Cross ply tyres, glass that isn't tinted, plastic dashboards split by the sun (see previous).
Heaters on the options list, earthing straps, mock sheepskin seat covers, wooden bead seat covers, a policeman on point duty.
A UK-reg lorry, after market stripes and rubbing strips, after market sun roofs, vinyl roofs, proper chrome hub caps, proper chrome of any sort, and car phones with a proper handset.
There must be many more....
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:22
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Ow about wing mirrors I used to like them and ... how about that little knob on the dashboard for wimin to hang their bag from - I think it was called the choke ?
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:23
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Perspex bug-deflectors fitted to the front of the bonnet - I often wondered if/how well they actually worked.
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:23
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To me what you don't see now is cars with quirks...eg things that make you realise that not everything has to be the same eg
Can anyone think of a car without climate with anything other than three turn knobs in a row...or a light switch other than something on the right hand side of the dashboard copied from VWs...
or cars with genuinely wacky dashboards - eg the Lancia Trevi cheese inspired moulded plastic number....
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Kia Rio's don't have climate control (unless its the top of the range version) and the light switch is on the right control stork (with the indicators).
at first every time I wanted to use the indicators the windscreen wipers turned on (windscreen wipers on the left control stork) but after I become accustomed to this setup it actually makes sense.
My left arm is free to change gear.
This set up seems to be common to Korean cars as Proton follow the same set up as well.
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Quarterlights
4 speed manuals
4x4s with mud on
STP stickers
Chrome bumpers
Attended petrol pumps
AA badges
Wee flags stuck on back windows from seaside resorts
Cushions on parcel shelves
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"Wee flags stuck on back windows from seaside resorts" - we had loads of these, those little triangular ones, on the back-window of my dads car when we were kids. Can you still get them?
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How about the diy stick on heated rear window kits, made by Smiths IIRC ? Or the rear window louvres that gave you Morris Marina or MK3 Cortina the sporty look !
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clip on night light that you used to trap in the wound up drivers window , or even more recently but never seen, off side parking lights (side light) on empty parked up vehicles
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My Jetta has offside or nearside parking lights. You leave the indicator stalk in left or right position before taking the key out.
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Not so Mr Spy. The garage near where I work only has attended petrol pumps and is strictly cash or account - no credit cards. It is a proper old fashioned garage: petrol pumps, car repairs. MOTs and second hand car sales. Not stuck in the middle of nowhere either: its about a mile from a junction on the A1
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Hand signals
"Running in-please pass" signs
"Disc brake" signs
alfalfa
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Column change
Radiator blinds
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valve radio
bench seat
fanbelt that turns the fan
opening quarter lights
foot operated dimmer switch(mini)
floor starter button (mini)
sliding windows(mini)
choke
starting handle
positive earthing battery
dynamo
Edited by massey on 17/06/2008 at 22:44
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Kidney cutters on 7" headlights
Front screen heaters of the single element design, with rubber suction stickers, (an aftermarket accessory for those cars supplied without heaters).
Vacuum operated wipers, that stop when going uphill!
Floor operated washer ( I cannot remember what car, but I am sure that I drove one).
What would be interesting, is to take all the items listed in this thread and identify the last car to which they were fitted.
pmh
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re "Vacuum operated wipers, that stop when going uphill"
Last fitted I think to the Ford 100E circa 1961
I think Lada were one of the last users of the starting handle
Edited by massey on 17/06/2008 at 23:11
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Reserve switch for the fuel tank.
Overriders
Windscreen external sunvisor
Steering wheels with no buttons.
Horn ring
Windscreen washers that you need to manually pump.
Chrome exhaust deflectors & chrome exhaust pipe " performance enhancers"
A pillar lamps and roof lamps.
