The old days...

generator12

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Posting about my engine block heater earlier today made me think back to when we were younger and cars were simpler. A lot of guys long for those days, but I'm not so sure.

Think about nylon tires with tubes inside, six volt electric systems, and the breaker-point ignition. And we were starting an engine using 30-weight oil that flowed like cold peanut butter..! Don't forget the radio with vacuum tubes, and the vibrator to convert the DC to AC so the tubes would work. (How many of those did you replace over the life of the car?)

Still, despite all this, they could be made to work. Sort of.

Anybody miss those days?
 

dwco5051

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6:00-16 Tires that cost less than ten bucks each. But remember they only lasted about 10,000 miles. Rayon cords and on a cold morning you had to drive about ten miles or so before they warmed up and the flat spots were gone. Adjusted the points to the thickness of a match book cover and gapped plugs with a thin dime. Kept a spare set of points and condenser in the glove box. Vacuum windshield wiper motors so on a rainy day when you put the gas pedal to the floor to pass someone the wipers slowed or almost stopped. Headlight dimmer switch on the floor on the left side and starter pedal on the right side. What I do miss the most was I was dating eighteen year old girls back then.
 

tpenfield

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Old days are nice to look back on . . . but . . . I'm sure glad cars do not need as much TLC these days, so we have more time to work on our boats :D
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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I miss round headlights, cars with souls, cars that came standard with 3 pedals and real interiors, not this plastic carp they have today

my first car was a single-barrel on an in-line 6 with a 3-speed trans. I could start the car in temps as low as -35. below that the battery didnt spin the motor over fast enough for it to catch

fuel injection is nice for a well maintained daily driver, however all the otherelectronics in cars is there solely for advertising "tech" Biggest failure on most brands of cars is the electronics. do we really need 18 separate modules networks in a car to be able to open the windows or even turn on the radio. Im on the 3rd BCM in a vehicle and the dealer cant tell me why. and the thing that fails is the communication to the other modules, so the whole network goes down and nothing works I have yet to be impressed over the recent trend of over-technification

there is no way you could take one of todays cars, put it in a barn for 45 years, then get it started with a coffee can of fuel, a short hose and a nail file out of your wifes purse. Heck, you cant even take the battery out of most cars because even if you put it back in, the car wont start without re-initializing something using the dealer
 

gm280

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Jun 26, 2011
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If you really think about it, everything in a new vehicle is computer controlled. And if you have any problems, you either have to buy a very good code reader or take it to the shop. There is no more fixing a lot of issues yourself. And as more and more computer controlled things are forced into the newer vehicles, it will come to only the very well funded shops will be able to stay open.

Yes the older vehicle had their problems. But you could easily determine what that problem was. Spark, gas and you could get it running pretty well to carry on. Now if you have a problem, it could one of any number of sensors acting up. Finding that iffy sensor is the new mechanic's challenge now.

And I hear the vehicle manufacturers are lobbying for a law to make it against the law to fix your own vehicles in the future. They are stating that code readers are compromising their proprietary software. We will see.

I know I don't need video screens in my vehicles to get from point A to point B. But that is just me...
 

dingbat

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The “good ole days” where not that good and not that long ago....lol

Still remember the naysayers going on and on about electronic ignitions in cars. A rotating shaft with plastic contacts and points where much more reliable....lol

Looks like I’m the odd guy out when it comes to enthusation for innovations in systems monitoring and HMI interfaces.

Then again, most have not spent years designing, building and selling automation equipment. Electronic monitoring and controls are not foreign to me. I’m as efficient with a laptop as I am with a wrench.
 

DeepCMark58A

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I sure like the new technology, starting my truck with my phone. I no longer have to get in a cold vehicle in the airport parking ramp.
 

82rude

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I don't miss the old days what so ever.With a few exceptions heating systems sucked ,auto chokes sucked ,cars rusted out sometimes even before you drove them off the lot (see mercury montego).What I don't get about today rides though is the infotainment systems expecially with the govt harping on us about distracted driving .Im actually surprised that they havnt reeled the mfg in a few notches.
 

tpenfield

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I always keep my OBD2 code reader/eraser handy. It seems that all of the cars need to have a code or 2 wiped out. I accidentally overheated my old Explorer last weekend when the AF was a bit low . . . the CPU put out a code - "overheating" - . . . No kidding, you don't say. :facepalm:
 

StarTed

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Jul 14, 2015
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I've thought about the good ol' days some, especially with cars. I like the ability to keep the car going anywhere with just a few tools and some bailing wire. (no duct tape for me). Then on the other hand they sure last for more miles now than in the past. Engines run for several hundred thousand miles before rebuilds, brakes last much longer, tires last longer and the rides are better. Navigation systems are sometimes handy.

Once some of adults were on a scout outing talking about the "good ol' days" when a 12 year old boy joined us and began talking about the "good ol' days. I asked him when the good ol' days were? He answered, 2 years ago.

The new vehicles are not without their problems. The 2003 Chev Duramax I once had gave me around 175,000 miles of mostly good service. It had a habit of running rough until I cycled a couple of connectors on top of the engine. Then it would be good for another few thousand miles. Once the oil pressure began bouncing up and down before the engine slowed down and only let me idle over Snoqualmie pass to an off ramp. A sensor went bad and told the computer that I'd lost oil pressure. That's when I realized there is no direct linkage to the throttle.

Guess I'll go work on restoration of my 1948 Pontiac Silver Streak that I've owned since 1963. It's about time I restore it.
 

82rude

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Nice ride Star Ted! Me ,id be more of a 49 to 58 chieftain type of guy.Had a strato-chief (64?).Canadian Catalina.I always liked poncho,s over any other gm.
 

Scott Danforth

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dingbat I have designed HMI systems for decades. Simply because it is what someone wanted. not because it was better. Im the last person to be afraid of anything. however i have also spent weeks in the field repairing stuff after it fails as well. I was involved with the first touch screens in mobile equipment in the early 90's, yet I prefer a bank of analog gauges.

big push years ago to put PLC's in hydraulic power units on yachts.... the only function needed was a timer relay 2 diodes and a relay. to date most of the PLC's have failed as the tail end of a yacht can see 4 G's of shock in a sea-state 4. i re-designed out HPU controls with a simplistic mebrane switch on the front, a PIC on chip (with a spare in the panel), and standard 12 volt VF4 relays for the I/O so our service department can pull relays from the rental car if needed to get the equipment back up and running. do date, no failures by simplifying the controls

our gangways have momentary switches and diodes for controls and are the most robust pieces of equipment on todays HMI heavy yachts.

I grew up buying cars with 100k miles on them, many with rusty bodies.... use them for a daily driver and after another 100k-150k on the clock, they were scrapped

Most required a timing chain, carb rebuild and new hoses and belts upon purchase. $200 in parts and an afternoon. the same work is required today at 70-100k, however the whole front clip must be removed, and in many cases the engine removed for timing chain or belt service. I now have a few thousand dollars in specialty tools for multiple manufacturers for the sake of holding the crank still and 4 cam sprockets in place while standing on ones head to thread a timing belt. Dealer cost to to a timing service on an Audi is $2700, parts alone is $400 plus a weekend

Not knocking todays cars, however a 1962 T-bird with a 390-4V got 17mpg on average, (15mpg city 21mpg on the highway). fast forward 40-50 years and todays full size cars do not get significantly better mileage, look like a melted bar of soap and everything electronic is failing and everything plastic breaking within 10 years

My last daily whip was 225k and had a good 100k plus left in it prior to the insurance company totaling it vs spending $300 to fix it.

from my perspective, the vehicles are not lasting any longer, they simply cost more initially, have more plastic and electronic stuff in them and cost signifcantly more to fix to get them to 250k/300k. it was mandated that all 2019 vehicles have a backup camera in them because todays drivers cant use mirrors or turn their head. all vehicles after 2008 must have TPMS, and that simply means that your tire changes now incur an extra $150-$600 in sensor replacement. that is simply tech for the sake of tech

i miss the good old days.
 
