Vintage Tow Vehicles

[safari57]

Or there's this in the TV for sale section:

My buddies 66 Impala 9 passenger wagon. It tows extremely well. See the details in there. I know he's negotiable on the price. He had to start somewhere and the entire car has been rebuilt end to end.

[commander31]

Oh that's awesome....

Those "telltale" large flags on the fenders must say 396, yes???

I LOVED when Ford and Chevy put the special emblems on the fenders when you got the optional "Big Horse" motors.....

What an awesome ride....

There was a 68 Caprice Wagon on ebay a year or so ago, Black, Woodgrain, Red interior, 427 Automatic, every option....even the ultra rare hideaway headlights.... I believe it went for almost $20k. If I could afford something as cool as that, i would have to look no further for the ultimate "AS hauler" hahaha!!!!

[mistral blue]

Originally Posted by safari57

Or there's this in the TV for sale section:

My buddies 66 Impala 9 passenger wagon. It tows extremely well. See the details in there. I know he's negotiable on the price. He had to start somewhere and the entire car has been rebuilt end to end.

It's so far away though.
Is there any particular reason why it doesn't have a/c?

[safari57]

Yes, it is a long ways away for sure. And a bit of a hassle to get it there. But there's other cars similar to it for sale all over the States if you check around. This one is nice because it's all been rebuilt and it's kind of neat/rare with the 9 passenger set up but you may not even need that.

As for why no A/C the factory unit was never installed when the car was rebuilt. The current owners were intending to use an aftermarket unit which is far more efficient than the original, and smaller in the engine bay.

As to why it's for sale, they realized that with their 35 Ford (hotrodded) and 54 Ford wagon in addition to their daily drivers, they had a lot of vehicles to maintain. Of the two wagons they've had the '54 for almost 15 years and continue to really enjoy it, so that means the 66 goes. I'm sad to see it go as I'd love to own it but of course I also have way too many cars, according to my wife at least, and for the moment she's the primary driver in the family.

Barry

[overlander64]

Greetings mistral blue!

Originally Posted by mistral blue

Pickup not an option -- kids need to come along and I can't have em jumping out of the bed.

Large convertible is what I'm thinking. I just don't know what's a unibody what isn't. Lincoln's went with suicide doors for a reason. wheelbase. engine size. and that always fungible torque#. What I don't know in this area is amazing.

I'm looking for something that will do the job well. I feel undersized with an '03 Tahoe. 5.3 liter.

Can I find a really cool '77 convertible that will tow Vintage Thunder like it wasn't there?

The last year for the full-size 8.2 Liter V8 powered Cadillac Eldorado was 1978; the "last" year for the Eldorado convertible was 1976 (the Eldorado convertible returned for 1984 and 1985 -- but the woefully undersized power-plant renders these later Eldorado convertibles useless for towing -- I own an '84 and it does well to pull itself).

A 1977 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz would make a flamboyant tow vehicle for your Argosy. These cars were loaded with chrome trim, super-padded vinyl tops, and nearly every option was a standard feature (the moon roof was an option, but most that I have seen included this option). Another possibility would be the 1977 Oldsmobile Tornado XSS that has the unusual wrap-around rear window -- would go well with the Arogsy's deep-wrap wing windows -- be prepared as these are far less common than any of the Eldorado models. Either one of these cars would have essentially the same drivetrain utilized in the similar era GMC motorhomes -- there were a few differences in the transaxle, but many components were common as I have learned with the refurbishing of my '75 Eldorado Convertible. The only down side is that the 2.70 final drive was the only choice available with this era Eldorado/Toronado -- 3.05 final drives were the standard prior to about 1973. Another issue to keep in mind is that these large front-drivers shared a unique wheel that is unavailable in new or reproduction -- it has been my experience that it is very nearly impossible to find one of these cars with four wheels that are true and round enough to permit proper balancing -- I am even having problems with fender clearance doe the custom wheels that I had made for my '75 as they wouldn't make them in anything other than 10" wide.

An Imperial, Chrysler New Yorker, or Dodge Monaco from the same time period would provide a substantial tow vehicle with an available 440 cubic inch V8. These would have been among the last of the the four-door-pillarless hardtops manufactured. Overall operating costs may actually be somewhat less than the large, front-drive, Cadillac/Oldsmobile twins.

Towing with a vintage car is one of my favorite adventures -- I was in my shed looking at my collection, and it kept running through my mind how much fun it would be to find a '60 Pacer to tow with my '60 Studebaker Lark VIII convertible (289 V8/4BBL Carb/Dual Exhaust, Flightomatic, and 3.60 Twin Traction differential) -- in the Jonquil Yello and Black color scheme that was promoted in the introductory brochures.

Good luck with your search!

