In yesterday’s post about my ’63 Thunderbird, commenter MarkKyle64 brought up an interesting QOTD – what is the easiest old car to work on? I think I can give my answer based on my current fleet of seven oldies. The ’65 Dirty Dart (pictured above) is quite straightforward, although I’ve never liked the Slant Six’s distributor accessibility or “right out there” bulkhead connectors. Additionally, parts availability is not good for early Darts. This isn’t necessarily the same question, but I’ll include it in my discussion, because finding parts obviously makes working on a car much easier. Yes, the Dart must be near the top of the list with its rugged simplicity, but it’s not my number one. Will you agree with my answer, or have something entirely different of your own? MarkKyle64 suggested pre-1980 vehicles, so we’ll use that as our guideline (which is easy for me).
Obviously, the Thunderbird’s out. See my COAL entries for reasons why; in general, it’s beautiful but awful to work on. Parts are available from suppliers such as Bird Nest and Thunderbird Headquarters.
My ’65 Corvair is fairly simple, but it’s not as simple as the Dart (in my opinion). Aluminum engines (think Heli-Coils), long shift tubes, twin carburetors, and a more complex rear suspension send this one down the list a bit. It’s not hard; it’s just different. Parts are quite easy to get, on the other hand, from suppliers such as Clark’s Corvair and California Corvair Parts.
The ’74 Firebird is not as easy to work on as one might expect when looking at that long hood. The engine compartment is fairly cramped, although behind the dashboard work is quite easy thanks to some thoughtful touches by Pontiac engineers. Parts specific to the ’74 are harder to find than one might think, but general mechanical items are easy to find for the most part, including more Firebird-specific items from suppliers such as NPD and Ames Performance.
My beloved ’53 Buick is out of the running solely due to its gigantic torque tube and gaping maw that I have to lean over. Honestly, it’s not that tough to work on in general, but a few jobs are bulky and heavy. Parts are out there, but are thin on the ground. Suppliers include CARS and Bob’s Automobilia.
The ’65 Mustang is a hair’s breadth from victory. Parts are everywhere from many suppliers and the engineering is straightforward. The only demerit to me is its shock tower design, which makes for a mediocre front suspension and poor spark plug access.
That leaves me to choose my ’65 Skylark. For purposes of our question, I’ll broaden my response to include 1964-1967 General Motors A-Bodies. They’re ubiquitous, so most mechanical parts are available. They’re simple. Engine compartment accessibility is good. Serious emissions controls were still a few years into the future. The front and rear suspension are solid and easy to work on. Buick specific parts can be found at Fusick Automotive Products and TA Performance Parts, among others. Chevelle and GTO specific parts are far easier to find.
What do YOU think? What is the easiest pre-1980 old car to repair and maintain?
Well some might not consider it a car, but the Scout II is very easy to work on with good access. Parts availability is good too, many of the things were purchased from GM subsidiaries with no to little changes from the parts built for their own or other companies vehicles. The only thing that adds some difficulty is the rear opening hood does mean you only get access to the engine from the sides.
I haven’t owned a pre-1980 car since 1986, but I worked on a few in those days. In college I made a few extra dollars doing oil changes and tuneups and other minor repairs on family friends’ Volvo’s. At some point my reputation exceeded me and I was asked to work on a slant-six Dart which seemed a nightmare compared to the upright and accessible Volvo four. One of the last cars I did major work (cylinder head, steering rack, struts) on was my 1978 Fiesta and while in some ways a basic design with easy underdash and underbody access, some things were crammed tightly and of course buried under a spaghetti of vacuum hoses. Come to think of it, I also pulled the head on my Datsun 720 and recall a significant improvement in its use of captive fasteners, better wrench access etc on the Japanese design. No real Detroit iron experience since my Vega … while that was easy to work on, I did it a lot, so to use an engineering expression the area under the curve was still large. Never worked on a V8.
I’ve done a Fiesta clutch replacement, and I’d say it’s definitely off the list-
When Ford turned the Kent engine 90 degrees to drive the front wheels, you had to drop the motor to remove the front engine mount, which also meant you had to drop the motor to change the clutch. Not a big deal at a dealer shop, but shade tree techs faced a big challenge.
