Driving golden era cars in the modern era

[Bourne ID]

Here's more!!! My buddy cleaned up the end of the clutch pedal pushrod, polished and flame hardened, lock washer and loctite and I was back in business...........................for about 5 miles!!! Sitting at a red light and a guy pulls up alongside and tells me my brake lights are out and If I'm turning..my turn signals out as well. Sure enough, my brand new 12 volt wirring and new fuses and bulbs are not funtioning!! What the heck!! So I cruise up the hill to my next stop, drop off the items I needed to and prepare to head back down my buddies shop to figure the lights out and I go to start her up and my clutch pedal goes half way down and JAMBS. I'm workin the pedal and it's only going halfway down and stopping. Of course it's pouring rain and I'm looking under the hood, down the firewall, trying to see where my pedal linkages are messing up this time!! Nothing...I can't see anything wrong. I call my buddy to call me a tow truck and he comes up with his trailer instead, we limp back to the shop and figure that based on what we see or can't see, it must be the clutch arm and throwout bearing gettin jambed up on something.
This thread is all about DRIVING golden era cars not towing them!!!! Sorry, just a dose of reality here but I still wouldn't trade it for anything!

 

[David Conwill]

Troubleshooting modified parts is way tougher than what's stock - since the builder is the OEM and has to be his own tech support. Good luck, Bourne! Once you get it sorted out, you'll know way more about everything you've had to fix and it will be guaranteed not to break again (since you could now fix it quicker).

-Dave

 

[C-dot]

This thread is all about DRIVING golden era cars not towing them!!!! Sorry, just a dose of reality here but I still wouldn't trade it for anything!

I enjoy these stories too! I believe the more work you put into something, no matter how much grief it gives you, the better you feel about it when it does work Besides, its a great car!

 

[Talbot]

You never learned to drive a manual without a clutch?

Easy once you know how, but an art best learned on someone else's car...

 

[Bourne ID]

I had a ford fiesta 20 years ago that ,much to my new wifes dismay, I drove without a clutch for two months!!! The car only cost me 25 bucks so I didn't really care . I did make the attempt to start the plymouth up in second gear, in a level parking lot, but blew the fuse on the main power line when the starter hit the flywheel. Besides...driving a 4000 lb, 60 year old classic that I've spent the last 9 months and 10 grand on.... thru town without a clutch.....I went with the towing instead!

 

[David Conwill]

Anyone need a brand-new 1940 Ford coupe? Soon to be available through Bob Drake.... *drool*

-Dave

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Our 52 Ford is geared for pulling and I can start out right in 3rd gear if I feel like it.

I had a ford fiesta 20 years ago that ,much to my new wifes dismay, I drove without a clutch for two months!!! The car only cost me 25 bucks so I didn't really care . I did make the attempt to start the plymouth up in second gear, in a level parking lot, but blew the fuse on the main power line when the starter hit the flywheel. Besides...driving a 4000 lb, 60 year old classic that I've spent the last 9 months and 10 grand on.... thru town without a clutch.....I went with the towing instead!

 

[Talbot]

I had a ford fiesta 20 years ago that ,much to my new wifes dismay, I drove without a clutch for two months!!! The car only cost me 25 bucks so I didn't really care . I did make the attempt to start the plymouth up in second gear, in a level parking lot, but blew the fuse on the main power line when the starter hit the flywheel. Besides...driving a 4000 lb, 60 year old classic that I've spent the last 9 months and 10 grand on.... thru town without a clutch.....I went with the towing instead!

Why didn't you push start? Its only 4,000 lb, sixty year old.... No, wait....Where's that autoclub number?



Good luck with the linkage!

 

[Stearmen]

Our 52 Ford is geared for pulling and I can start out right in 3rd gear if I feel like it.

I remember when I bought a 1951 BSA Goldstar, as I was leaving the owner shouted two things at me, as I was staring up a big hill, I tried to shift into second, only to find I was in top 4th, he had yelled down for up, the bike pulled the hill in top. Oh, and the second thing, as all the cars stopped in front of me I realized he was telling me "no brakes" I managed to stop between two cars. Limped home slow and on back roads!

 

[Bourne ID]

Why didn't you push start? Its only 4,000 lb, sixty year old.... No, wait....Where's that autoclub number?



Good luck with the linkage!

I had a 71 vw bug years ago that had some wiring issues which turned into a voltage regulator issue which turned into a battery issue!!
I spent every morning, for about two months, push starting that bug in my apartment complex parking lot. The worst of it was the speed bumps every 50 yards or so!!! Most mornings I was wishin I could take another shower after that workout!!!