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Overdrive
A plastic "window" you stuck on the rear screen to keep a patch free from condensation
String backed driving gloves
Wheel spacers
Rust
Radio aerials you attached to the top of the window, wound up to secure, and connected to your Hacker Herald
Green Shield stamp books in the glove box
Tartan vacuum flasks for the long journeys
Hitch hikers
Steering wheel covers
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Eight track stereos, with a legal requirement to have at least one James Last tape in the car.
Screw on centre consloes with formica effect finish, guaranteed to sit on the transmission tunnel at a crazy angle no matter how carefully fitted.
Incidently, SWMBO still has wooden bead mats on her car seats, bought around 1990.
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Optimist
I reckon that many of your suggestions are, in fact, still up and running:
I've never driven a modern car that has a six speed manual gear box but I would have thought that the sixth gear must be the modern equivalent of the old 'overdrive' - no doubt somebody will put me right about that!
A mate of mine still uses string backed gloves even while driving for his morning paper - all of half a mile.
A neighbour of mine has spectacular rust on his Vauxhall Viva.
Another mate has a tartan flask that he uses when he plays golf (for coffee).
I saw two hitch hikers this last weekend (maybe they had run out of fuel).
And a female neighbour has a steering wheel cover in a lovely shade of pink that matches the car seat covers, the fluffy dice and the cuddly teddy bear on the rear parcel shelf.
Mind you I can't remember the last time that I saw Green Shield stamps.
By the way, what are wheel spacers?
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:22
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There's a pair of string-back gloves in the glove compartment of my car. Also a (leather) cover on the (leather) steering wheel.
No box of Kleenex for Men on the back shelf any more though...
And if you think you don't see rust any more you really must be an 'Optimist'. ;-)
I was talking to a guy last week with that very problem on his Mercedes SL(?) 600!
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The Ford Explorer I drive in the US has an overdrive button. Well, actually, it says OD/OFF and I have no idea what it does having never dared test it.
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PMH re floor operated washers these were on the VW Beetles in the fifties consisted od a domed rubber fitted high up to left f clutch petal,an amusing thing happened when I drove a farmer friend in London in which I was driving daily he was not usedto the cut and thrust and new when he put the brakes on his side when a jet of water shot up tyhe screen.As a matter of intersest this beetle was purchsed from Bernie Eccleston when he ran a second hand car lot in Bexleyheath Kent.
ndbw
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"What would be interesting, is to take all the items listed in this thread and identify the last car to which they were fitted." (PMH)
"Rust" (Optimist)
I think rust was still fitted to fairly recent Mercedes, from what I've read on other threads.
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A tiger in your tank - proved by the "tail" coming out of the petrol filler cap.
Stick-on bullet holes.
Rubber bumper overriders.
No headlight flash stalk.
Flashing light on the end of the indicator stalk.
Wipers on headlights.
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Aftermarket spot lights with white plastic covers.
Manual aerials that retract into the wings.
Coat hanger aerials.
Cars with differently coloured replacement doors or body panels.
Fords with built-in cassette holders.
Fords with a small joystick under the radio to control balance between the four speakers.
Split windscreen vehicles.
"Glasgow's Miles Better" stickers (maybe a bit local that one!).
Metal number plates with plastic letters and numbers attached.
Metal number plates with pressed letters and numbers.
Those traffic light air fresheners that had a clear plastic bubble, a pin and a chain.
Metal hubcaps.
Steel wheels with only a small central hubcap.
Petrol stations that sell a useful range of fuses, bulbs and other small spares.
Home-made, retro-fitted cut-off switches secreted somewhere in the car.
Chaotic, ramshackle scrapyards - recently passed two I used to know that are now cleared.
Trailers made from the back half of redundant Mini vans.
Anti-static strips.
Radios that only had a radio, with a wee white plastic line showing what frequency you were on, and big chunky push button station selectors.
Edited by XantKing on 18/06/2008 at 04:11
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Parking lights that clipped on to the roof gutter and were held in place by the door when shut.
