afriqueart
Member
I got an email the other day with all kinds of things from the past.
I'd forgotten about the button on the floorboard!
I'd forgotten about the button on the floorboard!
Remember the headlight dimmer on the floorboard?
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cass
Member
Yea, I remember it - it was located on the other side from the starter button.
Grayfox
US Veteran
I grew up with the dimmer switch on the floor board. I was on about my 4th, maybe 5th vehicle before getting one with the switch in the turn signals.
I do remember that there was quite a a fuss about safety concerns when the first dimmer switches were moved to the steering column.
It seems that blonds kept getting their foot caught in the steering wheel!
I do remember that there was quite a a fuss about safety concerns when the first dimmer switches were moved to the steering column.
It seems that blonds kept getting their foot caught in the steering wheel!
Jst1mr
Member
I had an old Ford pickup equipped like that. The rust and corrosion of the floorboards would cause the switch to stick....but it stuck in a manner that turned the lights OFF! Quite an eye-opener on a dark road at night.
My 1929 Chyrsler had a lever in the center of the steering wheel for the lights as well as for the spark advance and throttle. The next 4 or 5 cars had the dimmer on the floor board.
How many here had a windshield you could crank up or push out for a bit of ventilation?
LTC
How many here had a windshield you could crank up or push out for a bit of ventilation?
LTC
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ljmvaw124
US Veteran
The column mounted high beam switch was definitely easier to use in a manual trans car .... especially when you wear size 13's !
m1gunner
US Veteran
Remember? Heck, 2 of my trucks are that way. Much more robust (and cheaper to fix) than the steering column switch.
BigRich315
Member
Remember it? I still use it!
Though I haven't had a car with a floor switch in many a year, I much prefered it there. Seems just about every time I hit the stalk mounted switch I turn on/off something else. In this case I am not a fan of the newest technology.
Be safe.
Be safe.
klondike
Member
My '57 Dodge had a push button transmission. Why did that go away? It worked great.
Remember it? I still use it!
Yeah, my '81 F- 250 still has it there. Oops, come to think of it '81 was a while ago.
darmtn1917
Member
And what happened to the "wing windows" - you could use them for "natural air-conditioning" Funny how things just seem to disappear while your going thru life!
And do you remember the "autronic eye" that GM put on the dashboard of its high end cars about 1958? It looked like a little outward pointing ray gun mounted over to the left of the driver's side. It was supposed to sense oncoming headlights and automatically dim your headlights as a courtesy to the other driver. I think this feature lasted about one year, because there were implementation bugs. I remember tales of cars going down streets with no traffic, but shifting dim-bright-dim-bright-dim with every passing street light.
LAKOTA169
Member
My car still has the floor mounted dimmer switch, and the starter button. also has vent windows, cowl vent and a crankout windshield. Vacuum wipers, and a flathead 6 motor. Don't forget about running boards.
bmcgilvray
Member
Yep, and I prefer it that way.
Black69
Member
My have never figured out how to dim the lights in my 69 Camaro.
My 1967 VW Kombi had floor dimmer switch
Up until recently I regularily drove a fuel injected, 4-speed 1962 Corvette. Shifting gears and dimming the lights at the same time is doable, but takes some coordination.
Yeah, I remember. Learned to drive with those features. Floor mounted dimmer switch, on the column 3 speed shift, vent windows, AM only radio, non-power assist drum brakes.
Some things were fun and wish we still had them. Others, not so much.
Some things were fun and wish we still had them. Others, not so much.
tom turner
US Veteran
Yep . . .
I started driving using dad's 1930 Model A Ford coupe, so ditto on a lot of things mentioned here:
- Loosen two knobs and the windshield pivoted out at its bottom
- The two levers on each side of the steering column, just behind the steering wheel were NOT for turn signals or lights or windshield wipers.
No, the left one was your "spark" lever (manual distributor timing advance). You started the car with the lever UP (IIRC), then advanced the lever down to advance the distributor timing. Or . . .was it the other way around? No problem, you'd figure it out instantly, or the 24.03 Horsepower engine wouldn't run right! . . .
. . . and the right one was for "throttle" and allowed one to rev up the engine more than normal. This helped if you had to use the manual CRANK lever to start the car if the electric starter didn't work!
- The ignition switch was in the center of the small dash cluster . . . but just turned on power to the distributor. The STARTER SWITCH was on the FLOOR, near to the gas petal! You pushed down on the button with your right foot and the straight lever pushed straight down into the starter solenoid on top of the Model A's starter.
- The horn button was a tiny black "button" in the center of the steering wheel, as expected, but around the button was a round metal plate with a lever pointing down. Push the lever one way and you'd get parking and tail lights. Push it the other and you'd get low beams, then high
- The carburetor had a manual choke lever, on the end of a long metal shaft that came out of the side of the carburetor and rose through the dash and mounted on the right of the dash board's bottom. You'll pulled it out (spring loaded) to choke the engine when starting. It would also rotate to make the carburetor richer when necessary.
- Um . . . the dash board? It was actually the GAS TANK! That's right, the gas tank was both the dashboard AND the top outside of the tank was the car's cowl top just in front of the windshield. This allowed Ford to avoid using/needing a FUEL PUMP . . . since the gas tank was thus higher than the carburetor . . . and just behind the firewall . . . and JUST above your lap!!!
- The battery was under the driver's feet and floor BOARD. This allowed the shortest cable possible to the starter . . . also on the engine's left side's bellhousing.
