Anyone old enough here to remember ...

Question

Pulling the choke out to start a cold car engine, and then having to push it in gradually otherwise the car stalled? And putting tin foil in front of the radiator to help the engine warm up quicker ( and heat the interior in icy weather )? And using a starting handle to crank the engine when the battery was low? Oh how I miss that 1958 Morris Minor!

Answer 1

My Nissan Terrano diesel still has a cold start lever - and my 1992 Lada Niva 4x4 had a starting handle - absolute godsend when the battery went flat in Sainsbury's car park with two small kids in the car!

Answer 2

I learned to drive in a Vauxhall Viva HB & failed the test twice as I couldnt manouvere so I changed instructor he had a Datsun 100e it was so easy to drive & I passed - the starting handles before my time earlist car I recall was my Dads 1957 Ford 100E Anglia only 3 rears & the wipers operated by hydraulics or vacuum not electric, one summer holiday driving up to Harlech castle in Wales the car was just moving & the rain poured down with the wipers struggling to move - the good old days ?

Answer 3

I leant to drive in the early 1950s in my Dad's Rover 12 and remember being taught how to using the starting handle with your thumb tucked well in to prevent it being broken by the kick-back. My first car was a share in a Morris Minor 1000 - what an amazing big steering wheel, my next one was a lot later when I had a Mini with a dodgy gearbox and had to learn to double declutch. Driving now seems a lot easier but probably not as much fun

Answer 4

My dad still has a 66 Chevy half ton with a straight six that has to be choked. Living in GA, the cold wasn't a big deal so we didn't do the aluminum thing. However, when the battery was low, our neighbor used to push the truck to a certain speed with his car then we would pop the clutch in 2nd to start it. That was fun. I also remember paying 72 cents a gl in 1985. Those were the good old days.  

Answer 5

AUSTIN 8 1938  (DADS)

ford van 1947  (mine )

hilman minx

a30

a40

a70

then got to newer motors lol

Answer 6

me

Answer 7

omg i loved 70's cars etc so i'm not quite old enough but not far off

Answer 8

I remember having to pull the choke out, and more often than not I flooded the engine, this was in my Dads' car, when I was learning to drive. I knew of people putting foil in front of the radiator, but didn't actually do this myself.

Fortunately I'm not old enough to remember having to crank the engine to start it up, as I wasn't born until 1959.

I can remember my Dads' first car, It was a green Ford Anglia, I can even remember the registration plate number 293 BXC..The arches of the back wheels actually prevented the seat from from running the full length, so it sometimes was uncomfortable when 3 of us kids sat in the back for a long journey.

Yeah, those were the days, and not so much traffic on the roads as there is now and petrol prices were reasonable...unlike today!

Now those are memories :)

Answer 9

Those were the days. People valued their cars as chariots, lovingly caring for them because if they played up,you would be late for work and the bosses in those days weren't as carefree as the bosses are today.

Answer 10

Old enough to remember them  ????????

I remember doing the Pre-delivery Inspection on the wretched things

Morris Minors, A30, A40, A50, A55, Standard Vanguard, Heralds Rover 90, 100 & 110, P5 & P6

Those were the days

Motoring in the modern car is far more comfortable

Answer 11

Did the choke thing yesterday on a 1987 fiesta, as for the rest - 1968 Riley 4/72 but instead of tin foil I had a Paddy Hopkirk radiator blind.

Answer 12

all but the crank handle that was to early.lol

Answer 13

My father ran a 1938 Morris 10 right through the War years (he had "essential driver" status so had a few more petrol coupons than most people could command - petrol was around 15 pence a gallon!)

I remember putting blankets over the radiator grill, too, and cuddling up to a hot water bottle in the car (no heating)

Then he developed holes in the petrol tank and to get it to a blacksmith for repair; I had to chew chewing gum to plug the holes and stop the precious little petrol running out.

It was also my job to push!  

Answer 14

heck ya. my first car was a model A ford. had crank handle in the front but was just for backup. also has electric starter. it also had manual choke as well as manual spark timing, throttle ( the grandfather of cruise control ) as well as manual adjustment for the fuel setting. as a result of these it would run off any flammable liquid. got 40 mpg and passed the most stringent emmissions tests.

i still own a 79 f-150 pickup with manual choke.

Answer 15

Nahh

Answer 16

I thought I went threw a time worp> Not quite all those but some>

Answer 17

Yes... and don't forget.. you did not drive an auto transmission as there were very few if any.

Answer 18

Yep I do recall the choke and shmoozing it to get the motor running. As for the Morris Minor, well I remember a great car car that ran well. Upholstery was blue and white checkers. I blew beef in the back seat on the way to the beach. To this day I blame it on the checkered upholstery. I was about 8 at the time. Thank you for a good question that took me back to my early days!

Answer 19

You really remember the heater working?