Cars with bumpers (a la Sabb 99/900) that can withstand a 10mph shunt without cracking
Pre-halogen headlights
Sealed beam headlight units
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Pop out (usually from the door pillar) turn signals/indicators.
Hand signals (of the Highway Code Type).
PS. Manual windscreen washer pump - I've got one in my shed!
Edited by John R @ home {P} on 18/06/2008 at 08:22
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The Smart forfour I am running at the moment has a vynl roof .
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Hydrolastic pump-up suspension; and rust-prone body sitting on two sub frames rather than chassis
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Cars with BOTH headlights working!!
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By the way, what are wheel spacers?
They were metal spacers put between the hub and the wheel to give your Ford Anglebox a broader lower stance - accompanied by plenty of extra steering geometry and tyre wear.
Along with Ford Classic struts transplanted onto the front, the 60/ 70s boyracer wouldn't be seen dead without them.
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By the way what are wheel spacers?
And when attached to your Mini, complete with Cooper wheels (and the alloy wheel-arch extensions), were guaranteed to give early wheel bearing failure!
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2,3,4 and 5 star petrol (or any fuel in Cornwall !)
Lumenition, Piranha and Sparkrite elec. ign. kits.
Kenlow fans and (wait 4 it, wait, 4 it) The GM manifold modifier which for you young dudes is a venturi device that sat betwix the carburettor (what ever that was) and the manifold and I had great faith in : )
Steam injection device that plugged into the manifiold to improve running & save fuel.
A radiator blind that ya could control from in the car - good idea really (unless ya 4got it ) !!!
And how about those aftermarket thermo fans where the angle of the blades would change when they speeded up.
This is why cars are boring these days - its all been done 4 ya ! no tappets to adjust, no points and condenser to fiddle about with, no autochoke to go on the blink and chuck out thick black smoke, no pubs to smoke in - we live in a EEC controlled, health & safety world circa 1984 - Eric Arthur Blair.
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Self fitted carpets (with stuff left over from the house - maybe that's just me).
Pink "OK" stickers in the quarter light of Japanese cars (whatever they were for).
Not car related, but white dog poo.
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>Cars with differently coloured replacement doors or body panels
I beg to differ, my Primera has a different shade of paint on the nearside doors and the bonnet is red (remainder of car is metallic burgundy).
It also has rust, purely self-introduced due to less-than-perfect accident repair work by myself.
My 'classic' TR7 has some home-made switches installed by 1 or more previous owners, also rust (strange that)
And there's a scrapyard just outside Banbury,Oxon that, the last time I went to (2001) was still chaotic then, with cars piled up at crazy angles (no racking our anything like that) and you could be standing at a 45 degrees angle to remove/inspect items....
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:21
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small joystick under the radio to control balance between the four speakers.
A piece of ergonomic genius, that thing. Even if it rarely worked. So much easier and more intuitive than the push button method. Oh the days when cars were so sparsely equipped that you could allocate a few square inches of dash space to a function that most people never use.
The air fresheners you mention were called 'Feu Orange'. Could also double as an improvised lateral G-meter if hung from the rear view mirror. Near horizontal = *really* trying. :-)
Google Feu Orange - they're still available for less than three quid.
Edited by DP on 18/06/2008 at 14:36
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Trailers made from the back half of redundant Mini vans.
I saw an old Volvo towing a trailer the other day... Said trailer was made out of the back half of another redundant old Volvo... I did a double take.
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"Fords with built-in cassette holders."
2001 ford escort van if the focus didn't have them,
"Fords with a small joystick under the radio to control balance between the four speakers."
1993 run-out ford sierra.
"Manual aerials that retract into the wings."
Mk2 nissan micra till 1998 at least
"Steel wheels with only a small central hubcap."
2000 W reg seat arosa 1.0 MPi S if not later(made till 2005 i think), also had manual front windows, no central locking and no air con.
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"Fords with built-in cassette holders."
