Re: Exterior sun/rain visors

Posted by Dave Brownell On 2014/10/12 9:45:11

Today's younger people, and quite a few of us older guys, would find thumbing through an old J.C. Whitney catalog a fascinating way to kill a few minutes. I learned an awful lot from this Chicago company when I was a young, car-loving lad. Back in the late 50's and early sixties, you could see representation of hubcaps, bumper guards, seat covers and these windshield shades for virtually any American car produced in the previous ten years or so. If you wanted to know the difference between a 1952 and 1954 Packard tail light lens, the JCW pages would tell you.

The prices charged are also another reason to look back with wonder. No such thing as a credit card, you would quickly become aware how C.O.D. worked and how your mailman would quickly become your best friend and delivery agent. Another source of amazement for me is the plethora of "miracle" formulas and devices that claimed to cure almost anything automotive.

If you come across one of the older J.C. Whitney catalogs at a swap meet, snap it up and be prepared for lots of fun remembering how cheap and easy some things were 40-60 years ago. You'll learn a lot and smile a bit. It's been a while since I could buy that automatic, pneumatic ash tray for a Packard or a Hudson. Without JCW, I would have never started buying a Kozak Dry-wash miracle cloth. Both still exist today. Alas, no more Atomic Miracle devices to change water into a super fuel.