I worked at a gas station in 1971 selling gasoline for .29 cents up to .34 cents a gallon. I see our current situation with imported oil as being very similar to 1973 and again in 1979. It's time to come up with some plans to stop this merry go round. kwg
Who here lived through the gas crisis?
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The gas station where I always got gas back then had a program for its regular customers. They put a sticker on the inside of your windshield and then at certain times, the station was only open for customers with the sticker. He had big signs at all the entrances to let people know when it was "sticker cars" only. I had a 67 Mustang fastback, 289, four speed back then - oh those where the days. I lived in south Florida at the time.
Been there done that, got the t-shirt.
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For Chrysler, which I believe many of the chassis were provided by, the oil embargo changed 38,000 units a year ..down to around 3800. The guy (I actually semi-recall the television interview) said just that. This isn't a retreat of that segment of the market ..it's the death of that market.
In New Zealand in an attempt to get people to cut back use of their car we had 'Carless Days' You designated a day of the week you wouldn't drive the car,and were issued with a sticker to put on the windscreen and there was a fine if you were caught driving on that day.I scored another sticker and covered them in cling film,then I could change my day....but often forgot what day I had up!They also shut service stations at 9.00pm friday night.When we went for a ride on our bikes we would take fuel cans and make a dump off the side of the road somewhere,coming back we could refuel enough to get home.I had some special throw over saddle bags made to fit gallon tins.
I had just graduated high school in 1976, my Dad gave me my Mom's 1970 Sport Satellite, 318 eng.
He bought my Mom a new 1975 Chrysler Cordoba, 360 2b carb.
My Dad leased a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon, 440 eng, 4 barl carb.
As soon as I started to drive to work, my Mom quit her job the same day, she refused to go to downtown Cleveland any more, she hated her new car, she said it was too powerful, like a space rocket.
Both Chryslers sucked up gasoline like water, new technology was just being introduced for cars, like "Lean Burn" computers and radial tires.
Gasoline doubled in price during my first driving week. Every one was complaining about prices and politics.
Gasoline companies were just starting to phase in "self-serve". The longest I waited in line during the day was about 30 minutes.
I decided to start going to fuel up at night after work since it was usually 1am when I would go home. There were no lines at 1am in downtown Cleveland. My first experiance was at a Sohio which was changing to BP. I got about 12 gallons, went to window (they didn't let people inside then). There was one guy inside, and all the equipment just decided to fail, the guy inside his cage went ballistic, started breaking every thing. After he calmed down he did all the invoices by paper and pen, asked me "How much." I was so scared I think I told him $32 instead of 12 gallons. The station was closed, they remodeled it during the next 4 months.
I went to refuel after they reopened, they had new self serve pumps installed, while I am pumping a black guy comes up to me and asks me what I wanted, I said "Huh?' He opens up his jacket which basically was a miniature drug mart. I jokingly say "I only do LSD." He walks away, comes back and says "I got that in the trunk of my car." I said "No thanks." and left.
The next week I decided to go to a Shell, since I was scared to go to BP. It was 2 am, I am pumping gas, a car that probably belonged to SnoopDog flies in, the kid with a big afro says, "Come here." I turn around, are 2 blacks in car with "rap" music blaring, he says "I got all dis dope to sell, how much are you buyin?" He was very hostile and jumpy. I said "Hey, just cause I have long hair doesn't mean I take drugs." He said, "No way man, you better buy somethin." I said "I don't do drugs." He got mad and floored it out of the station.
I quit buying gasoline in downtown Cleveland.
He bought my Mom a new 1975 Chrysler Cordoba, 360 2b carb.
My Dad leased a Chrysler Town & Country station wagon, 440 eng, 4 barl carb.
As soon as I started to drive to work, my Mom quit her job the same day, she refused to go to downtown Cleveland any more, she hated her new car, she said it was too powerful, like a space rocket.
Both Chryslers sucked up gasoline like water, new technology was just being introduced for cars, like "Lean Burn" computers and radial tires.
Gasoline doubled in price during my first driving week. Every one was complaining about prices and politics.
Gasoline companies were just starting to phase in "self-serve". The longest I waited in line during the day was about 30 minutes.
I decided to start going to fuel up at night after work since it was usually 1am when I would go home. There were no lines at 1am in downtown Cleveland. My first experiance was at a Sohio which was changing to BP. I got about 12 gallons, went to window (they didn't let people inside then). There was one guy inside, and all the equipment just decided to fail, the guy inside his cage went ballistic, started breaking every thing. After he calmed down he did all the invoices by paper and pen, asked me "How much." I was so scared I think I told him $32 instead of 12 gallons. The station was closed, they remodeled it during the next 4 months.
