Parade Car

[bob duffer]

Do 1934 Buick sedans  do good in Parades --without over heating? They asked me to be in the parade this weekend with the car .

Just wondering how the straight eight will do.

[jscheib]

I would say be prepared to "Race" the engine on a regular basis, unless they move fast.

 

I rarely do parades with the '32.

 

John

[Pete Phillips]

How does it do in a traffic jam? That's what a parade is: A prolonged traffic jam.

I do parades in winter (Christmas parades, etc.), but I don't do summertime parades. If they keep things moving, it's not too bad, but if they stop for the drill team or the local ballet group to perform their routine in the middle of the parade, your straight eight won't be happy.

Pete Phillips, BCA #7338

[Matt Harwood]

Well, the answer is "it depends." It depends on the condition of your cooling system, the weather, how far did you drive to get there, and other factors. If the car is already very warm when the parade starts, sitting still won't help much. If the cooling system or block is full of gunk (typical on straight-8 Buicks) then it won't have the reserve capacity you might need for a parade. There's no way to say that all 1934 Buicks do well or do poorly in parade conditions.

 

Personally, I worry less about overheating and more about the wear and tear on the clutch--parades are murder on vintage clutches. Whenever I do parades, I take a car with an automatic or a truck with a very low first gear that can just creep along without slipping the clutch.

[bob duffer]

I took the car to the parade and people loved it. The parade was 2 miles but draging on, very slow moving.

I lasted a mile and the Model A 2 cars ahead was overheating pretty bad . I pulled out of the parade and

made my way home. My engine did get hot but as soon as i got on the main road it cooled right down.

I won't do anymore parades.