I’ll nominate my 63 VW. Pretty simple car with outstanding parts availability in either German quality or Brazilian/Chinese quality.
Also the parts are light, no engine hoist required and two can lift the engine into a minivan.
The only down side is the complexity of the kingpin front end, later VWs with the ball joint front ends are easier to repair, so I’ll vote 1965 VW as the easiest car to work on.
That being said why does my car have such a long to do list? It’s the easiest car to work on, it must have the tiredest owner 🙁
My friend has an expression that seems to fit: “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!”
“God put me on earth to accomplish certain things. Right now I’m so far behind that I will never die.”
“I take one day at a time, but lately several days have attacked me at once.”
Triumph Spitfire (and GT6). Open the hood and everything is right there. You can sit on a tire while you work. Parts are easy to get and cheap. Even the electrical system is fairly easy – there are only three fuses.
The part about engine accessibility is also true of the Saab Sonett II and Sonett V4. On the Sonett III, OTOH, you get at the engine through a miserable little hatch.
Any Citroën 2CV. Hands down.
Parts availability: if you want you can build a new one from new parts.
+1. Hands down
Did you have to ask? 🙂
My ’66 F100 is mind-boggling easy to work on. And pasts availability is unbeatable: the basic mechanical/brakes/suspension parts are always in stock at my parts store, as most were used for many years and/or are shared with other big Fords. All the body parts are available as repros, and/or used, although the used supply isn’t getting any bigger. It used to be very easy and cheap to find junkers for parts. Not that I ever actually needed any, except for a $15 radiator years ago.
The engine compartment is so roomy, and the straight six so compact, that I can actually stand inside the engine compartment between the engine and the inner fenders.
It sits high enough that I can slide under it on a creeper without any problem, and everything under there is profoundly simple and utterly accessible.
I cannot think of an easier vehicle to work on and get parts for.
I was about to say a six cylinder F100 from 1965 up to 1971. Lots of room, making for easy access to anything and everything. Simple systems and most all parts are available. I can’t think of anything on mine that has ever presented a problem for me in access or parts. Mine has an 390 V8 so a bit tighter I should say up top.These are what one should learn on before moving onto cars particularly Thunderbirds…
Picture:
I want to see a set of 240 timing gears “slapped” in.
I replaced mine. Had to remove the grille and radiator, which wasn’t exactly hard. I didn’t exactly “slap them in”, but then I generally don’t “slap” things in.
NlI get it, not saying it can’t be done. Just pointing out that it seams like each “easy to work on” has some difficult task. Some other timing sets can be changed without so much as removing the radiator.
To paraphrase Bobby Bare, the point is there’s flaws in all of them. Lol
Nothing wrong with “slap, pop, drop…” shortcuts.
To the contrary it saves folks money and often keeps some otherwise “uneconomical to repair” thing rolling. Win win.
Everything doesn’t need nor justify a concourse level repair.
Jim, you’ve left eight comments with nothing but trying to discredit folks’ answers to the question, and not one comment actually answering the question. But then it seems that’s what the majority of your comments are generally.
I bet you were popular in school. 🙂
How about playing along and actually using your profound experience and knowledge to tell us what the easiest vehicle to work on actually is?
Paul, I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer. Because, there is no answer. Each “easiest to work on” has some difficult task. That’s been my point.
Read my posts again, to be fair, for each vehicle’s minus I tried to give a plus.
IE, ’64 Ford trans easy, steering gear a pain. ’65 Ford steering gear easy, trans a pain.
Notice my Slant 6 post? Slant 6 distributor equals misery. Slant six starter equals Joy.
318 trans a pain. 318 distributor a cake walk.
Etc. etc.
So it’s not fair for you to say I’ve been slanted or slamming anybody or any vehicle.
xr7 and BobB are exceptions. They don’t need coddling. I know that folks who’ve who spent as much time as they have around “heavies” aren’t going to be thin skinned about the facts. Lol
I have some favorite old vehicles, just because I happen to like them I don’t bury my head in the sand about their shortcomings. I as often talk about what was “wrong” with some vehicle as what was “right,” it’s no big deal. Car folks understand that. It was a product manufactured with an intense focus on making the next four quarters look good. That was it, nothing more. There was some good and bad in all of ’em.
