Was the '70s the worst decade ever?

PennLive ^ | 6/23/15 | Julia Hatmaker

[Night Hides Not]

Summer of 79, best ever personally and professionally. I spent the summer as the XO for a support group at a German anti aircraft range. The CO was usually back home 400 miles to the south, dealing with marital issues. We were the only Americans for 200 miles. Had a blast, made a lot of friends that summer.

[jonascord]

The 70's. 4 years in the Corps, then finished college, moved in with a girl, (All the lovin' I could handle.), Triumph Spitfire, SCCA club racing, designing conveyors, Chicago restaurants when it was still safe, clothes from Brooks Bros and Marshall Fields...

Kept wondering when it would get better.

[dfwgator]

And welfare replaced a husband with a government check, and destroyed black families.

[VTenigma]

Allman Brothers Eat a peach, Live from the Fillmore

ZZ Top Fandango

Santana Abraxas

[T.B. Yoits]

The 1972 Pontiac GTO Hardtop... the last of the muscle cars

Now just a minute...

Even the Medical Director's Vista Cruiser wagon had a 455.

[T.B. Yoits]

Yea, 50's to 60's was the time to buy guitars.

Now is the best time to buy guitars:

https://warmoth.com/

[MoochPooch]

Those of us who came of age during the 1970s were truly a lost generation.

[Bigg Red]

Yes. All part of the plan.

[woodbutcher1963]

What is amazing is what we recall as “MUSCLE CARS” from the late 60’s and early 70s do not have the same HP as many family sedans today.

The Trans Am used in Smokey and the Bandit(they broke four of them) only had a 225 HP. Even the GTOs only reached 305 HP from a 455 CU inch V8 engine.

I was looking at a 1986 Mercedes SL 560 the other day for sale on EBAY. This was the top of the line Mercedes with a 5.6 liter V8 engine. It only produced 223 HP.

I was looking at a 2011 Lexus IS350 convertible. V6 naturally aspirated. It has 305 HP.
I also am considering an Infinity Q60 convertible. It has a 3.7 liter V6 and produces 326 HP.
Infinity takes the same V6 engine adds a turbo charger and has 400 HP.
A BMW 335i turbo straight 6 has well over 350 HP.
A BMW 435i twin turbo straight 6 has over 400 HP.

My point being that the modern autos literally blow the doors off of any hot rod muscle cars of the 70s and 80s.

[central_va]

Modern cars are funny. If you look the curve HP kicks in at really high RPMs. Yeah 400 HP at 5000 RPMs! Personally I am not comfortable winding out any car to that high of RPM.I am not a boy racer.

With old cars the torque kicked in almost immediately at around 2,200 RPMs. I mean lots of torque and you got the ALL of the HP at around 3,000 RPM. Totally different animal.

[T.B. Yoits]

My point being that the modern autos literally blow the doors off of any hot rod muscle cars of the 70s and 80s.

Absolutely. Fuel injection, electronic ignition, higher spark plug voltages, more precision tuning, dual overhead cams, smoother intake and exhaust manifolds, etc. are just a few of the things that put engines today far ahead of those in muscle cars.

Point ignition was used up until 1974 or so?

[central_va]

engines today far ahead of those in muscle cars at exteme high RPMs

Fixed it.

[woodbutcher1963]

I had a 1975 GMC pick up truck. Full 8’ bed. 350 V8 engine with fuel injection. I believe it was the first year that did not have a carburetor. It still had the three on the tree standard three speed transmission though.