The Massive American Cars of 1970

[Tom]

Look at what we use to drive.......   and some still do.  It's a fun nostalgic look for me.   

https://flashbak.com/the-massive-american-cars-of-1970-433963/?utm_source=GetTheElevatordotcom

[PeteS]

I am pretty skeptical of the claim that Japanese cars outsold American cars by 2 to 1 in 1970. I recall Dataun 510s and the Honda Civic with the bored out 350 motorcycle engine but Toyota?? Maybe they did ten years later.

Pete

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I am pretty skeptical of the claim that Japanese cars outsold American cars by 2 to 1 in 1970. I recall Dataun 510s and the Honda Civic with the bored out 350 motorcycle engine but Toyota?? Maybe they did ten years later.

Pete

The Civic of 1972 onward had a water-cooled inline four cylinder. The '67-'72 N600 and '70-'72 ('74 in other markets) Z600 had a twin cylinder air-cooled engine that was much like Honda's motorcycle engines, but wasn't simply a bored out one. My brother had the N and I had a Z. 

[JJ]

My late father LOVED big car, especially Cadillac's and Oldsmobile's!! 

The biggest whale was a 1975 Cadillac Eldorado which was a 500 cubic inch, 8.2 liter, front-wheel drive land cruiser!   It was so big, it would not fit in our garage! 

She did ride nice at 75-80 mph however!!

[Wildroamer]

I'll never forget Dad's Buick Estate Wagon, with the beastly 455! He would load us all in it with a couple of weeks worth of gear, hook up the camper trailer, and off to Florida we would go. I can't guess how much gas he went through!

[PeteS]

The Civic of 1972 onward had a water-cooled inline four cylinder. The '67-'72 N600 and '70-'72 ('74 in other markets) Z600 had a twin cylinder air-cooled engine that was much like Honda's motorcycle engines, but wasn't simply a bored out one. My brother had the N and I had a Z.

But the thread says 1970. No four cylinder Honda cars. My roomate had an N600. They weren't exactly flying off the showroom floors. He may have one of three in the county.

Pete

[fotoguzzi]

I am pretty skeptical of the claim that Japanese cars outsold American cars by 2 to 1 in 1970.

Pete

me too. The US was production leader into the 1980's.. I found this on google

he automotive industry in Japan rapidly increased from the 1970s to the 1990s (when it was oriented both for domestic use and worldwide export) and in the 1980s and 1990s, overtook the U.S. as the production leader with up to 13 million cars per year manufactured and significant exports.

[Brand X]

This would be big. I remember one coming into our Mopar dealership all loaded up with Carbon.. You needed room to run these things..

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/10/09/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1970-chrysler-300-hurst-edition

[Lannis]

The Civic of 1972 onward had a water-cooled inline four cylinder. The '67-'72 N600 and '70-'72 ('74 in other markets) Z600 had a twin cylinder air-cooled engine that was much like Honda's motorcycle engines, but wasn't simply a bored out one. My brother had the N and I had a Z.

I had one of the little two-cylinder sedans, a 70 model.   The gearshifter stuck out of the dash, and the engine looked like a 305 Superhawk engine on steroids.   Plenty of room inside, and it had about the same performance as a mid-60s Beetle, being made partly out of fiberglass and very light, about 50 MPG .....  Sold it on before something happened to it, the Honda dealers laughed at the idea of supplying parts for it in 1988 ....

Then got one of these, '72 T-bird ...





Biggest, heaviest, smoothest sedan I've ever driven.   Weighed over 5000 pounds, 429 engine option.   Running 90 it was dead silent and felt like it was just floating.   Why'd I sell it?   9 miles per gallon, that's why ....

Lannis

[cliffrod]

I had a Z600 several years ago.   The typical "bored out 450" reference is no more accurate than the claims about the Benelli Quattro sharing lots of parts with a Honda 500-4.  Cool little car, with emphasis on little- Mine left on a regular 5x10 utility trailer.  A neighbor about 1/2 mile away has an N600 but I haven't seen it yet.

The Z600 was a big contrast to my current 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 that soon replaced it.  It's the big red car that's the wallpaper in the background of many of my V700 project pics.  The Galaxie rework was well under way when the Guzzi cut in line.   Depending upon equipment, weight is around 4100-4200lbs.  Similarly equipped, my old 67 that I had when I was a kid scaled at 4070lbs.  There's nothing like a big Ford and the original 428 does help make the pounds seem less relevant... 









After 67, all the EPA & DOT mandates changes things a lot. 

Edit- a little better pic..







