rocketraider

I like this kid. I think he did a creditable job piloting that A. Let's hope getting to drive it planted a seed.

The VIN plate on the dash MUST read 34467. If it doesn't, car isn't a 442 unless someone made a really good fake. You might find a different number on its underhood data plate; that discrepancy is well known and documented on 68-69 cars. Look on the engine between intake manifold and water pump. A correct 1969 400ci engine will have a "G" cast into that area. To verify if car has the original engine, there's a machined pad at left front of the block, just beneath the cylinder head. 68-later Olds V8 engines have a VIN derivative stamped into the pad. If it matches the dash VIN, original engine. Joe Padavano has a good picture of this. Car should have "C" casting cylinder heads. If you find "D" castings on a numbers matching block you possibly have a W30. 442 will have boxed rear axle lower control arms and rear sway bar. These were optional on other Cutlass series. Depending on the assembly plant the underhood data plate can tell you a lot. However if the car was built in the Fremont CA assembly plant the data plate has a lot of arcane numerical codes that are tied to the car's build sheet and job order. The other plants are easy to decode. Others will be able to add more.

Wood on these wasn't structural, right? Just applique like, say, a Country Squire? Seldom seen. I like it.

VA and NC outlawed it a couple years ago after some fatality crashes where the squat truck driver couldn't see the smaller vehicle he was about to hit and run over. Normally I don't care what people do with their personal vehicles but a Squat is a real hazard to whatever it's sharing the road with. Mmph. Senior Week at Myrtle Beach coming up. I have a feeling a lot of 2024 high school graduates who have squat trucks are gonna leave their graduation money with the Myrtle Beach PD because, as I tell these kids every year, Myrtle Beach cops love an out-of-town boy's money!🤑

Mercman, what was this Australian LTD based on? Aus Falcon?

IDK. Compared to 1958 Buick, Oldsmobile and the Chrysler lineup this finny Rambler looks positively restrained!🙃 Makes you wonder if Mercedes Benz were studying these when styling their 1959s. I kinda like this Smash Rambler too.

This could be a hella cool wagon. $7950 may be optimistic but we must remember that what a Southern Californian thinks is rusty may be a really solid car. The most rust I see in phone-sized pics is in the tailgate, possibly in RF fender. Wonder if he has the missing RF fender trim? There are 56 and 63 Chevrolets in the background so that tells me these are car people, not just some opportunist who dragged the Plymouth out of a field and thinks they'll get auction pricing for it.

National Impala Association is a good one as is the VCCA. I'd join the one that has a chapter, or even a less formal group, close by. Check with john348 and Steve Pollard. They seem to be very in tune to the Chevrolet club world.

Y'all making an old guy blush...☺️☺️

Have you done a deep clean on the fuel system? From tank to injectors. Sounds like old gas may be causing issues. Even if you have fresh gas, it may be dissolving varnish and other crap in the tank that will keep fouling injectors, plugs and fuel filters way longer than you'd think. There's an active Reatta forum a little farther down. Lot of knowledge there. https://forums.aaca.org/forum/11-buick-reatta/

Spend a couple hundred having it professionally detailed including freshening up the faded load floor carpet. Is it worth asking money? If a western Pennsylvania car isn't rusty, possibly. But as with all AMC, it has to find the right buyer. According to Standard Catalog 1946-75, looks like most of AMC's 1974 wagon trade was in the Hornet line with 67709 made. Only 9709 1974 Matador wagons were built and over 2/3 were V8 powered, but no breakout on 304/360/401. 7070 Ambassador wagons went out the door. So these are kinda rare beasts. But y'all must remember I'm a wagon nerd!🤗🤓

Jim, did you or another K-F club member get it? Or maybe y'all have a prospective new member with a rather cool car in the wings.

☺️

Maybe a tad overpriced for a bottom-line four-door sedan but I like this big Osemobeel! 😎 Put a proper width set of wide whites on and it's 1959 all over again. Would like to know what that switch below the aftermarket gauge trio is. It looks like the light switch on my 135 Ferguson tractor!

Was Ford using those things that early?