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Do you remember?

Ultradog MN

Ultradog MN

Well-known Member
Location
Twin Cities
Getting into your vehicle when it was really cold, pulling the choke, turning the key and pumping the accelerator as fast as your foot would go to get it started?
Then you had to sit there and let it idle for a few minutes and feather the choke or it would die.
Then sometimes you'd forget the choke was out and go all the way to work dumping raw exhaust out the back.
It's 11 below here and I just went out, turned the key in my chevy and it fired right up and ran smoothly. Am back in the house waiting for it to warm up for a few minutes before I leave.
Some folks insist that older is better but I sure as heck wouldn't want to drive one of those old carburated jobs any more.
 
Sounds like starting my '78 Chevy snowplow pickup in zero weather, only it's automatic choke.

You crawl in, pump heck out of the accelerator, hit the starter, pump it a few more times while running the starter. It will fire right up, but you have to keep pumping to keep it going.

After a minute or two, you gradually ease off the throttle see if it will idle. When it will idle, you go drink a cup of coffee. When it's warmed up at idle for a minimum of ten minutes, then you can go out and try to move it.

It's the cold-bloodedest dang thing, but it's a hell of a workhorse once it's warmed up. As long as the two of us understand each other, why try to fix what isn't broke?
 
I still have to feather the choke on my MF65 til she gets warm. The 195 degree thermostat helped but I still had to blank off the radiator to get it to stay at temperature in these cold days. It climbs right to 195, the therm opens and bang, back to 100. With the rad blocked, now she runs at 195-205 and purrs like a new one.

I recall the old slant six flopta, flopta, flopta of the accelerator before hitting the key…

Aaron
 
Not only that problem solved but starters , batteries ,alternators seem to last forever since they are not being abused.
 
Ultradog they make it now so you wouldn't even have to go out and start it. Just push a little button on a remote starter and she'll fire up with out leaving the house! Another peice of technology that makes life easy but also makes us more of a wuss. HEHE
 
No such thing as "jumping timing" anymore, either!

I used to hear guys complain that they couldn't work on their own engines anymore.....haven't heard that in a while, though. Maybe they finally figured out that now you don't *have* to work on your engines to keep them running.
 
watch those remote starts have read they can be bumped and start while in garage causing the house to fill with exhaust fumes
 
yes, although not a daily driver my 1952 Chevy pu is cranked exactly that same way. N. Alabama currently at 24 degrees and I'm staying inside.
 
I've still got several old carb vehicles around here. I still remember the day I had them all rebuilt and adjusted so you could round the corner, downshift, and easy back into it without any of them hesitating. Boy was I happy. It lasted until they sat for a couple of weeks.

My grain truck NEVER needs choke. I have used it to feed a bale when it was so cold the hoist wouldn't work. Still just pumped the foot feed and she fired up. It will even idle right off the bat. I've never seen anything like it. Apparently Chevy knew what they were doing in '58. I'd still rather run the fuel injected new engines, though. That enhaust from 1958 about gases you out!
 
While I agree with you for the most part, these modern vehicles can be an electronic nightmare, even for the factory trained experts. Computer diagnostic instrumrnts only get you in the ballpark. Some very nice cars get crunched every day as their simple ailment eludes even the experts.

Glenn
 
The first car I bought, to start it, I pulled the hand brake on, set the throttle and the spark, vent to the front of car took holt of crank pulled oat choke and gave the crank a pull and hoped it vould start, then run and git in and adjust spark and throttle, didn't have heater or vindshield viper or turn signals except fur my hand oat the vinder.
 
Bought my first car in 1945, just home from Army. Drove it for 6 months, had to refresh the engine. It made a funny noise on sharp right turns-didn't have enough sense to check the oil level-engine went BANG! Car was a 1939 Ford Tudor sedan. $2oo bought a new engine-installed!<bre did its job. Worked every time-none of those fancy automatic chokes on that car!
Bought a house, got married, lived out in the country, drove 20 miles to work, rain, snow, or shine. For a while, i drove a Model A Ford Tudor. A simple car-got me there and back. No heater! Wore heavy gloves and boots. Sold it to a man in Louisville, KY., who drove it home from Pittsburgh, Pa. Great times and memories. But, i still enjoy my Chevy Colorado with its electric choke and all! RJ
 
Was talking to my brother yesterday. We have two sisters that never drove a rear wheel drive vehicle before, ever. I made a suggestion to one of them that works evenings as a nurse over in South Bend that she could borrow the barn Jeep when it was snowing real bad and deep because its in great shape and has 4 wheel drive if she ran into a problem, and she turned me down because in 2 wheel drive, its rear wheel drive, she wouldn't be comfortable driving it in the snow.

