Posted 2007-04-24 7:50 PM (#81051 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
Chris, those segments are incorporated into two MOVIES, that Chrysler produced (available on video); one of
which features a 'story-line', wherein Unc Tom is on a DC3 (iirc) talking to a car-guy, & Tom invites him to
observe some testing that McCahill is going to be doing, in the high desert.
Needless to say, the Furd, and Generic Motors representatives do not fare well, in comparison to the Mopes.
I didn't look at these clips, but , in one 'shot', the Oldsmobuick loses its rear airbag, & the caddie-lack has its
rear door & trunk pop-open.
BTW, those mountains are the East side, of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and some of the testing occurs on the Mt.
Whitnet Portal road.
The airstrip involved is at Manzanar Internment facility, between Independence, and Lone Pine CA.
I live about 45 miles north of the filming location, along US Highway 395.
Posted 2007-04-24 8:30 PM (#81061 - in reply to #81044) Subject: RE: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert
Posts: 3893 Location: Northen Virginia
I have the video, of 1958 report, unfortunately, the drag racing between the 1958 Imperial and the canddy is missing, of my copy but was done originally, great video, somebody told me that evidently the Jm and Fort cars where in some way or another disabled and under powered.
It makes sense when you see the footage, but i never saw a reply video form Fort ot JM company.
Posted 2007-04-24 8:43 PM (#81063 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Regular
Posts: 71 Location: Connecticut
Wouldn't doubt that the GM and Ford cars were somehow disabled given wide-spread reports of mistruth in advertising of all forms
at the time.
But McCahill did have a reputation for honesty, even on those occasions when a company paid him for his word. Also, I have two
1958 Lincolns myself, and I can see both behaving the way this Lincoln did when put to similar tests. Can't speak for the GM cars,
however.
Have to say I was very impressed by the Imperial -- almost enough to make me want to give up the Lincolns.
Posted 2007-04-24 8:48 PM (#81065 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert
Posts: 1207 Location: Ponder, TX
I loved it when they used to test head-to-head with the competition. There were lots of ads with that type of testing, and though I know the cars were seriously prepped for the runs, it was still interesting.
Posted 2007-04-24 8:51 PM (#81066 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
Funny thing, years later, McCahill reportedly denied taking part in this movie, perhaps hoping that it would never see
the light-of-Projector!
Andy Jugle showed his MoPar Theater, during various WPC Club annual meets, and sold various video-copies, of
his movies, including 57 & 58 "You're at the Test Track" which was produced by Ross Roy, inc, which essentially
re-capped 'this' mcCahill movie (or, vice-versa!) ; the Furds & Generics got their TRANNIES handed to them!
Very compelling performance 'differentials', (and engines, & brakes, and steering, and shocks, and , transmissions!)
Posted 2007-04-25 4:18 PM (#81132 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Veteran
Posts: 254 Location: Auburndale Florida
The way that guy says "Like a cat" was hilarious like he had a hairball, and the other guys Miss America joke, that guy would get sued for saying that now, I don't think the parts of some of those cars were tight enough because there is no way any screws or anything else would get lose that easily but for the airbag part, that could bust.
Posted 2007-04-25 8:37 PM (#81158 - in reply to #81044) Subject: RE: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Elite Veteran
Posts: 663 Location: Oakley, Ill
I am surprised that the GM cars did as well as they did. I had a few 58 Buicks and Oldsmobiles, because due to their extreme uglyness, they got real cheap early in life. As long as you drove them in a reasonable and prudent manner--like a cop with a new ticket book was behnd you--you got along OK. Start doing things like turning corners without coming to a complete stop, and you were looking to get towed out of the weeds. Those drivers must have been extremely good--Crossing an intersection of a couple high crown roads like country roads, and you'd have your hands full staying out of the corn. I think the Olds I had handled better then the Buicks I had, but none of them were anything you'd want to get in a hurry with. I had a Valiant once, and it would run with an MGB, and with a good straight, it would pass the B, because it was actually faster.
