Nash liked to claim that its bathtub cars were genuinely aerodynamic, unlike the bathtub cars from other makers. I wonder if they ever achieved sufficient velocity for it to matter?
Regulations, Regulations, Regulations! Why do we need so many regulations. This is why. In modern times I’ve been forced to drive junk like this. Bald tires, burnt out lights, we’ll fix it soon “. How bad is it shaking? I’ll get in for service as quick as I can”. Refuse to drive it and you punish yourself. No work. No pay. There. I showed them. But in the event of a crash, you as a driver will be cited for taking this steaming shitpile out on the road. Shit flows down hill. At the bottom of the hill, is the drivers seat, and the asshole who is sitting in it.
When the Commercial Vehicle Inspection program started it was unbelievable the junk that was found. Tie rod end so worn it had dropped off, fix was wrap a bungee cord around it to hold it in place. A medium duty box truck missing about 8 pieces out of the rear spring pack. Most have been interesting for the vehicle behind him when a piece of the spring came bouncing out from under the truck. Steering so worn out you could probably turn the steering wheel 1/4-1/3 of a turn without any reaction from the wheels. Brakes out of adjustment, damaged or worn tires and burnt out lights probably most common. The real nitpicker was the three light clusters, there is a specific minimum spacing required between those three lights. There was a bus body manufacturer of a fiberglass body that had less then the minimum spacing and the mounts for the lights were molded into the body, OOPS. Those shuttle bus’s used by hotels, airlines, small school bus’s, typically on a Ford Econoline chassis were some of the worst, Over weight or very near over weight before you even loaded your first passengers. That was a huge mess. On a side note to this stretch limo’s are another thing to avoid at all cost. Cut a vehicle in half, add 10-12′ to the vehicle, yea that’s safe. The original vehicle probably held no more than 6 passengers at most. Now there may be 12-14 people in there and only the front seat people, driver and who ever else is up front have seat belts. Factory Lincoln, Mercedes and Cadillac limos are the only way to go. The reason I brought up the limo’s is they are required to be inspected once a year but I’m not quite sure what they are inspecting when it comes to safety. Have they weighed it and determined if the tires are up to the load they will be handling? Have the brakes been upgraded?
I try to avoid following commercial trucks of any size on the highway. Have seen too many things fall off of them at speed, including a tire/wheel assembly on a semi trailer.
Bald tires notwithstanding, the REO Gold Comet trucks were among the most rugged, long-lived on the road then. Its not surprising Kenosha Auto Transport chose REO for their over-the-road tractors. Nash would have done well to make a deal to team their dealerships with a REO truck franchise.
My Father mentioned to me he used to drive REO trucks while in the Army (probably in Germany in 1950-1953) as well as VW Beetles…didn’t mention Jeeps, but he likely drove them too. Got in trouble for doing the “fastening the K rations to the exhast manifold” trick when they didn’t stop in time and of course the cans exploded causing a mess inside the engine compartment (but they didn’t have say-so on when to stop, as part of a convoy…probably why it was a particularly bad idea to try…but it was cold…)
Don’t think he ever drove Nash’s but he did own two AMC Rambler wagons back to back, a 1961 and a 1963. The ’63 was totaled outside our motel room in Catonsville, MD in June 1965 when my Dad was hit (someone told him to go ahead and turn into the parking lot, but there was another car he couldn’t see that hit him). We were moving to Vermont and had left our old house …I remember my Grandmother who was staying with us picking pieces of glass out of my Dad’s skin…guess not all the glass was safety glass (maybe side windows?) in the car….it was replaced with a ’65 Olds F85 wagon.
Nash liked to claim that its bathtub cars were genuinely aerodynamic, unlike the bathtub cars from other makers. I wonder if they ever achieved sufficient velocity for it to matter?
The REO driver looks like he’s about to take it on the run.
Stop him. In other words, don’t let him go.
Perhaps it’s time for him to fly….
Not with those tires. Yikes!
Nah, I think those are his “racing slicks” so he can make the run a little more quickly 😉
That maybe mud caked treads
Good point.
