Things you could order over 50 years ago that you can't order now !

[JasperFrank]

The dino figures were sort of a hard wax as I remember. I do know that I ate one as a very young child - or at least tryed to. I don't think any of theses survive to today. I believe there were three kinds: Triceratops, T Rex and what we thought at the time to be Brontosaurus.

 

[stuckmotor]

Yeah, I think they were a factory option beginning about 1955 with Ford, but the macho mentality at the time didn't do much as far as paying for the option.

Now, you've got me thinking about a traffic safety film they showed our PE class called Mechanized Death. It gave the gore flick Blood Feast, on at the drive in that year, a run for the money.

 

[Jstpssng]

if I wore the shoulder harness I couldn’t use the turn signals, or reach anything on the dash, because they were just out of reach.

It took them a while to finally change that. I couldn't guess how many times I would go through a puddle, soaking the windshield in my '84 F150, and not being able to reach the wiper switch.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Now, you've got me thinking about a traffic safety film they showed our PE class called Mechanized Death. It gave the gore flick Blood Feast, on at the drive in that year, a run for the money.

Scariest movies I have ever seen were the VD Films our local Doctors showed us when we were in Junior High.

We were a small town with one clinic, run by two Doctors, who were both veterans of WWII, and still in the reserves/guards. They had been there since the got home from WWII, and had delivered about half the kids in the junior high

They got tired of dealing with pregnant teenage girls, and convinced the parents, town fathers, religious leaders, and the school board that they should teach sex ed classes every other Thursday, during health class at the junior high. (They would talk to every adult who came through the doors of the clinic, and it was pretty easy to convince the adults that they were the best qualified to have “the talk” with the kids who were all their patients, and have them
sign their petition.).

The first film we saw, as seventh graders, featured a Marine Gunny Seargeant who had Non-Gohnacalcal A-23. This guy was strapped down in a bed with an IV drip, swollen up to the size of football with a discolored drainage oozing out the end. The “Doctor” in the white jacket stood beside the bed, and explained that the Gunny had gotten the infection through unprotected sex.
They now had him on an antibiotic drip, and if the swelling did not reduce in the next 24-hours, they were going to split the urethra, and manually scrub it.

And then our kind old Doctor, proceeded to explain that condoms would have prevented teh infection, and condoms were availiable in vending machines of all the restaurants, and the movie theater for 50-cents.

Every two weeks they had a new film, which the DoD had targeted at young servicemen, and they would proceed to show them to us junior high boys. Not sure what the nurses were showing the girls. But they eliminated teen pregnancy.

 

[Oaktree]

I think seat belts, head rests and turn signals were required about 1968.

Laps belts were 68. I think shoulder harnessee and headrests weren’t until about 75 on the trucks. The 73 F350, didn’t have them, and the 77 F350 that replaced it had them.

I think cars had to have the shoulder harness and head rests, in 72 or 73. Had the shoulder harness in a 73 Dart Sport. Got a ticket for not using the shoulder harness.

I have a '67 Dart that has factory seatbelts and turn signals, but not headrests. The '70 I bought new back in the day had headrests, but not the shoulder belts. I also believe 1970 was the year passenger cars (but not trucks) had to have locking steering columns, mine did. The floor shifter (manual) wasn't interlocked so it was necessary to push a button to release the key/lock the column. 3-in-the-tree models had to be in reverse to remove the key IIRC, automatics in park. Those early shoulder belts were 2 separate belts, with separate buckles in the seat.

Speaking of turn signals, I remember the Sears catalog offering aftermarket turn signal kits for older vehicles, the switch assembly attached to the steering column with hose clamps. I seem to recall them offering a self-cancelling version as well, not sure how that worked.

It took them a while to finally change that. I couldn't guess how many times I would go through a puddle, soaking the windshield in my '84 F150, and not being able to reach the wiper switch.

A lot of vehicles of that vintage the latching pawl on the shoulder part of the belt was overly sensitive and would latch up when you went over a bump requiring you to lean back a bit to release it. If you hit another bump before it released it could strap you way back into the seat.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

You could buy dynamite at the local hardware store.

 

[tallyho8]

A drunk driver hit my Ford Ranger head on causing me to get a couple of painful broken ribs and remembering that when I bought my next vehicle I wanted to get one with an airbag. I read up on them and saw that 1995 Ford pickups had airbags so I made that my next truck. I needed a diesel to pull my 3 horse trailer in the Ozark mountains and found a nice '95 Ford 250 and bought it after the salesman convinced me it had an airbag.

Within a few days after reading the manual and looking further at the steering wheel I found out that airbags were not in the 250s, only the 150s. I went back to the dealer and the only consideration I received was an apology from the salesman stating that he thought it did. They refused to take it back or give me any compensation.

Today I still have it with only 120,000 miles on it and it almost looks like new and thankfully no one has hit me yet but if one of the new aluminum pickups with plastic bumpers hits me I'm not really sure what injuries I will receive.

 

[turnkey4099]

I have a '67 Dart that has factory seatbelts and turn signals, but not headrests. The '70 I bought new back in the day had headrests, but not the shoulder belts. I also believe 1970 was the year passenger cars (but not trucks) had to have locking steering columns, mine did. The floor shifter (manual) wasn't interlocked so it was necessary to push a button to release the key/lock the column. 3-in-the-tree models had to be in reverse to remove the key IIRC, automatics in park. Those early shoulder belts were 2 separate belts, with separate buckles in the seat.

Speaking of turn signals, I remember the Sears catalog offering aftermarket turn signal kits for older vehicles, the switch assembly attached to the steering column with hose clamps. I seem to recall them offering a self-cancelling version as well, not sure how that worked.


A lot of vehicles of that vintage the latching pawl on the shoulder part of the belt was overly sensitive and would latch up when you went over a bump requiring you to lean back a bit to release it. If you hit another bump before it released it could strap you way back into the seat.

I believe Volvo was one of the leaders of 3-point seat belts (one buckle) I had a 59 volvo with it and loved it. Grab belt latch with right hand, blind jab and it was latched - had a big upside down u on the tunnel it latched into.

 

[kenmbz]

My 69 280sl had front and rear crumple zones, collapsible steering column, head rests, three point seat belt and reinforced pillars for the front windshield so it would hold up without the top on in a roll over.

 

[Oaktree]

Saabs were also pretty advanced when it came to safety features. I recall magazine ads showing them rolling down a hill to demonstrate how crush resistant they were, this would have been late 60s.