 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I had one of the little two-cylinder sedans, a 70 model.   The gearshifter stuck out of the dash, and the engine looked like a 305 Superhawk engine on steroids.   Plenty of room inside, and it had about the same performance as a mid-60s Beetle, being made partly out of fiberglass and very light, about 50 MPG .....  Sold it on before something happened to it, the Honda dealers laughed at the idea of supplying parts for it in 1988 ....

When I owned mine, I was car-pooling with a friend about your size. With him on board it went from almost peppy to almost as slow as a moped. Worked that little engine hard climbing from Burkittsville to Gathland. I don't remember any part of the body being fiberglass on my brother's N600 and only the rear hatch was on my Z600. Parts were still available from the dealer a few years before - at least a cam chain, guide, tensioner, misc. seals, gaskets and carb kit were. 

[not-fishing]

I'm not sure how "massive" the older cars were.  Maybe when you include all the airspace they took up.

As an example 1970 El Dorado Coupe Deville weighed in at 4784 lb curb weight with a 471 cu-in engine (7.7 liter)

2020 Tesla model S weighs in at 4848 lbs.  The Mercedes S class is pretty much the same.

Since the 1970's most cars, including most foreign cars, have actually gotten "chubbier" even though their outer dimensions may have shrunk.

[s1120]

Sitting in my garage as I type is my 72 Ford LTD convertible..  All 19.5 feet of it!!  Shes been off the road for almost 20 years now, but getting her back up and running this winter. Nothing like the ride!!  And really the big Fords of that era handled pretty well.

[berniebee]

In 1982, I painted my newly acquired 1970 Maverick, equipped with a rust seized* straight six,  a two speed "slipomatic" transmission, mismatched hubcaps and a crumbling plastic interior,  with a brush dipped in brown rust paint. The car cost me $80 from a city auction. I had many compliments (Ok, comments, anyway.)  on the textured paint job. The Maverick was a compact car in those days, but probably as heavy as a modern large car. Very little rust, which for a 12 year old, Montreal area Ford was unheard of. It turned out the car had spent most of it's life in the Yukon, where it's too cold to use salt on the road.  I got at least twice my money's worth of use out of that crapmobile.   
That's a pic of an identical looking car, before my artistic umber finish was applied.






* Took the head off, the pan off, removed the rod bolts and then beat on the seized piston from top and bottom until it came loose.

[cliffrod]

I'm not sure how "massive" the older cars were.  Maybe when you include all the airspace they took up.

As an example 1970 El Dorado Coupe Deville weighed in at 4784 lb curb weight with a 471 cu-in engine (7.7 liter)

2020 Tesla model S weighs in at 4848 lbs.  The Mercedes S class is pretty much the same.

Since the 1970's most cars, including most foreign cars, have actually gotten "chubbier" even though their outer dimensions may have shrunk.

My Galaxie is a big, long, heavy car but still weighs less & has far more open space compared to many modern cars.     In addition to the added emissions-related equipment under the hood, the added bulk related to passenger safety equipment started to accrue in earnest in 1968- collapsing steering columns, minimum mph/impact bumpers, door side reinforcement, rubber bumper pads, crush zones and lots more.   1970 Chrysler passenger car vehicles had a very extravagant full-surround chromed steel front bumpers as a last ditch effort before additional rubber pads were added.

As a token effort at safety, the 67 Fords like mine have a kind of ridiculous big wonky steering wheel center pad.  Never had to test how effective it is but I have my doubts.  Cars are safer now.

[steven c]

 I took my driving test in my dads 67 Newport. A few years back I saw one at a car show, dam that car was big,I don't I could parallel park the car today! I could fit 7 friends in that car.

[blackcat]

I took the driver's test in my Dad's 1970 Ford Country Squire station wagon. We located some discreet pieces of tape in the rear windows so I could tell when to cut the wheels for parking the boat during the test.   

[Bulldog9]

No way the Japanese cars outsold American cars 2 to 1 in that time period.

My dad had a 1967 Toronado I loved that car. To this day I wish I would have been able to own one.

[Rich A]

Big?

A 2020 Suburban is over 5500 lb, an Expedition is about the same. Tons of those around here, not to mention the pickups.

Rich A

[Siamese]

70's cars were mostly pretty lame.  Poor quality...I remember the door gaps in my mom's 1975 Pontiac.  Had to be 1/2".  The overhangs on many of those cars were enormous.  The trunks stuck out several feet past the rear wheels.  I wonder who set the record for overhang. 

I remember turning the key to the off position, and then waiting for the car to quit dieseling, and finally actually quit running. 

