Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/172917
Bloody Knuckles that, the two trucks are surprisingly complete and a determined hobbyist could no doubt have them up and running in a year or two. While I would love to have one of these old clunkers in my garage, I just don't have the room to park them and so I confine my enjoyment to taking pictures of old trucks, farm tractors, and other rusting equipment. It is fun to explore these automotive relics; you never know what you will find. On this same journey, I discovered the semaphore-type turn signal shown here, along with a bird's nest built inside a dashboard glovebox. CHANGING LANES These old semaphore signals may be unknown to many of you younger 28 bloody knuckles 0813 cl.indd 3 drivers, but they were quite common from the mid-1930s – 1950s. Older VW beetles and other European cars often had them on the center support posts so that the driver could signal his turn. Blinking directionals, such as we have on all vehicles today, weren't even available up until about 1954 and were a factory option for many brands up until 1960, when they became standard. The signal shown here was on another KB-5 was commonly used as an adjunct signal on the driver's side to signal an impending turn, or a slowdown and the driver controlled the device via a pull cable in the truck cab. Straight out, informed traffic that a turn was indicated. Pointing down at a 45-degree angle signaled braking and straight up meant a right turn was imminent. A switch on the dash would turn on the lamp. While somewhat complicated by today's standard, these devices allowed the driver to use one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearshift and still signal intentions. Before the invention of such devices, the driver had to wave an arm out the window, steer and struggle with the gearbox. Automatics in work trucks just didn't exist back then. While I currently have no plans to park Old Red in a field somewhere, I sometimes wonder if I did park the old Jeep and forget it, what later generations of drivers would think about the basic equipment outfitting my Jeep. AUGUST 2013 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM 7/8/13 9:43 AM