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DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
1969 Dodge A100 Van
Sox & Martin '69 Road Runner vs. Little Red Wagon
Grand Wagoneer: A-100 Wheelstander!

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that ain't the way to have fun, son
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Wow! The Tradesman, which is correctly identified as a '68, is still shiny!

It has the classic ultra-flimsy bumper peaks at the mounting points from smacking into hard stuff...like wind. The front leaf springs have likely been re-arched, as it doesn't nose down.

Bitchin'. Rad. Cool.

The wheel covers on this are not OEM...at least I don't think they are. If they were, IIRC, you got a choice between dog dish, which I've never seen, or full-on chrome monsters, which mine had.

The backup lights may have still been an option in '68, too, but with the changes in lighting, maybe not. Headlight doors from dump truck of the same era rarely get damaged, so the owner should go salvage hunting.

Dual exhaust means 318 V-8. I hope it has a three-speed manual w/the 4.11 rear. Mmmmm...0-45 MPH, or so, surprisingly quick. Then aerodynamics and a tall third gear come in and quash the fun.

Yeah...I had one. First car, had been in the family from new, ordered from the factory, and was one year older than I. A one-ton, LWB, 318 V8, manual (no first gear synchro, which resulted in my 'clearing' first gear, to this day...just can't help it), 4.11 positrac rear, both rear seats, seat belts for all passengers, and a chrome AM radio which had knobs heavy enough to hurt someone if you threw it at 'em. Mine was a Sportsman, but not the top-of-the-line, think Limited version, one with a chrome strip running around the body and two-tone paint. I think those had both a horn ring, damnit, so cool, and a chrome ring around the gauge cluster. I've seen only one, so...

When I was 12-13, I drew it up Mad Max-style in a pencil drawing. Even had notes as to how thick the plating should be. Wish I still had that sketch after seeing the Deathwagon, earlier. The 'roo bar on mine was designed with integral spikes...for zombies and errant death-cycles, not chain.

I actually saw a 108" wheelbase passenger van (windows all 'round) last week here in Arlington, TX. It was shiny, too, and the owner, like us, was seeking shelter from approaching hail and high winds in the local shopping mall parking garage.

I try to keep my nice beaters out of storms which may leave dents deep enough to result in puddles on horizontal surfaces.

Enough reminiscing. Gotta find a job before Gator-O-Rama, or I might have to go. My wife has already decided we're going, and she already wants to plan out a race site-wide pot-luck.
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discontinuuity has left the Jalop until further notice
02/15/09

@inexpensive luxury beater cars RULE!: You get a heart-click for your long winded nostalgic rant.
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Novaload
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Not much love for the 'Cuda. It went on to such great things, but the first year was rough. It was just a humble Valiant on some but not enough steroids.

and you can see the hep kids who loved them:

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DoctorNine
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
I have a jones for the Dodge Tradesman. I don't know about the colors on these DOTS vehicles today though. That van has to have the worst color combination I have ever seen on a car. And that says a lot:

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Graverobber
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Nice juxtaposition of the Torino and the Daihatsu. IF I had to bomb around SF, and find a place to park, I'd be all over that Move like Wert on the Burberry half-off bin. On the other hand, for a Vegas weekend trip, the Torino's got it goin' on.

And I prefer my Sapporo in beer form.
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Deartháir II
02/15/09

@graverobber: Murilopnik Weekends mean I can cut back on th...: Agreed. I want that Move... but I'm not sure I'd want to do road-trips in it. I may have to go hunting through the Canadian importer websites again to see what I can find.

Like, say, a snail?

