We’ve all been there. The dusty paths, the “Radio Flyer” aired up for a weekend of walking, the families with no spatial awareness, the golf carts, the DJ who thinks that “Runaround Sue” played at amphitheater volume is still a good idea: yep, it’s local car show and swap meet season. Although I can’t remember the last time I spent more than twenty dollars at this particular gathering, I wouldn’t dream of missing it without a good reason. After all, when was the last time you saw a two-door hardtop version of the Bluesmobile? Follow along for some truly uncommon random snapshots.
Not being an expert on mid-1970s Chryslers past a primal car lover’s predilection for watching The Blues Brothers whenever it’s on, I can only do what anyone would do and peruse the brochures to identify this big Dodge. I think this is a 1974 Monaco Brougham, one of 18,226 built in 1974 (in all variations), and what can only be one of a few remaining two-door hardtops. The 360, 400, and 440 V8s were available in the Monaco, so this one could have any of those, in addition to Chrysler’s electronic ignition.
The interior is appropriate for its era and manufacturer, and aside from the clashing “Dodge” steering wheel cover, it is in exceptionally good condition.
Short on opera windows and long on everything else, this Monaco was worth seeing simply because you never see them.
Somewhat more timeworn but equally photogenic is this 1961 Mercury Meteor. Compared to last week’s 1960 Mercury Commuter, the Meteor was a barely-disguised Ford Galaxie, as Mercury continued its search for a niche to occupy in a crowded mid-priced scheme.
This one has the basic 223-cubic-inch six, which appears to have been treated to a recent tune up. Something to discuss: Why didn’t Ford just incorporate the expansion tank into the radiator like everyone else? It’s not too inconvenient on a six-cylinder full-size Mercury, but it is on a ’63 Thunderbird where every other square inch has been spoken for.
This two-door sedan has the two-speed “Merc-O-Matic,” which was the only automatic available with the “Super-Economy 6.” The interior is holding up fairly well, and it’s nice to see this one out on the road again; it has all the signs of a car that sat for a long time.
The Meteor name can be confusing. After one year of service on the full-size body in 1961, it was shuffled over to Mercury’s version of the Fairlane intermediate for 1962, then summarily dismissed after 1963 as Mercury focused on the compact-intermediate Comet. Of course, Meteor was a separate nameplate used by Ford of Canada for decades.
As an indicator of how lost Mercury was in 1961, Mercury’s 1961 brochure had to tell the potential buyer which cars their Meteors were designed to compete with (excluding the Fords, of course). This is a rare tactic in the world of 1950s and 1960s brochures, and it’s clear that the plan to move Mercury down market into Ford territory was a questionable one.
Another one of Ford’s questionable decisions, this one supposedly from Henry Ford himself, was the V8-60. All three of these were for sale for $450. Available from 1937 to 1940, the V8-60 can be identified by its 17 head studs, not to mention that it simply looks small. It filled the gap left by the old four cylinder, and was replaced (finally) by a six-cylinder engine in 1941, the precursor to the six-cylinder in the aforementioned Meteor.
From what I’ve read, the horsepower production of the V8-60 wasn’t the problem; it was the fact that it produced under 100 lb.-ft. of torque, rendering the growing Fords of the late 1930s woefully underpowered in real-world driving situations. They did, however, enjoy a long life powering midget racers in the 1940s and 1950s, so there’s a silver lining for this much-maligned little engine.
As I mentioned already, it’s a rare swap meet that finds me spending more than twenty dollars, but I was able to pick up this package of spark plugs for a mere five. If nothing else, I’ve always enjoyed the Autolite/Motorcraft box art, which depicts a GT40 (a Mark II, most likely) speeding down the Mulsanne straightaway at LeMans.
What’s better is that they fit both my 289 Mustang and my 390 Thunderbird, and were made in America back in the late 1960s or early ’70s.
What’s better than that is that there are ten of them, so I paid fifty cents each. *Why ten, by the way? There were no V10s in Ford’s lineup back then.*
What’s better than that is that they’ve never been used. At my current not-even-close-to-daily-driving rate, I may not have to put plugs in either car for decades. And when the time comes, will I be mean enough to wake these shelf-dwellers from their slumber to put them to work in the fiery confines of an antique combustion chamber? Time will tell, but the probable answer is yes.
