Technical Daily drivers...the good, bad and the ugly.

Nice!!! If gotta buy another that would be killer!

 

Old cars & trucks for daily drivers are great fun, and once they have been brought up to standards, they are no less reliable then most of the newer used cars out there.

I bought my 50 Dodge truck out of a junk yard. I set it on an 80 4x4 chassis, fixed or rebuilt everything, and drove it in primmer, with leaking window gaskets and a crappy defroster for 5 years (one of those dollar store squeegees will be your friend for keeping the site of vision clear from a fogged up windshield. Buy one with a long handle so you can reach the passenger side windshield as well).
After 5 years, I rebuilt the truck again, but this time did everything, rebuilt motor & trans, new brakes, rebuilt suspension, new glass & gaskets, door rubbers & window tracks, tires, paint, the list goes on, over $5,000 in parts alone. What a difference, it was a whole different truck, and it was very reliable. All total, that truck was my daily driver for 12 years. It was my work truck, I hauled stuff, towed stuff, showed it in a few car shows, and I even plowed snow with it!
Then one day, ugly happened. I only got minor injuries, but the truck gave its life to save me. Some lady tuned in front of me. I didn't even have time to hit the brake pedal. Hit her head on at 30 mph! Her insurance paid well, and I kept the truck, but sold it off as parts a couple years ago. Things do happen. From picture 1 to pictures 2 & 3 in a split second.

Its cool & fun to drive old stuff, but you have to be prepared for the possibility that it can all go away really quickly. I still have a old car as my 9 month out of the year driver (I work at home, so there is no daily driver). Gene

 

Invest in a AAA premium membership.

 

Good luck. I drove my 55 Century as a daily for 4 years. It was like driving a couch. They are better as a highway car than a bumper-to-bumper ride. You are limited by the Buick suspension as to what rear-end changes you can make from stock, and are therefore stuck more or less with the Buick transmissions. Brakes on my 55 were good, (discs are better) but I would up-grade to an electric windshield wiper, electric fuel pump, and really good shocks, as the lever-action ones were terrible. I had bias tires on it, hated them, and went to radials, a big improvement. Electronic ignition and seat belts, A/C and you are ready to go. The stock heater is far more than sufficient. The one Missysdad has is worth whatever he is asking for it.

 

A AAA membership is a must! They are great to bail you out when your old car decides to act like an old car. It will pay for its self the first time you use it. Back when I was a teenager I had an O/T daily that was prone to rim leaks. The car didn't have a spare, and my teenage reasoning figured a free tow was cheaper than buying a spare. I became fast friends with the local tow truck drivers to say the least.

 

Yes I am going with Radial tires, and I already have AAA!!

 

The more you drive your older daily driver the more reliable it will become. The various smaller and bigger problems get fixed and you won't have to worry about them. You feel better about the car the more you drive it. My 51 Ford, 392 hemi car is a daily driver from spring until it starts raining too much. The leaking windows and doors have never been resolve after nearly 20 years and one or two rubber changes. Defrost and wipers are ok, but never were great on older cars, so my expectations are not high here.

Make sure you get the Buick weather tight with good rubber for the doors and windows and winter driving can be as enjoyable as it is the rest of the year.

For me, leaking windows and moldy carpets are the big issue, and the one thing that keeps my 51 from being a full year around driver. This spring, I will make another try at stopping the rain, but I think my cabriolet convertible will be on the road and may be dryer in the rain than the coupe.

 

I agree with the others, driving an older car as DD is great. I have driven older cars for many years prior from mid 1990s to 2010, although past 5 it has been my 97 Expedition as primary DD, with occasional driving my older cars. Can't say how many times you get stuck with somebody chatting up when you just want quick gas and go. Some of my DD's have been: 64 Riviera, 59 F-100, 37 Chevy pickup, 49 Ford COE (avatar vehicle), 60 El Camino, 59 El Camino, 37 Ford Ute. Most all had upgraded brakes, drivetrain and suspensions; or at least rebuilt good condition stock stuff for the later models.

Elec wipers are really needed, vacuum kind of sucks (bad pun....). radial tires ride and handle better, although I have done bias plys. Disc brakes are better, but good drums will work fine if you drive sanely. You can get by without A/C, but a heater that works good is required. Make sure defrost works, having to wipe the windshield constantly is a PITA. At least lap seatbelts, if not 2-point. Leaking windows need to be fixed, having water pour down on your foot, or soaked carpet is not any fun.

Beyond that have fun and get used to people looking at you all the time. After a while I did not even notice, but passengers would always comment on it. I never liked the insurance options, at best you get a policy based on a value, but it will not be agreed value.

 

You never know what going to happen with an older car.Thats why I have free towing with my insurance.lol.Bruce.

 

Any progress yet? Or are you already rocking it around town?

 

Thought you were RiotPirate?? Pete

 

I was.. lol. Changed my name...

 

Not much progress yet, finally got my settlement check so this weekend I'll be doing some parts shopping and get her in the shop some time this week...

 

On my Ford I replaced a ton of parts and systems. Once I get it sorted out it should be reliable. The harness and total re-wire was a success, everything works.

