!!

 

What the heck did you post? It only shows as a couple of !!!

 

??

 

I'm trying to post a video on a 51 cadillac '5th wheel parking option - [I'd never heard of it!!]and neither I nor my wife can figure it out!
My brother sent it in a e-mail!
I could forward it to someone, if they'd post it for me - thanks in advance!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCrmbIC6mVM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

THAT'S IT!! Thank you!
I was only 3 when an option, and never saw it before!
Can't imagine the trouble some people could get into with that option!!

 

I'm pretty sure that it was an aftermarket thing - Popular Mechanics type of accessory - not GM. Sort of the modern-day equivalent of having electrically controlled scissor doors installed on your brand new CTS-V coupe - maybe an NBA player or two but not the general population....

Would be fascinating to see one that actually survived in a restored car.

 

Heaven forebid that you should have a flat tire! Then you'd have to rely on your 'ability' to drive.... ....or you'd be really screwed

Do you suppose that's why a lot of newer cars are coming out with the automatic parallel park?

 

Presumably so they don't have to teach kids to drive anymore. Much like how some people can't drive stick anymore.

 

Man does that look like fun! You could really mess with people if you had one of those.







Mike

 

Yeah, I know what you mean. And nowadays the tech behind stick is so sick. They even have inertia brakes for starting on hills now. If my car had come with a stick, it could be a pile of rolling junk and I'd still drive it. IMO the only reason people think it's hard to drive a stick? Because they're thinking too much about it. Just do it! Oh wait, the new generation has 'eye-hand' coordination, NOT 'eye=foot' coordination. Not many of them know how to listen to the sound of the engine or are able to 'feel' what the cars gears want either.
Sorry bout the rant ...Now back to cool parking gadgets.

 

I wonder how fast you could get going in a circle with that thing , I bet things could get real ugly!

 

I'm glad it's a requirement to be taught stick over here, and I'm glad I learned to drive '60s tractors before I learned to drive cars.

 

Very interesting idea! Never seen anything like that in my life. There isn't a lot of parallel parking around here. Where there is I avoid it, not because I can't do it, I just am not confident others can do it without bouncing off my bumper first.

 

No $****! Believe it or not, my first 'ride' was a massey ferguson! Put it in the ditch twice trying to get the hang of it. Course I was only 4 or 5 at the time. Uncle Bertus almost killed himself laughing at me. Wasn't worried about his tractor...or me for that matter. new tractors? All you do is set the GPS, turn up the AC and put it on self drive.

 

Nearly ran over my grandfather in the old Ferguson (Before the days of Massey merger) because I was so busy babying the clutch like he told me. His '61 back hoe still runs strong. What's left of it, anyway.

 

I've a friend here in Chicago, calls himself 'Cadillac Rick' - I'll get ahold of him and see if that was a true option, or aftermarket!
I'm kinda leaning towards option, as all the early '50's cars had huge trunks that'd accomodate that option.
I can here the excuses now;
Driver to cop - 'the ***-end of that thing just jumped in front of me'!
Officer - the mailbox was too close to the curb!
Honey, I pushed the garage a couple inches closer to the house!

The possibilities are endless!!

 

"It can be installed on any model"
really?

Neat concept, for sure...

 

lol i can't drive a stick! never learned and never really cared to learn tbh. i'd rather just sit in the car and drive and not have to worry about shifting gears and such. you need an extra hadn and foot for that and my hand that isnt on the steering wheel usually has a cigarette in it so I never really bothered to learn. I did try a couple time and kept stalling out and almost blew up the transmission on one lol after that I decided f*ck it why bother and just enjoyed my automatics. probably would have learned if I kept the '76 Vw Westy bus I had

 

Rob,

Don't even think about it. You've option enough projects underway.

 

They even have inertia brakes for starting on hills now

Alan R, Studebaker had these back in 40's/50's. My dad was a Studey man and I can remember him trying to adjust these to release in sync with clutch being let out. Most of the time they didn't work too great and would kill engine anyway (ha).

I think I remember seeing this 5th wheel deal advertised maybe in Pop. Mech. mag or something. I don't think it was a Caddy option but was private invention. Could be wrong, memory ain't what it used to be!

 

Old Studebakers were kind of neat. Some of their designs were so far ahead of their time - like the Avro Arrow and the 'Tucker'.


1953 Starlight Coupe