Swap meet Saturday was also fun because I entered the Riviera in the show, not because it’s a show car, but because it doesn’t cost any more than being a spectator. Since show cars park right in the middle of the event, it’s a no-brainer. Unfortunately, this picture is fuzzy as a result of my dodging cars, strollers, golf carts, and wagons, but it’s indicative of your average midwestern car show and swap meet: dust everywhere, guys with sleeveless tees, exaggerated bench racing, pie-in-the-sky asking prices for goods of dubious value…
It will be a sad day for me when and if events such as these disappear. Ours has already been pared down to twice a year from its previous three, but this has been the first one in a while that seemed well-attended by vendors and attendees. There are few better ways, however, to spend a Saturday morning if your personality inclines to hoarding, so long live the local swap meet.
You are getting me in the mood for the one annual car show I try to hit in my area, one that has run every Fathers Day for years. That one is in an area with a lot of trees, so there is at least some shade to go with everything else you mention.
Wow, that 74 Monaco is a rare treat! I never much liked that 2 door roof on these, and thought they looked far better as 4 door hardtops. What was it with Chrysler and an inability to design a good looking 2 door big car after maybe 1968? The 74 Imperial and those that followed may have been the only exception, but Plymouth and Dodge were almost completely awful.
I was always confused by Ford’s parts naming – somewhere along the line they changed from Autolite to Motorcraft, but I never knew just when. And yes, 10 spark plugs to a box was always odd. Or make that even, but in an odd way.
I was always confused by Ford’s parts naming – somewhere along the line they changed from Autolite to Motorcraft, but I never knew just
There was an anti-trust suit against Ford that was settled around 1972. Ford was required to divest Autolite, and was forbidden to make spark plugs for some number of years. iirc, Autolite was sold to Bendix. For the balance of the decade, Fords came with Motorcraft filters, wiper blades, and such, but still had Autolite plugs, purchased from Bendix.
I have never heard why, GM, with nearly double the market share Ford had, was not required to divest AC.
Thanks for the lesson, Steve. I never looked into that and had no idea. That anti-trust elements would go after Ford and not GM is indeed baffling.
By the way, I’ve been reading through some of the articles on your website. Although I don’t always agree with the viewpoints that are a matter of personal taste (the early Riv, obviously), they’re very well done. Nice work.
By the way, I’ve been reading through some of the articles on your website.
That must be directed at someone else? I don’t have a web site.
Oh jeez, I’m sorry, Steve. Mistaken identity. There’s a Steve from Michigan who has a website called “Indie Auto” that refers to this website in some of his articles. I assumed it was you, but you know what happens when you assume!
Aaron65
Posted June 12, 2023 at 2:58 PM
Oh jeez, I’m sorry, Steve. Mistaken identity. There’s a Steve from Michigan who has a website called “Indie Auto” that refers to this website in some of his articles. I assumed it was you, but you know what happens when you assume!
I used to rib my mom about the horrendous lack of imagination among Michigan parents in the 50s, as there are so many Steves around. One day, in the lunch room in high school, I counted six guys named Steve, sitting in a row at the same table.
And, yes, we covered “assume” when I was in b-school, some 46 years ago. :^)
Antitrust laws, like most, have a statute of limitations. My business law classes mentioned 4 years is the norm for most antitrust actions. I’m no lawyer, so the particular law regarding the Ford purchase of Autolite may be slightly different, but there is a time limit to take action.
GM has owned AC since 1927. Ford bought Autolite in 1961. The antitrust action against Ford’s purchase of Autolite was commenced in 1961 – well within any statute of limitations time frames. The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court which accounts for why the final ruling didn’t occur until a decade later.
For whatever reasons, no action was ever commenced against GM in the 1920s or 1930s.
Different time. Different political priorities.
Antitrust laws, like most, have a statute of limitations. .
Thanks. I did not know that. I was in college during the 70s, and sticks in my mind I asked a law or economics prof about the Autolite case. He gave some sort of non-answer, so, apparently, he did not know about that time limit.
I can see the Coolidge and Hoover administrations being disinclined to discomfort GM. By the time FDR was inaugurated in early 33, as you say, he had more important things to attend to, as the national economy was imploding.
