Ep. 20 The Malaise Era Part II: The Darkest Hour of the American Automotive Industry

[@bobbywoods684]

I used my Mom's 75 Granada on dates as a high schooler. One day I said, Mom did you know your seats lean all the way back? No, then she asked, how do you know? I just stood there busted.

[@theboyisnotright6312]

Smooth?😂😂😂😂

[@gdholmfirth]

By the way, Bobby, what are those stains on my seats?

[@MidnightPolaris800]

@@gdholmfirth ya whats all this sticky goo on my hands and seats

[@rich-qk7dc]

I bought a used 1976 Granada as a kid it was $4000 new and had $4200 in options total $8200 found out what a pig it was when I drove it from Boston to CA.

[@charleshammer2928]

I first got laid in my mom's 75 Gran Torino. I totaled it 6 months later. She was not happy.

[@RedBud315]

The 50's-60's were the peak of American Auto industry. They were retooling almost continuously to bring out a new car design every 1-3 years and the amount of choices you had for colors and interiors was insane. The quality of the materials was better than the 70's and beyond. Even the car commercials were like short films instead of 30 second ads. Now that CEO's make 40 times what they made back then they can't afford to do that any longer. And this is every industry. I currently own a '69 GTO that I've considered selling several times but, I know I would regret it immensely so I might die with that vehicle.

[@bighands69]

I think people are confused. The 1970s cars were also very good it really started to decline in the 1990s when designs really start to go super cheap and were all about meeting regulations. A 1978 Buick was still a beautiful car.

[@bsherman8236]

Don't do it

[@soundpainter2590]

@@bighands69 Aaaah. NO. You CLEARLY weren't around then. By 73' All were a Huge Slow reacting wet sponge on wheels, With VERY LITTLE Horsepower PERIOD. Owned & Modded MANY.

[@bighands69]

@@soundpainter2590 The vast majority of cars of that era were not lightweight sports cars. A 1963 Buick Riviera was a similar weight to that of a 1973 version. Horsepower in those cars was irrelevant. It is pretty much the same story with a Mustang in terms of weight. The regulations really started to develop in the 1970s but they really did not have an impact until the 1980s and it was the 1990s before all of that came to a head. A 1985 Buick Riviera weighed less than a 1965 version and still looked good but not as good as the 1965 version. The 1985 version was really nowhere near as nice as any of the previous versions

[@cruiser6260]

@@bighands69 64 stang 1109kg. 74 stang close to 1400kg. You know the difference between being just a driver, or driver plus 3 other guys. low octane, low compression, Arnold's barbell weight bumpers on the sedans. In the 70s you were not nostalgic, it was now. Land yachts were obsolete beside European engineering and ergonomics, or Japanese reliability and economy. American cars being last to adopt things like disc brakes, 4 and 5 speed floor shift, overhead cam engines, coil spring and independent rear suspension you got on the imports.

[@MayheM_72]

My 1st car, in 1990, was a 1977 Ford Granada, 4 door, black with red vinyl roof and interior, and the 305 V8. We named her "Granny". My friends kept talking about how "HUGE" my car was compared to all their cars. I told them that this was considered a "mid-size car" in '77, and the 302 was the "small V8" engine. She was hard on gas, and the steering was so overpowered, and she wallowed over bumps and around corners. Was she a great car? No...but as my 1st taste of true freedom, she was for ME!

[@myotherbrotherdarrel4495]

302* 305 is chevy 😀

[@johntechwriter]

As you did your first girlfriend, you forgave your first car almost anything. My first car was a 1970 Mazda R-100, the first rotary-engined car sold in N. America. It required an engine rebuild every year. And then there were the little things, like all the car’s lights running through a single fuse. That fuse blew one night as I was rounding an 80 mph corner. Instant blackness but I got it stopped. God, I loved that car! Now I’m retired but own two Mazdas, one of them a Miata - which would be a young person of today’s ultimate first car.

[@zackjay71]

302. I had a 78 Monarch. Mercury version

[@jrussellcase]

Got my first car in 1988, it was a 75 Ford Granada, 4 door, white with a puke green interior. My friends called it the "grocery getter". 😂😂😂 And yeah, I agree with you on the ride and drive.

[@jamiebowles4588]

My first wife & I bought a used cream yellow '78 Mercury Monarch, in' 81.

[@mattarnold198]

You forgot to mention how insurance companies were making it more and more difficult for young people to drive muscle cars and so at the end of the 60s (peak muscle), car manufacturers were actually under-rating the advertised HP figures to get drivers cheaper insurance.

[@farmalmta]

Remember also the Firebird Trans Am was accompanied by a slightly lower cost "non-performance" model, the Firebird Formula. No eagle or showy intake on the hood, but same performance. Lot cheaper insurance for kids starting out driving.

[@BigWheel.]

@@farmalmta Pontiac always seems to not get enough attention in the performance community.

[@tommurphy4307]

get a clue- dude- they didn't do it for drivers- they did it for their NHRA ratings

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

First correct use of the word "underrated" (under-rating) i've seen in comnents.

[@AnthonyParrilloRI]

Huge reason and a point that needs to be made

[@gotham61]

The 5MPH bumper requirement had nothing to do with safety, although it was sold that way. It was really about lowering costs to insurance companies.

[@postmodernrecycler]

I was just thinking that. Cheaper to replace a chrome bumper than the whole front clip. Even today's plastic bumpers are $2000 to repaint just from parking scratches. The chrome bumpers could hold up to a lot and still look undamaged.

[@kijekuyo9494]

For the insurance companies or the car owners?

[@audvidgeek]

was pretty nice though...you tap a vehicle nowadays on a post, and you've got thousands of dollars in damage. Even my old 1978 Honda could take a tap from a big pickup and you wouldn't be able to tell

[@florkgagga]

@@audvidgeek? Thousands in damages? Surely, only if you choose to repair the scratches, or... Do you HAVE to repair them over there?

[@orangejjay]

@@florkgagga Don't bother. People love to live in ignorance about cars being better "back in my day" than they are now. Ohhhhh if only we could still drive in the death traps of before, forgo clean air from exhaust emissions, and go back to fixing our cars on weekends because reliability is too big a word for the auto makers.

[@jimdavis6833]

Hey, I owned a 1977 Aspen, and drove it into the ground for 10 years with almost no problems. The 318 V8 got pretty good mileage at 23 MPG on the highway. I loved that old wagon.

[@danr1920]

My belief is that overnight every model they sold was obsolete. They were making many more platforms than ever before, and the emissions made engines out of date too. Needed to develop new technology, and redesign everything overnight. Everything suffered as everything was rushed thought with a much too small engineering staff.

[@davidhollowood6580]

They spent all of their development funds on lobbying against needed regulations

[@billolsen4360]

@@davidhollowood6580 I think all the Big 3 were involved in that...just reaching for short term gains instead of long term plans.

[@dekoldrick]

They just don't want to learn from their foreign competitors like Honda and Toyota and how they make small cars that aren't so fragile and underpowered. So instead, they stopped making cars all together and focus on trucks and SUVs which still get low gas mileage.

[@christianlibertarian5488]

@@dekoldrick What did they learn from Honda and Toyota? Don't have a unionized work force.

[@billolsen4360]

@scomo's maccas adventure fun time. Your island will never run out of superior Brits looking down their noses.

[@irvintib]

The 70's Ford Granada also suffered from bad body steel and was EXTREMELY susceptible to body rust. I owned one and so did a few of my friends, and we ALL suffered from accelerated rust through.

[@tommurphy4307]

you should probably take that up with the cities, counties, and states that use salt or salt solutions on your icy roads. i see solid ones here in san diego every once in a while. i think driver embarassment is much more of a problem with those cars...

[@jakublulek3261]

Hilariously, European Granada/Consul would outrun the American one, and the most powerful engine was 3.0 V6 150hp Essex! Metropolitan Police used them as highway chasers...

[@bldontmatter5319]

@@jakublulek3261 different emissions requirements for the models + different giant American bumper

[@limprooster3253]

​@@jakublulek3261 150hp was a pretty hot motor in the US in the late 70s. A 302 would lay down a whopping 139 HP. But it made a lot of torque in the part of the band you drove it in. So even though the cars were painfully slow, they were actually pleasant to drive

[@jakublulek3261]

@@limprooster3253 British Granada was pretty light vehicle, plus you had choice of 4-speed manual. Excessive weight seems to be a major limitation of most 1970s US vehicles. European cars generally were pretty low-power at that time but featherweights when compared to their US cousins.