Vauxhall used to do them as well, you pressed the button and the tray would pop up, it had a little peice of red plastic that would show in a window when you had a cassette in.
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"Cars with differently coloured replacement doors or body panels."
Polo and golf available like this as standard if you bought a harlequin one...awful looking cars.
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How about those rev counters and several other dials you could add to your dash, made the car look the business....................... well I thought so then!
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A UK-reg lorry
I saw two the other day - What was unusual - "Willi Betz" on the side in huge letters!
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No one has mentioned the Redex pump you could fit to dashboard and produce loads of white smoke for those following behind - Checker tape and favorite for the latest immigrant (mid 60's) was small stones in hubcaps ??? -- clip over head rests - Blue Spots - boy racer painted silver lines on steel wheels to make them look like alloys.
£16 month fuel bill @ 19mpg
Oh happy days.
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You're a saddo dxp55 (like moir) ... how's about those stick on ashtrays with the rubber suction thingy (hahaha!)
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And what about those single wheeled Trailers with two towing arms. I did wonder if I might have imaged them but a quick Google..........
www.singlewheel.com/
It would be very easy to reverse but otherwise it's hard to see the point.
Edited by *Gongfarmer* on 18/06/2008 at 10:54
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When I was in the Boys' Brigade in the sixties one of the leaders had a green 1275 Cooper S.
It had two - tone airhorns Fiamm which played Colonel Bogey etc.
The then fashionable very long stalk on the dash which operated it must have caused horrific injuries during a crash, although I don't recall how substantial they were.
Happy days.
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No one has mentioned the Redex pump >> Oh happy days.
Or Redex from a dispenser at the filling station, a thing looking like a fire extinguisher.
You could ask for "shots" when fuelling, I think one shot per gallon.
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Gosh yes Cliff. I can remember my father regularly asking for "Four shots and four" ( gallons ) and getting change from a £1 ( note of course )
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Windscreens hinged at the top so that you could open them to get extra ventilation.
Built-in hydraulic jacks at all four corners.
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Cibie fog lights either side of the radiator.
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Cars where you turn the key to switch it on but press a button or whatever to turn the starter.
Minis fitted with "Paddy Hopkirk" fly-off hand-brakes.
Carpetless cars.
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Crank handle fitted to steering wheel rim, an American device thought to help with urban driving in the days when American cars had very low-geared steering (which they retained for a very long time after power steering had become more or less general, it being the apparent view of manufacturers that higher-geared steering would make Americans spin their cars and crash into trees).
I always felt the thing might cause injury in the event of very gung-ho manoeuvres of the handbrake turn variety, and thought it looked silly and fussy too. On the other hand I really liked those low-rider customized steering wheels made out of a length of heavy steel chain, welded into a circular shape and chromed. Would have been hard on the palms, but looked fabulous in its proper Detroit slobmobile context.
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On the other hand I really liked those low-rider customized steering wheels made out of a length of heavy steel chain welded into a circular shape and chromed. Would have been hard on the palms but looked fabulous in its proper Detroit slobmobile context.
Funnily enough, last Saturday I saw a' 66 (I think) T-bird that had exactly that, grumbling its way round Chichester city centre. Made me smile, anyway.
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Actually the supposed reason for the tiny steering wheels made from welded chain was to permit driving while wearing handcuffs. Heh
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I recall going down to Cornwall for a week in about '86 with the girlfriend at the time.
Pulled in to an attended petrol station and the guy said, sorry, you'll have to double the prices becuause the pumps won't go high enough to show the new prices.
So things don't change much do they!?
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Starter button.
Non-dipping interior mirror.
Edited by L'escargot on 18/06/2008 at 17:58
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Starter buttons are coming back in.
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Aluminium steering wheels.
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My trailer has crossply tyres and it's only about 4 years old!
Duo-tone paintwork is rare these days except on the Smart For Two and its matching big brother the Bugatti Veyron!!!
