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Detroit, 5:10 AM
Wed Nov 25
23 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/23/09
11/22/09
Wait, what was the question?
11/22/09
11/22/09
For once, I might be able to beat a Murilee find. I shot this walking to the office:
11/22/09
Probably a 90s Econoline due to Club Wagon badging and when was the last time Ford sold Bi-colored Econolines?
11/22/09
11/22/09
11/23/09
11/22/09
Well, I have a close cousin to this van, and its a 1983 model. It will be undergoing a cosmetic restoration this summer, and I plan on doing a series of posts about it.
11/22/09
11/22/09
11/22/09
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11/22/09
11/22/09
okay, i lie... i forgot about all my time spent in church vans driving from indianapolis to where-ever... i was trying to forget those.. 15 passenger vans with 20 kids and 4 days worth of luggage each... crazy parent drivers passing rush hour traffic in kentucky at 85 on the shoulder... oh.. god... ***curls in to fetal position.....***
11/22/09
11/22/09
...but I do know that I'd commit war crimes for a manual transmission/slant-6 Dodge (they exist, but are likely rarer than hens' teeth). That would be ripe for a junkyard turbo AND a waterbed.
11/22/09
11/22/09
If that car was even marginally less horrid, Hyundai would have stopped being a punchline 5 or 10 years sooner.
...granted, not that Malaise-era Detroit engineering was better; I mostly just think that everyone was accustomed to crap-ass cars, unless they were open-minded enough to drive a damn ferrin' car.
11/22/09
@UDMan: ....and he hasn't done that adorable little dance since.
11/22/09
11/22/09
@tonyola: Maybe it's just me, but you gotta admit though there's something cool, if not practical whatsoever, about being able to buy a '96 van with the same crappy quality control, engine choices, and interior as a vehicle built in 1971. Here's a nice '95... amazing. Now, if only Chevy made 70-2 Chevelles for 25 years unaltered...
11/22/09
11/23/09
@eggwich del fiero: No this is perfect
11/23/09
11/21/09
You're missing the point. It doesn't matter what year it is. That's the great thing about Amazons, they aren't meant to be preserved, restored, pampered, etc. They're meant to be driven. You fix them when they break, you spiff them when you want it to look better. Beyond that, you simply enjoy. Dad's owned our's for 26 years. It recently got lowered, and had sway bars added. Man is it fun to drive. Don't worry. Enjoy.
If it helps, though, mine's a '67 and did not originally have headrests, so it may be a US/Non US spec thing.
11/22/09
11/22/09
#tips
11/21/09
I suppose it is a vain hope that one of the Swedish automakers will revert to their roots and build a car with real character like the Amazon.
11/21/09
I would proudly drive this every day and everywhere, even if it could only do 40 mph. Even 30.
11/21/09
11/21/09
11/21/09
11/21/09
11/21/09
It was quite a sight, I tellya.
11/21/09
I would guess that's a '66 or '67 - about that time Volvo started using a coarser grille pattern with doubled bars. The earlier cars had a finer pattern with a horizontal divider bar. The Amazon I show here is identified as a '65. American-market Volvos for '68 had side marker lights. At any rate, that's a pretty neat find. A good Amazon will probably outlive its owner.
11/21/09
11/21/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
First a '69 and now a '65. These neatly bracket my favorite year for Chevelle and El Camino styling - 1967. That year featured a bold grille and wraparound rear lights along with a little more flair to the basic 1964-vintage body.
The 1964 Chevelle was somewhat unappealing because of its incredibly cheap-looking grille fronting a bland and boxy body. The '65 grille was an improvement, but it took the 1966 facelift to bring some much-needed curves to the overall Chevelle styling. However, the '66 also lost a great body style - the two-door wagon. To me, that model is almost up there with the El Cam in coolness. Oh well, you win some and you lose some... #1965
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
11/15/09
Ah, weekends with Murilee. The funny, the inspiring, the awesome, and the tragic. #oldsmobilecutlass
11/15/09