We’re Pretty Small...Be Careful Out There!

[padgett 2,105]

As Sheriff Buford T Justice said:  "You can think about it, but DON"T do it."

[TerryB 2,635]

More pics of smaller cars.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by TerryB (see edit history)

[SC38DLS 1,570]

I wish I had pictures but can’t find them as it was a long time ago. My daughters first car was a Triumph Spitfire I picked up for $400, yes it was in need of a lot of work which she helped do. We put new floors in as there was little left to put your feet on, rebuilt the engine, brakes, electrical and new seat covers and a top. Did a quick paint job that looked good from 20 feet and squinted eyes. But it was a $400 first car!  
She had a job after school her senior year so got a parking permit in the Chicago far west suburban high school. The lot held about 300 cars which was mostly filled with SUV’s. She had to get to school early for swim team practice so usually could  find a close in spot. Kids would come down a row thinking they found a close spot start to turn in and then see this little sports car taking up a whole parking place. The boys were amazed a girl not only drove a 4 speed stick shift but helped rebuild the car. 
dave s 

Edited July 15, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63 800]

20 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

This picture amuses me. I don't think of the Lincoln as a big car since it's on the "short" 136-inch wheelbase, but...

 

My 34 Packard 1100 only had a 134" wb but I never felt threatened by larger vehicles in that car. The seating height put you way above all normal cars and even some SUV's and trucks. The seating height is one of the main reasons SUV's are so popular now.

[kgreen 1,833]

Here's a 1940 Buick Super parked next to a Ford 150.  Both are about the same length and just barely fit in the garage.  When people look at the Buick they say something about how big it is.  I think that is just a programed response.  

 

My other car is a 60's era Mustang and I'm mostly afraid to drive that on the highways next to trucks this size and larger.  Something about having just a lap belt and a convertible top scares me if I ended up sliding down the interstate upside down.

[zepher 816]

5 hours ago, oldcarfudd said:

Zepher - You mean like this?

 

Ha!
Exactly like that.

Lots of people don't realize how big the high end, prewar luxury cars were.

And I bet that T is still bigger than an A roadster.

[60FlatTop 6,247]

6 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

but you were a bigger ass

 

I tell my wife that the key is having the ability to choose when you want to be. When it's painless and you are smiling......

[KongaMan 1,230]

2 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

KongaMan - sorry. But that is vandalism. 

He may have been an ass for parking so close, but you were a bigger ass for leaving the guy with a flat tire.

I win!  

 

Vandalism would've been shoving a blade through his sidewall, breaking off a mirror, running a key down the side, or pushing a cart into his door.  This was non-destructive; a turn of the valve (it was still in the stem) and he's back in business.  Minus the air, of course.  Didn't cost him nothing but time.  Which is what he cost me.  It was a proportional response. 

 

I'd do it again.  Be careful how you park. 😜 

[SC38DLS 1,570]

When I had my fender hit I parked where no one else had parked. The jacked up F150 could have parked in a number of places that would have avoided hitting my fender. It’s a shame it happened but I still would not have done what you did to that guys tire. How do you know it didn’t cost him anything. Maybe he missed an important meeting or job. What if it kept him from a family emergency?  How is that a win? He definitely should not have parked like that but your actions were just as stupid. Part of what is just plain wrong with the attitude people have today. In my book it just makes you more of an ass than the truck guy was. You loose you just aren’t smart enough to know it. 
dave s 

 

moderators if you feel this response should be removed I understand. It’s just some times you have to speak up against stupidity. 
 

Edited July 15, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[8E45E 1,124]

5 hours ago, TexRiv_63 said:

The seating height put you way above all normal cars and even some SUV's and trucks. The seating height is one of the main reasons SUV's are so popular now.

 

I believe another reason is there's ample room inside the rear seating area for child seats in an SUV, vs. a car, especially as they are required by law for transporting children for at least a couple of decades now.

 

Craig

[Fossil 462]

On 7/14/2020 at 11:07 AM, lump said:

While we're comparing modern full-size pickup trucks to vintage vehicles..

One of the main reason there is still a 97 F-150 parked here. I'm 6'2" and have no desire to work out of a new truck. 

On 7/14/2020 at 10:40 AM, keithb7 said:

I drove my ‘38 to work today. I parked in between 2 modern trucks.

That photo is worth a thousand words. 👍

[58L-Y8 1,621]

Full-sized pick-up truck downsizing: the next major industry trend!  Hey, it happened in the 1970's-1980's to full-sized passenger cars, it will happen again.

[Fossil 462]

38 minutes ago, KongaMan said:

I'd do it again.  Be careful how you park. 😜 

Would you do it again if he was standing there? 

 

[Steve_Mack_CT 1,468]

14 hours ago, Fossil said:

One of the main reason there is still a 97 F-150 parked here. I'm 6'2" and have no desire to work out of a new truck. 

