That was us

[Dave]

My parents never had AC in the house or car. But it just doesn't get that hot in western Washington. I never had it in my house and it was 2008 before I had a car with AC.
I had several vehicles with a starter button on the floor. The interesting one was a '46 Studebaker pickup. The starter was the bottom end of the clutch. Mash the clutch pedal down and it would engage the starter. But that old 6 volt thing probably got push started more often than using the starter.

 

[Rafter S]

Ditto. We didn't get window units till I was 12

When I got mairried in 1988 and my wife moved into the old farm house I was living in, it was the first time she had lived in a house that didn't have central heat and AC.

The next year we bought an old house, moved it onto land my father owned, stripped it down to the studs, and completely remodeled it. When we moved into it that was the first time I lived in one that did have it.

 

[RDFF]

I hope you can find what you want. Those old agitator machines did just fine and lasted.

Speed Queen is still making them... just get the ones without all the bells and whistles. The guts of them are still the same as they've always been.

 

[greybeard]

bbirder said: Bet not many on here ever had to contend with a vacuum shift or starter button on the floor!

Or vacuum wipers.

(don't get me started on The Prince of Darkness, and that's not Dracula)

 

[greybeard]

My parents never had AC in the house or car. But it just doesn't get that hot in western Washington. I never had it in my house and it was 2008 before I had a car with AC.
I had several vehicles with a starter button on the floor. The interesting one was a '46 Studebaker pickup. The starter was the bottom end of the clutch. Mash the clutch pedal down and it would engage the starter. But that old 6 volt thing probably got push started more often than using the starter.

It was Studebaker that had a brake cyl tied in to the clutch pedal linkage so you could press the clutch on a hill and not roll down. Called a Hillstopper. It all mounted on the right side frame, underneath.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Lucas electrical systems. Make a preacher cuss.....

 

[MACVSOG]

It was Studebaker that had a brake cyl tied in to the clutch pedal linkage so you could press the clutch on a hill and not roll down. Called a Hillstopper. It all mounted on the right side frame, underneath.

that hill stopper sounds like and interesting contrivance, ahead of its time. i probably older than youse (sic) guys and unfortunately i missed it. i must have been sheltered, have never seen a studebaker either.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

My parents never had AC in the house or car. But it just doesn't get that hot in western Washington. I never had it in my house and it was 2008 before I had a car with AC.
I had several vehicles with a starter button on the floor. The interesting one was a '46 Studebaker pickup. The starter was the bottom end of the clutch. Mash the clutch pedal down and it would engage the starter. But that old 6 volt thing probably got push started more often than using the starter.

I had a lot of old chevys (only had 1 old ford back then) and the gm trucks had a button on the floor until 1959 if I remember right, as time went along I'd convert some to a regular starter and put a push button on the dash to activate it because the ignition switch wasn't set up for it. It's kind of funny watching a younger person from today get in one of those old trucks and try to start it or try to find the gas filler on a 55 chevy car

 

[Stonewall Joe]

Or vacuum wipers.

(don't get me started on The Prince of Darkness, and that's not Dracula)

the vacuum wipers did make things a little exciting sometimes heading up a big hill in the rain

 

[Silver]

the vacuum wipers did make things a little exciting sometimes heading up a big hill in the rain

I used to drive a HD Hayes, about a '74 model. In those years the wipers ran on air pressure. I tried not to use them if possible because if I did it wouldn't be long until the wigwag dropped.

 

[Stonewall Joe]

that hill stopper sounds like and interesting contrivance, ahead of its time. i probably older than youse (sic) guys and unfortunately i missed it. i must have been sheltered, have never seen a studebaker either.

Studebakers actually lasted longer as a car manufacturer than most think, they started out making wagons and the last place they were advertised that I can remember was on "Mr Ed" where they sponsored the show and Wilbur drove one, a Studebaker Lark and he would do the ads during the commercial breaks. I was so impressed (I was just a little kid but a talking horse was fascinating to me) that I saved up my money and bought a studebaker lark convertible model and put it together for my room

 

[greybeard]

My father had a 53 Studebaker Champion in the back of his autoshop, that he bought from a friend in late 1953. Friend had wrecked it badly in the front end and dad removed the whole front end and hood, as well as the broken windshield but never got around to finishing it. My twin brother inherited the autoshop in 2007 and that Champion was still back there and was about the only thing brother took from the building before he had it demolished and the property put up for sale. The inside of the old shop was quite a big mess. We found all the new panels Dad had ordered, the engine, driveshaft, and transmission, and the hillstopper. Was missing one wheel but found another similar enough to get it on a trailer and headed to Arkansas to my brother's place. I did have a little video of that engine and transmission on a skid, running that brother sent me. He came down with cancer and never got to put it all back together. I believe he gave it away to a friend of his near little rock.

Somewhere, I have a picture of it loaded on a trailer ready to head for Arkansas from Harris County Texas.

 

[CowboyRam]

I think dad had a Studebaker pickup he had bought. It didn't run when he got it; I think he just put rings in it, and was told by a friend that it was never going to run. They had to pull start it, he got it started drove it to a dealership in Craig, in fact it just barely had enough power to go up the little incline at the dealership. He left it running while he negotiated on a trade. Latter that week the salesman asked him, did your really drive that here, and dad said you seen me drive it in. They shut it off and was not able to get it started again.

 

[Travlr]

I've got half a Studebaker...

 

[Rafter S]

I think dad had a Studebaker pickup he had bought. It didn't run when he got it; I think he just put rings in it, and was told by a friend that it was never going to run. They had to pull start it, he got it started drove it to a dealership in Craig, in fact it just barely had enough power to go up the little incline at the dealership. He left it running while he negotiated on a trade. Latter that week the salesman asked him, did your really drive that here, and dad said you seen me drive it in. They shut it off and was not able to get it started again.

I've got a friend who drove a 1983 Chevy pickup until it started making an unpleasant noise. He drove it to the dealership and traded it in on a new one. He was talking to the salesman a day or so later and was told it threw a rod when they were moving it on the lot.

 

[Dave]

I had an '86 Chevy S-10. Put 360,000 miles on it. Youngest daughter got hEr license and I let her have it. She got another 5,000 miles. I took it to a farm equipment auction where they sold some vehicles. I remember the auctioneer saying "no it is not a diesel". It sold for $100.