[@ross3423]

This is quickly becoming one of the best car channels on youtube as far as I’m concerned

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Totally love his videos

[@FanDancer]

100%

[@martintaper7997]

From a US perspective maybe.

[@idaho4586]

And that is for the best

[@afdcomposer]

It’s just no-nonsense, straightforward stuff. Much appreciate

[@justsumguy2u]

0-60 in 23 seconds is downright dangerous. I can't even imagine passing someone in that car, or trying to merge onto a freeway

[@jimjamauto]

And without the visibility of a heavy duty truck. Well it’s even slower than trucks of the same era. My 1982 Bronco can do it in 17 seconds with the slowest engine available in any Ford truck at the time.

[@mfbfreak]

Eh. For a passenger car it is dreadfully slow, but dangerous? Only if you don't know how to drive. Don't forget that a fully laden van is also about that slow, and that most commercial vehicles and semis are even slower. Beetles were also in that slowness-range. Same for the 2cv and the other millions of 2 cylinder cars from the 60s, 70s and 80s, and early road legal 4x4s. Hell, the much revered early 70s Mercedes diesels were also that slow. The trick is to 'actively' drive, not just mindlessly roll along. Look at traffic conditions before you're on the sliproad. Don't have an irrational fear of high revs. Don't merge into the first spot you see (and merge with a too low speed), but stay on the slip road until you can merge with the proper speed. This is all basic stuff you learn in driver's education in western europe, because if you learned to drive in the 60s/70s/80s, there was a huge chance your first car would be a 2 cylinder econobox with a top speed of 100 to 120km/h, and a 0 to 100km/h time of half a minute (literally). Overtaking? Wait for a minute, perhaps 2, until there's a generous gap in traffic. Or if it's too busy, just don't overtake and loiter with the semis in the slow lane. Is it nice to have more power? Absolutely, it's very relaxing to just floor it and be able to slip into any gap. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Is it dangerous to have a slow vehicle? Only when you don't match your driving style with the power you have.

[@justsumguy2u]

@@mfbfreak But I'm talking about the average driver vs. one that thinks things out. And let's face it---the average driver doesn't 'match their driving style with the power they have', they just gun it and hope for the best

[@stone-hand]

Merceds Benz W123 200D - 55hp, 0-100 kph in about 27 seconds. My father's last car... And, yes, when he decided to overtake a truck, only God could help us if the truck driver didn't see it and stepped on the gas. And yet my father managed to get a ticket for speeding the thing... On a steep uphill where that car achieved to reach the speed limit only with the most strenuous of efforts, overrevving in 2nd gear with the pedal to the metal and never let up. (I still think he paid the ticket because it was less humiliating than admitting that his car coudn't physically go faster than the speed limit, there).

[@squid667]

@@mfbfreak This is very true. Even the W123 Mercedes with the small diesel engines was in this so called dangerous range up until 1985. The 200D had a 0-60 time similar to a 1950s Beetle. We still have a 1963 Beetle with 34hp as a daily driver, and it keeps up with traffic just fine. You just have to plan ahead much more and pay proper attention to the traffic.

[@davidvitan3590]

The Datsun was actually closer to ONE third of the size of the Granada's engine.

[@matthewjenkins1161]

And produced well over 3x the bhp per Litre. 60 vs the Granada's 17.5.

[@MrRandomcommentguy]

I bet the Granada engine made substantially more torque and was probably far punchier in the low and mid range than the 1.6 litre Datsun unit which would only have made peak power at high rpm. I mean, yes, it's ridiculous how little horsepower the Granada engine makes, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

[@sparky6086]

Also, in the US, the Datsun 810 was only available with the L24 engine. The 2.4 liter straight 6. It was fuel injected, and the 4 door & 2 door had both front and rear independent suspension. Unlike the American attempts, it truly could rival BMW's in performance, but it sort of remained a best kept secret. The wagon had a solid rear axle for additional load capacity, so it didn't feature rear independent suspension. It's possible that mixing up the L20B 4 cylinder which was standard for the 810/Bluebird in many countries, with the L24 straight 6 cylinder US market 810, explains what led to the math discrepancy.

[@tommurphy4307]

my 69 510 has 183 cubic inches- its got all it needs. whats in your mercedes- er, granada?

[@tommurphy4307]

@@sparky6086 but if you tear out the JECS mouse-nipple injectors/intake and put the 240Z carbs and intake on the L24- it would absolutely SMOKE the beemer. the 2-door 810 was only offered here in 1980. the L20B engine was developed and used primarily for the US car market. theres a heavy tariff on 2-liter engines in many countries (and in the JDM) so the factories used L16/L18 motors in most non-USA 910s. the wagons DID utilize a two-piece driveline to reduce unsprung weight- as they did in their 610 wagons. maximas are great cars.

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

My 1976 Volare was the only American car (up to that time, in my family history) that actually made it to 100,000 miles. Of course, the tops of the fenders rusted out. But at least it was made of metal!

[@Michael_Lorenson]

Yeah, but remember that In those days, only German cars were generally good for more than about 100k miles, and even they also had serious rust problems. They were superior cars, but they were shockingly expensive. I mean really _shockingly._ All the Japanese cars simply dissolved into piles of rust, almost immediately. American cars were in a sorry state, but not as quite sad as they are made out to be, now. So, I'm not saying your Volare was the equal of, say, a Toyota Cressida in every way. But it was not a bad car in its own right, for the time. Toyotas were just about as old-fashioned in style and mechanical specs, for example, with live rear-axles and so on. FWIW, looking back now, I'd say it was _Honda_ that showed the way forward, eventually forcing Toyota and everyone else to dramatically improve their technical games. From the beginning, Honda Civics and Accords were absolute jewels of precision craftsmanship, design, and engineering -- until they turned into piles of rust almost overnight!

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Poor maintenance; all of my family'c cars went past 100K miles: '66 mustang 289, 66 Fairlane I6, 68 Coronet 318, 71 307 Malibu, 77 Granada, and 1980 Pontiac bonneville. The rest were my own: 280z, 78 Cherokee 360, '88 Bronco II. 93 Bronco. All cleared 100K, several way past 200k. Sure, they dripped a bit up at that mileage, but they ran without any serious repairs needed, just brakes, alternators, batteries, and such. Oh, and I had started using Mobile 1 in 1975 on ALL our cars.

[@socksumi]

Bad in cold/wet weather with the dreaded Vapour lock the Volare was basically a Valiant with Duster styling and a bit of added trim. Like the Valiants before the bodies were eaten away by rust.

[@cruiser6260]

@@Michael_Lorenson early Honda's were motorcycle engines in tiny fwd bodies. 72 civic was the start of being brilliant cars by the late 80s when they also dominated F1. But before that, the Datsun 1600 and 240Z in the late 60s had matched the best European for engine and suspension with better reliability

[@bldontmatter5319]

@@d.e.b.b5788 I know right. 1960s cars could go a LONG time if built right and maintained well

[@matthewgaines10]

GM had plenty of diesel experience at the time the Olds diesel engine was engineered. They happened to own the diesel engine manufacturer, Detroit Diesel at the time which made solid, durable engines. They just decided to ignore engineering. Accounting and marketing departments had more say than the engineers. This was common practice in the GM of the 70's-00's and can still be seen today in their products. Don't blame inexperience on that failure. It was Hubris that lead up to the Olds Diesel, Cadillac V4-6-8, and Chevy 2.3L engines. There were others that were not that great too.

[@nickrustyson8124]

Granted the Cadillac V4-6-8 isn't badly engineered, mechanically it's pretty good, it's the computer's that the problem

[@matthewgaines10]

@@nickrustyson8124 That is part of the engineering. The design and development of the engine, engine controls, and supporting fueling and cooling systems is the engineering involved. It is an engineering failure. "Engineering" does not equal "engine". It's the entire system that was engineered. You don't get credit for designing a good engine with bad engine controls. So yes, it was badly engineered. Engine controls is engineering too.

