I thought I would see if there is any interest in this. Post an odd, old or unusual automotive tool and see who guesses it.
I'll start with an easy one. Should be a cinch for the old guys on the list so give the kids a chance. :lol:
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/5980/whatisitgu4.jpg)
Prostate gland extractor.
Quote from: 93JC on August 18, 2008, 11:33:18 AM
Prostate gland extractor.
How did you know that? :lol:
Sorry, incorrect.
blinker fluid extractor?
No clue. :confused:
Quote from: Byteme on August 18, 2008, 11:52:37 AM
How did you know that? :lol:
Lucky guess. :huh: :lol:
I have no legitimate idea what it is, and am very curious to know the answer. If the old fogeys are supposed to know it easily it must be something to do with older automotive technology. I assume it's something to do with carburetors or something like that.
Looks to me like some sort of bodywork tool
I thought of that too. Almost looks like something you'd use to seat weatherstripping, but it beats the hell out of me.
?? ?!?!?!?
At least I'm not an "old guy" !!! :-)
I can't tell if you guys are joking or you seriously don't know what this is. :huh:
I don't really consider myself old, but I do remember these. For you young whipper-snappers out there, this is an oil can spout.
You see, millions of years ago, when the Earth's crust was still warm from the planet's recent formation, motor oil was sold in round metal cans. To open the can, you had to pierce the top of it with the pointy end of the spout. Once you jammed the base of the spout into the top if the can, you would then invert the whole thing and oil would then magically pour out from the other end of the spout!
I can't believe I'm having to explain this to a whole generation of people who have never seen one of these! These spouts were once an indespensible item found in every garage, filling station and tool shed across the land.
Okay, now I'm starting to feel old. :frown: I hope you're happy with yourself! :rage:
Cheers,
Madman of the People
Ah, that's the thing that made the Tin Woodsman dance!
Quote from: Madman on August 18, 2008, 06:45:01 PM
I can't tell if you guys are joking or you seriously don't know what this is. :huh:
I don't really consider myself old, but I do remember these. For you young whipper-snappers out there, this is an oil can spout.
You see, millions of years ago, when the Earth's crust was still warm from the planet's recent formation, motor oil was sold in round metal cans. To open the can, you had to pierce the top of it with the pointy end of the spout. Once you jammed the base of the spout into the top if the can, you would then invert the whole thing and oil would then magically pour out from the other end of the spout!
I can't believe I'm having to explain this to a whole generation of people who have never seen one of these! These spouts were once an indespensible item found in every garage, filling station and tool shed across the land.
Okay, now I'm starting to feel old. :frown: I hope you're happy with yourself! :rage:
Cheers,
Madman of the People
Lordy, Lordy. I thought some of you guys were joking.
It is an oil can spout. Time was oil came in round metal quart cans, then came cardboard cans with metal tops. You opened them with either a church key or one of these spouts.
OK Madman find a tool and post it.
Carson Daly.
I thought everyone was joking also.
Has that much time passed since we either used that or a screw driver to open a can of oil?
I've NEVER seen one of these before. Sorry!
I'm 33yrs old but also didn't start doing maintenance until about 6-7 yrs ago, my dad always took the cars to the shop for any work or oil...
The army uses old-fashioned looking oil cans with a spout and a trigger to release oil, because they buy the stuff in BULK..
I've seen old oil cans in some mechanic shops and my grandfather even has a rather large one in his basement shop, but I have never seen one of the apparent spouts for said cans of oil. :huh:
Now that I've recovered from being depressed by being made to feel old (Thanks, guys!) I've returned to post the next item in this series.
It's not really a tool, but it's something I found in by toolbox that I've had for years. In fact, it is SOOOOOOOO old you can can't even buy one of these anymore.
(http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q36/MadmanOfThePeople/100_3513.jpg)
Anyone want to guess what this is?
Cheers,
Madman of the People
Can of R-12
Quote from: JWC on August 20, 2008, 10:39:54 AM
Can of R-12
Cha ching
They are doing a tear down on a chiller plant at the building I work in... I am wondering what they will do with the refrigerant, and what kind it is...