 

Loving this thread. Life's short; enjoy your old car every day!
Note the Tim Allen sitcom "Last Man Standing," features a mid-50's F100 as his daily driver.
New car = depreciates from day one.
Old car = gains value from day one.

 

Have you considered organizing a half dozen of your closest friends to help you with a bit of a work party to attack some of the big parts of the project. Many hands make light work but too many seem to diminish production.
If you can put a small crew together, some masking off the car, some scuffing it, some finishing the spray bomb job, etc. Installing the bumpers etc, its nice to have some help. Might leave you with only the small stuff to deal with on your own, and the visual progress achieved by a helpful crew can go a long way towards keeping yourself motivated to finish the rest by yourself.
Put some WSM on the radio and a cooler full of cold ones and everyone will have a good time. Cool project, best of luck.

 

Make it reliable and make sure it stops. Brakes gotta be in good shape. Act accordingly to what you're driving and expect some surprises. If you accept that, you're good to go.

 

So I started work on the grill yesterday at the shop, also ordered my gauge set and I am placing a huge order today for my wheel cylinders, etc once the west coasters decide to get up. My bank account is about to hate me. I also spray bombed the dash, tail light and headlight housings. That is something I cringed while doing. Makes me sick that I spent countless hours straightening all that metal and prepping it for paint just to use a $.99 can of black spray paint on it...shit happens I reckon...should be dragging her carcass into the shop tomorrow or Wednesday to let the real shenanigans begin...

Brooklyn...

 

looking good, doesn't look bad for 99 cent paint!

 

Focus on #1, that is the important deal: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=21543
But i agree, looking good.

 

Great idea my friend. I did the same thin when it was motor swap day for the apache. I drug the BBQ down to the shop and invited about 4 people. I ended up having 10 show up. I delegated cleaning parts, painting, and cooking duties. We had that sucker runing in no time.

 

Used my 64 as a daily for a couple years, and we even drove out a couple times to some of our Very Large Square States to go off-roading/camping poking around in, never let me down. Roughly 3,000 miles R/T.

In fact looking back at what could have gone wrong on some of those snowy mountain passes with single-pot master, rusty lines and such makes me shudder. Have always had a hankering for cliff faces, Mesas and the high lonesome country too.

Anybody up for a road trip? (I got new brakes, and the hood ain't sprung no mo)

 

So I'm having major issues with trying to get a windshield. Have contacted a few places for quotes and I get nothing but dead air, which seems to be an ongoing trend lately. Does anyone have any good glass/windshield contacts? My current windshield is in really rough shape and I really don't feel like having a blowout because I forsee that happening...

Thanks!

 

Nailhead_B
Heres a link never know...Your dollar is strong right now and business is competitive so perhaps even a Canadian connection may be able to help you. I was going to suggest good used but it seems a frowned upon thing due to potential chipping on edge during removal. Alliance venders perhaps? Hemmings Motor News maybe...
http://www.metropartsmarket.com/glass/classicautoglass-c7s8.html
Good luck.

 

Just my opinion... But I've been driving my 59 ford wagon daily since mid summer. An i live in Buffalo NY where the weather is crazy!!! Fixed all the necessities and it works out great. Only advice i can give if make sure all the mechanical's are working properly, and have a gas gauge!!! Finally fixed my gas gauge and it helped out tremendously!!! haha Also, being colder in the fall now, it's nice to have the heat and defogger working! This is not going to be my daily in the winter due to the salt, but 3/4 of the year i drive it! She got a new engine this summer and it's working out great! Also, night driving be careful, small scratches on the windshield tend to mess with sight, when headlights are coming at you it can be hard to see. Just make sure you maintain it and you'll be fine! Hope my advice helps out!

 

If Metro strikes out, give these 2 a try. Sanders had the best $$ on the 'shield for my Ford. $150ish on shipping is the norm,

http://www.sandersreproglass.com/
http://www.autocityclassic.com/

 

Thanks for the windshield links, I'll have to contact them next week. I finally got her dragged into the shop on Monday, it's been a minute since I've been able to give her a good look over and holy hell, she's a basket case. Trying my hardest not to get overwhelmed but I think I've spent just as much time sitting on a milk crate and looking at her as I have actually working on her. Bloody hell, I've managed to clear my entire weekend so I can spend 8-10 hours in the shop this weekend. So far I've finished the grill treatment, put my taillight housings together, cover the seats, well at least the front bench, my backseats are up in the rafters, so getting those down by myself should be interesting lol...starting the body work this weekend, also putting the interior/dash back together. I've also realized at some point, this car was involved in a fender bender, so the bracket that holds my grill to my car is about to get the crap beaten out of it. That'll straighten her ass up...so wish me luck, I have the shop to myself so I'll be able to tune out, crank up some Hank 3 and make a ton of progress. Pics Monday, hopefully...

 

Sometimes a local glass company can locate a windshield quickly. Try to find the OEM part number and do some searching yourself.

Mine was a quasi-basket case too. Missing a ton of parts but I tracked them all down. Seriously, start a list of things to do and work off that. I started at the back of the car, gas tank, brakes, axle seals, shocks. Moved to the front, all front end and brake work that kept me busy for 2 months alone.

 

You do nice work.

 

Hank 3 Always makes shop time better!!