Old car reliability......

I had a 32' Ford and a 65' Chevy I wouldn't hesitate to drive across the country. Everything was new and road tested. I have been on 8 hour road trips, one way. I just check fluid levels and for leaks at each gas stop. I do carry a tool box, plugs, duct tape, wire, etc....

 

I drove a '60 Pontiac daily for about 2 years, and I had a couple of '72's with 455's after that. The '60 would eat generator brushes, but the electricals got screwed up not long after I got it. They never broke down on the side of the road, though, the worst I had from them was stupid things like having to drive 25 miles with no generator, having to use jumper cables to start the car because the solenoid disc was pitted up... nothing ever left me stranded. If you have a fairly decent knowledge of cars and can fix the small stuff yourself, you should be fine. Even my Suburban I drive now, the ****** cooler line popped a leak one day 100 miles from home, I had to fix it on the side of the road.

The only one that did let me down was a '77 Buick with a Pontiac (corporate) 301. I probably shouldn't have bought that car... I got about 1000 miles out of it and it threw two rods. Oil was full of coolant, I think the head gasket leaked.


Thing is, when they were new, people drove them daily and cross country too. Just being old doesn't make it unreliable. You have to maintain it properly, is all - and that means following the standards for that car, not for a new car.

 

I put almost 30,000 miles on a 1968 International Travelall last year with no problems, just keep up with maintnance. Treat her right and she'll treat you right.

 

i drive my old ford (58) y-block everywhere my 50 chevy too run up and down the north east cell phone aaa plus and a tool box if you keep the mant. up you can go anywhere

 

Geez...
I have rendered this thought in my mind a LOt lately.

My Econo has led me to and from work for the last 4 years. It has taken me to the Portland Swap Meet three times.
Yeah it overheats at times.
It has eaten its share of tires, oil and antifreeze.
I have to call in sick 6 times in four years to do a quick Hail Mary repair.
the damned thing goes like HELL but steers like a Radial Flyer wagon.
So why do I continue to do so?
Because with all of the silver ****ing new cars on the road (really. SILVER. it is kind of unnerving.) that yellow hunk of **** sticks out.
It lookes great. Still gets 18-20 mpg and I cannot let it go.
I have looked at the new 2008 HHR panel trucks.
They look really kewl.

But, where is the soul, man?

 

My 50 Chevy has never let me down but my 38 drove me up the wall all summer but she is 100% healthy now

 

I find them to be MORE reliable than a new car. Yeah stuff breaks, but guess what. you know your stuff and have knowledge about your vehicle. That is what makes it more reliable than anything else on the road. It breaks, you fix it. That new **** breaks, they gotta send the damn car to Microsoft to fix the computer lmao. Not literally, but you get my point.

 

I am knocking on wood right now, but I have yet to be really screwed out on the road. We travel quite a bit and have only been on the hook once. And that was a newer motor car. My flatty and hemi have been very reliable. Hell the flatty ran on 7 cylinders for a year, it wouldn't die. These arent new parts cars either.

32 roadster-
58 hemi
37 la salle trans
40 rear with and early quicky

40 ford-
stock running gear

chuck

 

My parents were always disapointed in the old relics I drove and my Dad said "If your are going to drive those old cars you should take a good pair of shoes with you, cause yer gonna be walkin". A friend once said " you love it when things break" not true but things do break. Its really a matter of being part of the problem or part of the solution.

 

The more you drive them the more reliable they are. If something goes wrong you usually have a indication of a problem and can nurse it along to a better location to repair, not so with newer stuff. If it fails, it dies leaving you stranded. There is something to be said about being able to handle some repairs with a dull ****er knife and a rusty pair of pliers when you have to.

 

It's all about the maintenance. All good advice so far, but if it has been sitting that long, I would drain / flush the gas tank too.

 

From the late 80s until the late 90s, my daily driver was a '70 Dart *******. I know, late model by hamb standards..... Anyhow, I couldn't even tell you how many miles I logged on that car but it was tens of thousands. There's a 1,000 mile round trip that I make several times a year and that old Dart made it many, many times. Not only did that car never, ever leave me stranded, I don't remember ever having to work on it anywhere but at home. By the time I got rid of it, it had nearly 200K miles on it.
Some kid and his dad bought it as a project along with a fresh, modified small block, headers and a 4-speed that I sold them to go along with it. They put it all together and the last I knew, they still had it.

 

While in Forida, I drove a '54 Buick daily for a year and a half. The clutch disc failed slowly, taking out the pilot bearing, which took out the input shaft on the trans. Buick manual transmissions don't grow on trees, so the car is still sitting in my shop.
For the last year and a half, I've driven a '62 Suburan every day, putting over 20,000 miles on it. I bought it as a $2,000 truck, so it's not restored or anything. I've been upgrading as I go. It just got a new engine in place of tired original 283, new trans in place of the granny 4spd, and new power dual reservoir brakes.
It hasn't been without it a couple problems, but for the most part it's been great. Never left me stranded, and ALWAYS fired right up.
Our "new" cars, a '93 Concord and 2001 Dakota, have been more problem that the Sub. Both of the late-models have left my wife stranded with a dead battery, and me stranded once. When a computer car battery gets below a certain point, the car won't start at all...not even a click on the solenoid. And there's NO warning before. Drive to the store no problem. Come out, dead car. Happened three times between the two vehicles.
Also had a heater core die in the Dakota, which pumped hot steam into the p***enger compartment on a long trip. It smelled like smoke, and took a dealership at the off-ramp 20 minutes before they determined it wasn't smoke, but was coolant and a leaf smoldering on the core. Getting it fixed later was $400, because they had to drop the steering column and take everything apart all the way to the p***enger door to get at it. 16 hours, according to the manual.

