Just about to head-out for a Sunday cruise...

[Acousticado]

...in our all-original '68 Dodge Polara 500 (exact duplicate we bought in '08 of the last car my wife's father owned at the time of his death in '68). Not a fancy old car, but you sure don't see too many of these around anymore. Runs like a top. Love it!

[gjd100]

Cool. My dad had a 65 Polara wagon.... with the rear facing third seat. Stuck my tongue out more times than i can remember from that seat.

[Riverwolf]

Cool. We went to a local car show this weekend.
Simply amazing the detail that goes into the restoration process.

[Gasworker]

Cool. We have a new neighbour who has a 47 Chrysler New Yorker. He works on it in his driveway revving the very poor running engine until the neighbourhood is so disgustingly polluted with blue smoke no one can sit outside. Yeah for old smelly cars

[architype]

That's a good looking Polara. I've always thought the 2 door version was an under rated classic. Great lines.

I have a soft spot for old Mopars.

We had a '66 Newport when I was a kid that dad bought brand new. That thing ran so smooth my mom would often think it had died while sitting at a stop light. She would crank it and of course get a horrible noise of the starter gear grinding on the flywheel. It had a 383ci engine and would move pretty good even for a heavy car.

My dad took very good care of that car for 15 years and finally sold it to his brother-in-law after he begged him to sell it....keep in mind this guy was a die hard Chevy man.

My first car was a used '71 Barracuda. It had a 318ci engine and a 3 speed on the floor. I put a set of ET mag wheels and 60 series tires on the back and 70's on the front. It had a glass pack "muffler" and sounded faster than it really was.

I never should have sold it. I see what 71 Barracudas are going for these days and I kick myself.

Well, hope you have a nice cruise!

[Dr. Spivey]

Nice old Dodge. What engine, 318?

[TBman]

I love old cars. How does unleaded gas effect them?

[Dru Edwards]

Sweet. Are you back in the Ottawa region? Enjoy your ride!

[polarred21]

Very nice car! When I was 16 we had a 69 Plymouth Fury II with a 383 cu. in. and a 2 barrel. That thing would fly and had some good times on it.

[Brucebubs]

Fantastic car, love it.
Sold my 'fun' car about 14 years ago.

[Acousticado]

Just got back home. What a nice day it was. Of course, stopped at Dairy Queen for a cone/milkshake. Did some drive-bys at friend's places. Visits my Dad and we went out in the Dodge for supper, then an early evening cruise. It's always amazing how many people (mostly boomers) remember this car, and how it puts smiles on so many faces just to see a totally original survivor.

Originally Posted by Dr. Spivey

Nice old Dodge. What engine, 318?

Yep, just a 318, 2-barrel. Just rolled 80k miles. Runs very smooth. Starts right away every time.

Originally Posted by TBman

I love old cars. How does unleaded gas effect them?

I don't notice any adverse affect. Although the engine runs on regular, because ethanol in most lower octane gas these days is not good for seals on old engines, I do make sure to use gas with no ethanol which you can only get in hi-octane blends (e.g. Shell V-Power).

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Sweet. Are you back in the Ottawa region? Enjoy your ride!

Yep and thanks, Dru. Trying to enjoy beautiful days like today because this summer in the Ottawa region has been otherwise crappy...record rain.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Fantastic car, love it.
Sold my 'fun' car about 14 years ago.

Wow, that is a beautiful car! What a nice "stance". What year and model of Datsun is it? I'm pretty sure I've seen it before, but I'm trying to remember if it was offered in the U.S./Canada, at least in a convertible model.

[Acousticado]

Originally Posted by architype

That's a good looking Polara. I've always thought the 2 door version was an under rated classic. Great lines.

I have a soft spot for old Mopars.

We had a '66 Newport when I was a kid that dad bought brand new. That thing ran so smooth my mom would often think it had died while sitting at a stop light. She would crank it and of course get a horrible noise of the starter gear grinding on the flywheel. It had a 383ci engine and would move pretty good even for a heavy car.

My dad took very good care of that car for 15 years and finally sold it to his brother-in-law after he begged him to sell it....keep in mind this guy was a die hard Chevy man.

My first car was a used '71 Barracuda. It had a 318ci engine and a 3 speed on the floor. I put a set of ET mag wheels and 60 series tires on the back and 70's on the front. It had a glass pack "muffler" and sounded faster than it really was.

I never should have sold it. I see what 71 Barracudas are going for these days and I kick myself.

Well, hope you have a nice cruise!

I agree. I quite like the 2-door hardtop, but especially like the convertible version.

Yeah, '71 'Cudas. Sweet!

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Wow, that is a beautiful car! What a nice "stance". What year and model of Datsun is it? I'm pretty sure I've seen it before, but I'm trying to remember if it was offered in the U.S./Canada, at least in a convertible model.

That was a 1969 model.
2 liter 150hp -2 twin-choke side-draft carbs, 7 1/2liter alloy sump.
Disc brakes
5-speed.
The USA had a de-tuned 135hp version.(but the 150hp kit was available through Datsun dealers!)
Australia and South Africa got the Japanese 150hp specification.
Badged as 'Fairlady' in some countries.

Strangely, all right hand drive 240Z's started life with this same 5-speed gearbox whereas the USA lefties were 4 speed.

[Russell G]

At car shows I usually pass them by for the "real" cars, you know, Muscle cars, Corvettes, Jags, etc. But now I have a new appreciation for these old classics.
After all, these were the cars our parents drove and the ones in which we rode in the back seat!

Do you get Hemmings Classic Car magazine? They're starting to include more cars like yours, especially the four doors. If not you should check them out.