In the first installment we took a look at the sights that the swap meet parking lot had to offer. This time around we will concentrate on the vehicles and other treasures found inside.
There is always a bustling car corral that offers potentially tempting deals on classic motors. This 1951 Nash Statesman was for sale for a very reasonable $6500.
This Statesman was powered by a 184cid flat head straight six cylinder.
Interior looked to be in very nice shape.
It might have four doors but looked to me like a very usable classic for cheap.
Next to the Nash was this Canadian market 1966 Meteor Montcalm two door. These used Ford Galaxie bodies with Mercury trim.
The Montcalm was the top of line model with Rideau and Rideau 500 below it.
This 1980 Triumph TR7 appeared to be in very nice shape with traditional British green paint.
The interior featured upgraded seating materials and aftermarket steering wheel. Normally I do not care for aftermarket steering wheels but the stock TR7/TR8 unit is not a thing of beauty.
My apologies for the blurry photo but underneath the hood was a fuel injected GM 3.8L V6 that replaced the stock and troublesome 2.0L Triumph unit. The engine was hooked to a five speed manual transmission and would not doubt result in very spirited performance.
Larger than stock aftermarket Minilite style wheels were also a visual and functional upgrade. Although this TR7 was very nice the asking price was a bit rich for my blood at $9,500.
A pair of classic, right hand drive Minis were offered as well. These both appeared to be Japan Domestic market imports. The darker one, stated to be a 1989 model, had been tastefully back dated.
The North American sized rear plate does not fit all that well. While it sports a MkI look this Mini has a fuel injected engine but sadly an automatic gearbox as well.
This 1993 Mini had a 1275cc fuel injected engine and was offer for $8000.
1937 Plymouth slant back two door with plenty of patina.
A slant back with a Slant Six engine, this 225 cid example dating from 1975. The engine was backed by a 727 automatic transmission.
The interior features both old and new elements with modern seats but the original steering wheel.
Here is a real rarity, a Canadian market 1959 Monarch II Lucerne. Monarch was an upscale car sold at Ford dealerships in Canada to be comparable with Mercury. Sold from 1946 to 1957 until the Monarch name was dropped in favor of Edsel. The marque was revived for 1959 as Monarch II with a Mercury body and a unique and unusual grill. For 1960 the II was left off and again because just Monarch but was again dropped for the final time after the 1961 run.
Here is a better shot of the same car highlighting the grill design.
I believe this a MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) V8. Not sure on displacement as it is hard to find information on Canadian variations but the 430cid engine was available.
The interior looks like a nice place to spend some time.
The rear shows off a few more of the Canadian specific details. This is a rare car as only 4,979 Monarch II of any variation were made for 1959.
This 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V appeared to be in great condition as well.
This 1967 Mercury Comet is a rare sight around here. This one wore Ford Ranger/Explorer rims and sold before I got there.
A row of motorbikes and a scooter.
Not all the vehicles were complete and ready to drive away. This Ford shell probably has a future as a hot rod.
Of course a swap meet is not all complete vehicles. Lots of parts and antiques for sale such as this pair of old taxi meters.
A pile of mostly fuel pumps as well as a Zenith carburetor.
Many books were on offer as well.
Here are some air-cooled Volkswagen “smoothie” rims with what looks like some old winter tires mounted.
There are always a few of these poster style ads which are usually but not always field projects. The 1933 Chrysler Imperial three window coupe in the center of this ad is certainly a rare and desirable classic.
I have wanted to build a Ford Model T style speedster for a number of years but buying all the parts at the swap meet would make the final price tag breathtakingly large.
I will leave you with a 1938 Ford truck grill and some sort of vintage steering wheel with column. While there were a few items like a classic spot light or date coded license plates that tempted me for the Pontiac I left the swap meet with only photos and memories this year. Likely for the best as I have enough automotive related trinkets already.
I love the old Plymouth with the slant 6 installed.
I know many will decry the loss of the original engine transmission but I’m sure that the slant 6 makes it very pleasant to drive and doesn’t break the bank on either the cost of the upgrade or the current operating costs.
I cringe every time I see an antique car with a modern powertrain stuffed into it. And the owner thinks he getting the experience of driving an antique car?
I learned to drive on a 49 Plymouth and owned a 69 Valiant. To drive? The 49 was very much like an old truck: you sat up high, it accelerated like it was nearly always about to run out of power, and the steering (especially when parking) was a biceps building experience. Oh, and the brakes were somewhat feeble.
The 20 year newer Valiant? You sat a bit lower (in the seats, not on them), acceleration wasn’t all that great with the automatic (never tried a Valiant with a manual transmission), and the power steering was way too light feeling for my taste. Oh, and the 4 wheel drum brakes were kind of feeble.
My point? Putting a slant 6 in that older Plymouth meant it sounded different when you turned the key (no other car makes a sound like the “Highland Hummingbird”, even though movies and TV would have us believe otherwise) and when you turned the key the car would start….and run, not necessarily a given with the original engine.
You haven’t tampered with the steering OR the brakes, so in most ways it drives the same. Not 100% on board with the change to the automatic transmission and the newer front seats, tho.
You never know how this car came into being. It could have been a engineless shell in a barn that the owner resurrected.