*pulls up to your block in a seedy trench coat*
"ay little homie i got that r-12, i got that r-12 for cheap baby... get ya compressor and condenser right, u can't ride with the windows down next summa"
Quote from: JWC on August 20, 2008, 10:39:54 AM
Can of R-12
Yep, the dreaded R-12 (Freon) refrigerant. For all I know, I could probably be arrested for possessing such a thing these days!
(http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q36/MadmanOfThePeople/100_3514.jpg)
Okay, JWC, give us the next one.
Cheers,
Madman of the People
I've seen a lot of those cans in my life.
So, let's see if anyone can guess what this "special tool" is? BTW, "JCD" is the previous owner's initials, not part of the original tool markings.
(http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9881/img9382cl8.jpg)
Yell "uncle" when you give up.
Quote from: Madman on August 20, 2008, 11:00:58 AM
Yep, the dreaded R-12 (Freon) refrigerant. For all I know, I could probably be arrested for possessing such a thing these days!
Cheers,
Madman of the People
Actually, with the cost of R-12 nowadays, it would probably go for big bucks on Ebay.
Quote from: Madman on August 20, 2008, 11:00:58 AM
Yep, the dreaded R-12 (Freon) refrigerant. For all I know, I could probably be arrested for possessing such a thing these days!
The ban on R12 made it illegal to import or produce R12 in the US, but whatever R12 was already manufactured and in stores or warehouses or people's garages prior to the ban is perfectly legal to have.
Quote from: JWC on August 23, 2008, 05:26:04 AM
I've seen a lot of those cans in my life.
So, let's see if anyone can guess what this "special tool" is? BTW, "JCD" is the previous owner's initials, not part of the original tool markings.
(http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9881/img9382cl8.jpg)
Yell "uncle" when you give up.
Just a guess, but some sort of wrench for opening a valve or check/drain plug?
its a wrench but not for drain plugs or any kind of valve.
Wild, uneducated guess...spark plug wrench?
Nope
I had forgotten about those things. LOL! :wtf:
Thingie to manually adjust spark timing via some nut on top of the distributor?
Is it a spring adjuster?
Nope and nope. Though the spring adjuster is in the right direction.
A m-fing valve lash adjuster?
Although I can't see the picture from here because of work net restrictions, I'm going to guess that it is an idle screw adjusting tool, probably one of the funnier looking one- say for a late '70s GM car with a Q-jet on it.
Sorry, both wrong.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 23, 2008, 10:29:06 PM
Although I can't see the picture from here because of work net restrictions, I'm going to guess that it is an idle screw adjusting tool, probably one of the funnier looking one- say for a late '70s GM car with a Q-jet on it.
:wtf:
Sorry that I thought it was funny how you apparently couldn't see the picture of the tool yet you gave such a detailed description of a tool you thought it might be.
:confused: :huh:
Tool to adjust adjustable shock absorbers?
Well, it is made to adjust something...in particular a VW. Not a shock absorber though.
Looks like a head bolt adjuster.
Clutch cable adjuster.
Brake metering and proportioning valve?
Man, have I got some stuff to post on this! My grandfather did the kind of work I do and I've got some of his tools. Shit that's 50+ years old.
It's a doo hickey.
Beginner's throwing star
Quote from: Onslaught on August 25, 2008, 07:22:41 PM
Man, have I got some stuff to post on this! My grandfather did the kind of work I do and I've got some of his tools. Shit that's 50+ years old.
I have an engine repair book from like 1905 from my great grandfather... so should see the wacky stuff in there
Quote from: r0tor on August 26, 2008, 06:24:46 AM
I have an engine repair book from like 1905 from my great grandfather... so should see the wacky stuff in there
Scan and post a bit of it.
Quote from: Onslaught on August 25, 2008, 07:22:41 PM
Man, have I got some stuff to post on this! My grandfather did the kind of work I do and I've got some of his tools. Shit that's 50+ years old.
You can have my turn. I rummaged through my toolbox and didn't find anything quirky enough.
