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Drive 55 and stay alive


stangeba

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("Drive 55 and stay alive" Not sure if that was a real saying)

Do you remember:

1/2/1974 Richard Nixon signs the 55 MPH national speed limit into law!

Many speedometers were lowered to 80 MPH (If I remember correctly)

Different thought, Why do today's speedometers go so high, 160 - 170 - 180?

I need my digital speedometer turned on (in my daily driver) so I can see how fast I am driving.

It's like trying to adjust the air pressure in your tires with a 0 - 180 gauge!

Bruce

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         All my vehicles have a needle also. Although as Sammy Hagar  sings....... I CAN'T DRIVE 55!!!!

         My truck gets the same milage at 55 or 75.  Probably due to the 6speed auto and 3.08 gears. 

          I do also believe the speed limit was set at 55 to save fuel, back in the day. 

 

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I got 9mpg once, towing to Atco at 100+ mph the whole way. GMC 1500 crew cab 5.3 with a black bear tune. I picked up some mpg with the tune. About 1.5 mpg more. 

Also get a little worse gas milage during the winter due to the additives they put into the gas. Can't wait for spring! Lol

IMG_1495.JPG

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Yep they did to save gas. and it did save gas with better mile per gallon and the slower speed. And at that time we needed to save gasoline.... but it almost stop America from getting around.  people could not drive 55 mph. cars really was not geared for the slower speed either and the gearing  started to change..  and those who did drive 55 started falling asleep at the wheel while driving.  and accidents started adding up more because people were not paying attention what they were doing. they were driving as if they were sitting in the living room...

I knew a guy with Pontiac judge 455 and 2.73 gear and just had a hell of a time to keep the 55 speed limit, he would be driving 55 and pretty soon the engine would be just purring like  a kitten and sounding really good and he would look down and see he was going 70,, say a few choosen words and back to 55  and pretty soon the engine would be just purring like  a kitten and sounding really good and he would look down and see he was going 70,, say a few choosen words and back to 55 and pretty soon the engine would be just purring like  a kitten and sounding really good and he would look down and see he was going 70,, say a few choosen words and back to 55   but he did really try to stay 55 because of insurance price from a ticket.

people would fly instead of driving longer distance..  I think driving and drinking beer started more because of the 55 speed limit. 

I hope that never happens again.  not because of the 55 speed limit was so bad but  because of all the stupid stuff else that comes with it....

thank you stano

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at that time there was many,, many people trading in their  Cadillac or their Lincoln for the little Toyota. that at that time the Toyota  car seemed 7 feet long?????? 

Or the Cadilac or Lincoln was giving to there kid to drive and they still got a new Toyota????????  If that did not look stupid?????   and how did that save gas????? Plus  Mom and dad in a Toyota and the 16 year old kid in a Lincoln.  Mom and dad with their knees under their chin in the Toyota and the 16 year old kid in the Lincoln  with a back seat big enough for a harem?????????.

B210 was popular??????? look that up.

OK Im done...….

For the record I drove a 1973 K10 short bed and a 1971 Nova.  and just paid the gas.

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I remember it well. I worked for a Ford dealership, in the service dept, and remember the big T-Birds of 1976, were replaced by a Gran Torino look a like in 1977. People did not like the "new bird" I did and bought a 78 T-Bird (nice car) that we had till 1984 when we got a Fiesta 4 door, 5 speed (two kids at this time)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO happy I didn't sell my 71 Monte Carlo!!!!!!!!!!!

 

83_09_06.jpg

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I think back in the time of '74, I was just ready to graduate from High School. I was about 17. I had my daily driver a 69 impala, 4 door. But my hot rod was a 68 chevelle. I always loved big cars. Never in all my years have I ever worried about gas mileage. Always took the attitude it is what it is. However I do remember buying a Toyota corolla for my sister around that time, but before I could give it to her my brother road tested it and smacked it up, to bad to fix. lol  (he also did that to a duster for her, and almost every car he had back then. He is a lucky guy) LOL.  But I am sorry to say I never did worry about gas mileage. How dumb, I could of saved enough money to buy another Monte.lol

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I was driving a 66 Caddy convertible back then and my was in a 67 Sedan DeVille so gas mileage was the least of m=our worries. Did not like those puddle jumpers then and do not now.

 

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I drove a black VW Beetle 4-speed bug..... It was a hand me down and I had a lot of fun in that little bug.  Gas wise, the only thing I worried about was running out of gas.  The early Beetles did not have a gas gauge.  What it had was a lever on the interior firewall on the passenger side.  This lever when placed into the proper position opened a reserve tank when you would run out of gas.

