From the ArcaMax Publishing, Automotive Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/automotive/s-567605-667377
Do you remember the catalytic converter "test pipe"? Back in the early
'80s, you could buy one of these things at just about any auto parts
store - openly and brazenly.
The "test pipe" was a section of hollow exhaust tubing designed to
bolt in place of your car's catalytic converter - nominally, so you
could "test" the converter (no one knows how) by driving the car
without the converter installed. Of course, everyone knew that the
"test" would be very long term, indeed - and that the catalytic
converter would be tossed directly into the nearest dumpster.
Today, of course, test pipes are no longer available. In fact, they
are as illegal as armor-piercing bullets. I wish I'd kept one as a
historical artifact of a looser time that's now long gone.
Here's another one - though it's not a part, per se. Subaru used to
sell something called the Brat. It was a spunky little thing; a kind
of half-car, half pick-up. But its key feature was a pair of
rear-facing jumpseats bolted to the floor of the bed out back. Grab
handles on either side, but no seat belts. Can you imagine?
They got away with it, too. As far as I know, there were no lawsuits,
no massive recalls. People were allowed to have fun - and trusted to
use common sense. It's not like that anymore, of course.
Safety suffocation is the order of the day. We must be protected
against any and all risks, no matter how remote. Or how expensive the
protection. (This is one reason why even today's "economy" cars
routinely cost as much as yesterday's luxury cars.)
How about floor mounted dimmer switches? We can't have those anymore,
either. Another example of a simple, functional way of doing things
made impossible - illegal - by the Safety State. Now we have these
vile multi-function stalks. You (try) to hit the high beams - but the
wipers come on instead. You have to take one hand off the wheel, too.
Brilliant. But "safe." Or, so we're told.
Here's a personal favorite: Cans of Freon air conditioning
refrigerant. Concern about the ozone layer (in reality, DuPont's
concern about its expiring patents) forced the entire industry to
change over to a new, more expensive and less efficient refrigerant in
the mid-'90s . But the new stuff - R134a - did have one charm. DuPont
held a brand-new patent. This stuff you can buy anywhere. But Freon is
as hard to find today and just as expensive as Old School Coke - you
know, the stuff that's made with sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
I also miss steering wheels. Or rather, when steering wheels were one
of the most distinctive styling centerpieces of new cars. Now they all
look the same - thanks to air bags, courtesy of safety nags. Big blobs
with a rim around it. Ugly as hell. But safe.
I'll take stylish and not-so-safe. I love looking at the spoked
Formula steering wheel in my '70s-era Trans-Am. Nothing else looks
like it. Along with the famous engine-turned (prisma) dash facing, the
Formula steering wheel defined the mid-70s Trans-Am. Other cars of the
era were similarly distinctive.
Even better, if you didn't like the steering wheel the car came with,
you could easily replace it with an aftermarket wheel more to your
liking. No one sells aftermarket steering wheels anymore - at least,
not for any car that's been made in the last 20-plus years. You're
stuck with what it came with.
And if the bag should "deploy" in a fender bender, you'll be stuck
with a $2,000 bill to replace the damn thing - which may be more than
the car itself is worth. But that's the price of safety, eh?
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www.ericpetersautos.com or EPeters952@aol.com for
comments.