- Joined
- May 18, 1999
- Messages
- 15,395
While we were in Phoenix traffic one day a rock came flying and chipped the windshiled in our Camry. Fortunately it was just a small chip and it stayed put until we got it fixed today.
While we were at the glass shop I spied an old Buick and asked if I could go check it out and was given permission.
It was a 1940 model Buick Special, the "little" one for that year the best I recall. When I was a wee lad we owned a 1940 Buick "Limited" the "Big" one!
The Limited had the spare tires up in the front fenders and looked like something Al Capone would've owned.
I checked this old Buick over real well. A big straight eight overhead valve engine while most cars still were running flat head engines. There's a cover that covers the plugs and most of the plug wires except for where they come underneath to the distibuter. An old single barrel dowdraft carb with an extended oil type air cleaner and a downdraft tube!
A downdraft tube pulled the excess gases outta the engine and did until the pcv took its place.
A nice clean firewall with a minimum of stuff on it but also no power steering, no power brakes, and no air conditioning.
I opened the door and it resounded with a serious click, a big seat that sets like an easy chair, actually maybe a little higher than an average chair these days with maybe the exception of a kitchen chair around the table. And when I shut the door I merely pushed it gently into place and was rewarded with a nice solid sounding click once again. No slaming needed on these doors!!!!
And as big as I remember these cars being I was astounded at how narrow it was inside, not nearly as wide as our new Camry but it was still advertised as carrying six people in comfort, of course they didn't have the seat belts to contend with either.
But on the other hand it had a huge amount of room in the back seat, something you could really stretch your legs out in.
And the average guy isn't gonna rub his head on the headliner even if he's wearing a hat.
The steering wheel was as big as I recalled though. They had to be big to help get the leverage to turn the wheels without any power assist!
That was one of the things I majorally bemoaned when the newer cars kept evolving, the steering wheel kept getting smaller and smaller.
I loved those big steering wheels with their beautiful logos and chrome rings for the horn!
It's a car I wouldn't mind owning but I'd rather have a 1950 Hudson Commodore Eight as they *were* bigger inside, that is if I was going to have my choice of an old American car.
I hear people say, "They don't build cars like that today." Barb actually said it today while she was looking at the 1941 Ford Business Coupe next to the Buick.
When I hear that I always say, "You're right and I'm sure glad. Today's cars are safer and more dependable and last much, much longer than these old beasts from the past." But trouble is not many of the new cars built today evoke the romance of these old beasts and that is sad.
An era lives only in the hearts and minds of us old farts who can remember when cars were truly automobiles and motor cars.
Today they are just vehicles, well most of 'em anyway, there's still a few that evoke the old dreams.
While we were at the glass shop I spied an old Buick and asked if I could go check it out and was given permission.
It was a 1940 model Buick Special, the "little" one for that year the best I recall. When I was a wee lad we owned a 1940 Buick "Limited" the "Big" one!
The Limited had the spare tires up in the front fenders and looked like something Al Capone would've owned.
I checked this old Buick over real well. A big straight eight overhead valve engine while most cars still were running flat head engines. There's a cover that covers the plugs and most of the plug wires except for where they come underneath to the distibuter. An old single barrel dowdraft carb with an extended oil type air cleaner and a downdraft tube!
A downdraft tube pulled the excess gases outta the engine and did until the pcv took its place.
A nice clean firewall with a minimum of stuff on it but also no power steering, no power brakes, and no air conditioning.
I opened the door and it resounded with a serious click, a big seat that sets like an easy chair, actually maybe a little higher than an average chair these days with maybe the exception of a kitchen chair around the table. And when I shut the door I merely pushed it gently into place and was rewarded with a nice solid sounding click once again. No slaming needed on these doors!!!!
And as big as I remember these cars being I was astounded at how narrow it was inside, not nearly as wide as our new Camry but it was still advertised as carrying six people in comfort, of course they didn't have the seat belts to contend with either.
But on the other hand it had a huge amount of room in the back seat, something you could really stretch your legs out in.
And the average guy isn't gonna rub his head on the headliner even if he's wearing a hat.
The steering wheel was as big as I recalled though. They had to be big to help get the leverage to turn the wheels without any power assist!
That was one of the things I majorally bemoaned when the newer cars kept evolving, the steering wheel kept getting smaller and smaller.
I loved those big steering wheels with their beautiful logos and chrome rings for the horn!
It's a car I wouldn't mind owning but I'd rather have a 1950 Hudson Commodore Eight as they *were* bigger inside, that is if I was going to have my choice of an old American car.
I hear people say, "They don't build cars like that today." Barb actually said it today while she was looking at the 1941 Ford Business Coupe next to the Buick.
When I hear that I always say, "You're right and I'm sure glad. Today's cars are safer and more dependable and last much, much longer than these old beasts from the past." But trouble is not many of the new cars built today evoke the romance of these old beasts and that is sad.
An era lives only in the hearts and minds of us old farts who can remember when cars were truly automobiles and motor cars.
Today they are just vehicles, well most of 'em anyway, there's still a few that evoke the old dreams.
