My '53 Olds has been around the block a time or two. I think I've owned it 9 years. It gets driven and usually driven pretty hard. Anyways... If you dig up pictures from past events and find any of the front of my car, it will have a rock chip in the passenger headlight. It has (had) been that way since I got the car. Low and Hi beams both worked, so I didn't sweat it. What was kinda funny, was the reflector was rusting away inside the headlight. I just thought some water had forced its way through the rock chip. I finally changed the headlight the other night. I'm pretty sure is was original to the car. No, it wasn't a T3, the back was metal. Black lacquered. I'll be 41 in a week. I've been around cars all my life and I've never seen one. At least that I can remember. I guess a 54 year old headlight has some meaning to me. Detroit used to make stuff last. Does gas mileage really mean shit? I mean really? Isn't there quite a lot of value in a headlight that lasted 54 years? Not throwing it out, for sure. Hell, it still works. May need it again someday. Put that in your Toyota and smoke it. And, as a side note, I got somewhere in the vicinity of 23 mpg coming back to Austin from Pistons and Paint. Thats equal to or better than both my wife and my daily late model shitboxes.
I dont buy into the therory that Americans build crap today. I know how our fleet of Ford pickups get driven by our roofers and I am amazed everyday that I dont have to fix more than I do. Today I had to replace the original power steering hose on my personal parts hauler, 86 D250 with 231,000 miles. I have owned this truck since new, I have abused, misused, neglected and generally beaten this truck since day one, and yet it starts and gets me where I need to go every time I get in it. American know how is alive and well.
I bought a pair of NOS guide headlights and they had the same bulbs in them. Black metal back with metal guides to align them in the housings. They must have been the early Sealed beams?
Years ago, I had a mild custom '65 Ford Galaxie LTd 4-dr Hardtop. It had a Cruise-A-Matic mated to a stock 390 4-V. Coming back from my inlaws place in Arnett, Ok (this was in '96), we filled up in Higgins, Tx and were on our way. Just above Raton, New Mexico, the ol' girl gave a shudder of a warning. We were close on gas. It may be a memorable trip. The car was filled with luggage, 2 adults and four kids. We hit the city of Raton and the big ol' Galaxie shuddered as we pulled in for a fill. She took 19.5 gallons. An average of 21 MPG. That car was amazing. My Econoline I just sold got 18-20 depending on the wind and that was with a 70's era 302 with a 4-barrel. The slEdsel with a stock 292 and a 4-barrel got 18 mpg. I am a Ford guy, but I LOVE all American cars.
The Jalopy Journal
