Quirky aspects of older cars

[brian2cv]

A couple of days I asked about peoples recollections of starting handles. Two of you not only knew what they were but had used them! What other aspects of older cars can you recall that you don't see now. I can think of a few such as the steering column gear lever which meant a 'bench seat' for three people (driver and TWO passengers)could go in the front of the car.

[johnny.5]

flip out indicators

[ChuckFickens]

carburettors
points (and the setting of point gaps)
non syncromesh gearboxes
cable operated brakes
front drum brakes
being able to fix your own car no matter what went wrong with it!!

[johnny.5]

kids crammed into the boot

[frankofile]

Being a girlie I don't suppose I'm allowed to post an answer here, But I remember the first time I had a car with no Choke. I think it was a Fiat 127. I didn't know how it would start. And in a further bid to embaress myself, the first time I test drove a car with power-steering, A Landrover Discovery, I nearlly did a 180 degree turn on the dual carriage-way by Sainsbury's in Taunton, because no one told me how light the steering was

[brian2cv]

Sometimes you heard a satisfying clunk when the indicators dropped back into the body, only they didn't always fully return and might stick out slightly!

[brian2cv]

Frankofile - girlies are most definitely allowed to post an answer here!

[taichiperson]

Our first car, a Renault 4, ran on two star petrol and we spent five pounds a week on petrol. We were impressed at the extra power when we went from an 850cc engine to a 1.1 litre.
I had to drive a (younger) friend's camper van when he was inder the influence, and he very carefuly explained that it had a choke and how to use it - teaching your grandmother to suck eggs!!
When i was little, my dad used to regularly drive home from parties late at night the worse for wear - my mother would concentrate on the white line and warn him if he was wandering across to the wrong side of the road - she was as drunk as he was, and I was often asleep on the back seat......

[brian2cv]

My grandfather's Ford 8 had a three speed gearbox with no syncromesh on bottom gear, a 6 volt battery (always 12 volts today) and wipers that worked off the inlet manifold. What the last named meant in non technical language was the fact that the wipers almost stopped when you had your foot hard down on the accelerator and speeded up when you took your foot off. I'm not joking.

[bensmum]

I can remember actually being able to repair things on my cars. The one I have at present is none too modern but I remember my old Ford Escort which was practically held together with string. And the Land Rover which used to sieze up so the lump hammer came in very handy quite often!

[frankofile]

Hey Taichi, you reminded me, a friend phoned us up one Sunday morning at 5.30am to say he'd bought us a Landrover. He'd bought it for scrap parts the day before for 50 quid, but realised it was better than his own, so offered it to us. It was a 12 seater and the front seats were like park benches. I am only 5 foot tall so to reach the peddles i had to lie flat on my back. But we used it to great effect on nights out in south Devon. As long as someone stayed relativly sober, 12 people could be got home on a Saturday night

[Barmaid]

Flick switches for lights and windscreen wipers (2 speeds, slow and stop). A screw on petrol cap with no lock. A radio that worked without the car switched on (it was wired direct into the battery - consequently it went flat). No wing mirrors, so I had a fix on one, which used to fly off through my open window if I ever achieved speeds of 80mph (down hill, back wind). A gear lever like a stick in a bucket and a key in the middle of the dash. Amazingly enough, me and my ex husband used to be able to pack it with a tent and enough clothes and camping equipment for 2 weeks. Although it did overheat on a hot summer's day on a steep hill in Derbyshire in slow moving traffic and I had to be rescued by a passing wagon of army cadets (shame!).

I LOVED that car!!!!!!!!

[brian2cv]

Land Rover and lump hammer. Yes I can understand them being in the same sentence. I had one which I think was about 1952 model. Very robust if not overly comfortable, I never had to worry about falling asleep in that one. I was pleased to get the starter motor fixed when it failed because the hand crank had a wicked kick.

[mushroom25]

if anyone ever says "I'll pick you up in the land rover", be very afraid of the word "THE". Because everyone knows the minimum workable number of land rovers is three -

one in service
one out of service
one in the back yard, a "long term" restoration project.

[cazzz1975]

I miss the different shapes and designs of older cars, they all look pretty similar these days

[brian2cv]

cazzz, that's a very good point. If I had to describe one of today's cars that had just driven past to the police for instance then other than perhaps noticing the colour I'd be stuck. In the old days you could recognise and identify almost every make and model of car. They even sounded different! I think Barmaid would agree that her moggie 1000 had a distinctive bark to its exhaust note peculiar to morris minors as an example.

[clever trev]

I remember if you bought a new car, you had to pay extra for the spare wheel

[brian2cv]

Paying extra for the spare wheel? I have to admit I don't remember that one. But I do recall that on certain models in the fifties a heater was an optional extra! I am old enough to remember as a child sitting in the back of a car and sharing a car rug over our knees. Of course we all wore short trousers back then!!

[logic]

front wings rotting around the headlights, the headlights were allways round lucas ones and were standard on nearly every car, easily replaced, and cheaply.
steel front and rear bumpers, that you could hang a tow rope on, just in case you couldn't start it with the handle.
Windscreen wipers that worked off of vacuum from inlet manifold, so stopped when you were accellerating uphill,
leaf springs, king pins and bushes, no need for wheel ballancing, whitch wasn't even heard of,
Cross-ply tyres that seemed to last forever,
oh. and leaving your car unlocked all night.
car radio with valves that filled the glove compartment.

[brian2cv]

There have been some great answers on this thread so far. Thanks everyone. What really is coming across is that old cars, particularly the first ones we ever had were (a) fun and (b) fixable. The things that I thought were particularly telling comparing the old days and now was 'Barmaid' mentioning her non locking fuel cap and 'logic' talking about leaving the car unlocked all night. How different things are today!!

[randyraven]

I was reading some old AutoCar magazines from late 1958 till 1960 , I purchased at a boot sale.
Fantastic reading ...ads for battery that will last 2 years !

Best is an advert for a in car baby cot ...with picture ...
The cot fits horizontal between the front bench seat back and other end of cot fits to top of back bench seat. Thus babies head is pointing horizontal towards windscreen.
No straps of course ....
We have a baby missile ....hit breaks at 40mph and see what happens ...