I aint scared of being hit. I am scared of paying for the parts to rebuild mine! T, A, 32,34, etc. stuff is repopped at a semi-reasonable price. When was the last time you saw '50 Chrysler stuff? at any price? If the dude has no insurance, I am totally screwed. But I still drive the snot out of mine. Took it to work this morning! But I still want flame throwers for tailgaters! {he says with an evil grin}
Stolen quote from plym49 ... hey, I thought it was a good one "For all you guys who are ascared : 1. What the heck are you doing on a hot rod forum? Maybe Consumer Reports is more your speed (and stick to driving stock cars, better yet, use mass transit). 2. You may now return to hiding under the rug with your Boy Scout hat on."
Hey Dr Theo.. Its only a car.... Actually only took out the air cleaners & rad. support rods. I left the dents in... That fall I let my daughter & boyfriend take the coupe to the prom. Boyfriend was shocked that I'd let him take the coupe! My answer.... I"m let'n you take my daughter...Thats only a car... Pontiac Slim
driving old cars makes you change your driving habits. you have to be prepared at all times for the worst case. worst case being someone smashing into you purdy car...
Hell if i can't drive it i don't want it. If your scared go buy a preist or some other yuppy car. Drive it like you stold it and most of all enjoy it and carry good insurance on it.
i really hate to see those rods get hit, but true, you gotta drive'm. what pisses me of is the drivers who turn left in front of ya, cause they know you dont wanna bang up the car you got all that work in. a buddy and i were just talkin about gettin a fiberglass replica, and fillin it with concrete and railroad track, and curise around and take out a few....luckliy i have only been hit in my f 250 with a large reciever hitch in back skull
Yup..shit happens. I'm more worried if I hit anyone......I'll go right through these tin can 'Euroboxes'! As a concession to safety i'm fitting LED lights in my tail/stop lights and a 3rd brake light in the rear window. I don't want some dumbass using my truck as a crash barrier! But you guys are all right......ya gotta drive 'em! What's the point otherwise???
50sscotbolt is a smart dude.Like he said good brake lights should always be used in our hot rods.I see way too many hot rods and customs with cool little brake and turn lights that joe public just cant see.Some of them are little slits cut into the body that are barely visable in daylight and others are the old car thick glass lenses that you can hardly see the light. You got to slap dumb ass joe public in the face with bright lights.LED lights are great for the old car lenses. You have to drive defencevly but don't let fear keep you from driving you ride.
scared isn't the right word....X'tra alert??? I drive em, the blond w/phone, kids,talk'n w/ hands,and look'n every where but the road,and right on my ASS!!!! she's a bomb w/ short fuse!!! I distance my self fast!!
Right on... better yet drive the wheels off the damn thing 1/2 way across the country, race the damn thing and drive home...
All I can say is I agree that people suck. Phones, texting, eating, shaving, makeup, reading books, I've seen folks do it all while driving. And today it's a "me first" world. Doesn't matter that they're in the third lane and their exit is ahead, here they go, across 3 lanes to make the exit. Oh, and with no directional. Directionals aren't used by anyone anymore. It is truly amazing. I call it "New driving." Before, people used to use directionals, didn't talk on phones, or text, or whatever, they drove. Today it's all "New Driving". Don't even get me started on parking lots, and people who will park 12 inches from your car and still try to get out of their door. Man, people are inconsiderate. Or just plain stupid. Pete
A 59 Galaxie I drove one in a demolition derby thay will stand up to any thing go out and hit something and get it over with.
I fall into the drive em camp. Most of ya'll have much nicer stuff then me...but I dont see much use in building cars if they are just gonna sit in a garage. I havent drivin my late model truck 5 times all summer.
