Art & Inspiration At what point does it stay in the garage

If you want an ornament, sell the car and buy a Ming vase. Way better investment........

What the hell is that thing in your mirror ???....

 

Driving my hobby cars is a big fun part of having them, I started 1964 at 16 in my avatar. I enjoy cruising, the people, all of it. I've encountered some unhappy people in our great hobby watching over their cars, scared to death that someone might touch it, heaven forbid a kid might get near it. IF you're the guy that has a high dollar car that puts you in a different category but driving them is the only way to go IMO, be sure it's insured properly as "Shit Happens". Now Old, today's drivers, cell phones and the traffic volume is Scary. I get why some beautiful rides are trailered and sit a mancave as a decoration, just not my deal. To each their own, the great part of the car hobby, there's a place for everyone, a cover for every pot, a seat or every ass. Enjoy the hobby.

 

For me it's an issue of parts availability. Every single metal, plastic, or glass piece of my C-10 truck is repopped by someone or another. Not so with my Rambler. So I drive the truck more in high traffic and long term parking lot situations.

 

My DD is 29 years old, and it isn't really a daily. I didn't drive yesterday, and I'm not going to drive today or tomorrow. I'll probably drive out on business on Thursday. I've gone to a lot of trouble to live where I can get to most stuff on foot or by public transport. Ideally I'd only want to drive on those occasions when there is some prospect of having fun doing so.

I'd rather not drive at all than be dependent on what the automobile has become. I refuse to own a new car.

Furthermore, I'd ideally want a car which was created through the efforts of people who are pretty much like me, in terms of economic and technological power. It follows that it could be recreated at any time through the efforts of people who are pretty much like me. None of that numbers-matching artificial scarcity ...

 

I' say that that is the whole deal right there.
I don't see anything wrong with the guys who don't drive their rods or customs on a daily basis and keep them in the garage and just use them for fun driving. Just not practical to drive daily covers a lot of our rides pretty well. Great to drive on a month long cross country trip but not real practical to drive to work or run errands with on a daily basis.

On the other hand I am seeing more more folks in the car hobby who won't even open the garage door if the weather looks iffy, The "I would have gone but it looked like it might rain" excuse is all too common around here. The "too valuable to drive" thing is a popular one here, Guys has a 30 K car that he thinks is too valuable to drive but tows it with a 90K year old 4x4 Diesel crew cab with the extra cost paint and uses a 20 K enclosed trailer to haul it in.

Personally, if I get the 48 the way I want it to be, the plan is to hit 3 indoor shows and then put it on the road and do a 2200 one way first leg of a road trip with it. Probably pulling a small camp trailer.

 

Old cars are a possession, to do with them what you will.
If you have one, a few, or a large collection, who am I to say what you do with them?
Myself, I get satisfaction when I open the garage door, and take a moment to appreciate what I have. If the urge to take one out strikes, so be it.
Enjoy your old car/s regardless, if you put many miles on them, or if they rarely leave the garage.
I really like my fruit trees, their bounty/foulage, but I can't enjoy the "fruits" of my labor, but for a short period of time...maybe I should cut them down, or get fake ones.
Practicality doesn't exist in this hobby.

 

I used to drive my stuff everywhere, Now after a few accidents and every one of them their fault(5 total and 2 of them were impaired) and my area full of people with no insurance and what not, I tend to not drive my stuff as much as I used to and its a shame....

Its an hour drive to get to roads that I like to drive on.... I guess when you don't feel comfortable in an area anymore with drivers around you its time to move, and that's the plan.

When the appliance is in the shop, the 56 gets worked as a daily, when I need a pickup, the 56 gets worked...

 

I have electric wipers, but I like rainx better. It works good on my car other than tire spray off trucks.

 

If I don't drive it I lose interest fast then it goes down the road.