- SAFETY FEATURE! The Model A was the first Ford to use SAFETY GLASS in the windshield. Seat belts? Are you kidding? You wanted to be ejected through the windshield before the gas tank ruptured over the engine anyway!
FUN FEATURE . . . You could really make someone jump as you passed them in your car . . . by turning off the ignition switch temporarily, then yank the spark advance lever UP, then turn the switch back on.
BAM! When you switched the ignition back on, it would sound like a gun going off. However, sometimes the explosion would blow the muffler right off!!!
Ahhhh . . . the good ol' days in the mid-60s . . . driving a '30 Model A . . .
Somehow I survived it. Dad's Model A is still in the family too! It needs restoration but it is still a decent Model A. The engine HAS been replaced since this photo . . .
I later had a 1931 Model A Roadster. I finally sold it to my younger brother, as I couldn't afford to restore the nice, unrestored roadster. He's still got it today.
Here's the photo of it. I told him I wanted first refusal if he ever sells it!!!
I started driving using dad's 1930 Model A Ford coupe, so ditto on a lot of things mentioned here:
- Loosen two knobs and the windshield pivoted out at its bottom
- The two levers on each side of the steering column, just behind the steering wheel were NOT for turn signals or lights or windshield wipers.
No, the left one was your "spark" lever (manual distributor timing advance). You started the car with the lever UP (IIRC), then advanced the lever down to advance the distributor timing. Or . . .was it the other way around? No problem, you'd figure it out instantly, or the 24.03 Horsepower engine wouldn't run right! . . .
. . . and the right one was for "throttle" and allowed one to rev up the engine more than normal. This helped if you had to use the manual CRANK lever to start the car if the electric starter didn't work!
- The ignition switch was in the center of the small dash cluster . . . but just turned on power to the distributor. The STARTER SWITCH was on the FLOOR, near to the gas petal! You pushed down on the button with your right foot and the straight lever pushed straight down into the starter solenoid on top of the Model A's starter.
- The horn button was a tiny black "button" in the center of the steering wheel, as expected, but around the button was a round metal plate with a lever pointing down. Push the lever one way and you'd get parking and tail lights. Push it the other and you'd get low beams, then high
- The carburetor had a manual choke lever, on the end of a long metal shaft that came out of the side of the carburetor and rose through the dash and mounted on the right of the dash board's bottom. You'll pulled it out (spring loaded) to choke the engine when starting. It would also rotate to make the carburetor richer when necessary.
- Um . . . the dash board? It was actually the GAS TANK! That's right, the gas tank was both the dashboard AND the top outside of the tank was the car's cowl top just in front of the windshield. This allowed Ford to avoid using/needing a FUEL PUMP . . . since the gas tank was thus higher than the carburetor . . . and just behind the firewall . . . and JUST above your lap!!!
- The battery was under the driver's feet and floor BOARD. This allowed the shortest cable possible to the starter . . . also on the engine's left side's bellhousing.
- SAFETY FEATURE! The Model A was the first Ford to use SAFETY GLASS in the windshield. Seat belts? Are you kidding? You wanted to be ejected through the windshield before the gas tank ruptured over the engine anyway!
FUN FEATURE . . . You could really make someone jump as you passed them in your car . . . by turning off the ignition switch temporarily, then yank the spark advance lever UP, then turn the switch back on.
BAM! When you switched the ignition back on, it would sound like a gun going off. However, sometimes the explosion would blow the muffler right off!!!
Ahhhh . . . the good ol' days in the mid-60s . . . driving a '30 Model A . . .
Somehow I survived it. Dad's Model A is still in the family too! It needs restoration but it is still a decent Model A. The engine HAS been replaced since this photo . . .
I later had a 1931 Model A Roadster. I finally sold it to my younger brother, as I couldn't afford to restore the nice, unrestored roadster. He's still got it today.
Here's the photo of it. I told him I wanted first refusal if he ever sells it!!!
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OLDFED
Member
Wind wings, push out windshields, center opening doors on sedans, real trunks on the back, center-of-the-windshield radio antennas that you could turn up or down, clocks that you wound, little heater boxes under the dash, steering wheels that cracked in the sun, rubber floor mats, dashboard throttles, chrome and lots of it, center floor hand brakes, window air conditioners, water bags on the bumper when in the west, constant flat tires, flat rear floors, laminated window glass, big back seats for....., spare tires on the front fenders, paint jobs three inches thick, steel even thicker, running boards and best of all....engines that you could easily identify every part of and adjust yourself!
I forgot about the foot control for the windshield washer, something I drove had it but I can't remember what. I drove a half million miles in one tractor that had the foot mounted dimmer. I changed several cars over to floor dimming from the turn signal dimming. Some of them are a piece of cake, others not so. These days, I'm getting used to the signal shift. I still have mom's 1929 Ford Sport Coupe. It's light lever surrounds the horn button and the switch is at the base of the steering column/steering box.
gunlovingirl
Member
Sure. I used to have to give it a shot of WD40 once in awhile. Also remember the side vent windows. Wish they still made them. Worked great for flicking ashes out and letting in some air.
BarbC
Member
I liked it on the floor like that too.
I had a '83 Thunderbird with the horn on a button at the end of the turn signal stalk, which was stupid.
I had a '83 Thunderbird with the horn on a button at the end of the turn signal stalk, which was stupid.
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