1972coronet

50$ ( U.S. or Canadian ) is the deal of the century ! I'll bet that its V.I.N. is to the effect of RP23H7 : R = Plymouth Mid-Size P = Premium Price Class ( in this case , Satellite ; the top non-GTX model in 1967 ) 2 = 2 door 3 = Hardtop H = 383 Four Barrel ( likely , the 325-330hp version ) 7 = 1967 model year .

I'm only 48 , but I remember practically everything on that list . I have older parents (they were born in the 30's) , so I at least heard them mention things on that list ; and , in many instances , I actually saw those now-ancient products / items . - "COX" ( Central Office eXchange ) phone number prefixes were still common around the area when I was young . I remember seeing them on business cards , painted on sides of buildings , and on service vehicles . Matter of fact , the rotary dial phones in the office of the elementary and junior high had "ZEnith-0" stickers on them ! - My mum was ecstatic when Black Jack and Clove gum were reintroduced , c.1985-1986 . They were her childhood favourites ( in New Castle , Pa. ) . - Butch Wax , et al. , was still sold in the barber shop that I went to when I was young . The same barber shop whose chairs had {{{ GASP ! }}} ashtrays ! There's quite a bit that I remember from back then ... ... like when there were only 3 area codes in all of southern California ( 213 , 714 , and 209 ) .

You "cut a mean tree" when you were racing it . Was the battery relocated to the 'trunk' ?

I , too , am quite disappointed in the contents of the kit that I'm seeing ---- tooling that looks like a cross between 70's - early 80's Monogram , 70's AMT , and c.1976 MPC : oversimplified , vague details , huge ejector pin marques , and weirdo proportions ( dare I say , "Palmer" ? ) . I'm not alone in hoping that this kit would've been solid gold ; instead , it's pure aluminium ...

Looks like that bad boy's been there for some time ... Are you able to open its driver's side door and read its V.I.N. ?

The unique smell of an MPC kit ; the odour of Pactra paints ; and the scent of Monogram's instruction sheets ... Countless happy connections between our hobby and childhood . Amongst my favourite smells ? The sweet smell of spent leaded gas ----- leaps and bounds better than the garbage "witches' brew" pump gas that's around these days .

Thanks much for this :-) What site provided that info ?

Did you buy it , or is it just an image you found online ? As a side note ; the 'Month' sticker started in 1976 , occupying the place formerly provided for another 'Year' sticker (e.g. , one side would have a "1972" sticker , the other a "1973" sticker) .

... Or at a fuel station in California !

Outward appearances aside : which direction is the engine / trans situated ? If it's yet another wrong-wheel-drive s-box , then its looks are even worse ! Yes , a front engine / rear drive platform makes all the difference to me when it comes to a vehicle's looks . I want ashtrays , lighters , and decent cup holders . You can have your screens and "touch" everything !

Tempest with a "Slant Four" ( half of a 389 V8 ) . I don't remember whether or not these were available with the 326 V8 ; the Buick and Oldsmobile variants were available with the aluminium 215 V8 (and the 225 Odd-Fire , I believe) .

I can attest to how cool Force is ; one heck of a nice guy , with a good vibe . I worked for the dealership which sponsored him many years ago ( Don Steves Chevrolet ) , and Force would be a somewhat regular fixture . He was always quick to greet everyone and at least say hello . Even when Force switched to Ford ( c.1997 ) , he still acknowledged Don Steves Chevrolet via a decal on the lower-front fascia of his car .

The 352 was the first F-E ( IIRC ) . The biggest 'mystery' about the Cleveland is its "335" designation ( and the F-E's replacement : "385" ) . Perhaps that was its original designated displacement ? The 5.0 litre was a 221 or 225 or something ; that was in the late 70's / early 80's (e.g. , when the Mustang GT was reintroduced for '81 or '82) . Then there was the 300 I-6 ("4.9" litre ) which was also actually a "5.0" litre .

That's about right . I remember reading some 30+ years ago that the 396 got an overbore as to use the 454's pistons or some such thing . Perhaps that's why the base NOVA SS-396 was 350hp ; no more 325hp 396 after 1969 .

