(first posted 7/5/2013) I should have a “CAUTION – I Brake For Curbside Classics” sign on the back of my car; it’s spotting cars like this that’s going to get me rear-ended one of these days: An original survivor, and from my formative school years no less. This is a perfect example of the near-invisible cars that were everywhere back then; in parking lots at school, church and the shopping centers, and of course in driveways and on the streets. Yes, we kept our eyes peeled for the rare Buick GS 400 and utterly ignored these, except of course when copping a ride to somewhere other than school. And then we only got into (or on the rear bumper of) a certain Special wagon only because it beat walking.
If it had been a nicely decked-out Sport Wagon, I would have been all over it. The cooolest wagon if its time, along with its twin, the Olds Vista Cruiser.
But a lowly Special in that ubiquitous color (Trumpet Gold?) that 69% of GM cars came in during those years: Blahhh. I’ll get in if that’s the only choice on tap, like if that senior with the bright red ’68 GTO ignored my thumb…and then undoubtedly along with a half dozen other sophomores.
And if it’s a real crowd, some are going to have to crawl into the rear compartment. Of course the Special has no third seat; that’s why the sports Wagon existed; with its stretched wheelbase and raised roof, it had a forward facing third seat, no less. That was traveling in (relative) style; not third class Special class. Beats walking; barely…
It’s not like the rear seat is all that roomy either; why didn’t Steve’s parents buy a proper full-size wagon? Probably for the same reason we had a Coronet wagon:
Because all-too many parents are a cruel combination of narcissism and cheapness. Let’s face it: these mid-sized wagons were a more pleasant car to drive for Mom (or Dad), not quite the oversized whale to park or such, and they certainly drove nicely enough. GM’s A Bodies-on-frame undoubtedly were smoother riding and quieter than the unibody mid-sizers at Ford and Chrysler. And the accommodations for the driver were reasonable adequate, even if not for a horde of stinky fifteen year-old boys in the tail end of their growth spurts.
Under the hood, Buick’s 350 V8 (in two-barrel form, natch, unless you were a very special Special buyer) provided a buttery-smooth flow of torque for the normal jobs at hand (when Mom was driving), and gave it the old college-prep try even for the abnormal ones, like when the car’s owner’s son turned sixteen, drove it to school, and then headed up Chestnut Avenue with a number of “Men of Loyola” standing on the rear bumper and two sitting on the roof. The 3:35 express to Mid-town Towson is now leaving Gate 3 – All Aboard!
But Buick’s fine V8 deserved better than to be mated to the obsolete two-speed Un-Super Turbine 300 transmission. 1969 would be the last year this indignity would be foisted on this engine in the mid-sized cars. The Sports Wagon was spared this insult, and the excellent THM 350 was also available in Specials, but for a higher premium. A column-mounted three-speed manual was standard, and if Steve’s mom’s Special wagon had had one, I would have had a hard time deciding (back then) if that was really cool or really lame. Probably the latter, at least for a couple more years. So what does this one have? Did its owner spring for a THM?
Hell no. I bet every Special Deluxe (there was no more just plain “Special”) that wasn’t special-ordered had the ST-300. No wonder the Stevemobile’s engine was hitting the higher registers as it labored with its burden at some 55-60 mph in front of Pickersgill Retirement Community (where my mother now resides). I don’t seem to remember it ever shifting into Hi before the drum brakes were summoned to duty in time for the STOP at Joppa Road. At least not with a proper load on board.
But it seems to have survived, and somehow found its way to Eugene, where a certain Brian picked it up at an estate sale, with visions of doing a bit of “hot rodding” on it.
For whatever reason (his wife?), that seems not to be in the cards now, and you can now relive my memories for yourself for a mere $2500 (or less, hints Brian). Of course, he might be happy if it didn’t sell either: honey, nobody wants the Buick; I guess I’m stuck with it…
I don’t want to buy it; I’d just like to have a ride on that back bumper one more time, hanging on to the insides of the open rear window for dear life, wondering if that damn transmission was ever going to shift into Hi.
Cool find, I rumble around Napier in a concrete mixer way up off the ground I see curbside classics all day the agency give me money I go back and shoot it coz I know where theres one of those………..
I believe that colour was called baby shit brown.
Earwax Gold Metallic
Vinyl seat coverings have fallen completely out of favor, but the quality vinyl used by GM back then sure holds up well. Cloth seats were usually in tatters in a couple of years. The seat belts will keep you from sliding across the bench seats. With a choice of a dozen or so paint colors it’s interesting how most cars were a certain color.
