobby, at least for me, is hunting through the ads for just the right car. As I flick past each ad I can briefly get an adrenaline rush as I envision myself reviving that car and getting it back on the open road. I absorb every morsel of information I can on the particular model through books or online sources. The unique history of each one is researched as well as potential problem areas and quirks. Part supply concerns can cross some contenders off the list as some parts like windshields can be next to impossible to source for the more obscure models.
The good thing about having such broad search criteria, as well as having an appreciation for most cars, is that before long a solid looking prospect appears. In this case I rooted out an ad for a one-year-only 1960 Frontenac. So what the heck is a Frontenac you say? The Frontenac was a Canadian market-exclusive version of the Ford Falcon. Named after a governor of New France, the Frontenac name had actually been used before on a Canadian relative of Durant in the early 1930s.
The Ford Corporation’s Frontenac was based on the Ford Falcon of the same year but with unique trim utilizing the Canadian Maple Leaf as a logo. Despite being very popular with over 8,400 sold, the Frontenac was discontinued in favor of the Falcon-based Mercury Comet that was introduced in the United States part way through the year.
The Frontenac seemed ideal as it looked quite solid in the photos, retained all of its hard-to-source trim, and was reasonably priced. As a very nice bonus since it was based off the Ford Falcon mechanical parts would be both affordable and available. The seller was moving it on for his elderly mother who had owned the Frontenac since 1962 but was able at least to send me more photographs. It looked very promising. The minor matter of the car being located over five hundred kilometers away seemed to be the only remaining snag.
Feeling optimistic I rented a trailer, hooked it to our Ford F150 and headed north. These sorts of trips are always more interesting with a companion so I called up my friend Rod. We have retrieved various project cars together and he is always up for an adventure.
We were mostly concerned about making good time but there were a few interesting automotive spottings along the route like this wild paint Metro hatchback.
The drive to Edmonton was uneventful and we soon laid eyes on the Frontenac for the first time.
Initially it looked exactly as described. After sitting for a full decade it was dusty under the hood with an occasional cobweb. Mechanically it was in unknown but complete looking condition. The Falcon has an abundant parts supply so I was not too worried here.
The trunk had a few extra parts including a spare. but a broken grille.
Like any vehicle that sits outside for a long period of time, the Frontenac’s interior fabrics had deteriorated and become brittle to the touch. I could handle a minor interior freshening up, but I was in for a nasty surprise when a pulled up the carpet in front of the driver’s seat. Instead of stamped factory steel flooring there was flat, tin-like material. Immediately I took a look underneath and my heart sunk. This tin metal was everywhere the factory floor should have been.
The seller filled me in that his father had “restored” it in the 1980s. Unfortunately, he had cut out the entire floor and crudely welded in this flat tin metal. What was left of the stock floor plan was pretty thin and rusty. What was left looked to be too little to attach fresh metal to even if I was willing to put in the substantial welding time.
The Falcon/Frontenac is a unibody, which means the structure was extremely comprised. I felt even a minor fender bender would fold this car up like a pretzel. To make matters even worse, the suspension mounts looked quite crusty as well. The seller drastically dropped his price a couple times but even so I had to walk away. I felt it was a very good parts car but not a project I wanted to take on.
Despite the trailer rental and fuel costs I could not be upset with the seller as he was not a car guy and had been as straightforward as he could have been. I had taken a gamble driving up with a trailer but had got caught out this time. It has taken me many years but now I know it is almost always better to take your losses right away rather than bring home the wrong project. A few months and many hours later the project will end up scrapped or sold on at a loss.
The trip was not entirely a waste as we managed to locate and buy a fuel rail for Rod’s Kia Rondo. This involved meeting a couple guys at their secluded parts yard and pulling the parts in the dark with only cell phones to light the scene. In the next installment I will shop a little closer to home and make sure to lay eyes on the car before renting a trailer.
As an interesting addendum to this story, the Frontenac was bought shortly after by YouTube personality Curiosity Incorporated for the purpose of turning it into a squad car tribute. You can view the playlist of videos which is currently sitting at six. Interestingly the rust issue is not brought up even once. The car is again for sale with a massive increase in price tag and the tin metal painted black …
The whole Affordable Classic series:
- The Search Is On
- Landed One – 1961 Pontiac Laurentian
- Dragging It Home
- Assessment and Planning
- Little Fixes
- Shocks and Brake Removal
- Disc Brake Mounting
- Cooling and Fueling
- Back into the Brakes and Other Odds and Ends
- First Drive!
- Last Minute Fixes
You are a cruel tempter, Mr. Saunders. I see what you are doing here by giving us lots of time before the event.
To my Ontario eyes, that Frontenac looks just great. “I only have to replace the floor? – Deal.”
Just not for $5,500 with a stupid paint job, thanks.
I passed on it for $500 … it was that bad and I’ve driven some pretty poor vehicles in my day. A real shame as its a neat and rare car that as you say looks great in the photos.
