What need to be done to modernize one, I want to make sure that I can drive my stuff. my bad weather vehicle now is a '61 Willys pickup. All original drive units, swapped in 283 with a single 4 bbl and a mallory dist. 7.50x16 mud and snows on original wheels. It does have buckets from a late model jellybean and hellas in the original holes with desert racer bulbs. But my fog/running lights are '36 Ford dealer options thingies. Is it modernized enough? I want to make sure that I can drive it. I am concerned because my 4 bbl is on a GM L-79 intake, maybe I need a more modern intake like an Edelbroke Pro-former (sic) or something. Edit damnit: Oh yea I didn't have inside door handles or window cranks, but a friend had a full set of NOS '38 Ford cranks and door handles. Should I go to electric windows?
I have to agree with a lot of you guys when you say they used to drive these old cars everyday back when they were new, the problem is, they are not new anymore. You can't stop at the roadside gas station and buy a set of points anymore. True, we used to drive them everyday, but they were all we had to drive, and we knew what to expect. There is not anyone here that can say driving an old car is the same as driving a modern car, or we would all just be driving new cars. This guy has been driving a mid 90s car that has all the modern safety conveniences and he is used to them. Now he wants to drive an old car 80 miles every day with little understanding of what he will face. I simply can not tell him to go for driving the old car without at least letting him know some things to expect. Those expectations need to cover the things that are very different between the 90s car he is used to and the early 60s car he is not used to, brakes, wipers, and defroster are among those things that need to be pointed out. Had he been driving an old car for years, he would have had an idea what he was up against, and probably would not have posted this thread. I would have told the experienced old car driver to have the car road worthy and go for it. Porknbeaner and several others (me included) would do fine daily driving an old car, but there is no way I would put my wife or daughter in an old car as a daily driver unless they were just driving across town, then still probably not. Gene
I drive my 63 Ranchero almost every day here in Chi-town! It's a little scary, but! If they did it then,why not now? I think there's less snow now than years ago! this was from the Polar Bear Cruise last Superbowl Sunday!
I am contemplating ditching the late 90's OT/DD, in favor of my '60 Falcon (no points, HEI). It is getting discs, a full suspension rebuild, etc. I have been driving old cars since age 8 ('31A). I "get" them. It does not snow here. It barely rains. I can stomach the train if the weather is too hectic. My question is, (yeah, I know, I searched and did not find good answers), for you guys already doing this, who is insuring you? I am either getting turned down-flat, or getting rate quotes, for the same coverage, that are 3-4x my OT/DD. I'm 43, and have a spotless driving record.
My 48 Plymouth has liability only insurance through my regular car insurance company (currently Farmers Mutual Insurance). The cost is actually a little cheaper then what my 93 Dakota costs. It is licensed and insured as a 48 Plymouth with regular license plates. If it gets wrecked, I will have another bent up wreck laying in my side yard (along side my wrecked 50 Dodge 4x4) and I will likely take a beating on its value. It is the price you pay to have a cool daily driver. Gene
What a load of CRAPOLA that commercial is. I personally had THREE volkswagons as a young man (under 22) living in a state with BRUTAL winters. It was, by no means whatsoever, a pleasure to drive a Volkswagon all winter long. The main reason being NO HEAT. I was lucky at one point that my dad fashioned a metal tube that went from the air boxes under the back seat up through between the two front seats and stopped. It did bring some heat, just enough to thaw your fingers after a while. So, you'd scrape the frost from the inside of the windows with you hands so you could see, then warm them back up again on the tube. I hated those cars. Even the wagon. And no, I wasn't one of the lucky ones who happened to have the upgraded factory propane heater that some Beetles had. On a more positive note, it did do one thing: It built a lot of character in this young man, and a lot of drive. Not having nice things handed to you in life isn't a bad thing....(speaking from experience).