Posted 2007-04-25 8:41 PM (#81160 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
Chris, what part of : "reportedly denied" do you not understand?
I will try to type slower, if that helps.
And, I greatly DOUBT that the brand-x-cars were "disabled"; if one were to watch the entire movies, one would observe that there
is NO evidense of under/over- winding the camara, which IS done, in 'film', to change the relative speed of an object.
In many scenes, the cars were 'shot', in the same frame, performing (or NOT!) against each other.
My favorite lesson, from the movies, is the G.I. Wonder Test.
Posted 2007-04-25 8:44 PM (#81162 - in reply to #81160) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Regular
Posts: 71 Location: Connecticut
Typing slowly doesn't mean writing well, and you write badly thinking it's entertaining. It isn't. It's convoluted and distracting, and your message gets lost. Thanks for your reply, I have nothing more to say on the matter and will ignore anything said in response.
Posted 2007-04-26 1:16 AM (#81195 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada
OK let's not get heated up here ! Remember we're all in this for enjoyment of our beloved FL cars.
Once again, these videos show the benefits of Chrysler's Center Plane Brakes against the competition ...... there are so many FL members who absolutely hate the Mopar brakes of this era but these videos are proof positive they were superior brakes in their time to those of the competition. I have a video of the 62 Chrysler 300 Sport being tested and compared at Chrysler Corp's Chelsea Proving Grounds with the BOP cars ( Buick, Olds and Pontiacs ) and it out handled, out braked, outran, and engine braked better than any of the others. The CHIPS used Dodges for years in the fifties and early sixties with center plane brakes because they were superior in braking power to the competition. The handling ability of the Torion Aire ride is well known, but let's NOT forget the braking too. Remember those were days when there were not as many cars on the interstates and other highways as there are today. Even so, I drove my 1962 Chrysler 300 in 1998 from BC to Portland OR and back with its center plane brakes, prior to that I drove it to Nevada in the early eighties. In no way did I feel it had inferior brakes. ( 12 " by 2.5" ) And they lasted an incredible 50,000 MILES. So last year when it finally needed new brakes ( 25 years later ) I upgraded to an AAJ front Disk Kit. I know I will never get 50,000 miles on those front disks, however superior they "may" be in braking power, ( I admit they do have more fade resistance after several hard hot stops ) and my mechanic ( a DIE HARD Mopar guy ) still feels I wasted my dollars on them. OH well....
Posted 2007-04-26 9:02 PM (#81265 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
The biggest draw-back, to the Centerplanes was their lining-material composition, which tended to glaze-over.
Also, in 57 +, Chrysler adopted 14" wheels, which tightly encased the brake drums, contributing to over-heating, and glazing of
the linings.
Right Now, Firm Feel company has a subcontractor which can install/bond State-of-the-Art Carbon-Metallic linings onto your car's
brake shoes.
I have installed those linings, but on Bendix 11x3" Duo Servo brakes, which I have retro-fitted onto my car.
The 11x3" brakes are certainly different from the 11 or 12" Centerplanes, but the Carbon-Metallic lining material
produces a pretty-much fade-free braking effort.
The G.I Wonder Test didn't involve braking, however!
Posted 2007-04-26 10:34 PM (#81279 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert
Posts: 1508 Location: new york
These films are great,ive owned a 58+59 impalas a 59 caddy and other 50s gm products,the 58 and later had coil springs and were sloppy,my 57 cheby handled well and stopped very well the 'total-contact'mopar brakes are fine when ajusted correctly...this is not an easy job and i find the power brakes are better.as far as front ends torsion bars are superior to coils in many ways (except my aunts new 57 sport sedan went through 3 broken bars before the car rotted out by 1963) my grandfathers 55 and my fathers used 56 both lasted longer than the 57 than she got a 63 valiant she kept 17 years.I dont like to admit it but gm built better quality cars in the years 57-58 thank chrysler for making the 59s much better and by 60 they were great I had a 61 ply fury 4dr 6cly with over 100 thou miles,and the car didnt have a rattlel in it , its amazing I sold it and it went to england ... HAPPY MOTORING..
