Technical The Utility of Simplicity

Thanks boss,I like to refer to a hot rod built using antiquated parts for the purpose they were intended,,driving daily and no need for extra spit and polish that isn't going to make it run better.

I love a beater. HRP

 

Yes, there is a certain beauty and convenience that comes with simplicity.

 

I'm smellin what you're steppin in

this has a bone stock model b drivetrain...it has 48 juice brakes...and it's getting a bone stock 283/2brl, if I live thru this next round of chemo.

should be as dependable as an anvil for a daily

 

Ryan you and I often disagree while we are in the process of agreeing. We are allowed to do that, we are friends and if you can't disagree with a friend who can you disagree with correct?

We are not disagreeing on anything today. that little truck that Ben built is a masterpiece. I would not give a second thought to jumping in it and going anyplace that I wanted to go to bring back anything that I needed.

Too many of the fellas never seem to catch on. Simple and functional.

 

Ben's pickup. HRP

 

Sooner or later I am am just going to have to take the plunge an ditch my OT daily for something with a soul. It's good to be reminded that classic vehicles were once daily driver and so should be again with a little care and thought. Thanks.

 

I love that truck! Very cool....I too am a 'simplicity' patron....I find that things worked just fine way before I knew of it, ...and they still work just fine today. I am constantly bombarded by technology and 'gadget' thoughts that try to lead me away from doing things on my own. "Simplicity'' keeps my sanity intact, and allows me to try things, that I know I can try with some genuine effort, with a goal in mind, with older parts....because they already worked before....simplicity keeps my 'hands on' approach within my grasp of dreaming and what I want out of my cars....without having to drive a 'look alike' car everyone else drives on modern roads, all trying to outdo everyone else with technology or plastic interiors, but never getting the whole point of it all....life isn't supposed to be so damn complicated, and what my dad drove as a teenager in the 50's & 60's...still works just as smooth and nice out of my little garage...and the added bonus: I can work on my own cars....a rare sight within my neighborhood friendships indeed!!!

 

A lot to be said about simple. After working on my wifes O/T car, I plan on making my truck as simple as possible.

 

I'm fortunate to be able to spend my days working exclusively on old and simple stuff. The O/T hot rod in here was shamelessly shipped off to someone that does electronic BS exclusively. I could see it now, dick around trying to get this gent's modern drive systems running, hook up the battery, turn the key, then I "let all the smoke out" of his high zoot electronics. No thanks, and it actually took some time and a discussion with that asshole over the top of my bathroom sink to remove any ideas I had of making run. Packard (8 or 12)? I'll tune em so well you can balance a nickel on edge of the running engine. Ford? They're not work, they're fun. I'm hands on with a Duesenberg right now too. Simple? Maybe a relative term, but compared to that O/T hot rod? In plain shop vernacular fuck that thing, gimme the Duesy any day and twice on Sunday! Simple is good but I have another observation from my time spent here. How often have we seen a topic where it was almost too simple, that it had one of us scratching our head till it bled? We tend to get conditioned by our newer stuff and forget things like condensers, dwell angles, idle mixture screws, etc. Enough time at this simple stuff and you can find yourself able to tackle some of the newer just a bit easier. Not always, but there's moments, no?

 

Yup, I put my little hauler together for the same purpose.......to run the snot out of it.
'55 265, '35 top loader, stock Model B rear, '35 wires and 40's juice brakes.
I've hammered it down long dirt roads on tours and she rattles and bangs and just sings right along.
It's getting my attention way more than my flatty powered roadster.......hmmmmm, maybe that's not right!

 

my 32 coupe has been trouble free since i got it on the road last fall, its got a old runner 59a (with 4 carbs too) a 40 trans and 36 rear with 354 gears, lever shocks, stock steering, car runs and drives great, i also flogged the shit outa it at Trog this year, still workin fine. good old ford stuff, they key in my mind is to make sure the important stuff is done correctly and youl have a dependable car.

 

kept if simple----Went to the "Back to the 50's"----some guys spent more on paint than I spent on the whole car !

 

I guess it would also depend on your comfort level. I cut my teeth on 265's and 283's. That's where my happy place is. Flathead stuff is as foreign to me as the new computer stuff. It's all mechanical in the end and I will eventually figure it out.

 

Conversely, and similarly
The simplicity of utility.

Trucks are basic and raw, well, they used to be.
Always been about trucks for me.

 

dude's a poet and didn't knowit
but his feet showit...they're Longfellows

 

"Over the long haul, that car was both more reliable and economical simply because of simplicity. If something went south, the systems were simple enough for little ole me to not only troubleshoot, but also to fix."

The points of failure are fewer and every fix is known.I drove a '59 MGA for two years straight as a DD,and I loved every minute of it.I was always wrenching on it and rebuilt everything but the transmission.When she did break,I always had her back on the road in a timely manner.This is what I'm trying to get back to,vehicle wise.Something that you can fix yourself I find very appealing.

 

Something to the premise, Ryan. Before I bought my coupe, I had the chance to buy a '41 Ford half ton with the original 4 cylinder in it from a fellow in Mpls, MN. Many's the time I wish I had. Talk about simplicity, these motors were 9N tractor motors! If I get the chance again, I think I"ll do it as the older I get, the more it seems to fit me. The platform gives you factory juice brakes, a useful pickup and a screwdriver/crescent wrench tool kit requirement.

 

I'm a simple guy so simplicity has always worked for me.

 

thanks , I needed that.

 

Me too. I have had many cars with 283's that are super reliable. I have a 29 Chevy 2 door sedan I am hording parts for right now and i plan to keep it simple. 40 Ford front axle & brakes, 56 Chevy rear, 59 283 w/ single 4 barrel and a 3 speed overdrive from a 64 Chevy. Should be reliable, simple and fun

 

Simplicity keeps me from buying a new car. I like it that way.

I've got a friend who's into Vette's. The newer one's. He's got one that's so freakin' computerized, he has to fly a guy in from California to tune it. With a gawd damn lap top. Lucky for him, he can afford that shit.

I've used a beer can pull tab to set points. Too bad they don't make 'em that way any more. Old stuff never get's old. It gets reliable.

 

TF, you're avatar sure as hell doesn't!!!!

 

I hope you survive too, Larry. I want to see that truck on the road.

 

Simple pleasures for simple minds. That's me!

 

Like Jello and Cool Whip.

 

Beautiful! What toploader transmission is in Ben's truck?

 

I don't think I would have totally understood where you are coming from until recently. Last fall I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to own a a car that truly represents the simplicity you speak of.



Nothing fancy just a '40 Merc flathead, '39 box, and a Banjo with a 3.54 gear (recently changed to a 3.25).


I have been driving it almost daily since the weather broke this spring. I can't explain how fun this car is to drive. It's impossible to wipe the grin off my face when behind the wheel. While most think a car like this is OK for a nice around town car, that simply isn't the case. Over the past 35+ years the previous owner had the car, he would go on many long "rideabouts". With an army cot and a tent in the trunk, John would take off on cross country adventures including California, Washington and Bonneville twice (2002 and 2011). The longest single trip was over 6,100 miles. Some of you may remember seeing the car at the Lonestar Roundup 2 years ago.



This car has been a real eye-opener for me and because of it I think I finally understand what your preaching Ryan.


.

 

Ya I like the simplicity principal.
It's raining out, I just went and rolled up the
windows! Simple!