Anyone ever tow with a '60's/'70's muscle car ?

[Lessmore]

Anyone ever tow with a '60's/'70's muscle car ? I often wonder what it would of been like to tow with say a Chevy Impala SS 427, a Plymouth GTX 440 V8, a Ford Torino with the 428 Cobra Jet...and any of those big inch V8 muscle cars from the '60's to early '70's.

What were and/or are your experiences ?

I recall talking to a guy at a campground about 20 + years ago. He was towing a large, heavy tent trailer...had towed it over the Rockies...he was from B.C. Used around a '50 Ford woody wagon (beautiful) with a 472 Cadillac. Lot's of power..towed over the mountains with ease.

[Lessmore]

73guna wrote:
Yes the Cutlass is a manual.
The 455/5 spd is not original to the car, but it sure looks it.

Thx for checking.

Sounds like a very appealing car. A buddy had a '70 Oldsmobile 98, black, 4 door sedan with the 455 and turbo hydramatic 400. It was a former funeral car, very few miles, excellent condition and I was surprised how quick that big Olds would move when you put your foot into it.

I can only imagine how a much lighter and smaller Cutlass would move with the 455/5 speed manual.

[73guna]

Yes the Cutlass is a manual.
The 455/5 spd is not original to the car, but it sure looks it.

[Lessmore]

Slowmover wrote:
Grandparents used a '68 Dodge Polara A38 Police Pursuit. Actually a special-order fully-optioned Monaco with all HD/Police options. V8-440, T727B and 3.23 gears. 10-mpg towing or solo. The U.S, Canada and deep into Mexico with their 28' Streamline.

At the Michigan State Police trials, a later version (slightly detuned) ran a 14.0 at 107-mph with a couple of big old boys and representative trunk weight.

A friend (former CHP) said the A38s could cruise at 130-mph for hours. Maybe a Hemi Coronet or 427 'vette could lose one. The T-Rex of the open road.

"Drive like Gramps" . . yeah, right. That car was something.

Muscle cars were for little boys. Couldn't go anywhere or carry anything. It was a 300 Letter car or the later A38 that defined highway performance. Took another forty years to exceed them.

When they set out the small craft warnings, it was The Big Iron that headed out into the night. There's a whole continent out there to see and explore.

(That combined rig based on memory of how they packed, plus factory data, tells me it was in the range of 12,300 to 12,700 as to weight ).

.

They had the police package by the sounds of it. Better rad hoses, bigger rad, heavy duty/performance suspension/brakes/wheels/tires/ alternator, etc.

Many muscle cars back then had 3.73's , 3.90's, 4.10's...which with 3 speed automatics limited their top speed. Muscle cars were generally spec'd out to hit their top speed, just a bit past the 1/4 mile. Police cars (highway interceptors) were spec'd to be able to run at fast speeds (if the occasion demanded it) for long periods...thus they needed extra cooling, higher gears like 3.23...3.00, etc.

A police package car would be a very good driver's car, then or now. Hard to get new though, although used is easier.

I envy your grandparents'....that would of been a wonderful automobile. Do you know what happened to it ?

[Slowmover]

Grandparents used a '68 Dodge Polara A38 Police Pursuit. Actually a special-order fully-optioned Monaco with all HD/Police options. V8-440, T727B and 3.23 gears. 10-mpg towing or solo. The U.S, Canada and deep into Mexico with their 28' Streamline.

At the Michigan State Police trials, a later version (slightly detuned) ran a 14.0 at 107-mph with a couple of big old boys and representative trunk weight.

A friend (former CHP) said the A38s could cruise at 130-mph for hours. Maybe a Hemi Coronet or 427 'vette could lose one. The T-Rex of the open road.

"Drive like Gramps" . . yeah, right. That car was something.

Muscle cars were for little boys. Couldn't go anywhere or carry anything. It was a 300 Letter car or the later A38 that defined highway performance. Took another forty years to exceed them.

When they set out the small craft warnings, it was The Big Iron that headed out into the night. There's a whole continent out there to see and explore.

(That combined rig based on memory of how they packed, plus factory data, tells me it was in the range of 12,300 to 12,700 as to weight ).

.

[Lessmore]

73guna wrote:

Lessmore wrote:


What a beautiful combo. Wonder if the Olds has a an Olds 455 under the hood. That Corvette is stunning....'56...'57 ?