Agreed – cloth seats back then were for old people or cheapskates. Vinyl was the material of the future, and was what everyone wanted. Except for sunny summer days when we were wearing shorts. Almost every manufacturer used tough vinyls up to the late 60s when they went to cheaper grades that felt softer but were prone to splitting at the seams.
And don’t forget those handsome brushed stainless steel seatbelt latches GM used in those days! A nice generalised burn to the thigh from the vinyl (Morrokhide, excuse me!) with a bright red punctuation mark bearing a Holden crest from the seatbelt latch…ouch.
The First-Degree Burn Mark of Excellence.
Those were the optional Custom seat belts – the standard belts had the color-keyed plastic buckles (changed to all-black in 1971). This Special Deluxe also has the optional carpeting on the floor – rubber floor mats were standard equipment on all Special Deluxe models. The Special Deluxe was Buick’s equivalent of Chevy’s Chevelle Nomad. If you wanted a better-outfitted Buick station wagon in 1969, you got the longer-wheelbase Sportwagon (Flint’s version of the Olds Vista Cruiser) with the raised roof and skylights, but that number cost more than a “real” full-sized GM wagon such as the Chevrolet Impala Kingswood or Pontiac Catalina Safari and still had small 9.5-inch brake drums (unless you ordered disc brakes), the narrower width of the regular Special/Skylark coupes and sedans and only a short list of optional engines including the 350 4-barrel from the GS 350 and the 400 4-barrel from the GS 400. At least the Sportwagon did have GM’s 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission rather than the 2-speed Super Turbine 300 found in the regular Special Deluxe hauler.
There was a great future in “plastics” back in the late 1960s as Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) was told by Mr. McGuire in a popular 1967 movie. That great future in “plastics” included car bumpers (as depicted by the Endura found on the ’68 Pontiac GTO) and also apparently included automotive upholstery – or so it seemed. At least until your butt was roasted on a hot day, especially if the vinyl was black or other dark color. Cloth was much more comfortable and by the late 1970s, cloth and vinyl combos greatly outsold all-vinyl trims.
Cool,wagons are great I love the Sport Wagon but the Vista Cruiser wins because it’s a woody.I never liked that crease down the side of Buick sedans but it looks OK on wagons
That is my parents car!….at least one just like it, as owning it in Buffalo, NY I’m sure it would have rotted away 30 years ago.
Seriously my Dad bought a gold 1969 Buick Special Deluxe wagon. I was 8 years old and had 3 siblings. Ir replaced our 67 Special wagon and was the first car since my Dad’s bachelor days with his 57 Buick to have a V-8. It was also the first to have power steering/ brakes and AM/FM radio…not stereo though.
Three years as a sister was added to our family my Dad really moved upscale to the Electra based Estate wagon with 3 seats, A/C and the whopping 455 4bbl. The car I would learn to drive in.
You need to buy this car before someone molests it then! $2,500 is a great price for something this straight and original. The AM/FM monoraul radios are quite rare in these….especially in a non Skylark/SportWagon level car. I wonder if your Dad special ordered his car..
I’m amazed how straight this one is. Tell you what. If you buy it, I’ll mail you the missing wheelcover 🙂
We had the Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser – similar to the Buick Estate Wagon. All 127″ of wheelbase and a Rocket 455 four-barrel. When the secondaries would kick in, I would watch the gas gauge “flutter” . . . . only fast when it was up to speed. 7-12 mpg.
Great piece! There was always an ugly sister among the GM midsizers, and for this generation it was Buick. I remember that dash and steering wheel, as my Aunt Eula drove one of these, only it was a Skylark 4 door hardtop. This color, too (of course).
The 1969-72 A body did not translate into wagon very well, in my view. (the Vista Cruiser was the exception). GM was certainly charmed in those years – imagine getting someone into a Buick showroom so that they could drive off in something with a 2 speed automatic (yet again). Gad – NOBODY else was doing that in 1969. Or in 1965, for that matter.
I can’t say that I ever had the pleasure of riding in one of these, but your excellent post has given me the experience vicariously. And my impressions would have been exactly the same, wondering why the hell Mr. “I want to impress everyone but save money doing it” couldn’t just buy a V8 Plymouth wagon and give us a decent car to ride in.
