What ever happened?

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Burntorange70

Burntorange70

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What ever hapened to wing windows, crome bumpers, drip rails, bench seats,ect? Why did the auto companys stop putting these things on there car's? Dose any one miss these things? or is it just me?
 
I miss the wing windows and drip rails. Nothing I hate worse than driving in the rain and the only way to get some ventilation is to roll down the window a bit. You get water rolling off the roof when you stop or go around a corner and you soak the back seat while going down the road.
Chrome bumpers are heavy, expensive and a lot harder to style than a plastic cover. And I can change a plastic bumper cover in about 5 minutes.

I also miss 10k mile tune-ups, choke pull-offs that go bad, bias ply tires, drum brakes and U-joints that last only 25k miles.
And all the complicated stop-gap emissions systems junk.
 
yellowdartdave said:
Chrome bumpers are heavy, expensive and a lot harder to style than a plastic cover. And I can change a plastic bumper cover in about 5 minutes.
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lol then you haven't changed one often I can do one in about 10 minutes lol
 
The wing windows are a real hoot...........I LOVE mine on the 67 Cuda.........Miss them most of all on newer cars......

That's REAL air conditioning. (and those Bumble Bees are a hoot too.....until they come to, and start buzzing around your LAAAAAAAPPPP !!!!!!!!). :toothy10:
 
Burntorange70 said:
What ever hapened to wing windows, crome bumpers, drip rails, bench seats,ect? Why did the auto companys stop putting these things on there car's? Dose any one miss these things? or is it just me?
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Very simple. Chrome bumpers and drip rails disappeared because of government-forced CAFE standards for gas mileage. The car companies were forced to make cars more aerodynamic to squeeze out every m.p.g. They made the drip rails internal (under the door skin), but that design certainly seems inadequate, especially with the sharplu sloped side windows. Chrome bumpers started to disappear with the elastomeric front ends and then 5 m.p.h. bumpers, also mandated by the government.

I, too, really miss the vent windows. The only reason I can imagine for them being left out of car design is better aerodynamics and cheaper cost.

I guess that the front bench seats disappeared due to customer preference.
 
You got it fishbreath. It all started with the oil/energy crisis in the 70's. Smaller lighter 4 cylinder cars were going to save the world. Steel bumbers then became a safety issue due to the effects they had on all the compacts in crashes. IMO drip rails, wing windows, etc went by the wayside because of cost. Its alot cheaper to just design a single piece of glass without all the extra mechanism for the wing. Back then the car market was at least twice as competetive as it is now. Look at all the car companies that have either gone away or been bought out from that era.
 
Got to agree that most all of those went away due to cost issues.
Really miss the wing windows the most - they let you put all 4 windows down on your 2-door hardtop and still control the airflow inside the car. Can't wait to get my '69 Dart done so I can cruise in style. No individual style in most of today's cars - just a bunch of cookies from the same cutter.
 
Burntorange70:

Cost could always be a benefactor but the real reason is evolution of design. All this can be said about fenders, wooden spoke wheel and rear wheel skirts. Styling and product development.

Fishbreath: Drip rails and chrome bumpers had nothing to do with CAFE standards. The American car company couldn't make an efficient small motor like Nissan Honda and Toyota. All their cars had drips and chrome well into the 80's Funny thing too. an 84 Corolla made 40 mpg now a 08 makes 35mpg?

Design changed a lot. The Taurus changed most of the playing field.
 
how about the sign of the times today. remember when 2 door cars ruled? 4 doors were family cars, you know ma and pa. station wagons were for the big family and grownups. get caught driving one around and you never heard the end of it. "take your mamas car home". now everything is a 4 door almost, and 2 doors are out of the norm. wagons are gone for the most part, but i feel they will return. i personally like them and would drive one today. mini vans are dying a slow death now as well. when chrome bumpers and trim left so did the real styling of all of the cars. now companies try to incorperate fake chrome pastic pieces to make the cars more appealing....a sign of the times
 
7demon2 said:
how about the sign of the times today. remember when 2 door cars ruled? 4 doors were family cars, you know ma and pa. station wagons were for the big family and grownups. get caught driving one around and you never heard the end of it. "take your mamas car home". now everything is a 4 door almost, and 2 doors are out of the norm. wagons are gone for the most part, but i feel they will return. i personally like them and would drive one today. mini vans are dying a slow death now as well. when chrome bumpers and trim left so did the real styling of all of the cars. now companies try to incorperate fake chrome pastic pieces to make the cars more appealing....a sign of the times
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Things are changing they allways do I supose. It is geting hard to buy a two door any more. I too remember when it was not cool to show up in momys four door. LOL The mini van trend did not last to long. Every one wants an SUV now a days.

One other thing I miss is the old Ramcharger's with the roof you could take off. My frind had one. It was so cool to pop the roof of and go for a ride in a convertible truck.
 
i love my wing windows, drip rails ,i love my ashtray and lighter too. The fact that there are NO cup holders (save the glovebox door) make it a real car. Chrome bumpers are great too as are steel used to make dash's and metal seat belt buckles. New cars are little pigs now, laiden down with gagets,poor quality plastics etc. So my /6 wagon gets low 20's mpg city, and a little 2500 lb focus that i have gets WORSE mpg around town (18) . Truly sad, american car companys deserve the trouble they are in! Shoot the new "hemi's" are not hemi's at all , go figure.
 
I miss chrome bumpers mostly, I prefer the clean look of side glass without the vent windows, that and they often whistle. Drip rails are certainly practical but again it's not as clean a look
 
linc said:
i love my wing windows, drip rails ,i love my ashtray and lighter too. The fact that there are NO cup holders (save the glovebox door) make it a real car. Chrome bumpers are great too as are steel used to make dash's and metal seat belt buckles. New cars are little pigs now, laiden down with gagets,poor quality plastics etc. So my /6 wagon gets low 20's mpg city, and a little 2500 lb focus that i have gets WORSE mpg around town (18) . Truly sad, american car companys deserve the trouble they are in! Shoot the new "hemi's" are not hemi's at all , go figure.
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Now a days it is ok to be gay, but not a smoker. Go figuer that one LOL.
 
yes they were pretty cool as were the Warlock trucks. There are a few out there but they are not cheap!!

tn_Sharon_Mabry.jpg
 
Rob said:
I miss chrome bumpers mostly, I prefer the clean look of side glass without the vent windows, that and they often whistle. Drip rails are certainly practical but again it's not as clean a look
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Ya after 30 or 40 years things get old and they may whistle but if working right they should not mine don't but I rebuilt them.
 
yellowdartdave said:
And I can change a plastic bumper cover in about 5 minutes.
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You've obviously either not taken many off, only taken one type off, or are just ripping them off without care. No offense intended. These things are a royal pain in the butt.

I've had many rear bumpers here that require removal of almost the entire interior trim. They hide those damn fasteners everywhere. The rear bumper for a Taurus wagon is enough to make you want to blow it up.

Or you have to remove the headlights and the grille to take the front bumper off :angry7:.

I'll take my "four bolts and it's off" chrome bumper anytime.

There are so many cars that show up here, written off, that would still be on the road if they had real bumpers.
 
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