I don't remember all the details of the cars, but the Cutlass has a 455ci and a 5-speed.
A guy on Team Chevelle forum built it and owns it.

That Oldsmobile looks like a regular Cutlass from that era. What a great 'sleeper' with the 455 V8 and 5 speed (manual ?). I'm sure other drivers in other cars, have been surprised with it's acceleration. 😉

[73guna]

Lessmore wrote:


What a beautiful combo. Wonder if the Olds has a an Olds 455 under the hood. That Corvette is stunning....'56...'57 ?

I dont remember all the details of the cars, but the Cutlass has a 455ci and a 5-speed.
A guy on Team Chevelle forum built it and owns it.

[noteven]

1995 Buick Roadmaster LTD, LT1, tow package, had to pull the rear air suspension fuse when using WD hitch said the manual, use 91 octane said the manual.

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Grit dog wrote:
But you gotta admit, from '73 up til the late 80s, Detroit really produced a lot of big, or small, ugly, underpowered bags of ______!
Not a proud era for automobiles in general. There's a few goodys that came out of that but not many. I could count them on both hands vs now or 60s models which I could turn into Jay Leno with if given the $ and space!

I agree. I feel fortunate to have been an older teenager...young man...during the muscle car era of the late '60's to and about 1972/73.

Quite true from the early '70's to late '80's there wasn't much available that IMO, could compete with the golden era of musclecars.

The later '80's Buick GNX turbo 3.8 V6 comes to mind, but other than late 80's Mustang/Camaro/Firebird V8's....it was a dry period for performance.

[Grit_dog]

But you gotta admit, from '73 up til the late 80s, Detroit really produced a lot of big, or small, ugly, underpowered bags of ______!
Not a proud era for automobiles in general. There's a few goodys that came out of that but not many. I could count them on both hands vs now or 60s models which I could turn into Jay Leno with if given the $ and space!

[Lessmore]

burningman wrote:
It's amazing just how good-looking a lot of American cars used to be, when you see them in great condition with the right wheels and good colors. And while they are considered archaic now, they could tow big trailers and they could be fixed at home by a guy with some tools and general sense.
They didn't have to go to the dealer every time some "module" that costs $500 went out and set off trouble codes and put the thing into "limp mode".
I've still got my '55 Chevy, and when I finally went diesel for my truck I kept my old GMC carbureted gas big-block truck. I can't sell it because it ALWAYS runs and it's always there ready to save the day when one of our over-complicated later models fails. It has zero electronics. If the rods aren't through the side of the block, it WILL run.

We used to have a '76 Impala with the 350 V8. Parents bought it new in Dec., '75, we bought it from them in '84 and ran it till '97. IN '97 engine went into an '81 Firebird, rad and HEI into a street rod, transmission into a Chevy pickup truck, when it was time to say goodbye to the old workhorse.

It would always start up and run. I recall one day when the temp was 38 to 40 below...I live where they film Ice Road Truckers...many modern cars would not start. I spent part of the morning in the 20 year old Chevy picking up other workers, bringing them to work.

It was reliable, durable, relatively simple mechanically, with no fancy electronics, except an early HEI electronic ignition system. It kept on going, when other newer vehicles surrendered and ran up the white flag.

[burningman]

It's amazing just how good-looking a lot of American cars used to be, when you see them in great condition with the right wheels and good colors. And while they are considered archaic now, they could tow big trailers and they could be fixed at home by a guy with some tools and general sense.
They didn't have to go to the dealer every time some "module" that costs $500 went out and set off trouble codes and put the thing into "limp mode".
I've still got my '55 Chevy, and when I finally went diesel for my truck I kept my old GMC carbureted gas big-block truck. I can't sell it because it ALWAYS runs and it's always there ready to save the day when one of our over-complicated later models fails. It has zero electronics. If the rods aren't through the side of the block, it WILL run.

[Lessmore]

73guna wrote:

What a beautiful combo. Wonder if the Olds has a an Olds 455 under the hood. That Corvette is stunning....'56...'57 ?

[73guna]

[burningman]

I did the Caddy 500 swap into my '83 Chevy crew cab dually years ago, it started out as a 6.2 diesel.
At the time, changing from diesel to a big gas engine was a big increase in power!
The 472/500 Caddy is indeed a great truck motor.