Too, remember I may be from a different perspective, where bad actually was good. Lol
See, what was a terrible “Achilles heel” to some, I may remember fondly, because, that’s what made the vehicles available to purchase when nice, but distressed. Figure out an economical fix and earn profit. Repeat until they go over the hill and the next dud, excuse me, “challenge” comes along.
School? I think I got along okay, they seem to still remember me. Shoot, recently I was even asked if they could do something to honor me when I’m gone. Of course I’d have to find it. Hmmm, maybe I wasn’t that popular? lol
Anyway, I’ll try to select an “easiest to work on” and y’all can tear it to shreds.
Jim, the question was highly generalized and subjective by nature. How could anyone readily determine what the absolutely single-most easiest car to work on actually is? it’s essentially an impossible question to answer.
These kind of questions here are thrown out to elicit response, not to be picked apart. That’s the nature of the game. If you want to be the guy who picks apart everyone’s answers and doesn’t even offer an answer, help yourself, but it’s not exactly in the spirit of the game.
Paul beat me to it. I was going to nominate my 1972 F100. Manual steering and brakes meant no booster or power steering pump in the way. The missing fan shroud gave me a little extra space too.
I’ll agree the six cylinder provides extra room, however teenage me was able to stand between the 302 V8 and the inner fenders. 45 year old me, perhaps not.
When I did the head gaskets, I did it standing on the ground. Spark plugs, distributor, carb, all accessible by leaning over the low fenders.
My 2012 F350 needs a small set of scaffolding to make it accessible.
But, Kevin H… the automatic transmission can’t be removed without raising the cab. Even the repair manual recommended torching the crossmember.
Again, there’s flaws in all of them. Lol
I’ll join the F100 chorus, though in truth mine are the only older vehicles I have done significant work on. My 71 rear wheel drive has manual steering, non-power drum brakes, and a 302 (like Kevin’s, no fan shroud) with no accessories save the water pump and alternator. The engine bay is roomy because of the small block, though perhaps a bit more snug than with the six. It has a three on the tree shifter, which was a bit of a bother to rebuild, but not terrible. Local parts stores stock all the maintenance items. The truck is a high enough to get under without a jack, but low enough for a short guy to do regular engine maintenance tasks without a step stool.
My 70 vintage four wheel drive one with the 360 engine is a bit more of a bother because of the larger engine, hydraulic bits for the plow, and difficult sourcing of some 4wd-specific parts. Also, the engine and carburetor seem a bit more finicky than the other one.
I recall my father doing significant work on our 66 Dart out in the yard, dirt driveway, no hoist. That car, with slant-6, no power items, manual transmission, seemed pretty simple.
Who knew, that when you were working at Towson Ford, there would maybe have been a ’66 F100 in the used car lot, that you might have shuttled around; and here you are driving one all these years.
Could have been a twist to your last day story at that dealer.
I nominate a 260/289/351 Ford engine in any of the intermediate/full sized car bodies.
Points are right past the radiator at the front of the engine, spark plugs can be changed by looking and not using the “Braille system” to feel ’em and find ’em, oil filter is easy to get to at the driver’s front side of the engine. A Ford/Motorcraft/Holly 2 -BBL carburetor is simple to rebuild and quite reliable.
This too but the six F100 would still win out overall…
In terms of physical accessibility, for most of the same reasons cited by Paul, any early to mid 60’s full size Ford or Chevy with the straight six.
In terms of parts availability, there are some cars that you can just about rebuild from a bare body and frame, with parts you can order from your easy chair: Tri-Five Chevys, 60’s Chevelles, 1965-70 Mustangs, Corvairs, and VW Beetles come to mind.
Any car with an in-line, flathead engine is a darb to work on because it gives you a place to set your tools down. Okay, I’m kidding, but only a little. V-anything is a pain in comparison, and an ohv engine doesn’t compare.
My experience was with a 1940 Packard six, but I suppose it would apply to most other brands, unless they have a restrictive hood opening. The Packard hood was hinged in the middle and you could open both sides at the same time; since the sides of the hood were vertical, you could reach into the sides of the engine compartment, not just the top.