We just sold the Concord, the wife drives the Dakota, and I'll never have a daily that doesn't have vent windows.

-Brad

 

Yeah but your idea of a long trip is to the liquor store, then to the strip bars! At the Hotrod Hayride this year Imet a bunchof folks who asked me "your from the States? do you know Nads?" your a star!

I have had older vehicles as daly drivers and had no trouble, just be sure they are in decent shape to start with and keep em' tuned up. Also as many have stated carry spares with you......

 

What's wrong with the input shaft, just the pilot bearing end? Have it turned down smooth, make a hardened (light) press fit bushing back to size and go!

 

Wow! Got what I was looking for! I was out visiting my family last night and asked my Granfather the same thing, he said the same thing. I asked him how well they got along with the cars of the day and he said just keep 'em maintained and they go and go. He thought it was funny though, as if I thought they were drivin' horse-n-buggies or somthing!! Looks like I need to start makin' a list. Thanks a ton for the replys. I can fix stuff, I just don't want to have to every time I'm out. But it looks like I can apply your ideas and keep the breakin' down to a minimum.
Later- John

 

I have the same car (see avatar) been driving it everyday unrebuilt for 8 years until a freeze plug cut loose and I blew the head gasket. Once you get all your basics done it should be very reliable, couple of tricks I have done to mine is electronic ignition from pertronix and an unleaded fuel rebuild kit for the fuel pump I bought on ebay. The engine and transmission in your car is known for exceptional strength take care of all the ills of sitting too long and I bet you'll be surprised how tough it is.

 

Smell the trans dipstick. If it smells burnt or stinks, change it, & don't forget to drain the converter. If it's clean & red, don't touch it. If it doesn't run away on the 2-3 shift, it's probably not going to give any trouble. '49-'55 Olds was noted for valve train noise, especially if the oil didn't get changed much. 3 or 4 500 mile changes with a pint of ATF will usually make things quieter. The mid-'50s Oldsmobiles are awfully hard to hurt unless neglected.

 

Extra points? Why? Points will give a lot more warning than electronic ignition when they need attention. I drive my old cars everywhere, just like when they weren't old cars.

 

My 2 cents: A decent non-california gascan(emissions pieces of **** never work) is a great thing to have, along with some road triangles, a good maglight, some tools, and a AAA card. Maybe a mexican blanket to throw on the ground if you have to get under the car. I also have a little battery jumpstarter deal. Can never be too prepared. My AAA Premier membership has been a god send though, with handling my ***le/registration problems and giving me a tow when I needed it. Best money I've spent, and i've got peace of mind if something happens they'll help me out asap and even call me a cab if need be. Also if I'm broke down on the way back from vegas, I can get a 200 mile tow for free. Yeee haw!

 

I drove my 1959 Ford Ranchero pulling my dragster on a trailer from South Texas to California, all over California and back with no problems whatsoever. Of course that was in 1959 and she was new. No A/C in those days. Hotter than a ***** too.

 

Drove my Pontiac for years with no trouble, till I was on my way back home from a weekend roadtrip with my girlfriend and the starter began acting up (think hot-start, right?). The one thing I didn't change when I re-did the motor was... you guessed it: the starter (girlfriend less than amused). Bought a bag of ice, got under the car and held ice cubes against the solenoid for 20 minutes. By the time my shirt was soaking wet, the solenoid would engage and we were on our merry way. Changed the starter the next day...

Moral of my story... changing out things like the fuel pump, starter, water pump, fan belts, etc. from the begining will save you alot of headaches on roadtrips, along with having an extra of each in the trunk just in case, especially on a car like yours where you can't go to Napa or Pep Boys and pick up what you need. Just know that something will probably eventually go wrong and be prepared for it. That way your honey won't be pissed at you... at least not for that.

 

Drives my hevy -50 year around, situated in Norway, also in snowy winters. Makes no problem, but of ourse normal heck about fluids one a week, some parts are always along as ignition parts, some hoses, and tools..
Theese cars are easy to fix, and driveabillity is okay. But of course you drive a little bit more carefully than a new car with parts to get everywhere.

 

<TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"><TBODY><TR height="100%" width="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on"><TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off">A couple of sure things, cell phone, AAA, don't leave home with out em. But one thing for sure, belomg to the Jalopy Journal, treat all of your fellow members nice, call most any of them when you break down in thier territory and they can give you good tips on who may help you. If you are regular on the forum I'm sure you have seen examples of this. It is the #1 reason I would set out with my older rides to antwhere in the country. Our club The Roadburners just had a cruise party, I drove my recently purchaded 56 Plymouth Suburban and encountered some problems, quickly diagnosed as fuel filter plug up from all the junk from 6 years sitting, it was replaced and running in 20 minutes with my homies under the hood. Other tales of help from strangers were from dudes going and coming to the Lone Star roundup, and other adventures as well. Long Live The H.A.M.B. and the sistas and bros who make it so great. Update to Alliance member now and support the worlds greatest hotrod group to ever exsist!!!-Sololobo/Roadburners of Omaha
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how much is the AAA deal? will they tow you all the way home?

 

folks used to drive them everywhere...before we had "better" ( i.e. more comfortable, lazier, no owner-maintainence...) vehicles...
Now, we have kinder, gentler cars...so we can sit around getting fat...in the air conditioning.

know your car, take care of it = drive it anywhere...
( of course...a credit card, tools, and AAA, I s'pose helps with that warm, secure feeling!)

 

I had Triple A onthe Buick...called them over to the tech shop at work and said I needed the car towed home. Drive shows up, asks if it'll start. "Nope." Are you sure it won't run? "Yup." Do you know what's wrong with it? "Yeah, the engine is sitting over there on that engine stand. Anywhere within 100 miles, right?"

They towed it though!

-Brad