I had one in my first '69 Camaro with an inline 250 6 banger and a manual 3-speed on the floor that had the AC Delco block heater....I still have the cord for it in my garage... 2 of those would have made your motor nice an' toasty for those real cold winter morning startups...
Yeah, I think that 426 was a wedge, not a Hemi, the Hemi's never had the cross ram intakes as far as I know, but when it comes to Mopar, never say never.
Fold down rear seat in a galaxie 4 door,it actually was a wagon seat in a 4 door for traveling sales people.
My '64 Studebaker Daytona came with a 289 V8 with a 2-BBL carb a 4-speed trans and disc brakes. Who orders the good stuff with a 2-BBL.
The “Vacuum Operated Exhaust” (VOE) option called the "Humbler" or "Tiger" option. It allows the driver to pull a knob on the dash and open the baffle in the muffler via a vacuum operated solenoid. About 225-235 GTOs came with this option, which was available in late 1969 and very early 1970 before being pulled from the parts book by upper management. Famously, Pontiac ran a commercial called, “The Humbler” that aired during Super Bowl IV on CBS January 11, 1970 where a dude is shown cruising around a drive-in restaurant, obviously trolling for a race. He pops the exhaust open and rumbles around, scaring all the sissy-pants guys away from challenging him. Here’s the Pontiac commercial. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v3GLNYzoZEM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
62-64 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster package included a fiberglass tonneau cover to cover the rear seats, converting the car into a two-seater. The tonneau cover was designed by Bud Kaufman and built with headrests. The convertible could still be operated even with the cover in place. Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels and trim completed the ensemble. Production of the 1962 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster: 1,427 Production of the 1963 Ford Thunderbird Sports Roadster: 455 Ford dealers offered a similar tonneau and wire wheels as accessories for 1964 convertibles, but these are even scarcer today.
I Have an AMT scale model of the '62 'bird.. It has the tonneau cover, the Kelseys and a tri-power 390...Box art shows that it's red also... Front plate sez Bird Doctor.
I used to have a '61 Bonneville ragtop with those options. Also had 8-lug wheels and a limited slip 3.23 rear end. Wish I still had it!
Some rather scarce ones today--my folks had an olds with the pull out radio-got stolen 4 or 5 times, also had an olds with the self winding clock in the wheel (still have the clock) Used to work for a large utility and they would buy stripped dusters as field cars. Crews would also use them for travel. About 70-71 they got a load of pea green dusters in Fresno from Dutch Chandler-- somehow one was a 4 spd , posi and a hipo 340--must have done it to fill the order. It looked just like all the 6 cyl strippers. We snagged it to travel in and kept it for a couple of months--what a blast we had with that.
Saw a 61,62,or63, can't remember which, Pontiac 421 H.O. tri-power, 4 spd. 8 lug wheels, in a Bonniville WAGON. Car was new at the time. I had a 65 Chev SS convert with a 340 H.P. 409 and a Muncie 4 spd, no posi,
In high school a good friend of the family was 2 years ahead of me. For graduation his parents bought him a new 69 GTO convert. I grew up in Chicago and the "go to" dealer for GTO's was Peter Epstein Pontiac. Well they always advertised specific "ad cars" at rediculously low prices to draw people to the dealership. One coupe and one convert. The parents bought him the "ad" convert. Loser blue, 400 265 HP 2V motor, 3 speed Hurst on the floor, and power NOTHING including top as I recall. The same parents bought themselves a new car the flollowing year. A slime green 70 Impala standard coupe with a 250 six, 3 speed on the column, and power NOTHING. I have never seen another like it.
My brother had a 1955 Chevy second series 1/2 ton short bed big window truck that had a factory RPO air seat. It hat two rubber bladders in the lower seat cushion, connected by a rubber hose to two hand operated pumps mounted under the center of the seat. One for the driver and one for the passenger. By the time he got the truck, the rubber was all rotted, but the pumps still worked. This truck also had 2 sun visors, day/night rear view mirror, cigerette lighter and factory V8 and 3 speed on the column.
High school buddy bought a 1965 BelAir station wagon with a 327 and a 4-speed. The seller gave him a packet of service records, and the factory window-sticker. It was a factory 4-speed wagon! Everybody was calling bull$hit, and then he would show them the window-sticker...
My first car, a town auction 68 Mercury commuter wagon, 390, 2 v carb, dual pully fan belt, heavy duty suspention with 10+ zerk fitings and 2 zerks on each drive shaft universal and a 160 mph speedometer.
In 1964, a year after I graduated, I worked at a Ford Dealership as a lot boy. I was washing cars one day and there was a really sharp yellow 63 T Bird with a black vinyl top on the used car lot. When I started the motor to move it to the wash bay is sounded like no other T Bird I had ever driven. I shut off the key and cranked it again, and it sounded more like a muscle car than a luxury car. I moved it to the wash bay and popped the hood and staring me in the face was a totally chromed out tri carb 406. Everything under the hood was chromed, and the oval air cleaner said "406" on it. The car had chrome real wire wheels and every option Ford offered in a Bird. I wanted that car BAD, and found out our dealership bought a few cars from the Ford Caravan of showcars and the T Bird was one of those cars. They were asking $ 1800 for it but on my buck an hour salary it might as well have been $ 18,000,000.00. It did sell and I have always wondered where it is today and how much that car is worth. Don
In the 70's my dad owned a mid 60's factory Hemi-Dart with a four speed. A guy saw it one day and bought it from him for very little; my dad didn't know what he had, we saw one for sale in Hemmings and it was listed at $100,000.00 a few years ago...
When we ordered our '52 Chevy Bel Air we had to order it with options like 1) heater/defroster; 2) Radio w/ electric telescoping antenna. 3) Turn signals; bumper guards, bumper end dressing/protectors, exhaust pipe chrome tip. Sound funny? Look at all of the old pre' 54 car brochures. They started the "Package" concepts then. Normbc9
This may/may not be considered a "Factory Option " ,but dig this red clutch pedal in this '47 Packard.. I asked an old timer about it ,and he said it was to remind the driver that it was a manual trans..(????) Evidently, most packard of that time were auto.trans... This car is currently on that off-limits auction site...Very interesting,VERY expensive car...and its a 2 dr. aerosedan body style
The first Novas were all six cylinders. 1963 was the first year for the SS, and the first factory V8s came in 64. They used a special Nova-only 283 block that had the oil filter sunk into the block further than normal to remedy some clearance issues. Rare today, and desirable to early Nova restorers. Some other rare nova options my father or I have had over the years: A factory 4 cylinder/stick 2 door sedan "300" series. 4 cyls were rare in the first place, and almost unheard of in the mid level 300 line. The valve cover says "Chevy" on it in script as the cover was too short to fit "Chevrolet". A 3 speed overdrive tranny in another 62 or 63, having a "overdrive" lever similar to a brake release lever mounted under the dash. NOS factory tent for a 73/74 Nova hatchback in the GM box. Factory automatic floor shift console for a 63. Pretty cool looking, completely chromed. A 63 Nova wagon with a 3rd seat option. Power rear window for a 63 wagon, also a tilt column from same car.
Mid '60's huh???... Got pics???.. I call this one B.S. If someone owned a factory HEMI Dart, trust me!!! They knew what they had...
guy brought a 67 or 68 Camaro SS/RS to a buddy of mine to work on the car has a Factory rear window defroster sadly the guy wanted to cut the roof off and make a convertible
Convertibles had 4 25 lb ballest tanks.. One in each corner of the car.... Otherwise the center of the car would have caved in...
The Jalopy Journal
