How do you honestly feel about ford.

[JohnnyO]

I'm most comfortable working on stuff from the late 50's to early/mid 80's but I have no illusions that cars were better in the past. I lost count of the number of valve jobs I did on 30,000 mile 302s and 351s- the worn valve guides would show up when adjusting the fast idle during the 30k tune up. Structural frame rust was a concern on 5 year old cars- I bought a 30,000 mile 66 Chevy with a rotten frame for the $35 wrecker bill. I towed in a 3 year old 30,000 mile Chevy with a no start, replace the timing chain so it would run, then tore it down and replaced the bent valves. Old cars would rust out in less time than the paint begins to fade on a modern car. Older cars were easier to work on but they needed a lot more work.

Back in the day if you hit 100,000 miles and rolled the odometer over, you threw a party and invited all the neighbors.
I never knew anyone who had their engine rebuilt because where I live the bodies were shot long before the engines wore out.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I never knew anyone who had their engine rebuilt because where I live the bodies were shot long before the engines wore out.

Still a true story to this day. My dd is closing in on 200k and runs/drives great... almost leaves a trail of orange wherever it goes.

 

[Dirtman]

Still a true story to this day. My dd is closing in on 200k and runs/drives great... almost leaves a trail of orange wherever it goes.

It's just biodegradable. Let's see Tesla claim that....

 

[Robertmangrum.rm]

I'm not a smart man but I know what Love is

 

[19Walt93]

Our biggest local customer had over 100 VINs in our system and they always ran trucks at least 250,000 miles- whether it was a salesman's truck or one of the owners trucks. They'd order F150s or 250s in bunches of 5 at a time.
When I started in 1975 I was the 4th mechanic in a shop with only 1 lift. If we got a 5 year old vehicle for inspection it had to go on the lift and be checked for frame rot before it could have a sticker- and we were taking 5 year old cars off the road. Unheard of today unless it's a Toyota. An 80,000 mile vehicle was a clapped out junk and 100,000 mile vehicles were rare.
We took a 78 Subaru in trade toward our first Escort wagon in the late fall of 1980. Luckily back then Subaru mounted the spare tire on a little framework above the engine- the 2 year old Subaru was so rusty that the front suspension had collapsed and the shock towers were resting on the spare tire.
Yup, they don't make them like they used to, and that's a good thing. When you hear guys my age say they wish they had their old beetle again, what the mean is they wish they were 16 with a new license again, they don't want that underpowered P.O.S. back.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Judging by the classic car market even pre-covid I would say a fair portion of people that say that really do want their old cars back...

 

[Dirtman]

Ever noticed people are constantly complaining about how cars have gotten too sophisticated and they hate all the modern technology?

I always wondered how far back this goes?

Did people in the 60's complain about how complicated hydraulic power brakes are and long for the mechanical brakes on their old model A?

Did people in the 30's complain about the internal combustion engine and long for their steam powered automobile from their youth?

Did people in the 1900's complain about everything in general and long to go back to living in a cave and communicating through a series of grunting noises?

Did cavemen complain about the invention of the wheel and long for the days where the square was ruler of the shapes?

Did the first single cell organisms to inhabit the earth long for the days when they were a loose structure of yet unassembled protein strands and amino acids?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Cars have taken a bigger jump in complexity in the last 10 year than they had in the 50 years prior too.

 

[Dirtman]

Cars have taken a bigger jump in complexity in the last 10 year than they had in the 50 years prior too.

Prove it.

 

[sgtsandman]

I’m perfectly happy with the technology level the 2011 has. The 2019 was a means to an end. Something the girlfriend could drive that had body on frame and 4X4, four doors, and wasn’t rotted out or neglected.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Prove it.

 

[snoranger]

Cars have taken a bigger jump in complexity in the last 10 year than they had in the 50 years prior too.

Absolutely not... Electronic fuel injection was the biggest jump in complexity since the invention of the car.
Where’s Rusty?

 

[19Walt93]

Judging by the classic car market even pre-covid I would say a fair portion of people that say that really do want their old cars back...

They do, they just want something modern to drive every day. People used to drive cars with carburetors, manual chokes, and had to depress the clutch or the car would drive away once it lit. Now they want automatic braking and lane keeping so they don't have to watch where they're going.

 

[racsan]

That reminds me of a time I had my ear cleaned out and was so dizzy and disoriented afterwards that I forgot how to drive, I had a 82 civic wagon 5-speed, no safety switch on clutch, I fired it up and backed into a curb, then couldnt seem to go forward without stalling it. Ended up waiting awhile before driving home

 

[1990RangerinSK]

That reminds me of a time I had my ear cleaned out and was so dizzy and disoriented afterwards that I forgot how to drive, I had a 82 civic wagon 5-speed, no safety switch on clutch, I fired it up and backed into a curb, then couldnt seem to go forward without stalling it. Ended up waiting awhile before driving home

Got you beat. When I had my '79 Corolla (a zillion years ago) automatic, I borrowed Grandpa's Ranger (the brown one in my avatar). I hopped behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, turned it, and..... nothing. After the third try, I got out, popped the hood, wiggled the battery cables, got back behind the wheel, tried again, and then realized that I had to step on the clutch.

I think it was after I started the engine that Grandpa came out to make sure everything was OK. All I know is that I'm glad I didn't have to tell him the truck wouldn't start, and then watch him try (successfully!) to start it.