I'm a younger guy of 22 and I think I'm finally looking to pick up my first old car. I've been hanging around my uncles shop and reading a lot. I guess at this point, I'm looking for some opinions as you guys have had a lot more experience than I have with this stuff for the most part. I decided to get a new car cause I figured if I'm gonna be burning gas I'd rather have a car I like and could be proud of instead of my 85 Oldsmobile. After a little research I started hunting for a 60-63 falcon as they can make neat little customs and with a little work can be great on gas. Posted an ad in the HAMB cl***ifieds and looked around. Got a few responses and went over and talked to my uncles. He was rattling on and got off topic about putting a 427 in a falcon when he was young and ripping the bumper off doing a wheel stand and what not. But what I pulled away was that anything I get that old, I'm gonna have to put a decent ammount of work into to get it dependable because what I get is going to become my daily once I get it running. Makes sense. But that brings me to that point, while I can dig a lowered falcon, I really love 49-54 chevys and 49/50 fords. I figure, while they're older, they're gonna need just as much love as a 40 year old falcon might. Do you think that getting one of those might put me in over my head? I'll have plenty of guidance even if me and my uncles differ in taste. Furthermore, could something like that be made into a dependable daily with decent economy? Pros and Cons? The unibody aspect of the falcon has me a bit worried to be honest. Sorry if that's a bit long winded and a dumb question but I figure I'd be worse off not asking. I know I'll get the same speech from my uncle if I bring this up so I thought the encyclopedic knowledge of the HAMB might come in handy.
A mildly customised early falcon [or Comet] with 6 cyl makes an excellent daily driver and a fine entry level car to get into the old car hobby. They are not too expensive and you could learn alot fixing one up. Cut your teeth on one of these and step up to something else later. Hunt until you find one in pretty good shape. Don't worry too much about what other people think. Stick with what makes you happy.
My suggestion would be to just keep your eyes and ears out for any neat old car in your price range. Go take a look at it even if it isn't your dream car. Eventually, you'll find one that you can't stop thinking about and you'll just have to have it. With some hydraulics and 100 spokes, an '85 Olds would make a respectable lowrider. Seriously though, it could also make a good donor car for when you turn your jalopy into your daily driver!
Sounds like you have a good idea of what to think about, that's good to see! The newer the car, the less work you're gonna have to do as far as making it a nice driver, in general. The Falcon would have a more modern ch***is/engine, although it would be a "cheaper" car, so not as much performance or as nice a ride. But on the 49-50 Chevys the brakes are pretty bad, they had really steep rearend gears, 6v electrics, and splash oiled engines, so you'd probably want to do a lot of work to it to make it into something you'd want to drive around a lot. The falcon may sound similar with it's drum brakes, etc, but they really did make a lot of improvements in 10-12 years. Bottom line...if you think you have a good idea of what you're gonna want to drive for the next several years, then shop for the car you want, and be prepared to sink a lot of time/money into it. If you aren't so sure about what you want, and mainly want something to learn on, then don't be so picky, grab whatever is affordable and available and that you don't despise the looks of
any of those cars would make good daily drivers. there is a lot of replacement and aftermarket parts for all of them. the stock rebuilt motors or slighly hopped up motors would serve you well...there are even kits to put a SBC engine into the 49-54 chevy and 49-51 ford , or a SBF into the 49-51 ford . i think you could do it with a little help from your uncle a 427 in the falcon would take major work. i'd sugest figuring out what car you like the most and find the best project you can afford
Have you thought about trucks? They're cheaper, simpler, and, if you really wanna get into old cars, you're gonna need one. I'd have a truck project right now if I hadn't financed a late-model one four years ago when I was still figuring out how to buy a house...
Something to remember for you new guys - old cars do NOT drive like new cars. Obvious?? Yes. But, so many of us would like to think that the old cars are just as good as new cars for a daily. I say that you need to pick and choose, or modify a few items. One item would be Ford brakes. If it were a criminal act to equip an entire fleet with piss-poor brakes, the Ford boardroom of the sixties would still be in jail. I've driven a lot of 60's Ford cars (all drummies, no disc), and to a car they would NOT stop. Slow down, yes, but stop like traffic of today requires, never. And the six cylinder cars are so much worse than the eights. If there were anyone honest, the same would be said of tri-five Chevy brakes as well. There are bright (ish) spots: Chryslers generally had much better brakes, as did the more expensive GM products (above Pontiac). And there is always a disc conversion, along with power. That all said, there is also more maintenance in keeping an older car running on a daily basis. This was done 'back in the day', but few of us recall as it has been a gradual shift towards 100,000 mile plug changes and zero-involvement tune-ups. And when was the last time a new car needed a valve adjust?? My Mercedes still requires valve adjustments, but it's an '85, and the '86s do not. I guess what I am trying to say is that living with an older car on a daily basis requires a willingness to work on it weekly, a place to do said work, and you need to be ready for some downtime as parts sometimes need time to arrive. I run all 80's cars, which are NOT that old, but all still need regular and frequent maintenance. Yes, I've had older cars, and will again, but I'm STILL paying lawyers from my '02 divorce and subsequent custody battling... Cosmo
The two biggest factors are your budget and your skill level. I'm guessing that your skill level is lower given your age and concern for reliability and issues related to unibody. Don't take that badly, you had the sense to ask opinions, more than a few times, it sounds. My single biggest mistake, EVERY TIME I BUY A CAR, is that my money is burning a hole in my pocket. Best advice I can give, Don't rush into anything. I always jump on a tough deal, only to have a sweet one pop up after I've spent my money. My budget is really too tight to keep doing that... Go to as many shows as possible and take every chance you get to ride in the kind of cars you like. My wife really wanted a Jeep, until she got one. Then she hated the way it rode and steered.. You get the idea. When you know what you want, buy the best example you can afford. Keep in mind, rust often cost more than mechanical repairs. Lastly, get to know someone that is extremely skilled and knowledgeable in the type of car you want. When the deal comes, DO NOT BUY until he signs off on it. My brother wanted a yelllow stingray so bad that when he found one, he couldn't say no, he couldn't negotiate, he couldn't see the previous collision damage, he couldn't call me.... He did spend 3 times more than the car was worth and double that trying to save it. Now he has $40K in a $8k vette. Get it? Just get a second opinion from a pro! Oh, and welcome to the disease....