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Old Ironmaker

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Ah the good old days. Do I miss being fit as a fiddle with a 52" chest and a 34" waist running a 4.6 40? Your darned right I do. Do I miss shoveling snow for an hour to get out a 20 foot long 5 ton behemoth with rear wheel drive? No way, no how, never. Do I miss 7 miles per gallon of gas? Or how about the rust after 40,000. If you got to the 100,000 mile mark on the odometer it went back to zero, because that's what the rust bucket heap that used 2 quarts of bulk oil per 100 miles was worth. You will smell me coming down the road before you see me. I really miss the forearm work outs steering my 64' Pontiac Laurencian without power steering then hammering both feet on the brake pedal to stop it. Radios were great, got most of the 6 AM channels that came in clear. Don't slam the door on the GMC pickup because it might rupture an eardrum. I could write a list 100 lines long, single spaced about the good old days. They say " Oh they sure don't make things like in the good old days" They sure don't, unless it was a car or truck and sometimes bikes.

I pumped gas at 35 cents a gallon and changed oil and filters down the street when I was 13. Bulk oil was the oil we took out of Mr. Chevy's Desoto and if it looked "OK" it went right into the bulk oil drum then went into Mr. Dodges Studebaker. I kid you not. If it was dirty it went right into the sewer.

I'm going to venture a guess that anyone that misses those heaps of the good old days never had to drive or push them everyday.
 
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MRS

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My first was a 56 chevy truck with a straight 6 3 on the tree foot starter and the high beam switch on the floor. I was racing motor cycles at the time so needed a truck. We would get 3 bikes in the short bed and head to the races had a single barrel carb on it would run maybe 5 miles and back fire and die. We would get out and pour gas premix in to the carb and go and do the samething again till we got where we where going. Cannot do that now adays but kids and the world is not the same.
I am just replying to this cause you brought back some good no great memories for me that I am glad I did get to do I would not change what I did get to do as a Kid Thanks.
 

Scott Danforth

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My first was a 56 chevy truck with a straight 6 3 on the tree foot starter and the high beam switch on the floor. I was racing motor cycles at the time so needed a truck. We would get 3 bikes in the short bed and head to the races had a single barrel carb on it would run maybe 5 miles and back fire and die. We would get out and pour gas premix in to the carb and go and do the samething again till we got where we where going. Cannot do that now adays but kids and the world is not the same.
I am just replying to this cause you brought back some good no great memories for me that I am glad I did get to do I would not change what I did get to do as a Kid Thanks.

most likely fuel pump needed replacment on the 235
 

82rude

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One motor I miss from the old days is the ford 300-i6.I had 3 ,one was a f250 with 4 speed and carb and the other 2 were f150 4x4 with 5 speeds I believe and efi.Very reliable and lots of torque for the day .I had a 88 f250 4x4 with 5 speed and 302 v8 also which was gutless compared to the sixes and frankly a gas guzzling unreliable pig .With hindsight when I swapped motors in it I should of went with a 300 six .Sure did a lot of motor swapping way back then and you know what?It was fun,but then we were in our 20,s then not 60 and battered like now .
 

garbageguy

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Fun thread to read while (supposed to be) using the time to do inside work, while it gets a little warmer outside. Cars now - I'm now trying the lease/keep new program as I should get to work reliably, not as interested in messing with daily drivers, they get more comfortable/easy to drive, have scary amount of electronics that WILL have problems. Thanks all for reinforcing thoughts on the good old days.
 

MRS

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most likely fuel pump needed replacment on the 235

Nope was the carb. saved can,t remember but think it was 25 bucks got a carb. exchange and was good to go. Well at least as good as the little motor would go. :)
 

bigdee

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One motor I miss from the old days is the ford 300-i6.I had 3 ,one was a f250 with 4 speed and carb and the other 2 were f150 4x4 with 5 speeds I believe and efi.Very reliable and lots of torque for the day .I had a 88 f250 4x4 with 5 speed and 302 v8 also which was gutless compared to the sixes and frankly a gas guzzling unreliable pig .With hindsight when I swapped motors in it I should of went with a 300 six .Sure did a lot of motor swapping way back then and you know what?It was fun,but then we were in our 20,s then not 60 and battered like now .

The 300 I-six was one of the best sixes ever built. They were noisy knockers but would easily run past 200k. The Jeep I-six runs a close second.
 
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