How did we manage to survive?

[Ramfins59]

Back when I had my '59 Dodge Coronet as my daily driver (in good weather) it took me anywhere and everywhere I wanted to go.  My good friend Tom was a crackerjack mechanic (he owned a '67 Pontiac LeMans) and we cruised together all the time.  I learned a lot about fixing and maintaining older cars from him, and also learned to not be afraid of getting dirty, and to have the right tools handy.  Sure, the drum brakes on the Dodge didn't stop the car too well when it rained, which is why it stayed parked on rainy and/or snowy days.  I kept all the necessary fluids in the trunk (water, antifreeze, brake, tranny and power steering fluid, and 3 in 1 oil).   My radiator sprung a leak once and I freaked out but got the car home OK.  After much thought I felt that I could remove the radiator myself... Only 2 radiator hoses, 2 Tranny fluid cooling lines, and 4 bolts... How hard could it be??  It took me a couple of hours, being inexperienced but having the right tools, and I got the radiator out.  I took it to a radiator shop to have it boiled out and resoldered, brought it back home and reinstalled it,  While I was at it, I added a shiny fluid overflow container for a little extra "bling" under the hood.  It only cost me a bit over $100 to have the radiator fixed and I probably saved myself twice that amount by doing the labor myself.  The self-satisfaction that I got from the experience was priceless...  

Converting the car from single exhaust to dual 2 inch exhausts (done at a repair shop for around $400) and adding Cherry Bomb glasspacks was one of the coolest things done to the car.  It improved the horsepower a bit and seemed to improve the performance.  Best of all was the sound of car...  I preferred hearing the sound of the glasspacks over listening to the FM radio we added which sat on the floor.

Owning, maintaining and driving an older car is a unique and enjoyable experience, if that is what you like.  You don't have the "creature comforts" and whiz-bang gadgets found in modern cars but you get a lot of admiring looks and thumbs-up from other drivers and pedestrians.  

[MrBuick]

Back when I had my '59 Dodge Coronet as my daily driver (in good weather) it took me anywhere and everywhere I wanted to go.  My good friend Tom was a crackerjack mechanic (he owned a '67 Pontiac LeMans) and we cruised together all the time.  I learned a lot about fixing and maintaining older cars from him, and also learned to not be afraid of getting dirty, and to have the right tools handy.  Sure, the drum brakes on the Dodge didn't stop the car too well when it rained, which is why it stayed parked on rainy and/or snowy days.  I kept all the necessary fluids in the trunk (water, antifreeze, brake, tranny and power steering fluid, and 3 in 1 oil).   My radiator sprung a leak once and I freaked out but got the car home OK.  After much thought I felt that I could remove the radiator myself... Only 2 radiator hoses, 2 Tranny fluid cooling lines, and 4 bolts... How hard could it be??  It took me a couple of hours, being inexperienced but having the right tools, and I got the radiator out.  I took it to a radiator shop to have it boiled out and resoldered, brought it back home and reinstalled it,  While I was at it, I added a shiny fluid overflow container for a little extra "bling" under the hood.  It only cost me a bit over $100 to have the radiator fixed and I probably saved myself twice that amount by doing the labor myself.  The self-satisfaction that I got from the experience was priceless...  

Converting the car from single exhaust to dual 2 inch exhausts (done at a repair shop for around $400) and adding Cherry Bomb glasspacks was one of the coolest things done to the car.  It improved the horsepower a bit and seemed to improve the performance.  Best of all was the sound of car...  I preferred hearing the sound of the glasspacks over listening to the FM radio we added which sat on the floor.

Owning, maintaining and driving an older car is a unique and enjoyable experience, if that is what you like.  You don't have the "creature comforts" and whiz-bang gadgets found in modern cars but you get a lot of admiring looks and thumbs-up from other drivers and pedestrians.  

Ah, the sound of a 60's V8 through good exhaust can't be beaten. There are a few new cars that sound okay with aftermarket exhaust, but nothing compares to that "muscle car" era sound!

[om617]

I like the 30s cars,it`s like they have this pressence that say "move or you get the hood ornament in your face".

Pedestrian safety at it`s best 

[unclescott58]

Some of the advanced safety systems make sense.  The crumple zones that cause the structure to collapse to keep shock from being transferred to the passenger compartment was a brilliant move.  There's a video for the 50th anniversary of the IIHS (International Institute for Highway Safety) showing a 2009 Malibu in a front end collision with a 1959 Chevy sedan.  It's not pretty, especially for the 59 Chevy.  The passengers in the Malibu would have survived with minimal injuries, but the 59 was just crushed because the X-frame collapsed and bent.  But I do agree that the stylists need to all go back to art school and not just let aerodynamics do all the work.

You hit the nail on the head Brian. I too have seen that video. I love the looks and features of those old cars. But I really an greatfull for what we have got today. We do drive the best built and safest cars even in history. But, other than one or two of them, very few new cars light my fire. Most bore me.

