Latest grab by auto manufactures

[IndyJay]

Geeze. I had a 70 Nova with a 230L6 and three on the tree. Dad splurged for the AM radio.



No power anything. And yes, my mom taught me to park on a hill in case the starter went out.

While it was a blast to drive as a youth, the only way I’d go back to those simple systems would be if I just had it as a hobby car for fun. No way would I daily drive it.

I’m not lazy. Remote start. Power windows and locks. Air conditioning. Electric defrosters. Power mirrors. Backup cameras. Auto darkening night mirrors. Automatic transmissions. Heated seats. Leather. Power seats with lumbar support. Nice sound system. Hands free calling. Ahhhh…. That feels nice. It’s like a living room on wheels!

And I’m not an idiot. Seat belts, crumple zones, air bags, etc. are all far superior than a full frame brick, just in case someone in a 70 Nova crosses the line and hits me.

Old cars were not safe. Yeah, most of us survived. But why would anyone go back to that knowing what they do today?

Masochists!

67 Nova L6 Auto, then 73 Nova 250L6
Had a 3spd on floor, switched out to Muncie 210 4spd.
Sweet ride.

 

[Eagle1]

Geeze. I had a 70 Nova with a 230L6 and three on the tree. Dad splurged for the AM radio.


SNIP

And I’m not an idiot. Seat belts, crumple zones, air bags, etc. are all far superior than a full frame brick, just in case someone in a 70 Nova crosses the line and hits me.

Old cars were not safe. Yeah, most of us survived. But why would anyone go back to that knowing what they do today?

Masochists!

Yeah but in those cars you could bump something and drive away. Now the front end is destroyed and airbag deploys and it's totaled by the ins co. because of the labor costs to repair. Costs more to buy the programming tool to reset the errors than actual parts to repair.

BTW 71 Nova with L6 and 2 speed auto for me. Lost second and drove it in first for a year then that went out and I reversed back home for 10 miles. After that is was crotch rockets until I got a company car.

 

[MossRoad]

70 nova 230L 6. Bored .60 over. Stupid large cam. Valve job. Light porting and polishing. Holley 450. Headers modified from a pickup truck. It would do just shy of 120. Really high revving due to the short stroke compared to the 250. Had a habit of pumping all the oil out of the lifters in just about 1/4 mile.

Blew up the 3 on the tree and put in a 4 sp. Had to cut a hole in the floor.

Car rusted apart, and my mom and I cut it apart with a torch and put most of it out with the trash! Still have the engine sitting in a 1971 Toyota FJ40, but hasn’t ran in 35 years. Still have the hood as well. Retirement project.

Had a 71 with a 250 and power glide.
A 73 with a 250 and power glide.
And a 63 with a 194 and power glide.

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah but in those cars you could bump something and drive away. Now the front end is destroyed and airbag deploys and it's totaled by the ins co. because of the labor costs to repair. Costs more to buy the programming tool to reset the errors than actual parts to repair.

BTW 71 Nova with L6 and 2 speed auto for me. Lost second and drove it in first for a year then that went out and I reversed back home for 10 miles. After that is was crotch rockets until I got a company car.

I hit many small trees with the 70. Never dented it. Knocked the trees over. That car was pretty decent off-road, too.

 

[Hughman]

What are your major complaints with the 4Runner? (Keep in mind that because of my advanced age I will no longer be doing super difficult trails/rock crawling. I want something that will be comfortable for long trips on dirt roads.)

Very uncomfortable seats. Engine (v6), tranny (no manual option), insane oil change (need to ramp it up just to slide under on my back, 12 bolts to remove three skid plates to access the special internal oil filter that requires special tools to remove an leak oil all over me). The jeep by comparison takes about 15 minutes for an oil change, no jack required.

Then there's the looks of the 4R. The grill is great at collecting bugs, but oh so delicate to clean given it's painted plastic.

Not all bad. It is body-on-frame with a 2 speed part time t-case with a real shift lever. And the HVAC controls are big clucky knobs rather than some video game on a touch screen.

Still I can't help but hate it every time I get near it. That's just me though. I'm sure lots of people love these things.

 

[paulfun9]

I have been hit a couple times and was at fault for 1 accident. Also have been a passenger when others were involved in accidents.
Of all of them the "full frame brick" cars just drove away afterwards but my tin can crumple zone, anti lock, air bag equipped car was totaled and had me hospitalized with head trauma.
At that point in time I was believing in seat belts and would even scold my husband daily on his unwillingness to comply.
That was the turning point for me since he was in the car and most of the damage was on his side but yet he walked away with nothing more than a bruise on his arm while I was rushed to a trauma unit unconscious for a bit over a day, woke up to find broken ribs, jaw wired shut with reconstructive surgery to put the side of my head back together with Steele plates, bruised from head to tow with multiple cuts stiched back together.
I don't remember much from that day and absolutely nothing about the accident but when I asked him what happend he tells me he tried pulling me out of my seat before the truck hit us but I was strapped in with that "stupid f ing seat belt"
Since that day I have subscribed to his philosophy of what the Good Lord has planned is what he has planned and I live my life not in fear of what will happen but enjoy every day to its fullest.
I don't have issue with your crumple zones but do think they can build a car that doesn't need to be thrown away with one hit.
I like the ease of power brakes and we even have disk brakes on all our classic cars as well we have disk brakes on all the company trucks.
I won't criticize someone for wearing a seat belt or a helmet on a motorcycle but don't criticize me for not!

Janet

 

[Richard001]

I’m not lazy. Remote start. Power windows and locks. Air conditioning. Electric defrosters. Power mirrors. Backup cameras. Auto darkening night mirrors. Automatic transmissions. Heated seats. Leather. Power seats with lumbar support. Nice sound system. Hands free calling. Ahhhh…. That feels nice. It’s like a living room on wheels!

No you have just pointed out why the US is experiencing more traffic accidents than in prior years.

A lot of people don't seem to realize that driving is a full time job, and it is especially bad with the younger drivers.

 

[Gator6x4]

I have been hit a couple times and was at fault for 1 accident. Also have been a passenger when others were involved in accidents.
Of all of them the "full frame brick" cars just drove away afterwards but my tin can crumple zone, anti lock, air bag equipped car was totaled and had me hospitalized with head trauma.
At that point in time I was believing in seat belts and would even scold my husband daily on his unwillingness to comply.
That was the turning point for me since he was in the car and most of the damage was on his side but yet he walked away with nothing more than a bruise on his arm while I was rushed to a trauma unit unconscious for a bit over a day, woke up to find broken ribs, jaw wired shut with reconstructive surgery to put the side of my head back together with Steele plates, bruised from head to tow with multiple cuts stiched back together.
I don't remember much from that day and absolutely nothing about the accident but when I asked him what happend he tells me he tried pulling me out of my seat before the truck hit us but I was strapped in with that "stupid f ing seat belt"
Since that day I have subscribed to his philosophy of what the Good Lord has planned is what he has planned and I live my life not in fear of what will happen but enjoy every day to its fullest.
I don't have issue with your crumple zones but do think they can build a car that doesn't need to be thrown away with one hit.
I like the ease of power brakes and we even have disk brakes on all our classic cars as well we have disk brakes on all the company trucks.
I won't criticize someone for wearing a seat belt or a helmet on a motorcycle but don't criticize me for not!

Janet

I have been involved in several bad wrecks. I have always looked at it as the seat belt saved my life. From the injuries you described you received you did a considerable about of moving around even with a seat belt on. I shudder to think what would have been the end result without the seat belt. Ever watched NASCAR or Indy car races and seen one of those, oh my god wrecks and the driver crawls out and walks away without injury due to seat belts and the crumble built into the vehicle to absorbs the damaging energy produced by the wreck before it reaches our frail bodies?

Watch this video and then advise which wreck you think you would have survived and walked away from.

Also this is a good read on why we have the safety devices in autos today.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/27/automobiles/50-years-ago-unsafe-at-any-speed-shook-the-auto-world.html

 

[stevem5215]

And seat belts are not useful in side impact hits. That's what we have side impact air bags for. Cushions the blows from the sides.

 

[Gator6x4]

And seat belts are not useful in side impact hits. That's what we have side impact air bags for. Cushions the blows from the sides.

Very true. Using NASCAR Race Drivers again. Dale Earnhardt Sr. would probably be alive today in my opinion if he had been using a Hans Device.

Dale Earnhardt Made Eerily Prophetic Comments About His Helmet Before His Fatal Crash

Dale Earnhardt believed he always wore the proper gear inside his car. Before his tragic passing at the Daytona 500, however, he made some chilling remarks about his helmet.

www.sportscasting.com

ESPN Classic - Altered belt revelation stuns drivers

We have front air bags to keep our heavy heads from snapping forward in frontal collision and causing a basilar skull ring fracture the same type injury that killed three other NASCAR drivers, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper prior to Earnhardt's death in 2001. NASCAR requires the Hans Device instead of Air Bags.

Look at the the video on seat belts video on crashes with and without seat belts. Watch the dummies' head. If a live driver he to would have probably been killed by a basilar skull ring fracture.

I had a former co worker killed in a car accident because he was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle and came to a sudden stop, when stopped by an immoveable object.