Lest You Forget:

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve) 02/20/2014 at 22:18 • Filed to: malaise

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The 70s were an absolutely dismal time for American car manufacturers. Seriously, they were, with few exceptions, fucking terrible from about 1973-84.

It's called the malaise era specifically because of a Jimmy Carter speech from 1979 during the second energy crisis of the 70s.

Because of the hubris of American carmakers, the increasingly stringent emissions controls led to such travesties as the Chrysler LeBaron with the "Lean-Burn" 318(5.2L V8) that made less power than a contemporary Datsun 810 with a 2.4 inline six. These cars cost about the same.

Seriously - this car had a 5.2 liter V8 that made all of 120 hp, was generally on the bad side of 17 mpg, and was built on the same frame and platform as a 66 Dart.

Meanwhile, this slightly smaller but still roomy Datsun was within $250 of the price, was faster (due to weighing 600 lbs less and having a 5 hp advantage over the LeBaron,) and more reliable, and used only about 2/3 the fuel that the Chrysler did.

The 70s weren't all a wash, though. GM F-bodies of the time were some of the best-handling cars on the road - specifically the 77-81 Firebirds with the WS6 package. The Cadillac Seville from 1977 was their first foray into a new, younger market segment and it worked out well, until they fucked it up in '81 with the BustleBack, Olds Diesel, and 8-6-4. As !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

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V8-6-4 refers to an early cylinder-deactivation feature so ahead of the curve, it never actually worked,

Like all Pandora's Box situations, however, there was hope. GM redesigned their B Body cars for 1977 with a bigger focus on quality and they became some of the best selling cars in the US. Ford introduced the Fox and Panther platforms just before the end of the decade and kept them around for over two decades. Ford and Chrysler both dipped into their European divisions to introduce some of their most successful small cars — vehicles that helped keep them afloat.

But by and large, 70s American cars were shit.

puddler > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:21

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i've fantasized about giving my nova the 'corvette summer' treatment.

MtrRider > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:24

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It was a horrible time for engines in America, but we had some great cars. Some. We had style and a kind of luxury that doesn't exist today.

I'd take a Continental with a modern Coyote v8 over a brand new Mercedes CL.

thebigbossyboss > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:26

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I frigging love big old boats though. Give me a 1977-79 contintental or a 79 cadillac and I am a happy man.

oldirtybootz > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:27

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Is that a Granada? Gimmie gimmie gimmie! I do prefer the Fox Granada but then that's pretty malaise too. Hell, give me a Lincoln Versailles.

Manuél Ferrari > puddler 02/20/2014 at 22:29

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What year is your Nova?

My friend had a '73 when we were in high school. It was the fastest car that any of us had. Being a passenger in it was frightening. He had NO regard for speed limits. And he had never upgraded his drum brakes to discs either...

puddler > Manuél Ferrari 02/20/2014 at 22:31

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'71. lt1 & drums all around.

Jedidiah > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:32

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At least they made enough of them so you can get decent engine blocks for a pretty cheap build.

My sister has a 75 Cutlass made for dealer marketing and it is a nice car. The plastic quality and styling is worse than pre-71 cars, but there isn't to much to complain about. It does have a fixed rear window and that makes riding in the back seats less enjoyable than than earlier cars.

The emissions equipment is really easy to bypass. It is a little stalk that comes of the engine that leads to the vacuum advance in order to prevent the car from going to full ignition advance without the engine vacuum reaching a certain level. Block off those vacuum lines and the egr, cut out the cats, and advance the timing as far as it will go without pinging and that's all the 350 needs to feel respectable in a big American coupe.

Manuél Ferrari > puddler 02/20/2014 at 22:33

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Nice!

You probably drive a lot better than he did. He'd pack the car full of people and go hog wild

puddler > Manuél Ferrari 02/20/2014 at 22:36

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thats all nova's. i could only afford one racing seat at a time and had a lawnchair for the pass. seat. and i ran a set of slicks for a year. on dry days people knew not to try to touch the stereo dial. hahaha

due to memory lane, this car is no longer for sale.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > MtrRider 02/20/2014 at 22:36

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There were exceptions, but by and large, American carmakers were phoning it in even in spite of increasing competition from higher-quality imports. Yeah, a 73 Continental MkIV is going to be luxurious in ways that modern cars are not, but it's also going to suck down gas like a Hummer with a fuel leak. It's going to develop issues that can't be explained through normal electrical or mechanical malfunction. My grandfather bought a 78 Grand Marquis band new a year before I was born and despite being driven under 12,000 miles a year, was dilapidated by the time he traded it for a new 84 Grand Marquis. He kept that one until Grandma died in 2001.

puddler > puddler 02/20/2014 at 22:36

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i poke my nova in the eye of little foreign cars.

Manuél Ferrari > puddler 02/20/2014 at 22:46

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Nova with slicks would be insane! !

f86sabre > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 22:48

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Truth

puddler > Manuél Ferrari 02/20/2014 at 22:53

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'twas. one of my dumber things i've done that never had any bad consequences...looped it on the freeway more than once.

Somethingwittyer likes noisy > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 23:10

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I honestly can't imagine living in America at that time. There was just so much shit I would probably end giving up on cars. Europe on the other hand....

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/20/2014 at 23:40

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The Germans still had leaded gas, which helps things.

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 02/21/2014 at 05:59

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The first gen Seville was a very good car. Even British reviewers said it.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > Goshen, formerly Darkcode 02/21/2014 at 08:24

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True: despite being a gussied-up Nova with a fuel-injected 350, it was a great car for its time and market segment. But that lasted 4 model years. It could easily fit into that "hit-to-shit" article that made the front page.