I find it strange that a top mark like Buick could still be using a 2 speed auto as late as 69,sometimes if it ain’t broke don’t fix it doesn’t work well
Those Buick steering wheels looked like they should’ve had airbags in them.
They are the among the ugliest steering wheels IMO. The big horn button is made of some sort of ABS plastic which feels chintzy. I guess it harmonizes with the tacky ‘Fasten Seat Belts’ script that Buick liked to print on their speedometers in this era.
How could anyone forget to fasten your seat belts: just look at that wad of them on the front seat!
They must have figured that the “Fasten Seat Belts” in script looked more polite than block letters screaming at you.
Definitely more polite and properly sophisticated, befitting a Buick.
They were going to have airbags in them but once again GM had the technology but they nickel and dime good equipment into oblivion.
The Air Bags didn’t come until the 71-76 B’s and due to the high price tag relative to the price of the car they couldn’t sell them and they were dropped.
GM offered them in 73, to few takers. I think they also discovered that they were not very effective since people didn’t wear seatbelts at the time, and that people were getting injured from the air bags.
Ford had ABS, and I think so did Chrysler. the technology just wasn’t quite ready for prime-time yet.
The air bags were effective even w/o seat belts, that was the whole idea to be a passive restraint system to protect the people who wouldn’t listen to the lovely Fasten Seat Belts script on the dash from themselves. When air bags started making a comeback some insurance company found a Chevy B that had them got it running, put in a test dummy and crash tested it, they still worked. I think they did it w/o seat belts but maybe they strapped the dummy in. The biggest reason they didn’t sell was price, at around $600 IIRC it could add ~20% to the price of a lowly Chevy or ~10% to the price of a top end Buick. The did officially keep them on the options sheet until at least the 75 Buick or had at least planned to offer them in that year as the lens for the warning light was there and it was mentioned in the owner’s manual of my 75 Limited.
GM and International also had ASB (Anti-Skid Brakes) in the early 70’s. GM and Chrysler systems were 3 channel 4 wheel while IH and Lincoln were rear wheel only. IH and Chrysler systems were made by Bendix, Lincoln’s were Kelsey-Hayes and GM were Delco-Morraine. Again it was that the massive price tag that kept people from ordering them and lead to the discontinuation.
A late amendment: GM’s antilock system was also rear-only, offered on the FWD E-bodies to address their penchant for early rear lockup. Chrysler’s was the only four-wheel system.
Funny, I was thinking the back door glass looked tiny compared to the rest of the car. Your interior shot confirmed it – that back seat is awful. Like the point about clock-delete plates. “Hey, you cheap loser, pony up for a REAL wagon or get used to a steady whining sound from behind your head.”
Hardly ANY of these cars had the optional clock! I believe they were extra-cost on even the highest-level Buick intermediates from ’68 forward. Not sure about ’67 and earlier.
As an aside, 1967 was the last year the Impala came standard with the clock. It may have been a ‘GM’ thing across the board…
Even if there were a clock, what were the chances of it actually working? As a kid, I can’t remember a 1960’s car where the clock worked. It was kind of a a joke when we were kids.
The clock on our Corolla always worked.
That’s what l love about CC – I’m always learning things.
I never knew there were 2 versions of this wagon. I thought they all had the vista roof. But looking closely at these pics, I see that the rooflines on the Special and Sportwagon are very different (from back in the days when GM had the money to do such things). Never realized that before.
All four GM divisions that sold A-bodies built the conventional wagons. Only Oldsmobile and Buick had the special extended-wheelbase/raised roof versions. For most of the period they were built, Olds and Buick did not sell fullsize B- or C-body wagons, so the Vista Cruiser/Sportwagon effectively served as their fullsize wagons. 1964 was a transtion year where both the Vista Cruiser/Sportwagon and B-body wagons were offered, but Olds and Buick then dropped the wagons from their B/C lineup for the next several years.
Buick reintroduced a true fullsize wagon for the 1970 model year, dropping the extended-wheelbase A-body wagon after 1969. Confusingly, at that point it moved the Sportwagon name to the conventional A-body wagon, so the 1970-72 Sportwagon does NOT have the extended-wheelbase/raised roof body. (A bit of trivia: in the 1964-72 era, there was never a wagon badged as a Skylark. For as long as the Special name was in use, the conventional A-body wagons were always badged exclusively as Specials. When the Special was dropped after 1969, the conventional wagon became a Sportwagon.)