The 60s and 70s were active times in anti-trust actions. Radio Shack parent Tandy Corp bought Allied Radio, another chain of electronics stores, in 1970. In 1972 a US District Court in Chicago ordered Tandy to divest Allied.
Antitrust laws, like most, have a statute of limitations.
So, other anti-trust actions, like the breakup of AT&T and Standard Oil, which took place years/decades after the formation of the companies, were dependent on proof of abusive business practices?
I have the opposite take on seventies Mopar coupes, they just look perfect to me, but then again so do IH stepsides.
In our community, we have a free car show every Friday night during the summer. There are always a few regulars, which (due to age) disappear each year. Have not been as frequently attending in last few years due to my own health. There is always an abundance of Corvettes and other muscle cars. But one regular is a 1937 Buick that has been in the same family since new! A red 65 Bonneville convert is always displayed with side mounted tray containing fake food items typical of drive in restaurants of the era ! Last year I actually parked my 2007 TOWN CAR and got some good response. A one time only visitor showed his red 62 Dodge Custom 880 convert that he had spent years restoring. What a beauty! Owner of a 69 Hurst OLDS posts a sign on his car UNATTENDED CHILDREN WILL BE ROUNDED UP and SOLD for MEDICAL RESEARCH! The show is adjacent to a weekly Harley Davidson gathering with music ? 🤔 at full throttle and occasional Harley rider and his Chopper Chick roaring through. But my favorites have always been car shows with swap meets. Never know what you may find 😮 😏.👌😎
Richmond, VA had its annual AACA show this past weekend. With my left foot booted from a motorcycle crash a month ago, I ended up at the show rather than on the run with my motorcycle club (no, I’m not following a pack of Harley’s with a Chevrolet Bolt). Somewhat painful hobbling around, but well worth the time.
And discovered that I’ve truly become a grumpy old fart. Happily, the cars I consider ‘antiques’ (pre-WWI, or at most pre-1955) were pretty much grouped in one area, near the entrance to the show, meaning the other 4/5ths of the non-swap meet part of the show was essentially a bigger, somewhat higher class, Cars & Coffee. Which was good for those folks, because Richmond’s bi-weekly Cars & Coffee got booted from their long-standing site about three weeks ago, due to behavior that all too often makes YouTube for the laughs.
AACA has definitely changed. Street rods, resto-rods, etc. now seem to be welcome, where my memories of those shows would have had them barred from the field. About the time I was dropping out of the antique car hobby (early 80’s) the AACA was in the middle of a very controversial decision to allow hot rods – if they were restorations to ‘original’ of a hot rod built during the 1940’s or 50’s. How times have changed, not for the better. (Yeah, get off my lawn.). Otherwise, factory original, only.
High points for me (unfortunately I wasn’t taking pictures) was a Curved Dash Oldsmobile, 1908 (I think) Buick, 1914 Stutz, a lineup of five 1930-35 Packards, an 812 Cord Sportsman, and the killer of the day, a 1932 Auburn Boattailed Speedster.
Welcome to the world of grumpy old farts! See my posts. I now consider myself a classic Rolls Canardly, rolling down one hill and can ardly get up the next.
I agree with your take on hot rods and customs. Unfortunately for guys like us, they’re here to stay, and if helps keep the hobby around a while longer, that much the better. I’ll never get the need, however, to spend a hundred grand or more to soup up a car that never goes faster than 60 in the slow lane (most of the time).
As for the Monaco, I believe in 65? Dodge switched the Monaco name to intermediates, the calling the full size ROYAL MONACO (possible throw back to 50s Royals and Royal Lancers). Then we got the ROYAL MONACO Brougham, which took Dodge to the OTT excess I so loved. Two doors had unusual paddle vinyl roof treatment complete with opera windows, heavily chromed trim, and plush interiors! Have never seen a Royal Monaco at any shows. As I frequently say 🎵 Those 🎶were 🎵the 🎶DAYS (of our lives) 😉
The Monaco name wasn’t switched to intermediates until 1977, on a renamed Coronet in an apparent attempt to compete with the downsized GM B bodies, although the full-sized version continued for one last year as the Royal Monaco. In 1979 the R-body St. Regis effectively replaced both Monacos, sized between them and built on a heavily modified B body that dated from 1962, although it looked fully up to date inside and out. It nonetheless sold poorly and was dropped after just 2-1/2 years.
