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We had the opportunity to participate in the Oldsmobile Club of America-WI Chapter car show last month. There were more than a few really nice rides at the show. For me, the standout was a 2-tone brown 48 Olds Coupe (see pic page). It sported repop Cad wire wheels and a 59 Chevy Sport Steering Wheel. A whole lot of time, money and energy has been spent on this ride, and it showed. Perhaps the most interesting ride was 1971 Olds Cutlass. It was the most interesting because, even though it reeked of patina, and cried out for saving from the crusher, its owner was immensely proud of it. Equally gratifying was the fact the owner was a youngster, going into his freshman year of college this month. Kudos to this young man! The hobby needs every teen it can get My nephew reminded me that I never reported back on how the lift repair went. I am glad to say it went very well. As it was completed in less than 30 minutes, there was no charge in addition to the $150 show-up charge. There was a bit of embarrassment when the technician did pull out a 6 inch cold chisel I had left inside the column when trying to make repairs! The problem was as I had diagnosed. There was too much slack in the lift chain, permitting misalignment of the column lock. The misalignment made it difficult to release the lock. This was corrected by adding a shim, which incidentally had been sitting on my garage floor ever since the lift was installed; installed improperly dare I say?
Corvair (1960-1969)
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Sep
Automotive
Milestones-
9/2/1959 Ford Falcon debuts 9/2/1893 Duryea builds 1st U.S. car 9/7/1954 T-bird debuts 9/11/1970 Ford Pinto goes
on sale with MSRP below $2K 9/13/1899 NYC 1st U.S. auto fatality 9/16/1908 GM formed 9/19/1919 Buick founded 9/19/1937 Duesenberg closes - Stay cool & enjoy your ride(s)!
Me and My Arrow
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THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coup de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
OldsD88@gmail.com
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[O]ne may now safely assume that the earlier mechanics idea of resolving my brake problem was to over adjust the rear brakes.
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Me and My Arrow
Me and my arrow Straighter than narrow Wherever we go, every one knows It's me and my arrow
HARRY NILSSON, Lyrics Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Me and my arrow Taking the high road Wherever we go, everyone knows It's me and my arrow I wonder, does anyone besides me remember the Plymouth Arrow automobile? There is no reason you should, as it was a pretty unremarkable vehicle. My contact with it was certainly very limited. In the summer of 1974 I bought my first brand new car. It was a 1973 AMC Gremlin. As part of the deal I traded in a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible. By the winter of 1976 I was again in the market for a car. This was because the Gremlin went into a skid on an interstate overpass north of Indianapolis, IN, hit a guardrail and went careening off into a farm field. The only useable items left after the accident were my aftermarket Stewart-Warner Oil/Amp/Temp gauges and the car license plates! Somewhere, somehow I had heard of the Arrow. I decided I would go to the Plymouth dealership and check one out. I recall that it was late in the day when I made my appearance at the dealer showroom. They had 3 cars lined up, front-to-back, alongside the showroom windows. The car I was looking at was #2, in the middle. To complicate matters the keys to cars 1 and 3 could not be located. What to do? Being wedged between two cars without keys proved to be no problem whatsoever for the enterprising sales staff. Why not? Because the Plymouth Arrow was so light, less than 2,000 lbs, four young sales persons were able to lift the car at the corners and free it from the cramped space. They were quite proud of both their ingenuity and the masculine prowess utilized in an effort to get me behind the wheel of the Arrow for a test drive. As this was nearly two score years ago, my memory of the car is a bit hazy today. I do recall the interior appointments were, shall we say, sparse. So sparse that the car had no carpeting. It did have, however, a wall-to-wall rubber floor mat. I also do recall that the car had little-to-no power whatsoever. Stepping on the accelerator yielded wonderment; a wondering if the car was ever going to speed up! I did feel bad, especially after the extra effort undertaken to free the car for a test drive, that I was not even remotely interested in buying an Arrow. Ultimately a new set of wheels was purchased by me; a 1976 Ford Pinto. At my insistence the Pinto was cloaked in racing orange paint. This was because I wanted the car to be able to easily be seen by fellow motorists. It must have worked, as no one ever ran into me? That Pinto clocked 185,000 miles before I passed it on to owner #2! I doubt the Arrow could have so endured? The Plymouth Arrow by the Numbers: Sold from 1976 through 1980, the Arrow was but a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste. It produced all of 83 horsepower in the 1600 cc/8.5:1 compression version, which took 14 long, painful seconds to get up to 60 m.p.h. The engine options were 1.4 L, 1.6 L and 2.0 L. four cylinders. Available transmissions were the 4- or 5-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic, depending on configuration. The wheelbase was all of 92.1 inches. The vehicle dimensions were 157.28 in. long; width 60.43 in. wide and 53.74 in. tall. The car sat on 13 x 4.5 wheels with a 4-bolt 4/12 bolt pattern. Tire size was 600 x 13 (P155/80SR13 ). Surprisingly, the Arrow did come with front wheel disc
brakes. Not a lot of cars presented with this feature in 1976. Gas mileage for the 1.6L was rated at
Because the Plymouth Arrow was so light, less than 2,000 lbs., four young sales persons were able to lift the car at the corners and free it from the cramped space.
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26 City39 Hwy. The MSRP was $3,175. One of the more interesting options available for the Arrow was a small tent ($80). When the rear seats were lowered and the tent was clipped over the open hatchback, it would allow the back of the car to be used for camping. It was named the Arrow Tepee.
During its lifespan the Arrow was also offered as a pickup truck. It sold about as well as the hatchback car. 1980 witnessed the end for this ride. It had served its purpose, which was dual in nature. It provided an opportunity for the American motoring public with an economy mindset to buy American instead of Japanese. It also gave Chrysler Corp. the time needed to develop in house its own econo box, the ubiquitous Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni. This ride is so (fill in the blank) that today I am not able to locate an Arrow car club or find a Plymouth Arrow being offered in the pages of Hemmings Motor News. Hagerty Insurance reports that the Arrow never got the love it deserved back in the day, and nobody seems to be collecting them now. Nor does it list the Arrow in its valuation database. I suspect that is because there are no records of the car being offered for sale or being purchased by buyers. I think it would be interesting to know how many even exist is this, the 21st century. A number less than 100 would not surprise me at all. A number in excess of 100 most certainly would.
Ok, Ive had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC at OldsD88@gmail.com. Now that you have finished reading this months issue of the newsletter, come start/ join an ongoing dialog with other CCC readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views . ______________________________________
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1948 Olds Custom Coupe
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