Hot Rods how do you go from daily driver to hot rod to daily driver?

The difference is nobody waves or gives a thumbs up when I drive the daily.

 

Going from the daily to the Hot Rod is fun, despite the quirks associated with driving an old car.

Going from the Hot Rod to the daily, not so much. Acceleration seems so sluggish and it’s almost too smooth and certainly too quiet.

 

I don't have a problem switching back and forth, but then for me, they are one and the same!

 

As I've gotten older I've gotten a little uncomfortable with the attention I get when I'm driving a hot rod. I have several, too many in fact. Does that sound funny? It does as I write it. I'm in this more for the joy of the build than the aftermath. I do appreciate the praise of my peers. The general public compliments don't mean too much to me. That's just me. Am I alone here?

 

The biggest issue was stomping the floor in the daily because there ia no clutch pedal ans trying to pull the floor shift automatic into 1st gear like on the trucks 3 speed
The trucks sweet spot is safely within the speed limit while the daily just starts to run good at the speed limit and lot only runs with the big dogs but likes to be lead dog.

 

As someone has already posted, you DRIVE your older beast, in your daily you are just a steering wheel attendant.

 

well my daily is RHD and the hotrods LHD ,so I often open the wrong drivers door especially in petrol stations and outside the shop.(in the daily)

 

Ain’t to hard when your daily driver is your hot rod.

 

MY DAILY IS A CARBED STICK WITH NO POWER STEERING NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT

 

My 26T coupe IS my daily driver. It has non self cancelling turn signals and the dimmer is on the floor. When I get in anything else in the fleet, which is seldom, I am always turning the signals off and looking for the dimmer with my foot.

 

Yeah and even that is in danger of going away!

 

Let's see the gas is on the right in all of them, the brake is on the left in all of them, turn the steering wheel to the left and they all go left, turn the wheel to the right they all go right, I don't tailgate in any of them, I brake accordingly in all of them.....is this a trick question or something ???

To think of it, I even put my elbow out the window in all of them (_!_)

 

The hot rod is a stick, everything else is an automatic. Even the new hot rod truck is an automatic. My left knee likes those automatics a bit better then the stick.
But for as much of the year as possible, my stick shifted hot rod is my daily. everything we have drives differently then the other. Any time I have to drive something else, I have to pay attention to what I'm driving.

Its kind of nice living out here in the sticks, we can actually drive our hot rods in the country (which is a minute from my driveway) with out much concern about the stupid city drivers. Gene

 

For me, remembering to step gas pedal down to set choke as for many years now we don't have to do that. when it spins over and does not fire immediately, I think, Set choke airhead. I do have an OT ragtop that is a shifter car, the only manual I have owned for 30 years now, (70K miles)before this car and after, all my rides have been auto transmission since 1970. It's funny how it only takes a few minutes of driving and it all comes back, will admit to an occasional stall. I'm old, that's my story and sticking to it.

 

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The "newest" car I have is 1971, and all my other cars are a mix of LHD, RHD, Floor shift and column shift, manual and auto. And if I go to get in the wrong side, I have perfected the art of making it look like I meant to do that, and just get in and slide over behind the wheel. If I get into anything made after about 1978, I feel like I am about to pilot a space craft. I had to get a vehicle from the work car pool, the blokes were pissing themselves laughing because I hadn't met the "keyless ignition" bullshit before. I gave the "keys" back, and used my own car. The world was good again.

 

Yep. I've got a few thoughts about that here:
https://terrysgarage.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/winding-it-down/

 

The appreciation for each increases, for the diversity of their inherent characteristics.
Love the Hot Rods, but I'm not giving up the late models either..they all have their place. When they fail to serve a purpose they're gone.

 

I drive three cars : my '51 Ford, '67 Corvette, and the 'family car', a Kia Soul. My big problem is the clutch and brake pedals on the first two, The '51 has pedals that come through the floor, while the Corvette has "swing" pedals. Plus, the Corvette pedals are closer together that those on the Ford. After a couple of close calls where I accidentally hit the brake on the Corvette when depressing the clutch, I have gotten into the habit of depressing the pedals while watching my feet on both of those cars before I even start them.

 

Very nicely put. Sums it up about right

 

I drive my '47 everyday, as a matter of fact my OT '07 is for sale.

 

Try jumping out of a 80,000 lb, 75' long 13 speed truck into a automatic car or pickup. Talk about a difference! My wife gets on my ass, "Do you have to swing that wide to turn?". Well, yes I do, it's what I'm used to! I stomp the floor hunting the clutch pedal, reach over to the center hunting the gearshift, and I still look in my mirrors to see whats behind me. Going from my 99 pickup or her 05 Expy though, not a lot of difference since both are full size and the Lincoln is about the same sized. But the Lincoln is about as noisy as the semi truck, squeeks, rattles, wind noise, in other words, just what I'm used to!

 

I like seeing your'e stuff on the road Tony . Its always a pleasure to see local SD rodders driving their shit I drive my shit every day ...I think it shows how we were raised ...to actually build and fix shit we see in our heads. Keep on doing the True Line show..Its appreciated

 

I feel your pain. When I worked for the local council I would do a shift in the road sweeper which is opposite side operated, come back to the depot and jump in a truck and dog (double artic tipping trailer) with 13 speed gearbox, normal drive side and then get in my manual gearbox 1954 Holden to drive home. If I didn't concentrate I'd mash the clutch pedal pretty bad.

 

I took the middle road after selling my 8 cylinder German wagon (the daily hack), and bought 48 AD truck, replaced the Chev 250 inline 6 and 5 speed with a 350/700R4 to make it easier as a daily driver.

It had Jag front & rear suspension (rear still in the cage) with some 15 inch chromies and whitewalls - to me it was the perfect DD. Joe & Josephine Lunchbox saw it as an old truck on the road, and I saw it as an old truck that I could drive anywhere.

I used it as my daily for 5 years, and then sold it to a mate, after he made me an offer I couldnt refuse. He used it as has daily/shop hack for a year and then got an offer he could refuse either.

I have another 8 cylinder German wagon again for my hack, but when my 34 Chev sedan delivery is done, that will become my new DD

 

I like my Escape alot, but, i only see smiles & hear 10 year olds say "hey mister, i love yer car" when i'm in the 52 Vic. Face changes automaticaly ! m

 

Thanks! Like others have said, driving an old car puts me in a different state of mind, away from the normal hectic pace. It's my therapy!

 

I try to daily drive my old vehicles or topless/doorless jeeps when ever I can. Fortunately I live in an area that has decent weather most of the time. But when the weather isn't nice enough, I take my 2000 F250. It's not near as interesting, but at least it still has a manual transmission. That keeps it enjoyable

If I can't drive an interesting vehicle, I'd rather not drive at all. haha!

 

Living alone with an OT '13 Ford Fusion with turbo 2.0L and 6 spd auto in floor, an OT '03 Silverado Duramax diesel 2500HD with 5spd auto on column, a ';40 Ford coupe with mild 302 SBF and T5 Tremec, and a '31"A" Hiboy with a nasty 355 SBC and 4spd, things can at times get a bit confusing. Sometimes it's forgetting I'm in a manual trans car and I need to depress the clutch or shift to neutral before starting, or getting confused about reverse on the 4spd vs the T5. One is all the way down, left and forward, and the other is all the way to the right and rearward. The brakes on the roadster require a bit of pressure and the Fusion is ultra touchy about brake pedal pressure.
The clutch on the roadster is way different than the one in the '40. Steering on the Fusion is like a go kart and the truck steers like you'd expect.
Keeps you on your toes for sure.

 

Now that's a long bed pickup