We owned a '57 4dr bel air untila bout 5 years ago. it was in the family since day 1, passed from generation to generation. by today's standards it would be difficult to live with.
1,000 mile OCI was correct. that was also the interval for chassis lubrication, which on that car meant every single joint. The four-wheel drums needed adjustment at about the same interval. You couldn't drive it if you didn't do that.
Vacuum wipers were sluggish on hills and acceleration. single-latch hood could cause surprises if the massive metal in the latch didn't always snap closed.
Air conditioning, reverse lights, and hazard flashers were not standard equipment. Hazards didn't come around for a while. same with seatbelts. Since there was no A/C, the ventilation from floor vents, roll-down windows, and sail windows was enormous. I often rode the brakes in reverse with my head out the window to back up in the dark... there was just no way to see. It had sockets... we eventually added bulbs, wire, and a toggle.
The heat was quiet and plentiful. just a big vent on the floor, and a small defrost outlet.
The 2 speed powerglide was both loved and hated. It could handle gobs of torque, and was pretty much all-metal. The multi-ratio torque converter was a bit of marketing genius. It really just drove like a loose or weak TC that allowed lots of slop. The car shifted into high gear around 15 mph and that was it. At 60mph you were at 3,000 rpm. People romanticize about seeing 100 mph in these things. It seems ludicrous to me. The steering wheel had like 6" of play in it, no sway bars, clumsy drum brakes, near 6,000 rpm... I never dreamt of trying it. I'm not sure if the suspension even accounted for camber angle during steering.
But around town, it was a joy. The engine was silent. all you normally heard was the sucking sound through the oil-bath air cleaner, unless you got in it, and then you knew you had a tight little v8. It rode smooth. tons on room on those seats to sit, stretch, or sleep. The dash was a mile wide and glowed a soft green from end to end. The roofline was high and it felt spacious. It was not unpleasant at 55 mph, the speed limit back then, but it was busier than any vehicle today. Everything was made of metal and it felt solid. The fenders were thick, thick metal if you ever had to drill through them. much of the trim was stainless, and the stainless would last even though the backing would rust to nothing.
Parallel parking was entertaining. some folks just couldn't muster the steering wheel. My mom got tired of driving it at some point for that reason.
The cars were lighter than you'd think... ours was ~2880 lbs dry. They were heralded back then as "lightweight" to allow more performance. That, and the complete and utter absence of safety engineering.... I'd never want to have a wreck in one. I'm pretty sure today's accord weighs more.
1,000 mile OCI was correct. that was also the interval for chassis lubrication, which on that car meant every single joint. The four-wheel drums needed adjustment at about the same interval. You couldn't drive it if you didn't do that.
Vacuum wipers were sluggish on hills and acceleration. single-latch hood could cause surprises if the massive metal in the latch didn't always snap closed.
Air conditioning, reverse lights, and hazard flashers were not standard equipment. Hazards didn't come around for a while. same with seatbelts. Since there was no A/C, the ventilation from floor vents, roll-down windows, and sail windows was enormous. I often rode the brakes in reverse with my head out the window to back up in the dark... there was just no way to see. It had sockets... we eventually added bulbs, wire, and a toggle.
The heat was quiet and plentiful. just a big vent on the floor, and a small defrost outlet.
The 2 speed powerglide was both loved and hated. It could handle gobs of torque, and was pretty much all-metal. The multi-ratio torque converter was a bit of marketing genius. It really just drove like a loose or weak TC that allowed lots of slop. The car shifted into high gear around 15 mph and that was it. At 60mph you were at 3,000 rpm. People romanticize about seeing 100 mph in these things. It seems ludicrous to me. The steering wheel had like 6" of play in it, no sway bars, clumsy drum brakes, near 6,000 rpm... I never dreamt of trying it. I'm not sure if the suspension even accounted for camber angle during steering.
But around town, it was a joy. The engine was silent. all you normally heard was the sucking sound through the oil-bath air cleaner, unless you got in it, and then you knew you had a tight little v8. It rode smooth. tons on room on those seats to sit, stretch, or sleep. The dash was a mile wide and glowed a soft green from end to end. The roofline was high and it felt spacious. It was not unpleasant at 55 mph, the speed limit back then, but it was busier than any vehicle today. Everything was made of metal and it felt solid. The fenders were thick, thick metal if you ever had to drill through them. much of the trim was stainless, and the stainless would last even though the backing would rust to nothing.
Parallel parking was entertaining. some folks just couldn't muster the steering wheel. My mom got tired of driving it at some point for that reason.
The cars were lighter than you'd think... ours was ~2880 lbs dry. They were heralded back then as "lightweight" to allow more performance. That, and the complete and utter absence of safety engineering.... I'd never want to have a wreck in one. I'm pretty sure today's accord weighs more.
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