What did we do before the internet?

worked on our cars.

 

Made progress on my rides and my friends rides....

 

If I had today's Net when I built my first Nostalgia S/S car, '64 Dodge, it would not have taken 3 years, 8k travel miles and countless junkyard cuts/bruses to find all the parts to finish it.

Related story; I drove past a scrap truck on the way to a race a year after building that S/S car. The truck was carrying a '64 Dodge and it looked to be complete, only then it was 12 inches tall. The Net could have saved most, if not all, of that car.

 

Seems like back in Lincoln's time all schools were at the top of a hill five miles away and the hill seemed to change by the time we got out late in the evening. Even in Lincolnland Illinois. The walking wasn't bad during the hard rainy season because we could swim most of the way. But those six months of winter walking thru 24" of packed snow was rough on us young kids.
Sending smoke signals or chisling on cave walls was often faster than sending an email now days.

 

I was lucky...I learned everything there was to know about cars before the internet came along so I don't have to own and know how to operate a computer now.

 

Where are you now? The Internet Cafe' ?

 

I'm using my ouigi board.

 

My wife used to say "how can I get you in the house and out of the garage?" Now she says "how can I get you off that damned computer ?"

 

Speed shops such as Super Shops. I can remember going to "Rocky's" in Piqua, Ohio on my lunch hour, over and over and over again...circa 1977. The smell of the Kelly Springfield Super Sports Tires, the fiberglass hood scoops hanging on the walls, Moroso traction bars, Hooker headers, Cragar S/S.... I guess ya had to be there.

 

Used to read "Cars and Parts" magazine cover to cover and then over again. Swap meets were the other way I'd get my old car fix.

I went to Pate back when it was out in the country, and the Pre-war meet in Chickasha, OK.

 

You actually went out and troubleshot your car problem and learned something instead of running to a forum to ask a question like "my car wont start, why not?"
Newspaper classifieds were actually worth looking at unlike today.
Swapmeets were the place to buy and the best place to sell, now it seems the only stuff at swap meets are stuff to big to ship.

 

ooh... Yea...

 

We learned by 'Our' mistakes and didn't have 20,000 friggin know it alls preaching about how we're doing it wrong and how they've done it better.
Wonder what their Mommys basement was used for before that?

 

I had to stand on the corner for hours before someone would finally drive by in an non traditional hotrod and I could scream at him.

I kid I kid.


I did more "figure it out" trail-and-error work without the internet, and I knew where the expert lived and just how late I could knock on his door (10:30) with a part or info request.

 

Back in the day,I had two salvage yards within 12 miles of my house.Total acreage was about 150 acres.Cars ranged from the 1920`s to the late 60`s.
Now THAT was true Heaven.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Drive to the big library to get manuals to fix something. Pay for parking and a membership. Wait for the one book you need to come back from some other guy, who keeps it for 2 weeks overdue. Or 'loses' it.

Stop at the record store and buy an album or cassette to get the one song you like.

Stop at book store to buy Chiltons or Haynes. Buy every car magazine on the shelf to get your fix.

Stop at the speed shop to BS with other car nuts.

Drive around to bars looking for girls.

Fill gas tank.

Too late to work on car.

 

I did alot more than i do now !!!

 

What did we do before the internet?

Penthouse, Playboy, Oui, etc

 

Swapmeets,junkyards and Hemmings motor news,still do the swapmeets and junkyards but have let my magazine subscriptions run out over the last few years and down to one.

 

Basically the same thing then as now,,except I spend less time doing it.

I still spend a lot of time in the shop,,watch very little television,and go to swap meets,,I will say that I have been able to find a lot of the parts I have needed for my projects from the internet.

I buy very few magazines nowadays because there is so much more available on the internet at my finger times any hour of the day or night. HRP

 

All the things mentioned, US magazines, long distant calls and struggling along doing my thing. Fond memories in a way as back then ordering stuff from the US was really hit and miss and a real mission to do. I must have been real keen back then. Now i'd be lost in so many ways without the net, well we all would really as the HAMB wouldn't be here

 

Oh the " Service Centers" just did a road trip with a co worker and found out he was a Service Center employee. He worked at one of the So Cal ones before transferring to the Bakersfield Service Center as Manager in 78. He had to be there when I was the lil high school kid driving em crazy asking questions and buying all the parts for my first engine build. He was amazed I still remembered I purchased a Sig Erson "HighFlowII"

 

Hahaha....

 

I Spent more time in the garage..

 

You mean I shouldn't be making as many mistakes anymore??? Dang - I guess I'm using this internet thing all wrong!

 

We have over 200,000 HAMB members, back in September 1958 HEMMINGS Motor News had 3,600, a 1,100 gain over one year, and went to a larger 20 page monthly. A totally Restored 1932 Ford V8 Roadster was listed for $950.00.

 

Also did a lot of bird watching.Mostly double breasted bed threshers.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo