Things You Learn as an Old Car Driver

[tonyb]

That's another thing you learn -- that modern drivers have no understanding of the limitations of an older car. Stopping distance in a 1930s-40s car is quite different from that in a twenty-first-century car, and a safe following distance in a modern car is very dangerous in an older vehicle. In other words, no, I am not going to speed up and go bumper-to-bumper with the car in front of me.

I never saw any sense whatsoever in speeding up to a red light, or a stop sign, as I see those youngsters in those Japanese cars with the big-bore tailpipes and silly wings on the back do all the time. When I routinely drove three-on-the-tree vehicles I'd cover most of my around-town driving in second gear. Those three-speed trannies were typically situated behind engines with a lot of low-end torque, such that you could nearly come to a stop and still roll away in second gear with much complaint. This was another reason not to be in too great a hurry to get to the next signaled intersection. Putt along in second and time it such that you don't have to set foot on either the brake or clutch pedal before the light turns green.

 

[tonyb]

I toyed with the idea of upgrading my '46 with a v8 so I could go faster on the freeway.
I recall the mechanic asking me.

" How deep are your pockets ?" [huh]

He proceeded to explain that it was not just the engine but the brake system & other things which I don't
exactly remember had to be done.

What I do remember was the last thing he told me.

" Just remember when you are doing 70 mph on the road...you're holding on to a steering wheel with a steel shaft aimed
right at your chest that will not collapse, no air bags or seat belt. " :eeek:

Your mechanic sounds like a guy with both feet planted on the ground.

I got nothing against hotrods. Many a person has put much more recent running gear under old sheet metal and made himself a very nice car. But man, that old pickup of yours is a thing of beauty exactly as it is.

 

[scottyrocks]

The first 3-on-the-tree I drove was my friend's '62 Biscayne.



His wasn't so spiffy, though. All stock, in kind of a medium brown with matching steel wheels.

The car I learned to drive a MT on was my Dad's '71 Beetle, which was essentially learning to drive in a car that was 20 years older, as Beetles had not evolved in huge way.

 

[Bushman]

Now, my car may not be that old, but having a car built in the 90's, you do quickly learn that there are some details about driving an older car that you don't have to worry about with a newer one:

-having something break down or even break off on a bimonthly basis is an inevitability.
-functional cup holders are a luxury, not a necessity.
-turns are not to be taken too quickly.
-ignore your electronic warnings. In my car, the electronics are so buggy that I'm more likely to find something just by lifting the hood every other week.
-Dunno how common this is for anybody else, but on my car there's a secondary battery just for the security system. Last year, my alarm would go off, even when the car was unlocked, simply because the battery got too cold. Let's just say that you should make sure you're disconnecting the right battery, especially if you're going to be in a hurry in the morning.
-Garages are a must for old cars. They don't take the elements well.
-keeping things clean DOES effect the performance of your car.

 

[jamespowers]

Now, my car may not be that old, but having a car built in the 90's, you do quickly learn that there are some details about driving an older car that you don't have to worry about with a newer one:

-having something break down or even break off on a bimonthly basis is an inevitability.
-functional cup holders are a luxury, not a necessity.
-turns are not to be taken too quickly.
-ignore your electronic warnings. In my car, the electronics are so buggy that I'm more likely to find something just by lifting the hood every other week.
-Dunno how common this is for anybody else, but on my car there's a secondary battery just for the security system. Last year, my alarm would go off, even when the car was unlocked, simply because the battery got too cold. Let's just say that you should make sure you're disconnecting the right battery, especially if you're going to be in a hurry in the morning.
-Garages are a must for old cars. They don't take the elements well.
-keeping things clean DOES effect the performance of your car.

The last one is probably the easiest but people do that the least of all the list and it DOES matter.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Cup holders bring to mind the very first thing you learn when you drive an older car with a column shift and no power steering: "dashboard dining" is not only inconvenient, but pretty much impossible. There's a reason why nobody ever thought of putting "cup holders" in these cars.

I've never driven a 21st Century car, and with all the doodads on them, I don't think I want to.

 

[Bushman]

They're extremely distracting, I'll say that much. I'm actually a little content that my car doesn't have the best cup holders. It keeps me from dining on the road and keeps me focused on driving.

 

[tonyb]

The last one is probably the easiest but people do that the least of all the list and it DOES matter.