Kevin

[Coloradobus]

Hey Kevin,

When I was a kid, my parent ordered a 1977 New Yorker with the trailer tow pkg. That Package gave heavy duty systems everywhere. It had the 440/ 4 bbl carb, with a 4.10 rear end, large semi truck-like radiator and all the chrome Chrysler could possibly find. It was truly a lux-Oh-barge.
Did 5-7 miles/gallon towing the 31. When they got a bigger Airstream, they went to the Suburban. Great to see your coming to Breckenridge in July.
We have a new vintage tow rig this year. Our '79 Trade Wind will be towed by a 1979 F-250 we found in Palm Springs with only 47,000 actual miles. It drives like a brand new Ford. See you there.

[overlander64]

Greetings Jim and Chris!

Originally Posted by Coloradobus

Hey Kevin,

When I was a kid, my parent ordered a 1977 New Yorker with the trailer tow pkg. That Package gave heavy duty systems everywhere. It had the 440/ 4 bbl carb, with a 4.10 rear end, large semi truck-like radiator and all the chrome Chrysler could possibly find. It was truly a lux-Oh-barge.
Did 5-7 miles/gallon towing the 31. When they got a bigger Airstream, they went to the Suburban. Great to see your coming to Breckenridge in July.
We have a new vintage tow rig this year. Our '79 Trade Wind will be towed by a 1979 F-250 we found in Palm Springs with only 47,000 actual miles. It drives like a brand new Ford. See you there.

My hometown Chrysler dealer was one of the primary organizers of our local auto shows, and I always remember the large Chrysler products. Our neighbors at the time had a 1977 Town and Country Wagon, and that was one of my favorite station wagons, but as your parents discovered the 440 definitely was thirsty -- but quite powerful -- my mother remarked the first time she rode in the Town and Country that it was like the children were in the next county when they road in the third seat. It is only in the last year or two that the Town and Country disappeared from the neighborhood -- the wood-grain side panel treatment was removed sometime in the 1980s with metallic gold paint being the replacement (the car was white with brown leather interior).

It sounds like you made quite a find with the low mileage '79 F250 -- in this area it is very unusual to find any pickup that has low miles.

I am really looking forware to Breckenridge, and it looks like my Eldorado will be towing the Minuet. I finally found a wheel and tire specilaist here in Central Illinois who is "relatively" certain that he will be able to straighten and true OEM wheel (I have 14 from various auto dismantlers to try) -- I even managed to acquire a set of the OEM Brass valve stems that have a near 45 degree bend in them -- much heavier in construction than the replacements that I was sold with my last set of tires.

Will be looking forward to seeing you in Breckenridge!

Kevin

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by mistral blue

Pickup not an option -- kids need to come along and I can't have em jumping out of the bed.

Large convertible is what I'm thinking. I just don't know what's a unibody what isn't. Lincoln's went with suicide doors for a reason. wheelbase. engine size. and that always fungible torque#. What I don't know in this area is amazing.

I'm looking for something that will do the job well. I feel undersized with an '03 Tahoe. 5.3 liter.

Can I find a really cool '77 convertible that will tow Vintage Thunder like it wasn't there?

I, of course, agree that a large '70s convertible makes a great TV and a head turner. I have owned 2 Buick Centurion convertibles in the past 20 years and have towed several trailers. This is our current gem, a '71 Buick Centurion with 455 factory performance (never been opened) engine. It weighs the same as our '66 Tradewind and together.......well.

Neil and Lynn

[overlander64]

Greetings mistral blue!

Originally Posted by mistral blue

Large convertible is what I'm thinking. I just don't know what's a unibody what isn't. Lincoln's went with suicide doors for a reason. wheelbase. engine size. and that always fungible torque#. What I don't know in this area is amazing.

Can I find a really cool '77 convertible that will tow Vintage Thunder like it wasn't there?

I am afraid, that by 1977 the factory-made, full-sized, big-block V-8 powered convertible was a thing of the past. Based on records (old NADA books) the full-sized convertibles parished as follows:

• 1976 -- Cadillac Edlorado convertible was the last to perish
  • Reincarnated briefly in 1984-85 as mid-size Eldorado Biarritz Convertible (powered by 4.1 liter all-aluminum V8).
• 1975 -- GM full-sized convertibles perished a year earlier
  • Buick Centurion/LeSabre
  • Chevrolet Caprice Classic
  • Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale
  • Pontiac Grandville Brougham*
    • The Grandville Brougham shared the distinction with Cadillac in 1975 in that it received the small rectangular quad headlights a year or more before the balance of the GM line.
    • The infamous grasshopper top was featured on all 1971 through end of production GM full-size convertibles -- rather than folding accordian style, it moves up -- then collapses inward before folding down requiring a troublesome bow over the driver's head that is attached with ball joints.
• 1972 -- Ford LTD convertible perishes
• 1970 -- Mercury Marquis convertible perishes
• 1970 -- Full-size Chrysler convertibles perish (I thought it was '72, but the last listing in my vintage NADA books was for the '70 models).
• 1970 -- Plymouth Fury convertible perishes
• 1970 -- Dodge Polara convertible perishes
• 1968 -- Imperial convertible perishes
• 1967 -- Lincoln convertible perishes

