Ryan's Commute- Journal Entry

Yeah man.

Ryan touched on a great subject, commuting with your hotrod/custom.

What a great feeling to be in your car amidst the slab-sided herd of the morning commute! No canned hyper-national radio blather swirling from in front of you, but the honest-to-goodness sounds of Mr Cam spinnin' the hits of Johnny 8 slugs and his Rumblepipes.

Nothing will get you through a day of work like KNOWING when you leave the parking lot this day, it will be in your hotrod.

 

When I have really ****ty contract jobs to do, and I KNOW the whole day is going to ****, I drive mine. The whole day long, I can take solice in the fact that I get to climb in at the end of the day and haul *** down the highway on my way home. Makes it all better.

Since most of my jobs are ****ty, that car see's a LOT of miles every year!

 

i drive mine on fridays,no better feeling tha jumpin in to my hot rod after a long week at work,seems to melt all the weeks worries away,just knowing my truck awaits make my day better

 

True- but my commute is less than 7 miles so I dont really get to enjoy it unless I need to 'run an errand'....

 

There just isn't anything like climin' into your favorite ride after a long day (or evening in my case) and cruisin and grinnin'.

My days at school have become quite long (like from about noon 'til 9:30). I usually lite The Pusher off and sit there and let it warm a bit. Then I fly to the house, normally traffic is thin that time of nite and I can just let it wind out on the interstate.

Sometimes if its just too brisk i roll the window up.

 

I drive my cars everyday, I use my truck for deliveries and pick ups.
I commute from Hollywood (were I live) to Burbank (my shop) everyday, thats only 7 miles, but that can take 45 minutes in rush hour.
My biggest problem is that some people cut me off, because they don't want to be stuck behind an old car, not knowing that I can very well keep up with traffic and then some. So it's quite an adventure everyday.
But I would not want to miss it for the world.

 

I love my Friday commute.

JH

 

I do the same commute Ryan does, a little farther down FM1826, it is beautifull but you do have to watch out for deer, extra added attraction, a buzzard feeding on said deer swooped out of nowhere and took out the side mirror on the Edsel. Bummer, but lucky I guess could have been the windshield..urban creep is out here too, it is a two-lane country road signed at 50mph. and people are doing 70....

 

I can see already this is going to be a popular thread.
The reason being most of us Northerners are just dreaming and itching to get our cars out of that hibernating dark cave and fire up the beast.
This next week the weather is suppose to change to a more tolerable mid 50’s in the Northeast. I can’t wait! The truck was invited to the Autorama scheduled next weekend in Cleveland. I can’t wait to take it for the 70 mile trip up there.
Glad to see youre driving the wheels off that A.
Absolutely nothing is better than taking your hotrod to work in the midst of the everyday yuppie traffic. Even now, it brings a smile to my face.
Last summer, while driving my 34 to work I got caught in a traffic jam in a construction area. I rolled the windows down into the cold brisk morning. Listened to the cam growl as an old bear waking from slumber in the midst of echoes from the lane dividers and bumper to bumper traffic. That morning, I could have just set there for hours just smiling. J

 

I recently sold my sedan, but until that day it was my only car. I have a 60mile round-trip every day, and I really enjoyed doing it in the 52. Now that I have a late model p/u and a project, I can tell my demeanor has really changed. I like my truck, but I certainly don't look forward to getting in it after a day's work like I used to with the other car. At least now I can look forward to wrenchin' & weldin' on something when I get home.

This next one can't get on the road fast enough.

 

I used to drive the ELMOBILE 50 miles to work and back every day. That was when I worked. Bwaaaaahaha. Wayno

 

everything can **** hard all day long - but when you get into the ride for the trip home - all the horse**** melts away.

Commuting in one's ride of choice is what keeps me sane.

 

I really have to pick and choose carefully when I drive my car. People here are very agressive and dangerous drivers. Dreadman, I bet the reason people cut you off in your car is more likely because they know it means more to you than their car does to them. They know you won't sacrifice your car, so you'll let em in. I get the same **** in my car, no matter how fast I drive or how close I follow. My daily driver is an 07 Mustang GT (with aftermarket exhaust). I love the sound of the pipes. I wish I could drive my 47 ford convert to work everyday, but I know it wouldn't be long before someone hit me. My mustang made it less than five months before someone hit me in the side. At least it's replaceable.