I've been thinking about this query ever since it was posted. Oh, and driving my 1961 Falcon, which is stone cold stock, right down to the points and condenser; the 4 drums, etc.,etc. And it is my only car. It's possible, but you HAVE to be prepared. Stock all the normal wear parts (I got caught out by generator brushes, $1.85 part, which cost more than $5 to ship - I bought two sets). You HAVE to be able to repair absolutely everything on the car, YOU, not someone else. You HAVE to keep the car in tip-top condition. Not because it's a good idea (it is), but because it's the only way the car will be reliable. On my car, for example, EVERYTHING works: fuel gauge, parking brake, interior lights, seat adjuster, every light, every mechanism. And I keep it this way. Tomorrow, the driver's interior light switch comes out for lubing; Sunday, the heater switch comes out for inspection and adjustment, it's getting flaky. THIS is what keeps the men separate from the boys, as pertains old cars. I failed, a bit, with the gen brushes, but I'm stocking up now, not gonna get caught out twice, that bit's embarrassing. I DID check, gen brushes are NOT covered under the maintenance schedule. Which I follow. Oh, yeah, you MUST have a factory manual, and, highly recommended, a Motor manual. One covers the hard jobs, the other, the tunes ups. Also provides a second opinion, as such. It's a LOT of work, but I REALLY hate late-models. And I regularly drive them as part of my job (very nearly daily as well, for decent distances), so I know for sure how, why, and what I hate about them. And you learn real quickly how different it is to drive, within minutes, a 1961 compact vs. a 2013 Hybrid. They're not really even related. Point to that is, if you're used to 2013 cars, you won't ever be happy with 1961. In my case, I started driving mid-sixties Fords; owned every one save a Fairlane (why, I don't know, just never showed up at my doorstep), some in multiples. So, in my case, driving a 60's Ford is very much second nature. Good luck, and be sure, be absolutely sure, this is what you want. Cosmo
The car is not your main concern. The safety and comfort of your wife better be on the top of your list, and if it is not, then let her go now so she can move on. Old rides can be a joy right up until you crash it, your fault or not, a wreck of any significance can be devastating if not to your body then to your wallet. How many air bags does the old Ford have? As mentioned, newer cars get treated better by insurance companies simply because they are easy to replace. They also have verified safety equipment that your ins co wants to see and you better damn well 'want' for your family.
My 58 is an all weather driver...central Illinois. I drive 60 miles a day. I get alot of crap for it, but the way I see it, it has wipers and a heater so it was meant for all weather yes, it's getting a little rust from winter driving and I will fix it this year and lizard skin it. If it rusts again I will fix it again. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I wont ever drive my 57 Hard top in the snow or rain but I've had all kinds of 50s-60s stuff that were year round dailys, its really not any different that driving a modern car in bad weather, I just personally wont drive a car that I love in the rain or snow (ie, the '57). I'm getting ready to pick up a 49 desoto coupe for a daily beater though and wont have a problem driving it everywhere.
If it pleases you, sir, I do not wish to hear your "Fear Marketing" on the HAMB. If you wish to live in fear of everything, please do so without me. This may not be the most free country, but I'll be damned if I cannot at least drive what I want to drive without crap from you, sir. There are enough people out there that want us to fear everything, so it must be time to get out my motorcycle. Cosmo (Yes, the Falcon is in the carpark now, surrounded by your safety-mobiles)
Not sure that you can die from sheer boredom, but I sure as hell don't want to be the one who finds out that you can. Life is not safe. 25,000+ years of human development. Still 100% fatal.
Drive like you are driving the car you are driving. I have had many older daily drivers and I can say you learn to drive what you drive. You may cuss your heater or defroster every now and again, but if you have a mechanically sound driver, go for it. Too many times I have heard " You just need to get a decent car" from people when I pull up in one of my cars. Nuts to that. I will continue to drive my vehicles because it is what I love. I could buy a brand new car, but it's just not my cup of tea. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
first my motorcycle is my daily transportation. that being said iv always had some sort of car for a bad weather mobile (getting pelted by rain at 60mph isnt fun lol). up until recently they have never had airbags or any of that modern fancy stuff. currently i have a modern o/t sports car as a bad wether mobile (sure some say its not the best choice but ill be damned if i drove some fwd import id rather drive what i like) and the first thing i did when i bought the car was disconnect the air bags so that they can't and won't ever deploy. i had an aunt die because her airbag went off and had a friends truck get wrecked and i was almost arrested by the cops because they refused to let me drive his truck away from the scene. sure it had glass on the seat and the drivers door was smashed in but it still ran fine and could have been driven away but because the airbag went off it was deemed unsafe and had to pay an expensive tow bill to get it home. so pretty much what im getting at here is the stuff you say that some one "better damn well "want" for their family" i ask why ? because why would any one want or need that stuff?. cars went decades with out it and yet people managed to survive and live thru it so why would or should any one have to have or want to have it ? with the above being said i should probably mention that yes i do wear a helmet and proper gear when im on my bike. not that thats really all that relevent lol.
