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

[Frankenkubota]

First car. 1950 something Hudson Hornet. Kinda pink? 3 guys, $25 a piece. I was 14. By the time i took drivers ed I could teach the teacher.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I would have guessed that V8 would be faster than that :shocked:

:laughing::laughing::laughing:

I guess I had a little brainfart there; meant to say MPG. It would run like a striped***ape, and would pass everything but a gas station. It had another quirk; you couldn't keep it between the fence posts when the road got even a little slick.

I guess it's a good thing they didn't select me to write the 10 commandments; I might of left out the word "Not".

 

[user.69169]

60s Studebaker pickups, half or 3/4 ton. Ugly as rewarmed sin but dey go thru anything and haul anything you got in back too. Might well have been what killed Studebaker except for Onan division.

 

[/pine]

'59' Studebaker...hands down the best demolition derby car ever...!

 

[Oaktree]

I put kingpin bushings in my '63 F100 (with the one-piece front axle), just push them in! Simplest vehicle ever!

But its 3-speed had first and reverse gears too tall for a truck. That must have been the passenger car transmission. Backing out of a steep downhill spot was hop-hop-hop instead of just driving backward. Starting uphill with a load was similar, it needed way too much clutch slip to get moving.

Some things didn't change...I had a '79 F-150 and the gearing in that was very tall as well. Granted this was made in the 2nd "gas crisis" of the 70s, and it may have been an attempt to cheat the EPA requirements. Didn't seem to help much on fuel economy though... :thumbdown:

They had to be... they started falling apart almost as soon as they left the dealership. 6-7K for a late '70s pickup which MIGHT go 100K miles with the proper care; oil chnges every 3000 miles or less, points, plugs, condenser every 10K and timing adjusted several times between. Now a comparable truck will run you around 27K yet will go 100K miles with oil changes every 7000 miles, and maybe a brake job. 200K is easily attainable, and many vehicles go 300K or more. Much of that is because they are just built stronger, but also fluids and filters are better than they were 40 years ago.

Granted, vehicles last much longer today than in the past, but by the mid-70s most everything had electronic ignition...Mopars had it starting in '73 as I recall, the rest of the big 3 followed suit. ISTR the Japanese brands being late to that party.
Still carbureted though with all the issues that caused (especially emissions-related). I recall the biggest impediment to longevity was rust, though obviously that only was a problem where road salt was used.

 

[California]

For many years - entertainment for the harvest crew, inside the outhouse out back.

 

[PILOON]

Well I remember gas at $0.36 per Imperial Gallon!
$2.00 would fill up my VW beetle!
And I seem to recall we'd get about 35 MPG.
You simply could not kill those old Bugs but rust usually got to them first.

Then as an option you could have a gas fired heater up front that they placed over you gas tank on the driver's side.
Like WOW, better have good brakes as you might not live thru rear ending the guy up front!

 

[Oldpath05]

I would have guessed that V8 would be faster than that :shocked:

:laughing:

 

[Oldpath05]

What I remember about Chrislers in the 70's was the starters always sounded different. Them ole slant 6's was one of their toughest motors.......

 

[California]

What I remember about Chrislers in the 70's was the starters always sounded different

Gear Reduction drive!