Posted 2007-04-27 3:06 PM (#81333 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Veteran
Posts: 145 Location: barrie canada
I liked the part where he said the Chrysler would stay flatter than a bookeepers chest.LOL. Or how about "Hopping around like a Kangaroo with a pouch full of Tobasco" Now thats funny
John
Posted 2007-04-27 7:32 PM (#81361 - in reply to #81333) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Regular
Posts: 71 Location: Connecticut
He used lines like those in his drive reports, you might already know, which is one of the things that made him a popular writer.
I'll see if I have any around here that reported on the Forward Look cars and post them on the Forum. He was a big fan of both the Imperial and the 300.
One of the things about him in the film that I hadn't known was that he may have suffered a leg injury of some kind at some point. That was surprising. If he did, it wasn't discussed or reported. Watching him walk, I wondered if one of his legs was artificial. He was a boxer and/or a polo player in one of his early careers, and had his nose broken a few times. Later, he had a reputation for being a sportsman, and was an avid hunter. (He often wrote of his dogs -- two Labrador Retrievers -- in his drive reports. I believe one of them may have been hit by a car at the Daytona races, which he was covering.) I heard recently that someone who saw him when he was alive reported that he limped badly. But in the many pictures that accompanied his Mechanix Illustrated drive reports, this was not apparent. The reader was given the impression that McCahill was very active, a man who got around quite a bit. Watching the film, I got the impression that he moved only with difficulty.
Almost like President Roosevelt and his polio -- FDR suffered, but the public didn't find out until later. While he was in office, when filmed or photographed, he gave an impression of vibrant good health.
Posted 2007-05-01 12:23 AM (#81597 - in reply to #81295) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert
Posts: 1819 Location: Vancouver, BC
d500neil - 2007-04-26 9:21 PM
Some of the metalurgy, on the early T/bars was not good, and, in general, a bar either broke early-on, or they have lasted forever.
It always amuses me to see torsion bars, installed on NEW GM trucks.
Torsion bars were first put into early 50's Packards
(at both ends) , but Mopar certainly made them popular!
Packard introduced torsion bars for 1955, with one bar running from the front wheel to the rear on each side. They used torque arms to locate the rear axle.
There was a second bar attached to each rear wheel that was hooked up to an electric motor situated just under the seat. The motor was controlled by two sensors that determined whether the car was level or not. If the car was not, the motor would crank the bars in the appropriate direction until level. There was also a switch on the dash to turn the power to the motor on or off
The systems lasted two years and was dropped when the Packard switched to the Studebaker body for 1957.
GMC trucks had torsion bar suspension up front back around 1960.
As well, Chrysler's 1957 Torsion-Aire suspension was virtually identical to the layout used on the Nuffield Group's 1949 Morris and Wolseley cars. They even used Lockheed brakes with all but the Minor using the dual wheel cylinder layout on the front brakes. The Nuffield cars also had rack and pinion steering along with unibody construction.
Posted 2007-05-01 3:13 PM (#81626 - in reply to #81044) Subject: Re: Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
Expert 5K+
Posts: 7207 Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada
These are some more quotes by Tom McCahill on FL and other Mopars.
On the 1960 Valiant:
"When equipped with the power pack, they are the hottest cars in the world for under $2500.00.........Gets my vote as the best buy of the three new compacts, and the one I'd most like to own. "
On the 1962 Plymouth:
" It was raining like tears in a onion cannery when I did my test.......I don't know of a car in its class that can top Plymouth. It offers the best roadability in its class, and this, tied up with good brakes makes it just about the safest. .........the slightly teutonic looks of the Valiant, enlarged (on the 62 Plymouth) stand out like a hip flask in a bikini."
On early 30's Classic Imperials:
"These long-hooded brutes had more sex-appeal than a boatload of starlets anchored off Alcatraz."