A couple of thoughts for both of you guys... and first to skullboy, I'm sorry for the loss of your Aunt. Yes, airbags have indeed killed some folks..and seat belts have been blamed for many deadly internal injuries. Motorcycle helmets? hell when I was much younger helmet laws simply did not exist. But funny thing, if you raced bikes you would have been wearing one. Just common sense, like roll cages and fire suits. You get to go home at night. If you are single, no family of any sort then have at it, drive what you wish as you wish. Kill yourself if ya like, just don't take anyone with you who doesn't get to vote on the idea. Oh, wait, you wear a helmet? why bother? It's a free country, ride like the wind. Oh yeah, maybe that pesky issue about your wife or mother identifying your body. Like it or kids you do have a responsibility to your family to return home alive each night. You also have a social responsibility to not be on the roads in some piece of shit that has the potential to take out the oncoming mini-van full of kids. Just because, in the 'old' days', we didn't have any safety equipment doesn't mean we would not have wanted some or would not have used some. ...45mph, gramma and grandpa don't see my old truck coming and grandpa turns in front of me. I hit the sedan squarely in the pass door...where grandma is sitting, without any protection. I'm lucky, my knees are banged up and bloody from hitting the dash, ribs are severely bruised and pushed out of shape by the steering wheel...grandma dies. The newspapers were full of some horrific crashes in the 'old days' with far too many folks dying for lack of abs, shoulder harness and air bags, but don't let technology get in your way. .
There is no statistical data that I can find that ABS is actually helpful. Air bags are a supplemental restrainint system, which don't do much if you are actually, properly wearing a 3-point seat belt. Hype to sell cars is often not solidly backed up with fact. Remember, the plural of anecdote is NOT data. The government has all the data gathered. Yes much of this recent, so-called safety equipment makes cars safer, but the actual percentage change is so small, for each, as to make it within the margin-of-error for the data gathering method. In other words, it might be safer, as safe, or less safe. This notion of safety is largely propagated on the general public's lack of the ability to comprehend statistical analysis. Before you advocate for other people to change their behavior, you would do very well to examine the science behind what you are promoting, and make sure that you have a solid understanding of it. Living by feeling alone can make for dangerous thinking, and that's more dangerous than a car accident. Look up the data, and analyze it yourself. It is all out there.
Advocating for others to change their behaviour? Only when your bad behaviour affect other folks who don't get a vote on the issue. And now that you have done a through background check on me and decided that I don't know anything about which I speak, you are telling me that relying on statistics that you don't like somehow makes your logic better founded...hhmmmm If you have actually analyzed car crash data for the last 50 years and can post what you feel are 'lies, damn lies and statistics' showing what equipment did, or did not, work as designed, I'd love to sit back with some adult beverages and have a good read. In the mean time I'll use the lap belt/shoulder harness, air bags, improved seats, yada, yada yada and what ever else helps me get home safely to my wife at the end of each day. Perhaps, just perhaps, when your hour-glass has more sand in the bottom than in the top you'll have a different perspective. .
I do statistical analysis, all day long. It is part of my job. I get paid some fancy coin to do it. You want me to work? Pony up. Your job is to live your own life, the best way that you know how, preferably not telling others that your methodology is the true and correct path.
A '65 Ranchero was my daily driver, "Beater" for about 5 years, all kinds of weather, no problem. Even towed a U-Haul trailer back from Iowa, helping a g. friend after her dad had passed. No problem, 200 and a C-4. I really liked the car, when we had that cold spell in '83-'84, six weeks of COLD, 0 to 5 or 10 below every night, rarely got up to 32 during the day, started every time! No problem!
does this count as an everyday driver? It sits outside and is driven all year long. These pictures were taken last month in Kansas.
I drove my '63 Comet convertible as a daily driver. It sucked as a winter car. The Ranchero could be better with a good thermostat and a good heater.
The Ranchero, as built, had a fantastic heater. Thing is, by now, a lot of radiator sealer could have found it's way into the heater core (it sure did in mine). Simple cure: new core. Not spendy, I thing I put less than $30 into the one stated as 'thinner'. Made a wood box out of 1/2 x 1/2 oak, and put the new core into the old heater box. A 195º thermostat, and that car heats up in five blocks, and I'm turning the heat down in 3 miles. Cosmo
'61 Falcon day in day out here in cold crappy michigan. I worry about getting smacked by an idiot sometimes but i'm not going to live in a bubble.
I drove my Valiant through half of last winter and the first half of this winter until the heater stopped working. Good advice on here, make it dependable, dont drive like an idiot and wash the salt off on days the car wont freeze solid
23 years ago I had a 66 Impala SS, Drove from Ankeny for collage to Des Moines for work then to Ames (apartment with my brother) for two years and home to Red Oak every weekend. When I graduated, got a job in Council Bluffs and comuted 60 miles one way to work from Red Oak. In 3 years I put on 100 thousand miles. It is possible, I just figured if the guy ahead of me can make it, I can. The hardest part of driving was visibility in a heavy rain storm. Bought the car for $1600, added Keystone Klassics and tires, redid the seats and sold it for $2500. Then bought a new S-10 and drove another 275 thousand miles in 10 years. Now I walk to work. `
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