Why the 1920s-1940s?

[Fading Fast]

Well, I'm primarily a car and gun guy, so I take a little different view. There are a lot of people that view the 30s and WW2 era as the Golden Age. But as a car guy, I despise cars from before 1955 as they were all so anemic before Chrysler revolutionized the American motoring experience with the C-300. For the first time, the American motorist, providing he/she had deep enough pockets, could go to a showroom and buy a genuine race car that with VERY little modification could place in the top 5 in any sanctioned racing event you could find. A bone stock C-300 ran 144 mph on the sand at Daytona and IIRC a '56 300B broke 150 at Bonneville. And things only got better from there. Super Stock Dodges that could turn 11 second quarter miles bone stock, Road Runners that could be VERY competitive in A Stock and B Stock drag racing. Then the bottom fell out in the 70s with net HP ratings and emission controls. While Chrysler soldiered on with Lean Burn til 1977 or so, the catalytic converter really ended the Golden Age. The auto industry has yet to match the visceral thrill of burying your right foot in a Hemi Coronet R/T or 440 Six Barrel Road Runner.

For guns, I have a broader window. A pre-64 Winchester or prewar about anything has fit and finish that simply can't be matched today; an era when labor was cheap and parts weren't.

So, for guns, my "Golden Age" is 1870- c. 1965, and for cars 1955-1974.

"...burying your right foot..."

nice turn of phrase, captures the visceral fission of that moment.

 

[plain old dave]

I could continue. Pressing the Drive button on a pushbutton automatic transmission, speedometers that read to 120 in cars that generally didn't have much trouble burying the needle, swivel seats, the Wurlitzer Jukebox dash in the '61-62 Chryslers, station wagons (especially the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with a Rocket V8)... Distinctive cars that offered performance and panache were a matter of choosing for the American motorist between 1955 and 1974.

Insurance and smog detuning, the end of the original Mustang, Barracuda and Challenger and the hardtop in general, and ever-tightening safety regs killed the enthusiast automobile. The last gasp, though, was in 1978. Car and Driver tested the hottest cars (and TRUCK) available. Dodge's Lil' Red Express Truck smoked the Corvette and Trans Am in the quarter, and the 1978 Chrysler B-Body police interceptor with the 440 V8 was, in terms of raw top speed, the fastest domestic car available. And even then IIRC you couldn't get the 440 or the 360 in the truck in CA.

I'll pull this out because it's worth it: The hottest domestic vehicle available to the regular American motorist in 1978 was a PICKUP TRUCK.

 

[Stearmen]

Well, I'm primarily a car and gun guy, so I take a little different view. There are a lot of people that view the 30s and WW2 era as the Golden Age. But as a car guy, I despise cars from before 1955 as they were all so anemic before Chrysler revolutionized the American motoring experience with the C-300. For the first time, the American motorist, providing he/she had deep enough pockets, could go to a showroom and buy a genuine race car that with VERY little modification could place in the top 5 in any sanctioned racing event you could find. A bone stock C-300 ran 144 mph on the sand at Daytona and IIRC a '56 300B broke 150 at Bonneville. And things only got better from there. Super Stock Dodges that could turn 11 second quarter miles bone stock, Road Runners that could be VERY competitive in A Stock and B Stock drag racing. Then the bottom fell out in the 70s with net HP ratings and emission controls. While Chrysler soldiered on with Lean Burn til 1977 or so, the catalytic converter really ended the Golden Age. The auto industry has yet to match the visceral thrill of burying your right foot in a Hemi Coronet R/T or 440 Six Barrel Road Runner.

For guns, I have a broader window. A pre-64 Winchester or prewar about anything has fit and finish that simply can't be matched today; an era when labor was cheap and parts weren't.

So, for guns, my "Golden Age" is 1870- c. 1965, and for cars 1955-1974.

