Back in January we published a blog about a new car – a Ford Popular. You can click here to see that.
One of our regular readers (a local man) felt we really should have a little more about that kind of car and offered us his handbook. So here it is.
Ford Popular – a 1950s handbook
There’s nothing very classy about the front cover which seems to reflect the sparing use of ‘extras’ of the car itself.
Inside, though, there is a photo of the car.
A 1950s Ford Popular
They look very much like a pre-war car yet were made and sold as recently as 1959. In terms of them being basic, note that there is only the one windscreen wiper. The driver could see out. Any front seat passenger wouldn’t, if it rained. And actually the driver might have difficulty for a primitive wiper system meant the blades moved rapidly when the engine was hardly working, but slowed almost to a stop if it was working hard.
But these were the days when people expected to do their own servicing and repairs and this little manual gave plenty of help in words and diagrams. Here we see the way the coil ignition system was assembled.
Coil and distibutor
An interesting little book to accompany one photo and remind us of what car ownership was like around 60 years ago.
Market Lavington Museum 
June 20, 2016 at 9:21 am |
This brings back memories! My first car was a Ford Pop which I bought from a friend in 1965 for £30. I had to dismantle the engine to have the bearing surfaces remetalled – no bearing shells on this car – but reset the timing incorrectly which quickly ruined the new bearings. I had to strip it down and have it done again!
I sold it later for £5!
June 21, 2016 at 6:15 am |
At least cars could be managed by ordinary folk back then – unlike today’s computer massaged machines!