Oddball Muscle Cars

NewHemi · 03-18-2010, 11:21 AM

My father in Law, (Drooze's Grandfather) loved that car. He drove it everywhere especially to Church on Sunday, and I rode in the back seat of that imperial at highway speeds, along with my then wife, and two sister in laws all fitting across the back seat, and with Mother in Law and Father in Law in front seat... That thing would roll as we left church and went down the highway to grab Sunday Lunch...

But he would also load up the trunk with plumbing tools and head out to a job that he was supervising... So that monster cruiser would certainly also tote a large load.

I hated driving it, as I couldnt get used to the front torsion bar suspension float, and it flat out scared me to drive it at high speeds. I think my father in law enjoyed seeing me white knuckled and scared so when we were going some place together he would often toss me the keys, and say, let's get there quick this time....

Not the first Mopar to scare me, and probably not the last.. ;-)

David
The New Hemi Guy
________
AVANDIA LAWYER

dakota tom · 03-18-2010, 09:54 PM

If I had an extra 10K burning a hole in my pocket I would think about that Marlin. The 67 was a completely new car from the 65-66, those looked like AMC had found some bathtub Nash roof stampings to use up. The 67 was much better looking and had a good rear suspension and the new v-8 engines, super T-10 trans. Very much the same car as a Rebel Machine except for the roof clip.

One big car I remember was a mid 70s Ford sedan that a friends dad had bought at an auction. Dark geen and dogdish caps. It was a sheriffs car from the nieghboring county. 460 with a tall cast iron intake. Would cruse at 120 on the calibrated speedo. Was still climbing at 145. I should have bought that car from him back in 1979.

Paul Ceasrine · 03-19-2010, 06:12 AM

I think I've got it.
A mixture of speed, luxury and girth!
1970 Chrysler 300-H.
A 4300lb. car with 'sumptuous luxury'. A 'Hurst' equipped beast.
A 'Hurst' floor shifter, with specially modified torque-flite.
Custom hood, with 'Hurst' emblem. And a spoiler on the trunk-lid deck.
Special grille, pin-striping. and special gold and white paint.
Hidden head-lamps.
A factory tuned 440. With a road-ready 2.76 gear ratio.
Chrysler claimed it to be 'the fastest car on the road'.
A 3.54 'Sure-grip' gear unit was optional.
1 of 485 built. I have to admit, I never saw one.
Paul

Paul Ceasrine · 03-21-2010, 06:32 AM

Can this ODD-BALL be topped?
1972 Oldsmobile 'Vista Cruiser'. (4340 lbs.)
455 with the 'W-30 Ram-Air' option.
Bucket seats, with console and floor shifter.
Dome roof, with chrome roof rack.
Lower wood grain rocker-panels.
Fiberglass hood scoop, w/hood pins.
3.73 posi. Rallye-pack and 15" wheels.
Could run 'K/SA' with the best of them.
1 of 3 produced.
Paul

Rory McNeil · 03-21-2010, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Can this ODD-BALL be topped?
1972 Oldsmobile 'Vista Cruiser'. (4340 lbs.)
455 with the 'W-30 Ram-Air' option.
Bucket seats, with console and floor shifter.
Dome roof, with chrome roof rack.
Lower wood grain rocker-panels.
Fiberglass hood scoop, w/hood pins.
3.73 posi. Rallye-pack and 15" wheels.
Could run 'K/SA' with the best of them.
1 of 3 produced.
Paul

Several years ago, the Davidson family in Div. 6 ran one of these W30 455 Olds Vista Cruiser wagons , woodgrain and all, in Stock, and then later, in SS/NA. Not certain of the exact year, but it was a 70-72 body style, with the twin scooped fiberglass hood. Likely not a good choice as a stick car!