[@techsavvycat2584]

@@matthewgaines10 Although GM owned Detroit Diesel at the time, all of those engines were massive 2-strokes that were deafeningly loud and were designed to be kept at a constant speed. The smallest ones weighed nearly a ton. I doubt they could have taken much knowledge from that department. However, they could have done far better with the Olds diesels and their other projects. It feels like the Big 3 made horrible shit on purpose to say "See? Nobody wants small cars or diesels, they're terrible!"

[@floridianrailauto9032]

They also owned EMD, whom produced diesel engines for locomotives and maritime

[@matthewgaines10]

@@techsavvycat2584 Of course but the engineering knowledge is what was present. I would rather have a DD engineered 4 stroke diesel engine than a 4 stroke Oldsmobile engineered diesel engine.

[@chipkrug4191]

IN DEFENSE OF THE FORD GRANADA: My family had a 1976, the fancy model, with a BOSS 302 under the hood. Got my license that year. Once dad let me drive it, more than one sporty foreign car ate my dust on the highways of south Jersey. Once I raced a Celica. I was ahead when we hit a traffic circle. Last thing I remember was seeing him spin out in the rear view mirror. It felt great. My passenger, my girlfriend, was *not* amused. :)

[@veritasvincit2745]

Quality entertainment on a Friday night for car, history, culture and nostalgia fans. Thanks.

[@KasumovMedia]

And dicaprio!

[@richardprice5978]

he should do one one car parking and the changing needs as a horse carriages ( from say 1870-today in 2021 ) are different from 70's gm luxury cars ( and for giggles my 440* 1968 charger or a 1 ton camper special crew cab pick up trucks and a CJ5 ) and different from a chevy ev spark. i would totally be interesting to me

[@richardprice5978]

plus storage and or commuting ( or what it would have been like to drive and parking ect. ) and maintenance of said vehicles and the buildings used for it or weird tooling of the time period that was common in use like a chimney sweep ect. for standily steamer car brand

[@qalba3016]

Ok great 👍 thank the mail and the park for the car park in downtown San Francisco the house is in the mail from there so I’ll park on my way back from there in about an hour to pick up the paperwork for that

[@styldsteel1]

He's an ass that bashed American Cars.

[@NVRAMboi]

What I remember about the Ford Granada: Virtually every one of them had broken/missing fuel cover doors by year 2 or 3. My parents were driving AMC Gremlins. Great motivation for me to work and buy my own car. First one was a '71 Beetle, then a major step up to a '77 Corolla SR5 liftback. The Japanese quality invasion was real and spectacular.

[@Porsche996driver]

Watch an old movie in LA from the 1970s and see the smog so thick. Thanks to their leadership we now benefit from safety features, power, and air that doesn’t choke you or burn your eyes.

[@RedBud315]

Yea the old TV shows remind me if what I lived in and yes I believe the smog rules made a huge difference. I moved away from L.A. almost 30 years ago but, every time I visit now I generally see blue skies. When I was a kid you couldn't see a mile most of the time.

[@petersargeant1555]

In the 1940's the smog was so bad people thought that the Japanese had launched a gas attack.

[@mrbombastic2485]

I learned to drive on my Moms Mercury Monarch (a granada with mercury badging) I remember the thin steering wheel and the constant steering inputs to keep it straight at 60 mph. It had a velour interior and as I remember a pretty damn comfy drivers seat. It lasted 85k miles despite my moms meticulous service. She bought a 1 yr old Mercedes 300d in 1985 which sits in my driveway now as my sons daily driver. I anticipate my grandkid driving it 20 yrs from now.

[@tommurphy4307]

have fun getting gas at the truck stops because they are the only places you will find diesel in 2042.

[@terminallygray]

If it had received "meticulous" service it would have lasted over 100K miles but not much further. There's more to "meticulous service" than wash, vaccum and make sure the gas tank is full. I will congratulate you on that old Merc getting to the 40 year milestone. They don't build Mercs like they used to either

[@toddbob55]

Granada was a great car especially the V8 302 / c4 Combination You couldn't beat the reliability.... My Folks bought a Granada in 1977 and sold it 1995 We had been all over the united states in that car. .....It was a Damn good reliable car and had Ice Cold Air conditioning.

[@grumpycyclist3319]

Loved my Granada, it really loved premium gas. Great car!

[@audvidgeek]

had one in the family for years too with a 302...solid car. Ironically, That AC compressor was a GM A-6 compressor on it! Also had a nice sounding 8-track deck with Motorola 2-way speakers...6X9's in the rear shelf, and 6.5 inch in the front doors.

[@FirebirdCamaro1220]

You could even option the Windsor 351 in the 75-77 model years

[@vandervan22]

My 77 4 door with the 302 v8 was a mini land yacht that roasted tires , drag raced Highway patrol on my way to school in 1996

[@Jgeneraledger23]

See? We had a similar experience. Good tough cars, especially with the V8.

[@robmiller1964]

It is a tragic story; and history had given an earlier economic model of dysfunction; The British car industry; what an implosion!

[@glenncheatham1320]

Well I drove my neighbor’s 2 door Granada often in my teens and enjoyed it in the early 80’s.

[@toyoscio]

Did it have the 88HP 6?

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Awesome

[@whburton1]

Go find one and see how you like that POS today LOL

[@jimoconnor6382]

Those were built like a brick shit house

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

you never got anywere in a hurry so you enjoyed the ride

[@DCV321]

Boy, I remember that Granada-Mercedes ad champaign. At the time I had already sworn off Fords after buying one of the exploding Pintos thinking it was a safer car for my pregnant wife, and I remember wondering what they were smoking when they dreamed that ad campaign up. Speaking of the Pinto, while it did not explode on me it did have its share of BS. The first was the alternator light which was the only warranty claim I think I made. Little things like the dashboard not being completely painted I let go but I had to have that alternator fixed. So the dealer got to my car after they worked on all the thunderterds in the shop, they replaced the alternator and took it for a test drive. They returned right away with the light on. To make a long story shorter they replaced it two more time before they realized there was a short. They tracked it down. A wiring harness had been installed with insulation scraped off at one point, God only knows how. The car had an automatic transmission that shifted into neutral when the fluid was low. That happened whenever I drove around a corner. I understand it was designed in Germany to save the transmissions. I eventually found out where the leak was, two cooling lines were crossed and wore through. The engine also would wear out cams at 30K miles or so. I never heard of another car that did that. One day I went to start it the starter spun more rapidly than normal without the car starting. On investigation there was some timing gear that broke so that the cam no longer turned. This happened less than a year after the cam was replaced. At that point I junked the car. Some years later I was walking down a street and noticed some guy looking under the hood of his Pinto. I stopped to talk and we discovered we'd had exactly the same things go wrong with our cars. Quality may be job one now, but it sure wasn't in those days!

[@Wa3ypx]

Do you remember the Lincoln version of the Granada? A Versailles?

[@andrefecteau]

@@Wa3ypx yeah, that was a decent but under the radar car..a fox body...neighbors next door had the 4 door Mercury Montego...it was a land yacht and I always loved riding in the enormous back seat, I was 12 at the time, that was bigger than the front! We'd go to their lake house in it...AM radio and bubble gum for 4 hours! Ahh those were the days

[@hennpaul]

TLDR

[@edwardcnnell2853]

I had purchased the 1976 Mercury Monarch model of the Granada. Never saw the ad campaign. Generally “I liked the cars' handling, ride and interior room. The problem was the quality. First there was a loud clunking noise as I drove it away from the dealership. They looked at it three times and could not find the problem. I finally crawled under the car and doing pull ups from the frame got the car to bounce and make the noise. It was the rear shock mounting brackets on the frame that had not been tightened down at the factory. The other problem was with the 302 ci V8. At speeds above 60 it had an engine knock. Dealership did three tune ups but only one of them worked right. After that the engine knock was always there. The heater control valve failed under the hood. The dealership could not sell me one because the manufacturer had cease that parts production. The closest fit's in and out nozzles faced the wrong direction. So six feet of heater hose routed around the engine compartment was used. Poor factory assembly was evident under the hood. Various loose components I had to take care of myself. In summery the car suffered from poor factory assembly. Lack of manufacturer support of parts. The dealership was not trained for it's maintenance. My wife left and took the care with her as it was paid for and only two years old. She said it was using oil and just traded it in so I don't know why it was using oil. If I got my hands on one today I would replace the carburetor 302 V8 with a fuel injected one.

