Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[Stearmen]

I have heard the Tatra ban story before and the more I think about it the less likely it gets. I don't think any car was more dangerous than combat. The Tatra required a different driving technique but was not more dangerous than other cars if handled correctly. Officers with cars in that class had trained drivers. And Germany could not afford to discard any form of motorised transport.

I suppose it was possible they were instructed not to drive themselves but always be chauffeured by a trained driver.

I would be willing to bet large sums of money that you are correct! As we all know, the NAZI's kept all of Hitler's orders in triplicate, that's why it was so easy to prosecute them. Still, a fun old wives tail. And yes, I would love to have one of these cars, after all, Leno has one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

She must be doing something right, at least from a marketing prospective. Around here lately I see as many upwardly mobile young mothers driving Escalades as I do successful pimps and dope dealers.

You must live in a hell of a neighborhood.

 

[dh66]

You must live in a hell of a neighborhood.

LOL!!
You have no idea.

Interesting side note, I just read that the state of Alabama leads the nation in painkiller prescriptions, so maybe some of those yoga pants wearing moms in the escalades are married to some of the successful pushers.

 

[jamespowers]

She must be doing something right, at least from a marketing prospective. Around here lately I see as many upwardly mobile young mothers driving Escalades as I do successful pimps and dope dealers.

That was that way long before the twerp showed up--at least here it was/is.

 

[jamespowers]

LOL!!
You have no idea.

Interesting side note, I just read that the state of Alabama leads the nation in painkiller prescriptions, so maybe some of those yoga pants wearing moms in the escalades are married to some of the successful pushers.

Geez, you do live in a Hell of a neighborhood. lol lol

 

[Stanley Doble]

Here in small town Canada in the fifties, sixties and seventies the successful people drove Buicks, the old money people Chrysler New Yorkers and Buicks. Cadillacs were too ostentatious.

In 1975 a local real estate broker bought a fully equipped Buick Electra. When he told me how much it cost I said you could have gotten a Cadillac for that money. He told me in all seriousness that if he was seen driving a Cadillac it would hurt his business. Everyone would think he was too slick, too stuck up, made too much profit off his customers.

I have heard basically the same thing from the western US, the south, and northeast especially in small towns.

The only Cadillac owners were a few small business men, the proprietor of a bowling alley, a local fuel oil dealer and gas station owner and the owner of a butcher shop. They bought used Caddies about 5 years old.

And one old farmer, a descendent of the original settlers, who drove an old Cadillac limousine.

 

[jamespowers]

Here in small town Canada in the fifties, sixties and seventies the successful people drove Buicks, the old money people Chrysler New Yorkers and Buicks. Cadillacs were too ostentatious.

In 1975 a local real estate broker bought a fully equipped Buick Electra. When he told me how much it cost I said you could have gotten a Cadillac for that money. He told me in all seriousness that if he was seen driving a Cadillac it would hurt his business. Everyone would think he was too slick, too stuck up, made too much profit off his customers.

I have heard basically the same thing from the western US, the south, and northeast especially in small towns.

The only Cadillac owners were a few small business men, the proprietor of a bowling alley, a local fuel oil dealer and gas station owner and the owner of a butcher shop. They bought used Caddies about 5 years old.

And one old farmer, a descendent of the original settlers, who drove an old Cadillac limousine.

Not out here in the west. You drove a Cadillac because you could afford one. No stigma. Everyone wanted one and you had one. You belonged to the class that could afford the better things in life and you weren’t too cheap to show it.

The jealous people were always there too. :doh:

 

[LizzieMaine]

The first Cadillac I ever saw in person was a 1972 Sedan DeVille owned by a longshoreman who'd traded in a 1953 DeSoto for it. It was the first car anyone on our street had ever seen with power windows, and we stood around it in awe as he made them go up and down.

That summer, I threw up six Fenway Park hot dogs all over the back seat of that car, and I haven't ridden in a Cadillac since.

 

[Fading Fast]

The first Cadillac I ever saw in person was a 1972 Sedan DeVille owned by a longshoreman who'd traded in a 1953 DeSoto for it. It was the first car anyone on our street had ever seen with power windows, and we stood around it in awe as he made them go up and down.

That summer, I threw up six Fenway Park hot dogs all over the back seat of that car, and I haven't ridden in a Cadillac since.