So, you may ask, if you have a reserve tank why would running out of gas be a worry.  At least two things could happen which would cause you to run out of gas.  Say you ran out of gas and switched to the reserve tank.  You then go to the gas station and fill up.  After you do your fill-up you had to switch the reserve tank lever back.  If you forgot to switch the lever back you would not only run out your regular tank you would also deplete the reserve tank.....the lever had to be manually reset.  The second way you could run out of gas completely is if say your passenger stretched their legs in just the right way they could knock the lever to the reserve position which would cause you to run out of gas with no reserve tank available.

rob

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Rob, I have never heard of this VW no gas gauge but a reserve gas tank story. Thanks for sharing! You can learn something new every day.

Bruce

 

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10 minutes ago, stangeba said:

Rob, I have never heard of this VW no gas gauge but a reserve gas tank story. Thanks for sharing! You can learn something new every day.

Bruce

 

Bruce, here is a link regarding the reserve lever:  https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c6905_ds42428

rob

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Kind of funny Bruce because all of these years I did not know how this system.  I always envisioned a "Reserve Tank" but as it turns out it was always the same tank but there were two different fuel supply tubes with the longer tube extending higher into the tank and the reserve tube which was lower.... Here is some more information on it, kind of interesting how in the 50's there was not a fuel gauge but on my 1929 ford there is a fuel gauge.

Here is the other link with information on the reserve assembly showing the reserve valve and the two different length tubes.  German Engineering at it's finest.

 

rob

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7159212

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7 minutes ago, willie said:

LOL    VW=no frills or really no frills

Come on Willie, it had an AM radio and a heater.  It was a manifold heater....meaning it drew heat from the exhaust manifold and gravity fed into the passenger compartment, as long as you never have an exhaust manifold leak allowing carbon monoxide  to escape inside you were golden.

rob

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LOl I remember them. My boss had one in the shop I worked in for a parts car. I had to pick up a bunch of parts and a co worker who happened to be a little overweight at the time I thought the tires were going to fall off the car they bowed out so much it scared the hell of me. lol

 

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I remember the vw reserve, no gauge very well. After I went to bed my brothers girl friend needed to borrow my car she ran out of gas switched it over ( her family had a vw so she knew the drill ). She brought it back and forgot to say anything to my wife. I get up at 0400 to go to work you guessed it I ran out. Mine was a 61 the lever was in the center of the car on the floorboard under dash. It did make me mad at time but got over it, the girlfriend turned into a sister in law and I've had herand the wife for over 50 years.

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i remember as a kid the standard speedo peaked out at 120....then yes as you said they lowered them to 85...it was a challenge to we 'juvenile delinquents"   of the day to get them to pin and bounce off the top end...now 140 and 160 seem to be prevalent..wishful thinking for we Americans to fantasize we're on the Autobon?      ah, the posssibilities are endless!!

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My 2003 Pontiac GP has a 120 Speedometer but my new GMC SUV (first SUV, I like cars better) goes to 160. To me it's like trying to check air pressure in a basketball with a 0 - 100 PSI gauge. Yes I remember the 80 - 85 MPH gauges in the late 1970's and 1980's

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Remember airplanes hunting "speeders" in the middle of Nebraska!  55 in the middle of Nebraska!!!!!  I remember Ohio as being one of the most oppressive.  Huge Fuzzbusters on top of the dashboard. What may have started as an alleged way to save gas turn into nothing more than a money-making scam. Government run-a-mock! Howard Cosell & Dandy Don on Monday Night Football! (Now its Troy Aikman droning on and on and on and on...……   The insurance companies loved the 55!  "...Well Mr. Winters we have just been informed that you have gotten yet another ticket for going 56, downhill, in a 55 zone......we better raise your rates….for your own good, of course, have a nice day!"   Convoys!  Putting in a "taillite switch" to alter taillite "signature", used if the "Gumball Machines" flipped a "U-ie" and came in pursuit.  Going over to Canada to "drive fast" on the 401 & QEW.    The "Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash" that Car & Driver put on. (I miss Brock Yates!). Sir, you have the option to"Pay the "always excessive" fine on the spot and get a reduction in points lost".  I may also remember an article in Car & Driver exposing an insurance company (It might have been "G****) for "donating" radar guns to various local governments....for the safety of the public!. Picking out "Smokie Bears" by their front parking lamps (Some Full Size Slo-Pars had park lites like the 69 Chevelle, only a litter bigger!).  "No 55 stickers".

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