The Monaco was a full size car until 1977, when the name took the place of the intermediate Coronet. The full size car for 1977 was the Royal Monaco, a name that first appeared in 1975 to signify a higher trim version. The Royal Monaco Brougham was the highest trim level. 1977 was the last year for the full size Royal Monaco and 1978 was the last year for the intermediate Monaco. The name was retired until 1990, when Dodge brought it back for its Eagle Premier twin. Confusing yes.
I had an uncle who was a committed Dodge man, buying a new one every four years or so starting in 1948. Always the biggest, top trim version. He had a 1974 Monaco Brougham 2 door hardtop, similar to the featured one above. Had the 400 V8. A huge car, with proportions a bit ungainly. Quite comfortable though. He kept this one quite a while, as he couldn’t find a full size replacement to his liking. He reluctantly bought a Diplomat, then an Intrepid as his final two cars. He always said the ‘74 was the best of all his Dodges.
Wow, I can’t imagine a ’74 model anything being the best at anything (and I feel like I can chime in being the proud owner of a ’74 Firebird). 🙂
JP has long said on this website that Mopars of the ’70s were a hit-or-miss proposition, and it sounds like your uncle got a good one.
Great assortment and post! Am I forgetting that Royal Monacos of this vintage had an illuminated section between the taillights, or was this a rare option?
LOL! Good catch!
When the 1974 Monaco line was revealed – it had two different sets of tail light options. The base models had the back up lights in the middle of the tail light assembly, and the higher end models had coin medallions in the middle of each tail light where the back up light went – and instead had the back up light in the center.
This car owner had the base model tail light design, then added the center back up light off of another Monaco. Paging through the google machine shows a number of base models that had the center back up panel added to them.
The photo here shows how the higher end Monaco models – notice the coin medallions in the middle of the tail lights where the back up lights are on the lower end models.
Wow, and those medallions look uncannily like the Cadillac wreath-and-crest.
Interesting stuff…This is exactly why I had to go to the brochures for verification. I assumed that any Brougham would have been a Royal Monaco, but that’s not the case.
And thanks for the kind words, Joe.
This Fathers Day, unless Mother Nature says otherwise, I’ll be the dee jay blasting “Runaround Sue” at an obnoxious volume at the Oakmont PA Lion’s Club car show!
I don’t do it for the pay, but for a fun way to show off the Cadillacs….my wife will be with me this year so we’ll be bringing the 92 and 88 Broughams.
As time has gone on, it’s funny to see 80’s cars I grew up with now considered classics alongside the 57 Chevy’s & 65 Mustangs. And one of the reasons they hired me was to mix in 70’s and 80’s classics along with the usual 50’s & 60’s tunes heard at car shows.
Car shows are one of the few things I look forward to in the summertime…seeing gems like that 74 Dodge and 61 Mercury make the heat & humidity tolerable.
Also seeing a cool custom Fiero with a Caddy 4.9 stuffed inside – saw this at a car show in Murrysville this past weekend!
Please don’t take this personally, but it’s the loud music (or any music) that absolutely keeps me away from any car show/event that has it. it’s also why I won’t set foot inside a store from mid-November on if they play Xmas music.
To each their own…
(or any music)
Music is a common feature of a lot of shows. The Gilmore revived it’s tractor show last year, with a live bluegrass band. I forget whether it is the Lincoln or Cadillac show that often has a swing band. The German show, at the Gilmore, reputed to be the largest all German brand show in the country, has an ompah band.
Well, a live bluegrass band is something that appeals to me. The problem is that different folks have different tastes. But I’m generally a lot more tolerant about live music.
Well, a live bluegrass band is something that appeals to me. The problem is that different folks have different tastes. But I’m generally a lot more tolerant about live music.
The Gilmore posted a short video of the band they had at the tractor show last year on their facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/GilmoreCarMuseum/videos/-saturday-july-30th-starts-at-2pm-schlitz-creek-bring-your-own-chair-or-blanketj/5893462580681599/
None taken! I try not to be placed next to anyone so that their ears aren’t blown out, but the organizers do raffles and awards so it has to be cranked to cover all four corners of the field. And I don’t talk after every song, unless it’s to make an announcement or play a request.
