Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[oldtimer]

It often seems to me that it is the apparently minor items that influence how we feel about a fairly major outlay in the longer term.I am very much attached to my old Volvo but there were seemingly trivial factors even here which,if not addressed,would have had a detrimental impact.For example,the combined wiper/screen washer switch;the washer is only activated in the final pull out so that the wipers dragged across a dry and dirty screen in normal speed,position one,fast ,second pull, and finally the third pull activated the washers.Resolved by fitting a separate switch for the washers but an irritant while it was original.
I had a V.W. TYPE 3 estate and never managed to cure the screeching brakes .I got rid of it in disgust and,had someone caught me at such a moment I may well have given it to him for nothing.
Are there other grumpy old chaps like me around or will I have to form an exclusive one member club?

[peter scott]

I've never got over the move away from floor mounted dip switches but despite still having one in my possession I've always been too lazy to fit it to my every day car. I guess that instead of being a "grumpy old chap" I'm a lazy old grump.

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[buzzy bee]

Supose it is similar to remembering to use a grease gun, 3 small pumps on a grease gun takes seconds and pence, but forget it for a while, and you have hours of work, and £££££

[Jim.Walker]

A little bit of humour here - for me anyway.
My Austin FL1 Hire Car has a foot operated dip switch immediately ABOVE the plunger clutch pedal. Which means that operating it means twisting the left ankle at almost 90 degrees to operate because of the parcel shelf above and the clutch pedal below.

Consequently, about 50+ years ago I got into the habit of settling my foot in that position at night to operate the dip switch. Only moving it when I needed to change gear.

One night approaching traffic lights which changed on me I did a quick change down to third (I was taught to save the brakes by using the gears) and I suddenly realised I had dipped the lights instead of the clutch! And executed a flawless gear-change!

My new found skills have enabled me to recover, over the years, many vehicles with a defective clutch without recourse to a tow truck!

The longest I recall being from Mansfield to Cambridge with my own Series 5 Oxford, towing a caravan. Not really a recovery as much as the easiest and cheapest way to get home after a clutch failure.
Jim.
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Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[poodge]

I've had a fair few Cortina's in my days,and on the whole I thought them brilliant cars.But 1 mk1 estate I had would jam in reverse gear quite often.The only remedy was to switch off the engine,and give the (column) lever a firm slap with the flat of my hand.I never did get to the bottom of that little "feature",as I sold it in order to buy my first VW Kombi,a 66' splitscreen .

[Keith D]

For some reason known only to Herbert Austin, he decided for one year only, to mirror image the selection pattern of gears on the Seven.

I have three cars with a three speed gearbox. The Chrysler and a Cowley and a Seven. Unfortunately my Seven was built in the year when the the gearshift was arse about face! When ever I drive the Seven I try and start off in top and wonder why I can't get it into second gear when I'm actually trying to get it into reverse!

Even worse, the next time I drive the Chrysler I still have the Austin pattern in my head, so I have to drive by actually "thinking" out where the gearstick should go!

All I have to do is to get hold of a gearbox a year earlier (not hard to do!) and fit that in the Seven! Problem solved! Unfortunately I find that the weather is either too hot, or too cold, or that I just don't feel like doing it! So I have conditioned myself to accept the occasional crunching of gears!

Like Peter, I guess I'm another "lazy old grump!"

Keith

[alan 869]

All these -features- are one of the main reasons I like old cars The challenge of driving

I have a Volvo 144 from 1967 with the earlier -Amazon- wiper switch. Had the car since 1989 and find no problem with it. I do tend to wipe off the windscreen and wipers before I go anywhere and don´t put them on before the screen is well and truly wet from the rain

The switch furthest to the left....

[img][/img]

[oldtimer]

Sorry,I can't agree that something that was badly designed or not properly thought through later becomes "quaint" or a loveable trait that is worthy of praise after the passage of time.
Kind regards,
John

[alan 869]

Don´t remember calling it -quaint- or a lovable trait Could have been designed better (Heller again ) but it works. So much fuss over a switch, amazing