[MrObsessive]

Some of the advanced safety systems make sense.  The crumple zones that cause the structure to collapse to keep shock from being transferred to the passenger compartment was a brilliant move.  There's a video for the 50th anniversary of the IIHS (International Institute for Highway Safety) showing a 2009 Malibu in a front end collision with a 1959 Chevy sedan.  It's not pretty, especially for the 59 Chevy.  The passengers in the Malibu would have survived with minimal injuries, but the 59 was just crushed because the X-frame collapsed and bent.  But I do agree that the stylists need to all go back to art school and not just let aerodynamics do all the work.

Here's the video that you're talking about. I saw this when it was first shown, and I still cringe looking at it!

On an article on the 'net about the X-Frame here, someone comments that they knew personally the owner of the '59, and was horrified when they knew that was the car they sold to someone on the east coast------only to see it totally destroyed to "prove" a point. 

I do like the newer cars as far as safety and some of the features that weren't dreamed of even 20 years ago, I just wish a lot of the "sameness" would go away. But on the other hand, maybe we've reached a point at the moment where designers will only go so far lest the buying public get totally turned off by an offensive design. Beauty's in the eye of the beholder however, so what may look fantastic to one, can be totally disgusting to another. 

[Longbox55]

With updated suspension, brakes, EFI and some good tires, an old car can be just as reliable and safe as anything modern (with the exception of airbags), and much more exciting to drive in my opinion. Mike Finnegan hit the nail on the head with this quote..."If you can't pull into a gas station and strike up a conversation with your fellow man over your car, what are you doin'?" 

I can partially agree with that, however, none of those upgrades are really 100% necessary to make a reliable driver out of an older car. Properly rebuilt to factory specifications, the original brakes, suspension, and carburetion systems perform just fine foe daily use. I will agree with you 100% on the tires, though. Modern radials are a vast improvement over the old bias plys.

To do that to an old car requires time, effort and money, though.   I prefer the predictability and reliability of a modern car.. start up everyday, go to work, come home without worrying about a breakdown.  I don't have the time or energy to wrench on a car myself if I depend on it to be there everyday..   And I can't imagine wanting to talk w/ anyone at a gas station...I pull in, fill up and pay at the pump, take off..

I've found from experience that old cars are just as reliable as new cars, if they are properly maintained. Even if you do have a breakdown, older cars are much easier to repair on the road. Modern cars, you almost have to have specialty tools to even diagnose the problem and to repair it afterwards.

Just for the record, I work on the new ones for a living, but prefer the old ones for a daily driver. My personal ride is a '55 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup. I wouldn't take a new one in exchange for it for anything.

[Tom Geiger]

People already pointed out the safety aspect with the '59 Chevy VS Malibu video.   

And the truth is that cars have come a long way in the past 50 years.  Getting a car to 100,000 miles in the 1950s or 1960s was a big deal, while every silly little car goes at least 200,000 miles today.  Things like brakes and tires last longer.   Rayco made a ton of money on seat covers because every cars seats self shredded by 60,000 miles. I have a 1996 Dodge Caravan at 200,000 and a 1999 Plymouth Breeze that just hit 172,000.   Neither of them has a tear in the interior, nor any visible body rust.  And those are just bread and butter domestic cars! 

[ChrisBcritter]

Going back to the original question: some of us did not manage to survive - but they're not here to tell the story; among them my great-uncle and my mother's high school boyfriend.

[Ace-Garageguy]

 Getting a car to 100,000 miles in the 1950s or 1960s was a big deal...

I dunno...all my old man ever did to his cars was change the oil every 3000 miles. That's it. Well, he kept them clean, rotated the tires, greased the front ends (which of course we don't have to do anymore, and which is why they wear out), didn't drive like an idiot, washed the salt out from under them in winter. Not exactly like maintaining a steam locomotive. 

[gtx6970]

Not to mention the cars today are DESIGNED to crumple.....cars of the 50s were not.

But to  me the cars back then had style and personality. Plus you can tell each and every year apart from the previous and glowing years model . Not so easy today .

There are a few people around my area who drive old cars all year round, such as a 1972 Cutlass convertible. 1972 Buick Skylark , there is even an early 50s Chevy truck. I see it pretty much every day ,, year round no matter the weather or road conditions. The old truck still looks pretty decent outside of faded paint.

[slusher]

I know the car is 50 years old but did you see the rust and dust fly out of the 59 Chevy...?

[Tom Geiger]

Not to mention the cars today are DESIGNED to crumple.....cars of the 50s were not.

Exactly!  The car is designed to sacrifice itself by absorbing all the energy of the crash to protect the occupants.  And that's a wonderful thing.  