Oldsmobile did not reintroduce a true fullsize wagon until a year after Buick, in 1971. I believe that Olds continued to sell the Vista Cruiser in extended-wheelbase/raised roof form for 1971 and 1972, however, alongside both the conventional A-body Cutlass Cruiser and the new C-body Custom Cruiser. During the Collonnade era, the Vista Cruiser name continued in use, but it was now a Cutlass subseries, and just denoted a specific trim level of conventional A-body Cutlass wagon. (IINM, all Cutlass wagons were actually badged as Vista Cruisers for the first year of collonnade production in ’73.) There were no extended-wheelbase/raised roof A-body wagons after 1972.
I keep forgetting about that 1-year-only 1970 full sized Buick wagon, despite the fact that I knew someone who owned one. What a strange decision, to offer that wagon on the single last year of the platform, instead of just waiting for the new 71 as Olds did. When riding in that 70 Buick wagon as a kid, it never even dawned on me how unique that car was, because at that age I was pretty successful at tuning out both GM cars and station wagons. I wouldn’t mind having one now.
I used to see a ’70 Estate Wagon on a regular basis in my area sometime within the past five or ten years, long after most 1970 cars had disappeared from the road in these climes (Massachusetts).
IIRC, Chrysler did pretty good business with the Town & Country in the late ’60s, seemingly exploiting GM’s lack of a “real” upscale fullsize wagon. I suspect that the Estate Wagon was brought out in final year of the then-current GM fullsize design in attempt to do something about that sooner rather than later.
Definitely interesting that they decided to bring back the full size wagon for only 1 year of that body, of course it would be the 70 the ugliest of all the full size Buicks. If I found one I would want to put the 69 LeSabre or Wildcat front end on it.
The interesting thing about the A body Buicks is that the Sportwagon carried the Special’s 3 hole’r fender ornamentation and didn’t get the “gills” like the Skylark. Though when you really think about it the GS cars should have got the gills, instead of bare fenders and the Skylark should have 4 hole’r ornamentation to be consistent with the full size cars. LeSabre 3 hole’r, Wildcat gills, Electra 4 hole’r.
I think a fresh paint job, even in that color and clean whitewalls would make a world of difference on this ol wagon. There isn’t much else going on with the body being devoid of trim and such, so something like that would really make it pop. Pity it has no A/C though, poor kids!
I really love that character line on the sides, my favorite thing about Buicks of this era. This one really has been preserved; I always look at the tint band on the windshield to tell if a car has been garaged, usually they fade to brown if left outside a long time, this one is still blue.
Hey, it’s in western Oregon, it would only need a/c a few days a year. (Most certainly including last Sunday, when we left 105-degree weather in Reno for 93-degree weather in western WA.)
This car still has the old yellow on blue Oregon plates, which are almost certainly the original ones from when the car was new.
True, true. Definitely an amazing survivor.
I know it’s the original, but for some reason that steering wheel looks more modern than 1969. I feel like it belongs on an 80’s Century.
My apologies for the numerous typos. It’s not such a good idea to write a CC just before bed time after being out in the woods and hiking all day. As it was, I awoke at 2AM realizing I’d made a technical mistake and fixed that. But no proof-reading at that hour.
The flat roof is to (now) be preferred to the vista.
The vista leaks around the windows and damage ensues when no fix is done.
Buy the flat roof.
I always thought the step on the rear bumper of these cars was cool.
Paul,
When I was at Loyola (circa ’63), the “bus” was my girl’s ’57 Ford convertible, blonde (girl) and light blue (Ford). She went to Dulaney and would drive over and pick me up after school. Everybody’d pile in for the trip to Gino’s in Towson (it may have been Roy Rogers by your time). 5-6 passengers really tightened the Ford’s suspension, she let me drive, even without a license. Rubber out of the old parking lot on the way to Joppa Rd…great memories!
Ginos was the destination indeed! Starting when we were in 7th and 8th grade at Immaculate Conception, and then the first year or two at Loyola. By that time, it was starting to lose its luster as the in hang out.
For some reason this made me think of a car that’s currently on my local Craigslist:
http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/3873792919.html
When was the last time you saw a Cutlass with a straight six and three-on-the-tree?
