Things You Learn as an Old Car Driver

[Tomasso]

The two things I know about old cars:


1. Old cars garner much more attention than current models, even the pricy Italian and British jobs. I had a red 1959 Eldorado convertable and just about every restaurant would valet park my car right in front where the Ferraris and Bentleys usually rest. Restaurant customers would stop to admire the Caddy while generally ignoring the new rides, no matter how exotic.

2. (And most important) Have a good mechanic on your speed dial cuz your gonna be seeing a lot of each other.

 

[Fading Fast]

You also learn the many advantages of wing windows.

Is that what those little triangle windows in the front part of the front door's window area are called? In my house, growing up, we called them "break" windows with my assumption being they were named that way because they opened out and "broke" the flow of air. But your name sounds correct versus my family's probably made up name.

I loved those little windows as you could use them to get a little or a big airflow into the car without having to roll down the main window (especially good on rainy days). And they look awesome. I owned a 1966 Chevy Impala and that was one of the quirky wonderful features that car had (versus the new cars of the 1980s that my friends had at the time).

Those windows are kind of like the automobile equivalent of the transoms of old apartment houses (intelligently designed window / venting items in pre-air conditioning days).

 

[plain old dave]

Here is wisdom:

Old cars are a collection of mechanical problems all heading in the same general direction.

If you have the patience/pocket depth to regularly repair a motor vehicle, an old car is a good choice.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

A red '59 Eldorado Biarritz convertible is my dream car. I can see why it got so much attention!

It's true, though. Even driving my old woodie wagons, I could get more attention than anybody with a brand new vehicle.

A friend of mine bought a new Jeep and was showing it to our supervisor. My Fleetwood was parked right next to it. He tells the supervisor how he'd be happy to trade him the Jeep for his brand new Challenger. Of course, the supervisor says "no way" and tells him he'd do it for my Caddy. My friend tells him "But this is a new Jeep!!" and the supervisor replied "But it ain't no Caddy!''

I have a darn good mechanic and I think I spend as much time at his place as mine, between the Caddy, my 51 Ford, my 47 Olds and my Caprice wagon. At least the Pickup truck never needs much lol

The two things I know about old cars:


1. Old cars garner much more attention than current models, even the pricy Italian and British jobs. I had a red 1959 Eldorado convertable and just about every restaurant would valet park my car right in front where the Ferraris and Bentleys usually rest. Restaurant customers would stop to admire the Caddy while generally ignoring the new rides, no matter how exotic.

2. (And most important) Have a good mechanic on your speed dial cuz your gonna be seeing a lot of each other.

Those would be the ones. I have no idea if that's the technical term, but everyone here calls them that, or 'smoker's windows.'

Our shop was a filling station/car dealership, built in 1951 and the restrooms have transoms over the doors. They are a nice feature.

Is that what those little triangle windows in the front part of the front door's window area are called? In my house, growing up, we called them "break" windows with my assumption being they were named that way because they opened out and "broke" the flow of air. But your name sounds correct versus my family's probably made up name.

I loved those little windows as you could use them to get a little or a big airflow into the car without having to roll down the main window (especially good on rainy days). And they look awesome. I owned a 1966 Chevy Impala and that was one of the quirky wonderful features that car had (versus the new cars of the 1980s that my friends had at the time).

Those windows are kind of like the automobile equivalent of the transoms of old apartment houses (intelligently designed window / venting items in pre-air conditioning days).

Ain't that the truth. Not only spare parts and tools, but oil, stop-leak, fix-a-flat, a fire extinguisher, lucas, anti-freeze, and jumper cables lol

Your trunk is always half-full of tools and spare parts. And you take pride in never having had to call a tow truck.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Old cars (before 1970 especially) require regular maintainance, much more than new cars. But they are designed so the work is easy and cheap to do. As long as they get regular attention they can be practically as reliable and trouble free as new cars.

