Hey all,
The 455 and the (supposed) TH400, along with the 3rd row seating and Vista windows, got to me. I know a lot about old Fords and Mustangs, (I have an old one in the garage I've been working on forever, not a daily driver, and have hit a snag in my project and am a little tired of it right now) but not a lot about old Olds and GM cars in general. I'm looking at a local car as an all purpose utility car and something for my girlfriend who doesn't have a car ATM.
It wouldn't be a show car, but I'd be looking to places like Steele Rubber for custom and generic weatherstripping to fix some of the problems below. Maybe a custom cool reupholstering down the road. If I get any mad money, hell, why not a Mondello rebuild of the engine and a Gear Vendors overdrive for MPG and towing? And Global West or other suspension upgrade up front due to the stock issues with A-body front suspension? But I digress.
If anybody sees anything interesting below they'd like to comment on, have at it!

Here are a few Q and A's I had with the seller:

" 2. Does the window roll up even though the crank is busted with, say,
Vise Grips? It's not permanently down I hope."
The driver's window is stuck up,closed for now. Not a huge deal to fix it.
Everything closes and locks.

"5. Does it have the dual action tailgate? (folds down and also opens
sideways)"
It does have the dual tailgate. It functions fine, but the rear window is
slow going up. That's another point about needing new rubber seals all
around.

"6. We can look at reupholstering the interior if need be, but what's
the rust situation like? Any problem areas?"
The interior is OK, it was reupholstered before I got it.If I was going to
keep it, I would put some nicer seating in front.It just the original
bench seat with new grey non-vinyl material.As far as rust goes, there's
minor spots here and there. Because of the leaking, there may be some
under the carpet in front.

"7. Suspension and brakes ok? Front discs or all drum?"
They're fine, I think front disc, I'll have to check.

"8. Shifter on the tree (steering column) or on the floor? Is it a 2
or 3 speed? They seemed to come with either one."
Shifter on the tree, I believe three speed.

The "Beast" was an originally a family wagon. It has a dedicated tow port(?)with brake light extensions included.Dual exhaust,big carb (don't know the brand). It is in good running condition, most of the problems are cosmetic.
One of the Vista windows is cracked, but not leaking. I have the replacement
window, it can be dropped in when the other rubber is dealt with.
Basically, a bunch of small stuff needs to be done.
The bigger stuff is the paint and weather stripping.
I just haven't the time to take care of it like it should to be.

 

You've only given us excerpts from the Q&A, but here are a couple of general comments. First, the issue of leakage should be a warning. The GM A-body cars are notorious for rust in the pinchweld area where the windshield is glued in. The stainless trim traps dirt and other debris, which traps moisture and causes rust. Many people think this is just a bad seal, add lots of silicone, and in the process make it worse. The only solution is to weld in new metal - not an inexpensive process. The VC has an additional problem of rust around the roof windows. Check it out carefully and make an informed decision.

If the car is an automatic, it is a three speed trans.

The VC used a unique 121" wheelbase. The added length was all in the back doors, which are unique to the VC. Weatherstripping and trim may be difficult to find.

All 69-72 VCs got the two way tailgate.

 

Joe,
Good points. I'm checking out the car tonight.
The stuff I left out was just to determine if it had the 455 and 3rd row seating. I'll look at that pinch weld area and see if there's any debris there. I'll take a magnet as well, of course.
One thing I'm not totally clear on, coming from the Mustang world where almost all the weatherstripping is available from parts houses, is how good some of the generic weatherstripping is that you can cut to fit, or where to send metal cores to be redone with the proper weatherstripping. I'm not concerned about show-level correctness, just a good seal to prevent rust.
I still don't know if it has manual or power windows, or if the tailgate is manual or power - he mentions it is slow to go up and down. Power, of course, means $ to fix, or is there a cheap generic power window kit? I also didn't ask and don't know about A/C and if it still works.
I'll report back tonight on how it looks and whether the GF can take see it as an occasional grocery getter and a project for us both to work on and enjoy.

Thanks,
Joe

 

Fusick does offer VC specific weather strip(yes, rear doors, although have yet to find for tailgate)...check out my thread in Major Builds and Projects -'70 Vista Cruiser Project, and see what you're getting into.....

