Bumper stickers and license plates

[2jakes]

I think my father's work truck, which was a Chevrolet panel truck, had a hand throttle but I don't remember him ever using it. All the switches on the dash were push-pull knobs, too, I think, like for the lights. The starter was a pedal on the floor. The truck belonged to the company he worked for but for all I remember, it may not have been a Chevy. Perhaps a Dodge. Pretty sure it wasn't a Ford or Studebaker. He was still using it when he left the company in 1963.

When I mentioned the two-speed transmission, the car I was thinking of was a Chevy Vega, from around 1970. It was an automatic and was not exactly sporty. It looked nice, though.

On my Chevrolet truck I have a crank near the top of the dash which opens up the front windows.
This is my A/C system for 1946.


To start my 1939 Ford panel truck.

1. Flip switch on the steering column to on.
2. Next press the starter button on the dash.
3. Press the floor pedal to get in going.

If I haven't driven the truck in several days, I need to be patient until
the mechanical fuel pump decides to give me fuel to start the engine.

Not too keen on the ’39 Ford color, but it’s original & in great shape.
And surprisingly, the 1939 license plates are also the same color and
I’ve had them for many years in all kinds of weather and they still
retain that “bloody” color.

I’m not sure what the folks were thinking when they installed a
rear-view mirror inside the panel truck.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My earliest cars had a hand throttle that you pulled out or pushed in to regulate the air-fuel mixture, usually when starting up. It could get complicated, especially in cold weather.

It's actually a godsend on a cold day to have a hand throttle when your car has a floor starter pedal. Pull the choke out half way, pull the throttle out a third, and hit the starter and it'll start right up. It'll also lay some black smoke on your garage floor, so remember to push the choke in as soon as you've got it running.

My car's owners manual also recommends using the hand throttle when starting on a hill, but I've never done this because I strenuously avoid parking on hills.

 

[Stearmen]

Okay, when do you suppose license plates were first required?

August 14, 1893 France.

 

[Haversack]

We were still using field-expedient cardboard radiator covers on our jeeps, 880s, and deuce-and-a-halves during the 1980s in Germany. There is a certain smell of diesel and gasoline engines starting up at 3:30 AM in sub-zero weather that sticks with you.

 

[BlueTrain]

Did that 1939 Ford truck have keys?

I was in Germany in the late 1960, stationed in Augsburg. I was in a division headquarters company, which meant among other things, we had an Airstream trailer among our vehicles. But I don't recall ever using cardboard radiator covers. I do recall, however, standing in an inspection next to my assigned vehicle, which was a Jeep (which was a Ford), and it snowing.

 

[2jakes]

Did that 1939 Ford truck have keys?

I was in Germany in the late 1960, stationed in Augsburg. I was in a division headquarters company, which meant among other things, we had an Airstream trailer among our vehicles. But I don't recall ever using cardboard radiator covers. I do recall, however, standing in an inspection next to my assigned vehicle, which was a Jeep (which was a Ford), and it snowing.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

We were still using field-expedient cardboard radiator covers on our jeeps, 880s, and deuce-and-a-halves during the 1980s in Germany. There is a certain smell of diesel and gasoline engines starting up at 3:30 AM in sub-zero weather that sticks with you.

A few months ago I was in a town where some sort of old-days parade was passing by. A vintage military truck passed and that mo-gas exhaust smell took me right back to the army in the '60s.

 

[BlueTrain]

I think the one thing that would remind me of the army more than anything would be khakis or OG fatigues starched like--cardboard. Never was very good a shining boots; too bad you couldn't send them out to have done the same way you did your laundry.

 

[skydog757]

I remember the Hi-Low beam switch being on the floor of the car near the driver's left side. They used to jam up with snow or ice in colder areas (car heaters weren't what they are now). I don't miss those, but I would like to see the return of the wing window.

 

[BlueTrain]

I once owned a 1965 short wheelbase Land-Rover (purchased used). It had a hand-throttle and also came with a hand-crank for when either the battery was dead or the starter was away for the day. But I don't recall that it had a hand choke. The hand-throttle was, I imagine, for use when using the power take-off. It was terribly cold in the wintertime, though, since the body had zero insulation (or at least felt like it) and the heater was on the small side. I went through some cold and snowy winters with that thing, too, including driving many miles on unplowed highways.

I probably wouldn't do that these days.

 

[2jakes]

There’s zero insulation between the 235 straight six and the front of the cab
by the steering wheel area.

The engine heat that comes in is not bad in the winter. Keeps me warm actually.
It’s mostly mild winters, no snow.

It’s the humid hot summers that make it challenging to drive.
Although the truck is not equipped with “vent windows”, the front
window has a crank on the dash to roll out the window to allow air flow.
I also have a canvas water bag on the front by the engine compartment.
The combination of perspiration and air coming in is my A/C.