That photo is worth a thousand words. 👍

Fossil, in 97 my father bought a "new body" F-150, I bought a new Mustang.  Mustang long gone, but he routinely gets compliments on the F-150, "it looks two years old" and such.  2wd, very practical and around 150k miles.  A good buy, I think.  Plus, one year only side exhaust is cool!! 🙂

[8E45E 1,124]

14 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Full-sized pick-up truck downsizing: the next major industry trend!  Hey, it happened in the 1970's-1980's to full-sized passenger cars, it will happen again.

Not full-size trucks. 

 

Big payload capacity and hauling a crew is an asset; not to mention, full size trucks get way better fuel mileage these days.

 

Craig

[58L-Y8 1,621]

41 minutes ago, 8E45E said:

Not full-size trucks. 

 

Big payload capacity and hauling a crew is an asset; not to mention, full size trucks get way better fuel mileage these days.

 

Craig

Everything that goes up in size for the general market, comes down in size for the general market.  Sure, there will still be big payload capacity and crew hauling trucks, just they won't be the luxury passenger trucks they've become for the general public, they'll recede to the company and work truck segment again...where they belong.

[60FlatTop 6,247]

I have purchased a couple of new pick ups. My wife asked me why people look at me curiously when they found out I bought a truck.

 

"They associate a truck with work, my dear" I replied.

[Matt Harwood 11,932]

16 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

Full-sized pick-up truck downsizing: the next major industry trend!  Hey, it happened in the 1970's-1980's to full-sized passenger cars, it will happen again.

 

Are you saying that gas won't be $1.75 forever and that the domestic auto(truck)makers will be (once again) caught flat-footed when nobody wants to buy their bloated, oversized products and that they'll probably pitch towards bankruptcy because they failed to plan ahead in even the smallest way and arrogantly assumed that the big vehicle gravy train would go on forever?

 

 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[padgett 2,105]

Never had a pickup mainly because most cabs won't accommodate my screwy driving position (seat all the way down and back, 40 degree recline. Never had an el Camino either, wonder if they recline ? Surprisingly a Fiero is quite comfortable. Have had a lot of tow cars, just never a pickup.

[Matt Harwood 11,932]

What Padgett's driving position might look like:

 

[charlier 314]

On 7/14/2020 at 8:17 PM, 8E45E said:

 

 

The above truck is one of THE MOST DANGEROUS situations that both old and modern cars face on the road today. I see this periodically when driving my most modern driver car. Trucks like the one in the photo have been "Lifted" and then their bumper is no where close to the bumper of a car they hit. In the case of my modern car (just like the one in the photo) the bumper would come through the windshield so the airbag is useless and that bumper just decapitates the driver and passenger. So sad that most states do not enforce their laws that prevent trucks from being "Lifted" about the height the law specifies.

 

FYI, I have seen 1/2 ton trucks that have been lifted even higher than the one in the photo above.

 

 

 

 

[Fossil 462]

4 hours ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Fossil, in 97 my father bought a "new body" F-150

This one is 2wd, 5 spd, and 4.6 V8.  98,000 miles. Been a good PU and I like the 5 spd. 

[Steve_Mack_CT 1,468]

In 97 you also got chrome mirrors, good lookers.  

[padgett 2,105]

Matt: More like this but is without straps tightened. Head was behind B-pillar when driving.

 

ps had a friend who drove under a Lincoln in an Elan, neither car nor driver fared well.

Edited July 16, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[Tinindian 1,706]

1 hour ago, charlier said:

So sad that most states do not enforce their laws that prevent trucks from being "Lifted" about the height the law specifies.

I don't remember seeing/reading/hearing about a vehicle owner being fined re trim height in the last 45 years.  It seems that law enforcement targets specific illegal things, not any visible violation.  Just yesterday while sitting resting on an uphill road I saw seven vehicles with one light out, one was a Police car and every one of these vehicles went up hill and passed a downhill facing Police cruiser with two policemen sitting in it drinking their coffee.

[Matt Harwood 11,932]

6 hours ago, charlier said:

 

The above truck is one of THE MOST DANGEROUS situations that both old and modern cars face on the road today. I see this periodically when driving my most modern driver car. Trucks like the one in the photo have been "Lifted" and then their bumper is no where close to the bumper of a car they hit. In the case of my modern car (just like the one in the photo) the bumper would come through the windshield so the airbag is useless and that bumper just decapitates the driver and passenger. So sad that most states do not enforce their laws that prevent trucks from being "Lifted" about the height the law specifies.

 

FYI, I have seen 1/2 ton trucks that have been lifted even higher than the one in the photo above.

 

I agree 100% with what you're saying, but I don't think those two vehicles meeting bumper-to-bumper would change the outcome...

[60FlatTop 6,247]

11 hours ago, padgett said:

(seat all the way down and back, 40 degree recline.

 

That's the lawn chair position. Most commonly found the morning after a car has been driven to the lot from a wholesale auction.

 

60 years now and I have rarely seen a salesman leave one in any other position.