(Parts supply for Packards in this era are pretty good, too, though pricey. Certainly not in the sense that you can get them all at NAPA.)
The easiest among those I have worked on? The 1957 Chevrolet with 235 Six which punched out valve caps and broke valve springs with annoying regularity. I spent much less time under the hood of my 1968 Plymouth Valiant Signet but it was a little more crowded since it had air conditioning. Still, the lack of the “Oh, crap, not AGAIN” aspect in the Valiant and it’s steadfast reliability, especially after retrofit with Chrysler electronic ignition, does count for something, to me.
My later Chrysler A-bodies were all V8s, as was the 1966 Dodge Dart 270 wagon from which I pulled its engine for overhaul. Not difficult but not as accessible as with the Slant Six.
I will nominate the Triumph Spitfire. The whole hood tilts forward for ultra easy access. You can sit on the hood to adjust the valves. Its a small car so all the parts are light weight. Parts availability is superb. The only slightly tricky bit is a few tight spots behind the dashboard.
I was going to say the Austin Healey Sprite MK1 for the same reasons. That being said, the Sprite is a close relative of the MG Midget 1500 whose hydraulic clutch confounded a friend’s older brother.
Ford Model A. I win. 🙂
I can’t attest to recently, but I recall reading at one time that a person could build an entire car from scratch from new parts.
None of that silly stuff like fuel pumps, master cylinders or heater cores to worry about, and you can roll under it without a jack. Kidding aside, I still maintain that it is the perfect classic because of its combination of presence and simplicity.
I’d say (and thanks for crediting me with the idea, Aaron) a 66 thru 70 VW Beetle or a late 60’s Chevy, Dodge or Ford with a straight six. I never had to change the heater core in my ’68 el Camino, it would have been 17 years old at the time, but everything was right there. Heater boxes and pretty much everything else on a VW are easy to get to and John Muir helps make it easy. Eliminating water cooling gets rid of a lot of maintenance and potential failure points.
Mustang shock towers weren’t an issue with the six so stuff a 300 in there. The Nova/292 combination sounds good, too. You have lots of torque and a lighter body as per the 6 vs 8 discussion earlier. Manual steering makes things easier too, with a smaller steering box and no hoses to get in the way. Same with non-power brakes, which were apparently a thing with six cylinder vehicles back then, as I never had a six cylinder car with that
How ’bout that Model A “wishbone” or torque tube?
I’d say it depends on the task, and the particular vehicle’s components, no one vehicle rules.
For those liking the ’65 F Fords, they would love a ’64…
No transmission support crossmember, about a 15 minute job to drop trans. Ditto dropping the ’64 engine oil pan. No pesky crossmember or engine mounts to deal with.
Meanwhile ’65 got the massive Twin-I-Beam crossmembers (yes plural) that buried the easy bottom access.
Steering gear, that’s another story. ’64 was a miserable task, had to be removed column and all. Meanwhile ’65 got a rag joint coupler.
Not picking on the Fords. Just pointing out that the complexity level of tasks can vary greatly, even with seemingly identical vehicles.
Great point – every car has easy jobs and nasty jobs. If the subject turns to heater cores, give me a Studebaker where it’s mounted in the passenger side floor under the seat. But when it comes to rear brakes, Studes are the worst with their tapered axles that require a specialized puller for the rear drums.
Some cars of my experience that were generally not bad to work on had unpleasant jobs, like the automatic headlight switch in the dash of an 89 Grand Marquis or changing the plugs on the 440 in my 77 New Yorker that required access from both the top and the bottom, depending on the cylinder.
The answer might simply be with regard to workspace. So, whatever had the largest engine bay with the smallest dimension engine would win.
’69 Nova with the 153 four cylinder then!
I doubt you’d have A/C on those, or any other power and space robbing accessories!
The 90 hp 153 in a Nova?
The four-cylinder Nova was exactly what I was thinking of.
Since the sixties’ compacts seem to be popular contenders, how does the Falcon compare to the Chrysler and GM products?
Another pic
Who’s replacing “that” core plug? The one located between engine and trans. Uhgh
Any old pickup with an inline engine is about the same. My ’50 Willys had one special advantage with wide flat fenders that served as workbenches.
