Those forgotten Automotive smells

[Welly]

Hoping this will appeal to most, remember some of the smells associated with cars of the 70's to 90's? maybe you can remember your Dad's cars when you were younger?

I'll start:

The smell of a newly-fitted exhaust system when hot!

[steve_earwig]

When I was a kid my dad used to buy and sell cars to make a bit extra cash. Usually from the car auctions at Ally Pally, hed give them a clean up and service, plus sort out any problems they had and punt them on for usually not much more than he'd paid.

So...
Fresh underseal
Dinatrol
Jizer (the appetizer)
Cellulose thinners
Gearbox oil
Duckhams engine oil
Upholstery cleaner
New tyres.

With probably a hint of our ageing border collie...

[KozmoNaut]

Leaded petrol exhaust from a car with no catalytic converter.

It's not really forgotten, however. I get to experience it every year at the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix :-)

[Welly]

Good replies there

The smell of a Carburettor'd engine on the over-run 2.0 Ford Pinto springs to mind.

or the smell of actually getting into a car with Carbs (the faint whiff of Pez) something which vanished when Injection systems became the norm.

Ooh just thought of one, a Petrol Bedford CF Van (Ice Cream anyone?) as soon as it fired up I can remember it clearly.

[PeterN]

Hypoid oil from a leaking gearbox of diff - smells like cats.

Peter

[trufflehunt]

The smell of Waxoyl. From almost my first car in the early '70's, and onwards.....

In fact, I've got some in my hair right now.

[Doggy]

I mostly remember the portents of doom.....

Hot coolant / antifreeze leaks, (sometimes accompanied by an instantly opaque windscreen in Manta 'B's).
Knackered petrol engines running on a 50/50 mix of petrol and the oil that got past the rings
The smell of damp you could never shift from old Jags in the winter
Oil leaking onto the cats on a Carlton GSi niffed a bit
I particularly remember pulliing into the Little Chef after a blast up Telegraph Hill outside Exeter and creating my own smog bank.

[OllieNZ]

Leaded petrol exhaust from a car with no catalytic converter.

It's not really forgotten, however. I get to experience it every year at the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix :-)

This for me, although I still smell it every day at work ;)

[GingerMagic]

A few years back, my car smelled mostly of biscuits and baby sick - not a smell I wish to return but it's better than this overwhelming, stomach churning magic* tree,

[Welly]

Haha what is it with magic trees they smell horrid mostly? Unlike the stripper scent I bought once which was heavenly. Nearly got me in trouble with her indoors though my car smelt like a tart's handbag

[PeterN]

Exhaust from motorbikes using Castrol 'R'

Peter

[dirtydirtydiesel]

I've got two RD350's YPVS's a KX250 & a RG500 I must agree but I run Castrol A747 due to needing fully synthetic
Castor oil just gum's up modern 'ish' engines.

A man needs his toys ( even if you can't use them! ) due to family

[PeterN]

Quite a distinctive smell when you could though.

Peter

[trufflehunt]

Exhaust from motorbikes using Castrol 'R'

Peter

Yes, I remember it from speedway meets, and karting racing engines.
From post above, thought struck, searched, found that Castrol is indeed a contraction of Castor Oil.

Learning something every day.

[PeterN]

Oh yes, that's the stuff alright.

Peter