I’d have bought it for $400. Engine for one of my Maverick’s and lots of good body parts to sell. It probably would give me the engine for free as I’m sure I could have sold everything else for $400.
Agreed. Can’t wait to see what you come up with on this 🙂 🙂 🙂
I too am searching for a cheap classic from my neck of the woods here in southeast BC. I also came across that Frontenac on Kijiji, but at the post silly paint job $5500 price. Thought about it for a bit but couldn’t get over the paint. It’s really too bad it’s got a shabby tin floor too. Did they ever really have Frontenac squad cars?
My general tact when dealing with long distance Kijiji buys is to ask lots of specific questions and if I get vague or non-answers then that likely means the item in question is broken/junk. Sometimes you just don’t know till you see it though. Nothing wrong with a weekend road trip.
You should pick up that green ’63 Fairlane 4dr in Calgary before I do 🙂
I already bought one. Will be revealed next week. The Fairlane looks like a good candidate though. It has Sask registration which makes it a bit more difficult to register in Alberta.
How about a Vega with the original motor? Doesn’t get much more Curbside Classic than that.
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/calgary/1975-vega/1330589166?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
Ha, we’re looking at the same cars, I saw that Vega too. My inner Gremlin-lover could never allow it though.
I’m trying to get a car from BC to avoid registration issues, but I’ve got a longer drive into the mountains in the winter to do so. Oh well.
Is it really a pain in the arse to register a car from one province to another in Canada? In the USA, as long as you have a clean title for the the car issued in one state then you can register it in another. Now you may have to get it safety inspected first depending upon the state but it is no big issue.
In your story you mention “his” father and now Curiosity the seller as a “her”. Somehow I just don’t like this guy at all on Curiosity right down to the slicked backed hair.
The seller that the Curiosity guy bought it off was an older lady. Her husband who recently passed away was the one that “restored” it back in the 80s. Her son was who I was dealing with. It was bought second hand for her back in 1962 or so. Complicated!
The Curiosity guy must have bought it shortly after I passed on it.
Just yesterday I saw a local ad on Craigslist for a 61 Comet that looked interesting but I didn’t feel it was a “cheap classic” even though it was in better/much better condition than this Frontenac and the price was the same as is now being asked for this “squad car”.
DougD:
You obviously had to have been there to see it, but there truly are instances when previous “repair/restoration” work, done incorrectly makes correction impossible.
If movie LA LA Land offers any hint, 1984 Rivera, Tornado or Eldorado may be a future classic. My favorites are still W124 and E28.
I completely understand where you are coming from and can see the appeal of the Ford Falcon, simple, rugged and not worth a fortune. The high cost of classic cars does spoil the enjoyment for me.
Affordable classics all depend on your location and parts supply, in the UK you cannot go wrong with an MGB, Morris Minor or Mini, the parts supply is outstanding, even new body shells from British Motor Heritage made using some of the original dies are available. I guess the Mustang/Camero might be the American equivalent for parts backup
I would go for a later car, rust free and reliable, in the UK I bought a very clean 2001 Peugeot 406 Pininfarina coupe for £500, no rust or dents, very good paintwork, fixed the drivers electric window and door check strap, no cost just effort and have driven it as a daily driver for 18K miles. the only mechanical failure cost was a radiator costing £63 as it needed topping up every fortnight
That’s too bad about the Frontenac, but I think I’d rather have that full size Meteor myself. That trim on the door is a little garish, but I think the grill is actually nicer than the Ford design.
I recognized the Frontenac in the first picture.
Certainly worth restoring as few can be found now. It’s a shame holes were cut to mount the siren and red light as they would have to be filled. I’ve seen the car at the Curiosity store and the car has had some repairs to make it roadworthy. Too bad about the sketchy rust repair.
Argh, heartbreak after 500 miles! Oh wait you’re in Canada so it’s 500 kilometers, that’s just bad heartburn instead but still a bummer!
Still, better to have passed on it than to try to justify it based on the time investment so far. You truly have learned a lot! Anyway, there’ll be plenty of others and I look forward to reading about them all.
Nice article thank you. I think 4-door classics are a more attractive alternative than they used to be due to modern car preferences. Two door styles have been in decline for more than twenty years. 4 doors are everywhere, so a 4 door classic looks less awkward, these days.
Speaking of classic cars being scooped by high profile users, a couple of years ago, I dithered on buying a 4-door ’69 Chrysler Newport. Someone else scooped it. To my chagrin, my Newport showed up in a series of articles in the National Post newspaper by a freelance writer, over the next year. The new buyer loved the car and wrote many enjoyable articles about his experiences with that lovely car
Here it is. Coulda been mine 🙂
http://driving.ca/chrysler/auto-news/news/how-i-revived-this-dusty-forgotten-classic-for-super-cheap
As a general point, I think you’re making a great decision and not just because the cars you are areThe thing I’ve always enjoyed about owning “family car” (whether 4 or 2 door) classics or even the “modern classics” I’ve owned from the 80s are that you can incorporate other people into the experience more easily. Old Vettes and Cobras are really cool, but the fun is kind of limited to you and one buddy.