Edited by Sofa Spud on 18/06/2008 at 18:19
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Steering and brakes unassisted by power.
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CB radios - 10/4 Rubber Duck
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Blue or green anti-glare strips across the top of the windscreen, sometimes with names like Tracy and Wayne ... Sorry Wayne.
(and Tracy)
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Or as in the Private Eye cartoon of blessed memory, Brahms and Liszt...
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Steering and brakes unassisted by power.
1989 fiat panda 750cc i think.
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Mine has no servos and no power steering. In fact that is why I refused a very good deal on a new MK2 Exige, because it has BAS and servos. I only found out laters that it was 200Kgs heavier as well. That's not progress.
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I saw an Austin 7 followed by a Jowett Javelin this morning. Assumed they must be together, but then they turned off in different directions. What were the chances of that?
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i havn't seen any AA patrol men salute any "badge holders" in a long while
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1959/1960 mini with the starter button on the floor, over-riders on the chrome bumper, silver-letters-on-a-black background number plate, manually pumped sreen washers, heater that, well, didn't! Slide back windows, door opening cord, marigolds over the HT leads to keep them dry, and the rattle from the wheels on full lock!
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Proper radiator cap at the front of the bonnet, with or without mascot.
Stick-on fingers trapped under the boot lid.
Leather gaiters to keep dirt off the cart springs.
Steering wheel you have to swing on in order to sit underneath it.
Front bench seat with fold-up arm rest to seat three people.
"Running out - please push" on an old banger belching smoke.
"Watch my behind, not hers".
Spark plug grit blasting machine.
Garage mechanic wearing a tie.
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Cable and bellcrank operated brakes. You had to remember and compensate your braking for whatever wheel was currently going to be the first to lock.
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Garage mechanic wearing a tie. >>
Not only wearing a a tie but wearing oil on hands also. Mechanics in my garage approach the car putting on their surgeon style rubber gloves. Good for cleanliness of car (and hands) but doesn't seem quite the same.
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Much, much healthier in the long run for them and their families.
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Non-retracting seatbelts.
Tubed tyres.
Tyres with absolutely no tread left at all.
Edited by L'escargot on 19/06/2008 at 14:28
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Tyres with absolutely no tread left at all.
Yes! Or with canvas showing through the tread, sometimes all the way round the tyre, or with huge bulges in the sidewall (prevented from bursting with a canvas gaiter stuck inside the cover), and sometimes with bits of unravelling steelmesh radial belt showing through too.
I've driven cars with all of these. But I can't say I miss the experience terribly.
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stockings & suspenders ... oh. sorry. wrong forum !
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I can't say I miss the experience terribly.
In musing, topic-drift mode on the subject of the sort of tyres that used to be commonplace and no longer are, I suppose the MoT test has saved by now quite a few lives, and even more hassle.
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Stick on splats... With stick on cat foot prints further up the bonnet
Also more recently... You don't see those 'On a mission' stickers now... I think the last one I saw was 'Mission Complete - It's Twins!'
Which reminds me, I saw a van with yellow flashing lights on the roof and a 'Driveway Maintenance' sticker on the back doors the other day. Made me smile.
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carburettors
grease nipples
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quarter lights; tail fins; opening windscreens; tissues' box on rear shelf
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Folding vinyl sunroofs, factory fit or aftermarket, external mobile phone aerials.
Portable radios with an external aerial socket to use in the car, temporary car radio aerials that fitted over the window and relied on the window being fully up to hold them in place.
In-car litter bins that hung over the transmission tunnel or off the door ledge.
Speaking of which, transmission tunnels.
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Policemen wearing white gloves directing traffic, standing on a thing like library steps or even a special bandstand in the middle of the junction.
Anyone remember the hand signals in the HC for how to signal to a policeman which way you wanted to go?
"Quiet Please" sign outside a hospital.