Have fun with that bad boy ! I've built countless numbers of this kit ( which was an old kit when I was your age ! ) , none of which survive . Matter of fact , the last one that I built was finished in 'Hot Rod Grey' Primer with a crimson red interior (the 1987 Whittier Earthquake destroyed it ) . Keep on keepin' on , man !

I agree completely : the 1956 is the best looking of the Tri-Five models !

The stretch of I-40 from this junction in Barstow and all the way out to Needles Highway is a long , lonely stretch , with only one 'populated' town midway : Ludlow . I last drove that road back in October 2006 on a trip to Laughlin , Nevada ( Las Vegas' Mature Brother ) with my dad sitting passenger-side . I set the cruise control at 80 MPH and let 'er go ( 1999 Camry with V6 ) ; and when my dad saw that 80 MPH , he said "You're going to get a [speeding] ticket !" . I said , "Not at 80 MPH --- the CHP is looking for people driving in an unsafe manner and / or in-excess of 90 MPH . I'm more likely to get stopped if I'm travelling at 70 MPH ! " . Arthur Lee & Love Forever Changes , Television Marquee Moon , and other 'we-both-agree-on-this-band's-sound' discs helped keep things cool .

Old overhead sign in Barstow , c.1964 . Note that it was a then-new green background sign ( signs were black background until then ) , and that it's "co-signed" as I-15 / US 91 __ I-40 / US 66 . Present-day "updated" , same sign . Note the 'Greenout' [sic] placards over the old US shields .

Makes me wonder if the 396 was actually 402 cubes since its inception in 1965 ; and with the corporate edict of "400 cubes or less in intermediate cars" being dropped after 1969 , and concurrently the 396 "suddenly" was 402 ... Never-the-less --- the 'other' 400 (SBC) seems to have been a B-Body and C/K Pickup only engine vs. the "400" ( 402 'Mark IV' ) in the Heavy Chevy . Too bad that the LT-1 wasn't "offered" after 1970 for the Nova , at least in detuned form as to not steal sales from the Camaro Z-28 .

Twiggy has always been a favourite : the Mod styles are the absolute best ! Twiggy was an early crush ( I was born in 1970 ) of mine , as she reminded me of my mum : thin and stylish . Jacqueline Bisset in Bullitt is another early crush --- a brunette in stylish clothing , and that voice ! Kelly Preston in the 80's was my crush at the time . She really , um , *put her all* out back then

I bought one of those 1969 Firebird - T/A kits ( the 1979 reissue whose name is White Light'ning [sic] ) just for its OHC-6 and its Motor Wheels Spyder wheels .

Yep , the Heavy Chevy was indeed an "insurance beater" model of the Chevelle , 1971-1972 . Top engine option was the 402 (called "400" , IIRC --- not related to the small block of the same displacement) . This model was similar to the 1971-1974 Duster Twister . Then there was the Heavy Half which was a C-10 with a 454 .

Wasn't Motion selling big block conversion kits for the Monte Carlo back in the 80's ? Never-the-less ... Nice conversion ! I especially like the 1971 454 air cleaner decal .

Tim's work has been a major influence on me for more than thirty years . Some day I'll buy his book ... RE : 1969 Daytona : You're better off buying a regular 1969 R/T , as the Daytona (and its 1970 relative , the SuperBird) are extensively modified , both the "1:1" and the kits . Unless you're wanting the flush backlight / aerodynamic roof of the Daytona model (which was exclusive to the '500' and the 'Daytona') , you'd be dollars --and work-- ahead by simply buying the R/T .

It seems to me that any California licence plate with "PCE" on it is strictly a television programme and / or movie car (the first example that I noticed was the 1970-1971-1972 Valiants used in "Duel" --- the plate number was "149 PCE") . Perhaps the "PCE" translates to some acronym ? Perhaps , I don't know , "Public Cinema Enterprises" (just hazarding a guess) ? Truly , that blue / gold series of Calif plates would have a "P" as the first letter during 1976-1977 , assuming that it was a 'civilian' plate . By 1980 , 1981 , California plates changed to a 7-character layout anyhow . If the makers ( et al. ) of CHiPs were to "tow-the-line" , the blue Bird's plate should've been to the effect of " 1PCE033 " .