1959's The New Look in Vacuum Cleaners

[DesertTortoise]

Kencart, every Torqueflite I ever owned had the same fault, the second to third upshift was too slow, and the heat build up from this eventually led to failure around the 100K mile mark. A GM THM-350 is every bit as good a slushbox as the Torqueflite. The Chrysler products I owned all had crappy interior materials everywhere you looked but the arm rests on those old Mopars are particluarly offensive with their chromed plastic and guaranteed to split open cheap vinyl covering, unsupportive seats, disintgrating seat foam (I used to get a swirl of foam dust going in one Plymouth from the rotted seat foam that fell to the floor and subsequently blew around the interior with the windows open), interior door molding that always shrank in the heat and pulled away from the door, wing vent windows that whisteled practically from the say you bought the car, garbage Carter carbs that would not start when cold or the miserable Thermoquad bodies made from some plastic that heat warped, leaked and cost over $100 just to replace the plastic body, dieseling after shut down, undersprung and under damped suspensions, too much unsprung weight combined with primative leaf spring rear suspensions, numb over boosted steering yet if you tried to turn the wheel too fast while parking the power steering pump could not keep up and it was like the steering wheel hit a hard stop even though you had more steering lock left, just junk. Terrible cars, but every US made car then was terrible. Plus most Chryslers had huge C-pillars making it feel like you sitting down inside a big dark cave. I look at them now and marvel at all the wasted space they had and how much car overhung the wheels at each end. The best thing to happen for drivers was competition from better engineered foreign automobiles (and motorcycles, Harleys were even further behind the rest of the world in terms of their engineering).

Anyway, I'm done with those cars, and with automatic transmissions of any kind. My two cars both have manual gear boxes, one of which has 185K on the original clutch and has never been apart.

 

[kenkart]

Im not going to argue!...

LOL, im just passionate about Chryslers, and, if I could afford the gas, I would drive a big old vintage car everyday..a little background, I grew up with Oldsmobiles, my Mother loved them as did most of my Aunts and Uncles, our next door neighbor always drove Dodges, when I was 16 he let me drive his car...I have been hooked every since, I love a big old car, the only new cars I really like are wayyyy too expensive unless you are a doctor or lawyer LOL, but if I had that kind of money, I could retreat into the past which is what I dream of anyway,,in the 80s and 90s, my everyday driver cars were old Dodges and Plymouths, a 62 Fury, a 68 Sport Fury,a 67 Fury 3 4 door hardtop, and a 53 Plymouth Cranbrook, I drove all of these and truthfully have never been left on the side of the road, so you see I have confidence in them...GM on the other hand, has been bad bad bad as far as im concerned, ive been stopped several times waiting for a wrecker with them!My main thing about new cars is...not everyone wants a BMW..I want isolated cushy comfort...a bench seat, power steering that is full time and super touchy brakes!

 

[DesertTortoise]

GM has and had awful bodies. I had an Old Gutless Supreme once. Every panel gap was uneven, the doors were hung crooked in their frames and you could see where some chimp slopped some lead on the seam where the roof panel butted up to the C-pillar, took a quick swipe with a grinder and called it good to go. You could see the lumpy surface and grind marks through the orange peeled paint. What a pile.

I drive a lot of rental cars on work related travel and the best US made cars now are the Ford Focus. It puts boatloads of other small cars on the trailer for the quality of interior materials, seat comfort and all around tightness. They feel pretty close to good German iron until you try pushing them past 8/10s, then they get loose. I haven't tried the Focus ST yet. Modern GMs still blow, the seat cushions are too short and the controls and instrumentation just don't have a high quality feel.

You would like a Toyota Avalon. I hate them but fiancee is weird for them. Talk about numb feeling floaty boats! On some desert roads the suspension alternates between being fully topped and fully compressed, and not all corners of the car are doing the same thing at the same time. I get sick riding as a passenger in it. It's just like an old American boat. Room galore front and back, the back seats recline and you can stretch your lets out even with the front seats all the way back. It is the only Japanese car with enough front leg and arm room for me. Usually I don't fit Asian cars, only the Germans seem to build a car that fits my frame. The real laugh, or groan, is that the darn Avalon has a higher domestic US content than any other car made. The plant is in Kentucky and all the suppliers to it are in the US as well.

