What are some vintage things you AVOID?

I know that the hot rods back in the early days could be pretty dangerous. So I was wondering what sorts of build techniques and materials you refuse to use that would have been commonplace back then. Such as-

mechanical brakes
single resorvoir master cylinders
narrowed straight axles
even things like lacquer paint

I just want to know what you avoid, and why.

 

Angle Iron.

Because it looks like shit.

 

6-volt positive ground electrical systems.... just because.

 

glass that wasn't safety glass or tempered

 

cleaning tar out of mohair with gasoline

 

What happens? Good for party tricks?

 

Vintage springs. New ones aren't too expensive and make all the difference in ride quality.

 

your mom will send you out to pick a switch and you won't be able to sit in class for a week.

how about brazing patch panels, or worse brazing fenders to bodies, or brazing top inserts, or even brazing up custom dashes, floors and firewalls...

I hate brazed sheet metal on a car. I had one that must have had ten pounds of brass on it, after cutting it out there was nothing left,
just air, air and rust.

and sawdust retreads, what the hell were they thinking?
were they trying to conserve rubber?
improve traction?
whatever, those tires are old and rotten, totaly worthless.

 

I avoid the 'vintage' mean-old-drunk that runs the liquer store down the street like the plague...

As for cars... Poured babbit bearings.

Mostly cause I don't know shit about them...

 

Lead filler! My Morris had a ton of it on, spread all over every panel, and it makes it almost impossible to weld on. They must have hot dipped every panel in lead prior to assembly.

 

lead because you burn all the protective coating off the inside of a panel
brazing. nothing sticks to it and same as above
laquer paint. it suck why you have to fix with modern paint. looks great but also cracks.
angle iron unless it is for a stand or temporary braces that will be cut out.
screw in slide hammer for fixing dents. panel becomes swiss cheese and no one ever undercoats the inside of the panel and it rots out around the holes.
flatheads- no one wanted them after the caddy ohv came out and there are too many better motors out there.

 

Wood-spoked wheels, the cold war's threat of mutually assured nuclear destruction and "pulling out" as a contraceptive. I don't miss any of that shit.

 

Subframe swaps. Why cut a well engineered frame in 1/2, ADD 30+ year old parts that need to be rebuilt and probably dont work as well as the options we have available. Well, its 80s vintage?

 

What the hell is wrong with mechanical brakes?

 

Vintage undergarments come to mind....

 

I was thinking jello smugglers stuffed into vintage cherry dresses should be avoided.

 

Mohair upholstery- it itches your back on the way home from the lake with no shirt.....and itches your bag when you are.......errrr a...."drivin" in the nude.

also
6 cylinders
6 volts
6 carbs..........that adds up to 666 and thats a bad number for sure!

 

Mechanical brakes actually arent too bad. In theory they seem dangerous, but for regular driving they seem to work fine. Now mechanical brakes at 100mph is another story...
-Dean

 

Ball bearings, beacuse they give me a freakin heart attack when I find out how much they cost! Especially when you blow both sides at once***doh***.
xxx
Brandy

 

Anything 6 volt, either positive or negative ground. About everything else on this list [except bias-ply tires] is in my old Pontiac coupe and I still drive the shit out of it...

 

Birdy poop looking welds.

 

Vintage whisker biscuit, its kinda dry.

 

That's the worst.

 

tube radios

 

Early Ford spindles that have had the ends of the steering arms cut off, flipped 180 and welded back on. Same things that have had the arms heated and twisted 180.

Both things done to get tie rod above the arms.

 

NO WAY! I have SEVERAL tube radio's and I love them!!! Both in my car and home equipment......Vintage whisker biscuits, god I'm gonna hurl!!! Jello smugglers in vintage CHERRY dresses, welp, it is kinda funny on how many takes on the same dress you can see in a single night!! Fat kids, skinny kids, even kids with chicken pox.............
xxx
Brandy

 

Spinner knobs as they will get you arrested.

 

heheh. I pull out all the time. only way to fly.

 

No doubt! I think I took 11 years off of my life chopping my Model A when I discovered all the "hidden" lead running down the rear roof section after I started welding. I tried everything to get rid of it, major pita!! Plus the added benefit of not feeling well ever since

 

Copper tubing for brake lines. I've seen this done and I've also seen it burst during panic stops thus loosing all brake fluid.