There's being scared and there's having common sense. Repairs to the car are not the issue, death or dismemberment is a whole 'nother game. We avoid driving our fenderless, topless, protectionless modified with an exposed gas tank on the interstates and take secondary roads whenever possible. At Nashville this year the drive on the interstates from the campground to the stadium in Friday traffic was a true white knuckle experience. We were slamming our buggy sprung, bias tired hot rod from one pot hole patch to another at 70 mph trying to stay out of the way of dozens of 18 wheelers who, I was sure, couldn't see our little car way down here. At one point we were sandwhiched between two, while another one tailgated us, all at 70 per. Had anything gone wrong, I had no escape route. As we pulled into the gate at the stadium my wife turned to me and said, "I never knew I could hold my breath for 15 minutes!" The next day we used city streets for the same trip and it was a pleasure. I'll drive anywhere, but I won't take unnecessary risks. Some of you guys are wrong. It ain't "just a car", . . . it's my ass!
If you get hit just take it as an excuse to try out something new that you didn't know the first time through the build. And its a great way to get out of washing the dishes, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, washing the windows, fixing the sink and whatever else makes it to the next "Honey Do" list.
Those guys find flat tires when they come out to go home. So can we reject this New Driving and go back to Classic Driving already?
I think everone should ride a bike, aka motorcycle, it will give you a better idea of how to hit the ditch with pride, good practice for driving a traditional car. It makes me ill looking at those cars with large dents in them.
You should be afraid to drive my car for two reasons one it way too much car for ya and two I don't know you that well so it may be hazerdous to your health for me to find you driving my car. Look at it this way you built it the first time right? If you bend it you can build it again.
Now if the US would start paying for car insurance for all of the illegals then I am sure everyone would feel safe driving their cars. I`m not saying...I`m just saying......
It's a valid concern. I've had many close calls in my '49 Ford since retards today have no idea that an older car or truck can't stop as quick as their Honda Civic. It doesn't matter how good you drive. I was driving home last Sunday morning, specifically chosen to avoid Toronto drivers in a hurry, in the middle lane taking it easy a 65 MPH with no other cars around when I get bumped by a low rider Chevy pickup who I guess was too busy looking at my car and actually hit it. Of course he took off like a rocket after that. Now my freshly rechromed bumper which I've had on the car a week has a scratch. It's a good thing we can't carry guns up here. Fuckturds. It won't prevent me from driving it, but I'm going to disk brakes next year and I'm selective on when and where I drive it. But lets face it, if you are driving a '50s to '70s full size American tank without disk brakes, you will rear end someone sooner than later.
Ive had my truck on the road for a week. Its first actual drive was to the scales to get weighed for the DMV. Well about halfway between the scales and the DMV (about 1/2 mile) a Dodge ram 4x4 pulls out infront of me, sees me in his rear view, then slams on the breaks and pulls to the curb. What the fuck was the point of that? As i passed him he had his hand out the window giving me a thumbs up. WTF? As soon as i got along side him i opened up the secondaries and blasted him with my open headers. (dont think it was as loud for him as it was for me) So in my first week of driving my truck i've had 3 near misses. The truck, a soccermom in an xploder, and a minivan. Im not worried about my driving, parts falling off, or bias tires breaking loose on wet roads. Im worried about the other asshats out there. Those are the same people who think your waving to them when your using hand signals. My wife says its because my truck is satin black, it blends with the road. Bullsheet!
I drive my 62 C10 every day. When I had my 59 Edsel, I drove it every day. Same with my old 55 Customline and every other classic I've owned. I have a little trick I do that keeps me from getting rear ended at a light. I stop way short, which I should do anyway with my old brakes, and then I watch my mirror. If the bung hole behind me looks like he has his head up his ass or starts to throw smoke off the tires trying to stop, I have room to go forward or around the car in front of me. My old man told me when I was learning to ride motorcycles to drive like the rest of the world is full of paid assasins and you're the target. Always be looking for an escape route and plan accordingly. Knock on wood, I haven't been rear ended yet and that trick of stopping way short has saved my cars a few times. Drive the piss outta your car! If it wasn't meant to be on the road, it wouldn't have an engine. ~Dart
I drive a 28 roadster as often as i can, including to work when I have the inclinaton....a roadster, in traffic at 70+, on a motorway can be a bit daunting...Any one of you with experience of driving at rush hour, on a UK motorway will know what I mean .but a full size 50s car get real..over here you are gona be the biggest thing on the road for a start.
The Jalopy Journal