[TexRiv_63 800]

On 7/16/2020 at 11:32 AM, charlier said:

 

The above truck is one of THE MOST DANGEROUS situations that both old and modern cars face on the road today. I see this periodically when driving my most modern driver car. Trucks like the one in the photo have been "Lifted" and then their bumper is no where close to the bumper of a car they hit. In the case of my modern car (just like the one in the photo) the bumper would come through the windshield so the airbag is useless and that bumper just decapitates the driver and passenger. So sad that most states do not enforce their laws that prevent trucks from being "Lifted" about the height the law specifies.

 

FYI, I have seen 1/2 ton trucks that have been lifted even higher than the one in the photo above.

 

 

 

 

On a typical drive around day here in DFW you can see dozens of these. We had a case a few years ago where a pedestrian was run over and killed in a parking lot. The driver never knew it because the truck was so high the pedestrian was not visible and the truck was so loud he could not hear the screams.

[John Byrd 127]

Couple more pics here for small car comparison...got the 63 Mini out of the tool shed and posed him around a bit !  Beside the 07 Mini, the 2019 Ranger, and a couple other shots. Guess this is another official "plays with cars " day....

[padgett 2,105]

FMVSS 108. Headlight height:

Not less than 55.9 cm. (22in) nor more than 137.2 cm. (54 in)

 

[charlier 314]

On 7/16/2020 at 7:20 PM, Matt Harwood said:

 

I agree 100% with what you're saying, but I don't think those two vehicles meeting bumper-to-bumper would change the outcome...

 

I agree 100% that the two vehicles in the photo meeting bumper to bumper would not change the outcome.

 

I would think that a modern vehicle with crumple zones along with front, side and knee airbags and other modern safety features might give those inside some chance of survival (unlike the car in the photo). With a raised truck, the crumple zones, airbags, etc would not be able to provide much, if any, protection.

 

FYI, here in  Pennsylvania the vehicle codes actually do specify bumper height, design, etc based on the type of vehicle. Enforcement of those codes (and any penalties) are a different story it would appear. The yearly state inspection process here would be a logical time to address this issue but it does not appear to be a part of this process. Even if it was, there are still vehicles on the roads here that clearly have specific violations of the inspection rules yet somehow have current stickers on them.

 

[Terry Harper 700]

In my area we have to share the roads with these rigs as well as the big pickups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[padgett 2,105]

Must live in New Zealand.

Edited July 19, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[charlier 314]

16 hours ago, Terry Harper said:

In my area we have to share the roads with these rigs as well as the big pickups.

 

 

 

 

 

I share the roads with both of the above sometimes multiple times each week. Sadly some other drivers do not know how to or care to SAFELY share the roads with them. Their poor driving decisions can make for dangerous situations.  Thank goodness, so far, no one has been hurt.

[padgett 2,105]

ps I believe in the US (any states different ?) a buggy on a public road must have a red triangle in the rear.

[oldcarfudd 631]

I tour in PA Amish country quite a bit.  The Amish buggies I see have red triangles, turn signals, and brakes.  I've heard of some Amish sects elsewhere that resist even this much modernity as incompatible with their beliefs.  I guess it's a streak of independence like not wearing a mask in a pandemic.  Some are dying for their beliefs.

[Terry Harper 700]

Most Amish up here are pretty compliant using lanterns at night and reflectors. However we have had some horrible accidents of late - many in broad daylight! Up here you can't bomb down one of our  hilly, curvy roads expecting nothing to be on the road - tractor or otherwise but people do! What makes it worse is the main routes the Amish need to use are on the heavily traveled main roads. Locals know this and look out for them but others simply are not aware or expect it in spite of signs warning otherwise.

 

In regards to moose. You can do everything right but they will go where they darn well please to go. Night time is the worse... every shadow looks like a moose and could very well be one! 

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by Terry Harper (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter 253]

I’ve done a bit of driving around PA and never had any issue with sharing the road with the Amish (and I normally drive on the correct side of the road as well 😁)

 

Driving in England, now that was an experience - particularly in the south west were you pretty much just have to get off the road into a bush if a tractor is coming. The rental car company ‘upgraded’ me to a Volvo XC90 which doesn’t seem that big here... France and Germany outside of the big cities seem to have much better roads 

[charlier 314]

4 hours ago, padgett said:

ps I believe in the US (any states different ?) a buggy on a public road must have a red triangle in the rear.

 

Many buggies I see here have triangles. There are even a (very) few that have battery powered (red) lights on them (sometimes they are flashing). One thing I often wonder about is what do they do when the battery runs down (replace it or recharge it)? Whenever I am around a buggy I try to give them PLENTY of room, never blow the horn or rev the engine loud or flash my lights. Sadly I have seen what happens when a horse pulling a buggy gets spooked/upset by an impatient driver in traffic. That can be a very dangerous situation for everyone sharing that road. 

[padgett 2,105]

"what do they do when the battery runs down" - small axle driven generator ? In for a penny...