Xmas music…as much as it gets repetitive…that is when certain radio stations see double digit ratings, jumps in cume, and ring the cash register. Most people enjoy it, so I just deal with it until Dec 26th.
At least the sappy Xmas shows now are confined to the Hallmark Channel instead of CBS, NBC, and ABC trying to outdo each other like in the 80’s.
I like loud music, as long as it’s entirely acoustic. There’s nothing quite so thrilling as the end of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, with huge orchestra, big chorus, and organ underpinning everything. And I’m partial to pipe organs; organ is my instrument, and I like to cut loose at the end of a church service with everything at my disposal. It was fun on Easter, with a brass quintet added to organ. They nearly drowned me out! Loud amplified music? Not so much. Not at all, if I can avoid it.
Your car show experience for the weekend worked out better than mine.
Tried to hit the VW show in Frankenmuth. Hit a titanic traffic jam where 14 and 23 merge together on the north side of Ann Arbor. Diverted to southbound 23, intending to go to 94, around Ann Arbor, and approach 14 from the west instead. Hit another jam as traffic on 23 ground to a halt. Fortunately, I was stopped right next to an off ramp to Washtinaw Ave, so used it. Consulted my paper map. The roads in Ann Arbor resemble a bowl of spaghetti thrown against a wall. There was no efficient way to get from where I was, to the other side of the traffic jam on the north side of town, so I gave up and headed for home. Made other mischief that afternoon.
Sunday was the Cars R Stars show at the Packard Proving Grounds in Utica, but it was cold and raining off and on all day, so I passed that show too.
CC alum Richard Bennett has started organizing his own shows in Ypsilanti. Turnout of about 30 cars at the show a week ago. This year, the show cars ranged from a 2CV and a Yugo, to a Viper.
One of our group brought his Lincoln coupe. I had not seen this one before. He had been bringing his mint, barn find, 72 Gran Torino Sportroof in previous years.
I’ll have to head over to the Packard Proving Grounds for one of their shows one of these days; I’ve never been there. Regarding your weekend, doesn’t it always seem like there’s a traffic jam somewhere on US-23?
doesn’t it always seem like there’s a traffic jam somewhere on US-23?
I would really like to get my hands on the person who decided having 23 and 14 merge together, then separate again, in the space of 3 or 4 miles, was a good idea.
I’ll have to head over to the Packard Proving Grounds for one of their shows
Two shows have already been this year. The Mopar show was early last month. I skipped it because it was raining. Their second show was “Cars R Stars”, last Sunday, highlighting Thunderbirds this year. I skipped that one too, due to cold and rain, first serious rain here in three weeks. Next shot is their annual open house, iirc, in October.
Those three engines for $450 represents a lot of metal to be moving around to display and hopefully sell and then repack up when/if they don’t sell…But a $5 pack of 10 sparkplugs might have me considering them as well. And I don’t even have a Ford that they fit in.
When did Chrysler stop using such wonderfully lustrous paint for their cars? 🙂 I just don’t recall any of them ever gleaming like that. The super tight and trim top vinyl looks really good as well, I can see why it was popular – as opposed to the overstuffed ones often seen on many other cars.
Some of the vendors at these shows seem to pack up and bring back the same items, year after year. It’s like a trip to the antique store; if the price tag is so sun faded that you can’t read it, the price is too high. 🙂
I’m convinced that the vendors that you describe truly don’t care if they sell anything. These shows are a social event to them. If they sell enough to pay for gas, lunch, and booth rental then it is a good day, and if they don’t then it’s still a pretty good day.
My dad had a 76 Royal Monaco 2 door. Great ride, but suffered from mid-70s Chrysler quality and the tin worm. When he picked up the car at the dealer, you had to turn the steering wheel 90 degrees to go straight.
Being in Phoenix. Car shows and Swap meets are year ’round events. Truthfully less common in the high summer heat. but still happen. That 2 door Monaco is a rare beast, but it absolutely shows Dodge designers were envious of Buick. A 72 Buick Lesabre with squarer corners
I remember an old Car and Driver article making fun of the new ’74 Dodge by showing its picture side-by-side with that year’s Buick.
