How did they do it before 4X4's.

[Lou C]

And how we did it with old school '70s American full size cars in snow:
Firestone Town & Country studded snows on the rear (and front if you were smart)
4 bags of sand in the trunk up around the spare tire for weight
a couple of coffe cans with plastic tops full of sand to put down when you got stuck

Learning the parking brake trick to stop a spinning wheel on one side
I went to FWD in '80 in my Civic and it was OK until you came to hills then you lost traction due to weight transfer. I got hooked on 4x4 when my sis in law at the time got a Subaru GL 4x4 wagon with part time 4x4. That thing was great in snow.
Now we have 3 Jeeps and a Subaru.
But still miss my old full size GM battleships. One day I was driving the '75 Olds Delta 88 up the Hutchinson Parkway on a windy day. All the sudden a large tree branch broke loose and bounced off the middle of the hood. Not even a ding. Today's vehicles would have hundreds if not thousands in damage.

 

[Lou C]

I killed a few batteries in the 69' Bug we had when the gas heater fan didn't shut off. I liked the idea of the battery in the back seat. Dad had a late 80's Buick where the battery was in the back seat as well. I don't know why they all don't put them back there. Always nice and clean out of the elements.

only problem with VW putting it there:
1) acid overflow rotted the floor pan
2) in some cases the springs for the seat actually caused a short across the battery terminals (giving new meaning to the term HOT SEAT)!

when I was just a baby back yard mechanic, 16 years old (1970s) my Dune Buggy would not crank, just got a big spark when cranking. Well, I found the previous owner had routed the battery + cable to the starter too close to the exhaust header on that side, so you can imagine what happened, direct short to ground! Learned a lot with that little car, wish I still had it.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Never had a problem with the above issues of batteries in the back seat. Many of us had Bugs back then and never heard of those problems, ever. Maybe lucky. My 67' MGB where a previous owner went from 6 volt to 12 volt and didn't secure the battery in the trunck correctly caused some smoke in the trunk when it shorted out. In the thing the battery and gas tank was about 12" from my butt.

In the 70's when we had real snowfalls the only thing that got me out was a young strong back and a big shovel.

 

[JimS123]

the battery was in the back seat as well. I don't know why they all don't put them back there. Always nice and clean out of the elements.

The wife's 2017 Chevy Traverse has the battery in the back seat. Wholly heck PITA. You have to pull up carpets and panels to get to it, and if you need to use the car to jump start anything else, forget it. My other cars have the batteries right up front behind the grill, with a cover on top of them with quicky connector terminals in case of emergency. Last time i replaced one it was perfectly clean.

 

[Lou C]

Never had a problem with the above issues of batteries in the back seat. Many of us had Bugs back then and never heard of those problems, ever. Maybe lucky. My 67' MGB where a previous owner went from 6 volt to 12 volt and didn't secure the battery in the trunck correctly caused some smoke in the trunk when it shorted out. In the thing the battery and gas tank was about 12" from my butt.

In the 70's when we had real snowfalls the only thing that got me out was a young strong back and a big shovel.

The people who had trouble probably forgot to install the cover that VW used on top of the battery....
Here's another of their odd habits....braided fuel lines....with no clamps in some cases....
My parents had a neighbor who was the town barber, kind of a skinflint kind of guy but fun to talk to. He had a '68 Bug without clamps on the fuel lines, and one day, had an engine compartment fire. Put it out by throwing snow on it lol. Since he lived across the street from us he knew I had just re-wired my Dune Buggy with a new harness. So he asked me to fix his...in January in an unheated garage, I did it with about $30 worth of wire and crimp on connectors...and added FUEL LINE CLAMPS, take that VW!!!

 

[jimmbo]

But still miss my old full size GM battleships. One day I was driving the '75 Olds Delta 88

I had a 76, well 2 of them. One was a 4dr Hardtop, the other a 4 dr Sedan. Both had 7.4 Litre engines> they were big, bigger than any of the RWD Caddies I have had since. Were pretty good tow cars too

 

[Old Ironmaker]

The people who had trouble probably forgot to install the cover that VW used on top of the battery....
Here's another of their odd habits....braided fuel lines....with no clamps in some cases....
My parents had a neighbor who was the town barber, kind of a skinflint kind of guy but fun to talk to. He had a '68 Bug without clamps on the fuel lines, and one day, had an engine compartment fire. Put it out by throwing snow on it lol. Since he lived across the street from us he knew I had just re-wired my Dune Buggy with a new harness. So he asked me to fix his...in January in an unheated garage, I did it with about $30 worth of wire and crimp on connectors...and added FUEL LINE CLAMPS, take that VW!!!

Did the skinflint reimburse you Lou? I doubt it.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I had a 76, well 2 of them. One was a 4dr Hardtop, the other a 4 dr Sedan. Both had 7.4 Litre engines> they were big, bigger than any of the RWD Caddies I have had since. Were pretty good tow cars too

Dad had a mid 70's Delta 88 he bought in Florida when they had a condo there. The car was almost 25 years old and in almost mint condition and he paid 500 bucks for it. The old story buying it from the little old lady that used it to go to church twice a week. It was so carboned up it wouldn't shut off when you turned the key off. I took care of that when I drove it to the Keys and cleaned her out real good after I changed the plugs, they were jhet black. It got 10 miles to a gallon, maybe. If I remember right the 2 flights from Toronto to Ft. Myers was less than driving it to the Keys and back to Port Charlotte. When they sold in Fla I drove it back up north and he gave it to my brother, it was more than double in gas than the car cost, your welcome Pops and dear brother. We could have saved money for rooms because the interior was the size of a small apartment, a furnished apt.

 

[Lou C]

Ours was the same color as the hardtop. But was a 75 with round lights. I pulled out the sealed beams and put in 4 Hella H-4 headlamps for driving on unlit country roads. Loved that car!