A Daily Driver Update

It seems with AAA most of your worries would be gone (if you dont already have it). I would be more worried about the ghost by your car.....

 

The dollars are one thing but every time you take it, successfully, on a long trip builds security in knowing that it is going to hold together for the next adventure. And if it should break down, there is a better than fair chance that the repairs are going to cost a lot less than that Chev PU and you can probably do the work yourself or with a little help from your friends.

 

AND, that 39 Ford is a Write-Off for Uncle Sam on the HAMB business under "Marketing Expense" I feel your pain...I constantly have visions of SBC and AC dancing in my head.

 

Cool perspective.

I hope you are parking that oven in the shade this summer though....

 

Man I have said it before and I will say it again, Man you got the life!!!!!

 

sounds good, drive it, enjoy it and don't worry. I have a 66 chrysler 300 that is my daily driver and has been for 10 years. it has been a good car. the only problem is high gas price. as another guy at the gas station said (who was driving and old early 60s chevy truck) ours are paid for the others are making payments and buying high gas too. I paid very little for it and spent very little on it. It is not near as nice as yours but i'm still happy with it and I get alot of good comment on it too !!!

 

I make excuses. But I come back to a quotation from Kerouac in On The Road and it pretty much kicks my butt every time. The worries. The concerns. I'll let Dean Moriarty (name he gave to Neal Cassidy) take it from here....

[commenting on other travelers out on the road] They have worries, they're counting the miles, they're thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they'll get there — and all the time they'll get there anyway, you see. But they need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise, purely anxious and whiny, their souls really won't be at peace until they can latch on to an established and proven worry and having once found it they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness, and all the time it all flits by them and they know it and that too worries them to no end.

You inspire us all to do more, Ryan. There'll be some extra stars in your crown for it someday.

 

My last 52 Chevy sedan was my only car. If it broke, I was humming a ride with a coworker or getting my wife to take me. The only real negative on driving that thing all the time was how limited I was on getting things done to it. Any weekend project had to be planned so I could be rolling again on Monday morning. There were a lot of projects I'd like to have gone much deeper on, but I was glad for what I did get done.

That said, it's a much tougher deal, IMO, to be running a flathead. I had the SBC, so at least the local parts counter would have what I needed... Even on Sunday afternoon.

Night before last, I had a dream that I swapped even a 57 Buick (with a 3-speed standard!) for my current daily Explorer. Man, I wish that would have been real.

 

Is the '39 a survivor or has it been restored? Did you do the restoration yourself or did you buy it already done? These are factors that weigh in on your confidence in her. You've already got 18 months of daily driving invested, and that also is a confidence inspiring factor.
If you did it yourself, you know exactly what parts went in and the quality of work done. You know exactly who rebuilt the current engine, I know.
A new car is just as much of a crapshoot, we just don't think of it that way. How many stories have you heard about new cars dying on the road with no way to fix it? At least the '39 is simple enough to get going again.
Drive her, enjoy her, fix her when necessary with quality parts and labor. She'll keep you going as far as you want.

 

Man, the pleasure of driving that wonderful old car far outweigh anything else.....You go man....
I do however agree on the parking in the shade !!

 

I wonder how they ever managed to travel 500mi in the 40's.

...and w/o a cell phone.

 

"If I break this flathead, it would be a disaster for me financially."

Save up some money...specifically, save some of the money that you'd be using to make new car payments. Keep it in a "fix the old cars" account. Don't let it run down below what it would cost to fix something major, like a blown engine.

Relying on one old car to get you where you want to go all the time might be a bit risky, so I keep several around.

 

I started driving my A everyday around the same time you did. I realize it is not an apples to apples comparison, but I'm loving it. Driving an old car everyday is good for my soul.

 

What would happen if you save...let's say, half of the money you would be paying for your new ride?-----> more money for projects
I do the same math every time I think of buying a new car instead of driving my old cars.
By the way, I do save some money in a monthly basis so I can buy a 32 at
some point It doesn't matter it will take me 10 years, at the end I'll have it
Drive them! Enjoy them!

 

And you can always get a beater truck to carry plywood and found treasures on the weekends and the like for under a grand.

How hot does it get in Austin? Would one of those low rider bomb AC window units be legit traditional accessory?

 

Who else finds themselves unconsciously gritting their teeth while driving their old car? I do sometimes. And I have complete confidence in my truck. But you just never know...

 

Ryan
Remember old son they drove these units all the way across the country with little or no problems. You updated it, You fixed it, Be proud of your self!!!
I would not hesitate to drive my roadster anywhere.

 

"How hot does it get in Austin." HOT.

 

For some, older cars are a hobby. Like model trains or woodworking. Something they enjoy and use to fill the time. For others, these old rides represent a lifestyle. One that is gone and we either miss or missed. Your website I think is home for the enthusiasts like the latter. So many of your members want it like it was 'in the day'. They yearn to live the lifestyle that their fathers and grandfathers did.

I admit to a little of both. I'm a big fan of stock rides or hot rods built per a specific time period. Mainly because I want to experience how it felt to drive in the era the car came from. In some cars I prefer older radios and crank windows. In others I’ll take the stereos and A/C of that period. It’s all part of my own custom ‘E’ ticket ride.