Whereas, a classic “family” car, which really could be anything from a basic Falcon, Comet or Dart type through all the mid range brands up to a big but not as popular tricked out Electra or Monterey/Marquis, is something you can enjoy and INCLUDE friends and, well, family in the experience because more than just the car is the goal in mind–cruise around and go out to dinner, cruise around and go to the beach, or if it’s in really good shape, a longer road trip or vacation. Part of the fun I have had owning old cars is getting to share them with multiple others, at once, who have not had those experiences.
I was excited when I saw the picture of the big Meteor and relieved when I read that you had passed on the Fronty. As I recall there were some serious hillclimbing issues with your poorly running K car and I cannot imagine that a 144 cid six mated to a two speed automatic would be much of an improvement on that score.
C’mon, is there really any choice besides Studebaker here? 🙂
I’ve been looking for a reasonable cheap Studebaker for a couple years. Sadly nothing yet in this neck of the woods when I have the ability to buy. One day …
Rare spares in Aussie have replacement floor stampings for Falcons they’d probably fit a LHD car with a few mods and are quite cheap, a few hours with a mig and you’d be done.
The big problem is there wasn’t such in the way of solid metal around the floor boards because of the way the repair had been done. Hard to weld into crusty rust. 🙁
My choice for an affordable classic would be the Fox Mustang as I’ve owned a few of them and enjoy this model for a number of reasons. I don’t have the resources for restoring a collectable car so what I’ve always purchased are those cars in good, original condition that need a little TLC or minor mechanical repairs.
I have and would certainly consider an older, four door sedan. The more basic the better. But another Fox Mustang is still my preference. Summer car of course as I have a very reliable 07 Focus for winter driving.
Whatever beater you pick, please don’t kill it at the end! If you modify it for laughs like with the K-car and Honda, I hope you’ll put it back to stock and pass it on for its next life with a new owner.
Not to worry!
All the mods on the Honda were reversed. I bought a spare hood and trunk lid to allow for them.
The classic I buy won’t receive any permanent modifications.
I’ve often dreamt about the ‘affordable classic’, but it’s a tough reality. Cars older that 1970 are really expensive to keep on the road. Early 70s cars had the rust issue and are scarce. Then there is the malaise era. Heart breaking detuned monsters. So it’s 1986 and up. But late 80s and early 90s have quality issues, and too much brittle plastic. Sigh.
I love Frontenacs by the way.
on that note here is mine, one owner 1985 chrysler lebaron convertible. all original 94000 plus miles. cant wait to drop the top.
This is a subject I’ve mulled over off and on for many years now.
For me, I guess it all depends on how much work you want to or can do and how much you can afford to spend and how particular you are as to make, year and model.
Parts availability is also a factor.
In my heart, I want a pre-1973 Chevy two-door pillarless hardtop in Impala, Chevelle, Camaro or Chevy ll Nova guise, but if a particular car happens to strike my fancy like, say, a 1972 Gremlin, well, I would consider it.
I think that it’s a good idea to buy an old car or truck that you can get some use out of. I wanted a truck so I bought a ’66 Ford F250 fixed it up a bit, drove it for a couple of years, then moved on. I bought a Datsun 280Z 2+2 which I used for several years when my two kids were little. I usually bought bigger cars like Rivieras but the expense of using a ten MPG car as a daily driver got to be too much when gas was over three dollars a gallon. Now that my kids are grown I have more freedom to choose a less practical car, but it’s still gotta be something I can actually drive.
The Dodge Dart/Plymouth Valiant makes a good useful classic. The Slant 6 is fine for puttering around town. If you want more power 318s and 360s are very common in junkyards and with bulk engine rebuilders. A 440 is possible for the truly ambitious. The trunks are roomy, you can seat 5 in a pinch, and they aren’t too too big.
Hey David, you posted a pic a while back on the shock upgrade your were doing on you’re new beater car in this post:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/qotd-whats-your-winter-project/
It was of the suspension front suspension. I am pretty sure I have a good idea of what it is based on that picture. Why not do a CC clue before the reveal post?
Good idea. I will do post a clue. Maybe the day before the reveal on Thursday. The suspension photo might be slightly tricky for an id.
If its going to be a beater get something desirable. Same amount of labor for most old cars.. So consider a 911. Can handle four in a pinch and no matter what you pay it’ll be worth same or more when you’re ready to move on…
A 911 for $700 or less? I’ll buy everyone you can find.
While a 911 would be a wonderful car to own I have some budget restraints that do not allow for it. First I would like the purchase price under $700 for a beater challenge in the summer. I could spend more (and will with safety related fixes) but I enjoy inexpensive classics.
Consider moving the decimal over one…..