Grandpa, tell me bout the good ole days............

[LouNY]

I like electronic ignitions and fuel injection.
Still have points in several of the small tractors on the farm and carbs
yea, they may be simpler to work on but when you climb up and she won't start or just runs like crap with a days work ahead of you.

 

[Oldpath05]

This EFI is half the reason why you cant see the engine anymore when the hood is lifted so now when check engine light comes on, it really means go to nearest dealer and hope its still under warrantee.....

 

[Jstpssng]

This EFI is half the reason why you cant see the engine anymore when the hood is lifted so now when check engine light comes on, it really means go to nearest dealer and hope its still under warrantee.....

Yet they still are more dependable than before. I would rather drive something 100K miles and trade than work on something every month and sell it to the junkyard at 80k miles.

 

[LouNY]

This EFI is half the reason why you cant see the engine anymore when the hood is lifted so now when check engine light comes on, it really means go to nearest dealer and hope its still under warrantee.....

The EFI is just a small part of whats under the hood,
the emission system is much more of it.
And then the body control computer is even more complicated.

Simple EFI and electronic ignition cured more problems then they caused.

 

[California]

Simple EFI and electronic ignition cured more problems then they caused.

So true.

I bought my first new cars in the late 80's and discovered that the addition of a computer makes a car run like new well past 100k miles because it compensates for things going out of spec. Huge difference from the traditional cars I had owned, with considerable maintenance, up to then.

My present '99 Subaru Outback and 2005 Ford Focus Wagon, each about 140k miles, still get the same mpg as new. I keep records and calculate mpg once in a while. Each is on only its second set of spark plugs. In contrast a F150 (correction F100) a friend bought new in 1967 was gagging and spitting at 28k miles (18k?) until replacing the spark plugs brought it back to new.

Anything with a carb, points, old cheap spark plugs, and no computer, starts a decline in performance from the first mile. On modern rigs the computer compensates and you never see that decline for years.

But of course diesel has even less reason to decline in performance over time, its just simpler.

 

[ultrarunner]

F100 in 1967?

Lead Fouling also a problem back in the day...

 

[California]

F100 in 1967?

You're right, not F150 but F100. This one. Same color, even.

 

[grsthegreat]

108K... yeah, and how many times would you have rebuilt it?

Ya, but you could buy 10 trucks for the price if 1 nowdays. Remember when trucks were cheap.

 

[oosik]

Yes - I DO remember when trucks were cheap. 1948 my father bought a brand new GMC one ton pickup. His annual salary in 1950 - $3450. I don't remember what he had to pay for that pickup. Historical records indicate it would have been around $1500. Half his annual salary for a new pickup. I remember it had no radio and no cabin heater. Radios in vehicles were almost nonexistent. Heaters were a definite optional item.

Winter trips in that pickup were really hellacious.

 

[California]

Remember when trucks were cheap.

Really cheap. Base level Ford pickups had the same advertised price as VW Bug ....$1,999.

Of course if you wanted a spare tire, radio, an arm rest, ashtray, upholstery on the inside of the doors, a rear bumper, then the VW had those but the base level pickup didn't. The pickups at least had a gas gauge while the VW didn't, instead you used your foot to push a lever under the dashboard and engage the small auxiliary tank. Good Old days ...