1972 Dodge Coronet Custom! Rare Slant Six Stick Shift! Obsolete Automotive Reviews Walkthrough Drive 

110% agree! New cars are bland, computerized, and plastic. No one can say that older cars didn't have style. Bench seats were so much better for so many reasons, yet today, even trucks, come with lame buckets.

@gregorylyon1004 It just dawned on me the other day that today's new cars are likely to be very costly to run in 10-15 years time. They'll be no such thing as a cheap old used car.

Totally agree with you and you could usually fix them yourself. Plus the replacement parts would have still been made in the US.

Any car made today is infinitely better that this is. If someone sold you something this poor in quality, reliability, driveability and economy today, you would sue them. Looks is an entirely different matter though...

Yea no kidding now there all computer

Hawaii 5-0. Lol

@@gregorylyon10045-0 used Fords exclusively.

He repeats himself quite a bit, but he seems like a nice person!

Except the detectives would have had the 440 engine and an automatic transmission

The music goes good with it too!

And stealing it, too.

Those three-on-the-tree shifters were very common in the 1930s, thru the 1950s...many of those shifters seemed a little bit clunky, but they worked very well. Some folks would modify that situation, and move the shifter to the floor! That slant six is legendary for it's durability...many people would get well over 200 thousand miles before having to overhaul the engine. That was considered amazing, back in the day. Simpler times, simpler vehicles!

Although someone who actually knows would *never* call a column shifter a stick.

Even more so if you dont have synchro on first and have to double clutch to find first when rolling

About borrowing, I would just simply use the word "no".

I’d love to find a station wagon version!

​@ObsoleteAutomotive there's one near me but so far the dude isn't willing to sell it yet. 71 Coronet 9 pass 383 white with wood sides. Last licensed in 1982. Very Cool piece....

@@patrickwayne3701 Woodgrain 9 passenger is what in really wanting!

@@ObsoleteAutomotive How much did you pick it up for?

Growing up my parents had a 74 Coronet wagon beige with the woody sides. They weren’t exactly popular in their day but super rare and hard to find one now.

I like these sedans. They were popular with police and taxi fleets

After 1972....the increasing emission requirements seriously impacted the drivability of American cars. I owned a 1972 Buick Electra, with the huge 455 V8...In 1970, it had been rated at 375hp...two years later, just over 300. And the mpg was tragic...around 11mpg in general!

It’s got a sporty look to it in an economic manner. 😄

I always loved the looped bumper models best!

​@@curbozerboomer1773Horsepower and torque figures were net, not gross, rated from 1972.

I call these the "bait cars" but yeah, same thing. I bought a Subaru bait car once (the base manual that's just there so they can put a low price in the ad).

Yep, it’s just like Bottle Rocket!

Kojaks kop car

@@user-ht1xu4gv2u ; I thought Kojak had a bare bones 73' Potiac Lemans, or something like that. I'm likely to be off by a little bit as it's been decades since I've seen the TV show, even in repeats. On the other hand, he may have been assigned more than one cop car over the length of the show.

the straight 6 from BMW, with 2.5 liter and just 2 valves per cylinder makes 168hp, the slant 6 100…..

Easy.... he said smooth, not powerful. And actually,,, I think my 82 slant six is noticeably smoother than my buddies 90 M3 convertible.

Leaning tower of power. One of Chryslers' best.

@@PatricioGarcia1973 Watch the Power Nation build on a slant 6. That is basically adding compression and cam to compete with BMW with modern fuel injection and cam profile for 220 horse.

​@@PatricioGarcia1973Was this BMW sedans in the 70s?

In other words, dramatically worse than discs.

@ErikDB6 didn't say they were better, said they worked well enough to get the job done at the time. Of course, power disc brakes are superior. Not a question. Everybody knows that.

I'm amazed because it's such an undesirable model and that someone kept it and cared for it all these years.

@wb6162 different strokes for different folks, I guess. Who knows?

@@christownsend7602 No doubt!

This car, having stated been from WI and MN is a real unicorn. Tinworm got the vast majority of cars from that region. Must have been owned by a particular old guy who took it off the road every October.

Spoken with authority 👍

I did like the Driver games haha. I’ve driven some of the old Ford straight six trucks and cars. Great engines! Thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed the video. Today at noon (EST) the video of my first truck will be released.

Awesome!

How it goes sometimes… Thanks for following. Have plans for plenty more content on these old rides.

Gotta love these 70s cars! Thanks for the comment!

I’m glad it did. Thanks for watching and thanks for the kind words!

Had a similar '73 model 225 shift-it-yourself, disc power brakes, no power steering, after-market A/C. Mine was "dark yellow green metallic" paint code JF8 and on a good day gas mileage might break the 10mpg mark. Plenty of room, not a bad ride, but Spielberg could have made seven more movies about the electrical and suspension alignment gremlins. And the starting procedure: flood the living elkhound-crap out of it and then follow the flooded carb procedure was the easiest and most reliable.

Adding a muffler is on the to do list for sure!

@@5610winston I think something was wrong with your carburetor 🤔 Squeezing 15mpg out of the thing isn’t unreasonable, and a Slant usually starts with ease

My brother bought a 1971 Satellite Plain Jane, 318,auto,and PS and AM radio. I got to drive it , loved the power steering!

@@5610winston Guarantee your vacuum advance is dead. That's guaranteed to kill fuel economy. Wouldn't be surprised to find the centrifugal advance is stuck as well. Send your distributor out for a rebuild and your fuel economy will increase big time. Your carb is due for a rebuild as well. Your car should be getting in the high teens mpg with no problem.

I believe it!

@@ObsoleteAutomotive yeah think of it kojack had a 74. 4 door Buick century. Yours were more mannix or MI. AND DUKES CARS. DETECTIVES. ONES

I tried to emulate a 1970s police flick. Haha

Columb shift is OK, but you can't hurry the shifts like you can a floor shift.

which is important when you are driving a mid sized, six cylinder Dodge @@jeromebreeding3302

@tomb7382. The starters on that era of Chryslers announced that you put the key in the ignition. “ key key key key key”

The starters are unmistakable!

Driver is a great one

I’ve had many Darts, Valiants, Aspens and Volares with the slant six. They are great cars.

When I was a kid my mom drove a 1953 Plymouth Belvedere. It had 3 on the tree. I must have made her angry chirping/lipping off from the backseat because after she parked the car, the gear lever was wrapped partly around the steering column towards the driver's door. Dad had to weld up a new shift lever... sorry mom...

Tried to up the production value at least at the beginning. And Sure Grip was MoPar’s “positraction” essentially. Thanks for subscribing.

Glad you enjoyed it

Thanks!

Thanks! Glad you liked the video.

Seemed kinda funny that the standard ratio and optional ratio was so close. It doesn’t differentiate a different rear type Though a sure grip 3.23 ratio is offered as well. They’re so close that I don’t see much benefit of choosing one over the other unless you wanted the sure grip rear.

@@ObsoleteAutomotive Right, the factory literature never explained that by choosing an alternative (but a nearly identical axle ratio) you were actually upgrading to a different axle. Both axles had different number of pinion and ring gear teeth, so the available ratios were close but never matched.

The Sure Grip (locking differential) was always worth the upgrade. If only Detroit had equipped all cars with locking differentials and rear stabilizing bars as well as better shocks and transmission coolers all as standard equipment they would probably have done a lot better at retaining their market share when it was shrinking

My first cross country trip was in a 1964 Valiant 2dr sedan. 225 Slant 6 with 3 speed on the column. Bought it sight unseen in CA. Flew out. Got it roadworthy in a junkyard and then drove it 5000 miles the long way back home to NC. Lost the ability to use the clutch pedal near the beginning of the trip and had to drive most of the way without it!

Gotta love rowing gears!

@jyeager2881. I loved the firing order on the 383 engine. It was supposed to simplify things but confused mechanics everywhere. Usually MOPAR engines used the same firing order as Chevys. If the mechanics weren’t careful the engine they were servicing during tuneups didn’t fire up so they’d try Ford’s firing order. The actual firing order that MOPAR tried out on the 383?was 12345678. If they were sharp they’d go straight to the Miller Repair Manual

@@LlyleHunter ^^ LOLOLOL …

Hope you will enjoy future content!

Always loved the chase scenes from old movies featuring these cars.

I discovered that the microphone only recorded in mono. I’ll try to rectify that in future videos. Sorry about that!

I hate touchscreens. I like being able to use controls without looking. It is going backwards and less safe in my opinion.

Agree it's a cost saving measure being marketed as a cool feature to the modern IPhone generation. I love my VF Holden commodore made in Australia you still have intuitive knows for climate control. Then infotainment features can be done with know, touchscreen or voice command. Shame about the demise of car manufacturing in Australia as we had some great cars just like the Americans

plus fine out what is causing the headliner bulge

You were very smart to have buckled up back then. Most people that buckled up back then usually just wore the lap belt.

