[billonwheels]

Why were post cars made? Cant find anything on the net about it.

[techinspector1]

There have been post cars since there have been cars. Your question might have been better asked.....Why were hardtop cars made....This from Wikipedia might help fill in the blanks for you.....


"There were a variety of hardtop-like body styles dating back to at least the 1920s. Chrysler Corporation built seven pillarless Town and Country hardtop coupes as concept vehicles in 1946, and even included the body style in its advertising that year.[2] Mass-production of hardtops began with General Motors, which launched two-door, pillarless hardtops in 1949 as the Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, and Cadillac Coupe de Ville. They were purportedly inspired by the wife of a Buick executive who always drove convertibles, but never lowered the top. The hardtop became extremely popular in the 1950s, and by 1956 every major U.S. automaker offered hardtop coupés and four-door sedans in a particular model lineup. In 1955, Buick and Oldsmobile introduced the first four-door hardtop sedans. In 1956, the first four-door hardtop station wagon was introduced by Rambler.[3] In 1957, Mercury offered both two- and four-door hardtop wagons, the only marque to ever to do so. The type did not catch on, though, as most buyers considered wagons too boxy to benefit from the sporty look (or expensive enough to begin with). All disappeared from the market after 1964. The Facel Vega Excellence is a notable French example of a four-door hardtop from this period, noted for the huge opening with both doors on one side open and for sagging if all the doors were left open. The doors were designed for locking to the floor and not each other."

[billonwheels]

Ok, so why would there be post say...Olds 442s and non post 442s the same year? both are hard tops, I cant see any diffrence in the bodies....looks like Chevy did the same with Chevelles. Styling? Seems like everyone's looking for "non post" cars.....

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by billonwheels

Ok, so why would there be post say...Olds 442s and non post 442s the same year? both are hard tops, I cant see any diffrence in the bodies....looks like Chevy did the same with Chevelles. Styling? Seems like everyone's looking for "non post" cars.....

No they are not both hardtops. THAT Is the difference. The hardtop has nothing between the quarter window opening and the door window opening when the glass is rolled down, just like a convertible.

The post, it has a post around the top of the door, and on the quarter.

Brian

Post sedan



Hardtop.

[WDCreech]

As produced from the factory, the 2 door post car was lighter than the 2 door hardtop.

Bill

[455olds]

Post cars are more rigid and cheaper to build. A lot of racers preferred the post cars for these reasons.

[billonwheels]

Ok. I see now. My buddy was saying the post cars are not as desirable than the 2 door non post.

[techinspector1]

Originally Posted by 455olds

Post cars are more rigid and cheaper to build. A lot of racers preferred the post cars for these reasons.

And lighter, so they can be made to go quicker with less money.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by billonwheels

Ok. I see now. My buddy was saying the post cars are not as desirable than the 2 door non post.

The fundamental difference is in the side window mechanisms. The hardtop cars require a more complicated mechanism, which was both heavier and more expensive. The actual shipping weight differences between post and hardtop cars was not as great as you might think, but the post cars are stiffer.

Post cars were usually low content loss leaders and thus less expensive when new (another reason why racers liked them). Hardtops were sportier and thus more desirable, which is why more were built. Rarity does not equal desirability.

[novafreek6872]

Originally Posted by joe_padavano

Post cars were usually low content loss leaders and thus less expensive when new (another reason why racers liked them). Hardtops were sportier and thus more desirable, which is why more were built. Rarity does not equal desirability.

I have to disagree... nowadays 2 door post "musclecars" are every bit as desirable as hardtops. Alot of people prefer the post models because they are different and the windows usually work better!!

Make mine a L79 4 speed please...

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by novafreek6872

I have to disagree...

With what part? Hardtops outsold post 2dr cars by about 10:1 in the musclecar days, despite the higher price, so you can't deny which body style was more popular. The change today is due to the fact that 2dr hardtop musclecars are in short supply at reasonable prices, thus the push for the (then) less desirable post cars.

As for rarity equaling desirability or value, I simply point out that the Pontiac Aztek is rare. 'Nuff said.

And finally, the whole lightweight/stiffness argument is not a strong as some people believe. It might be true with unibody cars, but with full frame cars like the GM A-body cars, the rubber mounts between body and frame pretty much negate any stiffness benefit from the post body style, and frankly if you're racing the car, a full triangulated roll bar or cage eliminates even these minor differences. The weight differences FOR SIMILARLY OPTIONED CARS are under 100 lbs out of 3500 lbs or so.

[novafreek6872]

Originally Posted by joe_padavano

With what part? Hardtops outsold post 2dr cars by about 10:1 in the musclecar days, despite the higher price, so you can't deny which body style was more popular. The change today is due to the fact that 2dr hardtop musclecars are in short supply at reasonable prices, thus the push for the (then) less desirable post cars.

As for rarity equaling desirability or value, I simply point out that the Pontiac Aztek is rare. 'Nuff said.

And finally, the whole lightweight/stiffness argument is not a strong as some people believe. It might be true with unibody cars, but with full frame cars like the GM A-body cars, the rubber mounts between body and frame pretty much negate any stiffness benefit from the post body style, and frankly if you're racing the car, a full triangulated roll bar or cage eliminates even these minor differences. The weight differences FOR SIMILARLY OPTIONED CARS are under 100 lbs out of 3500 lbs or so.

Ah, OK, you were really talkin bout "back in the day"... GOTCHA. I misread your post initially. Its all good.

I'll still take that little L79 POST


Andy

[AutoGear]

Originally Posted by billonwheels

Ok, so why would there be post say...Olds 442s and non post 442s the same year? both are hard tops, I cant see any diffrence in the bodies....looks like Chevy did the same with Chevelles. Styling? Seems like everyone's looking for "non post" cars.....

There is a difference between "hard top" and "hardtop"

"Hard top" would be anything thats not a convertable, targa top etc "it has a hard top" for example

"Hardtop" is a design feature which probably should have been "B-pillar-less hard top sedan", but that is clunky to say. Back in the 50s and 60s a 4 door post car was absolutely NOT cool under all but the most extreme circumstances, a 4 dr hardtop was slightly more acceptable, a 2dr post was reasonably cool and a 2dr hardtop was the ultimate in cool.

My dads 55 chevy was a 210 DelRay 2dr post. They wanted like $650 for a 2dr hardtop and that was simply too much money back in 1968

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted by AutoGear

There is a difference between "hard top" and "hardtop"

"Hard top" would be anything thats not a convertable, targa top etc "it has a hard top" for example

"Hardtop" is a design feature which probably should have been "B-pillar-less hard top sedan", but that is clunky to say. Back in the 50s and 60s a 4 door post car was absolutely NOT cool under all but the most extreme circumstances, a 4 dr hardtop was slightly more acceptable, a 2dr post was reasonably cool and a 2dr hardtop was the ultimate in cool.

While you are technically correct, it's pretty obvious from the context that the O.P. was referring to hardtop vs. post car. And since the O.P. brought up the Olds 442, in Oldsspeak the two body styles were Holiday Coupe (hardtop) and Sport Coupe (post car).