Old car reliability......

Hi guys and gals,
What are your opinions on old cars and reliability? I know it has alot to do with the particular car, but I just mean generally speaking how do you feel about taking your car out on a long trip? Do you carry spare points and trust the rest? Do you have faith in your old ****** and rearend? I'm asking 'cause I recently got a '55 olds with the 324ci/hydramatic that hasn't been registered since '74. I like to drive my cars where-ever I want, a trip to Reno here n there, whatever. Anything I can do to be reasonably sure I'll make it there and back? Just pickin' your brains!

See 'ya later- John

 

AAA ...free towing and other ****

 

i actually feel better in my 53 than my 2002..mostly because if something goes wrong i can fix the 53..the 02..**** open the hood and scratch my head..

 

You has to treat it like an older car. Check vital fluids every day, not monthly as if it were a late model. And on long trips check fluids at every gas up. As to YOUR '55 Olds, it's been sitting a long time and the seals and gaskets are most likely dried out. Some will be OK, but some will need replacement. For long trips, carry spare points, condenser, dizzy cap, fuel filters, oil, coolant, wheel bearings (not that easy to find for non Chev/Fords), fuses fan belts and basic tools. People really DID take long trips way back when, ya know? Also, add some real gauges, don't trust idiot lights.

Happy motoring to you, John.

PS, post a pic of your Kettering powered Olds and you automatically become a HAMB Rocketeer.

 

I personally would prefer my '53 to any other car I agree with others that say if something breaks I can fix it

 

Old cars are in some cases more reliable than newer ones. They're much simpler, and roadside fixes are more probable. But I would never take a car on a long trip unless I was confident it would make it. I think that if you're confident in your abilities then you should go wherever you want, provided those abilities allow you to determine whether or not a car is mechanically sound.

 

I've driven nothing but an old car daily since 1977, they break, you fix 'em. You have to get to know them and the only way to do that is to drive them....a lot. You get to know which sounds might spell trouble, you have to check fluids and you gotta take care of 'em like the cantankerous old senior citizens that they are.

 

I've never hesitated to take an old vehicle on a long trip, but I'm also the kind of guy that tries to ward off problems before they start by replacing items like water pump, fuel pump, etc. before the fifty year old units have a chance to **** out and strand me somewhere.

 

I have never owned a new car or even semi-new car.......... I get around

I carry some tools if I'm going far and a AAA card

Most of my stuff has no spare tire

 

Old cars can be reliable. However you have to be willing to make a roadtrip an adventure. I got AAA just for this reason. Heck I got the premium membership so I can get home. I think a break down is part of the alure of a roadtrip. if something goes wrong you have to have the right at***ude, let some old guy help you out, get flat towed for miles through the desert, push start your car, bum gas off some hot chick. Roll with the problems, dont get in a hurry, have some fun. Who cares if you get stuck in east-gish for a night, make the best of it, create a memory you will never forget.

 

Im into the modern drivetrains, but not everyone is. I took the 324 outta my 55 and went SBC after two bum rocket motors. Still on the road being driven with only oil changes being done.

 

Feel fine about taking the cars on trips. We've got over 200,000 on one of the cars.

I say get AAA and bring your sense of adventure and you'll be fine. Half the fun (or more) is in the trip to your destination.

 

If you can ride around town every day for weeks going to work, the mall, the movies, the grocery store without a problem you can take a trip. Short trip in town use is much harder on every system in a car, cooling, brakes, tires, electrical so a trip of 150 or 350 miles or more should be not only a nice break for you but also for your car.
This of course ***umes you had the foresight to do the common maintenance on an old car that you knew nothing about when you bought it, i.e., replace all belts and water hoses including byp***es and heater, replace all three(2 front, one rear) flexible rubber brake lines, check all brake cylinders for any sign of leaks, check all brake linings and drums, grease all wheel bearings and u-joints, change all filters and fluids, and maybe even treat the old beast to a new set of tires & tubes, if you use them. Make sure you have a jack, lug wrench, and good spare tire (a modern donut can be gotten cheap and many now have dual bolt patterns).

 

Reliable? Hell yes! I'd gladly tow a boat from here to california with the galaxie if I could just get it to start.........