Check out the clumps on RF tire.
Yeah, you’re right. Maybe he shouldn’t be riding the storm out with those tires.
Look at the bald Reo tires. Kenosha always causing trouble. Just kidding
This picture proves that without modern State Police and DOT roadside inspections of commercial vehicles safety gets quite lax. Look at those tires!
Regulations, Regulations, Regulations! Why do we need so many regulations. This is why. In modern times I’ve been forced to drive junk like this. Bald tires, burnt out lights, we’ll fix it soon “. How bad is it shaking? I’ll get in for service as quick as I can”. Refuse to drive it and you punish yourself. No work. No pay. There. I showed them. But in the event of a crash, you as a driver will be cited for taking this steaming shitpile out on the road. Shit flows down hill. At the bottom of the hill, is the drivers seat, and the asshole who is sitting in it.
Well put.
The ICC is checkin on down the line . . .
When the Commercial Vehicle Inspection program started it was unbelievable the junk that was found. Tie rod end so worn it had dropped off, fix was wrap a bungee cord around it to hold it in place. A medium duty box truck missing about 8 pieces out of the rear spring pack. Most have been interesting for the vehicle behind him when a piece of the spring came bouncing out from under the truck. Steering so worn out you could probably turn the steering wheel 1/4-1/3 of a turn without any reaction from the wheels. Brakes out of adjustment, damaged or worn tires and burnt out lights probably most common. The real nitpicker was the three light clusters, there is a specific minimum spacing required between those three lights. There was a bus body manufacturer of a fiberglass body that had less then the minimum spacing and the mounts for the lights were molded into the body, OOPS. Those shuttle bus’s used by hotels, airlines, small school bus’s, typically on a Ford Econoline chassis were some of the worst, Over weight or very near over weight before you even loaded your first passengers. That was a huge mess. On a side note to this stretch limo’s are another thing to avoid at all cost. Cut a vehicle in half, add 10-12′ to the vehicle, yea that’s safe. The original vehicle probably held no more than 6 passengers at most. Now there may be 12-14 people in there and only the front seat people, driver and who ever else is up front have seat belts. Factory Lincoln, Mercedes and Cadillac limos are the only way to go. The reason I brought up the limo’s is they are required to be inspected once a year but I’m not quite sure what they are inspecting when it comes to safety. Have they weighed it and determined if the tires are up to the load they will be handling? Have the brakes been upgraded?
I try to avoid following commercial trucks of any size on the highway. Have seen too many things fall off of them at speed, including a tire/wheel assembly on a semi trailer.
Best for the truck driver to not look out the back window during a hard panic stop, or there will be wailing and Nashing of teeth. 🙂
Bald tires notwithstanding, the REO Gold Comet trucks were among the most rugged, long-lived on the road then. Its not surprising Kenosha Auto Transport chose REO for their over-the-road tractors. Nash would have done well to make a deal to team their dealerships with a REO truck franchise.
Might the Nash, like the Austin Allegro (allegedly), have been more aerodynamic travelling backwards?
My Father mentioned to me he used to drive REO trucks while in the Army (probably in Germany in 1950-1953) as well as VW Beetles…didn’t mention Jeeps, but he likely drove them too. Got in trouble for doing the “fastening the K rations to the exhast manifold” trick when they didn’t stop in time and of course the cans exploded causing a mess inside the engine compartment (but they didn’t have say-so on when to stop, as part of a convoy…probably why it was a particularly bad idea to try…but it was cold…)
Don’t think he ever drove Nash’s but he did own two AMC Rambler wagons back to back, a 1961 and a 1963. The ’63 was totaled outside our motel room in Catonsville, MD in June 1965 when my Dad was hit (someone told him to go ahead and turn into the parking lot, but there was another car he couldn’t see that hit him). We were moving to Vermont and had left our old house …I remember my Grandmother who was staying with us picking pieces of glass out of my Dad’s skin…guess not all the glass was safety glass (maybe side windows?) in the car….it was replaced with a ’65 Olds F85 wagon.