Misconceptions of old cars.

Ya the mpg thing.

Stopped at a stoplight I was asked once if it was a gas hog. 53 with a Inline6 and OD. They didn't ask really, posed it more as a rhetorical slam. I looked around saw an H2 and a suburban in front of me. As they were giggling to each other I just leaned over and said yes, much better then those. I get just over 20 in the 53'. About 10 in a H2.

Perception.

 

Slamming doors pisses me off, I have had windows cracked because of it. People always say old cars are unreliable. I have had five cars from '87-'92 and they were unreliable. My '56 is the most reliable vehicle I have ever had. When I was going to drive my '56 from Regina, Sk to San Jose, CA everyone said I wouldn't make it and I would brake down. Sure enough she made it!
People also always say the overheating thing. This may be true for some cars but I have been stuck in the middle of summer in L.A. in bumper to bumper traffic with heavy humidity in the '56. Needless to say she ran fine. All my friends always have problems with their late models, then have to take them in when they are fucked. My '56 just keeps humming along!

 

yep,it happend,

thats what i was told as a youngin as well, never touch another guys car.
i tried fixing the latch but it still doesnt work right.



on another note, i get the 'it will be nice when its done' as well.

 

I get from my relatives there just a waste of time and money. Yet they spend all day fishing and throw the fish back in the lake.

 

The slamming door thing is a big misconception, I can close the door on my Buick with my pinky finger, take it easy on the hardware!

 

Thats because most car guys are friendly!.....However there is a prick in every crowd.....no pun intended

 

The best one i got was just the other day, I was in my 35 ford chopped top flathead. This guy starts telling me about his 85 honda motorcycle. It took me a minute to not understand him and ask what he was talking about. Then he says "my 1985 honda bla bla bla". what the hell. Im gunna start buggin random people and start telling them about stuff they dont care about.

 

Modern driver mentality;"that's only an old truck, it can't possibly go very fast so it's obviously safe for me to pull out of this side Street in front of it very slowly."
Followed by screeching brakes as 351 Winsor has to slam the anchors on to avoid collision with Fiat Punto
Paul

 

Try to find a 20 to 30 something year old that can start a carburated vehicle or god forbid one with a manual choke.

 

Yeah, Fishing, What's up wid dat?
My mom wonders why my 2008/new Mazdaspeed 3 sits outside in the weather while my 40 Merc is cozy in the garage all the time

 

About the best one I have heard. An old lady pulls up next to me in an older PT Cruiser and asks if my 39 Chevy is the newest year/model PT Cruiser, and then tells me that if it is- they made it to big.

 

hey now, i'm 33 and have owned carbureted cars since i got my license!!
my 55 has NO choke and i can get her warmed up in the dead of winter thankyouverymuch!!

 

That you are rich and are throwing money away.

I was at the body shop helping work on my 57 and a visitor came in and said that they wished they were filthy rich so they could own one. Of course he didn't know I was the owner, but I spoke up and told him, "Not rich, just resourcefully and willing to lean".

At the gas station the other day and a homeless person came running over, bypassing 4 other people filling up their cars, to ask me for money.
Yeah right, I just put all my cash in the self serve machine at the gas station. Also I had to take my wifes birthday cash to put gas in my truck (too lazy to goto the bank first).

 

that is friggin hilarious!!!!!!!!

 

My big 2 is...

You must convert it to an alternator for it to be reliable.

You must use an electric fan to prevent it from over heating.

I run into the opposite problem...people keep trying to carefully shut the door like it's a piece of china. I tell them it's just an old car shut it like any other car door...firm but not slammed. New door gaskets sometime need a firm hand.

 

What's even harder to find is a older mechanic that can work on a newer computer controlled car.

 

the trick is to ask them for money first.....

 

Try finding a 20-30 something who does not own a throttle body or FI vehicle! Better yet, find one that knows how to drive a 3 on the tree.

The fuel economy question gets annoying, but I enjoy making people think I am full of shit...my '49 is better on gas than your '99. It actually does...I owned a '99 F-150, and my '49 does better.

My door hardware sucks, so they need a little more umph. That dont mean I slam other peoples doors. I would rather have to close it a few times than heave it shut.

The typical gawks at an unsafe vehicle, or a rusty truck, or it will look nice when it is done comments.

The thing that really pisses me off is people feel the need to dog on my ride cause I dont run a 350. I dont care if it is a Metro 3 banger...unless you are building it shut the hell up. Admire if you wish to, if not walk on. I am tired of hearing, "It would run a lot better with a chivvy." No, really it wouldn't. People seem a bit put off when I tell em that too. Hey, you want to pay for it? I will build anything you want as long as you pay for it.

People seem to think F-1's are rare and saught after which makes me laugh cause I thought they were fairly common.

There are more...I will think of em I am sure.

 

hahah well mine you do have to slam the doors....and i get like 12 mpg....
and i was just broken down...

i guess i fit the stereotype! haha

 

My fav are the know-it-alls. I had someone once tell me my 350 sbc was actually a 262- he could tell by the intake. (?!?) When I told him that intake was dz302 he became adamant that it was a 262 intake. (oil filler tube on the intake) He then looked at the back of the block and read my block casting number (wrong) as proof.

I do, however, love it when I'm wrenching away and folks stroll by, stop to chat.

 

My come back to those type of "statements" is
"It's all in your priorities. I don't have kids sucking me dry, I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I don't spend money foolishly at the mall". By the time I finish with this statement they are shaking their heads in agreement as most can relate to at least one of the things I mentioned as costing alot of disposable income.

 

I get that all the time because my '59 ford custom 300 is down to bare metal (its cleared too) - or "you need to primer it soon"

also what i dont get is everyone feels the need to touch either of my vehicles. Just because they are 50+ years old doesnt mean you have to touch them

 

You made me think on that one. The local code nazi told me that my old cars lower property values. I told him that my neighbors would be pleased to get a lower tax bill.

Exactly. I am pretty sure if I wanted to talk to someone I would let them know. Hell I'm even pretty picky about the car people that I know when it comes to conversation.

 

Tell the youngster to politely F O and park it in your designated spot...

 

Well...that's kinda true

 

My wealthy brother-in-law (He and my sister drive nothing but BMW's!) looked at one of my cars and said: (in true "treehugger" fashion) I'll be that leaves a large "carbon footprint"! I replied: "gasoline is evil, and I am destroying it one gallon at a time"!

 

Appropriate response:
"I bet my foot will leave a large boot print on yer ass!!"

 

Buying a new car every 5-10 years leaves an imprint as well. I believe the amount of gas it takes to produce a car from raw materials is around 1k gallons of gas. Carbon debt.

"it takes 113 million BTUs of energy to make a Toyota Prius. Because there are about 113,000 BTUs of energy in a gallon of gasoline, the Prius has consumed the equivalent of 1,000 gallons of gasoline before it reaches the showroom. Think of it as a carbon debt "

 

24 years old here, had carbs in my daily driver since I finished my F100 at 17. The F100 had a manual choke. There are young guys on the HAMB, don't count us out.

F100 was a three on the tree, too.

 

that reminds me of that south park episode where everyone bought priuses and the town became polluted with smug(arrogance) filtering from CA to CO. It was funny even if you don't like south park.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQBz3h5gnc
commentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpWbObKK_tg&feature=related