Had a 71 Ranchero I bought off the father in law. Piece of work. Front end always hanging up on concrete bumper blocks, and to open the doors on those things you had to open half the vehicle. No parking slots were painted wide enough to accommodate them. Had to hold the heavy doors to keep them from hitting cars on either side, or use some other car to go shopping, but other than that they rode like a cloud, and you went into shock when you glanced at the speedo indicating 120 mph, or better on the freeway.
The Ranchero I had was one of them with the Cleveland in it. Hauled.
The Ranchero was hardly alone with the massive, heavy doors in that era. Nearly all midsize and up two door coupes had them. I recall my uncle’s 73 Monte Carlo, he babied it. Had to put protective strips on the door edges because my aunt just could not manage the weight of them and kept banging them on the garage wall, other cars, anything really. Pretty car though, light metallic blue with a predominately white interior (navy dash and carpet).
Hauled.
= = =
Read a story of GM Engineers who hopped up (Chev. factory parts, of course) a station wagon to support a racing project, I think.
They had a plaque on the dash:
Station Wagons are built to haul things; this one hauls ass.
Before bo and Govt Motors I am sure.
(Written as a Chevy shade tree mechanic from the olden days.)