 

[p51]

I signed up for two local car shows in August as there aren’t many re-enactment events in that month here (which is odd because it’s normally the driest time of year in the normally rainy Pacific Northwest). One is a local hot rod show that is about 5 miles from my front door, at a casino. Most are uber-shiny rides, and I manage to hit any mud puddles I can find along the way to make it as “combat ready” looking as I can. It really brings some bugging eyes and dropped jaws from those wiping the treads of their tires when I drive up looking like it just rolled off a landing craft in France.
The other show is two week later, at a nearby town car show where they block off all of downtown. There are antique places all along there, and the Amtrak station is one block south of that street (I’m a huge train buff, too). I’m really looking forward to that one. Last year, I took my Jeep to that show for the first time, ironically, 66 years later to the day when it left the Willys factory in Toledo. I even won an award, the first I’ve ever won in any car show:

Here are a couple of shots from years past, my bumper markings have changed since then.

Anyone who has been to a car show knows people will set up folding chairs to hang out behind their rides. I don’t do “modern” stuff with my Jeep, so this is my chair and my cooler (the round thing is a 1943-dated blood plasma insulated container, weighs about 30 pounds empty but better than any igloo cooler for ice and drink).

I hope you put some jack stands under the car before you crawled underneath it. I've personally known two people who were killed because jacks gave out on the vehicles they were working on and I've read of many other instances of that same thing. No one should ever count on a jack as the sole means of supporting a vehicle if they plan to work underneath it for even a minute.

Amen. I’m lucky in that my Jeep is high enough that I can get all the way under it without jacks at all. The only time I’ve ever jacked it up other than swapping out a wheel was the time my oil pickup pivot was sticking inside the engine (the oil pressure would drop to zero when making turns). I jacked it up just a little and threw stands underneath so I could get under it to take out all those bolts holding the oil pan to the block. It’d stuck a couple of years before that so I knew what to do. That last time I bought all new parts and replaced the entire assembly as I didn’t want to do it a third time.

 

[Gregg Axley]

Congrats on the award...bravo!

 

[Bourne ID]

You remember that last week my clutch jammed, leaving me stranded and in need of a tow. Friday I shot over to my buddies shop where the Plymouth has been sitting, seems that he had modified the clutch pushrod for better throw angle to the clutch arm, but there still seemed to be something rattling around inside the bellhousing. So off it had to come, everthing off. The driveshaft, the exhaust, the rear crossmember, the transmission and the bellhousing. As we worked to pull it all apart we looked for anything out of place or broken and we found what we were searching for when he handed me the throw out bearing. A chunk of the bearing sleeve was missing and as we dropped the bellhousing the piece fell to the floor. Also found that the pivot bolt for the clutch arm was loose and severely worn so it was replaced as well. Sadly I could not stay and wait for the replacement part and to help with putting it all back together and my buddy finished it up on Saturday without me.
Everyone thinks I'm nuts for owning this car and dealing with all it's issues but I've got to admit that I really love it. Actually love it...never bothers me when I'm sittin on the side of the road waiting for a tow or buried under the hood dealing with the problem. I'd dreamed for so long of owning a classic and wrenching on it every weekend just like the early hot rodders that it just wouldn't be right not to be under the car fixin and tweaking on it!
Besides.....she needs me..someone had to look after her!

 

[Zemke Fan]

It started life as a 1977 MGB roadster!

-Dave

SO totally rad. As the Sausage King of Chicago said, *It is SO choice! If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.*

 

[BoPeep]

I think many people would agree with you, BourneID. But watch out you don't get the bug too bad! You can't save all of them! lol So here's my Ford with some shiney on her. More here http://willowhomestead.blogspot.com/2011/08/shoebox-update-paint.html

 

[C-dot]

As the Sausage King of Chicago said, *It is SO choice! If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.*

lol!! Thats one of my favourite lines.

So here's my Ford with some shiney on her.

Is that a Tudor? I saw one in awful condition a few weeks back, and I wanted to steal it and fix it up like you. Its going to look great!

 

[LocktownDog]

'52 Pontiac Chieftain - All original (including its 78k mileage).

I discovered the other day that this Chieftain I found at a pawn shop for $5k has been bought, cleaned, and displayed by a big name auto dealer here in town with a price tag of $17k. If only I had the money, I would have bought it and flipped it to the dealer for a couple of grand profit.

 

[StraightEight]

I signed up for two local car shows in August as there aren’t many re-enactment events in that month here (which is odd because it’s normally the driest time of year in the normally rainy Pacific Northwest).

Great pics. The MB looks very authentic. As this is car show season, here are a couple from last weekend's Supercar Sunday in Calabasas. Lots of Supercars, and one old Buick. Plus an ancient Roller from Springfield, Mass.

 

[Talbot]

Everyone thinks I'm nuts for owning this car and dealing with all it's issues...

Not me - more power to you sir!

 

[Talbot]

I discovered the other day that this Chieftain I found at a pawn shop for $5k has been bought, cleaned, and displayed by a big name auto dealer here in town with a price tag of $17k. If only I had the money, I would have bought it and flipped it to the dealer for a couple of grand profit.

I understand the low mileage part, but would a Poncho moredoor bring in that kind of money?