Melting babbit to replace the bearings on the rods and crank.

 

Adjusting valve lifter clearance with a feeler gauge, while the engine is running.

 

I still do these, along with the non-power brakes thing.

 

Adjsting valve to rocker clearance using a tool to compress the lifter, and a feeler guage.

 

Yup, replacing points and condenser. Adjusting tappets, rebuilding the carb, honing brake cylinders, changing the oil in the air cleaner. Replacing the "automatic" choke control, or adjusting the manual choke. Putting in a new filter element inside the filter can. Fixing the floor mounted high beam switch. Replacing hoses for vacuum windshield wipers, remember how they slowed down at the worst times?

Tuneups every 12,000 miles or less. Remember sand blasting spark plugs to save a little money? Still got my plug sand blaster.

I loved the old Swamp coolers. Dad had one for our trips thru the dessert, what a relief. Still see one every once in awhile on restored cars.

Remember the canvas water bags? Everyone had one or two on the front of their car if they were going thru the dessert. Anti freeze? What antifreeze. Change the water regularly and put in antirust.

Back seat bed kits that could be put in the car to make a bed for long distance travel. Pee bottles. Manifold cooking and old Coleman water jugs.

Push button transmissions and three on the tree.

Replacing water hoses on a schedule, often every 25,000 miles because otherwise they would blow. I can't remember the last time I had to replace a hose on any of my cars since the 80s.

Lots of nostalgia, but also thanks for the really great vehicles we have now. Modern vehicles run almost forever and hardly need any maintenance. Just oil and everyonce inawhile a tune up and coolant change.

Just some memories,

Jim Henderson

 

Only to have it throw the rod again fifty miles later. I forgot that one.
Dono

 

Lighting your gas powered headlamp.

 

I can't believe no one else has posted this yet:

Starting the car, and having to wait for the radio tubes to warm up! It would take a while in the winter before we had tunes!

 

How about double clutching a non synchro tranny.
Or doing 70 mph, still in first gear of your power slide.

 

I think it's a garage procedure: Using a 'church key' to open a can of beer.

 

Soon to be "no more lead weights for tire balance"

 

Is lead any more toxic than the dog urine on my brand new wheels?
Is it ok to open a can of beer at church?

 

Ok, what's a swamp cooler?

 

A swamp cooler is an evaporative cooler. Usually uses water on a felt mat to hold the water. As air is passed across the felt the water evaporates and carries off heat giving a cooling effect. I'm not sure if that's how automotive coolers work. They look like a large can mounted in one of the side windows.


Re: "Is it ok to open a can of beer at church?"

It is at my church but that's a religious topic and we don't discuss that here.

I've always called those metal tools with a bottle opener on one end and a juice/beer can opener on the other a church key.

 

[QUOTE=76supercab2]3. Setting a choke on a carburated engine before starting.QUOTE]

Heh, still have to do this one

Here's another for the list:

"Fill it with unleaded, please"