Flaming torch sign to indicate a school (One near us only recently removed or stolen - the school shut 50 years ago)
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Anyone remember the hand signals in the HC for how to signal to a policeman which way you wanted to go?
For straight ahead ~ (left?) hand with fingers and thumb close together and pointing vertically upwards, palm facing forward close to the windscreen.
Turning right ~ right arm held horizontally out of the window, palm of hand facing forward with fingers and thumb close together, fingers pointing horizontally.
Turning left ~ back of right hand near the windscreen, fingers and thumb close together and with fingers pointing to the left.
Right?
Edited by L'escargot on 20/06/2008 at 11:35
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Anyone remember the hand signals in the HC for how to signal to a policeman which way you wanted to go?
I thought I did, but I was wrong! tinyurl.com/2pxu8x
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tail fins;
There's an MG Magnette Mark III parked on our work carpark today which appears to have tail fins.
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Chrome strips down the sides of cars
Vernier adjustment wheel on the side of Lucas distributors
Those long Miss Whiplash aerials that went from front to back
Twin carbs, triple carbs, and even quad carbs on some cars !
SPQR tappet adjuster
Dwell meters
In car synthesisers where ya could imitate a Police or Ambulance siren ... I used one once in a customers car - GREAT fun but became illegal 4 some reason : )
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There must be many more....
Also add
Nodding dogs on the rear window shelf
Floor mounted dip switches
Morris Minors with straps to close doors
Cleveland Discol petrol
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Fuel filler cap behind rear number plate (Zodiac) - behind rear reflector (Cresta) - Valve radio with separate amp that dragged in Radio Caroline like no tomorrow. - Super 8 - silver foil stick on rear screen heater. Mud & snow tyres with studs - leaf spring boosters - VG95 brake shoes - having to stop half way up Horseshoe pass - planning 100 mile day trip to coast well in advance
Gramar
Yes I remember Cleveland Discol
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:22
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Travel sweets, round tin made by a manufacturer I can't quite remember, but I think the name began with a 'K'.
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Talking of pull straps, remember those black vinyl grab strap things which were always fitted to VWs (right above the driver's seatbelt upper mounting) to enable rear passengers to, erm, make a fast exit? I remember a friend's Polo S having them, circa 1987, and his Scorocco GTX too IIRC.
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On the back of another thread... cars broken down beside the road.
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5 Star petrol
3 Star Petrol
2 Star Petrol
Big-End knock going up hills
Camshafts driven by anything but a fabric belt
FAN belts
Piston Seal paste
Petrol Stations that just sold petrol and oil
Motor oil in pint or quart TINS.
Attendant analogue petrol pump meters and cashiers that could work out the price of the petrol served, (pre electronic calculators).
Traffic Police who call you Sir and not Mate.
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:21
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Traffic Police who call you Sir and not Mate.
.....or even worse the current trend to use the word "chap" What a horribly degrading term, call me that on a bad day and one could discover something quite dark and nasty about my character.
Edited by Pugugly on 31/03/2009 at 01:03
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apparently many years ago people had to pay for extras like side mirrors, rear window de-mister and seat belts to be fitted.
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apparently many years ago people had to pay for extras like side mirrors rear window de-mister and seat belts to be fitted.
Ah, yes, I remember it well!
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Correct Diddy. In 1965 I bought a brand-new Singer Vogue with the following "extras"
Wing mirrors [ right out on the wings so that they were in my field of view without taking my eyes right off the road ahead]
2-band analogue radio, but transistorised [ new toy then ]
Factory-applied underseal [ never had any underneath rust in 16 years ]
Overdrive on 3rd and 4th.
Seat belts [ non-retracrable ]
Gear-lever lock [ locked in reverse, and an angle-grinder needed to remove the locking mechanism if you wanted to steal the car.]
Heavy-duty suspension [ it was an estate car with intentions of some loads]
A full workshop manual [ one of the best that I have ever used.]
Can't remember what the extras cost, but the vehicle plus extras was 752 pounds. [ tax-free because I exported it to N.Z.]