Quote from: Cobra93 on August 26, 2008, 10:45:03 AM
You can have my turn. I rummaged through my toolbox and didn't find anything quirky enough.
I'll have to take my camera into work. I've got one thing I don't even know what it's called. Only what it was made to fix a very long time ago.
sorry to post this here but JWC seems to be in this thread alot
can you check your PM thanks
Quote from: M_power on August 26, 2008, 02:07:54 PM
sorry to post this here but JWC seems to be in this thread alot
can you check your PM thanks
Sorry, I didn't even know where to look to see if I had a personal message.
Now you have a PM.
Quote from: JWC on August 23, 2008, 05:26:04 AM
I've seen a lot of those cans in my life.
So, let's see if anyone can guess what this "special tool" is? BTW, "JCD" is the previous owner's initials, not part of the original tool markings.
(http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9881/img9382cl8.jpg)
Yell "uncle" when you give up.
Bottle opener.
Quote from: Raza on August 26, 2008, 06:37:56 PM
Bottle opener.
Damn small beer bottles...must be for beginners.
It doesn't go over the whole cap. You just lodge it in beneath the edge, like a lighter.
Shuriken.
Quote from: M_power on August 26, 2008, 10:34:08 PM
Shuriken.
(http://www.milezero.org/images/shoryuken.jpg)
(http://vero84.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/shuriken.jpg)
Quote from: M_power on August 26, 2008, 10:40:49 PM
(http://vero84.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/shuriken.jpg)
(http://www.acc.umu.se/~zqad/cats/1201444013-1199522597191.b.jpg)
(http://www.forumspile.com/Flame-You-Lose-I_win.jpg)
Quote from: Raza link=topic=15549.msg867273#msg867273 date=1219811804
(http://www.milezero.org/images/shoryuken.jpg)
I like that one. Now is he trying to be Ken,Ryu or Akuma?
(http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/6615/dscn1654lz2.jpg)
Quote from: Onslaught on August 27, 2008, 05:16:02 PM
(http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/6615/dscn1654lz2.jpg)
Some type of rivet tool?
Body repair tool of some kind...
Testicle crusher.
Quote from: Onslaught on August 27, 2008, 06:10:27 AM
I like that one. Now is he trying to be Ken,Ryu or Akuma?
Ryu, of course.
If the cat was on fire, then I would say he was trying to be Ken. Super Street Fighter 2 gave Ken the superior shoryuken, and Ryu the better hadouken.
Quote from: R-inge on August 28, 2008, 08:04:46 AM
Body repair tool of some kind...
Need a little more than that! But yes it is.
A dedentizer
a pneumatic pic
No to all of them.
You use it to put something new on a car. After you take the damaged part off.
windshield?
no.
door skin pliers?
(once again, I'm blind and can't see the actual picture)
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 28, 2008, 05:01:37 PM
door skin pliers?
(once again, I'm blind and can't see the actual picture)
Door skin is correct!
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/p-11575-pneumatic-door-skin-tool-kit.aspx
I put them on with a hammer and dolly for 14 years until I saw this one used. Much faster and it won't kill my back.
Cool.
OK:
(http://www.tooldesk.com/images/previewFile/ATD-5105_std.jpg)
something to do with sand blasting?
Nope.
Spark plug cleaner?
Quote from: 93JC on August 28, 2008, 09:14:37 AM
Testicle crusher.
Why do you think every tool here is a torture device? :lol:
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 28, 2008, 07:49:26 PM
Correct!
For real? :mask:
You can have the next one too. I don't know of any unique or different tools (off the top of my head anyways). :huh:
Quote from: thecarnut on August 28, 2008, 08:05:58 PM
I don't know of any unique or different tools (off the top of my head anyways). :huh:
Trep? :huh:
Have you got a unique tool ready, Ro? ;)
Quote from: CALL_911 on August 28, 2008, 10:11:21 PM
Trep? :huh:
I almost posted a pic of him on here right when the thread started, but then I realized he's definitely stalking this board and would harass me through other ways online.
Not worth it.