You know all those magazines and books from the 60s and earlier that were about fixing your own car and building and fixing things around the house? The kind you don't see anymore? They were made for a reason. Every car and every house required a lot more upkeep than today and it wasn't always convenient to hire someone to do the work.

 

[tonyb]

...


Those would be the ones. I have no idea if that's the technical term, but everyone here calls them that, or 'smoker's windows.'

Our shop was a filling station/car dealership, built in 1951 and the restrooms have transoms over the doors. They are a nice feature.

...

I always heard them called "wing windows," and occasionally "vent windows," until just a few days ago, when my nephew, who had custom glass made to fit in the doors of his extremely hot-rodded '59 Ford pickup to take up the space once occupied by the wing windows he removed (for a "cleaner" look, don'tcha know), referred to them as "smoker's windows." This leads me to think that "smoker's window" is a more recent coinage.

As to transoms above doors in buildings ...

Yeah, they're cool, all right. But fire codes don't look upon them so favorably. It's been more than 30 years ago now that I was part of a crew that, among other things, drywalled over the transoms in an old hotel building undergoing renovations.

 

[Fading Fast]

I always heard them called "wing windows," and occasionally "vent windows," until just a few days ago, when my nephew, who had custom glass made to fit in the doors of his extremely hot-rodded '59 Ford pickup to take up the space once occupied by the wing windows he removed (for a "cleaner" look, don'tcha know), referred to them as "smoker's windows." This leads me to think that "smoker's window" is a more recent coinage.

As to transoms above doors in buildings ...

Yeah, they're cool, all right. But fire codes don't look upon them so favorably. It's been more than 30 years ago now that I was part of a crew that, among other things, drywalled over the transoms in an old hotel building undergoing renovations.

Never thought about transoms and fire codes, but they are great for airflow and ventilation. We live in a pre-war apartment and have looked at many of them as we are considering buying one and there are still a lot of transoms in use. What is amazing is that some still have them on the doors into the hallway - which creates great airflow (again, now I am thinking about fire issues, never did before), but pre-air conditioning, they were a God send.

In addition to transoms, almost all the pre-war apartments had windows in all the bathrooms and kitchens and windows on two or even three sides - all to increase airflow. I can't image living without a window in a kitchen or bathroom, but most modern apartments (at least in NYC) don't have them.

In our apartment today, as long as it is in the seventies (or even low eighties) and there is any kind of breeze, it will be very comfortable inside even without fans - which we use a lot too. Another cool thing (if you are insane about pre-war architecture like I am) is that you can see from the outside how the buildings were built with strategically placed angles to increase the direction the windows face so as to maximize the exposure of the apartments to breezes from different directions. Finally, casement windows are used regularly as they scoop air in if there is a breeze going by but not necessarily headed directly at the window. Our old apartment had casement windows and they work incredibly well. And for me anyway, the angles, the light, the transoms, the casement windows all increase the architectural interest and beauty of these pre-war apartments.

I often think that in our new greener world, we would see the return of some of these carbon-free cooling features, but alas no - it seems, again in NYC new construction apartments - air conditioning is the only thought given to cooling.

 

[LizzieMaine]

What really needs to come back is cowl vents.

 

[tonyb]

Here is wisdom:

Old cars are a collection of mechanical problems all heading in the same general direction.

If you have the patience/pocket depth to regularly repair a motor vehicle, an old car is a good choice.

That's true of mechanical contraptions in general. (Most everything else, too, come to think of it.)

Things fall apart, as some smarty-pants poetry-spoutin' guy once observed.

I have come to accept that unless a person is inclined (and equipped) to do most of his own repairs and maintenance, his car, old or new, will come at significant expense, one way or another. And even with that, unless he has a generous benefactor, he'll have to buy the thing in the first place, and the parts and supplies, etc.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Those are handy, as are the kick-panel vents. Both are God-sends come summer time!

What really needs to come back is cowl vents.

 

[Talbot]

What really needs to come back is cowl vents.

Along with rumble seats and roll down back glass!

 

[GHT]

Along with rumble seats and roll down back glass!