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I assume that the 1965 Singer had a heater as standard. IIRC at about that time on most small cars (inc Minis) the heater was an optional extra!
p
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I haven't seen any car with a 2-tone paint job in a really long time.
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My dad had a two tone car. A Wolseley 6/110. Sand over maroon. I had a Wolseley Hornet with a dark green roof and a pale green body.
In due course they both became three tone. The third colour being rust .........
:-(
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Which reminds me of the car I learned driving in. My grandfather's Morris Oxford.
Column shift.
Pull-out switches for lights and wipers.
High-beam switch on floor next to clutch.
Clutch and brake pedals which went into the floor (as opposed to the hanging type nowadays).
Four tell-tale lights on dashboard, colour coded which you needed to "learn" to read.
Five gauges - speedo, ammeter, oil pressure gauge, fuel and temperature.
Indicator switch on steering wheel hub (self cancelling, grandpa said, but it never really worked)
Horn was a concentric ring in steering wheel.
Two tone paint (dark green/light green) with chrome detailing separating the two colours
Two glove boxes, because the gauges were in the middle
Hand brake next to driver between door and seat, ineffective
Bench seats, front bench adjustable with spanner :-)
No seat belts
Cross-ply tyres
Fantastic car through, never broke down and had been used to tow new cars out of trouble ...
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2 tone paint : My 2001 Mitsubishi Pinin has that as factory standard ( blue over silver )
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Heater was standard on the Singer, which was upmarket Hillman. That may not have had a heater as standard.
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The heater is standard on the Commer (1974) turned on and off by turning the tap on the side of the cylinder block
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My Jowett, 1952, also has heater as standard, Controlled by a tap on the water pump. Clockwork switch to cancel trafficators ( still working well ) Integral tool box in boot with fitted tool tray and screw to wind spare down secure, and no need to empty luggage. Ankle straps at the top of the C posts. Roller on acc pedal so shoe doesn't wear into a hole. Removable picnic tray, clips on to back of bench seat and stores upright under back window.
Happy daze !
Ted
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How about windscreen wipers powered by vacuum from the inlet manifold, so that as you put your foot down they slowed to a crawl & vice versa, on some 50 / 60's Fords as I recall.
Edited by mustangman on 31/03/2009 at 13:38
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Whitewall tyres
Wire wheels with knock-off spinner nuts
Covered rear wheels
Squared-off wheel arches
Two-tone paintwork
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We had a very early 2CV van ('50s vintage) a few years back that had, along with it's suicide front doors, an indicator that operated like an egg-timer.
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Ankle straps at the top of the C posts. >>
What on earth do you do on the back seat that requires you to strap someone's ankles up on the roof?
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AA/RAC badges (in chrome) on bumper or grille
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AA/RAC badges (in chrome) on bumper or grille
Too easily nickable unfortunately, I have 2, from now deceased elderly relatives, but wouldn't dare to put them on the front of a vehicle.
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AA/RAC badges (in chrome) on bumper or grille
... or on a chromed badge bar along with regional motor club and BRDC badges and so on. There must be lots of VSCC members with these on the fronts of their steeds. But of course they live in garages and are not left unattended in inner cities these days.
Even back in the sixties nasty toerags stole things off cars. Lost the winged B off my Bentley that way. You could get a plain cap but unfortunately I didn't get one until too late.
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holes in the front grill where VW logo's used to exist (there was a spate of these logo's being pinched from cars with reference to certain hip hop and rap groups)
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>>call me that on a bad day and one could discover something quite dark and nasty about my character.
Like the eskimo who backed out of his igloo and got a chap on his bum?
Edited by bathtub tom on 31/03/2009 at 18:53
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Handpainted coachlines...last had them on my 73 Viva HC..god rest her soul!
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A fake arm hanging out the boot of a car.
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A fake arm hanging out the boot of a car.