Not recommended for going out on a date in the summertime.
And only a “friend” would appreciate the ride without complaints
of the truck or sweaty driver.

When I drive my old pickup.
I place myself in a 1940s frame of mind.
I don’t ever expect instant starts or fast speeds.
Much tinkering here and there.

And mostly take to the back country roads.
I’m lucky that most traffic stays on the fast freeways.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have a pop-up cowl vent, which provides more than enough air flow thru the car at regular operating speeds. There's no screen on this vent -- it was an option on the higher-priced models -- so there's always the chance of a bug or a bee being sucked in thru it, but that doesn't happen all that often. You also have to be sure to close the vent if it starts raining, or your shins and feet will be soaked in short order.

 

[BlueTrain]

For some reason, a car with a hood scoop seems incredibly old-fashioned just now, although there's probably some boy-racer car that has one, along with a wing on the back. I even had one, too, and it was an English car with an American V-8 engine. It was a Rover 3500 and that was a lifetime ago.

 

[2jakes]

The windshield wipers on my '39 and '46 vehicles appear to be more of a decor than function.

Makes me wonder how folks were
able to drive safely during a downpour.

My guess is that the speed limit on the roads back then was less than
half of what it is today.
Speeding was not taken into account by most folks, especially during a storm.

With the exception of Clyde Barrow and his Ford V8 that necessitated fast acceleration
for obvious reasons.
This is just speculation.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Vacuum wipers work reasonably well if the motor is properly maintained and lubricated, and the hoses are tight and uncracked. There's a little leather flapper in the motor that's vital to the vacuum action, and if it gets dried out or shrunken with age, the motor works poorly or not at all. A vacuum leak anywhere in the system will also compromise your wipers. Another problem with many of the old Trico motors is that the casing was made of pot metal, which can warp and crack -- when that happens you have to replace the whole unit.

Here are instructions for lubricating the motor -- it's not hard to do if you're careful. These specific instructions are for the motor on a Model A Ford, but the motor is basically the same Trico unit that was standard on many American cars until the late 1950s.

When I got my car someone had butchered the wiper system by installing a cheap J C Whitney type wiper motor on the driver's side wiper, which was less than useless because said motor was a 12 volt motor, not a 6 volt. I took all that mess out, reattached the arm to the vacuum motor, installed new hoses, and the wipers work fine as long as you maintain a steady speed. They'll slow down when you accelerate, and god help you if you're going up a steep hill in the rain, but otherwise they're quite vigorous.

Speed limits in the Era, at least in the Northeast, generally topped out at 45 mph. In Maine, operating over 45 mph at any time was prima facie evidence of reckless driving, and you could get convicted for it well into the 1950s.

 

[2jakes]

^^^^^
Thanks.

But it's the size of the wipers that
only a munchkin can appreciate
that makes me wonder how folks
were able to see during a downpour.

Same with the original tiny mirrors.

But as mentioned, fast speeds was not taken into account.
And there was ample time to
make adjustments.

I only stopped at a steep hill
with my 1939 Ford.
Once.

Hand brakes and quick maneuvering of clutch &
gas pedal got me out of this
situation.

But now I know which roads to
avoid.

 

[BlueTrain]

It's still hard to drive in a downpour, no matter what you're driving. As for the roads and the speed limits, they were 55 in West Virginia on most roads even though that was a trifle high sometimes. Some roads were considerably more dangerous than others, at least judging from the accidents that took place on certain stretches. They were all narrow. There was the turnpike, which by today's standards, was only so-so. More modern highways (in West Virginia) only began to be built in the early 1970s. Even now, some places seem to have a lot of accidents.

One factor that created potential problems for a driver was a low shoulder on the road, meaning the gravel part (the shoulder), that was several inches below the level of the pavement. A driver could easily lose control if the car went off the road.

 

[2jakes]

When you find yourself “hydroplaning.”

1.Sing a song.
2. Enjoy the ride.

You will feel good that you did not panic or slam on the brakes
and are able to still be around to post on the Fedora Lounge.

And if you can’t sing or hold a tune.
This is what I do.

Take a cue from Mr. Cole.

 

[52Styleline]

The '52 Styleline has vacuum wipers. Going up a long hill, you have to back off the gas and let them take a couple of swipes to clear the window then tromp back down to continue climbing. They go like crazy when descending hills though. I rebuilt the vacuum motor shortly after I got the car.

My old Chev has a key ignition switch with a button on the dash to energize the starter. GM cars of this vintage had two off positions in the ignition switch. One shut off the engine and locked the ignition, the other shut off the ignition but allowed the car to be started without a key. The world was much more trusting in 1952.

 

[BlueTrain]

Maybe the world was but we weren't. We kept our car, a 1950 Chevrolet "Deluxe" (the base model) in a locked garage. It was driven twice a week normally. On Friday evenings my father and I went to the A&P to get the groceries and on Sunday to church. It was a total of less than 10 miles a week if we didn't go anywhere else.