Not Yamaha but interesting IMO

[boscoe99]

My mom had a dark midnight blue Pontiac Lemans circa 1965. With drum brakes that weren't worth a crap. Load that puppy up and it was hard to get it to stop. Might not have had power brakes for all I know.

I sure as hell wish I had that car today because I liked the looks. Was too young to care/know what engine it had in it. I seem to recall it being a 326 CI small block V8.

[pstephens46]

Partial to the 302 Chevy myself. Late 60s Z28 engine option. Stock with solid lifters, aluminum intake and Muncie tranny.

[rodbolt17]

my first 442 was a 69 model with drum brakes and a 425HP 455 out of a wrecked toronado.
bought the car for 50 bucks with a rod knocking.
sunshine auto wrecking in Sonoma CA let me work the 455 off.
assembled it in auto shop at Hogan high.
I had just turned 17 .

yep drum brakes bite.

after that one they all got converted to front disc.

[robert graham]

Don't forget the Vega! It had a miracle coating instead of steel cylinder liners.
I believe the cars started burning oil between 10-15K miles. Great cars in the 1970s.

By the time GM decided to install iron sleeves the Vega's engine reputation had already been ruined....Detroit struggled for years to build small, fuel efficient cars to compete with Japanese and European imports....

[rodbolt17]

did not matter much on the oil burn.
most simply rusted away.
but I do remember the early seventies, we called them import jap junk.
by the mid eighties if you wish to have a car outlast its carpayments you had to buy Japanese.
anyone remember the GM Aluminium wire harness?
or the clear coat issues?

[robert graham]

I remember the peeling/failing clear coat finishes, especially over metallic paint colors....

[TownsendsFJR1300]

now the really really neat one that I had the pleasure to play with was in a Pontiac lemans that had the old 250 inline six with overhead cam and a Rochester 4bbl.
was a factory option for about 3 years back in the mid-late 60's or so.

I bought a P0ntiac 1967 (maybe 68) Lemans, 2 dr hardtop with the overhead cam, inline 6 which was dead(for very cheap).

I don't remember it having a 4bbl carb on it, but that engine got yanked and a 326 Pontiac replaced it.

And re the clear coat issues. That went on very many years....

I take a big old 427 big block, 425 HP anytime...

[99yam40]

Brother brought a Vega back from Germany where he was stationed for 2 years in the army back in early 70s. bought it from another army guy that was leaving .
We called it the Red Rocket it rusted away.

had a friend with a 65 Lemans with 326 CDI & 3 duce set up. Candy Apple Maroon. Fun car.

I took a 58 Chevy Belair 4 door 348 with 3 duce setup , 3 on the column and chopped it down with hand tools. cut top off right at the windshield and cut thru body right behind the front seat. cut the frame right behind the rear coil spring mounts. farthest thing back was the tires. built a wood platform/bed and mounter gas tank on it,
removed doors, fenders,and hood
made braces for radiator bracket and mounted head light to something.
ran it all over the beaches back in the late 60s.
You could burn a set of tires off that thing quickly when you got it on pavement.
Tried to blow that motor up several times, but the hydrolic lifters/valves just floated I guess. it would hit 60 in 1st gear floored and stay there. 90- in second no more .I always wondered what RPM it was doing

without a hood rain collected on top of air cleaner and ran down the studs into the carbs while sitting and locked up the motor.
probably saved me from killing myself or someone else

[pstephens46]

did not matter much on the oil burn.
most simply rusted away.
but I do remember the early seventies, we called them import jap junk.
by the mid eighties if you wish to have a car outlast its carpayments you had to buy Japanese.
anyone remember the GM Aluminium wire harness?
or the clear coat issues?

Live on the coast? Every 70s car rusted away...

[99yam40]

Live on the coast? Every 70s car rusted away...

or up north where they salt the roads

[TownsendsFJR1300]

My Vega was on Long Island NY but didn't have any (or very little rust). Guess it it wasn't road worthy long enough to get rusty

Now my first car, 68 Chevelle, rust around the wheel wells, rear window was TERRIBLE...

[rodbolt17]

I drove a 1970 W-30 442 from 1980 till I got rid of it about 2007.
over time it had at least 5 455 olds and many small block chevy's
sometimes with 3.90 gears sometimes with 4.11.
sometimes with an m22 other times with an m21.
its last configuration was the 3.9 axle o type posi, the m21 a.06 over bore with TRW forged 11/1 pistons.
Luanati cheater cam, edlebrock torker and a mechanical 800 CFM spread bore.
man that was one fun S coupe.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

^^^ scoot!! (once the tires stopped smoking)

1970, IMO, was about the best year for muscle cars.

Before EPA regulations, very hot looking cars, and there was no doubt what brand car it was vs now a days...

[rodbolt17]

I had basically 4 cars during high school.
a 69 442.
a 1970 monte carlo.
a 1961 Studebaker lark.
a 1970 442 indy pace car convertible.
the 69 was the fastest but the old stude was the most fun.
all 112 HP with a 3 on the tree with OD and a hill holder .
Hill holder was a good thing in the san Francisco area.
if driven carefully the old stude could get almost 30 MPG.

[Captn Dave]

Yep, I remember that GM 350 Diesel in the Olds and some Seville Cadillacs....what a dog of an engine....and at the time they were charging a premium $$$$ for that motor!....I'll still stick with my small block Chevy 350 gasoline motor anytime!!!!

I had a FIL that liked that engine because GMC was providing replacement engines for problem cars. He would find a car and replace the engine and then drive the crap out of it.

But he as an OTR driver and mechanic and had his own shop and knew diesels.