Things I don't miss on vehicles

[97RangerXLT]

Hand crank starter

Late 60s and early 70s Citroen DS had a crank starter in addition to the electric starter. The car, while ugly enough to make a freight train take a dirt road had a bunch of neat innovative technologies in it. It had headlights that turned with the wheels (like the Tucker, but both sets, not just a separate center light) , you could also retract either of the rear wheels, could change a tire without a jack plus with that feature you could retract the flat wheel and drive short distances without changing it. and had fully independent suspension and disk brakes in the mid 60s. Quite an engineering marvel for its time. Youtuber Car Wizard did a show on one, showing these features. Highly recommend it

AJ

 

[RCC]

Thanks Kim Oaks.
I stand corrected.
You're a cornucopia of superfluous automobile information.

 

[djfllmn]

Motorized seat belts (those dumb things that sped along the A-piller, up over the door frame and down the B-piller to (s)trap you in your seat).

Carburetors

Drum brakes (still am being tortured by these things, won't miss them lol)

Non-halogen (sealed beam) headlamps (halogen headlamps will soon be in the "Things I (do) miss on vehicles" thread)

R-134a freon

my parents 94 saturn had them and so did my 95 escort, i loved everything about that saturn...except that lol

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My Plymouth Laser had power seatbelts, they didn't work and were just always back so I had to buckle up two seatbelts... which honestly felt like I was strapping into a fighter jet and was kind of fun.

 

[djfllmn]

ill add one...

pumping the gas to set the choke, my 68 thunderbird was a bear to start when it was cold..had to give it a sniff of the good stuff lol

 

[RCC]

Pardon unintentional misspelling of name, JIM.
My only experience with hand cranks is friends 1940 international farmall tractor.
Big ohv straight six gasoline motor was booger to start. Required strong arm and several rotations for magneto to fire.
Durng winter, we pull started tractor rather than wrestling hand crank.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Pardon unintentional misspelling of name, JIM.
My only experience with hand cranks is friends 1940 international farmall tractor.
Big ohv straight six gasoline motor was booger to start. Required strong arm and several rotations for magneto to fire.
Durng winter, we pull started tractor rather than wrestling hand crank.

No need to apologize... its good for him.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

ill add one...

pumping the gas to set the choke, my 68 thunderbird was a bear to start when it was cold..had to give it a sniff of the good stuff lol

Probably the choke isn't set correctly.
Or the accelerator pump is weak, but that would also cause a stumble on acceleration.

 

[19Walt93]

ill add one...

pumping the gas to set the choke, my 68 thunderbird was a bear to start when it was cold..had to give it a sniff of the good stuff lol

I'd be happy to pump the gas to start my Escape- like I do on my Ranger and Mustang- if it meant that the 2-3 second hesitation when I stab the gas caused by the drive-by-wire throttle was gone.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'd be happy to pump the gas to start my Escape- like I do on my Ranger and Mustang- if it meant that the 2-3 second hesitation when I stab the gas caused by the drive-by-wire throttle was gone.

Yeah, the drive by wire feel is disconcerting to say the least.

 

[RangerNumber3]

The horn push on the turn signal stem of the 84 Ranger that I had. That was so strange.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The horn push on the turn signal stem of the 84 Ranger that I had. That was so strange.

But you could run whatever steering wheel you wanted...

 

[Jim Oaks]

Motorized seat belts (those dumb things that sped along the A-piller, up over the door frame and down the B-piller to (s)trap you in your seat).

This.

People would use the shoulder belt but not secure the lap belt. During a crash, you could slide out from under it.

 

[SenorNoob]

I tried hand crank tractor exactly once. Then got my truck and the chain...

 

[97RangerXLT]

Motorized seat belts (those dumb things that sped along the A-piller, up over the door frame and down the B-piller to (s)trap you in your seat).


R-134a freon

in the late 80s and early 90s GM had a seat belt system that would allow you to get in and out of the car without unfastening the seatbelt. both lap and shoulder. the catch was, that the seatbelt was mounted in the actual door, not the B pillar. so the door opened and you could slide in under the belt, close the door and you were belted in. So you can see where this ended up, severe crashes that would allow the door to fly open basically yeeted the belted in driver out of the car as if he were not belted in. I had a 1988 Olds Delta 88 with this system, and it was awkward, so i always belted in and out like normal, and made sure the doors were locked when traveling.

Why the hate on R134a? it wasn't horrible, and i was able to buy 12 oz cans for 5 bucks several years ago. Much better than the new R1234yf garbage in cars now.

AJ