For me I have a pair of Audi 90s, one a five banger and the other a V-6, both with five speed manuals. Both are way faster than my old 440 Dodge Monaco ever was, both would leave the Dodge like a bad habit on a twisty road, and both are more comfortable for me to drive. They are just what I need and not an ounce or millimeter more. Both have double sided galvanized steel bodies that will never rust and everything feels like a much bigger German sport sedan. Where they shine is when you push them to the limit. They will break traction gracefully and never threaten to do anything bad. Wish I could say the same of the American cars I've similarly pushed. That darn Focus feels so good up to 8/10s then it all starts to come apart at the seams. I really want to like that car too.

 

[kenkart]

Avalon...

in 05 when Greg had the wash in at Omaha, Jerry Gay had a new Avalon, we drove it and yes I was very impressed, we drove about 800 miles the first day and were not a bit uncomfortable, my idea of a sports car is a 1960 Chrysler 300 F..!!!

 

[kenkart]

Hamilton Beach Hatbox...

What a nice design, I have the Eureka and Singers, dont use them much because bags are darn near impossible to fing, the GEs are also favorites,as is the Constellation, oh to go back to the days of these being new...I can see my Youngstown kitchen now!!LOL

 

[super-sweeper]

Kenkart, there's a Chrysler 300 in the same lot as my 1961 DreamSoto! Not sure if it's the 'F' One you speak of, though! 

 


Robert, thanks for sharing! Isn't it wonderful to look back at the past? Land-Barges, easier living, and Hamilton-Beach HatBox canisters, I love you, 1959! 

 

[kenkart]

Oh to hear..

Those two four barrel AFBs on Ram Induction sucking premium leaded Sunoco 260 gas!!To H$%^ with the EPA!

 

[DesertTortoise]

There are modern DOHC V-6s that will put those old 4-bbl carbed big blocks on the trailer. And they are both more drivable and quieter while putting more power to the ground. One of my fiancées two Avalons, the 2007 Touring model, has 285 horses, quite a bit more SAE horses than my last big block Dodge had and it turns 0-60 mph in about six seconds flat. That big block thing couldn't begin to touch that Avalon, even with all the CHP hot rodding done to it.

Ever drive a BMW M3 with a straight six and manual trans? That's an engine. Six cylinders standing at attention, smooth, flexible and big power, more than my Dodge or my fiancées Avalon. Dodge Dart weight and more than big block power on a suspensions that just begs you to get sideways. The car talks to you through the wheel, pedals and seat. None of this floaty boat suspension and numb steering stuff of old American iron.

 

[hydralique]

M3s and RS4s . . .

A good friend of mine has had an M3 inline six four door for years and I’ve driven it a few times. Nice car for the most part, the only thing that gets me (and him too) is the way the clutch engages right at the top of the travel. It did have a replacement gearbox under warranty but that was for gearbox issues and didn’t affect the clutch feel. The chassis is good and manages some compliance in spite of being fairly firm. A better compromise IMO than an older 750 another friend used to have, that was a real barge but still rode poorly on city streets.

M3 bud once had an Audi RS4 on loan when he lent Audi some nice collector cars to display at their design center in Santa Monica. That car was schizoid: it felt like a very, very heavy and plush A4 until you punched it then all hell broke loose, IIRC it had a V8 out of the big A8 and made well over 400 hp. We all took turns driving the crap out of it up and down La Tuna Canyon. Hard on it out of corners it reminded me of my sister’s old deTomaso Pantera because it would pull like a freight train to 100 in third accompanied with a lovely V8 wail. The problem for me was that the car didn’t feel special until you got on it and then you were instantly at go-to-jail speeds. It was certainly lots of fun on a Sunday morning though. My friend liked it as well but after years of trying to keep an ‘82 urQuattro coupe on the road he’ll stick to the M3, it’s far more reliable.

 

[kenkart]

To Each his own!

But a BMW rides and steers like a wagon, Ill take good old American luxury from the 60s anyday.

 

[electrolux137]

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My goodness, all this butch car talk is making me a bit moist!

 

[tolivac]

Was this about 1959 vacuum cleaners or something-its now a car forum!

 

[hydralique]

Moist?

