Anybody Remember Back When?

[MHarryE]

Floor dimmer switches went away due to reliability. Like someone mentioned, road spray would get to the switch. We had 2 service trucks catch fire due to dimmer switch problems. Then there were the ones that rusted out and driver would step on switch and punch it through the floor. In Kansas City we had few plow trucks but lots of road salt.

Heaters were an option to lower list price until regulated as a requirement for safety - accidents due to people driving with iced windshields with a little hole scratched through the ice. And oil filters - when my wife and I married the 61 Chev she was driving was purchased less the optional oil filter.

Our TD-6 had the compression reducing chamber gasoline start and warm but was still hard to start (hand crank) on below zero days. It had a long hole through the front casting so dad welded a pipe of the right size into a cat wheel, cut notches to fit the pins on the end of the crank, and we put our Farmall M with belt pulley using the belt from our threshing machine to crank the TD-6.

My Case IH 1660 combine has ether start. The standard size ether can fits in the holder held in place with a thumb but like a sediment bowl. The 8.3 Case-Cummins is not a good cold starter, has no starting aid other than ether.

And the song, “While riding in my Cadillac, much to my surprise, a little Nash Rambler was following me about 1/3 my size. The guy must have wanted to pass me up cause he kept on tooting his horn. I’ll show him that a Cadillac is not a car to scorn. Beep beep, beep beep, his horn went beep beep beep—- and so on.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, talk about a sleeper.

 

[ultrarunner]

And who could forget these musical gems?

See the USA in Your Chevrolet - Dinah Shore 1952 - YouTube

1965 Dinah Shore Chevy Commercial - YouTube

come ride with me lucile merry oldsmobile - Bing video

 

[Oaktree]

We had a 1969 SAAB 96 V4. It was one of the first FWD cars, and unlike VWç—´ of the day weæ±*e quite cozy: the heater was about the size of the engine.

The engine was a Ford Taunus 1500cc V4. The column shifter had four speeds. A remnant from the earlier two stroke models was a free wheel: you could back off the throttle an coast while still in gear.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "state car of Vt.", even in their heyday they were considered kind of an oddball car. Good in snow to be sure.
My mother had one when I was a teenager, I taught my sisters how to drive stick on it. I always found that 4 on the column to be kind of awkward...I'd always hit the wiper switch when I'd shift. Guess it wasn't designed for people with large hands.
Free wheeling was one of those things that unless you experienced it, it was hard to describe. I experimented with it a bit, but for the most part found it rather annoying.

I believe my mother's was around the same vintage as yours, maybe a couple years older. ISTR ones from a few years earlier had 2 stroke engines in them.

Remember the bumper stickers it seemed everyone had on them..."made in Trollhattan by trolls".

And who could forget these musical gems?

The Dodge rebellion wants you!!!!

1967 Dodge Dart GT Commercial - YouTube

 

[k0ua]

I wouldn't go so far as to say "state car of Vt.", even in their heyday they were considered kind of an oddball car. Good in snow to be sure.
My mother had one when I was a teenager, I taught my sisters how to drive stick on it. I always found that 4 on the column to be kind of awkward...I'd always hit the wiper switch when I'd shift. Guess it wasn't designed for people with large hands.
Free wheeling was one of those things that unless you experienced it, it was hard to describe. I experimented with it a bit, but for the most part found it rather annoying.

I believe my mother's was around the same vintage as yours, maybe a couple years older. ISTR ones from a few years earlier had 2 stroke engines in them.

Remember the bumper stickers it seemed everyone had on them..."made in Trollhattan by trolls".



The Dodge rebellion wants you!!!!

1967 Dodge Dart GT Commercial - YouTube

Notice what a huge automobile a 67 dodge dart was. It was a compact in 1967 terms, but would be considered a full size car now. And yes pretty girls can sell cars.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Notice what a huge automobile a 67 dodge dart was. It was a compact in 1967 terms, but would be considered a full size car now. And yes pretty girls can sell cars.