Slant Six Dodge Dart.
This has to be the easiest question ever.
James, on a bet would you race?
Slant Six commonly stripped distributor drive gear, VS, your choice, ANY other six cylinder distributor gear?
Starter motor? We may as well just pay up, NONE easier than a Slant Six. Lol
The Slant-Six distributor drive pinion would fail once in awhile, generally after many years and miles. The only thing that makes it happen “commonly” is people failing to install the replacement correctly. Doing it right isn’t difficult, but if one is lazy and doesn’t take the time to understand how, the easiest guess is wrong and will lead to quick and repeated pinion failure.
240Z tops the Slant Six, I have this opinion because 20 years ago, my roommate blew up his Dart the same week I nuked the head gasket in my 240Z. I got the Datsun running first, there is nothing mystifying anywhere on those except maybe the twin carbs. I remember he had a devil of a time getting the valves adjusted and the timing set on the Dodge. Shame I can’t afford anything with an L24 these days…
My mind went to 240Z as well, but if it’s a ‘73, all bets are off. That nasty one year only emissions setup is a nightmare.
Sprite/Midget. Renovating a ’62 Sprite to drive next spring. Parts are light, cheap and available. Worst aspect- engine and trans have to come out together for clutch work. Best- no better car for heater access. As an old guy I can carry around a block or rear axle.
For me, it would have to be the Lada 1600es (Riva/ Zhigouli 21036). Ladas are great cars. Well engineered, with every screw and bolt having room to twirl a wrench, and it even has a starting handle which makes tappet adjustment a breeze. Second place goes to my current 2wd ramcharger, with plenty of room everywhere and only the height to lean over to get to the little 318 way down in there making things tricky. Worst was my Saab 90 with the water pump against the firewall, and a Lancia Gamma, which was as infernal as everyone says.
Strong argument could be made for the Fairmont or 79 Mustang. The intuitive choice would be something pre-smog but overall the Fox is one of the easiest (car) chassis I’ve ever worked on, lots of engine compartment space where everything that can fail is easy to access, few special tools needed, extremely simple suspension.
Anything with a reverse flow inline six has a real advantage in ease. Not the greatest design for all out horsepower but if all I had was a pocketful of tools to get an old car across country and no AAA that’s what I want.
Agreed, if the Fox body has a 2.3 Lima motor and no AC-
I’ve changed the starter motor on a Fox body 2.3 by reaching in from the top of the engine bay, and changed out a heater core about 20 minutes by dropping down the glove box and removing four screws on a cover inside the glove box opening.
A heater core on an AC car? Don’t ask!
+2 on the Fox. When I saw this QOTD, I came in here to mention it, and you all beat me to it!
My 200-cid inline 6 ‘in my 79 Futura was pretty easy to work on, even for a novice like me (which I still am, because on subsequent cars, I usually paid someone else to do the work). The carb was a little one barrel that I could take apart and put back together easily… and had to regularly. (I finally fixed that permanently with a little Loctite 242 ;o). There was plenty of room.. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The only other pre-1980 car that I ever owned was a ’73 LTD with a 351-2V. It was pretty easy to work on as well, but I have to give the nod to the Fairmont, simply due to the distributor. The LTD had old fashioned points and such. The Fairmont had a simple rotor and cap. That, and its easy access to the spark plugs, made tuning it up a breeze. Even when the ignition module started acting up, it was about as plug and play as you could get.
1967-1975 Chevy C-10 with the 250 6 cylinder. Any 6 cylinder Nova. 318 Mopar B body.
Again, depends on the task. Just try to “slap” timing gears in a Chevy six. Fuel pump, carb, distributor… gravy.
318? Bell housing with “backwards” bolts, extra struts to the block. A small “window” for converter bolt-up and the crank needed to be “pawed” around twice. But setting the tang-drive distributor was easiest if all.
It’s only a nuisance if you’re trying to replace the points with the distributor installed, which is the wrong way to do it. You pull the distributor, which takes about 45 seconds via the removal of one directly-accessible 7/16″ hold-down bolt, then take the distributor to a convenient workbench, table, or lap. Easy.