I went to refuel after they reopened, they had new self serve pumps installed, while I am pumping a black guy comes up to me and asks me what I wanted, I said "Huh?' He opens up his jacket which basically was a miniature drug mart. I jokingly say "I only do LSD." He walks away, comes back and says "I got that in the trunk of my car." I said "No thanks." and left.
The next week I decided to go to a Shell, since I was scared to go to BP. It was 2 am, I am pumping gas, a car that probably belonged to SnoopDog flies in, the kid with a big afro says, "Come here." I turn around, are 2 blacks in car with "rap" music blaring, he says "I got all dis dope to sell, how much are you buyin?" He was very hostile and jumpy. I said "Hey, just cause I have long hair doesn't mean I take drugs." He said, "No way man, you better buy somethin." I said "I don't do drugs." He got mad and floored it out of the station.
I quit buying gasoline in downtown Cleveland.
I guess thats a good way to conserve gasoline in New Zeeland.... besides.. does New Zeeland even suffer from high pollution? Looks all green to me according all the movies that are shot there.
I was 9yrs old during the 1st crisis. I remember one day when my Mom needed gas for her VW Bug, but she couldn't fill up because of the "odd/even" licence plate thing. Anyway, she puts a 1gal gas can and $1 in my hand and tells me to walk to the local gas station to fill it up. It was early in the morning, just before the station opened and there was already a line of cars waiting for gas for as far the eye could see. I was young & stupid so I walked directly to the front of the line with my gas can...much to the shagrin of the waiting motorists. A guy in the 1st car says to me "What makes you think you can jump to the front of the line?" I replied with the most innocent, child-like expression on my face "But Mister, I just need 1 gallon so I can earn some money mowing lawns." He said "Go ahead, son...get your gas & go mow your lawns." Yea, I was such a lil' stinker.
It's not the pollution,but we don't have our own fuel reserves,at least not enough to be self suficient.But we had gas back then,so there was a big push to convert cars to CNG and LPG - staions had compressors and storage tanks for CNG,LPG was carried by bulk tanker.There were incentives to convert your car to gas,and mechanics like me went on courses to become qualified gas conversion installers...2 guys working as a team could convert 2 and a half cars a day,and were making huge money doing it.A big project was also set up to convert natural gas to liquid petrol.Then the fuel crisis was over,very few cars now run on gas...subsequent goverments have sold our natural gas to the Japanese - we now have run out of gas,but the cash flow balanced the books and made that government look good.In the end it's always politics eh?
I was first licensed in 1969, so I saw both of them living in Los Angeles. I had a VW bug, Suzuki 90 and Honda 175 motorcyles, no gas guzzlers. Even/odd did not apply to trucks or motorcycles. The motorhome industry practically died.
By the time of the second one I had a V-8 1971 Chevy truck and BMW 600 bike. Since my commute was less than five miles, it was not too bad. I did get stuck in Klamath Falls, OR, for half a day waiting for gas delivery. You did not travel long distances at night, at least here in the West.
By the time of the second one I had a V-8 1971 Chevy truck and BMW 600 bike. Since my commute was less than five miles, it was not too bad. I did get stuck in Klamath Falls, OR, for half a day waiting for gas delivery. You did not travel long distances at night, at least here in the West.
I lived through both.
The first, in '73, didn't affect me much. I wasn't driving yet, and never had to sit in any long lines with my friends who were. My share of the gas costs went up, of course.
In '79, I'd been driving for a few years. I don't recall it being as severe as the earlier crisis. I left work at 9:15 a.m. and would gas up on the way home, and the service stations might have lines of 5-6 cars. Earlier in the day, and after work, they were longer.
Since I've always been careful to consolidate my trips to save fuel, and to walk where I could (park in the middle of shopping center lot, walk to shopping center, then to bank, then to restaurant), it hasn't been too bad. Those folks who heedlessly bought gas-swillers they didn't really need, and then proceeded to drive them everywhere, well, bed, made, lie.
-- Paul
The first, in '73, didn't affect me much. I wasn't driving yet, and never had to sit in any long lines with my friends who were. My share of the gas costs went up, of course.
In '79, I'd been driving for a few years. I don't recall it being as severe as the earlier crisis. I left work at 9:15 a.m. and would gas up on the way home, and the service stations might have lines of 5-6 cars. Earlier in the day, and after work, they were longer.
Since I've always been careful to consolidate my trips to save fuel, and to walk where I could (park in the middle of shopping center lot, walk to shopping center, then to bank, then to restaurant), it hasn't been too bad. Those folks who heedlessly bought gas-swillers they didn't really need, and then proceeded to drive them everywhere, well, bed, made, lie.
-- Paul
I lived through them both, but we never had a gas shortage in any of my family's cars. My dad ran a gas station.
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