Do you let anyone drive your rod?

I'd let my Dad drive any of my cars, but he usually declines and is satisfied with going for a ride. My latest project is getting an auto. so I'd let me wife drive it if I was with her, but I could barely get her to drive the car I built for her, so I'm not too worried about it. Other than that I think I'll be the only one behind the wheel. I used to work in a custom shop with a lot of big money cars around. I got a few offers to drive some pretty nice cars, but graciously declined. I'm not going to drive anything I can't afford to replace.

 

just a few people, no full coverage!!

 

my Father and one friend. My Dad didnt want to drive a few of my cars, he owned several mid year big block vettes but didnt want any part of my 11 or 12 second strip cars.

 

Only my boy, but he earned it.
Here he is at 14 learning to shift the 5 speed

 

I let QUALIFIED people drive it.
Here is the list painted on the side of the car.

Every one of them was a champion in some sort
of motor sport and I am proud to have known them.

 

I love my car so please dont ask. On the same note I wont drive yours. Then again a chosen few.

 

Absolutely, if you're my friend, go ahead drive it.

 

Nope...NOBODY. Not even for inspections lol.

 

I Don't ever let anyone but myself drive my cadillac. ! ever!! my wife has never even driven it, my kids don't even get to see this car! I drive it but nobody else can! no exceptions. period, way too much at stake...............

 

I have friends I trust with my house hell even my Harley roadglide so the cars....hell yeah.........

 

The wife can't drive stick... she can do anything else in the world but that. I put my Willys 4x4 pickup in 4 LO and she still managed to stall it. I never thought that was possible with a torquey straight six and 5.88 gears in 4LO with the front axle locked... oh well...

The problem is nobody actually WANTS to drive my cars lol. I have a few friends that drive like shit and wreck their cars all the time. They're not car guys and they wouldn't be allowed to drive my stuff... but anyone else that's a decent driver and has respect for my old vehicles is more than welcome to them.

I love it when people sit on my tailgate or parents take a pic or two of the kids in the Willys. They all think it looks like "Mater" haha...

When I ever get around to doing a perfect frame up resto on the '58 Commander hardtop... that might be a different story. Of course mom and dad are always welcome to anything I own.

-Chris

 

My wife & my son. Only

 

Yeah that does suck. I've had luck inflating those old gas tanks. Put some duct tape over the filler hole, or just use the gas cap if it's really nice and tight... pull a fuel line off and put your compressor's air gun in there. Just pump it with short bursts. When you hear the loud pop double check everything and see if the dent is out. If it's not, keep going until it's out. It won't get the really sharp dents out, but the big shallow ones that actually take up fuel space will pop right out.

Hope that helps get some more fuel in your tank...

-Chris

 

Here's me driving Jeff's Caddy!!

 

i live in a small town and went to a small school and our school cop really was into the old cars. i had drove my 34 pickup to school a time or two and he was all over it every time but long story short i took him for a ride in it one day and drove a few miles from school and pulled off the road and let him drive.....talk about seeing someones eyes light up and the best part was seeing him in uniform doin a big burn out in my truck....covering up his badge of course

but i would let pretty much any one besides the guys my own age drive one of my cars

 

I let my ex-girlfriend drive my 54 once ...and only once. Had a few friends ask, I let some, and locked the keys around others. I just know who will respect my ride, and who will abuse it. I tried teaching my current girlfriend, but she just seems afraid of it, she's convinced the 54 means more to me than her, haha. Other than that I have a small group of buddies, that without their help, the car will never run again. And they will definitely get dibs once shes runnin again.

 

It runs pretty good. Last time you went to cape cod I had to test her out. I never thought 80hp would pull that truck along so well. I did have to brush off some rubber chunks from the rear fenders but other than that you never would have known. I did fill it up with premium, you don't even do that..

 

I've never had anyone ask, but there are a few good friends that I would say yes without hesitation. These are the same group I will loan my car trailer to. I know if something gets torn up in thier care, it will come back better than it left.

My grandson did ask who got the tub when I die. lol He's 10.

 

I let my dad have the keys to everything i have and he does the same to me.I wouldnt have most of it if it wasnt for him. I let my daughter drive it but she has to sit in my lap cause she is only 5 lol. There are a few select friends that i would let drive em to.

 

@ 12 years ago...I was cruising around in my Charger when a car with two cute girls pulled up along side. An older gal (mid 30's) and her niece (19?). They asked to pull over to get a closer look. So I did. We chatted a bit and the older gal asked to drive it around the block. I said sure....so the girls hopped up front and I rode in the back....
That was the first time I had let someone drive my ol' '68. But not the last since...
It's pretty cool riding shotgun in yer own car sometimes....

 

the last time i drove a freands car (blown nova) all i heard for a month was how big of a puss i was for not driving it like it was mine. lol

 

Nope! Some of the guys I hang with are a few fries short of a happy meal.

 

My wife and son only!

 

My wife used to drive my OT '65 Belair with the Muncie 4-speed and my neck-snapping '68 Mustang Bullit car. My brother could drive anything that I had. I used to turn select people onto the 'Stang just for the rush of raw power.

My wife also got to jockey stock cars around the pits, also on and off the trailer. I could never get her to take it for hot-laps.

My next ride will be a stick, gotta teach my kids how to drive one.

Bob

 

let most of my buddies drive any of my cars they help bulid them and i,ve let them take them to meets hell let my cuz take the 58 ford to lead east one year he now has a 50 chevy pick-up and join the hamb

 

The only other person who has driven my T-bucket is my Grandson. It was a intended to be a special treat so we took a short drive and I rode with him - he handled the car very well. I have Grundy insurance and didn't realize they wouldn't cover a driver under 26 until I read the post in this thread - he is way under that under age. I suppose I should read my policy more carefully. I want to have my wife drive it but she has not wanted to so far. I am not trying to be selfish by not letting others drive the car but I have heard horror stories of "civilians" having serious accidents while driving hot rods. A T-bucket with buggy spring suspension, non-power drum brakes and a big-block Caddy engine with a lot of torque is not the thing someone should drive unless they have experience driving hot rods.

 

My ol' lady knows how to shift a manual trans... Maybe I'll let her drive my ride one of these days. But not in heavy stop an' go traffic.

 

yes, its just a car.

 

the keys are generally left in the ignition, if they want to drive no problem. The wife can drive a stick and the 6-71 doesn't scare her in the least. Once this gasser is done I have a feeling she will drive it more than me.

 

I've seen my wife handle a 24' box truck with a Clark 5-speed with no problem, she's driven a wrecker by itself, no car on the hook. I never asked her to back up a stock car and trailer combo, not crazy about it myself.

Heavy stop & go traffic can be tough, you have to work up to that and throw in some hills on top of it.

Bob