OT: What Is It? Old Car Version

[DerbyDad03]

SWMBO and I went for a hike in a nearby county park. In amongst the trees, the wildlife and the Eagle Scout bridges across the winding creek, were a few vehicles that could use a little Bondo.

It was obvious that these vehicles were placed/crashed there many years ago, not only by their condition, but also by the trees that had grown up around them. In some cases, there is currently no way to get a vehicle to the spots where they are now.

Just about all of them were riddled with bullet holes. It was probably about a 3/4 mile hike from the first vehicle to the last. I haven't looked up the history of the park, but what I know about the area, I'm guessing that it was farmland way back when.

Who knows the Year, Make and Model of any of the following?

1 - The body of this one sits about 100 ft from the undercarriage. Someone did some lifting.

2 - This one is upside down and up against a tree. The trail near this one appears to be wide enough to have been a road at some point. It was either manually rolled down the hill or drove off the road and crashed. Perhaps some farm boys hooting and hollering on a Friday night?

3 - This one either slid into the tree sideways or the tree bent the body as it grew.

4 - Not much to say about this one, just a car (more or less) in the woods.

5 - The creek has done a number on this one, but you can see the remains, from the front bumper to the rear end.

[Markem]

4 - Looks like a 1960 pontiac to me the others I need Steve Magnante to help.

[J. Clarke]

Number one is pretty clearly a Nash Ambassador Airflyte which were made in the very late '40s to very early '50s..

[knuttle]

That was my first guess also but then I remember the Hudson

[DerbyDad03]

Well, I did take a picture of the hood and the emblem matches, so you got it.

What makes that really interesting - a bit spooky - is that my first car was 1966 Rambler Ambassador 990. A lay down Rambler, just like the Nash was. And the Nash was the first car we saw on our hike.

(Shivers)

[DerbyDad03]

And my Ambassador was basically the same color.

[swalker]

a 49 Nash Ambassador?

[Clare Snyder]

1949 or 1950 Nash

guessing about a 56 dodge regent? Going by the front suspension and a few other details

1950 chevy belair

1959 chevy bel-air

I'm going to say a 1962 Nova because I see a generator (GM went to alternator in '63) - the generator is not on the engine any more (it is a few feet away with no pulley) but it still has the bracket and it is almost certainly a GM 6 cyl engine - and with a front sump it pretty much has to be a Nova - the full-sized cars had rear sump.

[Clare Snyder]

Definitely 49 or 50 Nash.

[hubops]

Awsome job Clare !

And thanks for the original post Derby !

I recognized the inverted bathtub style of the Nash - - but couldn't pin-point the year - my dad had a ~ '54 Nash Rambler wagon when I was a wee lad - it later became the neighbourhood playhouse - out in our backyard.

The other one that looked familiar was the '59 Chevy -

- just something about the roof-line with the windshield and rear window lines and angles ..

Your sleuthing reminded me of the movie My Cousin Vinny - where the young & georgeous Marisa Tomei solves a murder trial - with her unexpected technical knowledge of cars ... a great movie courtroom scene !

John T.

[DerbyDad03]

SWMBO and my 2 now 30ish SWMBO's have watched My Cousin Vinny hundreds of times since the girls were two yutes.

It's been a staple in my house from the moment it was available on DVD.

That, and listening to Alice's Restaurant every Thanksgiving.