Mark
 
You need to adjust the choke pull-off so it doesn't open the choke as much. It will still open all the way when it gets warmed up.
 
Never had a manual choke car or truck, but have probably driven as many carburated vehicles as injected. Mostly, I do prefer older... but I'll agree that EFI (and electronic ignition) are big improvements that I wouldn't want to do without.
 
My first vehicle was almost exactly like that, with the
exception of stepping on the starter button to roll it over.
Left toe on the clutch, left heel on the brake.
Right toe on the starter button, right heel pumping the gas.
1953 Chevy truck.

A few years back I built a Dodge "street rod" pickup with a manual choke.
The local farmers and I were the only ones around who knew how to start it.
 
Still have a 1963 C60, and a 1974 F600 with Choke and throttle controls. They always start, and if not I don't have to pay to find a code.
 
Still got mine out in the barn 1968 Saab Sonett with a two barrel carb and manifold not stock but great for power.
My 1st car was a 1937 Plymouth coupe. Neat old car but he engine was shot.
Walt
 
Engines with carburetor and choke the operator had to actually have a brain to operate. And we got by just fine if we were a little mechanically minded. I still have a few trucks and a couple of tractors with manual choke. I have to admit that the fuel injected 4.3 Chevy is about the best starting and simplest one on the farm. Until the next electronic problem comes along.
 
Having started driving in 1959, I've driven many cars and trucks with manual chokes.
I bought my first NEW pickup in 1975; Ford F-100 with 300 six.
I drove only 1.2 miles to work and I noticed I was getting gas in my oil from the choke never quite opening all the way.
Went to the trouble of making up a choke cable that allowed the automatic choke to work as normal when pulled out but I could push the knob in to open the choke. It worked fine.
Reminds me of an old mechanic that told me about an old lady back in the late 30s who had a Lincoln
that just wouldn't run right and fouled plugs real bad.
He finally had her take him for a ride and the first thing she did when she got in the car was pull the choke out to hang her pocketbook.
 
One of those funny things. Computers either work great or not at all. Easier on the wallet to fix the carb.

It is nice in my newer two that they fire right up with no attention. Down here I can operate with a wired open choke and feathering the throttle on my older stuff.

Drove older stuff to work at DFW when I was flying. 106 miles one way. I was never on the side of the road. I never didn't make it to work (or home) in spite of driving a 30 yr old vehicle. All kinds of traffic and all kind of weather. I did do a douple of minor parking lot repairs though.
 
We've got an early '70s AC forklift at work, manual choke updraft.

Not a day goes by I'm not over there telling one of the young'uns... It don't do any good to pump it, PULL THE CHOKE!

Problem is, I'm telling the same ones the same thing every time they get on it! They seem to have a total mental block of understanding how something mechanical works...

Yet they can walk up to a CNC lathe with 10,000 buttons, codes, and parameters and have it working perfectly first time they see it!

Why can't they?
Why can't I?
 
(quoted from post at 21:23:27 01/27/14) One of those funny things. Computers either work great or not at all. Easier on the wallet to fix the carb.

It is nice in my newer two that they fire right up with no attention. Down here I can operate with a wired open choke and feathering the throttle on my older stuff.

Drove older stuff to work at DFW when I was flying. 106 miles one way. I was never on the side of the road. I never didn't make it to work (or home) in spite of driving a 30 yr old vehicle. All kinds of traffic and all kind of weather. I did do a douple of minor parking lot repairs though.
Click to expand...


LOL sometimes it isn't anymore. Last time I worked on a Quadra-Jet the owner wanted the carb rebuilt. This is until we showed him the flat rate manual. 8 hours. This was about 15 years ago. Shop rate was 50 an hour. Plus the price of a kit. A reman was 200 bucks customers cost and a half hour for labor.

Lot of puter problems are a sensor. So whatever the diagnostic charge, sensor and a lot of times 1/2 hour or so for labor. Lot of guys can listen to you give a good description of a problem and just fit it without hooking up to a scanner. A lot depends on the shop you take it too. I was able to do that with some problems depending on the make and model. My son's car was a classic case of the. At the time a 5 year old Buick. He told me the problem and we went and got a new fuel pressure regulator.

Rick
 
I bought a low mileage 87 Chevy pickup with throttle body and when it started instantly at 9 below zero I decided that I never wanted another vehicle with a carb.
 
On first car, a '50 Ford, not only had to turn key and pull choke, but also push a starter button on the dash. Remember when choke cable came loose or broke, having to get someone to push the button while I took air cleaner off and held my hand over throat of the carb.
 
