Hot Rods I have no desire to drive my just finished Jalopy....

That thing needs a old gravel back road and a couple corners and then give her that maiden voyage, heck she deserves that !!

Then after letting her breathe and stretch her legs a little then decide if it's time to start another project or drive this one for awhile....


...

 

I call the old girl Judy...

I gotta push her outside and see how the old girl looks in the sunlight...
I am hoping to sell a 1948 Willys Jeep in the next month so I can put this in the carport for the winter...then come spring decide what I want to do with her...

She is cool old girl too...makes me smile every time I see her sitting in the garage...

 

I didn't drive my '32 Roadster to the last LARS. Neal asked me if I drove my Roadster or the 3W. Nope, drove my 28 year old GMC Suburban. Since 2008 I have driven the Roadster to the LARS and have experienced the danger of driving on the freeway. Too many close calls. When I drive my '32s it's out on the roads and highway away from the 80+ mph insane drivers. One of my oldest friends left California for New Mexico and has enjoyed the lack of traffic and wide open roads where he lives. I talked to a number of attendees at the LARS who also didn't drive their Roadsters because of the dangers on the freeways. I understand the reluctance to drive because of the insane speeds and out of control drivers.

 

No reason to worry about driving the OPs ride

that beater is built for contact

 

I’ve gotten tangled up with deer in two of my old cars in the last year. Both are fixed and I keep on driving them.

 

Most of my driving is on the freeway, and nowadays it is a risky deal with bias plys and drum brakes.
I’d rather be working on them, too.
At 78, I have little need to drive very far except to keep it running with some regularity.,

 

I build nothing. I enjoy the hunt and as soon as it's on the trailer the fun is over and it's time to sell the dream.

 

I only hope I never lose the interest and fun of driving…

 

Get in it and go for a spin ... stop procrastinating ... old guys are to be brave leaders.

 

I took this picture Thursday morning, at the beginning of a mostly impromptu 1000 mile two day trip.

I think it's what makes all the working on the car, worthwhile.



Then again, for the first 500 miles of the trip, I did not see one other older car on the road. So I guess I'm one of the very few that actually gets a thrill out of driving an old pile they put together?

 

I agree. I fix 'em and get dirty, bloody,tired and pissed off so that I can drive the wheels off later. Makes it worth it!

 

The OP'S front springs are too much, looks like upper arms are bottomed out or close to it. He had fun building it, now wants sympathy. HO trains would be better.

 

Hey Seb funny thing my dad had HO trains back in the day...
No sympathy needed buddy...just no desire to drive this old project...I have rebuilt and driven old Jeeps and old AD style trucks before...there is just too much traffic to enjoy the vintage vehicles around here...
I think I got spoiled by growing up driving old German cars...

Thanks for all the insight guys...

 

When I first built my '34 in the '70's I drove it everywhere in various stages of completion and loved it. Then in the '80's I tore it down to the frame to "improve" it. By the time I got the improved version going 25 years later, it wasn't the same. The thrill was gone. Put about 20 miles on it and sold it.

 

I got to load up some scrap in the 61 this week.
I’m fired up just thinking about driving the old flatbed loaded.

 

the fun is in the build..sell and build another one

 

I concur, having my daily late model pickup in the shop(due to my stupidity), I was forced to use one of my "classics" until my rental was available.
It was very nostalgic; I went back in time when all I had was a not-that-old then classic, the thrill of sitting and sweating with the windows rolled down, inhaling too-rich exhaust fumes from a poorly tuned "performance" carburetor(s) with mufflers too loud, while everyone around is in air conditioned solitude. Next, the excitement of having to anticipate every move in traffic due to inefficient brakes, cooling system and suspension that has been obsolete for decades, all on outdated tires listening to outdated music on an outdated sound system. I had no options in my wasted youth...now I do. These old cars are fun to work on and modify, restore, race and so on, but only toys. As far as driving, only when conditions are perfect.

 

If I had a finished car on the road earlier my opinion might be different, I don't have any motivation to have a licensed street legal vehicle. I have had the joy of looking at other peoples vehicles over the past 63 years in the hobby, had the honor of working some really fine cars. Never had any reason to test drive a paint job.

 

I have found you have to pick your roads and time of day to avoid most of the crazy's. Took me 5 yrs to fix what was wrong with a "restored" 1947 Crosley in between other projects. I was afraid to go on the road with it but thought I should poop or get off the pot. So I registered it, made it to DMV and home without incident. In a ten year stretch me and the Shepard put 10k miles on the car till engine burnt a valve. Yes there was some "experiences" but we survived. Last 4 y years I have been playing with rebuilding/modifiing the Crosley engine, can't leave anything alone. And yes I will have to improve the brakes. I'd drive it; heck you might find something to improve/fixe/ignore. Choose your venue.