Old cars can be a addiction ... but do not jump off into the first car that comes along. There are a LOT MORE cars than there are buyers ... when it comes to 49/50 Fords and 49 to 54 Chevys ... Same for Falcons ... Pick out the one you really want and then find the BEST ONE you can afford. Buying in cheap costs money $$$ in the long run ... This little Ford is almost as stock looking as the day it rolled of the production line ... but look how cool it is ... Lowered a little, a set of skirts and decent hubcaps ... Just find a real good original car ... PAY THE $$$ ... clean it up and LEARN as you go
i have to agree with cosmo with the handleing factors and drivability for a daily i bought a 59 beliar and yeah its a land boat ..and its got alot of body lean but i like it it took me a few times to get the hang of driving it but after i dished out some money in her shes ridn good and im running a 283sbc and thats good enough with a 2 speed why do you need more...so like everyone else has said before me choose wisely...
not model oriented but something i tell all the young bucks who come my way wanting a first "old" car. go west young man go west. the less rust the better and jersey cars aren't noted as rust free. we just hauled three 47/48 fleetline aerosedans to canada from arkansaw, not rust free but better than most canadian vehicles avaliable of that vintage. just something to consider. roger
Mmm, as scottybaccus noted my concern for the unibody isn't so much the construction itself, it's that everything in my area rots and it seems it'd be a bit more of a hastle to deal with than a car that comes off it's frame. Are there certain states in particular or is it just a general "away from the coast" kind of thing? Thanks for all the responses guys/gals. I really appreciate it.
well i knew of a 63 or 64 falcon down here in va for sale it had a newly rebuilt 302 motor in it and it rand good had the original light bluish color paint so if your interested let me know and ill see if he still has it..i think he wanted like 3000 fo it
South & West. Texas, Arizona, Southern Cali. (more expensive) Kansas, etc. Stay out of wet mountainous areas, but don't overlook the Dakotas and Montana. Some of the best collections of vintage tin I have ever seen where in the North Central US. Also, the buyer beware is much more important when shopping at a distance. Watch for Ebay and Auto Trader sellers with multiple ads. Thay probably are rounding up and Marking up cars you can buy cheaper from individuals. Good luck!
Another thing to consider with older cars as daily drivers is that in general, the older they are the worse their wipers and defroster systems are. There are relatively easy but sometimes expensive ways to upgrade them but it is something to keep in mind. Aged seals that lead to water leaks only make the defroster situation worse. Maybe I'm a freak but driving around in a car with fogged up windows drives me nuts.
Just find a real good original car ... PAY THE $$$ ... clean it up and LEARN as you go [/QUOTE] words to live by.....and what ever you do ....don't buy a car and take it completely apart......a running car will keep your interest up......brandon
Buy something that runs and drives as-is. You'll be glad you did. And remember that four doors are cheaper than two, and you can always convert it later.
YUP. I've got a perfect 65 Futura 4dr. survivor in the garage. It's going to get full on Mustang suspension, a T-Bird Turbo Coupe 4cyl drivetrain, and it will probably be my kids first car. Don't be afraid to upgrade your older daily. Why endanger yourself just to make a point? And NO offense to you guys who drive em stock...just my opinion.
colorado, kansas, nebraska all are good low humidity states. when we do the pueblo colorado NSRA event i go to a few of the local wrecking yards-- the lack of major rust never ceases to amaze me. take old interstate 40 west and look at the wrecking yards that still exist along it. roger
Thanks for all the replies. I have some more stuff to run through my head. I heard the brakes on the falcons were terrible. Mechanical drums if I recall? I'll start looking out west. I do have a friend in AZ but I don't want to impose upon him too much. Thanks again.
when we started looking for aerosedans we called a fellow streetrodder in arkansaw who drives an aero, figured he would know where there was a parts car. two weeks later we drove down and he took us to see ten in a hundred mile radius, we bought three. he enjoyed the search, we compinsated him for his expenses and the whole thing was an enjoyable adventure for everyone involved. call your arizona friend maby google a falcon site and talk to the enthusiast there . roger
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