 

My godfather used to own a RT/SE (I forget the model, but it was rare as hen's teeth). At my sister's wedding, he rolls up in a brand new Nissan 350z. I asked him what happened to the RT/SE. And his reply still rings in my ears. He said that he couldn't enjoy driving it anymore. Too much traffic. Too many dumb asshats that can't drive or don't give a damn about anyone's ride. So he sold it for a small mint and bought himself a new sports car. As he put it, if someone totalled this, he didn't care. If someone totalled his RT/SE, he'd probably go to jail.

I'm of the same mind. I never look at anything rare (even if I could afford it). Anything I own I plan to drive, albeit only during the summer because the salt will cut through it like butter here and a convertible would be too damn cold for half the year. I also live in lightly populated areas so that helps too. Should the day ever come where I'm forced to live in a city, I probably won't be able to drive anymore, so everything solves itself.

 

Glare ice would keep my hotrod in the garage. Of course it would keep me in the house also. Retired people don't have to go anywhere.

 

Look at all these fellas who can take their cars out of the garage! Hahaha!

I'm inching closer to the point where I no longer have to stay in the shop. This thread is great motivation.

 

This has been my problem that I'm trying to figure out. I have a few that I could probably never find replacements for if anything happened, or that are sentimental, but there's no way in hell I'll ever sell them. I've built a beater hot rod that I'm not worried about, but don't enjoy driving as much. So it helps but also doesn't help. I don't care about stuff getting rained on or some kid touching the paint, just not sure how I should feel about them being parked on the street etc as legitimate drivers and not just weekend cars. I don't live in a big city anymore but people are stupid everywhere.
Thanks for everyone's thoughts so far!

 

I try and drive my 49 if I’m running around town. I pick the kids up at school in it, take them to practice for all the sports they’re in. My wife thinks I’m crazy and says one day a dumb school kids gonna hit it. Im like well that’s what insurance is for. My kids are 10 and 5. I want them to have those memories of me taking them and picking them up in the oldies for ever. I’ve never owned an expensive classic but my new cars cost me over 60k and I drive them every where so why not the oldie?

 

Hello,

It was 1957 in the fall. My brother had just purchased his new Impala after selling a Model A Coupe and his lowered rake, 1951 Oldsmobile Sedan to a friend. The Impala was so black and shiny. I was given the job of being the maintenance guy, a job carried over from his 51 Oldsmobile Sedan days. I used Vista Wax among others and of course, did the whole car in Cadillac Blue Coral as a finish coat. The Blue Coral was the most difficult wax to put on and take off. One had to do a little space at a time. If left on too long, it was a bear to get off without leaving scratches.
The long line up of Buick sedans from 1949, 53, 57 and onward always took the easiest spot to park in the garage. The chrome rooftop vent on the Impala is shown in the photo, parked on the left side of the two car garage.

My brother drove it to school every day, the beach on the weekends we did not go to nearby Lion’s Dragstrip. But, after coming home from the beach areas, it got a wash and cleaning. The salt air did wonders on any paint and it went double for the color black. Sometimes there were miniature drops of white residue left over after coming home.

We even took it to the So Cal desert area for our forays into desert motorcycle racing time period. Pulling a trailer to house the bikes, supplies and parts was not a normal 58 Impala thing to do. Although it spent months pulling a 671 SBC powered 1940 Willys Coupe to Lion’s Dragstrip over a year’s racing in 1959-60.


Jnaki

By the time I became the owner of the 58 Impala, it had covered almost every inch of So Cal cruising grounds from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Multiple locations along the coast lines and many overnights in some sort of salty air. It even got covered in several inches of snow in the local winter holiday week long stays in the mountains. It was teenage workhorse, but the upkeep was done almost everyday and it was always in our garage after each use.

I cleaned it almost everyday and heard the comments about dust particles scratching the black paint, etc. But, the swirls never showed up as I took extra care of the detailing of the pristine paint. It could have been a “Garage Queen,” but, it was a hot rod sedan, a weekend drag racing Impala at Lion’s Dragstrip since the fall of 1957 and the modifications done to the car kept it out in front of all local So Cal cruising scene encounters. Time and effort paid off in droves.