[@keithroberts9869]

@@Wa3ypx I had a Versailles about 5 years ago, it was actually very cool with a rare 351 V8 and bucket seats with a floor shifter.

[@justanmr2973]

I was really looking forward to this! You deserve at least 200k subs. Edit: I just noticed that it's a reupload of the older one. Explains why I've seen it before.

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

👍👍👍 agreed

[@Danse_Macabre_125]

hi

[@richardprice5978]

@Rafael Gorelik which was sad as i like the first one as it was lol 😂 and perdy accurate to what i have seen. anyhow i thoughts 💭 as is and was fair use under the copyright laws and in a way was kinda a advert for some if it aka i didn't know about the super fly movie 🍿 and now kinda want to watch it now. i did know about the goofy cars as i know people that are in to them. as for me i will take the 60's car that came before them or 1 ton trucks

[@gregmuon]

Very good show, but the old days are viewed through rose colored glasses. My parents tell me of days here in Los Angeles when you could not go outside in the 60's because the smog was so thick. Windows had to be kept shut at times. The changes HAD to be made. Unfortunately, before EFI and ECU's this was only possible with very inefficient methods. Combine that with the corporate "screw the customer" mentality of the 70s, and you have the disaster that were the cars of that era. Not noted in the video was than in the 70s the big 3 all moved their design offices to Detroit. From that point the cars were no longer styled by NYC hipsters with educations and fine art degrees, but rather by someones' cousin Bob. And it shows.

[@person.X.]

We are in another malaise era now. Overblown cars with too small overstressed engines and full of tech gimmickry. They might not rust but they are so expensive to fix that they are junked when a significant component fails. The difference is that they are getting more and more expensive so value is falling through the floor.

[@brutallyremastered4255]

It’s fascinating that all moving media advertising of these things only highlights the interior gadgets.

[@ThatSpecificIndividual]

War in Ukraine creating a large shock of fuel prices in 2022 coupled by post covid inflation. A large public shift towards more efficient vehicles like hybrids and EVs. Also a new threat from heavily subsided Chinese EVs which undercut most cars.

[@John.Mini-Clubman]

In 1976 I ordered a Mercury Monach with the optional (biggest) engine available. The 351 W (V8). Though 'de-tuned' for the era w/ 'only' 150 hp, its performace figures were at least adequate.. However, later engines, such as I had in one of my cars (Chevy Vega converted), a `96 350 cu. in. LT-1 V8, developed over 300 hp!

[@ronaldotoole6986]

You could get a better 351w look up on google ford Granada 351w with police smog Exempt it put out 400hp

[@bighands69]

The industries focus on horsepower and safety really made cars sterile and more dangerous. The sense of speed is not there in modern cars they are very numb and give no feedback.

[@tommurphy4307]

stoplight or drag car? lots of power for a short wheelbase vega. i have a 3-liter nissan motor in my 510 stoplight car and it maxed out our shop's water dyno (about 300hp) using a modded holley model #2100 690cfm 2-barrel (annular venturis) i used a non-usa nissan V65 manifold and made a baby high-rise for it. stock truck exhaust manifolds. it turns heads and pisses people off- pure fun. right now i'm doing new venturis and a few changes so I can run E98 fuel.

[@wrob4435]

My memory of Grenada...every time I passed one stalled along the road, I would stop to help, because every time the problem was the same! I would grab the air cleaner and wiggle. Sure enough, carburetor was loose. Tighten the base nuts, fire right up!

[@vleldaddio210]

Yes !! Every mechanic especially the crooks at remember Montgomery Ward Auto Center !!! Mine had the same problem I happened to over hear the mgr tell mech to write up that engine needed fan belts , alternator and a carburator kit ⁉️ I said forget it fired it up went to our neighborhood DIY mech and he tightened the base bolts up after using a piece of hose to listen for air leaks low tech as you can get 👏🙌👍😵

[@PeBoVision]

My friend, you truly have become this platform's premiere automobile industry historian. Your videos are a joy to watch.

[@FrankBrocato]

Thanks for the nostalgia, I worked for Lincoln-Mercury in the 70's one dealer owned Honda and Lincoln-Mercury in the same facility. in 1977-78 we ended up doing New Car Prep in the Lincoln dealer service dept. because they were selling Hondas to fast to keep up and the HUGE Lincolns sat waiting for a buyer. Yes, the Monarch/Granada was an attempt to keep the line alive and was actually a decent car except for the lack of power. The 302 CU IN V-8 actually did better on fuel than the six cyl.

[@509reeves8]

I love my 77 Granada. It's my time Capsule from that era . Inline 6 300 makes 100hp with the Emissions delete. And a single downdraft carb. 9miles to the gallon in the city. 11 miles to the gallon at 55mph cruising. And the car tops out at 85mph. But things start shaking really bad over 65mph. 😁

[@jean-louislalonde6070]

You have my sympathy...

[@rickylafluer5504]

Ive been waiting for this! This should be good!

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Agreed

[@tomh.2405]

My family had a Mercury Monarch, which was the Granada's twin. It always seemed like a weird car to me, in that it was neither fish nor fowl: not compact or fuel-efficient enough to be an economy car, not roomy or practical enough to be a family car (especially since ours was a two-door), and certainly lacking the power, handling, or style to be anywhere near sporty. It just seemed like a vehicle that didn't fit any particular niche. (BTW, on another topic: At 9:21, I like how the "0-60" entry for the Toyota minivan simply reads, "Yes.")

[@tommurphy4307]

did your family buy it because ford said it looked like a mercedes-benz in the commercial or did you guys think it was a bunch of hooey?

[@tomh.2405]

@@tommurphy4307 Good question. I didn't even realize there was any reference to any alleged resemblance to a Mercedes. That...seems like a stretch.

[@frankbray9416]

In 1977-78 my Grade 8 school teacher Mrs. Cunningham owned a brand new '78 Ford Granada 2-dr with the "twililght' opera windows in the C-pillars as they were called then. Very sporty for a woman in her early '40s. My grade 7-8 French teacher Ms. Holden owned a '77 Plymouth Sapporo, very sporty for a woman in her '20s. I'm in Ontario Canada.

[@crazypickles8235]

Great job getting your video back up, Ed! I loved watching this one the first time round

[@cydrych]

I had a 1978 Granada with a 5.0L V8 and it was one of my favorite cars. It was comfortable, rode and handled great and was reliable. I also had the ‘78 Mercury Monarch with the 351ci V8 which was pretty much the same car the only noticeable difference was fuel economy. The bigger engine had slightly better mileage.

[@overboardwrekless3061]

Was so looking forward to this... A Big thanks for the video...

[@Gershwin48]

I lived through this and you hit the nail on the head. I was into cars since the 50’s and knew everything you mentioned as it happened in real time.

[@jonrichardson7848]

Yea and look at the beer can metal plastic junk of today so sad 😞

[@mikeweizer3149]

@@jonrichardson7848 Speaking of today's cars I call a Toyota Prius a poopieass cuz that's what they look like!!!!!!.

[@forlornhope1116]

These "ugly" cars still look way cooler than the same non changing rehashed garbage we've had since 2000 or so.

[@stephenippolito5668]

Lol!! Awesome show. Remind me of when I was a kid back in the '80s. I was 6 years old when my father bought a 5-speed manual Dodge Omni with all the packages bundled together. It was a nice small car that actually had some room in it. The acceleration and steering were horrible, but it got near 35 miles per gallon, both highway and street driving.

[@kylemccourt663]

Omg my buddy had an omni. Dodge ruined a perfect tried and true VW motor and made it utterly unreliable by removing the VW fuel injection system and replacing it with a 2 barrel carb. I had the same year VW as my buddy with the same year omni, both with the same "engine" but to marvel at the difference between the two seeing them side by side.... The VW was sophisticated and super reliable with its early EFI and then to look over and see the same engine bastardized with the carb that ALWAYS needed to be tinkered with was so laughable. My buddy eventually got so jealous of mine being so much more reliable and that much quicker, that he sold it to buy a real VW. We still talk about it and laugh 30 years later... And he STILL only drives VWs.