Please, a Super Stock Dodge was anything but stock. They were sent to Hurst, as bare shells, then modified engines and other parts were put in, with fiberglass panels and bumpers, some were even acid dipped to take off those last ounces! They even had to be shipped on the bottom rails of the car hauler, so the oil pan would not drag. Only top racers got to order them. And no little old lady from Pasadena owned one! They were like the Ford Thunderbolts. As for the C300 that did a 144mph, on the run in the opposite direction it did 120mph, and it is doubtful that it was really a stock car! 427 Cobras were probably the only stock American car that could turn 11 second quarter miles. I know, I drag raced plenty of muscle cars, they were never as fast as the magazine test. I am not into speed these days, but today is probably the true decade of speed. When you can buy a motorcycle, change a chip in the computer, and do 200mph, mind boggling!

 

[vitanola]

I could continue. Pressing the Drive button on a pushbutton automatic transmission, speedometers that read to 120 in cars that generally didn't have much trouble burying the needle, swivel seats, the Wurlitzer Jukebox dash in the '61-62 Chryslers, station wagons (especially the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with a Rocket V8)... Distinctive cars that offered performance and panache were a matter of choosing for the American motorist between 1955 and 1974.

Insurance and smog detuning, the end of the original Mustang, Barracuda and Challenger and the hardtop in general, and ever-tightening safety regs killed the enthusiast automobile. The last gasp, though, was in 1978. Car and Driver tested the hottest cars (and TRUCK) available. Dodge's Lil' Red Express Truck smoked the Corvette and Trans Am in the quarter, and the 1978 Chrysler B-Body police interceptor with the 440 V8 was, in terms of raw top speed, the fastest domestic car available. And even then IIRC you couldn't get the 440 or the 360 in the truck in CA.

I'll pull this out because it's worth it: The hottest domestic vehicle available to the regular American motorist in 1978 was a PICKUP TRUCK.

Well I like Chrysler products, but have never particularly felt the need for great speed. Believe me when I write that going seventy-two in a stripped down Fronty Ford with a Morton & Brett speedster body is fast enough for anyone! It certainly makes one clench the sphincters more tightly than, say 140 in a Benz C class! Of course, driving the Benz one can probably stop. I used to try to persuade my high-school peers who wanted cheap speed to look for Chrysler Newports and New Yorkers of 1960-64 vintage. In the late 1970's even clean examples were selling at scrap metal prices, but that massive wedge-head engine could really push that not too heavy body along. A little tuning, some suspension adjustments and one would have a real "sleeper". Unfortunately, those care were just not "cool". If anything old was about it simply had to be a '55-'57 Chevrolet. Putt Putt.

 

[plain old dave]

Please, a Super Stock Dodge was anything but stock. They were sent to Hurst, as bare shells, then modified engines and other parts were put in, with fiberglass panels and bumpers, some were even acid dipped to take off those last ounces! They even had to be shipped on the bottom rails of the car hauler, so the oil pan would not drag. Only top racers got to order them. And no little old lady from Pasadena owned one! They were like the Ford Thunderbolts. As for the C300 that did a 144mph, on the run in the opposite direction it did 120mph, and it is doubtful that it was really a stock car! 427 Cobras were probably the only stock American car that could turn 11 second quarter miles. I know, I drag raced plenty of muscle cars, they were never as fast as the magazine test. I am not into speed these days, but today is probably the true decade of speed. When you can buy a motorcycle, change a chip in the computer, and do 200mph, mind boggling!

You're talking about the 1968 Darts and Barracudas. I was talking about the 1961-64 Dodge and Plymouth Max Wedge and Hemi cars. But thanks for helping make my point; the 1968 cars are still campaigned and STILL win races nearly 50 years later.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well I like Chrysler products, but have never particularly felt the need for great speed.

I did 60 in the Plodge once, but it was downhill with the clutch out. Free Wheeling!

 

[2jakes]

Driving my ’39 Ford panel, I came to a stop light at a very severe uphill road.

Left foot on the clutch, right on the brake pedal, with the emergency brakes on,
while trying to motion the guy on the rear who was too close, to back up just a tad.