We modified our two car garage by cutting a closet and a set of doors to allow the nose of the Impala to fit right inside and allow the garage door to close. At first, every time the Impala came home, it was wiped down with a provided waxy cloth used for dusting. We had to make sure it was clean and nothing was stuck in the weaving. Otherwise scratches became evident on the deep, black paint.
pro custom work by @themoose Thanks

It even went into a mild custom car stage still including the hot rod stuff, like the C&O Stick Hydro, the ported/polished heads, solid lifter Racer Brown cam and of course, either 4:11 or 4:56 Positraction rear end. Of course, all along with the conversion to all Buick Skylark Wire Wheels… It all led to “teenage freedom" and a whole world of exploration in its lifetime.

Garage queen? NAH! It was a daily driver for everything, including weekday drives our mom took when she borrowed the C&O equipped Impala to go to the grocery store(s). That was a sight to see and hear as she took off down the street. It was an automatic transmission after all … YRMV !

 

I'm raising a figurative rt hand to my 39 being a daily once done. I gotta be fair here tho, I live in a largely rural area, daily drive is only 5 miles 1 way to the shop, traffic is not even an issue since my hours are like 10a to 7p. Would I if I lived in a more urban area? Sure, but everything would certainly take longer. We trek to Auburn, IN every Labor Day weekend and I look fwd to it being the only mode of round trip transportation although not sure if this is the 1st year for that or not. Flying solo at the shop sucks in many ways, my car being 1 of em. After a literal lifetime of building show cars I truly understand the effort when prepping for exhibitions, yet these are functional exhibits as well. Conundrum.

Once a good pal asked what would happen value wise if he were to start driving his Packard a whole lot more. "If you do it might end up worth a lot more." "No I'm serious, don't be a smart ass." "So am I." I explained that a car which can win in judging AND gather substantial annual miles is certainly more desirable than a tire condom wallflower that only goes from trailer to lawn. If that means a couple times a year you spent a long weekend on ramps cleaning it for a show that's a small price to pay. Even in generalities for all of us, there's no bravado in slamming something kool or real nice down a gravel road at 60+ MPH just because you can. Driving pleasure should not include disrespect, and I don't even run my dailies like that. Random thoughts...

 

I drive a 25 year old truck all the time
Everywhere
I drive my 52 year old C10 all the time
Everywhere
I drive my 55 year old camaro all the time
Unless its raining, (primer)
My only Hamb friendly car, the 55, gets driven about 2-3000 miles a year.
So my stable of old cars gets way more miles than the newer vehicles.
Its like a time machine to me. I feel much younger in an older vehicle.

 

I put thousands of miles on both of my cars each year, and the only thing I do is keep them garaged in between driving. I wouldn't park them on the street overnight, but I have left one outside with a daily driver behind them if I'm leaving early the next morning.
What good is a hotrod if you're afraid to drive it, or have to stay with it wherever you park it?

 

I don't really go out during the day unless I absolutely have to (except for work), I drive around at night during the week and on weekends. There's way too much people and traffic for me even IF I had a new car. I'm really not a car show, traveler or vacation type of guy anyhow and all the places we used to go are now over run with people (old places, old towns to look at old buildings).....even in what used to be off times. I have 1 car at my moms which gets little use because it's a hassle to get it out......totally my fault for having too much.

 

Salt! I have had mine out playing in the snow, but not once it has been salted.

 

Built it tidy and with nice paint but serviceable. A wash and polish and you can use it as a wedding car, but I don't cry if I drop a socket in the engine bay. Tow a trailer, do the shopping, put lumber in it at the hardware store (with a dropsheet under the lumber). Keep it under a car cover most nights, but it can also sit out in the dew all night if needs be. Teach the kids to be sensible about what they eat/drink in the car, but don't have a hissy fit if they spill a small amount (get more upset if they leave wrappers in the car). Beat on it relentlessly at the weekly drags. Let the kids learn to drive in it.

It won't win trophies, but it has sure made a lot of people smile, and given me and the kids some great history to remember.




Cheers,
Harv

 

Cars are meant to be driven, racecars are meant to be raced, unfortunately sometimes accidents happen.