We had two 53 chevy pick ups on the farm. Dad showed me how to get them started in cold weather. So he could sit in the house and drink coffee.I thought I was having fun until I grew up and realized what he was doing.
 
my first car(was a fifties Brittish ford i think) was still a crank start, no use trying to start it when it was close to freezing.(was to young to drive it on the road anyway) :wink:
 
Never had or drove one that pumping gas pedal helped with starting.
My first car was a 50 Chev. The best way I found for cold start was- pull choke, press gas pedal half way, push start button, when it grunted twice turn on the key, fire right up. I say grunted twice, it didn't actually spin over.
Dad's 47 Chev had a handy feature- 48 & older had foot starter. There was a peg on start pedal that pushed a similar peg on gas linkage. Stomp on starter & it pushed gas just enough to start. His biggest complaint was it didn't have a provision for hand crank to help weak battery.
Willie
 
I remember having to pump the pedal, no choke on any of my cars, I am too young to remember that.

How is married life? I remember reading about that you got married a month ago or so.
 
Besides all my old tractors I have a restored 1938 GMC just started it up in the garage over the weekend to keep it in shape, hasn't run in months but started good at cold temps. Grew up with lots of old trucks my Dad had for his business 52 army 6x6 CCKW, 52 Studebaker 2 ton, 55 GMC pickup, and Mom's 58 Chevy wagon kid hauler
 
There's good and bad to the new stuff. True, most of them run longer and start better. I love electric windows. OTOH, there's no grease fittings on anything anymore so things wear faster I think. There's no quick fix to common problems either, you have to take it to a shop or buy a reader and start replacing parts until you fix it- or not. I put over a grand into my 97 F150 and still couldn't get the dash light to go off. In my state you can't get an inspection sticker if you have a dash light on after 96. Crazy. Vehicles aren't as tough at all anymore. How many of us remember seeing the Airstream behind the Caddy or Pontiac? The family station wagon used to do stuff you need a 3/4 ton PU to do now.

Things chance, but not always for the better.
 
old i think your flat rate was a miss print should read .8 hours i never spent more than a hour and a half to to pull one and rebuild it
 
Parents had an old Buick, the car they had when I was born, early 50's something. The starter was in the gas pedal, turn the key on, push all the way down... Strange!
 
First truck I drove when I was 11-12 was a 40ish Chevy or Dodge that had the foot starter close to what my Dad called the "foot feed" pedal, and the pull choke on the dash......I remember trying to hold the starter button down with your toes and pumping the pedal with the heel end of your foot to get it started.

Tim
 
I've had as many or more carbed vehicles as I've had injected. Other than an International that didn't want to start in any weather I never had a problem starting my carbed vehicles. The trick was to keep them tuned well including the carb adjustments.

I agree that flat rate must have been wrong. .8 sounds about right for a q-jet. About half that for a Holley.

There are good and bad to both old and new vehicles. I'd just as soon have older simpler vehicles.
 
guess it depends on what you learned on all my trucks are carbureted, i tried one new truck, never again! these old ones are better built as in their sheet metal is thicker,and there simple to repair, they were geared to work, not go to the office, i had a fuel pump fail one time out on the range in one of my old beaters, i had a 5 gallon can of gas in the truck i always carry extra gas, i managed to adapt a piece of 3/8th hose to the gas can duct taped the can to the roof of the cab and attached the line to the inlet line on the carb then drove the truck home, slow, but it got there, try that with your 70,000 dollar pickup lol even have the original split rims on one of mine, but then i can fix them , my second job was in a tire shop as low man on the pole i got to do those all the time, there may be nicities on new truck not found on old ones, but mine will still do the job, and i dont remember just exactly what a payment book looks like now its been about 20 years since ive had one
 
I had a 1953 Buick Special, straight 8 with 6 volt system. Had to push on the accelerator pedal to activate starter. I used to go out in extreme cold and blizzards, the local gas station guys would be going up and down the street starting up folks cars, got into my Buick, pushed the gas pedal to the floor, let it up, turned on the ignition stepped on it again to activate the starter,vroom it would start right up. New technology is nice too.......when it all works.
 
All our cars have a hill-start facility....no need for block heaters, batteries or starter buttons...Just let off the brake, give them a bit of a shove and jump in real quick....100 yards down the hill, let out the clutch and give it the throttle.....If you miss that start, the next hill is even steeper!
........Sam
 
What I remember was the almost science to starting vehicles in those days, each being different and it depending on temperature.

2 pumps & 1/2 choke. 3 pumps & full choke. Hold down the foot feed a little & a quick pull of full choke. Things like that you had to know for each vehicle & the conditions. Still chuckle thinking about it.

I also remember the angst when automatic chokes appeared on vehicles. I worked part time in an auto parts store during high school, we sold dozens of kits to put manual chokes on vehicles that had automatic chokes on them. The old timers would cuss not knowing what position the choke was in and want it like it used to be with a knob on the dash.
 