[@oi32df]

Dodge Omni , the perfect example that they never made a small car by themselves ,created by a foreign division but bastarded by the Americans

[@tonyhenthorn3966]

14:09 For GM to screw up diesel cars is just tragically sad. They already *had* a *fine* series of diesel engines: the Detroit two cycles. They powered everything from semis, to dozers, to watercraft back in the day. *Why* in Tarnation didn't they just scale one down for passenger car use? Detroits have a bad ass "rip roaring" sound that would have made GM cars more fun to drive.

[@audvidgeek]

The ironic thing is that in 1983, they *DID* employ Detroit to make a very reliable diesel engine they ended up putting in trucks (and eventually became the H1 humvee engine) That was the 6.2 liter light truck engine. It had a *LOT* of the same parts the 5.7 olds diesel had, like the identical Stanadyne Roosa injection system, but it had a completely redesigned block and head...if they STARTED with that engine, we would have been listening to a different story!

[@generalsquirrel9548]

I have no idea. Maybe the same thing just like the pinto. Its cheaper to convert engine to diesel then to size one down?!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@audvidgeek 6.2 was still mediocre as far as reliability, but better than the later 6.5 turbo those were junk I remember working on alot of them in the late 90s early 2000s

[@plestj]

The exception to the late 1970s malaise autos was the 1976-1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupe. They were the #1 selling cars in America at the time.

[@mbd501]

We had a ‘74 Olds station wagon and my grandparents had a Delta 88.

[@plymouth491]

Just because they sold well doesn't mean that they weren't junk. No one ever went broke underestimating the bad taste of the American public.

[@Jeff-bd5yo]

@@plymouth491 Junk in what way

[@Psych0technic]

My first thought when I watched the initial video was that no way he's not getting copyright strike for that music in the beginning. Surprised it took them so long.

[@FiftySixishTV]

What music was in the original? I can't remember

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

KZbin is quick to catch

[@Psych0technic]

@@FiftySixishTV some classic 70s rock and blues, he used it in every episode.

[@lisaheisey6168]

My dad had a 1975 Ford Granada. It lasted until 1997, when the transmission died, and he decided to replace the Granada with a Mustang. I loved that Granada.

[@forlornhope1116]

Terrible decision on his part. He could have picked up an FMX tranny for like $50 then.

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

Same story with my dad’s Granada. He bought it in the 70’s and drove it into the 90’s. He’d probably still be driving it if my mother hadn’t forced him to junk it.

[@michelefarroni93]

As an italian guy, I always found amusing how U.S. car manifacturers found impossible to make an engine smaller than a 4 liter, even in fuel crisis. They tried to make them less thirsty, at the point they didn’t move at all, while the rest of the world moved tons of steel with itty-bitty inline 4s

[@roberthenry9319]

Absolutely marvelous. This is an American history lesson that is a blast to follow along with.

[@guilhermeruon2879]

Instructive, yet hilarious!!!! I love these videos, keep up the great work

[@stuart8663]

I actually enjoyed the previous version of this! But its soooo good, I'll watch it again!

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Didn't see the prior one

[@njjeff201]

All 100% true! I was a Ford technician in 1970 … sales were so bad we started selling Subaru’s to keep the doors open. I sat in many a gas line freezing in the winter for hours for a few gallons. It was so bad I took gas from customers cars during tuneups to get a few quarts for my car. Emissions were causing engines to run lean & customers complained.

[@bighands69]

All the regulations on emissions and drag efficiency did was take away innovations from the auto industry so that they had to focus on things that politicians and activists wanted. It mean the natural engineering evolution that should have occurred was swapped for bureaucratic evolution. If technology was allowed to develop we may have got some really exotic designs such as 50 cylinder engines or something else. Who really knows because we will never find out.

[@racerj2.03]

God! Does This Series Hit Home! I got my driver's license in 1968 and my first car. It was a 1966 Mustang. Funny aside three years after the first Mustang was introduced the fact that it was essentially a Falcon meant that I could buy a $5k Mustang, the cost of a new one in 1965, at the Pontiac dealership for $1k. That's when I learned why! In 1969 I ordered a new GTO in February. Because of a Union Strike, I didn't get untill June. My father bought my mother a 1970 GTO convertible. Little did we know then that the very next model year 1971 marked the beginning of the end for American cars. I became so depressed that I joined the Army and left the Country. But that's a whole other story.

[@jakeblake231]

$5000 Mustang? The MSRP for a 1965 Mustang was $2372.

[@tommurphy4307]

my dad loved his falcons- he always said mustangs were designed so ford could use up all their left-over falcon parts.....RIP, dad.

[@Tracersport]

I really enjoyed this entertaining video, especially because it confirmed my long-held suspicion that the 6 cyl., '75 Granada that my dad bought new for my mom, was officially the slowest car of the "Malaise Era", with a reported 0-60 time of 23 sec. Personally, that seems optimistic to me, because that car couldn't outrun its own smoke. Merging onto a freeway was an act of sheer terror and a threat to public safety, since the line of drivers stacked following behind, practically had to lock up their brakes in order to avoid rear ending you. That was before ABS too, so good luck on a wet road. How Ford engineers managed to limit the output of that 4.1L, 6 cyl. engine to only 72 HP remains one of God's private mysteries.

[@snap_oversteer7483]

Maaan and here i was getting excited about a new episode

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Hahaha

[@SuperMorriso]

What's good is that you explain clearly and in a non boring way part of our recent history

[@richdelgado3405]

15:39 70s Chryslers: "The cars suffered from numerous quality problems..." 80s Chryslers: "The cars suffered from numerous quality problems..." 90s Chryslers: "The cars suffered from numerous quality problems..." 00s Chryslers: "The cars suffered from numerous quality problems..." 10s Chryslers: "The cars suffered from numerous quality problems..."

[@jean-louislalonde6070]

Rinse and repeat...

[@stopmakingsense9915]

With a couple of exceptions I have owned nothing but Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth’s since the late 70’s. Have always had good luck with them.

[@bennyshawny2129]

It was the era of the most beautiful and best cars built and driven in America. The darkest hour came when people were born to make videos like this.

[@NeuroDiv_Skunk8785]

Hot damn! At least one other person on KZbin with an opinion like mine! A lot of ugly-ass new cars (I won’t name them) look even uglier when parked next to my ‘74 Chrysler station wagon! My late wife and I shared the same opinion of “federal” bumpers: “That’s when the knew how to make a bumper!

[@pd8474]

Hey wait a minute I still have my Father's 1975 Ford Granada. Still runs great

[@billolsen4360]

Wow! Not many of them left. Keep it...may have antique value some day. Some people are restoring '73 LTDs and '79 TBirds.

[@pd8474]

My Father bought the 1975 Granada used at Bob Wondries Ford in Alhambra. He had originally purchased a 1975 Bobcat station which he hated. On Sunday evening in December we drove by the dealership I mentioned and by Friday the Granada was parked in our garage, just a base model with 177,000 miles on it

[@MrTheHillfolk]

@@billolsen4360 "some dude around the corner" has an Ltd 2 lol the one with the Roman numerals for 2. Black with red/orange lettering and the proper era wide slot mags all around. Some of those styling packages looked decent, all ya needed to do is swap in some real power.

[@billolsen4360]

@@MrTheHillfolk That's right, they had a mighty strong frame for their day

[@glennchartrand5411]

An issue that gets overlooked is iron ore. We burned through our supply of hematite and only had magnetite left. Producing steel with magnetite ore is roughly twice as expensive as hematite. The cheap abundant supply of steel that made the auto industry possible had run out. No matter what they did , the American auto industry was going to shrink dramatically and they knew it.

[@mattmccain8492]

Back about 16 years ago an old man told me and a coworker, at the shop we worked at, that our country had mined out and used up all the good iron ore long ago and that was why all the recent produced metal had problems. Said the ore quality wasn't good anymore.

[@powellmountainmike8853]

"Darkest Hour"? Forsooth ! TODAY is their darkest hour ! Their cars have just gotten more and more complex, more expensive to buy, maintain, and repair, and less and less reliable. And people wonder why I still drive my 1995 Ford Ranger with the 2.4L 4 cylinder engine, and the 5 speed manual transmission. Because it is all paid for, costs little to maintain, and beats the crap out of what they are making today.

