Cars had electromechanical controls. Here's one in action controlling sequential turn-signals on a 1969 Imperial.

 

Those were MOTOR DRIVEN? I thought they used a latching relay/capacitor delay configuration. (Maybe that was Mustangs that I am thinking of....)

 

This article explains the progression of technology controlling sequential turn signals... https://automotivemileposts.com/auto...alsignals.html
(it's an article meant for 100% nerds like us!)

 

Or... many mechanical things were also vacuum operated; windshield wipers for example, rotating or shuttering headlight doors (such as on a 1960's/1970's cars with hidden headlights), cruise-control actuators for a long while - at least up through the 1980s, A/C and heating controls, and of course, power-brakes for the longest while.

 

That was the same way the Mercury Cougars and Shelby Mustangs worked back in 67' and on. Nice and simple.

 

Ford Thunderbird as well, which without doing any due diligence ATM I seem to remember as being the very first car with sequential blinkers.
Oh WTH, here we go: https://automotivemileposts.com/auto...ls%20in%201969.
And yeah, Thunderbird in '65.

 

As for ECUs, say what you want - but I kinda like not 'riding the choke' when starting the truck or bike. It is kinda fun to consider how Ford took their 1970s era V6 engine (that is in my 2005 Ranger) and adapted it with an ECU and electronics. They changed NOTHING on the engine cept for the fuel injection/spark setup. They even used the distributor's old opening and connection to the cam to operate the "cam position sensor" then put an external crank position sensor on the front of the engine, it senses a missing tooth on the crank pulley that operates the belt.

For an electronic system, the Ranger's engine is rather simple compared to, say, my 2007 MB car and all of it's tech stuff. The Ranger tends to be easier to work on as well.

 

I'm not bashing ECUs; just showing one way that "complicated things" were accomplished beforehand. Speaking as someone who tries to do the work themselves, I do like my car tech to be of the 1990's/2000 vintage, when many times (like you said about your Ford) electronic controls made things more reliable but were of a complication-level which were easy to diagnose.

 

My "say what you want" was a generic remark, not directed to anyone in particular. And I totally agree with you here, my 2005 Ranger is a great compromise between "Yesterday" and today's over engineered-take it only to the dealer- products.