On the 1960 Dodge Dart Phoenix:
"When equipped with the optional D-500 engine, displacing 383 cubic inches with 2 four barrel carburetors, it should be able to chew around a race course with enough stuff to turn the humidity into steam.......... (and) make a helluva ridge-runner for the moonshine boys."
On the 1959 Dodge:
"The front end is as new as next February's cold."
On the 1959 Plymouth:
"Plymouth for 1959 is the best car of the low priced three in our bald-headed opinion, and we've tested all of them."
On the 1959 Imperial:
"This doll was as loaded as an opium peddler during a tong war........Swivel seats make it as easy to get into as a floating crap game with fresh money..........On the 31 degree banked turns the big Imp hung in there like oil going through a hose......The finest car built in America, and I've been testing cars for a long time."
On Chrysler's famed torsion bar front suspension:
"Chrysler's torsion bar suspension is SO far superior to anything else being made in this country that the contest isn't even close."
On Chrysler's re-designed torqueflite transmission for 1962:
"features an oil filter to comb out the rocks and dog hair."
On the 1966 Dodge Coronet Hemi:
"With no exception, the blockbuster Hemi 426 is the hairiest full size stock production car ever tested for these pages..... This family sized rig has all the belt of a 2 mile swim in a whiskey vat...... When you put your foot through the firewall make sure your teeth are well anchored.......It is as furry as a mink farm and as snarly as a bengal tiger in a butcher shop."
On the 1956 Chrysler Windsor:
"The most car for the dough - for looks, performance, comfort and price."
On the 1957 Imperial:
"The most spectacular looking new car to date..... will get down the pike like a vaselined arrow, and with no more effort than skipping off a cliff."
On the 1962 Chrysler 300:
"I had the car for over a month, and had as many adventures with it as a Siberian trapper would have in Miami Beach. ......The new 300 is the old Windsor, sexed up and poured into a sport suit.....When you slide behind the wheel you get the feeling that this is a big compact, and not an oversized barge as awkward to handle as wearing moose antlers in a telephone booth..... A functional car that gives top performance with lots of room for beaucoup stuff, which might include wine, weazels or women...... In summing up, the (1962) Chrysler 300 is the best value in the medium priced field that I have driven in several years."
Uncle Tom Also had a few things to say about Ford and GM....
On the 1959 T-bird:
"It went over like a keg of brandy in a prison camp.....(but)......rolls like the Queen Mary in a full gale."
On the 1959 Ch**y Impala:
"The rear deck treatment is pure Louis Armstrong: gone, man, gone!"
From Wickepedia, some info on his life :
McCahill was married a number of times but never had children of his own. In a 1956 interview with Playboy magazine McCahill stated that he had more cash than hair. This in response to a question as to how he had been photographed in two separate issues of Mechanics Illustrated magazine with two different Wives. had homes in Florida and New York, where he would receive cars to test. He travelled all over the United States and Europe to facilitate testing. His Stepson with his fourth wife, Brooks Bender, served as McCahills assistant in his later years. Every year, McCahill would make a ten day boating trip from his home in New York to his home in Florida aboard his thirty foot Egg Harbour Cruiser the "Rooster". McCahill was an avid Fisherman, Hunter and deep sea diver. McCahill died at his home at age 68 on May 10,1975. Mechanics Illustrated never publicly acknowledged his death, because his name was synonymous with it, he was the franchise, and they never wanted to admit he was gone. For a while, they ran a column called McCahill reports which was ghost written by his stepson. At the time of his death, he was believed to be the only living descendant of the Scottish highwayman Rob Roy. According to Canadian automotive historian Bill Vance, McCahill had lost a leg that became gangrenous after a thorn penetrated it during a duck hunt, forcing its amputation. His widow died in Daytona Beach Florida.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCahill"
Edited by imopar380 2007-05-01 3:20 PM
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Video: Tom McCahill 1958 Chrysler & Imperial road tests