Back when I was in High School I drove my Dads '74 Buick. To start it I would mash the accelerator to the floor,let it up to 1/3 - 1/4 down, turn the key and go. If my brother got out to it ahead of me to start the car we would be late as he would flood it 8 of 10 times. Sure don't miss putting gas in that old pig!
 
(quoted from post at 07:35:50 01/28/14)

I also remember the angst when automatic chokes appeared on vehicles. I worked part time in an auto parts store during high school, we sold dozens of kits to put manual chokes on vehicles that had automatic chokes on them. The old timers would cuss not knowing what position the choke was in and want it like it used to be with a knob on the dash.
Click to expand...

Its true, if the carb got flooded due the automatic choke (and it did happen) you needed someone to hold the choke plate open while you cranked it over with the pedal to the floor. Or if you were by yourself, a piece of wire on the carburetor would serve the purpose.
 
My Ford pickup still is on 6V and has a pedal on the floor that I push to engage the starter. It always starts when I try it. Of course it was made in 1929 when they used rear metal.
 
The trouble with automatic chokes was the little heat riser tube would rust off and then they wouldn't work.
I had a 69 Rambler did that so I bought the kit to change it over to manual choke. That's the one I remember forgetting to push the choke in till I was almost to work.
 
Buick used that start switch system for several years.

My Father had a 1951 Buick Super with straight eight and Dynaflow.

The start switch was beneath the accellerator pedal. The key switch had simply off, on and lock.

The cold weather technique was to floor the accelerator pedal with the key switch off to set the choke then turn the key switch on and again floor the accellerator pedal to start. Repeat entire process if the engine does not start.

I do not remember my Father ever having trouble getting the Buick to start even on the coldest mornings.

Dean
 
I've had my 57 MF 50 for a little over 3 years. Never touched the choke to start it. Couple of weeks ago it wouldn't start. It hadbeen below 32 for a day and a half. Then it dawned on me to pull the choke - started right up! I had a 58 Ford back in college. Converted the auto choke to manual with a kit.
 
First vehicle I ever "drove" 53 Chevy PU. My dad parked behind my mom's car, he was asleep, she didn't want to wake him, she didn't know how to drive a standard.

I started it up and backed it out of the way, think I was about 8 years old.
 
Like I said, that old gal and I understand each other, so I'm not going to mess with it.
 
My '64 F600 will crank right up, has the 292, 2 bbl, pull that choke out, you can give it a pump first, cranks up in the coldest temperatures, and has nice heat ! The fun thing is feathering the accelerator while warming up, use 1/2 3/4 choke, open it slowly until its warm enough to run, stock ignition too, reliable, and simple to work on.
 
Just a few years ago, I owned a 1969 Chevy II that had the four cylinder engine with a Powerglide. It had a factory manual choke on it. I put an HEI distributor in it and it would start right up. Normally, I"d start it and just drive it, as my next stop was about 20 miles away to get to work. I loved that car.
 
(quoted from post at 16:55:42 01/28/14) Just a few years ago, I owned a 1969 Chevy II that had the four cylinder engine with a Powerglide. It had a factory manual choke on it. I put an HEI distributor in it and it would start right up. Normally, I"d start it and just drive it, as my next stop was about 20 miles away to get to work. I loved that car.
Click to expand...

I've got a similar car but a 64 model with six cylinder and standard transmission. The automatic choke works fairly well on it. Starts good and gradually opens up as the heat rises in the manifold.
 
8 hr! Must be the soaking time?!

Like you said, all depends on the shop. My sister used to have an 85 Trans am with the TPI 305. Kept overheating. Dealer put it on their computer and informed us that nothing was wrong with it. I took a look at it and got back to basics and found that the the outer ring on the harmonic balancer had walked about 10 to 15 degrees! Basically the timing was wrong even though it showed to be right. Parts changers at the Dealer didn't catch it.

Just like you're saying, It's all about basic troubleshooting, even with a computer.
 
I remember from the other side. When I was a kid in the '60s I would come home late on a winter night and set in my car with the heater running, dreading to go inside. My parents turned all the heat off in the house when they went to bed. Those sheets were colder than than ice.
 
First car 54 ford 8 years old. Zero weather choke and stay in low for 7 or 8 blocks. Push down clutch then pull it back up. Turn steering wheel and it had to be returned manually. About 30 minutes to get heat. Ferocious noises all the way. Door locks would not catch. Windows not roll. Some people built fires under cars. Got to watch man start model T. Jack up rear wheels, pour hot water in radiator, install batt and crank. Bout half hour at least. Good old days. Dave
 
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