Pamela Austin! My heart throb! But even she wouldn't have been able to convince me to buy a Dodge...unless...

Remembering!

In the late 40's we lived in an old farm house in SW Missouri. It had electricity and running water, but no hot water. It was a two story, and my brother and I slept upstairs. It was heated by a kerosene heater somewhere in the downstairs, and it got pretty cold in our bedroom. There was a cast iron vent in the floor that allowed heat from downstairs to heat our room...sort of. The vent also allowed us to hear what was going on downstairs, especially in the kitchen, which was just below.

Living in the country, the world was very peaceful, and very quiet. Some of my fondest memories are of a Saturday morning in the Summertime. My side of the bed was close to the floor vent, and I would wake up early to the scent of the coffee that Mom was making in the kitchen below. We could hear her and Dad's muffled voices as they discussed whatever it was they discussed on Saturday morning; I really miss that and have never experienced anything like it since. Just wish I could give them...and my little brother (RIP) all a hug and tell them that I love them one more time.

 

[Oaktree]

Notice what a huge automobile a 67 dodge dart was. It was a compact in 1967 terms, but would be considered a full size car now. And yes pretty girls can sell cars.

Yeah, no kidding. I have one I bought as a "toy" when I retired. It is huge by today's standards...I parked it once next to my Dakota, and the Dart was 6-8" longer than the truck! Sure is easy to work on though...that slant 6 doesn't take up much of the engine compartment...it was designed to accommodate a big block.

I never paid much attention to Chrysler products before this generation of A bodies came along ('67-72). The first (and only to date) new car I ever had was a '70 Dart I bought right after I graduated college. 318, 3 on the floor. Put a LOT of miles on that car, and have been a Mopar guy ever since (though I will admit the jury's still out on the Fiat vehicles).

 

[MossRoad]

My dad's 70 Nova had bench seats and sat 6 people. It was considered a compact car back then, too.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yeah, no kidding. I have one I bought as a "toy" when I retired. It is huge by today's standards...I parked it once next to my Dakota, and the Dart was 6-8" longer than the truck! Sure is easy to work on though...that slant 6 doesn't take up much of the engine compartment...it was designed to accommodate a big block.

I never paid much attention to Chrysler products before this generation of A bodies came along ('67-72). The first (and only to date) new car I ever had was a '70 Dart I bought right after I graduated college. 318, 3 on the floor. Put a LOT of miles on that car, and have been a Mopar guy ever since (though I will admit the jury's still out on the Fiat vehicles).

You know what they used to say. "At the head of every traffic jam, is a little old lady in a green Dodge Dart".

 

[Industrial Toys]

With a slant six! Back in the 70/80s, East Indians seemed to like to drive those things, just coming to Canada. I used to hitch hike to work and some guy would often be waiting for me in a brown Dart or Swinger. What an fugly color that brown was! But hey, it got me to work.

 

[ultrarunner]

You know what they used to say. "At the head of every traffic jam, is a little old lady in a green Dodge Dart".

Or a green Valiant... almost always with home made dump trailer in tow...

That slant 6 hauled a lot of 1 yard concrete gondolas... as many as 12 in a day for driveways...

Here I am getting prepped to set the small driveway at my first house...

 

[bunyip]

I thought it was Volvo, Very Old Ladies Vehicle Only.

 

[Garandman]

You left out those other American compact cars: Chevrolet Vega, Ford Pinto, AMC Gremlin “The flying fishbowl.”

And the worst car I ever owned, by far, Triumph Spitfire.

 

[Ken]

Remember the 1949 Birds egg blue Ford car that was a change from the turtle back fords built in '48
Also cannot remember but did it have the Naugahyde leather seats . the '52 models had?

Pity the Extinction of the Naughta animal in having to produce all those tough car seats for vehicles.
I do understand a few are in captivity Northern Missouri.
ken

 

[ultrarunner]

Probably the AMC Pacer for the Fishbowl?

