Good morning! Well, here it is: the least important decision you will make today. Or maybe it’s the most important? We take project cars pretty seriously around here, as you may have noticed. Either way, you’ll only be out a grand in imaginary internet money.
Yesterday, we looked at two stalwart old GM battle wagons, each $1,800, and I wasn’t sure if the Bonneville’s needed repairs were going to keep it from taking the win. I guess not. That poor Lumina absolutely got its ass handed to it.
I’d be fine with either one, though I agree the Pontiac is definitely “more” car. For purely transportation purposes, I’d probably take the Lumina, just because it’s ready to roll, and it should use less gas. But for a project, or as a potential future classic, that supercharged Bonneville has a lot more going for it.
All right. We don’t do politics here, but there’s no point in ignoring the fact that it’s a stressful day here in the US. Whichever side you’re on, it’s a big decision, and there’s a lot on the line. But it’s at these times when a good hobby can really be your friend, and my hobby (and lots of yours as well) is cars. So we’ll just spend the day debating the merits of a couple of old rusty fixer-uppers, and let the chips fall where they may on everything else. Sound good? Here they are.
1956 Simca Aronde Type 90A – $1,000
Engine/drivetrain: 1.3-liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD
Location: Gardena, CA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Engine runs, but not drivable
By far my favorite part of this whole gig is having a reason to research cars I don’t know much about. I had always known French automaker Simca as part of Chrysler Europe, along with the Rootes Group in Britain, but I didn’t know much about the company’s history before then. Turns out, Simca was started by Fiat way back in the 1930s, and in 1956 when this Aronde was built, was partially owned by Ford. Chrysler didn’t come into the picture until 1958, when it bought Ford’s share in Simca, and eventually took over the rest of the company. This Aronde was one of 1.4 million of them built over the course of more than a decade.
This second-generation Aronde is powered by a 1290 cc four-cylinder, nicknamed the “Flash.” The seller claims it runs, but they also say they planned to turn this car into a drag racer, which means the Flash would probably have gotten yanked out in favor of something more powerful: Despite the engine’s speedy name, this car takes more than twenty seconds to reach 60 MPH in stock form. It’s not drivable, obviously; it has been off the road for years, but if it really will run, that’s a step in the right direction.
Inside, it’s trashed, but were you really expecting anything else? Obviously, you won’t find restoration parts for it, but you could find seats to fit without too much trouble, and a good upholstery shop could take care of the door cards and headliner. Or, do it yourself; it’s not like this is some priceless rare collectible. It’s just an old French car. Get creative.
It has some surface rust outside, but the seller says it’s solid underneath, and all the glass and light lenses are intact. Keep the patina, or use it as a chance to try your hand at some bodywork. It’s cheap enough to play with a bit.
1963 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside – $1,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter overhead valve flat 6, two-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Tarzana, CA
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Engine turns over but doesn’t run
Chevy went all-in on the Corvair. It wasn’t just one car, it was a full line – sedan, coupe, convertible, wagon, van, and pickup, all based on the same basic architecture, all with an air-cooled flat-six in the back. Because of that rear-mounted engine, the pickup couldn’t have a traditional flat bed; instead it had a couple of levels of floor to the bed. The section over the engine was higher, and the center – with no driveshaft tunnel to get in the way – was flat and at frame level. Chevy took advantage of this, and put a side-mounted ramp on the driver’s side. Bell Telephone used them to haul drums of phone cable, but I bet a lot of beer delivery services used them for kegs as well.
Under the high part of the bed floor is a standard-issue Corvair flat-four, driving the rear wheels through a Powerglide two-speed automatic. It does not run, but the seller says it turns over; whether that means by hand or via the starter they don’t say. Either way, it’s not seized, and Corvairs have enough support that it shouldn’t be terrible to get it running and driving again.
Interior parts might be a little harder to come by, but again, it’s a cheap old mass-produced vehicle; there’s no reason to do a full-on restoration. Just clean it up, get a nice wool blanket to throw over the seat, and enjoy.
The rust on the outside might be more of a problem, but there are some photos of the underside in the ad, and they don’t look bad at all. So again, you could just leave it. Also, I don’t know about any of you, but I want to go look at this truck just to poke around this guy’s yard; he has some other really interesting cars sitting around, including a couple more Corvairs, a Studebaker Hawk, a Chevette, a 1970s Honda Accord, and more.
That’s the best part, anyway: checking out the cool cars. It doesn’t even matter what they are; if someone loves them, and has a good story about them, then that’s all that matters. Matt talked about it a while back, but it bears repeating: If you’re into cars, you’re my friend, and I want to talk cars with you. My wife and I had a housewarming party a couple of weeks ago, and I spent quite a bit of time in the garage, showing off my MG, and talking with one neighbor about his modified Audi S5, and another about his ’62 Corvette. I have no idea who either of them are voting for, but it didn’t matter. It was about the Audi, and the Corvette, and the MG, and the stories told about them. It’s a connection, and a powerful one.
So with that in mind, imagine you were going to tow one of these home, and talk to your neighbor about it, over a beer or two in the garage. Which one do you want to talk about?
(Image credits: sellers)
The Simca will look great stripped, repainted and with minilites.