Paul Ceasrine · 03-21-2010, 07:46 PM

Rory,
I ran against a 72' 455 in 1973 in NED1, yes in SS/NA. I know it wasn't an original 455 W-30 Vista Cruiser, it was a converted one. I was at a loss, my 67' 273/235HP Cuda vs. a 'Monster-cubed Wagon'. Had him out of the hole and a lead 3/4 down the track. Then the 800CFM Quadra-Jet kicked in, and I nearly got sucked in from the vacuum entering the carb. The glass domed-roof car ran 12.50's.
Paul

Dennis P Chapman · 03-21-2010, 08:25 PM

Paul
Didnt John Troxel run one of thoughts wagons in div 1 back then in super stock.

Dan Bennett · 03-22-2010, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Can this ODD-BALL be topped?
1972 Oldsmobile 'Vista Cruiser'. (4340 lbs.)
455 with the 'W-30 Ram-Air' option.
Bucket seats, with console and floor shifter.
Dome roof, with chrome roof rack.
Lower wood grain rocker-panels.
Fiberglass hood scoop, w/hood pins.
3.73 posi. Rallye-pack and 15" wheels.
Could run 'K/SA' with the best of them.
1 of 3 produced.
Paul

Fitting in with this car and the luxury models you've already mentioned, Olds also built a Cutlass SX. It had the really nice interior and the notchback from the Cutlass Supreme but you could order any of the 442 equipment on it. I only saw one that was loaded up with W30, exhaust slots in the bumper, hood scoops, etc. It was dark green with a black vinyl top and was a killer sleeper.

Chris "drooze" Wertman · 03-22-2010, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Can this ODD-BALL be topped?
1972 Oldsmobile 'Vista Cruiser'. (4340 lbs.)
455 with the 'W-30 Ram-Air' option.
Bucket seats, with console and floor shifter.
Dome roof, with chrome roof rack.
Lower wood grain rocker-panels.
Fiberglass hood scoop, w/hood pins.
3.73 posi. Rallye-pack and 15" wheels.
Could run 'K/SA' with the best of them.
1 of 3 produced.
Paul

WE HAD ONE (not the W-30 option) My stepbrother and I rebuilt it when he turned 16 it was nice shape (for a wagon) and he has ALWAYS had a wagon since, Bog arge Goodyear experimental Eagles on the back (stepdad was a div head at GTY at the time) The damm thing was a 13 second street wagon, for a 16 year old he had a LOT of fun with it.

The imperial I loved too, my Grandfather got pulled over at 3 am on our Rt 21 doing 140mph, I have the "warning" somewhere , he got pulled over and the cop asked "What the Hell do you think youre doing ?!?!" His answer, seeing how fast my new car will go......he was let off with a warning that got tucked in the owners manual...lol...times are different

Paul Ceasrine · 03-22-2010, 03:14 PM

Drooze,
I bet your 'Grandfather', while cruising at 140+, was smoking a 'Tiparillo', sipping some 'B & B', and listening to Peggy Lee!!!
Probably told the Cop some 'choice words' also. You know us 'Italians'
also use the trunk for 'special transportation' also

.

Dennis,
'Lubik Oldsmobile' out of central New Jersey had a 'killer wagon'. I can't for the life of me remember who I ran against, but I still recall seeing that roof mounted rear-window deflector, which kept the tail-gate window 'nice and clean' through the traps. Late 60's and early 70's drag racing,, 'man do I miss it'.
Paul

03-18-2010, 11:21 AM	#1
NewHemi Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 472 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars My father in Law, (Drooze's Grandfather) loved that car. He drove it everywhere especially to Church on Sunday, and I rode in the back seat of that imperial at highway speeds, along with my then wife, and two sister in laws all fitting across the back seat, and with Mother in Law and Father in Law in front seat... That thing would roll as we left church and went down the highway to grab Sunday Lunch... But he would also load up the trunk with plumbing tools and head out to a job that he was supervising... So that monster cruiser would certainly also tote a large load. I hated driving it, as I couldnt get used to the front torsion bar suspension float, and it flat out scared me to drive it at high speeds. I think my father in law enjoyed seeing me white knuckled and scared so when we were going some place together he would often toss me the keys, and say, let's get there quick this time.... Not the first Mopar to scare me, and probably not the last.. ;-) David The New Hemi Guy ________ AVANDIA LAWYER Last edited by NewHemi; 04-05-2011 at 10:13 PM.

