Technical Practicality of a HAMB daily

Our 20 year old daily failed smog, again, and I swore I would replace it with something I can love, understand and repair. In other words, carbureted. But how close can you get to modern efficiency, safety and comfort? Looking at EPA numbers, new V8s don't seem all that much better, maybe 2-4 mpg than the V8s of old, which could squeeze 16-18 mpg. Maybe part of that is weight (a new Camaro is 4,000 lbs.), however with that extra weight and design you get a big improvement in safety.

Well I don't know where I'm going with this, other than I have zero interest in anything newish, while perusing old car want ads gets me all kinds of excited. Show me a HAMBmobile that gets 15-20 (instead of the 10 mine get), is comfortable, halfway safe and goes 70-80 with modern highway traffic.

Sorry for the wonky thread, just an old guy bewildered in a modern world. I actually took Uber the other day...

 

Lot's of potential out there,probably a early 60's car would serve you well. HRP

 

What kind of car do you have in mind? Any small or midsize 60's car with a small block should be able to accomplish that.

 

My 64 Olds F-85 wagon gets 16-17 mpg and are easily crusing at 70 mph on the highway. Early 60's wagons are not as expensive as the 50's wagons. Parts are not a problem except for some body parts. I've used my wagon as a daily in the summer and been enjoying every minute of it.

 

I drove a '64 Ford falcon as a daily for several years,2006 to 2011,never failed to get me home. HRP

 

HRP, actually your '54 Wagon, which if I'm not mistaken has a '90s 302 (with a carb) and OD, should do pretty well all around, performance, economy and reliability. I'm not averse to stuffing in some later drive train stuff (my Bantam has a T5) as long as I can trash the computer and plop a carb on top.

 

There you go. Shoulder belts maybe for added safety. I should add that 70mph freeway driving around here is cutthroat, new car performance is turning average drivers into wannabe Andrettis. Like most modern cities I suppose. Wrecks every day.

 

Maybe a mid '60's Falcon or Chevy II?

Something to consider- will your spouse or kids ride along? They may be more interested in cruise control, dual climate controls, Bluetooth, heated seats, CD players, antilock brakes and crush zones than carburetors...

 

My '46 Jailbar pickup has been my off and on daily for the past few years... it gets 23+mpg everywhere but its OT powered. When it gets sold off I'll put my '52 Pontiac into daily service, should do 20mpg when sorted out. Its important around here to have a beater in reserve for winter and when the "old" daily needs attention.

 

This one got about 20 consistently, weighed about 4K and ran consistent 12s. granted I built the engine myself and you are not going to get 20 MPG from one that was just thrown together. I drove it everyday pretty much for about 7 years ( 80K miles give or take).

It is not a hot rod but it did make a good daily.



I wish I could afford a light coupe for a daily now, or an older ( say 30s -50s) pickup now I would be back driving a HAMB friendly daily by spring.

On a side note the wife really likes her '05 Silverado and it only gets about 22 MPG

 

84 302/5 speed,and yeah it's carburated,it could be driven daily and we do drive it a lot.

After the recent accident with Brenda's delivery shop van the wagon was put into service as a daily for a few weeks but to be honest I got a little paranoid driving it in everyday traffic. HRP

 

I drove a '65 Falcon for a while, something like 27 mpg all the time. But zero creature comforts.

 

If you don't need a back seat, I would go with a Chevy AD with a "modern" or rebuild drivetrain, a one-legged-mans trans with a lockup, and new springs/dampers all around and wiring kit.

If you need a backseat I would go for an old station wagon. With a bench and the possibility to lay down the back seat for camping or Swap meets.

Or maybe it's mend to be that @Verbal Klint brings up his jailbar is for sale.

 

As others have said, you can build a good reliable daily a number of different ways. But if you or the family are hung up on the safety, there is nothing you can do to a 30's Ford or a 60's Chevy that will make it come anywhere close to having the same crash protection and resilience of a modern car. Your old hot rod daily does not come with crumble zones, padded dashes, collapsible columns, airbags, or all the other tricks that are engineered into today's cars to keep the occupants alive in a crash. That said, most if not all of us are perfectly OK taking the extra risk that comes with driving one of these old buggers around, even knowing full well that an accident that we would most likely survive in a modern car will likely kill us behind the wheel of our favorite hot rod or custom. I don't know about the rest of you, but I will go out with a smile on my face.

Good Luck.

 

People around here die in late model cars all the time and don't crash at high speeds to do it. I know the principles behind crumple zones and all the other safety equipment but I live a real world and not on paper. Given my options if I had to choose between crashing a '60 Chebby and an '11 Mailbu I would jump in the '60 every time.

That said simple is the key to an older daily, don't try and make it into something that it is not. Stay away from anything exotic and just build or buy a good old heap.

