Also, how about STYLE!? Cars of the 50's and before were so elegantly styled, and the 50's were far and above any other decade in style... the late 60's/early 70's muscle cars were also very stylish and had that aggressive look to them... nowadays all cars look the same... even Mercedes/BMW are starting to look an awful lot like any other car - they just don't have that body style that used to stand out, where you could tell from a ways off "Oh, that's a Mercedes."

 

This may be no problem and some of you did not grow up driving vehicles like it, but I miss the head light dimmer switch on the floor. If your rounding a curve all you had to do was hit the switch with your foot, now you have to let go of the steering wheel and wander into the oncoming traffic.

Anyone else like me having thoughts of where the dimmer switch went to.... ......and why did they put it in the turn signal switch like all the imported ricer cars?

Maybe I should call FMC and really complain........

 

Tilt away wheel. My 67 and 69 Mustangs had it - so cool - open the door and the steering wheel flies up and out of the way to give you room. Scared the crap out of my Mom the first time she opened the door!

What ever happened to factory CB radios, suicide doors ala 1967 Lincoln, heater delete option, and push button transmissions like are 1960 Dodge truck had.

 

This seemed to disappear with the older cars: courteous, knowledgable drivers that aren't talking on the phone, doing make-up, playing with a lap-top (computer, lol), eatin' Mickey-D's, or whatever else people do behind the wheel, other than DRIVING!

 

what about sealed beam headlights, 4 on the floor, no radio cause all you got to listen to is the engine. I liked vinyl tops, bench seats, having plenty of room inside, in the new vehicles I feel like I'm cramped up.

 

Although I have never driven a car like that I remember my father cursing on those floor mounted dimmer switches.

In Canada, were we use ALOT of road salt for during the winter, the snow/slush/salt would get in around the dimmer switch and corrode it. Eventually making it impossible to switch from high to low.

I just remember my Dad stomping on that thing to try and get it to switch from high to low when approaching an oncoming car. I also remember him pouring oil (or something) down ther eto try and free it up - never worked.

I'm glad there gone - I still live in Canada, so........

Digger

 

my dad loves the floor dimmer switch, he says that it's one less thing for your hands to do. IMO the column switch is safer and I actually like doing it with my hand I can just click it and keep my hand on the wheel. On the floor when they get wore a little you have to put more pressure to make the contact and the other reason is what if your shifting gears and your foot is on the clutch? I never did like that. With the column dimmer switches, my brother's 88 ranger you can click it and it will change but they changed it sometime, my 91 explorer and my 95 f150 I have to push forward and I'd rather have it the other way.

 

Why, unless you really knew how to adjust them well would you want to go back to that?
What about mechanical fuel injection and how about losing all of these electrionic wire? I have no clue what the h*ll half of them are for. How about big engines with crappy handling suspensions and weak brakes?

 

i wish they still made cars that would do 200 but u would only wanna do maybe 120 . carbed motors were way better becuase u could work on them in ur driveway.

 

im only 17 but i love my floor dimmer! yeah, how about engines without electronics, detroit muscle, none of this NOS stuff..... and lifting a truck instead of lowering it...

 

Haha I love my floor dimmer too, but we dont get snow here (therefore we dont have to worry bout salt corrosion), just ice covered roads

 

Lowering trucks has been around for a while.... dont take your anger out on that.....
lol

 

One more big thing that nearly everybody had put on their new cars in the fifties. Want to guess? I will tell you anyway. SEAT COVERS. Seat covers was big business then, nearly everybody had seat covers put on their car as soon as they bought it, only to have them removed when they got ready to sell the car. The chrome trim around the inside of the windshield on convertibles and upper end cars and chrome windshield wiper arms. I am probably telling my age here but I can remember when someone would buy a new car and tell the neighbors about it and say I got everything on it too. The neighbor would reply what all did you get? Radio, clock, and heater.

Michelle
Chelle's 56 Hauler

 

Very funny thread. Its as though everyone has been asleep for at least twenty years and now they have awoken to find out everything has changed. HA! Its a slow progression, honed to give the majority of consumers what they want, minimize lawsuits, and maximize profits. I for one think its fascinating to look back over the years and see how a series of tiny changes got us to where we are today. Ever notice how each major bodystyle change sort-of resembles the generation before it, but if you look at the very first generation and compare it to the most recent generation, you would never guess they are even related? I love that! I think its great! There are definitely duds here and there, but each new generation of trucks has its own unique flavor, and thats a good thing.

Luckily, there's a VERY simple solution to this problem for everyone who has a gripe...ignore the new trucks, and buy an old one!


Well said, 85e150six4mtod I have an '04 F-150 and a '62 Unibody. Love the Unibody (I've also had a '70 Bronco, '67 Lincoln Continental, and '66 GT-350 Clone in the last six years, so I sincerely appreciate older Fords as well as the new ones), I inevitably think about the 18 or so gallons of gas serving as my backrest


-aaron

 

how about class and style now days from 1/2mile away you dont know what your lookin at but 25years ago ya could tell a chev from a ford from a dodge