# Things I remember and miss so much



## squatting dog (Oct 30, 2015)

Here's some stuff I remember....

learning to drive with 3 on the tree.

High beam dimmer switches on the floor.

vacuum wipers, and having to let up on the gas while passing in the rain.

when road construction zones were marked by kerosene smudge pots.

Watching the gravel road pass under our 58 Chevy wagon through 
the holes in the floor boards.

Spreading ashes through the same holes for winter traction.

how gutless a 144 cu.in. 6cyl. falcon with a 2 speed automatic was.

The air hose bell ringing when you pulled into a real gas station.

sunoco 260 gas and 13 to 1 compression on the street.

dipping a finger in the radiator then licking it to test for anti-freeze.

the squeaking sound all 55-57 chevy's make when opening the doors.

flipping over the air cleaner lid for that 'cool' sound.

the sound of bias plies when you locked up the 4 wheel 
drum brakes on a NEW car.

setting points with a feeler guage, or a matchbook cover.

Draining oil cans out behind the service station, so you had enough oil 
to put in the 55 chevy (ole leaker) to get the oil mark to show on the 
dipstick. Then driving up to the pumps and putting in a gallon of gas 
for the evenings cruise.

when the sentence for DUI involved having to pour out your beer at 
the side of the road and a stern warning to drive straight home. 
If the officer was thirsty, the beer may be confiscated instead. 

The original uncensored "Eenie Meenie Miney Moe........."
And no one got hurt feelings or tried to sue the school

You could smoke in jail. (yes, I may have ended up there once or twice) 

Holding the door open for women. (still do it)

Wondering how your dad could always fart by a mere pull on his finger.

listening to the ballgame in bed late at night on a tiny transistor 
radio, and knowing by the crack of the bat, that it was a homerun.*

The smell and feel of my Baseball Mitt.

Going into the hardware store on a Saturday morning and being greeted 
by the smell of kerosene and boiled linseed oil applied to the old 
maple floors early that morning. The new smell of jute twine and 
hemp rope.

Riding backwards in the 3rd seat of the 9 passenger Pontiac Safari 
wagon.

no microwaves Mom actually cooked every meal.

Sweet tarts the size of a hockey puck.

those GIANT pixie sticks that were about 2 ft long filled with some 
kind of colored sour powder...I remember kids trying to down the whole 
thing and almost choking to death.

the little wooden spoon in the paper wrapper that came with those 
ice cream cups- half chocolate, half vanilla -and the little tab to 
pull off the cardboard lid.

When you had to go to the circus or freak shows on Coney Island to see 
a lady with tattoos.

AM radios only.

those weird feelings that you got watching Annette Funicello.

Riding a bicycle across town to the hills with a .22 across 
the handlebars and no one cared.

Breaking down in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone and 
no pay phone in sight and walking for miles to a farmhouse only 
to find out they had no phone but had a tractor to tow me to town 
with.

Along that vein...I remember pay phones.


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## AZ Jim (Oct 30, 2015)

Just out of curiosity SD, how old are you?  I'll be 80 next birthday.


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## squatting dog (Oct 30, 2015)

69 Jim. guess that makes me a young spud eh?


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## imp (Oct 30, 2015)

*Continue the List!*

Strips of white paper with little colored dots of sugar candy stuck to them, a penny each!

The alley "junk-man" calling out "Rags & Iron"!

Saturday morning continuing action series at the movie house!

imp


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## AZ Jim (Oct 30, 2015)

squatting dog said:


> 69 Jim. guess that makes me a young spud eh?



Yeah, Kinda  but from the things you listed I knew you came along later than me. I'm 1936 vintage.


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## RadishRose (Oct 30, 2015)

This was fun. I remember some of these; the smudge pot torches on the road, the ice cream cups, etc, Thanks!


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## chic (Oct 31, 2015)

I remember high beams on the floor but none of that other stuff except when you drove into a gas station the bell rang. 

I miss how the gas station attendant always wiped clean the front and rear windshields.

I liked how guys held doors open for girls and carried their books home from school.

I love food that is cooked not radiated in a microwave and still cook conventionally to this day.

I loved the fresh tomatoes and figs from my grandfather's garden.

