The thread on Aero S1 wipers not cleaning the screen properly has also unearthed some vintage car modification items.
This, in turn, got me thinking about some of the things I did to modify cars in my youth. I've had similar conversations with petrolhead friends offline and it generally is an amusing trip down memory lane.
So, in spite of me proclaiming 'amnesty', here are two of my modifications that now make be smile with nostalgia:
A dash mounted little black plastic box, that had four or five grey buttons across the front, each with a small red light above. Each button also had words printed beneath: rockets, machine guns, flame thrower, etc... And, you guessed it, when you pressed the button, the box emitted the sound of the weapon you were deploying. I blame Knight Rider and Kitt but I take responsibility for having it fitted to my car.
Secondly, a fancy graphic equaliser with a screen above it, that illustrated the sound waves. Talk about distracting and I'm sure a cassette tape based system (I believe I had an Alpine 'shuttle deck' at the same time) didn't benefit from this up-sell at the car audio shop BUT at the time, it felt so 'high-tech' that I was sold as soon as I saw the dancing lights!
So, over to you all... questionable modifications... let's hear them!
This is a newer version, more options but the same idea!
Whilst a first year student running a highly disreputable Reliant 3/25 van (bright orange, purple flashes & Kermit stickers), I was given a flashing orange beacon - as used by the construction industry and farmers. I installed it by drilling a hole in the roof vent and wired it into the interior light circuit. I was quite pleased with the mod. Until one of Leicestershire's finest pointed out that: 1) There was a height restriction for such lights and my van wasn't tall enough (who knew). 2) The handbrake on the car didn't work. Well I could have told him that - I had disconnected the cable to stop the, badly worn, brake mechanism locking on and binding the rear brakes.
I was let off with a caution. Lessons learnt: 1) Don't draw attention to your car unnecessarily 2) Prioritise proper maintenance over show
A short while later, I visited one of Dad's friends in Walsall who had a body shop. He was busy applying Starsky and Hutch white flashes to a Mk 3 Cortina - for a chap who had just got out of prison. Ho hum.
I always had soft top cars and fitted Colonel Bogey horns wired to to door switches and left the doors unlocked to save the hoods getting slashed. I came out of TG&W HQ one night to see a lad opening the door on my Suzuki SJ 410 he lent in and the air horns wound up he legged it away an almost ran straight into me, threw my briefcase at him but missed doh.