 

I do not own any car newer than 41 years old.
I rarely drive the 1966 car
I have been driving my 1939 Ford every day for 16 years.
My 31 Ford-12 years
the 35 Ford-5 years
my 57 Chevy about 9,
the 59 Ford about 7
If you drive your car every day and repair it as needed, there wont be very many 'brokedown on the road' problems

I've never called for a towtruck, (I have towed my own cars home)
I have never had AAA

 

One more thing you have to do before you leave is rent and watch the original "The Hills Have Eyes" and maybe the original "Texas Chainsaw M***acre" remember no bbq in the middle of nowhere..

 

PS, get the manual for the car. NEVER flat tow a Hydramatic. They're good transmissions, if treated right. You have to check fluid with the car in drive while car is running.

 

Like others have said.

A late model may not have as many problems (yet) or break down as often (yet) but when it does, it is usually something that you can't diagnose or fix on the side of the road. Their designed to be that way.

Old car, much different and simpler. Made for people to work on them, instead of being plugged into a wall at a dealership and diagnosed.

 

Reliability problems are all the same things, old car or new...corroded terminals, bad grounds, crud in fuel system. That kinda stuff. I guess lubrication is an age diference...old cars have about 99 grease fittings and a generous selection of oil cups...
To live with one, you learn what MUST be in good shape, like wiring, the things that leave you walking, and what will happily chug along forever, like a slightly tired engine.

 

The old saying. Take car of it and it will take care of you.

It comes down to regular maintainance and understanding your junk.

 

I hate when I have to do that..Its always best to get a kid to do that since they are smaller and easier to strap down to the front of the car...just keep it under 30 mph..you dont want to kill anybody

 

I took mine to New Zealand.

I do proper maintenance regularly and did an extra look over before I left (brakes, all fluids, electrical).

We did 1400 miles.

A new car wouldn't have been the same trip.

 

In June, my old farm truck and I took a 23 day, 4,783 mile roadtrip on two-lane blacktop roads for the most part. I took a pickup bed load of parts, but it did not break down on me. I blogged it as I went and, if you're interested, the story is here.

http://www.laroke.com/larryk4674/2007/trip7summary.htm

Just drive 'em

 

I have no problem driving a well maintained car on a long trip. New or old.
Basically, the way I see it, new cars are superior in sealing technology and metallurgy. So, like someone else said, check fluids more often.
Thats about it, made way simple.

 

Daily drove my c10 all thru highschool and never had an issue. Was much more fun and I like working on it much more than my BMW. I do all the maintenance on both, but the truck is easier. Like someone earlier said, treat it good an it'll treat u good.

 

If you cannot fix it on the side of the road, don't drive it...

My old Stude has now got 130,000 miles on it...the last trip was to Joplin, MO for the HAMB Drags end of August...that was a 13 1/2 hour trip (759 one way miles)...the engine was never shut off for more than 15 minnits (gas, pee stop, grab a soda)...even an old 400" SBC can be reliable...and still crank out a 15.6 second quarter...

Drive it...it's more fixable than anything built after 1985...

R-

 

i just jinxed myself..my 02 chevy just took a dump on the e-way on my way home tonight..now if i was drivin my 53 she would have gotten me home..dam new ****!

 

Hey bardahl , that roadster is awesome, man !
just posted it again ,can´t get enough of that beauty !

 

I drive my old cars everywere, even a 600 mile road trip every summer in a flathead V8 car. I always carry spare parts- carbs, complete distributor, fluids, spare, ect. Mostly because I have the stuff layin around. I have only broke down once, 100 miles from home with no idea why the car just died along I-90. AAA towed me right to my door, found the problem the next day- bad coil wire. Now I carry a spare coil wire as well

 

cellphone, AAA, is all you'll need. And you might need it alot. As far as fixing it on the side of the road goes, that's all well and good if you NEVER travel at night, and never travel in remote/questionable regions. New car reliability is better, ride quality is better, and in 80% of the cars, gas mileage is better too. The big difference is in whether you WANT to take the long trip in the old car, or if you HAVE to take that same ride. I've done both over the years. If I WANTED to, it worked out great. If I HAD to, things got all ****ed up.