I haven't come across too many old cars in the flesh worth blogging about since the pandemic began. Seems owners of the old stuff have kept their cars quarantined as well. Most of what I have blogged about over the last six to eight months have been special interest projects of my own or inspiration from my online cheap-car searches. Imagine my delight this past Sunday when I literally stumbled across this big old Ford behind a repair shop near my home here in Cleveland, Ohio that I was dropping off a jug of used gear oil behind. It's a 1971 Ford LTD Brougham and there's nothing like something you find yourself.
In my very humble opinion, there aren't too many Ford's manufactured between 1949 and 1972 that I think can go bumper-to-bumper with most anything from General Motors. Ford's 1969 LTD was one of those rare exceptions and the update they did to them for 1971 made them even better looking. Ford screwed the whole thing up come 1973 but from 1969-1972, especially in 1971 and 1972, the big Ford was fab. Oh, and for the record, I'm referring to the coupes. The four door sedans, especially the pillared sedans, I have no use for. Wagons are perfectly fine. And at the risk of sacrilege, I think I might like these better than a 1971 or 1972 Chevrolet Impala Coupe. I Might. I know all too well that being as loyal as I am, given a choice between them, I'll always go GM.
The most distinctive styling change on the '71's from the 1969 and '70 LTD was on the front end. Similar to what Pontiac had been doing on their full-size models going back to 1967, is it me or is this not an update of what the Edsel would have evolved into had Ford not pulled the plug on it? We also have to keep in mind that for a brief moment Pontiac's honcho, Bunkie Knudsen, was in charge of Ford and he was a big fan of the open mouth grill. Some referred to it as the "Bunkie Beak" as he rubber stamped it to must lesser success on the 1970 - 1972 Ford Thunderbird. Somehow it worked beautifully on, of all things, Ford's 1971 and 1972 full size cadre.
Like I pointed out in my blog about that small town '69 LTD not long ago, what I think I like about these big Ford's is that they look like they could be GM designs. The Chevrolet-like Rally Rims helping to add some GM mystique to the Big Oval design. They sure look like GM Rally's you'd find on various Chevrolet's and Pontiac's but they almost can't be. I swear I can recall as kid seeing Sears selling various wheel knock-offs from The Big Three right out of their catalog.
I have mixed feelings about stuff like this - sometimes it works but most often times it doesn't. I'm not such a purist that I think they look out of place just because they're a GM inspired wheel on a Ford, I happen to think they don't look half bad. However, knowing what I know, I can't look past them. My wife was with me when I saw this car and I asked for her opinion on the matter and she gave me the blank stare down that she gives me when she could care less about what it is I'm asking her.
This big brute is far from perfect. Nefarious dents here and there, rust bubbles under the vinyl roof. I neglected to photograph the interior - the seats are in good shape but the dash is all ripped out. Perhaps that's why it's back here. A side project after hours for one of the mechanics at the shop.
What? No rudimentary after market dual exhaust? And who knows what lurks under the massive hood. If it's the stock motor it's either a 351 or 400 cubic inch, "two-barrel" V-8. A 429 V-8 was optional...how fun would that be in this? I thought of opening the hood but this is a new repair facility and no doubt there's surveillance cameras all over the place. I'm sure they got my license plate - not that they'd come after me for dropping off a jug of poison for them to dispose of but anything more than simple fawning over a car like this would be circumspect to trespassing. I did open the passenger side door and got a good whiff of that to-die-for old car smell. That would be that aroma of gas, rubber, plastic and who knows what else. If I trespassed then, your honor, I'm guilty as charged.
This is a dealer sticker from a long defunct Ford dealership in southern Ohio east of Cincinnati on the Ohio - Kentucky border. I've always found these things obnoxious - ok, I buy the car from you and then I have to drive it around as a rolling advertisement for you? So many dealers did this back then and many of them going to so far to rivet a chrome dealer emblem on rather than an impossible to remove sticker. If you're not familiar with the geography of the great state of Ohio, Cincinnati is in the southwest corner of the state and Cleveland is in the western part of what is referred to as "northeast Ohio". The fact this car originally hails from "down there" might be why it's in reasonably rust free condition. Well, save for the bubbles under the vinyl top. They don't get a but a smidgen of the awful winter weather we get up here and that means a whole lot less metal eating rock salt on the roads.
Well, as far as "old car season" goes, we're just about at the end of it up here. Not that it's been much of one this year with the pandemic and all. That's why it was extra special to see something like this this past weekend. My own personal one car car show and I loved it. They say this damn thing will end one day. That one day can't come soon enough for a whole bunch of reasons.
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