Speakin' of cranks...

[Forty Rod]

what's the most recent car to come with a crank for emergency startin'?

I had three MGAs in the mid-60s that had a dual jack/starting crank and a hole under the front bumper to insert it.  the owners' manuals told you what to do. 

Any newer than that?

[Silver Creek Slim]

I thought the Model A's and T's were the last. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

I'm sure the 38 Ford had it, but only a fool would try to crank a V8.  Chevy 6's had the pully till they went to the short stroke 6, but they wern't set up for the crank, most likely never changed the lower pulley, I think the 39 chevy could still be cranked if needed.  I belive 40 on the Chrysler line.

[litl rooster]

I always parked on a hill and used the clutch I thought the same as Slim model T's

[Russ T Chambers]

what's the most recent car to come with a crank for emergency startin'?

I had three MGAs in the mid-60s that had a dual jack/starting crank and a hole under the front bumper to insert it.  the owners' manuals told you what to do. 

Any newer than that?

Forty
Ya gotta remember that Morris Garage (MG) used Lucas electrical systems.  They also made refrigeration systems (which is why the British drink warm beer).  I like to use the "litl rooster" technique with the my MGB pointed downhill!

[Forty Rod]

My MGAs were all light enough I could push start then, jump in, dump the clutch. and drive.

We don' need np steenkin' hills.

[El Peludo]

Been followin' this, and thinkin' on it some.  On 'merican cars, it seems to me that the early fifties or late forties Jeep brand cars still had a hole in the front valance for a crank, but I don't know if there was provision on the crankshaft nose for it; y'know, now that I think aome more on it, I think that hole was still there on Jeep pickups and the small wagons in the early sixties.  Also, '38 Chevy had a hole in the grille, and '39 or '40 Ford, I think.  But, in general, the crank disappeared about 1939 or so, I believe.

I taught both of my boys to drive in a truck with a floor shift and granny low, and included instruction in push starting.  They took it all in just as part of the way things were.  When the oldest was in college, he called to shoot the breeze one evening, and related an anecdote about an experience he'd had a few days earlier: one of his frat brothers had a really nicely restored '65 Mustang (daddy's money), and had left the lights on and run the battery down.  Tom tried to tell him how to clutch start it in reverse by rolling it down the driveway, but the kid just got it out in the street, and was sort of stuck, so Tom went out and gave it a little shove down the street and started it; they thought he was some sort of superman, that that was the most amazing thing they'd ever seen.   

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I had a '46 Chevy truck with a crank in the toolbox, an alignment bracket bolted to the top of the bumper and pivoting cover at the bottom of the grille to stick it through. My '41 Plymouth had one, too.

[Curley Cole]

Back in the old days, Old Top had a pretty nice MG TD (1953, black) and the kind people at Lucas electrics provided me with my duties when we drove in the rain. As shotgun, my job was to turn the little crank on the back of the windshield wiper motor, to keep the wipers going, as most of the time they didn't work....

That should bring a flood of memories back to Old Top....

Curley, the crank turner...

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Hey Curley, I thought it never rained in California.......Buck

[Old Top]

Buck,

It does not rain, it pours, Curly it was a '51 but I always did thank you for turning the crank on the windshield wipers, and I am very thankful we did not have to turn the crank to start the engine as it did have a crank to start it like Forty Rod was talking about.  Of course being an MG the crank was there for when the battery went dead, but then it had an electric fuel pump, ingeionuis those englishmen.

Old Top

[Curley Cole]

Top

Sir, you are most correct, it was a 51, don't know where I got 53, 'cept that was the year of my ford stationwagon...

and when we cruized, we had many duties to perform, especially the part of "there are the girls, DON'T LOOK AT THEM"
only those of you that are serious PP and M fans will appreciate that one........

curley

[litl rooster]

Forty
Ya gotta remember that Morris Garage (MG) used Lucas electrical systems.  They also made refrigeration systems (which is why the British drink warm beer).  I like to use the "litl rooster" technique with the my MGB pointed downhill!

Lucas aka Prince of Darkness

[Delmonico]

A 1940's English Diesal tractor "The field Marshall" solved the problem qiute nicely.  Taking a hint from many WWII era aircraft the had a chamber and lanyard to start it.  It used a 12 ga blank shotgun shell to provide the turn over power.  I've seen those demonstrated.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Yer right, Del. I almost forgot they used to start Spits and Hurri's with blank 12's...........Buck