Cars from earlier eras didn't have the advantage of being designed by computer models. They relied on sheer bulk and size.. ever pick up a front bumper of a '59 Buick? And as we saw from the '59 Chevy VS modern Malibu video it didn't work out all that well.  

Look at videos of modern car crashes or even just photos of crashed modern cars.  Even a Smart Car beautifully protects it's passengers better than cars of the past.

We've come a long way in 50 years.  I'd rather be living today, even if just for the medical advances.  How many of us would be dead if we were living in the 1950s.  My wife had minimally invasive heart surgery last summer that wouldn't even have been possible ten years ago.

[Aaronw]

We didn't in 1950 there were 7 deaths per 100 million miles driven, in 2015 we were down to a hair over 1 per 100 million miles driven. Actual automobile deaths per year are fewer today than in 1950 despite a huge increase in the number of cars on the road. If we were still driving 1950s cars the death toll would be over 200,000 / yr vs 30,000. But hey as long as you look good what is a few hundred thousand additional roadway fatalities.

 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I don't think anyone is arguing the fact that vehicle crash-energy management today is vastly superior to what it was in the past...certainly not me. And even most entry-level shi-boxes stop and handle much better than many old hi-performance and sports-cars. No argument there either.

But all the safety improvements have provided an idiot sense of false security, so many folks just don't give driving the attention it NEEDS because the cars are so "safe".

Also, many vehicles today are insanely complicated for no really good reasons..."it's just the way everyone does it now so we little sheeple designers will too".

Complication simply for the sake of complication, or because the engineers / designers aren't good enough to figure out simpler ways of doing things, just isn't good.

And a 1950s car is just as "safe" as a 2016 car IF YOU DON'T CRASH IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE.

But crash avoidance...which demands continual vigilance and taking personal responsibility for your vehicle... isn't taught and the concept of it never even occurs to a lot of folks, again because they think the cars are so "safe". Or they just don't think at all.

Cars ARE safer. Drivers are STILL morons. Think of how many MORE lives we could prolong (not save...everybody dies, you know) if drivers would all just pay attention and put the damm smart phone down.  

[plastic trucker]

You just hit the nail on the head with that last comment, Put that smart phone down.

[martinfan5]

I must of misplaced my rose colored glasses , darn it.

 

But I will agree on some things, like the stupid drivers.

Edited April 1, 2016 by martinfan5

[martinfan5]

Those were the days when cars actually had style and were not little rolling eggs like we have today.

Being completely honest, cars from the era this thread is focusing on looked like deformed bubbles on wheels and had the same styling.

 

[Harry P.]

I must of misplaced my rose colored glasses...

You must have misplaced them, not must of... "must of" doesn't mean anything.

Your English 101 lesson for the day.

[martinfan5]

You must have misplaced them, not must of... "must of" doesn't mean anything.

Your English 101 lesson for the day.

Correct, I made a typo,  but thank you very much for pointing that out.

[martinfan5]

Some of the advanced safety systems make sense.  The crumple zones that cause the structure to collapse to keep shock from being transferred to the passenger compartment was a brilliant move.  There's a video for the 50th anniversary of the IIHS (International Institute for Highway Safety) showing a 2009 Malibu in a front end collision with a 1959 Chevy sedan.  It's not pretty, especially for the 59 Chevy.  The passengers in the Malibu would have survived with minimal injuries, but the 59 was just crushed because the X-frame collapsed and bent.  But I do agree that the stylists need to all go back to art school and not just let aerodynamics do all the work.

That is not going to happen, not with the looming 40 or 50 MPG mandate coming( cant remember which one) , there is very little room for the stylist to work.   

[bbowser]

Cars are little more than appliances now and thanks to product liability lawyers, environmental and safety concerns, the days of modifying your ride to suit your taste (or lack thereof) are history.  You can no longer tinker with the engine for more power, or even repair the most minor problem. About all you can do is change the wheels, and even then you risk fouling the speedometer and thus the warranty in some way.  But on the bright side, you can still plaster bumper stickers all over it so the rest of us have something to read right before the rear-end crash .

We old farts wax nostalgic over the "old days" because we were in love with our cars and the freedom they represented.  Who lusts after a Camry or a Hyundai?

Edited April 1, 2016 by bbowser

[Longbox55]

.  You can no longer tinker with the engine for more power,

Don't bet on that. You would be surprised at what you can do re-flashing the ECM.

[Harry P.]

Yeah, AmericanMuscle.com (a Mustang aftermarket place) has all sorts of electronic upgrades available for Mustangs. I'm sure they're also available for all other makes of cars.

[martinfan5]

 

  Who lusts after a Camry or a Hyundai?

You would be surprised actually. 

[slusher]

 

Who lusts after a Camry or a Hyundai?

I honestly think the Hyundai cars are very sharp and I am a Chrysler guy. Hyundai has plants in the U.S.  

Edited April 1, 2016 by slusher