OK, lets try this one:
(http://www.eastwoodco.com/images/us//local/products/viewlarger/p19122c.jpg)
Dent puller?
Some kind of alignment tool?
Camber adjuster?
Last two were both very close.
Quote from: CALL_911 on August 28, 2008, 10:11:21 PM
Trep? :huh:
Did you want me to post a picture of a wrench? :rolleyes:
Quote from: 280Z Turbo on August 28, 2008, 07:50:11 PM
Why do you think every tool here is a torture device? :lol:
Seems most plausible. :huh: :lol:
I want to say Caster adjuster, but I don't know...
Quote from: MrH on August 28, 2008, 10:21:02 PM
I almost posted a pic of him on here right when the thread started, but then I realized he's definitely stalking this board and would harass me through other ways online.
Not worth it.
:lol:
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 28, 2008, 11:00:19 PM
OK, lets try this one:
(http://www.eastwoodco.com/images/us//local/products/viewlarger/p19122c.jpg)
Camber gauge.
We have that same one at the race team shop.
I don't think it works the best.
Take the next one then.
I don't have a very good one, but:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/280Z_Driver/OSS121.jpg)
What is this used for?
Oxygen sensor socket.
Yep and that was the best I could do.
I'm just too young to know about weird tools.
Quote from: 280Z Turbo on August 29, 2008, 08:40:04 PM
Yep and that was the best I could do.
I'm just too young to know about weird tools.
You probably know more than most people of our generation. I have friends that couldn't tell you the difference between a ratchet and a breaker bar. And I only knew that was an oxygen sensor socket because I bought one about a year ago.
And this one is probably easy, as well.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o221/rhs993/ohno.jpg)
What the heck is that?
Quote from: thecarnut on August 29, 2008, 09:29:05 PM
What the heck is that?
You tell me! I have one in my toolbox, though I've never used it.
Bottle opener.
He would have used that.
A spaghetti gauge.
What's it look like from the side?
Here's a better photo.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o221/rhs993/00904458000.jpg)
I've seen something like that before, but I can't think specifically what it's used for. It's got a cam that can grip onto a shaft so you can turn it with a ratchet.
Quote from: MX793 on August 30, 2008, 12:57:48 PM
I've seen something like that before, but I can't think specifically what it's used for. It's got a cam that can grip onto a shaft so you can turn it with a ratchet.
Yeah, that's it. It's a stud remover. The ratchet attaches to the rotating cam part, and will extract or insert studs.
Quote from: r0tor on August 26, 2008, 06:24:46 AM
I have an engine repair book from like 1905 from my great grandfather... so should see the wacky stuff in there
I have a generic manual named
Saalfield's Auto Troubles, Their Remedies. I believe it was my great-great grandfather's. It's like a pocket-sized "Cars for Dummies" from 1915.
It's a little fragile so I won't scan it. Oh, and I don't have a scanner, so I won't scan it. :lol: But, here's a few excerpts:
Quote
PREFACE
The purpose of this small volume?handy to carry in the vest pocket?is to provide for that large class of automobile owners and chauffeurs, who are not trained mechanicians, a means to obtain a practical working knowledge of the modern gasoline automobile, which is so essential for its safe, economical and generally successful operation.
In the preparation of this work special care has been exercised to avoid the use of complex descriptions and confusing technical terms, so that the information contained is presented in the most simple and concise form consistent with lucidity, the exigencies of the subjects treated and the limitations of space.
The close and serious study of this work cannot be too earnestly urged upon those operators of automobiles into whose hands it may fall.
THE AUTHOR
SPECIAL NOTICE
It is conceived as a pleasant duty, by the author and publishers of this work, to acknowledge with much appreciation the courtesies extended to them, and the material assistance rendered in its preparation by several of the leading automobile manufacturers whose names are sub-joined; but with special mention of The Willys-Overland Co., of Toledo, Ohio, to which we are indebted for much valuable data and handsomely executed illustrations.
The Willys-Overland Co., Toledo, Ohio.
Locomobile Co., Bridgeport, Conn.
Chalmers Motor Car Co., Detroit, Mich.
