[Shotimes] The good old days.....was: RE: Futura... was: If Ford Asked you ...

[George Fourchy]

On Thu, 18 Mar 2004 10:22:43 -0500, James F. Ryan III wrote:

>He drove it to work everyday, northern NJ to the Bronx, and got
>100,000 miles out of the original clutch.  He has nothing but praise for
>that car and always says it was the best car he's ever owned.

Falcons and Mustangs were very mechanically similar in the '64-'66 vintage.  There
was the National Council of Mustang Clubs, and we had a very active club in Fresno,
when I was going to college.  At the time I had my originally red, then painted
yellow '65 GT hardtop.

Comparing the average conversation about cars then and now.....

Then, we'd talk about how our cars might perform with the 4-Weber intake manifold
available from Ford, which was the racing intake for the GT-350.  We'd admire the
red 427 Cobra roadster in the showroom of the dealer where we had our meetings.  
Sticker on it was $5100 or so.  We'd talk about the next autocross or T/D rally, or
if we wanted a group buy on a custom grille that was all horizontal bars.  There was
NEVER a mention of why is this breaking, or why does this only last this many miles.
 (My front disc pads lasted 99,000 miles, and I drove that car the way I drive these
cars now.)

Now....it's "why do the factory brakes only work for two hard stops, then fade to
nothing?"...or how long will this clutch last, or that halfshaft, or "you have to
lubricate your slider pins regularly, or you'll go through rear calipers and rotors
way too fast".  And, last but not least...."the factory spark plugs are going
obsolete.....what can we use now....?!"

...small rant...

I have a theory about corporate management as a whole.  Back then, (in the 30s and
40s...depression and war years) the high-ups paid attention when they were in school
and growing up.  They learned economics, they learned management, and they learned
to look at the big picture, and they understood the concept that "the customer is
always right".   Now, or perhaps starting in the late '80s or so...management was
the same age as me, and future managers were in my classes in grammar school and
high school.  They were the ones who thought they knew everything...never had to
work hard, never scraped for a buck, sitting in the back of the class throwing
spitwads and not paying attention.  Now they are in charge, and they don't know what
to do.  That's why everyone at the top is either going to jail or just ignoring
their customers.  They didn't learn responsibility to themselves and to their
workers and customers.   'Nuff said.

...rant over....

I sorta like those old, simple days, thinking back on it.  'Course, I was a little
less big around back then, and I didn't have a problem sitting in those little
board-straight bucket seats.

Ahhhh.....the good old days......  

;-)

George