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Solid points

[@josephmclennan1229]

I have a 61 Comet , 200 six , T5 5 speed , 26 hwy mileage , it only weighs 2250 pounds.

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

@ Powell Mountain Mike: Read you loud and clear, Mike. If someone would defy convention and make an affordable stripped down car again, they'd probably get rich selling 'em... Well, who am I kidding? The billionaire oligarchs don't even want ordinary people to be able to own gasoline-powered automobiles anymore!

[@BearBudgetgarage]

I love looking under the hood of an old car or truck and seeing such a neat open tidy space. Just the basics. I'm working on switching over to driving only old Cars for most of the year. The current admin. Is doing everything it can to crush my dream...

[@keithroberts9869]

I hear you man. While performance & handling of new cars is truly mind bending, you literally cannot work on them, at all. I had a Mini Cooper S Clubman a couple years ago, so much fun to drive but anytime it needed anything done (which was often) it cost a fortune. You had to pull the engine to change the thermostat. My daily is a 2005 Crown Victoria, rock solid, cheap to insure, hasn't let me down ever.

[@nonaeubinis4934]

My folks narrowly avoided buying a Grenada in 1976. Instead they went for the Buick Skylark. It was a great car. It was the first car I ever totaled. And we kept driving it for another few years. It had a V6 that you could hardly hold back!

[@hydraulics]

My favorite cars came in this era. Especially 73-77 gm A bodies . I got nuthin against luxury. As far as performance, a trip to the wreckers or local speed shop restored power levels to 1970 specs in a weekend. It was a non issue. 73 my faves as there were no catalytic converters. Were they heavier? The 73 cutlass was about 250pounds heavier than a 72... so put your gf on a diet , do a cam and heads swap, and you have a faster, safer, better handling, better stopping, more luxurious car.

[@RoninAvenger]

I've got a '77 LeSabre Sport Coupe.. rebuilt 350 with all the emissions gone, and already a light car stock with good performance handling/suspension and steering. Faster than a 60s muscle car with a 350, which is far heavier and has horrible handling.

[@eddiemclean7011]

Still racing a 75 S3. Best steering geometry came on those 70s rides.

[@forlornhope1116]

@@eddiemclean7011 Laguna lyfe

[@audvidgeek]

Jegs and Summit racing catalogs got their start selling easy performance upgrades for malise era cars!

[@fredanddebramacdonald2445]

We owned a 1976 Granada, and it was one of the better cars we’ve ever owned. Yes, slow but trouble free. And there was enough room for the family! Mileage was decent for a car that size too. Right now we own a 1977 Buick Electra that we bought in 1993 as a daily runner. It’s a hobby car now and won a Gold Senior award at the Buick Nationals. It only get s about 15 mpg, but we only drive it about 1,000 miles per year now.

[@ssgemeritus2115]

New subscriber. You had me at Malaise part 1. Great presentation with humor. 😎🇺🇸

[@sporty1701]

My Dad, a lifelong Ford guy, bought a 1977 Granada. It wasn't a bad looking car, but the assembly quality was terrible. The car was silver with a red interior. The doors and trunk lid were a half shade darker than the rest of the car. The gaps (door, hood and trunk) were very uneven...if you stood 15-20 feet behind the car, it was obvious the trunk lid was crooked. There was a squeak in the dashboard that would drive you crazy if were driving on anything less than a perfectly smooth road. After three years (about 41,000 miles), the entire exhaust system was so badly rusted the car would not pass state inspection. Shortly thereafter, Dad traded the Granada for a 1981 Plymouth Fury...it turned out to be even worse than the Granada.

[@d.g.n9392]

I had a 1981 mercury zephyr. 4 door, bucket seats, 4 speed stick on the floor. I enjoyed driving it. Wish I still had that car.

[@tommurphy4307]

did the seats swivel, too?

[@d.g.n9392]

@@tommurphy4307 No swivel seats, regular bucket seats, console

[@alexclement7221]

14:35: Head gaskets were the LEAST of the problems of the Olds diesel; the real problem was undersized and too-few head BOLTS. By about 30k miles, even well-maintained Olds diesels had stretched head bolts, requiring a full head job. Stock bolts were not up to the job. There were aftermarket, oversized head bolts available, but that required enlarging the threaded mounting holes on the block and reaming the pass-though holes on the heads. You would also need a special heavy-duty aftermarket head gasket, and even then, you'd need to replace all of them about every 30k....

[@curtislynch8189]

General Motors had been making diesel locomotives for 40 years when the v8 diesels appeared. Detroit Diesel engines powered about every bus, fire truck, and a good many big rigs at the time as well. It’s not like they didn’t have the experience. You’re talking about a company that kept the small block Chevy V8 and Buick V6 going for half a century. They’re not retooling for a diesel only a few schmucks are going to buy.

[@yosefvonhansom2921]

Diesels on locomotives and even bus/truck types of vehicles are quite different to passenger car diesel engine

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Rabbit diesel enters the chat

[@GeorgiaBoy1961]

I turned sixteen in 1977 and got my driver's license as soon as I could. "The Malaise Era" is right! It was a terrible time for new cars, especially for the American auto industry. About the only things that caught my eye were the Datsun 240-280Z cars, maybe a different model or two of European car - Triumph Spitfire, etc. - or old muscle cars from the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were high-end Porsches and Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, etc. but nothing a kid working a summer job could afford. The type of era it was is exemplified by cheapo economy cars with such shoddy materials and workmanship that their steering wheels sometimes fell off. Can't remember if that was the Ford Pinto or the Chevy Chevette, but they all stunk. They got you from point A to point B but that was about it. So glad the car makers raised their game from the 1990s forward.

[@dlee3710]

You are full of it.

[@Jack-um9wz]

Obviously, there is no substitute for cubical inches. The Granada is living proof

[@stevem.1853]

🤣

[@iskandartaib]

So why did the Datsun produce more power with fewer of them? 😁

[@krazykyfan]

I love that they named the Ford Grenada the worst of the worst. My grandmother had a four-door Granada and that thing single-handedly led to EPA regulations for emissions. It was also woefully underpowered for such a lead sled. There was about a five-second wait between stomping the accelerator and feeling any sort of acceleration, which even then was barely noticeable. Now, if you were looking for a roomy back seat for extra-curricular activities, you were in great shape..,.......if you were able to keep from slipping around too much on the vinyl. Ahhhhh what memories.

[@kevmorris3000]

My parents had a 1976 Ford Granada. I learned how to drive on it. I thought it was a great car for the time.

[@sarblade]

Yeah I totally agree that this is becoming a very good program right in front of our eyes! Like Ed said in his earlier videos, they started a bit amateurish, but now, heck its a TV show!

[@boggy7665]

6:40 - 1975 Granada with a 6 cyl engine. The 'Malaisiest!' I had the dishonor and displeasure of driving one of these for high-school Driver's Ed. Four kids and the instructor. God it was slooooow! 7:41 - Datsun engine was 4/10 the size, not 2/3! 8:34 - The people at CurbsideClassics call the formal grill typical of 70s Fords, "Iacocca Face".

[@57WillysCJ]

I had a 1976 Mercury Monarch, the same as the Granada. It was just 4 years old. It had the 302 with the 4 barrel carb. Rebuilt the engine. 22 mpg highway. I could smoke the tires and I had the speedometer pegged at 120 mph. That was not a bad result. The total cost was much less than repairs on any European model. It handled well enough as it used the same front end as the Mustang II. I had Japanese imports from the time period and when they worked, they were good. But take a Honda with a vacuum leak and you were in a world of hurt. That big old Cadillac engine with the low horsepower would cruise the freeway pulling a heavy camper with no problems even through the Rockies. The same with the 455. It wasn't just the auto manufacturer but the component makers as well that were problematic. It shows up even more in AMC. They sourced many things from other companies that were poor quality.

[@toyoscio]

Datsun used almost the same idea for their LD28, which was based off the 2.8 in the 280ZX

[@airplanes42]

My dad bought a 75 Granada with a V8 for $1,400 in the 80s and drove that car for 5 years. It's was actually very reliable, much more so than the Oldsmobiles my mother bought.

[@TheBabyDerp]

malaise era cars are the best for luxury imo. couch on wheels. peak comfort. got a 78 granada turning it into a hotrod.

[@shehateme9955]

Niice

[@arnedeneeff1183]

Excellent documentary I grew up in 50-60’s in Holland Small village The GP had a Chevrolet Impala VW and Renault for every one else Then DAF came Got my drivers license inn Datsun After my motorcycle episode got the first Honda Civic in early 70’s

[@BradLancaster86]

I feel like if GM would ever compete with BMW it would be with Buick. Just a trim shy of a CTSV with a slight amount of fucks given

[@mikeweizer3149]

@@curtbrockhaus6131 GM was going to compete with BMW at one time but they killed off Pontiac!.

[@audvidgeek]

Grand National?!?! :)

[@clovis-ti1yv]

I’ve owned 4 cars in my driving life. I gave Ford, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac a chance. I bought a gently used 06 Honda Civic in Mar. 2017. I live in the USA. My Honda was built in Canada. My Honda has been the most reliable.

[@crustycurmudgeon2182]

Ending ~8:35 "Lounge on wheels"... So true! I was in my 20s and was disgusted as I watched all the great cars of bygone years being gussied-up with plump interiors and "Landau" roofs. Friends and I had many spirited laugh sessions over this, while lamenting the pathetic new HP numbers. Japanese and European cars were vastly superior in every way-- so, we were also sad about that.

[@RexKarrs]

Really? Vastly superior? The Renault 5 (Le Car)? The Renault 9 (Alliance)? The Sterling? The rolling leaks that were Jaguars of the period? The rusty Lancia Betas? The TR7?

[@tombriggs5162]

GM actually had decades of diesel experience. They started doing diesel engine research in the 1930s at GM central research, and owned a number of diesel engine manufacturers for large applications. They also had Detroit Diesel which was one of the major diesel engine companies at the time. The problem with the Olds diesel was that they did it on the cheap, not that they didn’t know how to do it. A common GM thing in those days.

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

The K car was the manifestation of someone losing their will to live.

[@keithroberts9869]

K cars were probably the cars that people had in my family that impressed me the least back in the 80's.

[@raywhitehead730]

It sold very well.

[@johne6081]

By the end of the run, 1988 model year, the K cars were actually pretty good. Our 1988 Aries K wagon was one of the most practical cars we have ever owned. We drove it 13 years and gave it to needy relatives who got another 10 years out of it, until some clown who didn't know how to parallel park hooked the front bumper and ripped the front of the car off. The engine and transmission were still going strong at that point. Our 1989 Dodge Spirit, derived from the K-chassis, was great in every respect except acceleration, which was indeed "challenged." Like the Aries wagon, it was cheap to maintain, easy to DIY, solidly reliable, and not bad on fuel economy for that era. It also looked like a far more expensive car than it was. I drove it 14 years until an errant motorist forced my son onto a freeway shoulder, totaling the car, but sparing him of any serious injury. I miss everything about that car except the dangerously poor acceleration, something I would not accept in any late model car.

[@paveantelic7876]

@@raywhitehead730 literally everything cheap sells well

[@audvidgeek]

K-cars were good as economy cars...not so much as luxury and performance cars, as they ended up stretching the platform to become. They were also the platform for the first minivan, which, although it sold well, had dismal performance, and downright dangerous load carrying handling. The K-car was then tainted by problematic Mitsubishi engines which were notorious for valvetrain problems, blown head gaskets, and metal fatigue issues

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo. The Datsun 810 sedan was a 2.4 Six cylinder, similar to the 240Z sport model.

[@chrissahar2014]

The darkest hour of the automotive era is now --- the amount of cars in the world remains untenable and the push to plan communities without them is getting stronger and stronger.

[@babyfactory587]

I think we are so past that point it’s almost impossible unless you start over. What communities are you talking about that are pushing away from cars.

[@Wa3ypx]

My wife (then girlfriend) had a 76 Granada when she was first out of secretarial school. She loved that car! She still has an office job, but drove the Granada head-on into a tree (not on purpose). I swear, if she hit the lottery, she would find another Granada.

[@RichieSmylz]

Scene from Donnie Brasco 10:19 . “A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac!” ~ Nicky

[@billolsen4360]

At the time that might have been true, because you could fit more mobsters in the trunk of a Deville vs a Linc Continental. Then the Deville got downsized and Linc Town Car could fit one more Louie or two more Tonys back dere vs the Caddy.

[@MrSkiKnee]

My dad bought a new ‘77 Monarch after rolling our ‘76 Granada, swerving to miss a deer. The Granada was bad enough, the Monarch defined POS! In the first couple years of driving this heinous monstrosity we found that the front brakes would partially apply whenever the car received impacts with expansion ruts and potholes in the road surface. After impact, it drove as if a front tire had suddenly deflated completely, and we were driving on a bare rim. None of the tires were flat when we’d stop to inspect them, and we’d stand there scratching our heads. We’d then get back in to test drive and everything would be back to normal. Whenever I drove the thing after that, I’d try to avoid road conditions that would jolt the car, knowing the brakes would “set” like that again. A Ford dealer finally rebuilt the entire brake system and the issue was resolved. Continuing with the brakes. My dad’s business partner - who would occasionally borrow the car for business errands - had a habit of applying the parking brake whenever he left the thing parked. The second Michigan winter we had this pig of a car, the right rear tire locked up solid as dad was rolling along at about 40mph. The parking brake cabling had become so corroded after just two Michigan winters that one of the cables snapped and that single tire got locked up somehow. We had the entire parking brake system disabled when the brakes were finally done over. Dad’s partner could set the parking brake to his heart’s content, but it wasn’t doing a damn thing. Moving on to the transmission. This pathetic excuse for an automobile had a 302 V8 with a 3-speed column shift automatic transmission. If you put the transmission in park on the slightest fraction of a degree slope forward or back, the shift linkage would get wedged in by the vehicle’s weight and you could not pull the damn shift lever out of park!!! I was just a 19 year-old kid the first time this happened to me, and not knowing what the hell was going on I called a wrecker. When the guy arrived and assessed my situation, he simply leaned his weight against the front of the car and I could shift into reverse. He told me this was common with Ford products of the early to late 70s. Over the 8 or 9 years my dad clung to this thing, the shift linkage became so bent-up from this flaw that the gear indicator on the column pointed at D when it was actually in N. I discovered later that Ford’s manual three-on-the-tree from the same era had a similar flaw. The linkages got tangled somehow whenever parking on an incline and it would get stuck in whatever gear you had it in when parking. Getting back to the ’77 Mercury Monstrosity. In '82 or '83, at around 60k miles, the parents and I went on a road trip from MI to southern IL to visit my dad’s brother. When we got off the freeway at uncle’s town and came to a stop at the first intersection, the motor went completely to hell. Idling rough enough to shake the whole car, horrible valve clattering and backfiring and sounding as though it was getting ready to vomit engine parts all over the road. We limped it to my uncle’s place and called a mechanic. Dad wanted to save on towing charges and insisted on limping it the few blocks to the garage, but when he tried to start the engine again it turned one-half crank and seized up. Turns out an exhaust valve had broken off right at its keeper somewhere along the highway. It must have stayed up in the cylinder head and maybe even functioned somewhat with the help of engine compression as we cruised along the freeway, but as soon as we shut down at the uncle’s house the valve must have slipped out of its sleeve and dropped onto the piston. When the motor cranked again the valve wedged into the piston and wrecked that cylinder in the engine block. Another used 302 was installed in the car and dad continued to drive that beast into the late ‘80s. I have no idea why he so stubbornly clung to this horrible mess of a car, but it became his car alone and they bought a 1980 or ’81 Mercury Towncar(?) as a family vehicle. Don’t get me started on that one! Before all of this fun and frivolity with 70s era American cars, our family had a 1967 Ford Fairlane 2-door. 289 V8, manual three speed column shift. I learned to drive with that car and it seemed indestructible. We kept that car until '78 and I preferred driving the Fairlane over the Grenade or the Monstrosity.

[@charlesvan13]

The "improved" 77 Cadillac is obviously a Chevy with Cadillac badges. What makes engineers think they can get away with such laziness?