Pierce Arrow Motor Car Co., Buffalo, N.Y.
INTRODUCTION
The modern gasoline automobile has practically supplanted, for general use, all other forms of automobiles which have been constructed to take the place of pleasure and business vehicles drawn by horses; and for that reason it is the gasoline automobile that is exclusively treated in this work.
Pleasure cars and commercial cars constitute the two principal classes of self-propelling gasoline vehicles or automobiles.
Pleasure cars are constructed with a view to high speed, comfort of appointments, and as light weight as practicable, whereas the desirable features to be obtained in commercial car construction are the greatest carrying capacities at the least expense of operation. With the exception that the parts of commercial cars are made heavier and stronger than those of pleasure cars, there is no variation in general principle of construction. The modern pleasure car is equipped with air-filled or pneumatic tires, as are also certain types of light commercial cars; but the heavy commercial cars, such as trucks, designed to carry great loads, are mounted on solid rubber tires.
The pattern of chassis used for pleasure cars is also used for the lighter types of commercial cars, such as merchants' delivery wagons, taxi-cabs, ambulances, etc. In heavy trucks where the motor is located under the driver's seat, the chassis is designed exclusively for loads of merchandise.
[skipping ahead quite a bit]
PART XI
Before and After Starting Engine
Before starting, sufficient gasoline should be in the tank.
After filling the tank seat the tank cover securely to prevent evaporation.
The shut-off cock at the sediment cup which is operated by a lever located at the top of the gasoline tank should be open so that the gasoline may flow to the carburetor. As a matter of precaution the hood should be lifted and the wiring examined.
The terminals, I, 2, 3, 4, should be tight upon the spark plugs, and the priming cocks should all be closed.
In most standard systems there is a glass gauge about midway between the oil filler and the magneto, as shown in Fig. 38. When the level is too low, good gas engine oil should be poured into the oil filler pipe.
The spark timer should be set to give a retarded ignition, the throttle slightly opened and the carburetor primed.
The gears should be out of mesh and the brakes set. The crank should be held, preferably in the left hand, and in such a manner as to preclude the possibility of physical injury should the motor back-fire. The crank should always be pulled upward. Cranking is only necessary occasionally in starting a four or six-cylinder engine. If warm, the motor will start, as a rule, when the switch is thrown in and the spark advance lever is slightly manipulated. Should the motor not start, however, then the crank should be given a slight turn which will almost invariably set the motor in action.
The radiator should be filled with clean water before starting. Otherwise the engine will soon become overheated. Oil should be put in the oil holes and grease cups turned down.
The shut-off cock in the pipe which conveys the gasoline to the carburetor should be open.
The motor crankcase should be filled with oil to level of top dry cock. All joints of parts in transmission should be well lubricated; the transmission case may be filled to center of countershaft.
The switch should be closed or placed in operative position in order that the current may flow to the spark plugs.
The preferable method of starting the motor where both battery and magneto ignition are provided, is by the former, as magnetos of the transformer coil type do not generate at low speeds provided by the hand cranking sufficient current to furnish positive ignition.
The gear shifting lever should be in neutral position and the spark throttle should be in the retard position, otherwise the operator is exposed to physical injury, as preignition in the cylinder, resulting from an advanced spark, will cause a back-kick, which may reverse the rotation of the crankshaft and cause the starting crank to deliver a sudden blow to the operator's arm.
The throttle control lever, on cars essentially of the same construction as the Overland type, should be partially advanced to allow a supply of gas to pass into the motor cylinder by suction as the engine is cranked over by hand, and the motor should be cranked by taking the starting handle as shown in Fig. 4I. The handle should always be pulled up quickly in cranking the motor.
After the engine is started, if any unusual noises are heard, the engine should be stopped immediately and the cause investigated, as damage to the mechanism is apt to occur if engine continues to run when not in perfect working order.