In the late '70s a neighbor bought a used Lincoln (that was a big, big deal) that was pretty beat up and I remember he had to keep part of the driver-side door panel loose to get the electric windows to work. I can still hear my father saying - "you see, it's just something else to break." And my father had automatic windows anyway - they worked like this: "hey, roll down the back two windows," and I'd clammer over the seat and roll them down. His system worked every time I was in the car and it never broke on him.

 

[jamespowers]

The first Cadillac I ever saw in person was a 1972 Sedan DeVille owned by a longshoreman who'd traded in a 1953 DeSoto for it. It was the first car anyone on our street had ever seen with power windows, and we stood around it in awe as he made them go up and down.

That summer, I threw up six Fenway Park hot dogs all over the back seat of that car, and I haven't ridden in a Cadillac since.

Holy! :eeek:

 

[jamespowers]

In the late '70s a neighbor bought a used Lincoln (that was a big, big deal) that was pretty beat up and I remember he had to keep part of the driver-side door panel loose to get the electric windows to work. I can still hear my father saying - "you see, it's just something else to break." And my father had automatic windows anyway - they worked like this: "hey, roll down the back two windows," and I'd clammer over the seat and roll them down. His system worked every time I was in the car and it never broke on him.

Even funnier was when my great-uncle bought a 59 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that had a wiring harness fire. His first few outings in it were hilarious. Try to roll down the window and the horn would blow. Blow the horn and the wipers would come on. :rofl: He finally got it all sorted out and it was a great car from then on but it was funny thinking of it. I wonder if my cousin still has that car. My great uncle never sold a car as far as I know. He still had his old Hot Shot last time I looked.

 

[jamespowers]

http://youtu.be/BDuNM2rbYfU

 

[Stanley Doble]

Lizzie if you see this I sent you a PM regarding Plodge parts.

 

[Big Man]

North Carolina’s “Central Highway” (NC 10, later US 70) opened around 1922. The route connected the western most parts of the state with the coast. All but about 40 miles of the old route are now abandoned, and now mostly long gone and forgotten. There is about a four mile section in western NC, between the town of Old Fort and Ridgcrest, that in the past several years has been opened as a hiking/biking trail. The old concrete roadbed is still intact, and a strip of pavement has been put down for the biking path.


I remember as a child we could still drive the old road, although the primary route up the mountain was the “new” US 70 which had been relocated across Black Mountain in the late 1940s or early 1950s (the route of the new US 70 became I-40 in the late 1960s).


My wife and I hiked the section of old NC 10/US 70 today. It was fun trying to remember what the old road looked like “back in the day”, especially the site of Point Lookout. I remember as a child riding up the mountain in my Dad’s ’55 Olds 98 and stopping at Point Lookout to get something to drink.

I also remember the story being told of how, in the early 1930s, the family was coming down the mountain in their ’27 Olds. The fog was so bad that my Grandmother got out of the car and walked all the way down the mountain with a lantern, while my aunt Hazel drove the car following her. The photos don’t really do justice to how steep the grade is or how sharp the drop off is to the side of the road.



Here’s an old post card of the old road:






And an old photo of Point Lookout in its heyday:






Here are some photos from today’s trip:

 

[Big Man]

I drove the old '48 Plymouth down to the crossing today to watch the circus train pass by.

 

[Big Man]

One more from today.

 

[1mach1]

Awesome! Great shots, Big Man!

 

[Big Man]

Awesome! Great shots, Big Man!

Thanks. On that last shot I had to chop off the back of the car. I'd waited on that dang train for well over an hour, and had everything set up to take the photo as the train came across the crossing. Well, wouldn't you know it, just as the crossing gates started to fall some moron comes sliding in right beside me to watch the train. He couldn't have parked behind me or further from me (there was plenty of room); but noooooooo, he had to park right beside. I had to quickly move things around and almost missed the shot. Some people are clueless to what's going on around them.

 

[1mach1]

Thanks. On that last shot I had to chop off the back of the car. I'd waited on that dang train for well over an hour, and had everything set up to take the photo as the train came across the crossing. Well, wouldn't you know it, just as the crossing gates started to fall some moron comes sliding in right beside me to watch the train. He couldn't have parked behind me or further from me (there was plenty of room); but noooooooo, he had to park right beside. I had to quickly move things around and almost missed the shot. Some people are clueless to what's going on around them.

Dagnabbit! Figures........

 

[Stearmen]

I drove the old '48 Plymouth down to the crossing today to watch the circus train pass by.

They come into our city every year, and every year I ride my motorcycle down to the siding that they park on. For some reason I never tire of seeing that train, even though, I am not a big Circus fan!