Nissan S-Cargo

Oh god. Nope, screw that. I don't want a Move, or a snail. I want this:

'71 Skyline. Sign me up.
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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

@Deartháir can't wait for the first Murilopnik to begin!: I'd totally paint a giant spiral on the side of the cargo area of the S-Cargo.
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Graverobber
02/15/09

@Deartháir can't wait for the first Murilopnik to begin!:The Skyline; it's so . . . so . . . angry. Nice fat tires and rambler rear fenders on that beauty. Also, mad photoshop skillz on the image there.
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Phil L.
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
My parents had a '75 Torino (picked from the back of the lot after the '76 models were out). Yup, non-Gran. It took me awhile to figure out that everyone else had Gran Torinos. Yes, we also had B&W TV after everyone else had been watching color for years...
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If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
02/15/09

@Phil L.: Heh, you were THAT family? So where we. I'm pretty we had the very last Accord ever made with crank-down windows.
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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

@FromaBuick6: Our '95 Contour had crank windows, sticky manual locks, and a stickshift (but no tach). The '90 or '91 Bronco II before it was purchased for its manual locking hubs.
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Mad_Science
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Damn, Murillee, you're on fire today (or did a good job scheduling posts).

I have to say, DOTS left me noticing a lot more interesting survivor cars.

The extra info in writeups has really filled out my old car knowledge beyond the more popular classics.
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engineerd
02/15/09

@Mad_Science: I'm with you. My knowledge of cars is, sadly, limited when compared to others and is mostly focused on newer stuff. Thats why I like Jalopnik. Its not just a bunch of drivel about cars, but actually informational from people who have a passion.
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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
As much as I'd love 'em all, the Sapporo's really calling out to me. It's worthless, but it's awesome. Too bad it wouldn't last long with our rust.
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UDMan
02/15/09

@Fluffy, Pushbroom: @AlienProbe: At around the same time as the Sopporo, there was this little bomb, and Murilee wrote about it once as well. I have a post coming up, well, in about ten weeks, because I have two a week already booked up. Anyway, the Plymouth Fire Arrow:

Now an Image of Sopporo and Arrow Specifications. Hope you can read them.

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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

@BanditoGT and UDMan: Too bad ya got the Corvair, UDMan... he's right.
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voodoojoo
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Gorgeous!
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If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Great googly moogly! All this DOTS is causing a total sensory overload.

Murlopnik rules!
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Deartháir II
02/15/09

@FromaBuick6: Ten bonus points for proper usage of "great googly moogly". Thankfully, I just ran out of coffee, or it would have been on my keyboard.
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v8corvairpickup
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Anyone need a grille for a '72 standard Torino? My parents have a NOS one in the garage from the time Mom hit an owl.
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Mad_Science
02/15/09

@v8corvairpickup: This is why I come to Jalopnik.
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bygeorge
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
BTW, our young paduwan contributor is right: you RARELY saw plain jane Torinos, even back in the day. EVERYONE had a Gran Torino. Same holds true with the full-size models. Everyone had an LTD, and most of those were Brougham models; no one drove a Galaxie - they seemed to be largely for fleet service.

Anyone know, or have access to, the actual sales/production numbers on Torinos vs. Gran Torino, LTD vs. Galaxie, Bel Air/Biscayne vs. Impala/Caprice, Chevelle Malibu vs. plain ol' Chevelles, etc. from this time period? I am venturing at least 5 to 1 in favor of the "luxury" models...
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If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
02/15/09

@bygeorge: In '73, Ford built 89,511 standard Torinos and 407,070 Gran Torinos, including Brougham, Sport and Squire variants.

Also in '73 Ford produced 42,549 Custom 500s, 22,432 Custom 500 Ranch Wagons, 182,264 Galaxie 500s, 51,290 Galaxie 500 Country Sedans and 384,437 LTDs and LTD Broughams, and 142,983 LTD Country Squires.

So yeah, sounds like you're about right. I don't have any Chevy numbers, but in '73 Chevy only offered one non-Malibu Chevelle, the strippo 300 which was in it's final year. The Bel Air is probably comparible to the Custom 500 saleswise while the Impala sold in ridiculously huge numbers, probably better than the Galaxie and LTD combined.

Somebody want to verify this? Please?
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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

@FromaBuick6: The other thing is, the base models were for fleet service (as stated) and were usually run into the ground quickly.
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If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
02/15/09

@FromaBuick6: Huzzah! Here's some Chevy numbers for '73: 41,832 Bel Airs, 549,482 Impalas, 212,754 Caprices and 173,978 station wagons with no further breakdown.