Years ago I had a puzzling drivability issue with my still fairly new Ford Ranger, but after it was off the 12 or 24k warranty of those times. And if there was a longer California emissions warranty I was unaware of it. I should have checked the basics but hey, it was “computer controlled” with EFI etc so I took it to the dealer. They diagnosed one bad spark plug and had it running like new again for about $60. So I’m sure those ten packs were used a lot at dealers. They told me they didn’t replace the other five plugs, and I’m not sure I ever replaced plugs again before I sold it.
The lighting, along with the green color of the car and grass, makes the lead image look like one of those retouched brochure photos.
As in the past, Chrysler’s reboot of GM’s last model cycle cars actually looked pretty good. It’s a shame the world situation at the time gave Chrysler it’s usual bad timing for the new 1974 C-body. With a few notable exceptions (1st gen Cordoba, Omnirizon), Chrysler just couldn’t catch a break in the seventies.
I, too, have a bunch of those boxes of Autolite spark plugs. Have 10 of the BF42 and three of BF32 off eBay in the early years. Super cheap back then unlike today. Useful since I have four Ford engines that use the 42. Although one can still get cheap off eBay. Just found an NOS 3.0L Vulcan block for $200 shipped. My standard crank, rods, cam, bearings, pistons, and rings await.
I even wonder if you could run the BF32s today if you had to, considering that the plugs don’t seem to get carboned up like they might have in the old days.
Your Riviera was the best looking car there!
I attended a nice car show that was only two and a half hours away last Saturday! “The Night of the Revving Dead.” I figured that it would be a Rockabilly/ Rat Rod type show, they did have a great live Rockabilly band. Surprisingly, there weren’t too many crazy Rat Rods as back in the 00’s. There were some period correct Kustoms. In fact a couple of guys told me that they had returned their cars to a more normal appearance after they bought them. It was an eclectic gathering, lots of real hot rods, Fifties cars, custom and stock, muscle cars, modified Fifties trucks, and even a couple of third gen Corvettes. I spoke with many of the older participants, I find it interesting to ask how long they have owned their cars. I’d found in the past, that a lot of classic hot rods had belonged to long time owners who had bought them decades ago before they became so expensive. It seemed that several of these older guys had sold their old, long term cars at a hefty profit and now had found something that they wanted more. This was one of the better shows that I’ve attended, much better than the April Good Guys that charged 15.00 for parking and 25.00 for admission!
Thanks, Jose! The Riviera is just about always my favorite at any show, but I’m biased. Two and a half hours is about as far as I’ll drive for a car show – glad you had a good time.
A few weeks ago I attended a car show sponsored by our local V8 Ford club (in Fairfax, Virginia). It was the first I’ve been to since COVID canceled them all for a year or two or three. There were maybe one-third as many cars on display as what I remembered from prior years. I don’t know if that’s typical, but it made me wonder if this show will ever come back full strength. The age group with nostalgia for flathead Fords was hit hard by the pandemic. I hope that doesn’t explain the paucity of cars on display.
Our big Northern Virginia show is also on Father’s Day (like those mentioned above). Not sure if I’ll make it out there this year, but I do wonder how big that one will be this year.
Ma Mopar was late often to market trends. In 1970 offering Sport Fury GT, when Chevy dropped Impala SS and Ford had more versions of LTD. Full size performance cars were out with ‘kids’ and adults wanted ‘entry-luxury’ or just ‘nice drivers’.
The 74’s copied 1971 GM big cars, late. After [what I think] the Fuselage copying 1965 GM big cars, 4 years too late.
The vinyl roof on that Monaco looks pristine. But that may be the most I can say for that car. I generally like anything in green, but sadly that 1974 Dodge may be pushing the envelope for me.
Oh, and that upholstery. It’s kind of begging for a clear plastic Fingerhut seat cover.
Somehow my suspicion about the set of 10 spark plugs is that Ford fully expected that there might be 2 duds in the batch…so better to just package them as 10 and avoid angry customers at the parts counter.
I love local car shows. I love them even more when they turn the music down.
There’s a local car show in September where one of the advertising draws is that there is no DJ. That goes to show that there’s a significant cross section of the population that prefers a quiet venue for automotive contemplation. 🙂 They also don’t allow hot rods or customs at that event, however, so there might be a correlation between the two.