Maybe we should talk about Rainbows, lol! Actually Charles you did a very butch job of those Kirbys for your church friend. I need to put a new bearing in my Classic 1cr. It was my grandmother's vac and was thought lost after she died in '97 but was recently rediscovered in storage much to my delight, it was always supposed to be mine. However it is very dull and noisy so I'm trying to work up the courage to tear into it, cars are easier for me!

 

[kenkart]

It is strange...

They didnt test a Compact, Dual Deluxe Sunbeam, Apex Strato Cleaner, Silver King,,,,I do love old Consumer Reports, I try to buy them when I see them at estate sales, although they are rare, I disagree with them about the GE, I always thought they were among the best store brands.

 

[dysonman1]

Consumer Reports tested the Compact C-4 the previous year (1958). They did not like it - mostly due to the outrageous price ($229) and sales method. There were many times CR did NOT get it right. History has proven that. In Dec. 1936, the Hoover model 150 was the LOWEST rated 'acceptable' vacuum cleaner. The Air-Way Super Chief (twin motor) was rated "not acceptable". In 1938, the Rexair model A was rated "not acceptable" due to the 'probability of shock hazard'. I've never known anyone who was shocked by their Rexair (except, they WERE shocked at the dirt it picked up). In 1947, they DID get it 'right' - naming the Air-Way Sanitizor model 55 the top canister vacuum, followed by the Lewyt model 40. In 1971, they absolutely got it 'right' with the top rated vacuum being the beautiful Electrolux 1205 with pistol grip electric hose and telescopic wand, and PN-1. This was followed by the second highest rated cleaner, the Electrolux model L with the same hose, wand, and nozzle set up.

Today, Consumer Reports does NOT get it right most of the time. That's due to the fact that they don't test the cleaners long enough, don't take them apart to report on design flaws, and don't give durability enough credit. Why must they (year after year) give that horrible Kenmore Intuition canister the top spot?

 

[DesertTortoise]

Dysonman1, CR rates the Kenmore Progressive the top canister, claiming the Elite Intuition is over priced for what you get in comparison to the Progressive. Either way they never say anything about the funky near useless tools that come on the Progressive and never once compare it to the better Panasonic canisters, which IMHO have all the strengths of the Kenmores (they ought to considering their mutual parentage) but their tools and wands remain conventional. To me the Panasonics are the best value in a canister vac but CR seems to ignore them. It just reinforces my generally low opinion of CR.

 

[Gr8DaneDad]

I could not agree with you more regarding the ineptitude of CR. If I want to know what to scratch off my short list first I check to see if CR has recommended any of them....

 

[kenkart]

Re CR

Tom you hit it right on the head as usual...I love the old CR but they did often get it wrong, remember what they rated as the best vacuum in 36..a GE of all things, now I like old GEs but comparing a 150 to a ge is like compairing a Imperial to a go cart!, to my mind a 150 is probably the finest upright ever built!And to get a shock from a Rexair, you really would have to do something stupid...like get in the bathtub with it!!LOL

 

[super-sweeper]

Maybe they thought the bathtub could serve as a very-large water pan....? 

 

[kenkart]

LOL!

I guess you could get a shock if you turned it over while off then turned it on...but the stupid things people do still never cease to amaze me! LOL

 

[rugsucker]

Consumer Reports-

-has also said in more recent years that the SE Rainbow had no way to store cord.And that the Eureka Brave would be a great vac.(Ask anyone who repaired vacs at that time if they got that right!)

 

[dysonman1]

CR also said the Air-Way upright motor would be "very short lived" because it used sleeve bearings. I've never seen a bad Air-Way upright motor.

 

[mjm0424]

Plymouth Valiant

I think that the Plymouth Valiant/Duster was one of the BEST cars ever made! They were reliable,good on gas-if you bought the slant/6. Always started,even in the coldest weather.They were easy to repair,even if you had to have a mechanic do it,the repairs were relatively cheap. The Valiant model was especially popular with older women;Avocado green,& Tawny gold were the favorites! The Duster even came in a high performance model,& was also popular. The only bad thing about the cars-the body rusted out long before the engine died,even if you had it Ziebarted.I remember fixing my 1973 Duster-with the snakeskin top. Many nights were spent in my friend Kenny's garage,bondoing it,& fixing the rotting underrcarrige with sheet metal.