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Why do old cars have a hand throttle? #3036673 04/24/22 06:19 PM 04/24/22 06:19 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,378 Massachusetts Faust OP top fuel
Faust OP top fuel Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,378 Massachusetts	Haven't seen one since I was really a kid, but I remember cars from the 30's and 40's had a hand choke and hand throttle built into the dash. The choke I can understand, but what was the purpose of the hand throttle?

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Faust] #3036683 04/24/22 07:07 PM 04/24/22 07:07 PM
Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere S Sniper master
Sniper master S Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere	Idle up the engine so the generator was putting out. Just like cop cars had a hand throttle.

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Sniper] #3036695 04/24/22 07:59 PM 04/24/22 07:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota 6PakBee I Live Here
6PakBee I Live Here Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota	If you were in a cold climate, pulling the hand throttle warmed the engine up while you went back in the house and warmed up. "We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: 6PakBee] #3036699 04/24/22 08:22 PM 04/24/22 08:22 PM
Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere S Sniper master
Sniper master S Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere	Originally Posted by 6PakBee If you were in a cold climate, pulling the hand throttle warmed the engine up while you went back in the house and warmed up. Isn't that the function of the choke and fast idle?

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Sniper] #3036748 04/24/22 11:38 PM 04/24/22 11:38 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,916 Grand Prairie,Texas stumpy I Win
stumpy I Win Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,916 Grand Prairie,Texas	The old style choke worked differently then the newer ones. All they did was open or close the choke flap.They didn't have a fast idle linkage.

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Faust] #3036753 04/24/22 11:52 PM 04/24/22 11:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 43,115 Bend,OR USA C Cab_Burge I Win
Cab_Burge I Win C Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 43,115 Bend,OR USA	Same reason as airplane have them, hand throttle, to make it easier on the operator Mr.Cab Racing and winning with Mopars since 1964. (Old F--t, Huh)

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Sniper] #3036796 04/25/22 07:19 AM 04/25/22 07:19 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota 6PakBee I Live Here
6PakBee I Live Here Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota	Originally Posted by Sniper Originally Posted by 6PakBee If you were in a cold climate, pulling the hand throttle warmed the engine up while you went back in the house and warmed up. Isn't that the function of the choke and fast idle? Obviously you have never driven a car with a manual choke and a manual throttle in a cold climate. You choked the car to get it started and then started opening the choke and pulling the throttle to keep the engine rpm up. Trying to keep the engine speed up with only the choke results in overchoking the engine as it warms up. "We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: 6PakBee] #3036828 04/25/22 08:52 AM 04/25/22 08:52 AM
Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 19,336 north of coder moparx "Butt Crack Bob"
moparx "Butt Crack Bob" Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 19,336 north of coder	hand throttle was also beneficial on pickups and larger trucks working the fields, like a slow "cruise control", so the workers could toss stuff in the bed as they walked alongside. hand throttle was also used in trucks with a PTO to regulate the speed of whatever the PTO was operating.

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: 6PakBee] #3036874 04/25/22 10:46 AM 04/25/22 10:46 AM
Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere S Sniper master
Sniper master S Joined: May 2019 Posts: 6,221 nowhere	Originally Posted by 6PakBee Originally Posted by Sniper Originally Posted by 6PakBee If you were in a cold climate, pulling the hand throttle warmed the engine up while you went back in the house and warmed up. Isn't that the function of the choke and fast idle? Obviously you have never driven a car with a manual choke and a manual throttle in a cold climate. You choked the car to get it started and then started opening the choke and pulling the throttle to keep the engine rpm up. Trying to keep the engine speed up with only the choke results in overchoking the engine as it warms up. Guess I didn't grow up on the southern shore of Lake Michigan where the wind whistled down from Canada with nothing to stop it then tended to dump snow right on us. Until it warmed up you pretty much needed full choke to keep it running. Originally Posted by stumpy The old style choke worked differently then the newer ones. All they did was open or close the choke flap.They didn't have a fast idle linkage. I daily drive a 51 Plymouth. In fact here is a link to it's automatic choke and fast idle setup http://www.yourolddad.com/choke .

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Sniper] #3036920 04/25/22 12:15 PM 04/25/22 12:15 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,916 Grand Prairie,Texas stumpy I Win
stumpy I Win Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 32,916 Grand Prairie,Texas	Talking about 30s and 40s not 50s.

Re: Why do old cars have a hand throttle? [Re: Sniper] #3036971 04/25/22 02:20 PM 04/25/22 02:20 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota 6PakBee I Live Here
6PakBee I Live Here Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 10,702 North Dakota	Originally Posted by Sniper Originally Posted by 6PakBee Originally Posted by Sniper Originally Posted by 6PakBee If you were in a cold climate, pulling the hand throttle warmed the engine up while you went back in the house and warmed up. Isn't that the function of the choke and fast idle? Obviously you have never driven a car with a manual choke and a manual throttle in a cold climate. You choked the car to get it started and then started opening the choke and pulling the throttle to keep the engine rpm up. Trying to keep the engine speed up with only the choke results in overchoking the engine as it warms up. Guess I didn't grow up on the southern shore of Lake Michigan where the wind whistled down from Canada with nothing to stop it then tended to dump snow right on us. Until it warmed up you pretty much needed full choke to keep it running. Originally Posted by stumpy The old style choke worked differently then the newer ones. All they did was open or close the choke flap.They didn't have a fast idle linkage. I daily drive a 51 Plymouth. In fact here is a link to it's automatic choke and fast idle setup http://www.yourolddad.com/choke . Well, that's interesting. My high school car was a '50 Chevy with the tried and true 216 and three on the tree, hand choke/hand throttle. And I started that in Wyoming winters EXACTLY as I have said. No automatic choke on that puppy. And if your '51 has an automatic choke, it obviously has no manual choke, so....... "We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".

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