What exists on an old car that most people wouldn't recognise today?

[Swotty]

Wow what a coincidence, bearing in mind I was a green 19 year old, not long after I bought my 2.6 in the late 80s it started consuming a lot of water & I noticed it was leaking from underneath the engine manifolds. I removed the inlet & exhaust manifolds to find that the previous owner had attached a sheet of aluminium to the block with self tapping screws, sealed with copious amounts of silicone sealant. I removed the sheet, only for a huge chunk of the block to fall out on the floor. Three or four of the cylinder outsides were plainly visible through the hole I hired an engine hoist, me & a mate removed the engine on my parent's drive & a workmate tried to Tig weld it, but it just kept cracking elsewhere as he welded. I then found out that a Ventora 3.3 would go straight in (same engine, just wider bores), so I bought a 2nd-hand one for 50 quid & put that in So it must've been a common thing with those engines, or people just forgot to check the anti-freeze strength? I do know that straight six was originally a Bedford lorry engine btw.

The 3 litre straight 6 in my Wolseley is the same motor as in the Austin Healey 6s, albeit with twin SUs rather than triple.

I was feeling quite pleased until someone far more knowledgeable than me told me it was in fact a lorry-based motor.

Must have been a common ploy.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

An AtoZ ….. or Atlas of Great Britain

I had my first for Christmas the year before I turned 17 years old, and Santa bought me a new one every year for a while.

 

[David44]

Foot operated headlight dip switch.

 

[baxlin]

The engine-driven fan, turned, funnily enough, by the fan belt?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Ashtrays and cigar lighters have been replaced by a storage drawer and a 12v socket. Appear to be similar, function differently.

 

[DoberMan]

Built-in torch in the glovebox.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

Built-in torch in the glovebox.
View attachment 125541View attachment 125542

Had two BMs with those. Never used it.

Took kit in boot lid? I still have the tools that I took out of my 1970s BMW 2000 SA when I sold it.

 

[haxton]

Dynastart......on my Berkerley T60. Starter motor and dynamo in one.

 

[BTB 500]

Dynastart......on my Berkerley T60. Starter motor and dynamo in one.

Hybrid MBs like the C200 also use a combined starter/generator

 

[ALFAitalia]

Light under the bonnet.....so simple and an obvious thing to have.....cus we all know that cars only break down in the dark and cold and wet! Last car I had with from the factory that was my 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee! I added it to my CLK though.

 

[baxlin]

Chrome hubcaps!

 

[ChipChop]

Electric Aerials.

 

[Bellow]

Worm gear final drive.

 

[aybracers]

Heater as an extra (Ford 105E Anglia - 1962)

 

[DoberMan]

Stick-on windscreen demister.

 

[DoberMan]

Opening window quarter lights.

 

[BTB 500]

In a vaguely similar vein I had this list pop up recently:

20 old car features we miss | Hagerty UK

From colourful cabins to proper switches and box arches to pop-up lights, we've picked the top 20 old car features we miss in modern motoring.

www.hagerty.co.uk

 

[chic0821]

Tax disc & just remembered a spot light which was fitted to edge of the wing or was it the door & you were able to stick your hand out of the window & swivel it

 

[John N]

Tax disc & just remembered a spot light which was fitted to edge of the wing or was it the door & you were able to stick your hand out of the window & swivel it

If I remember correctly, that was often a Scene in the 50's/60's Series "The Untouchables"

 

[davymead]

Tax disc & just remembered a spot light which was fitted to edge of the wing or was it the door & you were able to stick your hand out of the window & swivel it

As a youngster, our local GP owned a beautiful Ford Zephyr Convertible and used his light to hone in on house numbers on his house calls in the dark. For our younger members, that’s when GP’s actually made emergency visits to their patients when called out.