Clean old wagon. In the day, when I came of age in the 70’s, anybody who borrowed Mom or Dad’s GM car (wagons, usually) immediately turned the air cleaner cover upside down for that “rush of power” . . . . 2-bbl Rochester or not. A guy in auto shop class had his Mom’s ’69 Skylark coupe with the Buick 350-2 and proper THM 350 . .. and always drove it “air cleaner cover upside down.” Vrrooooommmmuuuushhhhmmm.
My older brother had the ’67 Skylark – 300 2-bbl with the ST 300. OK for that engine. Car certainly was no slingshot. Was happiest at freeway speeds where it got to clunk into second. P R N D L.
I remember in the day seeing numerous ’67-’69 Pontiac LeMans (and a few Firebirds) with the ST300 two-speeder . . . . P R N D L indeed !!
$2,500… if I didn’t already have a driveway full of cars, I’d consider it.
By 1969, were there still separate two speed automatics for each division, or were they Powerglides with different names. Yes, early in the decade I know they were unique, roto hydramatic this and super turbine that.
The B-O-P 2 speed autos were not Powerglides. It is my understanding that they were of similar though not identical design. The Olds unit was called Jetaway.
Buick, Olds, and Pontiac shared the same basic two-speed transmission design, which Buick called Super Turbine 300, although there were some variations between the three versions. The biggest was that at least until 1967, Buick and Oldsmobile used a torque converter with a variable-pitch stator, something Buick had previously developed for the various Dynaflow/Turbine Drive transmissions. (Buick, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac also used a variable-pitch stator on the TH400 through 1967.)
The BOP 2-speed automatic was of 1964 vintage while the Powerglide had been around since 1950. Only thing the two transmissions had in common was the fact they were built by GM and had 2-speeds. Both of those 2-speeds were ultimately replaced by the 3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 350 beginning in 1969. The BOP 2-speed was dropped after the 1969 model year while Powerglide was finally retired after the 1973 model year.
I hope this wagon enjoys having its interior stripped out and having a 454 sloppily stuffed in it.
It’s wonderful to see such a nice clean and original survivor. Beautiful old beast in my opinion. Who cares if it’s the lower spec model? The 68′-72′ A-bodies are my favorite GM intermediates. I’m less familiar with the buicks, especially the wagons. I was never very fond of that crease running down the flanks, but it looks surprisingly good on this wagon. If I lived close enough, I’d be very interested in it.
I also agree that the steering wheel looks very modern for a late 60’s car. It’s a very distinctive feature and I like it. You wanna see (or touch) an ugly wheel? How about that nasty two-spoke design used on just about every ford car from the pinto to the ltd around the same time period? Also, rear passenger legroom looks a bit snug for adults. I’d hope that could be improved by pushing the front bench forward a few inches.
I’d prefer this wagon wagon to stay in original condition. It’s already survived four decades without being stuffed around, and I hope it stays that way.
As ajla points out, at this price it’s far more likely the car will wind up with a junkyard big block making less horsepower than the pre-smog 350 (but it’ll feel faster with the accompanying three speed transmission). Sad but true…
…with inappropriately-drilled holes to mount the aftermarket “GS” & “Stage 1” emblems…because the world really needs another “tribute” 442/SS/GS/GTO station wagon.
That’s funny. I saw that Buick wagon at the estate sale a couple of weekends ago, maybe a few minutes after Brian purchased. It didn’t look near as nice then, mostly due to the 1/2 inch of dust and dirt everywhere. Good luck with the Special, Brian.
My family had a 69 Special Deluxe in a very blah medium blue, I believe my dad traded in his ’65 Mustang convertible for the car (sob). Anyway, I learned to drive in this boat and generally didnt much care for it except for its utility at the drive-in theater. One big feature (at least in Buick’s mind) was the revolutionary tailgate which opened either flat out or from the right side with the hinges on the left (hence the little cut-out step in the bumper) using latches that resided inside the tailgate (which necessitated using the key to lower the window) as there was no handle on the outside of the door, presumably to better retain a clean look. This car outran no one and could only be coerced to catch rubber by standing on the accelerator and brake at the same time, then releasing the brake, which would result in a small chirp and a large shudder from the tranny. Only did this once although my friend did it regularly on his parents similar Chevy wagon which died not surprisingly of “unexplained” transmission problems
That style of tailgate was actually pioneered by Ford, they called it the Magic Door-Gate.
Don’t diss the color too much — here’s the 69 Sport Wagon I sold a while back. ‘Twas a great looking family truckster…
I really like that though I don’t know that I’d put the GS badges on it. I really like the stainless steel vent shades, I wish they were still available for my Travelall.