 

During the course of my working life as both a Boilermaker and a Teamster, I was gone from home much more than I was there. I had six kids and a wife who needed providing for. I tried a couple of times to start building cars that I thought I wanted, and each time work kept me from finishing them. I wanted a roadster, and finally settled on an OT Italian sporty car that was a blast to drive, but still not what I really wanted. Shortly before I got hooked up with the HAMB, I made the decision to build a car just for me. It was going to be a '27 T roadster, but in my haste, I really didn't have a plan. At the age of 73, I was literally starting out with this hotrod thing as if I were 17. I had acquired a few skills over the years, but not enough to get me to a finished car. The first frame I tried was off topic and just wasn't going to give me what I wanted, so I changed that. The first engine, a 289 Studebaker, seemed right at first until I thought about the parts problem if I were a long way from home. I grew up driving flathead powered cars, so that became my engine choice, and I was fortunate in finding a machine shop that worked with them regularly.

I bought a stock '29 A frame and things started to go together a lot easier. Everything was working until I realized that I was no longer that 17-year-old kid but an old man who had gotten larger. I just wasn't going to fit in the T. I think I gave in to desperation and bought a running, driving '46 Mercury four door and hauled it home from Texas. It wasn't what I really wanted, but with a little effort, I would finally be on the road. Turns out that the Merc was going to need a lot more effort than I had thought, so about 4 years ago, I found a front half of an A phaeton and started on an A roadster using the frame I had already built.

Shortly after that, my wife of over 50 years got very sick and it seemed that all my time was spent taking her to numerous medical appointments. I'm not complaining about that, it's what I signed up for when I married her. Since she passed away at the beginning of this year, a good part of my time has been taken up dealing with her estate.

A few months back, I was fortunate to find a fellow HAMBer who was willing to part with a very nice '48 Ford Sedan Coupe. It has a few issues, but nothing that can't be fixed. Hopefully, it will be on the road prior to the Dawsonville, GA Moonshine Festival. Then the plan will be to drive it to Oregon and meet Marty Strode. If I can find and meet other HAMBers along the way, that will make the experience even better.

I've driven over the road trucks for a good portion of my life under every possible condition imaginable. For me, the car is a time machine and the idea of driving an old car over the same roads doesn't bother me. What bothers me is the thought of not doing it, not looking out at the world through the windshield of a car that is only slightly younger than I am. I pity those who have lost interest in using their unique vehicles for what they were intended.

 

I guess I am just fortunate to live in a part of the country where it is easy to drive old cars even as daily drivers. Driving this junk is what keeps me wanting to work on it. But, I get that we all have different passions when it comes to this hobby,

 

It seems that the older I get, the more apprehensive I become in driving. Watching Derek on Vice Grip Garage go on road trips with unproven cars really helps getting over this paranoia. Then I take the car out of the garage and start whittling away at the little quirks to make it a legitimate road warrior.

 

The only way you're gonna make the car into something you can drive reliably, is by driving it, and fixing the stuff you need to fix.

Start with short trips, then keep increasing distance.

I have a week until my next trip, which starts with a little 1200 mile jaunt to the midwest, then gets interesting.

 

Squeaks and rattles
The smell of that small carb leak
A hint of exhaust smell
The sound of gas sloshing in the tank
All the window and cowl/side vents open.
No AC or radio, crappy heat
Crappy wipers
Smelling like a mechanic everywhere ya go

does the gas gauge still work? Maybe I’ll check it with a stick at the next stop.

dang my clutch knee popped again.

that seat spring broke again. Cool

man this thing smooths out after the tires warm up.

welp, drug that rear bumper again. Oh well.

I dont care if ya pass me, have a great day.

man those lifters and exhaust sound killer.

sold my 67 f100. Been driving a newer truck for a couple years. I miss driving old crap every day.
It’s too quiet and comfortable

 

I love building hot rods and driving them is always a plus. HRP

 

This might not help, but I gotta comment on this idea that these cars are toys that seldom get exercised. I drive the Willys in my avatar nearly daily into Atlanta, and am now rapidly approaching 100,000 miles. Lotta close calls, and I'm more cautious than ever. But once in a while I take my '05 truck, or my daughter's Camry. While I do appreciate how well they drive, They just don't suit me. Just another soulless spectator in life, passing the miles away. The Willys has quirks and oozes character, and the 2 times in 15 years I've taken it to a shop for help were to get the front axle re-cambered at a big rig shop, and to charge my homespun AC. The point is, it's my car, it's what I drive, and I don't feel comfortable in modern stuff. So if you don't want to drive your car, maybe it's not the right car for you.

 

At 77 I also like building more than driving. One reason is people on the road today are not paying attention.
I always have my lights on , day or night. I also curse. All I can give you for advice is, Go Man Go! Life is short, very short.

 

I’m almost 70 and man I dread the day that I’m not allowed to drive my cars anymore.

 

Load it up with your buddies and go visit somebody. The weekend before last we went to the Red Bull Circuit in Austria and watch other guys race their valuable cars. My favourites were Reini‘s Cheetha and some CanAm Lola Chevrolet or so. Still getting goosebumps.

 

Same here. Finally broke in the engine in an OT car, don't even want to start and tune it. I'm going through some medical stuff that might be an influence but it seems like it's been coming for a while now.