Some here will understand what happens when you release the brakes in certain
situations.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Hand-operated throttles are a godsend in such situations. Failing that, a set of Yosemite Sam BACK OFF mudflaps might be in order.

 

[tonyb]

Used to be a four-way stop at the corner of Sixth and Yesler in Seattle. Those traveling eastbound (uphill) on Yesler often found themselves spinning their tires when moving away from the stop. Contributing to this, besides the incline, was that oil and such on the pavement tends to be more prevalent at stops (for obvious reasons) and that the roads in Seattle are often rain slicked.

I long ago learned how to operate both the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously with my right foot, and I long ago learned that the handbrake was good for something other than parking. Even so, my '65 Econoline van might require several attempts before getting through that four-way stop at Sixth and Yesler. I avoided it on rainy days.

 

[2jakes]

I once toyed with the idea of installing a “modern” engine on my ’46 straight six truck so that I could keep up with
the traffic on the freeways.


I was told by the mechanic,

"Driving at the speed limit...(70 mph)

You got non collapsible steel shaft on the steering wheel aimed at your chest,

no air-bags,

no seat belts,

ancient brake system that won’t stop on a dime,

what do you think is gonna happen if you hit or get hit driving a truck that wasn't
meant to go at that speed ?

Besides....how deep are your pockets ?

"There’s more than just swapping an engine !"

I gave up on the notion.
The good thing is I have discovered the access & back roads that take me where I want go at a nice
speed & can enjoy the country side.

 

[LizzieMaine]

All I have around here are 1940s roads, so a 1940s car suits me fine. It's the idiots who think they can drive "aggressive" cars at modern speeds on these antiquated roads who ought to be locked up.

 

[2jakes]

^^^
And those are the idiots I used to video for the 6 & 10 when I worked in television news for 28 years !

Now I cruise the access roads by the freeway which is great, but I feel sad, not for the speed freaks,
but the folks that are placed in danger’s way.

 

[tonyb]

I once toyed with the idea of installing a “modern” engine on my ’46 straight six truck so that I could keep up with
the traffic on the freeways.


I was told by the mechanic,

"Driving at the speed limit...(70 mph)

You got non collapsible steel shaft on the steering wheel aimed at your chest,

no air-bags,

no seat belts,

ancient brake system that won’t stop on a dime,

what do you think is gonna happen if you hit or get hit driving a truck that wasn't
meant to go at that speed ?

Besides....how deep are your pockets ?

"There’s more than just swapping an engine !"

I gave up on the notion.
The good thing is I have discovered the access & back roads that take me where I want go at a nice
speed & can enjoy the country side.

Can't count the number of hotrods I've seen with later Chevy/GM front stub rails and all that's attached to them (brakes, steering, suspension, engine and transmission) grafted onto the old frame.

I'm a bit torn by that. Sure, it's the person's car to do with as he or she sees fit. But I hate to see a surviving example so radically modified. But if he or she wishes to use the thing on a regular basis, on modern highways under modern traffic conditions, I can see how it would be a (relatively) economical way of bringing the old banger up to date.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's a question of do you want the experience of driving a 1930s-40s-50s-whatever car? Or do you want the experience of driving a modern car that *looks like* a 1930s-40s-50s-or-whatever car?

 

[2jakes]

^^^
I simply want to drive my ’39 or 20014 Ford or GM where I don’t have to worry if I’m going to be
on the 6 & 10 news every time I have to go somewhere .


“It ain’t happening !"

Unless we get a “dictator” to do something about it.

 

[Stearmen]

You're talking about the 1968 Darts and Barracudas. I was talking about the 1961-64 Dodge and Plymouth Max Wedge and Hemi cars. But thanks for helping make my point; the 1968 cars are still campaigned and STILL win races nearly 50 years later.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

A 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat will do the 1/4 in the 11 second range, on real street tires, do 199 mph, then turn a corner with grace, and stop on a dime! Something, non of those 60s cars will do! Although, all the cars you mentioned, and the ones I have mentioned, leave me flat!