Fri Feb 17, 2012 4:39 pm
They still make them today in Melbourne/Australia and go back to those same days after the old Fords, Customlines etc. My late father had a Ford back in the 1950s briefly and was an expert on Ford starter motors from c1950-Sept 1957 we lived near the Downtown and on one of the arterial roads in. Our house was at a busy corner with a large Danger sign sufficed for no traffic lights then. Many a crash and many a car break down. My dad repaired many a starter motor on Fords and go the people going. They were notorious for this problem as was the British-origin Morris' & later Mini Minors. We also had a Bavarian-made DKW(they also made motor bikes) and they were a lot of trouble but dad used to stripe them down & go from there. But then we got into Peugeots for many years from the 203s on. I had 26 years of a Mercedes diesel 240D until about 1999. Only car I have ever actually owned. Today I drive a Ford Falcon wagon with only LPG as the source fuel. Originally registered sometime early 2007 we got it a good price in Oct 2011 and it replaces an August 1987 model we got in March 2003. Did me well but they have a head casket problem which we had to attend to twice and when it looked like it was starting again we went for the later model from our mechanic. Although the spare tire is now inside the back and not under the car because of the twin LPG tanks, it is a little bigger in the back than the previous model. And all the improvements we never had before. My mother actually owns the car. The cost to us was A$11350 plus a brake repair and ownership papers transfers & a slightly higher premium full insurance(we paid the difference with our older premium rolled over to the newer car). The usual market value in a used car lot is about A$16,000 and new around A$30,000. Unfortunately, we do have to have a car even with all the public transport around us these days. Whilst the cost of LPG is better than gas it is high at present with all the usual world problems excuses(to think they used to burn this gas by-product off at the refinery when I was a kid) to keep it high with the promises of 5c a litre to be added by the government as an increasing tax in July.
The one thing that got me was the Ford in-built radio. I had bought myself a Christmas present about 5 years or so ago an American-branded MP3 player/radio for CD discs. I used the radio a lot them started making mp3s of radio shows, Dinman interviews and all sorts of music and gave the radio listening away. I had a vast store of files to use for this purpose. But this radio at such a late stage in the evolution of car radio/players only has a CD player and no mp3 capability. Quite a surprise, I thought. I took the the device out of the older car so one day I see about having it fitted in the current car. I sure miss not playing the material I have accumulated in audio form and the only way for me to listen without too much interruption is in the car.
Ford have been here many years(1920s?) and made war vehicles etc during the war from the same local plants. They also sponsored radio shows in the 1950s and a famous around the country was The Ford Show which was a musical variety show.The announcer/compere used to introduce himself as David Low at the Wheel. David was a New Zealander who also was one of the narrators of local newsreels. Movietone, I think.