I personally do not have the luxury of being able to drive one of my cars as a daily driver. Work requires a newer pick-up. But if I did, I would know that the ‘fear’ you refer to is as much a part of your traditional experience as your flathead. It’s part of the ‘in the day’ lifestyle. Of course, the mere fact that you (and us) have a choice removes us from the actual trepidation that folks used to have about getting where they needed to be.

I admire your choice and strive to do the same whenever possible. So, happy scary trails to you.

Aloha

 

Whenever I am planning a road trip I check my tool box that I carry and I have a few extra parts a fan belt, upper and lower radiator hose, points, condenser, rotor, fuel filter, a fuel pump, some extra fuses and some extra wire and tape. So far I have never had to use them. Driving and older car is different and not for everyone, I haven't had AC in one for 20 years but I am putting together a model A sedan that I am going to put it in....

 

I always worry too about a trip in my old cars but they have never let me down. Right after the war (48-49) our family car was a 41 Ford convert and my folks went everywhere in it-long trips,etc.-don't recall ever being stranded. My wife drove her 55 Chevy in Hiway 101 traffic daily in the Bay Area for many years without a hiccup--I worry now but I think it is not warranted-at least I can fix these-couldn't begin to fix my daily-just my 2 cents

 

The only problem with driving an old car as a daily driver is that it usually just gets repaired and doesn't get "worked on".

Most guys who have trouble on the road with old cars including myself have trouble because the vehicle wasn't fully prepared or maintained before the trip. I don't mean the rushed week long prep that cars get before a trip across country with an oil change, tune up and making sure that the spare isn't flat but the general day to day and week to week maintenance.

Most of the older guys tend to remember and understand the maintenance schedules that these old cars need but a lot of guys just getting into the hobby don't quite grasp it yet.
The old flathead and Babbitt beater engines need oil changes at a lot less miles than the new engines do. I can remember being with Dad on a road trip and having him stop at 1000 miles since the last oil change and have the oil changed with all of our luggage in the trunk of the car because his oil change and lube schedule for that car was 1000 miles.
The list goes on but as long as a guy or gal does that regular maintenance and the vehicle was built right to begin with I don't see any more problems than what one might expect on a car off the car lot in town.

Where I see guys running into trouble with old cars here and on other boards and with guys I know is where they buy an old car that has been sitting for a period of time and put it on the road without making sure that everything is squared away.
Things like redoing the brakes, rebuilding the generator and starter, rebuilding the carb, having the radiator cleaned and flow checked, pulling and flushing out the gas tank and changing all rubber hoses and belts along with dropping the pan and checking or changing the bearings go a long way towards being able to either drive the car daily without problems or hit the road to a distant event and expect to get there and back.

 

C'mon man are you turning into a wimp? Are you so paranoid that you look for things to break?

I don't get it. The car performed perfectly and you are still worried? It sounds that way to me. That new truck could break too ya know. At least you can fix the 39 yourself. That ain't gonna happen in a computerized modern car or truck.

Actually you are doing the best thing for reliability by driving it every day and keeping up the maintenance. These old cars give you warnings when things start to go bad unlike a computer chip or a sensor.

Sitting for months and months with no exercise is harder on the old stuff than driving it every day.

They drove across country in 1941 too. Have a little faith.

 

Those window units work on evaporation and are basically a swamp cooler hanging on the window. Work pretty decent on a car at road speed but they are just decoration in traffic in town. Over fill it an your passenger gets a shower though

 

Welcome to your new, ADDICTION!! This lifestyle aint for everyone, but for the hard core guys figuring this out.... it works. I too am in your boat, I dont have anything new, My wife drives a 97 tahoe, which if I rent her a car i can use to pull my trailer if something breaks or if I buy a new project. which aint happeneing anytime soon. which leaves me to my 31 sedan which I can drive anywhere, but has no ,heat, windows, or a complete floor, so Im limited to where I can drive it, at times. This id the life i chose, so I am not complaining, but I do worry just the same. And it is damn nice not having new car payments, which allows me to have more old cars for the same price....

 

I'm not sure why you worry so much about the old car breaking down. ANY car can break down and when a new car breaks, it gets REALLY expensive! Old cars that are properly maintained can provide reliable transportation. It's when you let things go or cut corners that you have most of the issues. Most items that are susceptible to failure, like fuel pumps, ignition components, etc., can be replaced easily if you carry extras and a few simple hand tools... And then there's the enjoyment of driving an old car and the sense of accomplishment you get from having a hand in building and maintaining it. The flathead could present some challenges as you know, but you had the best in the business working on the build, so just drive it!

 

I wonder what the cost for a year's worth of driving would have been if you'd bought, say, a 15-year-old Ford Taurus, instead. Mind you I'm not saying that cost is the only viable measure, of course, and for a guy who cherishes vintage tin the idea of sliding behind the wheel of something as ordinary and mundane as a Taurus or an Accord or a Camry every day might be too much to bear, but if you're going to use that as a measure, it's worth considering other alternatives.

Of course I only mention this because I'm thoroughly jealous.

 

I've been driving the '38 Pick-up,for about a year now,and the only issues i've run into,is forgetting to fill the tank BEFORE I leave,HAHAHA!!!! Of course......I have AAA Roadside Service also,hahaha!