TICKLING OR PRIMING THE CARBURETOR is a process employed when the level of the fuel in the standpipe becomes so low from leak or evaporation that the gasoline will not be drawn out to start the motor. A small priming pin which protrudes through the cover of the float bowl is depressed a few times which causes gasoline to overflow the standpipe. This liquid is then taken up by the air in its passage through the mixing chamber, producing a mixture sufficiently rich to facilitate starting. Another method of priming most types of motors, and usually employed in cold weather, is to introduce the gasoline directly into the cylinders through the compression relief or priming cocks on the cylinder heads.
ENGINE RACING, or running at high speed while car is not in motion will cause wear and excessive vibration, and to prevent this the throttle lever, as soon as the engine starts, should be pulled back until throttle is nearly closed and at the same time the spark lever should be advanced until both have the positions shown in Fig. 42.
ENGINE SPEED CONTROL, of the most approved method, is be means of spark and throttle levers which are carried in various position, but all readily accessible. Motor speed is accelerated by advancing the spark and supplying more gas to the engine. Slowing down the engine is effected by retarding the spark and reducing the gas supply. To prevent excessive speed some types of engines are equipped with a governor connected with the throttle so that the governor will close the throttle when the engine exceeds a limited speed, and reduce the speed automatically. The throttle, however, may be opened independently of the governor by means of a gas lever or a foot accelerator, which answers the purpose for medium or low speed.
THE SPARK LEVER, as soon as the engine is started, should be moved from the retard position to advance the spark and have it occur just as the piston reaches the end of the compression stroke; but the spark lever should not be too far advanced as in that case the charges will explode before the piston reaches the end of its compression stroke, which will offer resistance to the movement of the piston and produce knocking and stress on motor bearings. Magneto ignition employed on some types of cars does not provide for advancing or retarding the time of the spark. It is so arranged that the spark occurs a little in advance of top center, or when the piston is ready to descend on the power stroke just after having compressed a charge of gas. Where advancing and retarding the spark is provided for, the spark lever is preferably placed on the segment which corresponds to ignition at the time the piston reaches the end of the compression stroke.
Quite the ordeal just to get the damned thing started. :)
That's awesome.
Old motors could start by themselves if they were warm and the ignition was turned on? That's interesting.
How many of you old farts have ever tickled a carburetor? :P
Quote from: Secret Chimp on August 30, 2008, 04:29:59 PM
Old motors could start by themselves if they were warm and the ignition was turned on? That's interesting.
How many of you old farts have ever tickled a carburetor? :P
A co-worker of mine restores old cars and has a restored Model T and he's said that if the motor is warm, you can start it by giving a good smack to the hood. The ignition was a "shaker" type and was vibration activated. Give the car a physical jolt and it'll cause the plugs to fire, which can start the car.
Don't park that in gear!
You might get slowly run over.
I can't imagine trying to drive one of those things! Steering, throttle, and spark timing all at once? Quite the distractions!
Quote from: giant_mtb on August 30, 2008, 08:35:31 PM
I can't imagine trying to drive one of those things! Steering, throttle, and spark timing all at once? Quite the distractions!
And people say texting while driving is dangerous...
Quote from: giant_mtb on August 30, 2008, 08:35:31 PM
I can't imagine trying to drive one of those things! Steering, throttle, and spark timing all at once? Quite the distractions!
To be sure though, many times the throttle was handled by a lever on the steering column and could be set and ignored a lot of the time- and the same goes with the spark.
Quote from: MX793 on August 30, 2008, 05:28:55 PM
A co-worker of mine restores old cars and has a restored Model T and he's said that if the motor is warm, you can start it by giving a good smack to the hood. The ignition was a "shaker" type and was vibration activated. Give the car a physical jolt and it'll cause the plugs to fire, which can start the car.
Ahhh, wasted spark ignition, thermal convection cooling and total loss oiling- those were the good old days!
I think my favourite part may be the intro.
"In the preparation of this work special care has been exercised to avoid the use of complex descriptions and confusing technical terms, so that the information contained is presented in the most simple and concise form consistent with lucidity, the exigencies of the subjects treated and the limitations of space."
While saying the equivalent of "We dumbed down the language in this book as best we could," it didn't stop them from using words like 'lucidity' and 'exigencies' in the same god-damned sentence.
