Things You Learn as an Old Car Driver

[59Lark]

time travel, when I drive my Studebaker and listen to period music, I travel back in time and sometimes I have trouble coming back, someday I may just get lost and never return 59lark

 

[sola fide]

Nice list, I get an anxiety attack driving my 38. Fire extinguisher in the trunk is too late. I keep fire ext. on passenger side floor. The engine and hood will be in blazed by the time i drop the bumper guard, unlock the trunk , open the hood(right or left side 1938) and extinguish. LOL

*You're operating a machine, not an appliance.

*Cars, like people, will take their own damn time getting started in the morning.

*There's a reason why "car coats" were popular.

*No matter where you go, you'll run into someone who used to own a car just like yours, except it was a different year, model, and make.

*"Suicide doors" are aptly named.

*Only an idiot drives around without a fire extinguisher in the trunk.

*That scene about changing tires in "A Christmas Story" is not an exaggeration.

*Drippings on the garage floor are just a fact of life.

*Hot-wiring is just as easy as it looks in the movies.

*"Zerk" is not a funny word.

*You aren't in as big a hurry as you think you are.

 

[scottyrocks]

Nice list, I get an anxiety attack driving my 38. Fire extinguisher in the trunk is too late. I keep fire ext. on passenger side floor. The engine and hood will be in blazed by the time i drop the bumper guard, unlock the trunk , open the hood(right or left side 1938) and extinguish. LOL

My extinguisher is right behind my seat. And I keep the engine lid unlocked when I drive. 1963 VW.

 

[Just Jim]

Driving old cars (and trucks) I learned to change tires. . . and oil. . . and spark plugs. . . and brake shoes. . . and engines. . . and transmissions. . . . I also picked up some relatively advanced tricks like pouring babbitt. Over all, I've come to near-agreement with the stance that old cars are great, but update the safety stuff (like brakes, tires, and safety belts).

I was more tired driving 300 miles in a Packard One Eighty than I was driving 1300 miles non-stop in a mid-90s Grand Am. Driving the Packard was infinitely more fun though!

 

[scottyrocks]

Yes, you do learn to amend your driving style when driving an old car. There is only so much you can do with drum brakes, swing axles, and 40 horsepower.

 

[Big Man]

What have this group:s experience been with shocks?

I have a '65 Ford Custom 500 sedan with over 300,000 miles (original motor). The car was bought new by my aunt, and was given to me in 1983. I've been driving it just about every day since.

I can't recall ever putting new shocks on the car since I've had it myself. I don't know if my aunt ever put new shocks on either. So, it's possible that I have a set of 53 year old shocks. I've noticed lately the car has started to "wonder" a bit. The steering is still tight, so I don't think that's an issue.

What say you about shocks? Have mine exceeded their useful life?

 

[GHT]

If you jack up each front wheel, first one side, then the other. Checking the wheel that you have raised by crouching in front of it, then grip it at twelve o'clock and six o'clock, then try to move the wheel by pushing twelve o'clock in and six o'clock out, then try the reverse. If you have any movement at all you need to get your king pins checked out. Chances are they will be ok, but if there is play then I'm afraid you will have quite an expensive repair.
The answer to the question of when to replace shock absorbers and struts, hinges on several variables including how many miles a vehicle is driven, on what kind of roads it's driven, and how it's driven, which in your case is, I'm sure, with great care. If you take those variables and give it a rough ball park figure, then you should get as much as ten years out of your shocks. So, you know that you have at least got 35 years out of them because that's how long that you have owned and driven it. Replacing your shocks is not going to break the bank, as long as you can do it yourself. A quick check on E-Bay, brings up Monroe shocks for your '65 Ford, for just $85, can't be bad. Let us know how you get on.

 

[59Lark]

in my experience, in driving old cars, I have wheels break off, complete electricial failure at night at speed, electricial fire under the dash, side moulding fly off a 100 mph, stopped a light got out and the drums were glowing red,wipers flew off and landed on the hood in a thunderstorm. and the last scare was the acc sticking on the stude and it rocketing to a 100 mph something the old man that had owned probably, never drove more than 5o.

 

[scottyrocks]

What have this group:s experience been with shocks?

I have a '65 Ford Custom 500 sedan with over 300,000 miles (original motor). The car was bought new by my aunt, and was given to me in 1983. I've been driving it just about every day since.

I can't recall ever putting new shocks on the car since I've had it myself. I don't know if my aunt ever put new shocks on either. So, it's possible that I have a set of 53 year old shocks. I've noticed lately the car has started to "wonder" a bit. The steering is still tight, so I don't think that's an issue.

What say you about shocks? Have mine exceeded their useful life?

I've always used two checks to see if shocks have outlived their useful life.

1. Push down on a corner of the car. It should come back up without bouncing. If it bounces the shock is toast. Repeat at each corner. But replace shocks as sets of two at the very least.

2. Look at the shock. If there is any leakage, the shock is toast.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I replaced the shocks on the Plodge a couple years ago -- I don't know how old they were, but they were badly rusted and you could feel that the ride wasn't quite what it should be. Shocks are cheap enough now that it's not a big deal to replace them, and the results are usually worth it.

 

[Big Man]

Someone suggested that I "push down" on the back of the car and see how easy it was to depress. Hell, I'm 6'-6" and weigh close to 400 pounds. If I "press down" on anything it's going all the way to the ground.