[@Kenny-re8ko]

not so much the engineers as the sociopaths in the board room...you know, the ones who negotiate their golden parachute before they do anything else. I worked with a guy who's father bought one. Fresh from the UK, walked into a GM dealership and got totally suckered. He said they kept an eye on him after that.

[@grandetaco4416]

I owned a 76 pinto in the mid 80s. Except to the rust it was not a bad car. My favorite was the 75 oldsmobile cutlass to this day. A friend of mine had the GM diesel station wagon. His favorite part about the car was that when he put the peddle to the meddle as he was already going about 45mph it would blow out a huge black cloud of smoke. It was quite fun to look out the rear view mirror and see that.

[@butlerproman]

"pedal", "metal". The words you used have entirely different meanings.

[@redram5150]

My dad worked at an Olds/Buick/Cadillac dealer during the late seventies and early 80s. The Diesels were a constant problem. Buyers of them and the 8-6-4 Caddies were charged a premium for the option, then raked over the coals on trade in for having chosen that option. Customers would come in begging for the cylinder deactivation system to be removed. This was during the time GM were beating the “Cadillac: standard of the world BS like a dead horse. He’d be checking over year old trade ins, go to yank off a bumper sticker and all the chrome beneath it came along for the ride Buicks carboned up so badly that GM created a part called Top Engine Cleaner. Brand new cars would have to return every 5-7k miles regularly for developing so much carbon in the cylinders they’d keep running after shutoff. The hot carbon would keep burning gas, and the carb would continue feeding until fuel line pressure subsided. They were literally dieseling. What dad did with this factory GM part was slowly pour it into the throat of the carb with the RPMs about 2k, doing so for about a minute. It’d fog the shop like mad. Then the remainder is suddenly dumped all at once, hydrolocking the engine. After sitting for twenty minutes, letting the engine pressure steam-clean itself, it was restarted, thusly blowing exhaust more akin to a steam locomotive for a good twenty minutes. Then it was clear and ran like a top, til next time One, he was playing hell with a warranty job on a Buick. The sunroof wouldn’t seal. He’d square it up on one side, the other would be off and vice versa. Obviously the roof wasn’t square. It was built poorly. They call in a factory rep to look it over, and after several hours was at his wits end. So he tells someone to get a jack and put it in the doorway, under the roof. He then says to jack the roof up some. After a few clicks he says do it again. Then again, and again. Mind you this man isn’t even looking, just ordering. He says jack the roof farther and that’s exactly what the shop gofer does. And dad is watching this thinking he might knows what’s happening here. And the guy keeps working the jack. Suddenly, there’s a sharp noise and everyone sees the roof on the Buick tweaked and screwed. “FUCK IT! PUT ANOTHER DAMN ROOF ON IT!!” the rep yelled, as he headed toward the exit

[@youdoofus]

watched all 4 episodes, clicked the back arrow so i could make sure i clicked like on all of em. Youre the man, and these videos are the shit! Copying and pasting on all 4 vids!!

[@McBeamer94]

@7:08 I guessed 60hp but it turns out that 72hp isn't that far from it, is it? 😜🤣

[@weilandiv8310]

In 1988, I bought my uncle's 76 Granada, fully loaded.... white with red carpet and white vinyl, cassette w auto reverse! And the a/c was so cold, I wore my Members Only jacket in July in Houston 🧥😎

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

You should do a video on the ethanol scam here in the US. I've done quite a few simple tests myself after using 50 gallons of old gas from a motorhome in one of my vehicles and it averaging four mpg more under the same conditions.

[@blackhawk7r221]

Ethanol serves three purposes. It acts as a knock inhibitor, it aids the catalyst in emissions, and it subsidizes agriculture.

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

@@blackhawk7r221 Wikipedia? Strange how my car gets better mileage ethanol free, doesn't knock and is corrosive to converters. Corn doesn't need subsidies as there are other crops that can be grown on that same land and is nothing more than a government scam. If they're so worried about climate change and fuel mileage we wouldn't be forced to use the garbage or pay twice as much for ten percent more gas.

[@blackhawk7r221]

@@tihspidtherekciltilc5469 I did not agree or disagree. I just gave the three reasons why it is used. Ethanol has far fewer BTU’s than gasoline, so milage will suffer. There are gas stations near you that sell ethanol free gasoline, and it is more expensive. Combusted ethanol is not corrosive to catalytic converters. Quite the opposite actually. Ever notice that cat converters aren’t blocking up with carbon like they did thirty years ago? Ethanol.

[@tommurphy4307]

@@blackhawk7r221 number 4- it dramatically lowers combustion temperatures and has some octane which likes high-compression motors- 11:1 or so.

[@williamclarke4510]

Some one who worked for a trucking company said that regular unleaded has a shelf life of 30 days.

[@trustyoldiron5416]

All Good points. The only thing I take slight issue with is at 13:52 When you mention experience. GM had plenty of experience in building diesel engines. They owned some of the world's largest diesel engine manufacturers, EMD and Detroit Diesel. I think the real reason the made these horrible gas come diesel engines is cost and laziness.

[@mattsommers4111]

9:33 an example of the tests gm runs to get all of their "JD Powah" awards

[@shehateme9955]

There name is mud in the streets nw

[@seanthoman2676]

I had a 76 Granada in 1981. Made some hotrod modifications to the 302 V8 with 3 Speed on the floor. Got 25 mph and at 55-60 mph, and it rode pretty good. Liked them.

[@tommurphy4307]

did you put one of those big coffee-can tips on the exhaust??

[@seanthoman2676]

Correction, 25 miles per gallon. No big coffee cans on exhaust.

[@seanthoman2676]

Moroso Air Filter kit improved intake air flow along with minor 1○ timing adjustment

[@Ektalon]

My personal darkest hour in the Malaise Era: ‘82 Buick Skylark.

[@BadBlonde-CarHistory]

Lol

[@davepessolano2886]

The Chevy Vega was the worst !

[@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts]

It's worth mentioning that some of the high-spec motors that had gross ratings actually had MORE horsepower than claimed. This was mostly done during the era of NASCAR, where there was incentive to make race engines for the street, in order to legally use them in NASCAR. That's why the Dodge Daytona was a thing.

[@johnmickens3175]

I turned my 1975 Granada into a Chevy killer, it was unreal how great this car worked. I started with a 302 until they all caught up then grew up to the killer 351 Windsor wow big block and small block killer. Sweet.

[@charlesmanges6637]

Got my first handy from a wild-haired aspiring artist in a green '75 Granada coupe with a black vinyl roof, vinyl seats, and a pushbutton AM/FM radio that I bought for $50 in 1983 as a 16-year old. No power, and the thing had a tendency to fishtail while braking in the rain. It stalled often, requiring me to jump out, remove the air filter cover, and jiggle the butterfly to get the carb working right, and eventually the roof just dissolved into shreds. My buddies and I bought a massive bucket of bondo, cut off the shards of vinyl, and applied the patch in swirls. I drove it another year, into my freshman year of college, calling it the StuccoMobile. Eventually, it was eating two quarts of oil per fill-up so I junked it and bought a 1977 Oldsmobile from an estate sale that mysteriously was powered by a Pontiac 400. I don't know who that old, dead guy was, but he liked to fly. 9mpg city, 14 highway--pushed it to the 120 mph peg once and still had plenty of throttle to use, but I was a coward.

[@bradlemmond]

The first Cadillac Seville was a badge-engineered Chevrolet Nova. But they put some effort into it. The Cimarron was just a lazy rebadge.

[@stevem.1853]

The Cimmaron was a tasteless joke that went over very badly...

[@jameseldogger7410]

It was much more than that ...the frame was stretched, the suspension fully reworked for a Cadillac quality ride, and the engine was exclusive with fuel injection! It was a rather well praised car in it's day, but the basic bones were essentially of Nova heritage.

[@billyz5088]

Way back when - our neighbor bought a brand new 1975 Chrysler New Yorker - he hit a big pot hole and the side view mirror just fell right off the car. It was that moment at 12 years old that I knew American made cars were in BIG trouble.

[@tommurphy4307]

i don't recall that option- should have gotten the new cordoba (rolling the 'r' just like ricardo montalban)- the new, smaller chrysler with the fine, corinthian leather interior. oooh, yeah!