@@bradparris99 We lost that car in 1986 when someone in opposing traffic turned left in the rain, and I T-boned him. I was the only one in the family who did more than lap belts. The ironic rest of the story is that I now belong to a 1970 Fury III convertible (i.e., no shoulder belts).

@@OnkelPHMagee As a 16 year old in the mid 70s I had my grandfather's 1970 Buick Electra to drive. After about a week of driving and sliding on that big bench seat and seeing "Fasten Seat Belts" printed above the steering column I buckled up the lap and separate shoulder belts, mainly out of curiosity. Aside from the obvious safety aspect of wearing both belts, I was amazed at how much better the car seemed to drive and handle while being securely strapped in the driver's seat. I was soon in the habit of automatically buckling up every time I drove. I was probably the first one to use the lap belt and I am sure I was the first one to use the shoulder belt. My grandfather thought seat belts were a nuisance and crammed the belts into the crevasse between the seats. Then one night in 1982 I was coming home from college when a drunk driver crossed the center line and hit me head on. Because of the size and quality of the Electra along with the fact that I was wearing both the lap and shoulder belts, I walked away with only minor cuts, scrapes and bruises from the belts. With just a lap belt, my face and chest. would have definitely slammed into the steering wheel and my injuries would have been severe if not fatal. Oddly, the drunk driver was wearing a 3 point seat belt but had the shoulder belt under his left arm- a 3 point lap belt- and had massive head and chest injuries. Yes, those old style belts were a bit awkward to adjust and buckle, and definitely confining to wear, but after being in a head on collision, were well worth the effort and hassle.

@@bradparris99 When I was in the wreck in 1986, the guy at fault was unbelted in a 1976 Century sedan. He left in a stretcher. I was walking (but heartbroken). The 1970 Electra convertible is my all-time favorite GM product; a neighbor had one when I was young. We borrowed it a couple of times around 1980. The front passenger's lap belt didn't work, so I vividly remember sliding on the vinyl. The only grandparents whom I knew were my mother's and father's father. They shared your grandfather's attitude on ANY seat belts. (I still have dreams involving Mrs. E.'s Electra every few months; that car did get to me. 🤩 )

The 1970 Electras were awesome cars. Be safe and enjoy your convertible.

The oddballs are always a favorite of mine. Definitely will be getting a muffler on this thing! A bit too obnoxious for me.

Thanks for watching!

More like….”Shift!”

Richard Roundtree

A relic of the past. It’s been closed for a while now.

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it.

Seems many folks getting up in arms about the “stick shift” term. Maybe it’s regional. Where I’m from a stick shift is any manual trans car. Both use a “stick” to shift with and have the same H pattern. It’s slang. On the column was also referred to as “3 on the tree” as well. I’ve also heard people say “3 speed column on the stick” so people say a lot of different things it seems.

Thanks for the reply. As I said "back then" when I had my used 61 Ford Falcon in college it was a standard shift car. When "four on the floors" came along, they were called stick shift cars, because of the stick sticking through the floor. I think that trend began with the GTO/other muscle cars and maybe earlier MGs. By the way, I have seen articles about Mopar wagons with four speed stick shifts (on the floor). Quite the rare cars. Three speed column manual wagons were more common. @@ObsoleteAutomotive

The torque flite was the best choice...very durable, just like that slant six.

My 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II was a slant six with torque flite. A great car to begin my driving career.@@curbozerboomer1773

Chrysler stopped painting the steelies body color sometime during the 1971 model year.👨‍🔧

The dogdish hubcaps were standard on this vehicle. As far as I know they are original.

True for the engine...but the shift linkage on those cars would break/wear out by 100 thousand miles or so. The slant 6, if maintained, could last at least 200 thousand miles.

Yay, another Coronet owner! I have a '71, also 318/auto. Looking at your driving video they might even be the same color, mine is F3 Medium Green with a green interior but originally a black top.

Very cool. I have an unrestored low mileage 74 Charger. 318 2bbl, similarly equipped to your Coronet. I did dual exhaust and added 15 Mopar police rims. It's on my channel, too. 😎

That was my observation too. "Speed shifting" is a no no

@@loumontcalm3500 Yeah...I was cringing when he was shifting that poor old car!. The linkage on those MOPAR three speeds were rather weak anyway!

Unbeatable!

Thanks!

I actually prefer column shift manuals to floor shift. It’s just more comfortable to me and you don’t have to grab peoples legs if you got a full car load!

Cheapest of the cheap! That’s usually what got loaned/leased. Glad you enjoyed the video!

Glad you liked it! Thanks!