Just silly question
 

Just wondered if anyone knows why they took the headlight dimmer switch from the floor a couple of years ago? Just curious..

:confused:

The last headlight dimmer I saw mounted on the floor of a vehicle was in my father's 1987 Ford F-150.

halogen vs hid?

For the young ones that never drove late 50-80's American cars? There was a button you stepped on near the driver kick panel on the floor board that activated the high beams. Imports traditionally didn't come that way since theirs was activated at the signal stock.

yah, but you can't dim HID's like halogen?

i had that in my old nova :tup:

Next we are going to be talking about the 64 dart with a push button transmission..

I am older than dirt, and we used to drive on square tires (Bias Ply).. Before we had Radial tires..

But I haven't seen dimmer switches on Cars/Trucks since 1987..

Funny how some dont even know what I am talking about when I mention that button on the left hand side of the floor :)
..and yes I once had a car with push button transmission! It was an old car given to me by my wife's grandfather but it was a Nash Rambler with push button transmission.. Quite the high tech wonder!

Funny you should have to explain this..:) Were they even there in the 80s?

Yes, me lad, it was true! :)

I bet some here dont even remember ash trays :) and can you even get a car without power brakes and steering?

We lived through many things...

Like once you can drive and corner cars with Bias Ply tires, No traction control, and manual Steering, all this new technology is just a bonus...

Many don't know how good they have it... I learned on really old technology and all this new stuff just makes me a better driver..

Paddle shifters, ect...way cool stuff...Traction control I only use for daily driving..When I get on it, I like to have full power...i have had the car sputter into hard turns due to the slip light on the 350Z, and that was the last time I did that.

I come from the land of drifting, way before they called it drifting..We just called it getting sideways...

Older cars are so primitive..But I still love to drive both of my Z's...Two different animals..Both hard to tame..Just the way i like it.

And yes, my 1971 Z/28 has a dimmer switch...

Hey, I'm only 22 and I knew what you were talking about! The "couple years ago" did throw me off, though ;)

i was asking why you'd want that in your Z, silly. :icon17:

First time I have ever heard a high beam switch referred to as a "headlight dimmer switch".

As I Get older, I get "Dimmer"...True they are a high beam activation switch...

say... what happened to them steam powered cars they had a couple years ago :D

They were a bad design for northern climates. Within a couple of years, they would be so corroded and jammed from salt and water coming off your snowboots that you'd end up with your high beams stuck on.

How about the pull out knob on the dash to turn the lights on? Those were pretty cool. Or even way back in the stone ages when the speedometer indicated miles per hour...oh wait....nevermind. :rofl2:

I guess next we can discuss attempting to fast forward to a particular song on your 8-track.

what about opening your hood and being able to see the ground through the engine bay :tup:

When you say "a couple of years ago" do you mean 25? ;)

Ya! just a few short years ago...25 maybe 30 or 40...You got it!

Anyone remember what they used to say to describe something that was really fast? Like driving fast or talking fast or any kind of rapid motion?

Here is an example; "She was so excited she was talking a mile a minute.." Ya...a "mile a minute" is real fast!!:icon18:..

Yes and My aunts had a car and you could see the ground through the hole in the floor in the back! ( I dont think it was designed that was ..they were just poor folks) It had a shift on a very long handle that went into the floor in the front and I think there was a hand break there as well..

I think you got the answer!! GIVE THIS POSTER THE PRIZE!! a NEW Z..
AND HERE IT IS...


Z

A SHINY RED ONE AT THAT! ENJOY!! 7

:icon18: Z
For Zenior!!?

Yes and I just hid a white one in that post..

Not not being sarcastic are you? :) No.. i didn't think so.. must be my imagination....:)

lol HA HA !!!

It was to streamline the designs for European sales. In Germany, You flash to pass. For instance on the autobahn, the faster car has right of way in the fast lane. When they top the hill, they flash their headlights to tell the people ahead "to move over I'm coming through." This is why cars now have the 3rd head light postion that springs back when you pull the signal to you. You would wear out a switch if you had to click it everytime.

I think this is the best answer. You may collect your million dollar prize from the administrator of this site..:)

+1...... :iagree: Never heard of this before either.

And my '76 'vette!

We knew how to drive back then (and still do) especially if you lived in a winter climate. :driving:

My 1978 280Z was the first car I'd had without a floor mounted dimmer switch.

My first car was a '68 Chevy Bel Air and it had the floor mounted high beam switch. This was in the mid 90's, so none of my friends knew they put the switches on the floor. I used to put both hands on the wheel and tell them to watch me magically turn on the high beams with my mind:icon17: I miss that car, it was a beast.

Also, I had an '83 RX7 that had a pull out choke knob. You had to pull it out to start it and then it would automatically snap back in when the engine warmed up. Never had seen that before. Loved that car, too. Handled like a dream and was really fun to drive.

Remember the "3 on the tree". How about a windshield washer that you had to pump with your left foot. Or to turn on the vents. You had to open up the vent boxes under the dash with your hand. :eek: LOL

What is 3 on the tree"? is that the shift pattern?
As far as the windshield washer you pumped with your foot...no I never even knew there was such a thing! But I do remember the vents you opened by hand as well as the triangular shaped window that was part of the main side window..Gave you lots of breeze..

One dealer told me at one time 'heat" was an option! and my friends father remembers when he was young his father once said to him , "Here's a buck..go fill up the car!"

I was at a party yesterday and the topic turned to some kid that smashed up his car driving too fast. One older guy said,'The trouble is they have these fast cars that go from zero to fifty in ten seconds!"

Well see you learn something new here everyday!:tup:

"four on the floor"!

3 on the tree is term for a 3 speed manual were the shifter is on the steering column like the older style automatics. One the shift patter was set up so you had tolift the shifter as you went through your gears. A drag racing trick was to flip the shifter over to the other side. I am not sure of all the technical aspects of it. They may have just 180ed the whole steering column. This up the shifter on the left side with the gear pattern in a more natural for speed position were all you had to do was yank it down to grab a gear.

My first car was a 73 malibu with a the foot dimmer. My friend's dad used to tell us about how back in the day he did connected his washer hoses from the wipers and ran them through the fire wall and under the dash. Evidently 2 swirts from a 68 El Camino is 1 shot. He cleaned out the washer bottle and fulled it with Jack. He said the cops used to pull him over because they Knew he was drinking but couldn't figure out how.

Ha ha ha!!!! This is a good one! Now you have given me an idea....