what is the RAC smoking?

[Al Campbell]

After my first hand-me-down car from Mum (I only kept it for about 6 months) I mostly owned big old Aussie station wagons for the next 15 years - 71 Valiant Safari, 75 Valiant, 78 Kingswood, and 59 Holden FC. Brilliant for lugging band gear around, going bush, sleeping in the back, and cool looking with their own special beat-up retro style.

The driving experience was not exactly dynamic - but they did teach me to be a bit more patient in traffic, especially spatial awareness. The 71 Safari also had a big 245 Hemi with extractors, and with no load in the back, could get pretty squirrelly when you put your foot down, so it also taught me how to control a fishtail!

Traveling with a herd of other kids in the back of a Kingswood with the tail gate window wound down was better than Christmas! 

Young things today. Send 'em out in one of them old station wagons - a pre-rollbar model and cross ply skinny tyres. That's teach them something about cornering. Drum brakes on the front might cure any tendency to tail gate too.

[As the day goes]

Druuum brakes? Luxury!

In my day, we used our heels, wearing sandals if you were lucky, sticking out from both sides of the vehicle, pressed into the melting bitumen, to stop.

[poohbah]

Drum brakes on the front might cure any tendency to tail gate too

You guys crack me up.

I remember wondering (back when I was still a youngster) why the front wheel on my '59 FC locked up while reversing out of the driveway one day. Opened up the drum, and the lining of the shoe just fell out ... it had completely separated from the shoe itself.

I replaced the shoes on that wheel but never even bothered checking the other front drum. Drove the car as normal for another year or so without any problems and ended up selling it to a bloke who arrived in a FC ute.

[Al Campbell]

Druuum brakes? Luxury!

In my day, we used our heels, wearing sandals if you were lucky, sticking out from both sides of the vehicle, pressed into the melting bitumen, to stop.

Well when I say Drum Brakes what we really had were Paper Bag in middle o road.

[Al Campbell]

Drum brakes on the front might cure any tendency to tail gate too

You guys crack me up.

I remember wondering (back when I was still a youngster) why the front wheel on my '59 FC locked up while reversing out of the driveway one day. Opened up the drum, and the lining of the shoe just fell out ... it had completely separated from the shoe itself.

I replaced the shoes on that wheel but never even bothered checking the other front drum. Drove the car as normal for another year or so without any problems and ended up selling it to a bloke who arrived in a FC ute.

Had a Boss who told me the story of when his brakes failed totally on his Austin 7 and he sailed straight across the McIvor highway in Bendigo, narrowly being missed by a driver on the Highway who yelled: "Why didn't you stop you Mongrel", he yelled back "I would have loved to if I could."

[As the day goes]

Druuum brakes? Luxury!

In my day, we used our heels, wearing sandals if you were lucky, sticking out from both sides of the vehicle, pressed into the melting bitumen, to stop.

Well when I say Drum Brakes what we really had were Paper Bag in middle o road.

And you try telling that to the youth of today!

[bazzbazz]

And you try telling that to the youth of today!

Well, that's your first mistake, you were foolish enough to try!   

[Craig Sinclair]

ahh memories.

What I had at 17, and what I dreamed of having ...

Memories! My mother had a new KE20 corolla exactly the same in '72. The name of the colour is Big Bad Orange. Always stuck with me. When I was 18 my best mate bought and restored an ex Eastside Chrysler E49 race car, also in orange. We used to pool as much money as we had to put in the 40 gal tank in the boot & enjoy the sound of the triple webers sucking it down. So cool to drive on P plates! Lucky for me, dad bought an Alfetta which I learnt to drive in, before buying my first car, a 67 VC valiant. 225 slant six with drum brakes on retread tyres....I am still alive.
On hearing the news piece on the card radio, I had a loud conversation with said radio about the stupidity of governments' attitudes to driver training. The cynic in me says thats theres more profit in metering out fines. TV news last night about the three melbourne cameras raking in about $2m each in 3 months, all 40k zones with 75% of fines levied at under 10k over the limit. We are all soooo much safer.

[poohbah]

We must live in parallel worlds Craig! I had a good mate when I was about 19, who had a beautiful red E49 lookalike. We had a basket ball team, and he used to pick us all up in the Charger each week. Beat the average team bus for sure. Still remember what seemed like incredible acceleration in that thing.