Gotta love the internets.
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If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face
02/15/09

@Fluffy, Pushbroom: I saw a Toyota ad recently, stating that something like 80% (it might have been even more) of all Camrys built since 1991 are still on the road. There's still a ton of '87-'91 models still on the road, despite being one of the most rust-prone vehicles of its time.

How many of these '70s models lasted even to the end of the decade? I bet the fleet beaters didn't even make it five years.
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MushyHeirloom
02/15/09

@FromaBuick6: I happen to think that the reason so many of those still exist is because their owners realized how awesome they were, and because most of 'em were sold in non-rust-prone areas such as California. The '92-'01 generations are still good cars, but they lost whatever soul they had through the 4WD years.
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Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
That Move really moves me. Sure, it's not my fav Kei Jidosha, but we can't really afford to be choosy here in the land of the oversized. I wonder how long before the DOT makes the owner get it out of the country?

I wouldn't mind the Torino either.
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bygeorge
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
I had never noticed before, but the Plymouth Sapporo is to the original Barracuda what a Mustang II is to an original Mustang (except for lack of cool hot-roddable front suspension pieces...); if only they had reverse-slanted the rear side windows...
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Elderly Douche
02/15/09

@bygeorge: Ahh, come on:

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Armand
02/15/09

@bygeorge: If you like fake Barracudas, how do you feel about the car the Sapporo replaced as Chrysler's "captive import" sports coupe, the Sunbeam Rapier/ Alpine GT?

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theeastbaykid
02/15/09

@Elderly Douche: Speaking of captive imports, this generation of Sapporo was briefly sold here as the Dodge Challenger. Sweet. Kinda.
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theeastbaykid
02/15/09

@Armand Bengle: I know a guy who took one of those, a BMW 2002, and a first-gen Mazda RX7 and made a rotary-engined, 2002-subframed thingy with an Alpine GT body. (A.B., you know him as Duff.)
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Six Flags Over Tomsk
02/15/09

@Elderly Douche: Massively bitchin'!
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Syrax
02/15/09

In reply to DOTS-O-Rama Sunday, San Francisco Edition: Torino, Tradesman, Sapporo, Barracuda, And Move!
Nice Move! Grey market I guess.
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Syrax
02/15/09

@Syrax: I'm a Wagon R guy

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citroën67
02/15/09

@Syrax: Yeah. "Move" is exactly what that dude will have to do if he gets into an accident with that thing and realizes his insurance company is going to give him the boot for wrecking a vehicle that is fraudulanly insured and he has to sell his house to pay for the damages to others involved.

If I was going to risk everything I owned for a grey market car...I think Daihatsu would not be my first choice. It looks too much like an XB.
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Dhillaz 2.0
02/15/09

@citroën67: Why, can't you insure grey imports in the US?
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bygeorge
02/15/09

@Dhillaz: This should be obvious; most cars not imported or produced in this country cannot pass minimum US standards, especially and most importantly crash standards. Remember those posts of Chinese market vehicles that crumple like tissue-paper in a low speed crash?

No one in their right minds would insure a car like this for US roads. Imagine this lil' kei car in a dual against semis on the interstates...
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Syrax
02/15/09

@bygeorge: That might be true for chinese cars, but isn't the Euro NCAP and JNCAP standards more rigid than IIHS or NHTSA? The only reason I see for a car not coming to US is the lack of market (Phaeton, wagons and hatchbacks) or emissions (diesels).
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Six Flags Over Tomsk
02/15/09

@Syrax: Read it and be intrigued:

[www.nhtsa.dot.gov]

A dude around the corner brought in a BMW Z1 under these regs, and I can think of at least a few forbidden fruits I'd bring over.
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discontinuuity has left the Jalop until further notice
02/15/09

@Syrax: I think kei cars fit through some loophole in Japanese laws.
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