Aftermarket Options That Have Come & Gone

[CzyKats44]

Tri-star rims

the tiger tail hanging out of the gas door (or plate)

 

[turbo39151]

I was going to say tiger tail (It's a little before my time)- Most of the 80's/90's bits bring back fond memories.

No one's mentioned 8-tracks, cassettes or cassette decks with CD changers in the back.

Windshield tint strips with writing, slogans, etc... (besides vehicle brand)

Staple or thumbtack option to hold up sagging headliner (ok, that one I only call an "option" and I think it's still current)

Kraco and Sparkomatic radios

And I once saw a kit (I think it was metra- not sure) that essentially slipped over the face of your radio to cover it. It was a black plastic cover that had a bunch cut of wires hanging out of it so when someone looked into your car to steal your radio, they would see that someone else had already been there.

 

[salvageV6]

45 RPM Record Player under the dash....

Spring Reverb Units for the Stereophonic New Sound.

Okay those were 60's but great to see at car shows.

 

[Mackinblack007]

7th injector.

 

[GNVenom]

Remember the anti-theft cable that you would put on one lug nut and attach to your wheel cover? Heavy duty stranded cable. Thief could not steal your wire wheel covers unless he removed a lug nut.

Only problem with that was, if your wheel cover should come loose when driving, the flying cover would shear your fender off like a buzz saw, about a 4 ft. circle of destruction. THEN you had problems.

How about the Chapman Security device? It would lock your hood with a cable driven sliding bolt, using a barrel style keyed latch under your dash.

Problem with that, the cable would rust and freeze, making access to your engine impossible.

Then there was the keylock alarm system (with optional LED) that you would drill right into your front fender. Couple years later, the fender would rust around the lock and you would have a gaping hole the size of a coffee mug in your front fender.

Finally, the triangular steel trunk lock protector, chrome plated to the hilt, using one-way bolts. Kept thieves from popping your trunk lock out to steal your spare tire. Couple of years later again, the chrome would peel off and the steel plate would rust to no end, looking like a turd stuck to your trunk lid.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

One of my all time favorites. THE AUTO-TAZER. I like this one so much that I'll be using it when my car soon hits the road again. They were outlawed because they can cause heart failure.

 

[87GNSteve]

GTS Tinted headlight and tail light covers.

 

[turbo39151]

I had those. (on my camaro)

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Yosemite Sam back off mud flaps! FM converters! CB radios

 

[turbo39151]

chrome naked lady mudflaps!

 

[GNVenom]

Chrome exhaust tips.

Chrome coil covers.

Static Straps.

Spinner steering knob.

"Dummy" dual exhaust pipe.

Model T ignition coil and spark plug in the tailpipe to set off the flames.

 

[Johnnie]

Hmmm....... Fuzzy dice........ I must be a pretty geeky hillbilly. Went to the "Busted Wrench Garage " / muscle car museum in Gulfport Mississippi. Bought some for the GN in the gift shop. Got 'em hanging proudly on the rear view. A bit of nostalgia,.........takes me back to my chevelle/ high school days. Oh well.

 

[Nasty Wendy]

Mirror window tint.

 

[sparky0798]

Night rider light

 

[3-5.0]

Kills me to post in this thread but...a car bra. A Fox mustang I bought 10yrs ago had one and I immediately threw it out, now that I live in a rural area and getting any place is a 25min (paved) highway drive I wish I had one for all my cars. F**kin' rock chips I can count at least 3 new ones everytime I return from getting groceries...and the bugs? forget about it. 1hr to clean and re-buff I'm already wearing through the paint

 

[rodruckus]

Continental kits, faux wood paneling, and rabbit ear antennas

 

[Dennis Kirban]

More comments:

The 45 rpm record player someone mentioned. I bought one back in 1963-64 time period Motorola brand it played 445 rpm records upside down. Mounted it in my 56 crown vic ford. They phased out quickly when 8-tracks and later cassettes became options in cars.

As for the owners on the F body cars seems many items that once where popular get a second chance at values. One prime example from the 1950s is fender skirts. Some of them today fetch $1,000 or more. Ironically, one of the biggest companies that made them was called Foxcraft and they were located about 10 minutes from where I grew up in the 1950s. The other company that would become very well known in the automotive field where I grew up was Hurst.

Sorry if I got off the topic slightly....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

 

[TurboTGuy]

More comments:

The 45 rpm record player someone mentioned. I bought one back in 1963-64 time period Motorola brand it played 445 rpm records upside down. Mounted it in my 56 crown vic ford. They phased out quickly when 8-tracks and later cassettes became options in cars.

As for the owners on the F body cars seems many items that once where popular get a second chance at values. One prime example from the 1950s is fender skirts. Some of them today fetch $1,000 or more. Ironically, one of the biggest companies that made them was called Foxcraft and they were located about 10 minutes from where I grew up in the 1950s. The other company that would become very well known in the automotive field where I grew up was Hurst.

Sorry if I got off the topic slightly....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

You're not off topic, just remembering things past.

This thread is all about that.

I can remember as a 9 or 10 year old kid in Phoenix, AZ riding my bike to 7th Street and Glendale to watch the Granatelli brothers build their race cars out of a little garage that opened out into the bank parking lot on the North West corner next door .

The front of the place faced 7th Street , but I'm not sure I ever really looked at it. I always rode my bike right up to the garage area when I went there.

When they fired one of those cars up, I got chill bumps. Thinking about it now, I just got them again.

They never once chased us kids away......... never ever.

That was cool.

 

[Danster]

Cig Lighter, Ash Tray, CD player.

CD player being replace with USB and plug for audio cable.

 

[Backndagame]

Wooden bead seat cover. Those hurt