It’s not as easy as ’55-’57 Chevrolets or ’64-’69 Mustangs, I’ll grant you that, but I wouldn’t call it “not good”. What parts have you had difficulty finding?
When the Dart had points, I indeed pulled the distributor to gap them. It was not hard, but I didn’t have to do that in any of my other cars. I popped the cap and worked on the points. I now use a Chrysler electronic ignition, so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Regarding parts availability…oh, let’s see…any body parts, interior parts, gauge parts (other than a plug in IVR that my car doesn’t have anyway, as it’s inside the gas gauge), seals and gaskets for an A-903, a new radiator (I bought one for an ’80 Aspen), heater/AC vacuum actuators… Wagon-only weatherstripping isn’t going to be easy to find if I ever have to deal with that, but that’s probably the case with many cars. Suspension parts and engine parts have been easy enough to find. Most of the parts I’ve found have been used and I am lucky that there’s a lot of enthusiast support for the car, as you well know, being a longtime member of that group. Most of the catalogs mainly sell parts for ’67-’76 Darts and Valiants; it’s as if the ’63-’66 didn’t exist.
IVR workaround is easy; see here.
I think your difficulty is mostly in your “not in the catalog” mindset. Yes, it’s true, you can’t build a new ’63-’66 Dart out of a cattledog the way you can a tri-five Chev or a Mustang or otherwise like that. You have a less-common car, so you have to seek out less-common parts sources. You can get floorpans without much difficulty. Doors and fenders and such aren’t available new (except some of them can be had in fibreglas), but given the piss-poor quality of most “reproduction” body parts, that’s kind of a wash. Drop-in high-performance radiators aren’t difficult, just expensive. I see an A903 rebuild kit here (outta stock at the moment, but the odds are fairly good they’ll be able to supply one with some lag time). Wagon-only weatherstripping can be had out of Australia. Vacuum actuators can be rebuilt or replaced by the likes of Old Air Products. Numerous “not in the catalog” parts actually are in Andy Bernbaum’s cattledog—you just have to use the secret decoder ring (i.e., the knowledge that while Bernbaum officially only caters for cars through ’62, numerous ’60-’62 Valiant-Lancer parts also apply to ’63-’66 Valiant-Dart cars. Then there’s Old Car Parts Northwest (who bought out Svigel’s in Denver), and this list of reliable lesser-known suppliers, and…!
The IVR was just an example of a part I can get easily but doesn’t actually fit the car. Mine’s fine for now.
I appreciate your taking the time to point out good suppliers of Dart parts, but it kind of proves my point – that the Dart isn’t my pick for the easiest car to work on. Some of these establishments seem to fall into the “speakeasy” category (which you mentioned). I tried Bernbaum once for a ball and trunnion boot, but it came apart on the highway after five years, scaring the hell out of me as it beat on the tunnel. After that, I did the slip yoke conversion. I’m not blaming Bernbaum, but I remember that there weren’t a ton of items in the catalog – I’d be happy to use him again if he had something I needed.
I don’t mind doing the legwork and looking around, and I obviously like the car or I wouldn’t have bought it from the salvage yard and gotten it on the road. Heck, my ’53 Buick is my favorite car and parts availability is probably the worst of anything I own, but there are reasons why I didn’t pick either of them as “easiest.”
P.S. I checked out “Old Air Products” and couldn’t find vacuum actuators for the ’65. If I’m missing it or you know of any other spots, I’d be much obliged. That’s something I have made quite a few inquiries about; all three of mine won’t hold vacuum. They have slow leaks and eventually will fail. It’s too bad it was a factory air car – I prefer the cables.
Again: you cannot (re)build this kind of car out of a cattledog. You likely won’t find actuators specific to the ’65 Dart—in fact, you might not find them listed for any A-bodies, even though mostly the same actuators are used from ’65 through ’72. But it’s a solid bet Old Air Products or another such vendor can come up with a workable substitute, or rebuild your existing one.
Five years’ service is pretty good for a rubber boot constantly exposed to grease and a great deal of flex, but the cross-and-roller conversion is definitely superior.
I’m still not onside with the notion that “just order it out the catalog” cars are necessarily easier to work on. Most of the parts in most of those catalogs are of very poor quality, nowhere near OE—they don’t fit right, they don’t work right, and they don’t hold up. Some of them are okeh for a car that’s mostly oogled rather than driven.
