This Blog page will not have any Oakland or Pontiac specific information. However, I found a You Tube Channel and wanted to share it with you. There are several very good offerings on the channel and some of them deal with automotive minutiae.

 

This particular offering, "The 8-Track Revolution", gives a fantastic history of the 8-Track Tape Player. If it has been awhile since you have thought about an 8-Track Tape Player I would suggest you click on the link below and check it out. How many of you cruised around with an 8-Track Player blaring out your favorite tunes when you were in high school?

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The video is part of a collection on the You Tube channel called, "The History Guy." The presenter's name is Lance Gieger. You will very quickly see that he loves to talk history. He not only just talks history, it is his passion. There is no subject he is not willing to explore. There are hundreds if not thousands of You Tube offerings. Yes, he covers military battles, inventions, medical advances and other typical history subjects but he also delves into "Off the beaten path" topics. "Mustard, a Spicy History", "Saturday Morning Cartoons", "Norman Rockwell", "Mirrors", "Toilet Paper" and "The History of Forks" (yes, that thing we all use to feed ourselves has a history) are part of his list.

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There are several auto related videos. "X-Body - GM's Blunder", "The Station Wagon", "Ford's Disaster- The Pinto", "Roadside Attractions" "Tires, Where the Rubber Meets the Road", "U S Automotive History and the Chevy Vega" and "The History of Lane Markings" are a few and there are many others. I think once you see the 8-Track video you will go back and view some of the others.

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The thing that really impresses me about The History Guy is the fact that he is a stickler for references. He does not throw out information that may or may not be true. He footnotes all his comments and does it in an unassuming manner. I had some pretty good history teachers in school but this guy is a notch or two above the best. Engaging best describes his approach.

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I wanted to highlight the 8-Track Player video because it struck such a nerve with me. One of the first "upgrades" I put in my '48 Pontiac in 1970 when I got it was an 8-track player. I remember buying and installing a 6 volt to 12 volt converter because the car was a 6 volt system but the player was 12 volt. I also laid two huge cabinet speakers in the back package tray to fill the car with music when driving around or "parking". 

 

I'm sure many reading this Blog who grew up in the late '60s and early '70s will find it entertaining if not enlightening.

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Bill F.

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