While the 1961-1967 Continental and the late 1950's through 1970's Mopar convertibles were uni-body construction; they were not uncommon tow vehicles in their day. Today, one of my favorite tow vehicles is my '65 Dodge Coronet 500 convertible -- the key with these uni-body cars is to have an experienced hitch fabricator fabricate the hitch -- I was lucky in that my local Chrysler dealer had been in business for over 40 years when I wanted to have the hitch fabricated for my '65 -- he was able referr me to a local fabricator who did an excellent job fabricating my hitch (it is still functioning beautifully after more than 25 years of use).

Good luck with your search!

Kevin

[safari57]

Neil

I love those pics of your car and trailer. It's like they were built for each other.

Mistral Blue

A lot of folks, heck almost everyone, wouldn't have a clue if your TV and Airstream were as much as ten years apart, as long as they are vintage. I know it may count for you but there's a ton of options out there in late 60's and early 70's converts. Cars like Neils are highly desireable so they don't come particularly inexpensively when they are in that kind of condition. But there's some of them out there. AutoTrader and many other websites have them listed. If you need to have some websites to check out let me know and I can provide a few as I'm sure others on this thread can as well. A tough decision to make for you and your family - I'm lucky that my wife not only is as enthusiastic about the vintage cars as I am and as well is for now the primary driver and has no qualms about it. Life is good!

Barry

[mistral blue]

The last few nights I've been surfing through so many sites. I think I've fallen in love about 25 times in the last 48 hours. Convertibles, wagons, burbs, sedans, I pause over each new love and remember people, places, things I haven't thought of in years. One of my (many) problems is that I don't know which sites I can trust. I feel like I need to find a place close to home so I can go out and inspect it, touch it, drive it. One place I drive by everyday, however, is Sales body but I'm guessing they're way out of my league.

Another major issue, and I hope you won't refuse to talk to me anymore, is that I'm not a car guy like all of you. You guys are so much cooler than me it's not funny. You know how they work! You can put them together. I can't even imagine the satisfaction that must give you when you've restored/saved something as old and beautiful as a '57 Chevy or a '51 Flying Cloud. I wouldn't blame you guys in the least if you looked down your noses at those guys with the "big bucks" who come along and buy fully restored cars/trailers. "They don't even know what they have for goodness sake." That's me minus the big bucks by the way. To get a really cool TV I'm going to have to sell off a few things first. Stuff I really like. But I'll do it for the right ride. It's gonna take time. The right Vintage TV for us will present itself in due course. Of this I'm sure. Life IS good!

[safari57]

Mistral Blue

It has been my experience that almost no one looks down on someone who's not automotively inclined. For some of us it's a passion, for others it's interesting, and for others if it isn't new why bother? It's just like this Airstream community, just a tad bigger. You are right, the right one will jump out at you. It is always good when you can touch, smell, feel and drive it. You do want to make sure you have it properly inspected by a real mechanic as sadly in the car hobby there are lot's of folks who leverage other peoples inexperience to make money off of vehicles that are worth far less. The best way to learn is to start noting what prices the cars you like are consistently listing for in good to excellent condition. Also a magazine called Cars and Parts I believe run from time to time price guides for vintage cars. Someone on the thread may know which magazine it is for sure but I think that's the one.

It will be very interesting to see what you eventually find. The search is a big part of the fun (and frustration) I was bopping on eBay tonight and found a 55 Buick convert in very nice almost original shape. It turned out to be a scammer from the looks of it as the price was a third of what they sell for in that shape.

Good luck with your search and don't be afraid to ask about various cars you think about or see as many of the folks on the thread have had a lot of experience with a wide variety of makes, models and years judging by the comments we've seen so far.

Barry

[mistral blue]

Originally Posted by safari57

Good luck with your search and don't be afraid to ask about various cars you think about or see as many of the folks on the thread have had a lot of experience with a wide variety of makes, models and years judging by the comments we've seen so far.
Barry

Thank you everyone. This group is a class act.

[FreshAir]

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings mistral blue!



I am afraid, that by 1977 the factory-made, full-sized, big-block V-8 powered convertible was a thing of the past. Based on records (old NADA books) the full-sized convertibles parished.
Kevin

If I remember correctly the 70's convertibles disappeared because of government pressure for safety during potential roll overs. The manufacturers were fearing a call to include roll bars. Also remember the required 5 mph crash bumpers? All the cars sported those oversized bumpers housing shocks behind the bumpers. My daughters '74MG had to have the large bumpers. Boy did that spoil a classic look!

Neil and Lynn.