Since you have a six cylinder Dart, I assume a 225, then could you use three Standard Motor Parts CH-410 Blue Streak distributor caps. I mistakenly ended up with some, by accident, and would prefer to see them go somewhere other than the trash to get out of my garage.
tbm…I’ll take you up on your offer! I’ll send you an email if it’s OK.
Great. I’ll box them up and send them out in a week as I hit the post office once a week.
Try finding trim and body parts for 67 LeSabre coupe. Zero repro and all the nos is pure unobtainium. Used stuff is junk or expensive.
I’ll nominate any late 70’s early 80’s gas engine Chevy/GMC medium duty with the fiberglass tilt front end.
Now it needs an AC condenser. LoL
Of course a little knowledge and experience changes everything. There was no YouTube and Google in the ol’ days, and many vehicle specific manuals were prohibitively expensive, so there were a lot of steep learning curves.
An example, the worst clutch job ever was the first Datsun F10 that needed a clutch.
The easiest clutch job ever was the second same Datsun F10 that needed a clutch. lol
Once it was learned that the transmission’s input shaft could be easily removed while leaving the transmission bolted to the engine, allowing the clutch assembly to be “slipped out” through the bell housing, again, without unbolting any of the transmission, that changed everything. Lol
Any pre-smog 6 cylinder US pick up.
Any Slant 6 engine, pre-1970.
Any Jeep CJ5 or CJ7.
Undoubtedly an MG…MGB or Midget. Almost every conceivable part is available on demand at reasonable prices from numerous specialists. Lots of performance parts as well to give a great drive. Hundreds of horsepower is not what it is about.
Put me down for a late-1960s inline six pickup, tied with an early-1960s VW. I’d actually lean slightly toward a VW ‘bus over the Beetle, mainly because you don’t have to jack the vehicle up to pull the engine.
Yes any 6cyl pickup prior to emissions controls is easy to work on and most of the V8s aren’t too bad either.
A slightly different take is which car has the easiest “hard” job.
Many have mentioned the heater core in a Fairmont w/o AC is a 15 minute job, while some vehicles require major dash disassembly or removal.
But have you seen a 15 min clutch? Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration but not by too much. True it is not a conventional car with a conventional power train design. That car is the Honda 600. The clutch is under a cover at the end of the transmission with the release lever external operating a push rod. The output shaft heads back into the crank/transmission case. Pop of the cable, 6 bolts and the cover is off and then another 6 bolts and you have the pressure plate and disc in your hand.
The other FWD with a super easy and quick clutch is the Datsun F10. At the top of the bellhousing there is a cover to access the clutch. At the end of the trans is a cover that allows you to pull the input shaft back out of the clutch. So remove the bellhousing cover unbolt a couple of flywheel bolts, turn the engine and repeat twice. The pull the shaft back and lift the flywheel and disc out. Unsnap the pressure plate reaction plate and then you can remove the bolts that hold the pressure plate to the crank. Yes the pressure plate attaches to the crank and the flywheel attaches to it.
The Datsun 310 also used the stub shaft style clutch assembly.
I was going to nominate my ’74 Datsun 710. Parts themselves might be a bit hard to find (not sure where I’d buy points?) at this time, but the car was pretty easy to work on with entirely conventional layout. It is a small car, so engine bay isn’t as big as a domestic, but otherwise straightforward. It helped that I owned one during my undergraduate days, and though it was far from exciting, having a simple car meant I didn’t have to shell out lots of money for repairs, as it was pretty easy to fix..though I didn’t do the bodywork when almost exactly 40 years ago it slid on black ice just north of the New Hampshire border into Vermont and I bit a cable guardrail. Only time it failed to start was during the blizzard of ’78, and only 2 things broke while I owned it, an alternator and a heater hose. Though I would guess a similar generation Toyota Corona would likely have been similar.
I had a ’78 Zephyr with the straight six. It was about as simple as a lawnmower. It was on that car that I learned most of what I know about car fixin’. Nothing since has been as easy to work on.
