So, some off topic discussion in another thread got me thinking about wing windows and floor mounted headlight switches.

For those who are unfamiliar with such things, a wing window is a small triangular window located at the front of each side of older model cars made in the US. It could be cracked open, allowing air flow without rolling down the main window or creating a lot of wind in the passenger compartment.

A floor mounted headlight switch is what we used to have back in the day to switch between high and low beams, using your left foot. Now you have to take your hand off the steering wheel to do that, which seems less safe if driving on a curvy country road in a rainstorm at night (something I do rather frequently).

I really miss both of these devices, which seem to have gone the way of the dodo. I view the modern equivalent to be inferior in every way, but that's progress for you.

What devices from the past do you miss and why?

Heh, this reminds me of my 67 Camaro. It had a floor mounted headlight switch and wing windows. Being Florida, this meant my floor boards were so rusted that my feet got wet when I went over puddles. Which also meant that the switch got corroded which limited current so much that my headlights were just stronger than a candle. The Wings were great, as I had no air conditioning in the car, and remember this is Southern Florida, which is another word for Sauna. So, push the wings out and get some nice fresh muggy air blowing across my face while driving.

What I also miss is the floor mounted ignition in my Saab Turbo that I had after the Camaro, that and the super short shifter gate on that car. Move the shifter 2 inches and I was in another gear. The ignition was easier to get to than one mounted on the dash.

67 Camero? That sounds like quite a ride. My first car was a '71 Maverick, which in and of itself is nothing to brag about, but someone had crammed a Boss 302 into this particular Maverick, so it had a lot of get up and go. We lived far enough from the coast that rust was not so much of an issue, but the drivers seat was busted, and I had to jam a brick under it to keep the seat back up straight. It didn't have the wing windows but it did have the flasher on the floor.

My 66 Mustang had both, I miss the vent window, on a rainy day you could get the air but stay dry. It had a straight 6 engine, if you dropped a tool it would hit the ground. I try and work on my F150 and I cant even see the ground from the engine compartment.
I don't miss the hand crank windows and key only entry.
About the only thing that has not changed are the wipers, I think they are pretty much the same technology now as then. Maybe some more durable material is all.

I remember standing in my buddy's engine compartment to work on his truck motor.

That's something I miss today, being able to figure out engine problems without half a ton of diagnostic gear. Of course, points and plugs only lasted 18k, you were doing good to get 20 or 30k from your tires and the aforementioned rust...

I don't know what modern car you drive, but my highbeam switch is on a stick jutting out of my steering wheel(said stick also controls my windshield wipers). Does not require me taking my hand off the steering wheel, just need to slide my hand down a bit. Not less safe at all.

That's where mine is too, but I cannot actually move the stick without taking my hand off the wheel.

The stick is located behind the wheel and you cannot pull it towards you without taking your hand completely off. You can sort of still touch the wheel to push it away, but you are not going to be able to really hold the wheel like you need to when navigating a curvy road while pushing or pulling the stick to switch between high and low beams.

The original intent of the wing window was that if you had it open it created a vacuum behind it...which would draw out smoke/ash from a cigarette. Keeping in mind that those were the days when just about everyone smoked and for most people driving/riding in a car was not any reason to not be smoking. The wing window was a safer option than fumbling around for tiny car ashtrays and had the added benefit of drawing out the smoke. Of course they encouraged tossing the butt out the window instead of in the ashtray, but Smokey the Bear needed the work back then.

Since times have changed on the smoking front the main push for them has faded. Now the drawbacks of the wing window outweigh any advantages. They almost always leaked, they were noisy even when they were closed, and they were definitely the preferred access for car thieves.

I miss push mowers. I have a tiny patch of grass in the back yard, and getting the mower from the front through the gates and around the maze of patio stuff takes longer than the actual mowing. Way back in the day there were mowers that you just pushed and some gears made the blades spin. They were small and light (and quiet which makes me wish my neighbor had one) and would be perfect for hauling out to mow my postage stamp lawn...but when I went looking for one the hardware store guy just couldn't get his head around it.

If your in the US, go to your local Ace, have them order you #7037310, a push mower made by Scotts for about $140.00. You can see/order it online also.

I found a new one of those push mowers about 14 years ago (jeez has it really been that long) and used it to mow the lawn at my old house. It was a new house and instead of putting in a lawn, I put in a bunch of raised beds and landscaping and only had a small lawn in the back that was maybe 1,000 square feet or less. It was easy to push of with one of those mechanical push mowers as long as I did not let the grass grow too high. Made mowing the lawn much more pleasant without all the noise, odor and dust a traditional gas powered mower generates.

I'm kind of surprised they got rid of the high beam switch on the floor, it seemed like it would make a lot of sense, at least for automatic cars. For manual cars it seems like it would be kind of a pain.