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

[ultrarunner]

Auto Safety is a continuous series of improvements... safety glass, 4 wheel brakes, independent parking brakes, rear view mirrors, etc... from my 1920's research.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

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.

Volvo and Saab were both leaders in automotive safety for decades. Both of them built aircraft, and migrated that technology into their cars. They also migrated some of the other technology form the aircraft, such as disc brakes, and hose clamps.

Anytime I went to the pick-a-part yard, I’d strip those aircraft grade constant tension hose clamps, and the Bosch relays and relay bracket assemblies, off the Volvos and Saabs.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Not sure about safety...but if you wanted a car that was hard to blemish...a '59' Studebaker takes the cake...you couldn't put a dent in the body with a sledge hammer...!
All time favorite car at demolition derby's around the country...!

Never tried to ding a Studebaker. I do know that the higher end GM products, with the porcelain dipped bodies by Fisher, were nearly indestructible. In order to keep the porcelain from cracking they made the body panels really thick.

They had huge engines, cranking out lots fo horsepower and torque, but did not accelerate very well at all. But once you go them upto speed and rolling down the freeway, they had really smooth rides. My mom had a 61 Buick Electra, with the porcelain finish. It wieghed more than the GVW on my dads F250.

 

[bunyip]

Spud guns, pushed the end of the barrel into a potato and twisted, worked on compressed air but can't remember how you charged it, probaly a plunger somewhere, point at unsuspecting victim who was then hit with a 1/4" piece of flying spud.
Later a smaller one came out with a chamber and a bullet with a hole in the end, you pushed the bullet into a spud, pulled off the casing and put in a cap (they came on a paper roll for making toy guns bang) put it in the gun and it fired your spud projectile, we found a .22 short was the same size, being cheap thin cast metal they disintegrated and were potentially lethal, some kids lost fingers, mine exploded in my hand and stung like hell, so did my backside when the old man found out.

 

[PJSprog]

Friend of mine made a spud gun from PVC and a twist igniter, using carb cleaner in the chamber. It was so powerful that it knocked nails out of the boards on the back of his garage.

 

[bunyip]

Innovative youth........................ and still alive somehow

 

[JethroB]

Friend of mine made a spud gun from PVC and a twist igniter, using carb cleaner in the chamber. It was so powerful that it knocked nails out of the boards on the back of his garage.

Carb cleaner, WD40, and even women's hairspray worked pretty good. (Propellant?) Fire them at night and watch the flames come out of the barrel. A wonder we didn’t get killed.

 

[kenmbz]

We used lighter fluid a metal pipe and tennis balls. Got one to go more than a few blocks over.

 

[bunyip]

Aerostart although the one we get is called startyabastard

 

[grsthegreat]

Aerostart although the one we get is called startyabastard
View attachment 755766

what a great name