 

Yes, people die all over the place in late model cars. That isn't my point. The point was that much, much, much more engineering goes into crash protection to keep your rear end above the ground in today's cars then 50 years ago. And so from a statistical standpoint, you are more likely to survive the same crash in the '11 Malibu then you are in the '60 Chebbie. Like I said, that risk is one us HAMB'ers are willing to take, but the previous posters had covered the economy and comfort portions of the OP's question, but not the safety aspect. I offered a $0.29 opinion on safety.

 

Having become a crash expert by watching videos on YouTube, I think the more weight your car has, the safer you are. The large trucks are not slowed as abruptly as the light cars (or motorcycles) when they crash together. The heavy vehicles tend to drive through the crash while the light vehicles bounce off in varous directions. It seems to me that your body's inertia wouldn't change as abruptly, thus causing you less injury. Weight is, of course, opposed to gas milage. I get around that a little by accelerating slowly in my daily off topic work truck.

 

My 59 Chevy fleetside gets about 23mpg highway high teens round the doors.
3.0 gears TH400 70'LT1. I think alot has to do with the sweet spot rpm-wise,and the roads regularly driven.

 

And your opinion wasn't accepted by one of us. Don't let it spoil your day, your opinion didn't spoil mine.

 

I'm always skeptical regarding any "empirical data", I would have to consider that the roads/highways/tires/headlights related to the death rate numbers in the 50's/60's. Better tires, brakes, etc.. and 3 point belts and a little attentive driving would dramatically increase the "survival number". To that end - my '46 Jailbar has a collapsible joint in the steering and my '52 Pontiac will as well before the 18 year old starts using it.

 

I'll take it!! Some impressive mpg numbers being posted. I could do with a 283/289/302/307 and T5 in a daily, there's so much traffic around here anymore that a bunch of power is mostly wasted.

And while I'm coveting thy Hamber's rides, I'll have Squirrel's sir conditioned Suburban too.

 

I'm actually possibly looking in this direction as well. I'm looking to try to minimize car payments and get something I can fix myself without needing a wall of computers to tell me I can't even see the part that needs to be replaced.

 

I'll agree with the KISS principle (Keep it simple, stupid) if driving 'vintage' iron as a daily. But the maintenance can be daunting; these are old cars, and stuff wears out and a lot of times it's weird stuff. Windows falling off their tracks, wiper linkages wearing out, turn signal switches failing, a lot of 'little stuff' that can drive you crazy. If it's your 'every day' vehicle, the need to repair to keep it drivable can be frustrating... (Wadda ya mean the part is a week out? I need it today!).

Not saying it's impossible to do; I drove vintage and/or modified cars for better than 30 years as 'dailies', but I always had a 'back up' available when needed, so keep that in mind. But a couple of years ago I decided I'd had enough and bought a brand new daily and have no regrets. Being new, it has a warranty so I don't work on it, and won't when the warranty is over either, so there is that....

You'll also have issues with insurance; most 'specialty' insurance limits use and prohibits 'daily' use and you'll pay more for 'regular' insurance because the vintage stuff doesn't meet current safety standards. Some of this will depend on where you live, driving conditions, etc. You can save money, but expect to be working on it more.....

 

I don't pay any more for insurance on my old heaps than I do on a late model. I depends on what state you live in I guess, state insurance regulators can make or break you for driving an old car. it was not always that way here though, I can remember insurance being able to turn you down for having a car that was altered.

my cars have never been and probably never will be as nice as the cars that most of you guys drive. Nothing that makes me proud just stating a fact, but my cars get driven and get used as transportation as a rule, unless they are a dedicated race car which has happened a couple of time when I was flush. Anyway I really can't do specialty insurance any more then I can do historic tags, limiting my driving would be something that I would find unacceptable.

 

Sounds like you need a nice 65 Dart GT 'vert for that beautiful CA weather. Run 70 all day long.

 

I drive a '65 Country Squire pretty much daily, unless I'm driving my '65 Country Sedan beater.
(Okay, sometimes I borrow my wife's Camry, because it has A/C).
The wagons have stock, simple drivetrains and have proven to be reliable.
I'll probably upgrade to front disc brakes though, because of today's "driving realities".
Pat Ganahl wrote an interesting article entitled "Real life with Old Cars". It was in the March 1999 issue of Hot Rod magazine. I think you can find it on line.
As far as safety goes, I think all these safety features on new cars make some people think they're invincible. I get nervous on the interstate when someone in an air bag laden Civic is in the lane next to me on her "smart" phone.

 

He lives in the bay area which is why I don't like roadsters to this day. I can still remember many a late night with the cold wind blowing down my neck when I was little because the old man wouldn't put a roof on the roadster. LOL

 

It's the best of both worlds, it's got a nice top that doesn't leak..amazingly.