 

[scottyrocks]

Someone suggested that I "push down" on the back of the car and see how easy it was to depress. Hell, I'm 6'-6" and weigh close to 400 pounds. If I "press down" on anything it's going all the way to the ground.

It's not the pushing down. It's what happens when it comes up. If it comes up and stops, you're okay. If it bounces more than that, it's time to replace.

 

[Big Man]

It's not the pushing down. It's what happens when it comes up. If it comes up and stops, you're okay. If it bounces more than that, it's time to replace.

I was trying to be a bit funny, but it does "bounce" a little when released. It's time to get some new shocks. I really do think what is on the car now are the original ones.

 

[belfastboy]

I had to do this all the time with my old VW. The starter didn't work and I couldn't afford to get it fixed, so I'd always park on hills. Trouble was, I lived on a street with a very slight grade, so I had to get someone to give me a push down the street to get me started.

The old '69 VW van I owned in Europe was a used Dutch postal van on its last rusty legs. The starter had dead spots in so it was always a crap shoot to whether it would start or not. I tried in the beginning to park on a slope but that was not always possible. So I learned a trick of using a pair of needle nose pliers, touching both pos and neg posts it would spin the starter motor and with luck it would land on a non rusty spot. I did this for 18 months and 20,000 miles. Silly really when I could have replaced it for not too much money. But it became part of the routine, part of its weird charm. I took the van into a tire shop in France to replace a tire. He placed the hydraulic lift under the van and I watched as the hoist rose, I could hear the undercarriage metal tearing as the floor pan rose and the rest of the vehicle stayed put. Pretty sure if I was ever pulled over they would have condemned it on the spot.

 

[BobHufford]

The old '69 VW van I owned in Europe was a used Dutch postal van on its last rusty legs. The starter had dead spots in so it was always a crap shoot to whether it would start or not. I tried in the beginning to park on a slope but that was not always possible. So I learned a trick of using a pair of needle nose pliers, touching both pos and neg posts it would spin the starter motor and with luck it would land on a non rusty spot. I did this for 18 months and 20,000 miles.

Hahaha... I did the same thing on a '77 Bus for months, but found the "claws" of a claw hammer did a great job with the length of the handle a bonus. Starting it in gear while laying just in front of the rear wheel (in snow/slush) convinced me to spent what little money I had at the time on the repair.

 

[Stanley Doble]

What have this group:s experience been with shocks?

I have a '65 Ford Custom 500 sedan with over 300,000 miles (original motor). The car was bought new by my aunt, and was given to me in 1983. I've been driving it just about every day since.

I can't recall ever putting new shocks on the car since I've had it myself. I don't know if my aunt ever put new shocks on either. So, it's possible that I have a set of 53 year old shocks. I've noticed lately the car has started to "wonder" a bit. The steering is still tight, so I don't think that's an issue.

What say you about shocks? Have mine exceeded their useful life?

Stock shock absorbers on an American car have a life of 20,000 - 25,000 miles. They may not be leaking, they may seem OK but they are not giving that new car ride. Yours gave up the ghost some time during the Nixon administration.

Get a set of new good quality shocks (they are not expensive). Have the wheels balanced and an alignment done. Replace worn parts as necessary, especially rubber bushings. Have the shop check that the wheels are true. If you need tires get a good set of radials. Your car will be transformed. You will feel like you are driving a Rolls. I am not kidding, I have done this myself on old cars that I thought were in good shape and have advised friends to do the same on their old cars, and all were impressed by how nice their car rode and handled. You won't have to make excuses for your old car when it rides and handles better than a new one.

Incidentally when your car was new Ford advertised the Galaxie model as being quieter than a Rolls Royce. When they designed the 65 they went all out for the smooth quiet ride. Then they decided to test it against a Rolls so they could advertise "The $16000 Rolls Royce is the quietest car in the world but the new Galaxie is 98% as quiet for only $3999". They were shocked to find the Ford was actually quieter than the Rolls, but decided to roll with it.

 

[Stanley Doble]

One other suggestion in view of your weight. You may want new springs with heavier springs on the driver's side. Or, there are rubber spacers that can be put under the springs to level the car. They are usually used on the front of air conditioned cars to compensate for the extra weight.

 

[Big Man]

One other suggestion in view of your weight. You may want new springs with heavier springs on the driver's side. Or, there are rubber spacers that can be put under the springs to level the car. They are usually used on the front of air conditioned cars to compensate for the extra weight.

Or, I could just go with this ...

 

[1mach1]

Or, I could just go with this ...

View attachment 111682

[emoji14]

 

[kittyhawk]

What have this group:s experience been with shocks?

I have a '65 Ford Custom 500 sedan with over 300,000 miles (original motor). The car was bought new by my aunt, and was given to me in 1983. I've been driving it just about every day since.

I can't recall ever putting new shocks on the car since I've had it myself. I don't know if my aunt ever put new shocks on either. So, it's possible that I have a set of 53 year old shocks. I've noticed lately the car has started to "wonder" a bit. The steering is still tight, so I don't think that's an issue.

What say you about shocks? Have mine exceeded their useful life?

Hello Big Man. I had a car that seemed like it was "following all the line in the road". It would move without turning the steering wheel. I knew i had good ball joints,control arm bushings etc., so I replaced all the tie rod ends. Still did not fix the problem. I borrowed two wheels and tires from a friend changed out the fronts. That fixed the problem. Although my tires looked good, I think the belts had broken inside the tires.