Drove the 55 Chevy from Fayetteville NC to Island KY for the wooden bridge festival last week. No AC, no power brakes, no power steering, no problem. Generator light came on 51 miles from trip’s end but I took a spare - bolted it on and finished. The 327 got 17.6 mpg too.
That sounds like a fun trip. The Generator may only needed a freshening up. You will probably find that the brushes are worn down to the point that they don't make good contact. I've found that if your old car is in good shape and well maintained a 1500 mile jaunt isn't much of an issue. I've never figured out why some guys think that putting a few hundred miles on an older rig during a road trip is such a scary thing.
Sounds like a great trip! Mid-'50s cars are great for long haul drives like that. They're very capable and comfortable even in factory form.
Yee haa I’ve got PS and PB on the current beater. But manual wipers, no heat/AC or radio. I remove the trans cover in the winter. Warns up ok. On a serious note, we’re old cars designed to be driven that far?
Sounds like a good time! Long trips in old cars are always fun. Drove my '57 from Waterbury, Ct. to Columbus, Ohio some years ago. Wiper motor quit about an hour into the trip. Rain-X is a great product!
Sarcasm. The question “can you drive an old car daily” or “what mods are necessary to drive an old car regularly” gets asked. Sometimes here, often in other forums/pages. Recently (not here) the what mods are necessary question was asked for a 50 merc. My response was “none”
how about a picture of the 55 Chev? and on the subject of what mods are needed to drive a vintage car regularly? I agree with @anthony myrick that none is the correct answer. as long as it is in good mechanical condition you should be able to drive it everywhere you would go in a modern car. What people need to realize is that old cars do not drive like new cars and people that think they should and modify them to do so ruin them if you ask me... part of the charm of driving a vintage car is the connection between you and the road, it is more like the driver is part of the process. Where modern cars almost drive themselves... Old cars were driven every day when they were new, why not now...
For my commute, 17 miles of back roads and 4 lane (no interstate) I could cruise a Model T daily. I’ve built a couple pro touring style rides for folks. I dig and get em. Want a old car to perform like a Porsche, get out the check book. But it’s not necessary for regular cruising. Driving old cars is the closest we’ll ever get to having a time machine. It’s therapy. Life slows down in an old ride. You concentrate more on driving. Listening to sounds, monitoring gauges, how you approach stops and curves. The smells. the dangers? Safety? Yep. Probably safer than a motorcycle. Damage to the car? Possible. It’s deteriorating anyway if it’s driven or not. Enjoy em. Drive em. Life’s short. I’m in between old daily rides after I sold my 67. Sux, should be in another daily beater soon. Wife wants to go out west next summer. Would be nice to drive an old beater.
The one thing you're leaving out in that thought is the key fact that it's not 1955 anymore, and even though we might be driving an old car, nobody else on the road is. The rest of the traffic is moving at speeds that were totally unheard of when these cars were new, stopping quicker than most any of these cars could when new, on roads more congested than when these cars were new. So while technically yes, you are right, a car that is mechanically good condition can go anywhere a new car goes, you fail to consider just how well that car handles that duty from a performance perspective. Years ago, everyone on the road was driving basically the same car, so everyone had the same limitations. Now, any car made in the last 20 years will outperform essentially anything from the HAMB's relevant time period, unless of course it has been modified. For example, the typical car from 1964 or earlier, in factory form, can't cruise comfortably and safely at 80-85 mph. Whereas the typical late model can. And while I agree that new cars have taken too much of the car's feel out and a significant part of the charm of an old car is the connection to the car and road, I disagree that basic modifications for safety (like disc brakes, electric windshield wipers, etc.) somehow ruins the car or the driving experience. I don't think this holds true for all parts of the country, or even for all people in their own circumstances and how much, how often, and how far they drive. Everyone has their own unique situation. It's not a catch all.
Remember when my 34 Ford was stock with it's 221 flathead V8....Came with a 4.10 gear... Didn't like the interstate at 80mph....Mechanical brakes and bias ply tires.... Oh very weak lighting with bulbs and reflectors....Good for their day but time marches on and even traditional hotrods are better than when these cars were new....