I liked the way clothes smelled when they'd been air dried on the clothesline.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

curb feelers

moon hub caps

angora mirrors

fuzzy dice

fake whitewalls

rear deck speakers

cherry bomb mufflers

teardrop spotlights

blue dot tail lights


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## Pappy (Oct 31, 2015)

Fans for windshield Defrosters.
Suicide knobs
Chrome headlight covers
Plastic window wing deflectors
Exhaust cutouts. 
Burmuda bells
Painting interior lights red with fingernail polish


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## Capt Lightning (Oct 31, 2015)

In spite of living across the pond in the UK, we had our own version of the same things...
Learning to drive in dad's Morris Minor with the high beam light switch on the floor.
Having to do hand signals as part of the driving test.
The bell as you pulled into a petrol station
Vacuum wipers
A heater was an optional extra
Actually being able to repair a car without a computer and a degree in engineering. ( we used to say you could 'set the points with the peak of your cap')
When we used to pay a few bob (shillings) each to buy a gallon of fuel to go out on Saturday night.
I hated it when the girl in the front seat used the rear view mirror to do her lipstick.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

No internet or Amazon but we had JCWhitney (Warshawsky)..

.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

.

.


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## Capt Lightning (Oct 31, 2015)

This is probably purely for the Brits, but others may have had their equivalent -  The Velocette LE "Noddy Bike".

This was a standard bike issued to UK police forces.  Normally police  were required to salute superiour officers,  but if they were riding a motorcycle, this was considered dangerous, so they were required to nod their heads instead.  Hence their bikes became known as "Noddy Bikes".  Production continued till 1970 and their used was phased out in favour of patrol ("panda") cars.


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## Pappy (Oct 31, 2015)

Ken. J. C. Whitney was my main source for accessories. Remember glass packed mufflers and the deep sound they made?


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

Pappy said:


> Ken. J. C. Whitney was my main source for accessories. Remember glass packed mufflers and the deep sound they made?



Sure do..I had two..

JCWhitney is located in Chicago and I lived there and only went there once..


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## Pappy (Oct 31, 2015)

I see JC still sells the cutouts, only a heck of a lot more expensive. I had one on a 46 Ford.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

Pappy said:


> Ken. J. C. Whitney was my main source for accessories. Remember glass packed mufflers and the deep sound they made?



Did you ever take 1st gear to the top RPM and turn off the key and then turn it back on to make it backfire??


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## Pappy (Oct 31, 2015)

All the time, Ken. I lived on a hill and going down, I'd leave it in second gear and pull off windshield wiper hose. Backfired all the way down the hill. I forgot to enclose picture on my last post.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

Pappy said:


> All the time, Ken. I lived on a hill and going down, I'd leave it in second gear and pull off windshield wiper hose. Backfired all the way down the hill. I forgot to enclose picture on my last post.



Yes sir I tried the cutout I could not get the cable right and had leaks!!!


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## squatting dog (Oct 31, 2015)

Ken N Tx said:


> No internet or Amazon but we had JCWhitney (Warshawsky).
> 
> Yep... good ole JCWhitney.  I just had to have a chrome dagger dipstick handle, a winking Frankenstein for the back window and some organ pipe speaker covers.    And there was nothing to compare to the hot rods in the "little pages". I still lust to have a version of this 32 ford.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

squatting dog said:


> Ken N Tx said:
> 
> 
> > No internet or Amazon but we had JCWhitney (Warshawsky).
> ...


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## squatting dog (Oct 31, 2015)

Ken. not to be uppity, but, that is a 30 or 31 model A. note the cowl gas tank filler and model A grill, although I still wouldn't toss it out of my garage.  32's had a cowl vent, but most hot rodders filled it in.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 31, 2015)

squatting dog said:


> Ken. not to be uppity, but, that is a 30 or 31 model A. note the cowl gas tank filler and model A grill, although I still wouldn't toss it out of my garage.  32's had a cowl vent, but most hot rodders filled it in.



...


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## Linda (Oct 31, 2015)

"Did you ever take 1st gear to the top RPM and turn off the key and then turn it back on to make it backfire??"
​ 


I already forget which one of you guys posted the above, but I remember this.  My husband used to do this to impress me when we were dating but I'm pretty sure it's hard on the motor.  He doesn't do that anymore.  Once we were going over a little bridge and an old man was standing there fishing and he made it backfire right behind him and the poor guy almost jumped off the bridge.  We were such bad kids back then and now of course, it's pay back time.


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## hossthehermit (Nov 18, 2015)

Me in 1967, my first motorcycle ....


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