INSTRUMENTS PUT ON AUTOS HOOD (Aug, 1933)
INSTRUMENTS PUT ON AUTOS HOOD
So he can read the dials of his car’s instruments without taking his eyes from the road, a Binghampton, N. Y., engineer has redesigned his car and placed them on the hood. A streamline housing for the meters gives the car a distinctive appearance. At night the dials are illuminated by a small light on a standard just in front of the windshield. Hinges of special design are attached to the hood, enabling it to be swung clear of the instrument panel when lifted to fill the crankcase or inspect the engine.
I’d cross refer this to the ‘Impractical’ category-
can’t imagine it working in the rain, in snow, or if the windshield fogged up and the exterior light can’t have worked as well as lighted dials.
Actually, don’t hot-rodders still do this?
It’s a neat if silly idea… I know from experience how remarkabl;y invisible instruments on cars that age are, even in the daylight.. Kind of a logical progression, as they often had thermometers on the radiator cap in any case.
Modern Ag planes have a GPS display mounted in a similar way.
Kryten007, they sure do – especially if it’s a fuel pressure gauge. Sometimes they’re under the hood, too. Piping fuel lines into the cabin is a big no-no