Random Thought for the day.

[trevor572]

Hi Everyone. Just having a morning coffee and thinking. A lot of the cars we love and lavish attention on are around 50 years old now. When these cars were on the drawing boards or rolling off the assembly line do think in their wildest dreams anyone could have imagined they would still be in use today? They would probably only been designed to last for a relatively short lifespan, perhaps 10 years at the most, and here we are today, as I said lavishing attention on them, modifying, maintaining and best of all driving and enjoying them.

[minendrews68]

Pretty ironic to say the least.. In a good way though.

[arcane73]

Being the owner of a first gen mustang, I can say that these cars certainly don't seem to have been built with longevity in mind. But I'm certainly glad to have one in my garage. Along those same lines: I don't feel like there are many cars on the road today that have the same level of class or style as the cars used to. Almost everything seems to look the same. Hell, i wasn't even born when my car was built, but I prefer almost anything pre-70 to cars today. My wife says I have an old soul :)

[trevor572]

Being the owner of a first gen mustang, I can say that these cars certainly don't seem to have been built with longevity in mind. But I'm certainly glad to have one in my garage. Along those same lines: I don't feel like there are many cars on the road today that have the same level of class or style as the cars used to. Almost everything seems to look the same. Hell, i wasn't even born when my car was built, but I prefer almost anything pre-70 to cars today. My wife says I have an old soul :)
I have a childhood memory of wandering around a country show/fair in Nambour, Queensland, and going to the local dealerships display and slipping myself behind the wheel of a red Ford XY GTHO Phase 3, our most iconic muscle car. I would have been by myself because my dad only saw a car as transportation, as a teenager they had quadrupled in value and out of my reach, for the last couple of decades they have sold for 100 times their original price. Cars touch people and bring back memories of a different era for many of us. And yes, a lot of modern cars have to be close enough to read the emblem before I know what they are, I can still spot a classic from a mile away but.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

As a designer I personally think they DID think it would have lasted..


Back then car designers and the big boys behind them werent TOO concerned with safety, reliability, comfort.. etc. They just designed cars that looked cool and would appeal to an audience that was young and didnt think too far into their OWN future.. living in the moment.

shoot.. I drive my 67 Camaro(Stormy) as a daily with my wife and kids to the office, school, skatepark.. and ill tell ya.. its not the most roomy, comfortable, etc.. but EVERYWHERE I go people of ALL ages thinks its super cool!.. and this is the car Chevy made to appeal to young couples that might have a kid and saves a bit on gas as its a "small" car..

my kids are 7 and 5.. they dont know what "classic" is.. they know its cool.. like a car from a movie..

The Designers of these cars wanted to make cool cars.. took out their pencils and drew lines that invoked feelings in people that felt like rolling art.. and thats why we love them truly today.. they are art with possibilities and potentials to modify and be better than they are..

I think almost EVERY car pre CAFE and 5MPH bumper conversion was done with style and flare.. those are art.. after that with the big bumpers is like taking The Mona Lisa and adding a Berka to it..

I do think they are trying to bring that back though.. albeit the CAFE and all that is still there but inside the body panels(which is why cars are huge now) but they try to design the car to look more interesting for sure.. look at the new musclecar wars the big 3 is having now.. oh what a time to be alive!!!

kiss and hug your kids..

[arcane73]

As a designer I personally think they DID think it would have lasted..

I remained unconvinced seeing as how ford didn't prime the cars until *after* they bolted doors on. No primer under the hinges? really? :)
But I understand there was a need to pump out lots and LOTS of those cars. Save a buck here or there over the course of half a million of ponies = gobs of dollar bills.

And the 40's and 50s cars.....still art in my eyes.

And the current muscle war is interesting. I still haven't fully grown to accept some of the styling on the big 3 but overall, I think they're having a good time with trying to marry the new styling and still giving credit to the original designs.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

The DESIGN...


As in the way it was drawn and would end up looking ...its timeless I think.






Now the quality of Ford.. well.. has been question from time to time..

lol.

[arcane73]

The DESIGN...
As in the way it was drawn and would end up looking ...its timeless I think.

Totally agree. There are some cars out there that have universal appeal and will always be noticed where ever they roam.


Now the quality of Ford.. well.. has been question from time to time..lol.

And then you go and get rude! lol :)

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Actually I thought I was being real tactful.. I personally like mustangs.. never OWNED one but I plan on a 69 fasty one day..

Its just I hear from ford owners opinions themselves... like the guy who posted above you.(you)

so yea.. am I rude?



lol!

[arcane73]

Actually I thought I was being real tactful.. I personally like mustangs.. never OWNED one but I plan on a 69 fasty one day..

Its just I hear from ford owners opinions themselves... like the guy who posted above you.(you)

so yea.. am I rude?



lol!

