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Originally Posted by MS Fowler
Every time we had rain after a long dry spell, we knew the phone would ring for "no start" service calls. Most of them seemed to be Chryslers. Maybe that's why Chrysler went to electronic ignitions earlier than the others, for their whole line. Most everyone had transistor ignition on HP models.
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I've run points ignitions on two vehicles without any issues. The first was my '63 Dart with a '79 360 out of a Cordoba with a distributor sourced from a '72 Fury. Second is my '71.
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We do tend to view the past thru rose-colored glasses. Remember when 10,000 miles per a set of tires was good?
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No. I must not be old enough. I usually get about 20,000 out of a set.
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Carburetors were acceptable because it was the only way to mix fuel and air--except in a very few HP models.
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From the 50's onward you could buy a diesel Benz in the U.S. In a low performance application a non-turbo diesel is better than carbs. Mechanical diesel injection paired with a turbocharger is WAY better than carbs, but they didn't offer that in a passenger car until 1978.
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Anyway, in cold weather, with a cold engine, the first start was often a problem. Pump the accelerator to inject a little gas into the manifold, and set the automatic choke, wait a few seconds or minutes for that fuel to vaporize, and hit the starter. No instant starts like today, but grind, grind, grind, until it started, or the battery gave out. Batteries, as well as Generators, or Alternators were of much lower ratings than today. A 30 amp Alternator was OK.
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I've been using the '71 lately. It has points, Zenith carburetors, and a choke system that kicks off after about six seconds. I can still get under way in 30 seconds on a cold day. The real suckage of carburetors is the lousy fuel economy you get with them.
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Drum brakes---I never had a problem with high speed fade, but did lose brakes due to water floooding the drums--drove for literally MILES standing on the brake to generate enough heat to dry them out.
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My Dart had 9x2 inch drums all around. That coupled with the lightly modified 360 I put in it made for some interesting driving. I am now well acquainted with the phenomenon of brake fade.
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Remember trunks large enough to lay down and sleep in?
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We never tried, but you could probably have gotten five people into the trunk of my first car.
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Cars had "character". Maybe today's vanilla, dead-on reliability is better.
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It depends on the buyer. A few companies still make a car with character. Fewer still make a car with character that also features Accord-like reliability. They are not inexpensive.