It was going to be an exhaustive, scholarly breakdown of each issue, a recitation of the salient points and comparisons and contrasts from then to now. But then I got bogged down in my usual morass of overthinking, perfectionism and doubt, so no post, just tweaking to a draft that was never good enough- too wordy, not catchy, just boring.
Many words have been committed to pages and screens decrying the futility of the New Year’s rituals of resolutions and commitment to change. The new year, that swapping of a calendar for a new one, really does (at least for me) signify the renewed possibility of maybe making a better, bigger, deeper mark on the world, of improving your condition, and helping those around you improve theirs, if only in a small way.
It’s interesting on how I find myself getting bogged down again in the details of the post. Aside from the Monroney sticker stuff, there was a bit of doggerel that I found enjoyable in the letters section, and a couple of things that are now hopelessly outdated and amusing all at once.
Rebuilt batteries. I work as a battery tech for AAA, so every now and again, an older member will ask if that the batteries that I carry in my truck are rebuilt or used. This article is why the question gets asked.
For all of the changes in electrical systems over the past sixty-odd years, the basics of a flooded lead-acid battery are remarkably unchanged. There have been minor changes in chemistry and metallurgy to be certain, but what worked then mostly works now, except you can’t rebuild a battery in a neighborhood workshop anymore. Now they’re broken down and recycled, and when a battery goes, you replace it, that’s it.
“Restoring With Fiberglas” brought a chuckle from me. I looked up a recent posting of an REO (Ransom Eli Olds, the name behind Oldsmobile), and it was going for 40 to 50 K, and rest assured, no fiberglas was used to fix it. Keep in mind, however, that 1956 was the height of the Jet Age, and miracle materials like fiberglass were going to make our world better. That and a forty-eight year old car was referred to as ancient. Heh.
Anyway, I’ll post the stalled text of the Motor Trend after this entry, so you can read it for yourself. Happy 2020!
The Department Of Past Issues 