03-18-2010, 09:54 PM	#2
dakota tom Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 13 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars If I had an extra 10K burning a hole in my pocket I would think about that Marlin. The 67 was a completely new car from the 65-66, those looked like AMC had found some bathtub Nash roof stampings to use up. The 67 was much better looking and had a good rear suspension and the new v-8 engines, super T-10 trans. Very much the same car as a Rebel Machine except for the roof clip. One big car I remember was a mid 70s Ford sedan that a friends dad had bought at an auction. Dark geen and dogdish caps. It was a sheriffs car from the nieghboring county. 460 with a tall cast iron intake. Would cruse at 120 on the calibrated speedo. Was still climbing at 145. I should have bought that car from him back in 1979.

03-19-2010, 06:12 AM	#3
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars I think I've got it. A mixture of speed, luxury and girth! 1970 Chrysler 300-H. A 4300lb. car with 'sumptuous luxury'. A 'Hurst' equipped beast. A 'Hurst' floor shifter, with specially modified torque-flite. Custom hood, with 'Hurst' emblem. And a spoiler on the trunk-lid deck. Special grille, pin-striping. and special gold and white paint. Hidden head-lamps. A factory tuned 440. With a road-ready 2.76 gear ratio. Chrysler claimed it to be 'the fastest car on the road'. A 3.54 'Sure-grip' gear unit was optional. 1 of 485 built. I have to admit, I never saw one. Paul Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 03-19-2010 at 06:14 AM. Reason: error

03-21-2010, 06:32 AM	#4
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars Can this ODD-BALL be topped? 1972 Oldsmobile 'Vista Cruiser'. (4340 lbs.) 455 with the 'W-30 Ram-Air' option. Bucket seats, with console and floor shifter. Dome roof, with chrome roof rack. Lower wood grain rocker-panels. Fiberglass hood scoop, w/hood pins. 3.73 posi. Rallye-pack and 15" wheels. Could run 'K/SA' with the best of them. 1 of 3 produced. Paul Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 03-21-2010 at 06:43 AM. Reason: addition

03-21-2010, 07:46 PM	#6
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars Rory, I ran against a 72' 455 in 1973 in NED1, yes in SS/NA. I know it wasn't an original 455 W-30 Vista Cruiser, it was a converted one. I was at a loss, my 67' 273/235HP Cuda vs. a 'Monster-cubed Wagon'. Had him out of the hole and a lead 3/4 down the track. Then the 800CFM Quadra-Jet kicked in, and I nearly got sucked in from the vacuum entering the carb. The glass domed-roof car ran 12.50's. Paul Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 03-21-2010 at 07:48 PM. Reason: addition

03-21-2010, 08:25 PM	#7
Dennis P Chapman VIP Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toms River NJ Posts: 1,594 Likes: 419 Liked 53 Times in 25 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars Paul Didnt John Troxel run one of thoughts wagons in div 1 back then in super stock. __________________ Dennis P Chapman 1904 STK NHRA National Record Holder Car Owner.

03-22-2010, 03:14 PM	#10
Paul Ceasrine VIP Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 2,546 Likes: 0 Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts	Re: Oddball Muscle Cars Drooze, I bet your 'Grandfather', while cruising at 140+, was smoking a 'Tiparillo', sipping some 'B & B', and listening to Peggy Lee!!! Probably told the Cop some 'choice words' also. You know us 'Italians' also use the trunk for 'special transportation' also. Dennis, 'Lubik Oldsmobile' out of central New Jersey had a 'killer wagon'. I can't for the life of me remember who I ran against, but I still recall seeing that roof mounted rear-window deflector, which kept the tail-gate window 'nice and clean' through the traps. Late 60's and early 70's drag racing,, 'man do I miss it'. Paul Last edited by Paul Ceasrine; 03-22-2010 at 03:16 PM. Reason: addition

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