I can't speak for everyone but I know my cars abilities and can drive them accordingly. I drove my 61 Impala last week to a car club meeting about an hour away at 5 pm on a week night in rush hour traffic thru Minneapolis and had no problems driving 70-75 mph at times and also had no problems when the highway traffic ground to a screeching halt. Where is it that the speed limit is 85 mph?
Seems quixotic to think that just because the speed limit isn't 85 that lots of people aren't doing 85. That's the reality here. I can't speak for everyone else, but my commute to work is 58 miles (each way) of mostly Route 78 towards Manhattan. If you're not doing 80 in the left lane, you're going too slow. If you're doing less than 80, you're mixed among semi-trailers and some combination of slow traffic, commercial trucks, and people weaving in and out. At any point in time, someone may slam on their brakes in front of you because they weren't paying attention. Leave too much space in front of you, and another car is going to squeeze in there. I drive this every day, to the tune of 30-35K miles a year. Additionally, I'm also often wearing a suit, and need working climate control so that when I get to where I'm going, I'm not a sweating, disgusting mess after sitting in stopped traffic on the Pulaski Skyway in 90 degree heat for the last 25 mins. This is my reality. So for this type of use, I don't think that an old car, in factory form, is a real good option. None of this prevents me from logging thousands of additional miles a year on my classics. But I don't subject them to that kind of daily abuse. Perhaps if I worked more remotely more often, or ever changed offices to an office closer to my home, I would reconsider.
Commuting in an old car takes more gumption than most people have, that's why you see very few people doing it. It's not impossible, it's just inconvenient. Taking a road trip in an old car, is pretty much the same way. If you think about all the things that could go wrong, you'll never get off your ass and do it. A few of us think about how we can overcome the challenges, and we do. Nothing to it, really. Just get in the car, and go.
When I was working, my commute was the shittiest possible 40mile one way trip around 494 (twin cities bypass loop) and while I didn't do it every day I drove my old cars to work dozens of times each summer.
Any time someone asks if it's safe to drive a car with drum brakes I'm like, "you were born, weren't you?"
it really just depends on where you live. out where i live i could possibly drive a model A in stock form and be alright, no worries about going too slow. but if i lived inner city or had to drive freeways every day? i would probably need to upgrade the car from its stock form or get one that is stock, with options for cruising at higher speeds, such as 3.08 rear gears, an overdrive transmission, and possibly ac since people now cant just keep moving.
How fast do you need to go? I spent a lot of time driving the 59 Rambler on my last trip at 65-75 mph, and it has no overdrive, 3.87 rear gears. The car will go that fast, no problem. It's just that today, we're not used to having the engine running 3000 rpm all the time, so we can't bring ourselves to do it. Never used to be an issue, when the cars were young. and I've driven my Chevy II everywhere from southern California, to New Jersey, and lots of places in between. It's pretty much the same everywhere.... Driving a stock car from the 20s-30s is a different ball game, though. The oldest car I've put a lot of miles on was a stock 1940 LaSalle, it made the trek from AZ to Chicago, to LA, then back to AZ. The only real problem was that the water pump leaked most of the way, which was inconvenient.
When you drive a dropped short bus 75-85 on the interstate, the only major issue is the people with their cameras out. Makes changing lanes a little difficult. Traffic? It’s the same no matter what. AC? Grew up without it. I like it. But it’s not necessary to enjoy the ride. Put probably as many miles on drum brakes as disc. Same for points If ya need em use em. My next ride I’m planning will have discs but mostly because a drum brake drop spindle isn’t available. Folks ask how I drive crap stupid low. I tuck the important stuff up out of the way. If the unimportant crap drags it drags. my current beater drags in my own driveway. The next one should drag as well. There’s a skill to drive low. If you trust your ride the 10-20 miles to a cruise in, then it’s good for cross country. Take some fluids, a couple spare parts, and some hand tools if that helps ya feel better. We had a customer leave our shop in Bama in a 33. Drove to Cali then headed north and looped back to bama. 6k mile madden voyage. Its more of a state of mind than anything the idea that you have to get somewhere as quickly as possible is a foreign thought for me. If you can get somewhere in X hours, I guarantee I can beat that. I’m 3 hours from Nashville. I made the trip home in 11 hours one time. Enjoyed it.
The Jalopy Journal