Round my way they weren't always fake..:=)
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A rag sticking out in place of the petrol cap.
Edited by Altea Ego on 31/03/2009 at 20:36
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A big fibreglass aerial clipped down to the gutter
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Kids on bikes hanging on to the back of a flatbed truck to get a tow up a hill.
Kids sitting on the back of a flatbed truck, legs dangling and hurling abuse at following drivers.
Kids on bikes going to school with a mate sitting on the handlebars or getting a "backie" (or "seatie" as they sometimes called it in less well informed locations.)
Dogs hanging halfway out of a back window of a car to feel the draft.
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Round my way they weren't always fake..:=)
Heh heh craneboy... like some fo the fake bullet holes I've seen come to think of it...
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Jacked up rear suspension with the back axle painted silver and a red fog light shining on it
Rear fog lights wired up to the brake lights
Fur covered dashboards
Mirrored film on side and rear windows
Tinted portholes on the side of vans, usually Bedford CFs
Sidewinder exhausts
Mirraflake paint - all tasteful seventies customising stuff. Those were the days! :-)
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:23
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Petrol engined C-segment or bigger cars.
Those lovely grey lead crystals in tailpipes you used to get after a good thrash.
Affordable cars that you *really* want.
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An old Paddy wearing a brown suit and tie , standing up to his waist in a trench in the pouring rain, shovelling away earth from the dig .... last seen North London circa 1984 ...
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proper chrome hub caps
Known as nave plates by manufacturers.
Rarely seen ~ steel wheels painted a colour which toned with (not matched) the colour of the bodywork, doors with the hinge on the rear edge.
Edited by L'escargot on 01/04/2009 at 07:56
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On my dad's 1962 Morris Minor the heater was controlled by an under-bonnet red -painted wheel. Inside the car the amount of heat was regulated by a rotary switch which went from dead slow to slow.
Followed a BMW the other day with the stick-on bullet holes. Looked quite realistic.
screwtape
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Manual Choke, -
My Mk1 Astra had a manual choke, fully out 1st thing on a morning, and it started 1st time.
For the rest of the day, it had to be part way out to avoid "over choking", and then overflooding.
I never worried about it getting pinched, as it had to be done in a certain way, and if you didnt do it right it would not go.
A nice big square (about twice the size of a postage stamp) amber light would come on the dash to remind you it was on.
you could not ignore it as it more or less blinded you, these days you have tiny little icons (but no choke of course) ;-)
Edited by redviper on 01/04/2009 at 12:14
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Immaculately sheeted and roped loads. (an "almost" forgotten art)
Edited by craneboy on 01/04/2009 at 23:38
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>>Followed a BMW the other day with the stick-on bullet holes. Looked quite realistic.<<
How did you know that they were not real? Close Tailgating a firearms target may not be a good idea!
p
Edited by Honestjohn on 02/04/2009 at 09:20
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Windscreens which you can see through right up to the seal.
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Cars that you could fix at the roadside, and not have to get recovered to a dealer for a £1000+ repair......
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Temporary windscreens for when the toughened one had shattered, the deluxe version had vertical reinforcing bars in it.
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Fiamm air horns.
I thought of this because the horn on the CC3 lacks a bit of poke, unless I'm going a bit mutton.
Colonel Bogey, anyone?
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Fiamm air horns.
Had a set on the Sierra. Never seen an MOT tester jump like that before.... lol
Fabulous bits of kit. I meant to salvage them before I sold the car on, but never got around to it.
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'I've got a tiger in my tank' sticker.
Little Mobil man keyring.
Michelin man stuck on top of a truck cab.
Paddy Hopkirk stick-on rear windscreen heater.
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Squares of thick coarse brown paper inside packaging for metal parts, tools, brake shoes etc.... I think these were the predecessor of silica gel sachets.
Also, some things used to be completely wrapped in a waxy brown paper which had a distinctive waxy smell.
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