 

Erik,
I did see all the work that went into it. Let's hope this one never comes to that, and I have a fully outfitted metalworking shop in my garage when it does. I would probably take the tactic of welding more metal in on the underbody where I found it - just wire wheel, cut out the bad stuff, POR-15 or other rust encapsulator to the rest, and weld an extra plate or sheet metal over what is remaining. I would imagine that would save time by not having to exactly match part of a floor, for example. If it's wheelwells and corners and exterior body curves, I'm in trouble.

Joe

 

Either way, sounds like a must buy....as long as the price is right! Bring the camera and post pics when you go look at it! Where are you located?

 

Here's the ad, if anyone local wants to have at it - SF Bay Area, Berkeley hills. The price really got me . . . $4k, for a 455 that looks like a Cutlass/442 wagon and has a 442 W-30 style paint job?!:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1284896671.html

trouble is, there's too much rust around the Vista windows for me to be comfortable with. The picture I attached is the least of it - somehow forgot to take a driver's side pic with the worst of it. I was thinking that it was going to have a nice paint job, be a solid runner, and be a CA car with no big rust issues. I was right on 2 out of 3 counts. Steal-of-the-century, I thought, but reality sunk in a bit today.

If anyone's interested, I can put you in contact with the owner or just reply to the ad. I checked it out before our initial meeting (hoping to maybe save the guy some time if it wasn't what I expected) and the rust bubbles leading down from the front Vista window to the driver's side window kind of got me.

No problems around the pinchweld area around the front windshield that I could tell, though.

Hopefully another forum member in CA has been jonesing for a Vista like this!

 

Roof rust is the death of most Vista Cruisers, they can have it being from just about anywhere. That car isn't worth worth anywhere near 4000 bucks if the roof is rusted and that quarter has to be replaced, probably has a lot more rust that was sprayed orange without proper repairs too, looks like a parts car to me, front clip good?
Unless you really want a project and can do the work, but not for 4K.

I would sell it as a custom Cincinnati Bungles or Cleveland Browns tailgate party vehicle, see just about any kind of beater vehicle rattle canned orange with brown stripes around here on Sundays come fall. They hide them under tarps or in garages the rest of the week unless they win, they spend most of the time hidden..
The hidden storage compartment is a great beer cooler and a little rust is nothing here in Cleveland, everything's rusted out anyway.

 

having moved here from PA, I have a liberal approach to rust, having had my old convertible Mustang trucked here from there. But to me, rust from the top down is a little scarier than from the bottom up, but I can't defend that logically.

If I could shut my eyes and just let it rust, or just strip the paint, POR-15 the rest, and cover it with some rattle-can Rustoleum or do a Mopar Special Roller Rustoleum job on it (if you've ever read that thread) I could have a very functional Battle Wagon. After all, what else seats 9, has one of the biggest big blocks ever, and can haul a trailer for $4k?

I like the Bengals/Browns plan. If I were still back in Philly, I'd strip the beast, get some green and white Rustoleum, and make a stencil for an Iggles tribute car. Out here we have Burning Man, and I figure this car is destined for that sort of future.

 

This is FYI to the VC/Flat Top Owners of CO. A good friend (he's into his 4th year on a '70 Flat top restoration, awaiting paint, and it is going to be gorgeous!) told me about Einstyn.com. This site pertains to C***y wagons, but a lot of his parts are interchangable w/our/A body wagons. I asked him recently about the rubber that goes between the back bumper and the body (each side) and he has it scheduled for production in about 7 months. Mine are so brittle, I can't fit them in there, so right now just a gap where they belong. A lot of his "stuff" is around the rear window/tailgate area, so check it out.

 

Aron,
That's a great resource. I really like the message on his homepage about restoring these old wagons regardless of make. I think there's a lot of cool in these muscle wagons, and I would especially love to see one dust an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes wagon!
Your site is a great resource, and you've got me looking at Olds and Buicks in a whole new light. Much respect from a Ford guy - I really like the lines of the Vistas, Cuttys, 4-4-2s, etc. And a Mondello-built 455 would be a dream engine. (I saw the episode of Horsepower TV that featured his shop, and he's just 200 miles from me)

Thanks,
Joe