The Chevrolet Chevette gets my vote for bottom of the barrel... and I was working at a car lot at the time.

One of the first American Subcompacts is the Bantam... 60 mph and 60 mpg... WWII shifted production to the JEEP and the Bantam was no more...

 

[Oaktree]

I used to hitch hike to work and some guy would often be waiting for me in a brown Dart or Swinger. What an fugly color that brown was!

Not as bad as the diarrhea brown that seems to be the color-du-jour for late model tacomas, but I digress.

Getting back to 70s car colors, the one I always though was ugly was the so-called "plum crazy" (kind of a glow in the dark purple) Mopars offered around that time. And it just won't go away...seems a popular color among the vintage Mopar crowd today.

I thought it was Volvo, Very Old Ladies Vehicle Only.

Not around here. If anything Volvos were/are kind of a yuppie car.

I'd say the modern day equivalent of Grandma and her Valiant would be Gram in her corrola, always driving at least 10mph below the limit. Pretty rare to see anyone under 50 driving one, I wonder if you need to produce your AARP card to buy one? :laughing:
Second place would be Suburus...another geezer car, add tree huggers to the mix.
I'm sure Buicks are right up there too with old folks cars.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Probably the AMC Pacer for the Fishbowl?

The Chevrolet Chevette gets my vote for bottom of the barrel... and I was working at a car lot at the time.

One of the first American Subcompacts is the Bantam... 60 mph and 60 mpg... WWII shifted production to the JEEP and the Bantam was no more...

The American Bantam was fairly rare; don't think I ever actually saw one...seems like I remember that you had to order them and they came in a kit of sorts, and you had to assemble them. I do remember seeing magazine advertisements.

Anyone remember the Crosley? There were a few of those around, although I haven't seen one in quite some time. The little engine wasn't much bigger than a shoe box, and everybody I knew lusted after a '55 Chevy or a V8 Ford.

Green Cars Of The Past: 1951 Crosley Wagon

I believe the Bantam company actually designed the Jeep; however they did not have the manufacturing capacity to build the Jeep, and that job went to Ford. I don't think Bantam manufactured any Jeeps at all; if so, it was very few. They contracted to make the trailers.

 

[Garandman]

//Second place would be Suburus...another geezer car, add tree huggers to the mix..

You are hanging around with the wrong crowd. Head over to Dalton (Team O’Neil Rally School).

Subaru completely dominates rallying in North America. Team Subaru Rally cars are built at Vermont Sportscar.

 

[ultrarunner]

The American Bantam was fairly rare; don't think I ever actually saw one...seems like I remember that you had to order them and they came in a kit of sorts, and you had to assemble them. I do remember seeing magazine advertisements.

Anyone remember the Crosley? There were a few of those around, although I haven't seen one in quite some time. The little engine wasn't much bigger than a shoe box, and everybody I knew lusted after a '55 Chevy or a V8 Ford.

Green Cars Of The Past: 1951 Crosley Wagon

I believe the Bantam company actually designed the Jeep; however they did not have the manufacturing capacity to build the Jeep, and that job went to Ford. I don't think Bantam manufactured any Jeeps at all; if so, it was very few. They contracted to make the trailers.

Yep... Bantam built a proto type General Purpose Vehicle for the military... it was done in record time with round the clock engineering...

The military was very impressed and placed orders... but the little Bantam Company could only produce about 200 vehicles a week... WWII needed tens of thousands so the war department gave Willis and Ford orders to produce and the rest is history... Bantam in Butler PA still made trailers for the war department but ended auto manufacturing...

On the picture posted are my 1933 American Austin and 1938 Bantam 60 Roadster... I don't have a picture of my 1950 Crosley Convertible... but it too was small in stature.

 

[ultrarunner]

Anyone interested in Jeeps and how they came about would enjoy this short read...

Bantam jeep story: