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

[2LaneCruzer]

I can remember when you could buy lead based paint; it was outlawed in the late 1970's, as I recall.

 

[grsthegreat]

Funny I was thinking Pet Rock when I saw this and someone posted it. I remember seeing them in stores. Someone mentioned rotary phones. We went out to lunch two days ago and stopped in a antique store. This was for sale.
View attachment 754581

those are all over ebay for $20

 

[JasperFrank]

During WWII all the Bell System 302s were recalled as they had a case that were zinc cast. Zinc was important to the war effort. Since almost everyone didn't own the phone, the phone company would just replace your phone at will, there are very few of the zinc cast 302's left. The early 500's had a new hybrid, leather feet, metal finger plates, bakalite hand sets and new fangled plastic cases that came in all sorts of colors. They were designed to survive an EM atomic blast. They still work on pulse dialing. But most calls these days need TTones to work menus. If you have an old Bell System phone that is all gold and metallic, you have a one in a million phone. These were only given to select employees of the Bell System for exemplary service.

 

[JasperFrank]

Remember the FlyMo lawn mower? You can still buy one of the same design.

 

[JasperFrank]

I remember my Uncle would specifically order a car to his specs directly from the manufacturer. To be delivered to his local dealer for pickup. His cars had to be black, black interior, manual transmission, no radio or AC and all convertibles. And he would pick the smallest engine option possible. So, one of his cars was a 1970's Dodge Charger. In this odd trim. It was hell for even a young boy to get in the back seat. I wonder what this car would be worth today.

 

[Dftodd]

They sold everything in their heyday. I have a JC Higgins .22 by Sears, as well as a Hercules 16 gauge shotgun by Montgomery Ward.
Both were my father's.

My Arc welder is stamped Montgomery ward on the side of it

 

[RandyT]

100 years ago you could order an entire house from SEARS.

Still could up until a very few years ago. It was called Century 21. Century 21 was owned by the Sears corporation

 

[RandyT]

I can remember when you could buy lead based paint; it was outlawed in the late 1970's, as I recall.

haven't checked lately but forestry marking paint still contained lead at least up to 2000.

Remember the FlyMo lawn mower? You can still buy one of the same design.

Owned by Husqvarna, The name is still around, but what made them so relative was they were 2 stroke, with a diaphragm style carb, so the only thing limiting run position was the fuel tank. Little bit of research shows they are still made in the UK. Robotic mowers are their line of operation now.

 

[JasperFrank]

Century 21 didn't sell kits. These were whole houses, pre-cut and delivered on site. And you could mix and match to a degree, and way before CAD. I think the financing aspect of selling things, just destroyed the actual proposition of making and providing those things. GM, and Chrysler became lending banks more than they were car companies... to their mutual downfall.
I've always just bought stuff on cash and never taken out a loan on anything. Even if I have a 853 credit score, no matter what the sales person says, as to payments and financing, I know they think they have a big fish. I'm the fish and they are the angler. I hate the entire process of limited area dealerships with a monopoly of sales.
Did I ask for Auto Driving features... No. Did I ever ask for Remote Start, No. Did I ever ask that a truck that should cost 35 thousand dollars become an plush 56,000 dollar entertainment family vehicle? NO.
It makes no sense to me that trucks got as big and expensive and complected as they have become. And I find that no one is listening that a truck, should be a simple vehicle, and easily maintained by its owner. Everyone went the the other way to complication and subscriptions and monopolized all repair to their dealerships.

If any one has a clean 1994, - pre airbag, mid-sized truck for sale, in the PNW region, I'm all ears. Cause you can't find one for sale at a reasonable price.

 

[Jstpssng]

haven't checked lately but forestry marking paint still contained lead at least up to 2000.

They had started phasing it out by the mid '90s. We use a lot of orange boundary paint, at one time I could give a rough estimate of when a line was done just based on the shade of orange. Most people around here buy Nelson. Their first lead free was a pretty drab, almost brown color but they've improved it a lot since then. It's bright orange and seems to hold it's color.

Kubota should find out what they are using for pigment.