I thought it was brilliantly tactful.
This is my third mustang. Second first gen though.
And yeah, you won't hear me say that ford did everything right. That's where the aftermarket comes in and fixes a lot of the original issues. (Forever thankful for the huge amount of support for the first gens)
So, rude? For telling the truth? lol, nope!

[trevor572]

I thought it was brilliantly tactful.
This is my third mustang. Second first gen though.
And yeah, you won't hear me say that ford did everything right. That's where the aftermarket comes in and fixes a lot of the original issues. (Forever thankful for the huge amount of support for the first gens)k
So, rude? For telling the truth? lol, nope!
Probably fair to say all cars have there strengths and weaknesses, I have had a love affair with 1st gen Camaro's since I was a teenager, but had I not got messed around by a seller I would have had a 71 Cuda where it now sits, love the 69 fastback Mustang's also but a bit thin on the ground here and I could not find the right car at the time, I did try but. I love them all but can't have them.
Put yourselves in my shoes for one moment but, as I said at the beginning, love my first gen Camaro. My surname is FORD !!!

[T_Raven]

In the 60s people were still playing with cars that were 30-50 years old, so I'm sure the people building the cars of the 60s knew a lot of them would be around for decades. Though the majority of the population would rather have a new car and I'm sure it's always been that way. From a business perspective, you want to sell cars, and continue to sell cars, not sell cars that will last forever. I'm sure they've always been designed to last long enough for someone to want the next new thing.

With all that said, I don't think cars have ever necessarily been built to last, nor to throw away fairly soon. They've always been built with the best technology available. 60s cars weren't built with the same quality as they are today, but at the time, it was the best they had.

I bought my 67 Firebird when it was 31 years old. It kinda blows my mind when I think about that car being almost 50. My oldest vehicles are my 53 and 54 GMCs. It amazes me some times that they are over 60 years old and still as solid as they are. I pulled the 54 out of a junk yard it was in for at least 20 years. I pulled my old 49 GMC cab out of a field, where it was sitting sunk into the dirt for almost 30 years. My 67 and 68 Camaros sat on their floor pans in a field for over 20 years and the floors and rockers are as solid as can be. I'm amazed how slow stuff rusts around my area.

[arcane73]

Probably fair to say all cars have there strengths and weaknesses, I have had a love affair with 1st gen Camaro's since I was a teenager, but had I not got messed around by a seller I would have had a 71 Cuda where it now sits, love the 69 fastback Mustang's also but a bit thin on the ground here and I could not find the right car at the time, I did try but. I love them all but can't have them.
Put yourselves in my shoes for one moment but, as I said at the beginning, love my first gen Camaro. My surname is FORD !!!

I won't give anyone a hard time over having *any* classic car. I love them all too (some more than others) and would have a full stable of different rides if money wasn't an object.....and my wife let me ;)
The Camaros and any Dodge are just too few and way too expensive for my modest build budget to consider. I had even very seriously considered a Chevelle but upon finding out my friend had started a build with the exact year that I was looking to get, I went back to my favorite mustang year and I get to actually finish and *keep* one this time.


In the 60s people were still playing with cars that were 30-50 years old, so I'm sure the people building the cars of the 60s knew a lot of them would be around for decades. Though the majority of the population would rather have a new car and I'm sure it's always been that way. From a business perspective, you want to sell cars, and continue to sell cars, not sell cars that will last forever. I'm sure they've always been designed to last long enough for someone to want the next new thing.

With all that said, I don't think cars have ever necessarily been built to last, nor to throw away fairly soon. They've always been built with the best technology available. 60s cars weren't built with the same quality as they are today, but at the time, it was the best they had.

I bought my 67 Firebird when it was 31 years old. It kinda blows my mind when I think about that car being almost 50. My oldest vehicles are my 53 and 54 GMCs. It amazes me some times that they are over 60 years old and still as solid as they are. I pulled the 54 out of a junk yard it was in for at least 20 years. I pulled my old 49 GMC cab out of a field, where it was sitting sunk into the dirt for almost 30 years. My 67 and 68 Camaros sat on their floor pans in a field for over 20 years and the floors and rockers are as solid as can be. I'm amazed how slow stuff rusts around my area.

I agree. I guess it's just interesting to see that, even 50 years later, some of the things that were an industry standard then are considered to be almost archaic now. (i'm looking at you Ford with no primer under hinges!)
And on the subject of well built and rust? I moved to Phoenix from New Orleans. I grew up in the south so anything I ever looked at had to be gone over and picked apart for rust issues. Constant rain and humidity was never kind to any old iron. When I got to Phoenix and started shopping, I was blown away. I had been told to expect less rust but I look at my car and it looks like it's just dirty from road use.....there were the door corners that had two tiny spots that got attention but no floor pans....trunk is fine....frame rails are good....Hell, even the battery tray in intact! Aside from adressing the previous owner's bending up the bumpers when he tapped something and the bullet holes from who-knows-what, I can start putting parts on and drive the car!
I'm just soooo not used to that.