And rust.  It was accepted that you'd have rust-through in just a few years.  Kept Ziebart in business. 

I can understand some of the nostalgia for the 70's cars, as they had some style and individuality, but bottom line is, the American consumers were suckers.  Thanks, Detroit. 

[twowheeladdict]

When I was a teenager I remember myself and all of my friends driving 4 to 8 year old gas guzzlers that we were able to buy for a couple hundred dollars.  Of course our world pretty much consisted of a 10 mile radius of where we lived.

Now-a-days the full sized SUV and Trucks have replaced the full size car of the 70s.  My wife and I each have a truck, and we share a 32 mpg crossover that is used for anything not needing a truck. 

[Lannis]

70's cars were mostly pretty lame.

The biggest problem that I remember is that they had taken 1960's engines like the slant-six 225 or the 350 Chevy, and cobbled so much pollution-control crap onto them that the engines would barely run, not to mention being impossible to work on through the air-pump plumbing and stuff ....

Lannis

[JJ]

Here is another beauty my Dad owned, then me, for a brief period - - 1969 Oldsmobile Delta 98!!! 

455 cubic-inches of factory low rider! - At age 18, a buddy of mine and I drove this HUGE WHALE in the dead of winter from NY to Aspen / Vail CO and back, without a whimper of problems!   It also had a factory 8-track and a GREAT heater!!

[twowheeladdict]

70's cars were mostly pretty lame.  Poor quality...I remember the door gaps in my mom's 1975 Pontiac.  Had to be 1/2".  The overhangs on many of those cars were enormous.  The trunks stuck out several feet past the rear wheels.  I wonder who set the record for overhang. 

I remember turning the key to the off position, and then waiting for the car to quit dieseling, and finally actually quit running. 

And rust.  It was accepted that you'd have rust-through in just a few years.  Kept Ziebart in business. 

I can understand some of the nostalgia for the 70's cars, as they had some style and individuality, but bottom line is, the American consumers were suckers.  Thanks, Detroit.

Looking at 1970s cars with today's eye is not really fair.  My favorites from the 70s were the 72 Camaro, 73 Mustang Mach 1, mid 70s Monte Carlo with the swivel front seats, '76 or so Ford Elite, the Opel GT, my '74 Triumph Spitfire, El Camino SS, and I'm sure I can name more if I wanted to think about it.

[Turin]

I owned one of these from 1997-2003. mine was light blue with a while top. Still miss it.



sold it to by a torino like this




should have kept the galaxie.

[slowmover]

I had a 71 Buick Lesabre in the 80’s I bought for 300$.I got it stuck in a new Taco Bell drive up because the curve was too tight.The driver front tire was on one curb and the passenger rear on another.

[Tom]

Now that's funny. 

[sign216]

I took my driving test in my dads 67 Newport. A few years back I saw one at a car show, dam that car was big,I don't I could parallel park the car today! I could fit 7 friends in that car.

My dad had a Newport.  All four kids could fit in back comfortably, as long as you didn't need a seatbelt...

A real American icon.

[wymple]

As an example 1970 El Dorado Coupe Deville weighed in at 4784 lb curb weight with a 471 cu-in engine (7.7 liter)

Actually a 472. Caddy went from 429 to 472 to 500. My personal favorites were Oldsmobiles. None of these cars were designed to be rust buckets. People were, and still are, too damn lazy to keep them clean, hence the rust.

[Dukedesmo]

As an Englishman, I'd not seen many 'Yank Tanks' (as they called them here, back then) and owned a Triumph Spitfire as my daily runner.


I worked for an Italian company at the time and the job involved much travelling and I spent around half a year in the USA (mainly in NC) in the early '80s.


The company I worked for had a US distributor to whom I would report and effectively work for and part of the deal was that they supplied me with transport. At the time the CEO of the company had just replaced his Cadillac (with another Cadillac) and still had the old one lying around doing nothing so, rather than buy/rent a car for me I was given the old Caddy to use; a late '70s Fleetwood Brougham with an 8 track radio/cassette.


I'd never seen such a big car, let alone driven one, nor been in one with so many 'extras' (power seats, electric windows, A/C etc.). The funny thing was that whilst I had it the fuel gauge broke so it constantly showed empty, meaning I was given to fill it up at every opportunity rather than risk running out of fuel - to be fair it probably need fuelling every day or so anyway as it did have a bit of a thirst! Luckily gas was so cheap in the US back then as I don't think my Italian employers would have been happy had I been paying Italian fuel prices to run it.


Luxurious it may have been but it handled like an ocean liner and I didn't have any 8 track tapes so had to make do with just the radio - happy days!