... 'tis so. Dirt is not your car's friend. It's abrasive, it traps moisture. In the maritime Northwest, cars that don't get washed with some regularity grow moss and lichens wherever that flora finds a place to take hold -- often in those places where panels meet. The result is that moisture gets trapped and the metal rusts.

 

[2jakes]

Your mechanic sounds like a guy with both feet planted on the ground.

I got nothing against hotrods. Many a person has put much more recent running gear under old sheet metal and made himself a very nice car. But man, that old pickup of yours is a thing of beauty exactly as it is.

Thanks !


And this is what I drove all through high school.

I'm planning on renewing the paint that is peeling on some areas & will be
adding vintage license plates as well. I removed the hubcaps to polish them up.

 

[tonyb]

That's not a real split window, is it? Nah. Wrong taillights, door handles. Looks like the wrong dash, too. Who did the mods? And when?

If there's any vehicle I kick myself for parting with it would be my '56 Beetle, which I bought in, like, '72 or '73. Oval window, sunroof, semaphores. It pains me to think what that thing would fetch today.

 

[2jakes]

That's not a real split window, is it? Nah. Wrong taillights, door handles. Looks like the wrong dash, too. Who did the mods? And when?

If there's any vehicle I kick myself for parting with it would be my '56 Beetle, which I bought in, like, '72 or '73. Oval window, sunroof, semaphores. It pains me to think what that thing would fetch today.

I took the cadavers from a '51,'57,'63 to bring it to life...it is all steel with no fiberglass doodoo !

 

[tonyb]

You had an intact '51? Now that's a rarity.

 

[scottyrocks]

Thanks !


And this is what I drove all through high school.

I'm planning on renewing the paint that is peeling on some areas & will be
adding vintage license plates as well. I removed the hubcaps to polish them up.

Completely authentic or not, I'd love to have that car.

 

[2jakes]

You had an intact '51? Now that's a rarity.

I don't know what Fedora post you are reading buddy...but I never said I had
an "intact" '51...I gather parts from junkyards all the time. And that '46 Chevrolet truck that you like...
take a closer look at the hood . Yep....it has a GM hood. I love the chrome lettering "General Motors Truck
the '46 Chevrolet truck never came with that chrome lettering , only the GM trucks of that period but the front chrome
was different. "

 

[tonyb]

I don't know what Fedora post you are reading buddy...but I never said I had
an "intact" '51...I gather parts from junkyards all the time.]

Oh, I was asking, not telling. Please note the question mark. How much of the '51 did you have?

Can't say I've kept up with all things VW, but I recall a time when split-window kits were available to piece in to later models. Can't recall ever seeing one so modified. Not live and in-person, anyway.

 

[2jakes]

[/B]

Oh, I was asking, not telling. How much of the '51 did you have?

Can't say I've kept up with all things VW, but I recall a time when split-window kits were available to piece in to later models. Can't recall ever seeing one so modified. Not live and in-person, anyway.

I bought the beetle from another kid who was going to convert it to a "dune buggy".
Luckily he lost interest & sold it to me. Parts are from a split-window, the front fenders have the "bullet" turn
signal lights that VW offered only for one year. It has been converted to 12 volts .The top canvas opening is from
another year. Ergo...my "frankenstein" buggy

 

[tonyb]

My '56 was bought new in Germany by an American serviceman stationed there -- the father of a kid I knew, who sold it to a mutual friend, who sold it to me. When I got it, it was only 16 or 17 years old -- just a used car then. I still recall that it had no fuel gauge. You knew it was time to buy gas when it sputtered and you turned a valve to access the "reserve."

Again, I wanna kick myself for ever parting with that car.

 

[Stanley Doble]

They came with the most accurate, most reliable fuel gauge ever invented - a wooden ruler marked off in gallons. There was a pocket in the middle of the hood for it.

 

[tonyb]

Come to think of it, Stanley, I don't believe I have ever had a car (and I've had quite a few) with a reliable fuel gauge -- by which I mean one that gives a reasonably accurate assessment of remaining fuel all through its range. The gauge in the car I drive regularly these days doesn't sink a whisker until I've covered at least 100 miles from fueling up. I rely on the trip odometer.

 

[Big Man]

One thing you learn as an old car driver, is on a cold morning like this morning (6 degrees), is to give your old car plenty of time to warm up before even trying to start driving. Then, once you do start out, take it slow till everything is really warmed up and moving right.

This old '65 Ford is my primary vehicle. It has almost 300,000 miles and no major repairs/replacements. Given a new paint job (which is the plan for later this year), it'll be ready for another 50 years.