I’ve never owned a straight 6 RWD car or truck, but I’d think these would be the easiest to work on.
Among my own cars, the nod would have to go to my former 1980 Volvo 240.
I’d say my 1967 Camaro with a 230 six, but even easier were the Datsun 1200’s. Easy accessibility like the Camaro, but everything was lighter (engine, transmission, etc.).
I agree with the six cylinder pickups, but the 1200’s were just stone simple, easier to reach over the fender, lighter to boot and no major smog controls.
Of course, you’d hate to dent the fender by leaning on it to work on the engine…
I might have to say that about the 1971 Pinto which my brother got brand new. He was able to strip down the engine and then somehow remove the block himself without a lift. If you could get the short block out, without a lift, and just using yourself and a friend then I would say that is easy.
The School Master let me have it for not playing nice. Apologies.
My misunderstood point is simply that no one vehicle can be crowned the most/least difficult to service. They all have their pros and cons.
A newer example, GM N Body, I believe it was.
Glass experts could “tip in” a replacement door glass without tools and without so much as removing the door’s trim panel.
Meanwhile, the best mild mannered dealership tech’s explanation of replacing the 4 cylinder’s coil pack, could not be grasped without referencing a sailor’s thesaurus.
For the fun of it I just Googled it up. Thirty years on still no shortcut, there’s still griping when replacing a 2.5’s coil pack.
Another best/worst…
’67 on type Ford F cab.
On a hot day, gasket-retained windshield or back glass could be effortlessly “thumbed in” without tools.
On his best day of changing the truck’s vent glass frame, the best glass tech’s arms would look like he had tried to bathe the alley cat. Lol
I would put my ’64Ford Custom, 6 cylinder, std. transmission up there with the best of them. A very forgiving car for the novice mechanic.
Plenty of room to (literally) stand and work under the hood during inclement weather. Been there, done that.
Everything else had great accessibility, too. Parts were cheap and plentiful.
From personal experience VW Beetles are actually pretty easy to work on since the engine is easily removed for complex work and parts are plentiful. The A1 Golf/Rabbit/Jetta/Scirocco are also not bad, the tilted back engine gives good access to the common maintenance parts and the K-Jetronic fuel injection is very simple. The only hard part is anything on the rear of the engine, basically the manifolds. Even the timing belt is easy.
Other than that, full size trucks with inline 6 or small block V8s usually have good access because they are designed to accommodate a big block. Emissions controls can make engine work and diagnosis harder but at least it’s easy to reach.
Triumph Spitfires are also good mechanically, the flip front gives great access, the engine is small enough to easily remove and everything else is simple and accessible, the big issue is rust.
I notice almost all answers assume mechanical work. Most of my older cars seemed to require more hours in rust repair than any other single type of job. I think I’d pick something like a flathead 6 Lark. They rusted too, but the bodies were easy to patch up the frames rarely lost enough metal to cause suspension failures. Pickups of the same era and climate exposure seemed to rust faster. Tailgates were a particular problem as lack of metal around the hinge area could turn even minor looking rust into a serious fabricating job.
Early Jeeps, i.e. WWII GPs and CJ2-3?
I can’t say for sure, but looking at them, they seem pretty simple.
After reading this, there are some excellent candidates, including the Triumph Spitfire, and Ford Model A.
However, I’m going to submit my original choice – made before opening this page – a first generation, six-cylinder Ford Falcon.
My second choice is for the easiest FWD car to work on – an early ’70s Audi Super-90.
(I should know. I owned three of them and got to work on them a lot!)
Happy Motoring, Mark
A major disadvantage of working on the Corvair is access to commonly serviced parts of the engine.
Oh, yeah…it’s pretty much wide open spaces around it, but it’s also very low in the engine bay. Being a horizontally opposed engine means that the plugs, valve covers, and rockers are way down low. While you can get to some of these areas from under the car, things like changing spark plugs and the belt require you to bend way way, down for quite awhile. And as I got further and further on the other side of 40, my back let its objections be known for a few days after a routine service.
I’m with Paul; my F-Series with the straight six was a joy to work on, hands down.
HQ Holden, six cylinder and automatic. Miles of room around everything. Drop a spanner in the engine bay and you’ll see it hit the floor.