The old spark plugs look tiny compared to the modern ultra-long-reach things they thread deep down into DOHC heads!
A fun day out to be sure .
I love swap meets, like you I never know that I’ll find ~ those V8-60’s are nice (I’m thinking in an ‘A’ Model Ford) but the boxes of tools just in front are far more interesting as I find all manner of specialty tools that no one else seems to know what they are, what they do or why they’re priceless, better yet when I get the blank stare I know I’ll likely get whatever it is (I always know) for $5 .
The Riviera is looking good .
I love that Merc ! .
Add an over drive tranny and it’ll be a serious road warrior .
I think Ford used those puke tanks and the 3″ coolant hose between the water pump and block because they hated Mechanics…..
Certainly that’s how it seemed when I ran the pump island when these oldies were still daily drivers and 1/2 of them needed that damn hose in the Summer….
Many decades ago when I still had an ‘A’ Model Ford I chanced upon a box of original Champion spark plugs for it, yes I used four but I bet I still have that beatutiful box 2/3of plugs somewhere….
Maybe it’s time to hit up the Long Beach or PO-mona swap again, I need an original VW front bumper .
-Nate
Last summer, I replaced the water pump bypass hose on my T-Bird’s 390. Oh boy. That required holding your tongue in just the right spot on your upper lip, cursing in a Cockney accent, standing on one leg, and using a lot of dish soap.
Now,
Imagine doing it at the pump island whilst the Customer waits and you don’t have the wonderful silicone hose that flexes so easily….
My fingers are all bent and mangled from 50 + years of mechanicing, doctors and nurses often ask me what the hell happened to me .
-Nate
I think Ford used those puke tanks and the 3″ coolant hose between the water pump and block because they hated Mechanics…..
Oh, *that* hose. Fortunately, *that* hose on the 351 in my 70 Cougar was right out in the open, on top. I noticed it was looking funky and wheeled into the Ford shop to have it attended to. Yes, it was in the summer, summer of 75, when I was working in a foundry in Albion, MI.
Yep ;
That and the third bolt on Y – Block starters………
Only those who’ve been there understand .
-Nate
I need to see more of that glorious jacked-up, (probably) bumperless, side-piped AMC Matador coupe!
I have this picture from years ago; it’s at a lot of local shows.
Thanks , Aaron!
That Monaco is in phenomenal condition! And the interior is very upmarket. Love the door panels and upholstery.
Is it the online marketplace that is making these events less common?
I think the availability of almost anything online has to cut into the popularity of swap meets, although big meets like Hershey still seem to be going strong. The chances of finding specifically what you’re looking for at a swap meet is fairly remote, however, especially if you’re working on something a little off-center. You can see why Hemmings Motor News was so highly revered in the pre-internet age; where else would you find this stuff if you weren’t a member of the national club? You certainly needed more patience back then, but then again, all this stuff was a lot newer back then, too, and you could get a lot of parts at the local parts house.
Hershey is an event in and of itself, but the car show helps.
At Carlisle, the events with an actual car show – Ford, Mopar, GM, Corvette – are doing well. But the number of vendors at the Spring and Fall meets, which feature cars for sale, an auction and vendors selling everything from parts to automobilia, appears to be decreasing.
The loud music does keep me away, but I’m glad you gave us a quiet tour today, both for cars and the parts–thanks!
This is Popular Mechanics, for the 1960 new cars, explaining why Ford chopped up the radiator, BTW:
You’re welcome!
Thank you for the image, George. Still, almost every FE I’ve ever seen has had that separate expansion tank, even when the other engine configurations used a standard radiator. Ford is notorious for its running changes, so there must have been another reason for their hanging on to it.
I found this quote regarding the expansion tank on fordfe.com:
Yes its nescessary. The reason its there is that the radiator is lower than the top of the water level in the block/intake, so you cant fill it up all the way. The expansion tank raises the fill hole above the engine water level.
Still, other Ford engines such as the small block routed water through the intake manifold, so…..
Oh yes! I feel sorry for the staff who have to endure the looped tape of Crappy Carols.
If I had to work there, I swear there’d be hostages taken.