As for the vintage driving experience , I have driven a car that had that the same engine that that old Plymouth would have had in it. I also drove a few slant 6 powered cars. Other then the the different sound of the engine (start up sound etc) and a little more off the line grunt, there really was not that much of a difference in the driving experience. In fact under heavy acceleration, the engines felt like a overworked tractor at harvest time
As for that other engine transplanted car, the Triumph TR7. Trust me, it was a hell of an improvement then the original. This Triumph will start up everyday. A triumph with an original engine you never knew
At least it hasn’t been turned into a “Rat Rod”.
Yet..
Lots of cool wheels!
Dang, those VW hubcaps are in better shape than mine!
And snowtires, can you imagine? I’d love to go dashing through the snow in my VW, but I think it would explode into little brown flakes in the presence of salty slush…
I would have been sorely tempted to snap those up had I been there. I have a set of vintage, barely-used bias-ply tires that came off the ’63 you’re more than welcome to, Doug!
I’ve got to say, a TR-7 with a 3.8 Buick V-6 makes a lot of sense-
The Rover V-8 in the TR-8 shared it’s bell housing with the Buick and may have used the same engine mounts, so the swap would require very little custom fabrication. Compared to its aluminum cousin, the V-6 takes up less space in the engine bay, adds another 300 cc’s of displacement, and only weighs 60 or 70 pounds more.
Additional benefits include bulletproof reliability, exceptional fuel economy, and double the horsepower of the original 4 cylinder- Sign me up!
A very appealing package. While you would not get the TR8s power steering and brake upgrades the newer V6 is likely a little faster.
“you would not get the TR8s power steering and brake upgrades”
I’m sure these pieces could be added as well, but I’d argue that using manual steering and smaller brakes helps to maintain the English sports car driving experience.
I was thinking it is possibly a suitable successor to the earlier tractor-engined TR’s too. Yes I know that is unkind on several levels, but I hope you know what I mean.
The Nash is the one to have if you want to turn heads, but I’d also be tempted by the 1959 Monarch or the Comet hardtop.
Man, that Nash is singing a siren song to me!
When I saw the lead photo, I very briefly thought, “What is the Silver Streak doing there?”
That steering wheel in the last photo does look suspiciously like it goes with a Model T.
A Model T was my guess on the steering wheel too.
You would look good in your fedora driving that Nash.
I always think the carb sitting directly on top of the cylinder head looks so weird on those flathead sixes.
That Nash was so modern, curved 1 piece windshield, unit body construction, optional Weather-eye, yet so quickly obsolete as well. The “bathtub” styling did not age well, and flathead engines (except for the Mopar six) were on the way out.
Whoever thought a little Studebaker Champion with its little 169 cid flathead 6 underpowered – well the Nash Statesman looks a lot bigger and heavier and has an engine barely any larger. But it is a mighty appealing looking car.
The American basic 59 Mercury used a 383 cid version of the MEL V8. I think the 430 only showed up in the high end models.. The only smaller displacement for that engine I am aware of was a 361 cid version that was in the Edsel. Which of those was used for this Canadian version is a good question, but that is definitely an MEL engine in there.
I remember riding in a 1949 Nash Statesman once. You could tell from the gear sounds when it was in first or second gear, but sensations of acceleration were faint indeed.
The 361 Edsel engine was a .050 bored out 352 FE, not a MEL engine. The MEL (I think) only had 430 and later 462 displacements.
You’re right about the 361, but there was also a 383 MEL V8, the smallest of the family, and there was also a 410 too, used only in the 1958 Edsel Corsair.
66 Meteor Montcalm for me. As is, please.
That Nash is sweet! Good thing I haven’t got anywhere to put it or I might get ideas.
The street shot of the Monarch II is very interesting. Its blank hood and unusual (to me) grille makes it look like a mildly customized Mercury.
There may have been another reason for the engine swap in the Plymouth. My cousin owned an old Plymouth sedan with a much newer Plymouth drivetrain. When he asked why he was told the original owner loved the car but was having trouble parking it due to age issues. Rather than buy a new car they had the garage install the new drive line so the car could have power steering.
The motor is a 1975. Maybe it was updated around that time for ease of operation.. transmission maybe since it was converted to automatic?
Alberta uses no salt so I could see someone still using it at that point as a beloved daily driver.
Just a thought!
Alberta slams the salt down every year for 4 months.
The 37 Plymouth with a 75 slanted six makes all the sense in the world if you want to daily drive trouble free . It’s not heavy, and almost indestructible. ( summer in this 37 ) Any with a few updates they make incredible power and milage, all in drivable low RPMs. Heavy cars may not set 1/4 mile exceleration records, but they will get up there . Loads of grunt. Most guys shov a Chevy smal block in them old Mopar cars. Does that make any sense at all ?
The automatic, for me would have bin left for a 3 or 4 spd. But ease of diving it works. Added front disk brake are a safety factor.
I like it. Well done to this point….. Some rubbing and paint possibly some day.
Oh yeah ! That Montcalm is sweet . I’m really wanting a “patina” Canadian Pontiac (Cheyiac)..However that 66 Meteor brings back a whole lot of memories. Here in central Canada we just can’t grow “real” patina.
I may just take a little cruise out west this summer ??
We see Canadian Pontiacs and such in western Washington now and then. Last year there was a Craigslist ad for a 1957 2-door hardtop – nice-looking black car with a white top – that had a 6-cylinder engine and manual transmission.
Minis RHD, wing mirrors and injected, must be Japanese. Here in NZ you could pick up a manual engine/box which would make the Mk 1 “tribute” a very nice car. Like the colour scheme on it as well.