Musings on automotive dinosaurs

iceracer said:

Having lived through the dinosaur era, there is not much I miss.  You lived with it because it is the way it was.

 

People get nostalgic for the stuff they couldn’t wait to get rid of when something new came along. 

My first car was a 1980 Chevy C10. It had many of the things mention: column shift, mechanical clutch linkage,  vent windows, manual brakes, manual mirrors, crank windows, floor vents, no A/C, carburetor, floor dimmer, no cup holders, rubber covered floor (no carpet), vinyl bench, metal bumpers, 8ply rated bias ply tires, no intermittent setting for wipers, and a single radio speaker in the dash. 

The only thing missing as a dinosaur was points ignition, but it was a single wire HEI.

Sometimes I miss the simplicity and utilitarian nature of it, but really do like the modern amenities in my dd.

Leaded gas.

Gas without alcohol.

Gas that actually smelled GOOD.

Super high-tech slider HVAC controls like this:

I'm 30. I've driven column shift manuals, cars without power brakes, cars without power steering, my current daily is a manual and I'd have bought one with manual windows if it was an option. Most of my cars have been carbureted and have given me no trouble, same with distributors and points. I've even driven with manual wipers and floor mounted starter buttons.

On the other hand, my BIL had to have my sister drive him to work for a while when his corolla got crunched because he couldn't drive her manual saturn.

I do like my automatic headlights though. And screw vacuum controlled anything.

I bet there isn't anyone here who misses vacuum wipers.

I didn't know vacuum wipers were a thing. They sound horrible.

I really miss vent windows. And of course, now that I don't have a miata anyhow someone is finally after marketing them. If only they'd do it for the ranger...

not that I've driven it, but:

manual steering, manual start, manual non-synchromesh transmission

RevRico said:

I didn't know vacuum wipers were a thing. They sound horrible.

In reply to Cooter :

actually that sounds like a Lucas product... guaranteed to suck!

Floor high beam switch, floor wiper squirter pump.

Spare tire and jack/lugwrench kits

I still miss 'crotch vents'. Some cars had some variation of this into the 90s at least. I know many 80s hondas have an outside air lever that simulates one on the driver side. Modern cars don't seem to draw in outside air very well, but clean inside recirculated air nicely. Its weird driving newer cars, as you seem completely insulated from smells. In the city, I didn't mind, but living in the mountains, its odd and makes me miss the outdoor connection. Hence we bought a manual convertible. 

I see (non-elite luxury) convertibles going away with new standards however. Lets hope I am wrong. 

Hydraulic power steering, and brakes will be replaced with electronic servos.  Mechanical steering connected to the wheels is also starting to go.  The robots will be taking over very soon.

Rain gutters!

it was nice to be able to crack the window or open the door and not get dripped on. 

Vinyl seats. Can't remember the last time I've seen them in a new car.

I'm 28 and currently own or within the last year have owned a vehicle with: crank windows, no AC, no heat, no ABS, no power steering, pop-up headlights, and all but two of my cars have been manuals. However I also don't think I've ever driven a carburetted car and know I've never driven a three-on-the-tree manual (but always wanted to.) 

Vent windows are probably the archaic thing I'd most like to see come back.

My 90 year old mother wouldn’t replace her ‘98 Toyota Avalon because it was the last of the column shifted Toyota cars.

pinchvalve said:

Record players...

...reel-to-reel, 8-track, cassettes and CD players were all introduced and killed off in cars.  With tablets replacing the center console, I predict that traditional radios with head units will disappear.  It will be integral to the electronics and updated by download. 

 

Scratch that one, they are back!  (Sony just released a modern wireless turntable)

How many new cars even have DIN (or double DIN) radios?  Aren't they all pretty much custom and integrated?

An item that is missing on the list is: Steering or actually controlling the car.

Cooter said:

I bet there isn't anyone here who misses vacuum wipers.

I've never experienced them, and the mere idea horrifies me.  I've seen how well vacuum operated headlight doors/actuators "work", wouldn't want to need them to see with.

I hear that some vehicles had vacuum operated shfter controls on manual transmissions.  Sounds like a whole lotta nope.  The vacuum operated diff locks on old Audis sucked enough.

RevRico said:

I didn't know vacuum wipers were a thing. They sound horrible.

I really miss vent windows. And of course, now that I don't have a miata anyhow someone is finally after marketing them. If only they'd do it for the ranger...

Vent windows may as well have been called theft enhancers.  Easy to pop out, reach in, unlock door.

Not everybody was cool like Ford and had power sliding vent windows.  They were actually pretty useless, but they existed.

Nugi said:

I still miss 'crotch vents'. Some cars had some variation of this into the 90s at least. I know many 80s hondas have an outside air lever that simulates one on the driver side. Modern cars don't seem to draw in outside air very well, but clean inside recirculated air nicely. Its weird driving newer cars, as you seem completely insulated from smells. In the city, I didn't mind, but living in the mountains, its odd and makes me miss the outdoor connection. Hence we bought a manual convertible. 

I see (non-elite luxury) convertibles going away with new standards however. Lets hope I am wrong. 

I was excited to find that my 323 has a crotch vent. Now just to get it drivable so I can utilize it...

In reply to Knurled. :

There were tanks to store a little more vacuum.  They helped if the hill wasn't too long

Hand operated chokes.

Cloth upholstery that came in all sorts of wild colors and textures, unlike the gray mouse fur that's universal in modern cars.

stuart in mn said:

Hand operated chokes.

Cloth upholstery that came in all sorts of wild colors and textures, unlike the gray mouse fur that's universal in modern cars.

 

 

I am endlessly annoyed that the '83 GTI that I bought had A2 Golf seats and zero other interior, and not the lurid tartan interior that GTIs are supposed to have.

Ma Mopar used hand chokes in 1970 to eke the Street Hemi through EPA (maybe CARB) emissions testing.  Mazda had a hand choke on all carbureted rotaries, right up to the end in 1985.  It was a neat setup, the choke was spring-tensioned and there were temp sensors involved to control an electric brake in the choke knob assembly, so the choke would disengage automatically based on engine temperature.  Or you could push the choke in manually once you were underway because you only really needed the choke at idle.

If you haven't driven a column shifted manual you aren't missing anything

Vacuum wipers are paired with a double-acting fuel pump which has a second diaphragm that works as a vacuum pump.

They work just fine when all parts of the system are present and maintained well. They suck donkey balls when some jackwagon cheaps out and can't be bothered to buy the correct fuel pump and just plumbs the vacuum line to the manifold instead.