Running Out Of Gas!

In addition to a relatively accurate fuel gauge, modern cars have a Low Fuel Light to warn when it's time to fill up. And unless you're driving somewhere like Highway 95 in Nevada, you can count on passing a service station at least every few miles. That takes all the adventure out of managing the fuel in your tank. It wasn't always that way...

Back in the early days of motoring, most cars didn't have fuel gauges – with the Ford Model T for example, to check the fuel level, you pulled over, lifted up the front seat cushion (yes the tank was under the seat) and dipped a stick in the fuel tank. Ford Dealers gave out free wooden dipsticks marked with gallon graduations. Before service stations became common, motorists bought their gasoline in canisters at a general store – definitely not 24/7 service.

BETTER THAN NOTHING
Fast forward a few years and cars had rudimentary fuel gauges – the Model A Ford's (produced from 1927 to 1931) was a metal rod on a pivot with a cork on the end, floating in the tank. To say it was not too accurate is an understatement. Combine this with far fewer service stations and running out of gas was a regular occurrence. The smart motorist always carried a can with an extra gallon or two.

DRIVING ON RESERVE

Early Volkswagen Beetles didn't have fuel gauges. Instead there were two fuel pickups in the gas tank – the "MAIN" projected up into the tank an inch or so, while the "RESERVE" was right at the bottom. This meant that when you ran out of gas on the "MAIN" there was a bit of fuel left in the tank. A lever on the floor beside the accelerator pedal, switched the fuel pickup from "MAIN" to "RESERVE". When the driver refuelled the car, it was crucial they reset the lever to "main." Then later, when the car ran out of gas, the driver simply flipped the lever to "RESERVE" and carried on to the nearest gas station. The key to this system relied on the driver resetting the switch to "MAIN" when refuelling. If this was NOT done, then the car would use all the gas and you'd be stranded.

RUNNING ON FUMES
Years ago, Diane and I were travelling along a lonely highway in Nevada (see picture above) heading towards the town of Goldfield. The gauge was reading WAY below the "E" and I was putting the lightest touch on the accelerator trying to stretch the fuel to its max. We did not want to be stuck in the middle of the desert! On every downhill I'd shut the engine off and coast to the bottom. When the town finally came into sight, we both breathed a sigh of relief. Had we not had that close encounter with an empty tank, I don't think my memories of that part of our trip would be so vivid.

A GREAT CAR MOVIE

Incidentally, a few months before our "Running On Fumes" adventure near Goldfield, the 1971 movie "Vanishing Point" had been filmed on the SAME road! That movie is well worth a watch, specially for fans of the original MOPAR muscle cars – this film features a 1970 Challenger R/T 440. Barry Newman played the lead character "Kowalski", Cleavon Little was blind DJ "Super Soul" and Gilda Texter is memorable as "Nude Motorcycle Rider."

FILLER ON THE LEFT SIDE
Most North American, Japanese and Korean cars have the filler cap on the left side of the car. I believe this so drivers can more easily judge when pulling up to the pumps. If you have the misfortune to run out of gas on a roadway with no shoulder, that left side filler is going to put your life in grave danger. Picture yourself standing beside your vehicle with a jerry can pouring fuel in your tank – cars are whizzing by, having to swerve around you. I know of one fatality in our area that resulted from this exact scenario – pouring rain, no shoulder, left side filler cap. What a shame. Somebody should point out this hazard to our auto manufacturers.

ROMANTIC INTERLUDES
In the olden days, young men often used running out of gas as a way to extend their "alone" time with their sweetie.

DIESEL ENGINES
When you run out of fuel with a gasoline powered car, you just pour in some gas and crank the starter. After few moments the engine will fire and you're on your way. It's not as simple with a diesel engine that runs out of fuel. The high pressure fuel pump has to be reprimed – that usually involves a tow to the dealer or a roadside visit by a skilled technician.

TWO-STROKE MOTORCYCLES
Back in the late sixties I was riding a motorcycle with a two-stroke engine. Two-strokes had to have oil mixed into the gas – this was how the engine was lubricated. Motorcycles had a MAIN/RESERVE fuel switch just like the Beetle mentioned above. The added wrinkle was that when the engine ran out of fuel it also ran out of oil. If the rider didn't switch from MAIN to RESERVE very quickly, the engine would seize. Not only would the engine be seriously damaged, having the back wheel unexpectedly stop turning could cause the rider to crash the bike. Not fun. 

There you have it, way more information on running out of fuel than you ever wanted to know!

Is it Time To Bring Back The Cabover?

In the past, the length of a transport truck was an important issue, as the maximum vehicle combination length (truck and trailer) was regulated – a longer truck meant it had to tow a shorter trailer. Truck manufacturers were under pressure to shorten their vehicles – the "Cab Over Engine" (COE) design was their solution.  

Nowadays North American pickup trucks are getting longer every year. The overall length of the latest ultra-crewcab long box trucks is nearly twenty feet! Perhaps it's time for us to revisit the cabover configuration. Back in the 1980's I had a 1966 Dodge A100 pickup just like the one shown below. That truck had a pickup bed 8-1/2 feet long and a very spacious cab, in the same length as a compact car!

In both Asia and Europe this style of truck is the most common, again mainly for packaging efficiency and greater manoeuverabity in the tight spaces common in their cities.

Why can't North Americans have a pickup design that provides the same amount of usable passenger and cargo space as the current crop of full-size trucks, but in a much shorter package? One that actually fits in our ever-shrinking parking spaces. As an added bonus, with its shorter wheelbase the truck would have a tighter turning circle.

Shown below is my concept for a new Ford Cabover Pickup! A vehicle with virtually the same space in the bed and cab as our current crop of full-size pickups. Pardon the pun, but Ford has gone to great "lengths" to reduce the weight of their new aluminum bodied trucks – just think of how much lighter it could be if it was three or more feet shorter.

I suspect your first impression of my concept's different proportions will be less than favourable. But give it a serious second look, I mean REALLY study it – and its bulldog-like cabover shape will grow on you. Combine that with its improved functionality and I think you'll conclude it's a winner!

The New Miata – The Front End Is Not Quite Right

There's lots to like about the new Miata, but I'm not a fan of the front end design proportions. The sideview profile shows the highest point of the front fender is significantly behind the centre point of the front wheel. Maybe it's only me, but that just looks wrong. Since the early thirties cars have had the high point of the fender directly over the centre of the wheel. Take a look at the 1934 Ford below to see what I mean.

Here's the side profile of the new Miata

To help visualize the relationship between the wheel and fender, I've added a thin blue line vertically from the centre of the front wheel – see how the arch of the front fender peaks well behind that line. 

Here's my rework of the new Miata I've raised the headlights and moved the peak of the front fender to be above the centre of the front wheels. I think this looks much better. What say you?

In addition, the original car sits too high over its wheels. The centre of the wheelwell opening and the centre of the wheel should be the same – MY MIATA is lowered to the correct visual ride height.