Rumble seats?

The two things I know about old cars:
1. Old cars garner much more attention than current models, even the pricy Italian and British jobs. I had a red 1959 Eldorado convertable and just about every restaurant would valet park my car right in front where the Ferraris and Bentleys usually rest. Restaurant customers would stop to admire the Caddy while generally ignoring the new rides, no matter how exotic.

2. (And most important) Have a good mechanic on your speed dial cuz your gonna be seeing a lot of each other.

Old cars came with a front bench seat. It may be called something different elsewhere, but with a dash mounted hand brake, there was no gap between the front seats. Negated the need to scramble into the back.

Is that what those little triangle windows in the front part of the front door's window area are called?

In our country we called them "Quarter-lights, or quarter light windows." but then what would expect, when we call the hood a bonnet and the trunk a boot? They were ideal for demisting, and car stealing. But A.C.Lyles forgot one important thing about old cars. They came with a rotary arm. Unclip the distributor cap, remove rotary arm, and no one can steal your car.

 

[vitanola]

I doubt that many miss side-curtains.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've never had a vehicle with a rumble seat. My grandfather grew up in the 30's and says that they were the most awful thing to ride in lol

I also like the flip-out windshields, like the Model A's had.

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Rumble seats?

 

[vitanola]

View attachment 5171

Also known as "Dickey Seats" and very occasionally "Mother-in-law Seats", though the latter now generally refers to the single, non-folding occasional seat used on some small runabouts of the 1910 period.

 

[1930artdeco]

Ahhh, rumble seats. I rode in a friends Model A one summer night in Sacramento going to get ice cream. That was the best ride ever, the temps were perfect, going down the street nice and slow and very comfortable. They are great, but I would rather have a trunk. I love the AC in my model A, three front windows (including the windshield) open and lots, I mean lots of air to cool you down.

Mike

 

[cw3pa]

When I was a kid a friend's father had a VW "bug" that had semaphore turn signals located in the pillars behind the doors. He had to deactivate them as they weren't legal in the states.

 

[GHT]

View attachment 5171

How do you gain access to the seat? Other than, with a great deal of difficulty.

When I was a kid a friend's father had a VW "bug" that had semaphore turn signals located in the pillars behind the doors. He had to deactivate them as they weren't legal in the states.

Friend of mine has an early fifties Wolseley with semaphore arms. I am not sure if they legal nowadays, but throughout Europe, you must have an indicator on the side of the car as well as front and rear. He has managed to fit a flashing light in the semaphore, as well making sure that the front facing side of the semaphore is a white lense, whilst the rear is amber. With the exception of the reversing light, you musn't have a white light facing rear in the UK. He's been stopped a number of times, but never reprimanded. I guess it's probably the novelty value.

 

[vitanola]

View attachment 5171

[video=youtube_share;N0OB-oAiv1A]http://youtu.be/N0OB-oAiv1A[/video]

"Get 'em in a rumble, in a little rumble, get 'em in a rumble seat.
Girlies always tumble, like the bees they bumble, sitting in a rumble seat.
Now they just cuddle up and, oh boy, how you feel!
You shure can love 'em when you're not behind the wheel!

There's a great attraction, lots of satisfaction, sittin' in a rumble seat.
It's a great invention, and for close attention it positively can't be beat!
Now you can love your sweetie in the parlor at night,
But if you want your lovin' and you want it done right
Just get 'em in a rumble, in a little rumble, get 'em in a rumble seat!

Ahhh, rumble seats. I rode in a friends Model A one summer night in Sacramento going to get ice cream. That was the best ride ever, the temps were perfect, going down the street nice and slow and very comfortable. They are great, but I would rather have a trunk. I love the AC in my model A, three front windows (including the windshield) open and lots, I mean lots of air to cool you down.

When I was younger I rather preferred the spacious back seat of a big old Paige seven-passenger sedan. Not nearly as drafty, you know. A rumble seat is at its best on warm summer evenings at speeds under twenty-five miles per hour.