Quote from: 93JC on August 30, 2008, 10:50:11 PM
I think my favourite part may be the intro.
"In the preparation of this work special care has been exercised to avoid the use of complex descriptions and confusing technical terms, so that the information contained is presented in the most simple and concise form consistent with lucidity, the exigencies of the subjects treated and the limitations of space."
While saying the equivalent of "We dumbed down the language in this book as best we could," it didn't stop them from using words like 'lucidity' and 'exigencies' in the same god-damned sentence.
I see things like that all the time in old documents. It makes me believe that the modern vocabulary is about a third the size it was in the early twentieth century.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 30, 2008, 09:00:58 PM
To be sure though, many times the throttle was handled by a lever on the steering column and could be set and ignored a lot of the time- and the same goes with the spark.
Yes, for those who've never seen an antique car the throttle and spark advance levers spoken of in the instructions are small levers on the steering wheel (the referenced figures illustrate the proper positions of the two levers on the wheel).
Here's a picture I found on Flickr for reference:
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2203/2517741871_7d4b682b69.jpg?v=0)
The inner lever is spark, the outer one throttle. Many cars didn't come with accelerator pedals: the throttle lever was used in the same was as you would a pedal today. Notably the Model T had three pedals, and not one of them was an accelerator.
What was the third?
I think you mean what were the second and third, because there was no clutch pedal either. :lol:
The pedal on the left was forward. You pushed it to the floor to go into low gear. Neutral was at an intermediary point in the pedal's travel. To shift to high gear you put the car in neutral by keeping the left pedal at the right point and pushed a shift lever forward.
The middle pedal was reverse. The right pedal was the service brake, a band brake that stopped the transmission instead of the wheels.
Here's a video from YouTube to give you an idea of what it was like to drive the complicated contraption that was a Ford Model T. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWBEM4yjI1Y
Quote from: Soup DeVille on August 30, 2008, 10:53:11 PM
I see things like that all the time in old documents. It makes me believe that the modern vocabulary is about a third the size it was in the early twentieth century.
To be fair, outright illiteracy was higher then. If you were reading at all, you were automatically a cut above many, and could be held to a higher standard.
Quote from: 93JC on August 31, 2008, 12:44:30 AM
I think you mean what were the second and third, because there was no clutch pedal either. :lol:
The pedal on the left was forward. You pushed it to the floor to go into low gear. Neutral was at an intermediary point in the pedal's travel. To shift to high gear you put the car in neutral by keeping the left pedal at the right point and pushed a shift lever forward.
The middle pedal was reverse. The right pedal was the service brake, a band brake that stopped the transmission instead of the wheels.
Here's a video from YouTube to give you an idea of what it was like to drive the complicated contraption that was a Ford Model T. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWBEM4yjI1Y
So what is the other shifter-lookin' lever for?
That particular T is a truck, so I presume it has a two-speed differential as many of the trucks did.
EDIT: Reading the comments in the video, the owner says he installed an overdrive unit for a higher top speed. The smaller lever is the overdrive. The longer one is the differential. The lever on the left is the parking brake/high gear lever. If you pushed the lever forward it engaged high gear, if you pulled it back it engaged the parking brake, and if you had it in the middle it went into neutral.
Jesus... Who could remember that?
Presumably 15,007,034 people at the very least. ;)
Other cars were similar to today's manual transmissions, in that they had a dedicated shift lever with a quadrant of available gears, but they also had no synchronizers and straight-cut spur gears. The transmissions themselves were very noisy, and particularly difficult to drive. Double clutching was an absolute necessity, and even then it was difficult to make a clean shift.
Here's another YouTube video to give you an idea about driving a more conventional car, a 1931 Ford Model A (same guy who drove the Model T in the other video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_8jnteZkE
:lol:
I did some YouTube-ing last night about old cars. It looks pretty cool, actually.
I wish there was more about the Owen Magnetic on the Youtubes (magnetic coupling between the transmission input and output shafts.) It seems like it might have worked better with today's magnetic technology, coupled with automatic lockup and perhaps used as a supplement to traditional friction-based clutches.