Here’s what made the GS badges/steering wheel, etc. OK, in my opinion…
OK, I’d say it is alright since it has the 400 with the proper cold air air cleaner backing up those badges.
Here’s my 67 Vista Cruiser in white over red — perfect companion car to the white/red Sport Wagon shown in the article…
A most excellent wagon Jeff,full marks Sir!
Very nice collection! I’d be wincing if I put my car there as I know it’d drip on the concrete!
My parents has a ’69 Special Deluxe 4-door sedan in Emerald Green. I believe ours had the TH350…I remember it shifting twice not once when accelerating.
I took my learner’s permit and driver’s test in it.
VERY uncomfortable on long drives. Back pain city. I used to think it was me, then I owned a ’68 Chrysler 300 convertible that didn’t give me back pain. I started to understand that maybe it was the car, not me.
To buyers of base/mid level cars back in the 60’s, an automatic is an automatic. Powerglides and BOP-glides were sold to buyers who could remember grinding gears in Model A’s as used cars.
They didn’t care if it only had 2 speeds, it was still a luxury item step-up from 3 on the tree.
The car has been great! We towed her home, stuck in a battery and poured a little fuel in the carb and she fired right up! I have been driving it around and quietly collecting some 350 Buick hop up parts. I plan on keeping the Buick 350 and warming it over a bit. The car is smooth and cruiser.
Looking for a early 70’s plymouth wagon…..
So, I guess the answer to Buick’s old musical jingle (“Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?”) is – No. 🙂
Love the Buick! I also want a mopar! and a bunch of other stuff.
Nice find there Paul!
Neighbors had for a short while, a yellow/gold 71 Buick special wagon. It replaced their purple 65 Impala wagon. I think they bought it used, perhaps a year or two old, as this was the early to mid 70’s.
I had always liked the 71 Skylarks the best of these.
I have a 69 delete car with zero options, not even an ashtray or radio. 350 w/ 3 on the tree…I tinted the windows and put some 14″ rallys on
I saw a red one today
Installed a 455 / 3 speed auto/ small stall/ 3.50 rear and posi…blasting around south Eugene!
Wow 2500 Bucks for a classic American Wagon.it was 5 years ago it probably worth Alot More Now
That same basic steering wheel shape was carried over, if not in actual moldings but in concept, to my dads 85 Riv and my moms 89 LeSabre, both pre-airbag cars.
Hey – no offence or trying to sound misongynistic….but how on earth did all those American soccer moms manage to manouever these huge boats around the supermarket parking lots? My mom just barely handled her Golf Mk1….
You eventually just got used to it, and also the power steering on these was very boosted, to the point where it was possible to steer with one finger on the wheel. The end of the hood was also very square, which made it easy to see where the end of the car was. When all else failed, you had the solid bumper to tell you when you got too close to someone else.
1977, late for school, jumped into my parents 1969 Special Deluxe Wagon, threw it in reverse and pulled into the alley without looking at all, took out the entire passenger side of our neighbors new canary yellow Lincoln Continental, oh that was a very bad morning.
The Special Deluxe Wagon also had, I guess you’d call it a speed limiter. It was a yellow mechanical arrow in the speedo that could be placed at any speed and which would emit a mournful electronic buzz when your speed hit the set point. Such technology.
Gazing from 2018, I see a long-lost golden age of stations wagons. How we took it for granted! This sweet, innocent Buick sings to me. Being pan-seared on vinyl bench seats crackling fiendishly under my sandy, sweaty legs at the end of a long beach day makes for an indelible misery. I look forward to acquiring a wagon from this era before too long, if only to allow my young son to likewise be forged in the crucible of a baking beach wagon. If it was good enough for me, it’s good enough for him.
Up and rollin!
https://www.instagram.com/p/1R37WAxVGG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Own a 69 sportwagon and all I have to say is.. any wagon from this era beat the looks of any family SUV from now. When you ride in one of them people just stare and smile. Carrying 8 passengers while still having space in the back,trunk, and roof rack.. can’t beat it. I pulled out the old 400 engine and transmission and rebuild it keeping it on the side in case I want to bring it back to original specs. I know.. sacrilege y’all would say.. but I’m dropping a hellcat red eye and transmission in it, doing the suspension and drivetrain upgrades to handled it. 😈. Looks will remain the same.