 

I enjoy the fact that I drive my 62 caddy almost everyday; from watching the parents stares, grins and envy when I drop my son off at school to the commute through downtown Austin to work on the other side of town, nothing gets you in a better mood than when you're cruisin' in your old car through the maze of late 90's and 2000's vehicles. I've been looking the past week and rarely do I see anything older than late 80's on the road...save the random old pickup. Keeps a smile on my face and pretty much everyday I get a comment, a honk or the thumbs up when I'm rollin' in the caddy.

 

Man...I can't wait to get my car running so I can roll to work in it! When it's warm I ride the bike, and that has a similar effect...but it's downright scary getting out of downtown on two wheels in the middle of rush hour.

 

yea nothing cooler than pulling up in traffic & some yuppie idiot in a bmw and he gives you a thums up!

 

That's funny you bring this up today. Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on Mopac. I was in the '58, listening to the new Thunderchiefs CD. It was mid 70's and sunny and I thought about it being the nicest time I've had sitting in traffic in a long, long time.

 

Or or even gives you a one finger salute. It let's you know you got there attention.

It always reminds me of an old song don't recall who it was but it went something like this:' White collar conservative pointing your plastic finger at me...." Ya gotta love it any way it comes down.

But getting back to it driveing the old hooptie is by far the very best way in the world to get the kinks out and be tolerable when you crash through the door.

 

hey jay..... glad you brought this up, like the other's i'm sure this is going to be a very popular thread. i can't wait for the weather to break here ( and we turn the clock's ahead tomorrow night- ). i work right across from the lincoln mall near north central airport so it's about a 15 minute commute each way right down 295, i drive the coupe to work quite often and man i love the thumb's-up i get when they see me, it feel's great. come on spring!! mike

 

I try and get my Model A out on nice days for the commute, it gets regular
driving on the weekends.

I don't mind my short commute that much because I appreciate German
engineering and love driving my Audi S4 almost as much as the hot rod.
They are two different animals and evoke different moods.

What??????? What are you working on then?

 

yeah 40vert, I know yer pain. it's been just over 5 yrs for my 31. It's got a few issues right now but it won't be long.

 

50 miles a day, every day. Kids are waving, thumbs up and a million questions. It sure beats a econo-box.

 

You guys are making me go crazy! Can't wait for better weather to get my car finished and on the road. With the little 283 Chevy and low weight, I shouldn't get any worse gas milage than I do with my daily driver. Not to mention fast as hell.

 

I usually drive mine every day but a month ago I hit a frosty overp*** and kissed the guard rail so I'm forced to drive the Mercedes instead. Upside is the insurance more than paid for new front fenders, running boards and all the little stuff and paid me to do the work. But going to the white whale in the parking lot is sure a downer compared to the black hot rod.

 

Funny thing is the other day a guy in a new 7 series bmw rolled down his window and asked if I wanted to trade! I said sure...I could sell it and buy several old cars instead! He didn't take me up on the offer sadly...

The other thing I notice...no one drives with their windows down anymore...even on a lovely 70 degree spring day...****ers!

 

yeah - my head was swimming with my long Round Up "to-do" list this morning - and suddenly I hear that flathead echoing off the side of the giant Frost bank building. Put a big grin on my face today...

just thinking about everyone rolling into town for "Hot Rod Woodstock" in a few weeks. This time of year in Austin is as perfect as it gets.

 

Sounds great. Ryan. Yeah, My L.A. commute used to be 20 Minutes of foothills freeway driving, mornings and evenings, rain or shine. Now it's 2 minutes into down town, top down, weather permitting.
(I'm still not afraid of the rain, tho.)

 

I've always driven mine, but that's just because I'm too cheap to get what is generally pointed out to me as a "normal car"... I drive what I can afford, and I can't afford more than a few grand at a time... its getting the nods af approval from those in those "normal" cars that makes it worth it for me.

Even if mine IS ****ing twice the gas and farting out sweet backfires of rich fuel right thru straightpipes that have nevercome in contact with a catalytic anything.

Cars that I can open the hood on and recognize ****... that's what I drive when i can help it.

 

Sometimes it feels like I live in mine (Slick, my 58 Chevy P/U) more than I do at home. I have a Lawn Sprinkler service, Mow lawns, and do Texas Backflow inspections. So it is my office. Nothing like a lowered, loud, crusty rodded truck, loaded down with lawnmowers and shovels pulling up infront of your house!

But I must say that the truck has got me a few new customers. People come walking over to look at the truck, wind up asking me what I do, and so it goes.