amigo Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I have 3 1936 dodges 1 original 2 parts car for a project and I just acquired a set of 1936 dodge gauge cluster so that's 4 odometers and the average mileage between the 4 is about 7950 with the high being 84,000 and the low 7680. Im just real curious what outhers millage was when they acquired their car and why 80 thousand seems to be the bench mark when this seems to such a durable car with many advanced mechanics for the time ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 D2 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 One of my cars is around 47,000 (original) miles and the other "parts car" is around 63,000 (original) as I recall. You have to keep in mind that speeds were slower, roads were much rougher, distances people traveled lower (stayed around home more - few if any long trips) so total mileage on these cars was generally much lower than what you see today. Times were different. More compare the use of these cars to travel by horse than what you see today with "super highways" and high speeds. The cars you have are higher mileage than mine because the area where you are, the cities are much more spread out. In my area, we only had to go 10 to 15 miles to the next town. So, mileage is probably higher on your cars than are on mine. (Assuming the cars originated in your area). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I had two '36 cars in the mid 60,000 range and one car with about 74,000 miles. All but one were worked pretty hard over their lifetime. I imagine these cars,with regular maintenance, could go to 100,000 miles or more but it took a lot longer to accumulate that kind of mileage. As a kid in the 60's and 70's I can't remember a car with 100,000 miles. In fact, I still consider a car with more than 60,000 miles at the end of it's practical life! In the midst of the depression people had to take care of their autos and during the war with gas rationing most cars were only driven when needed..no extra trips which accounted also for lower mileages. After the war,with new models coming out and an exploding economy ,many folks traded their old jalopies for new cars,now these autos that were nursed along for so many years were just old cars! Then too, during the depression,some cars were retired early in their lives because the owners could not afford repairs ! We're probably lucky that so many of these old cars actually survived this long! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amigo Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 It is pretty interesting , im pushing 200,000 on a Toyota truck every one I know in the home build business here in Texas has over 100,000 miles on their trucks things are spread out here , I think its something to look into all the new stuff and were going twice as hard and twice as fast and Im not feeling better off for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Up until after WW2 something like 90% of all American roads were unpaved. And driving on an unpaved road takes a huge toll on a car... I don't have the articles in my personal library but I recall reading period articles by highway engineers detailing how to quantify the savings to the public in wear and tear on vehicles so they could justify spending money to pave roads. I don't recall the exact numbers, and they were being pushed by people with a vested interest in improving roads, but the savings on wear on vehicles by paving a road was considerable.The easiest mileage on a vehicle is at a reasonably steady speed for long distances on a paved highway. The shorter trip distances back then and the dirt roads were a double whammy for decreasing the life of a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 It is pretty interesting , im pushing 200,000 on a Toyota truck every one I know in the home build business here in Texas has over 100,000 miles on their trucks things are spread out here , I think its something to look into all the new stuff and were going twice as hard and twice as fast and Im not feeling better off for it The only thing that beats a Toyota in my opinion is a Honda but Hondas can cost more to fix so I stick with the Toys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgy6 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 The only thing that beats a Toyota in my opinion is a Honda but Hondas can cost more to fix so I stick with the ToysA man after my own heart!I've got a 3 of them and Iv'e owned a few more in the past.....oh, and I've got a DB now too!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Cant say that I have ever owned an import, except for a Bentley once, and Oh yea, I guess the TC Maserati is Italian.This should stir it up a bit !! HA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sodomojo Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 My 1936 D-2 Touring had 56,200 original miles when I purchased it. I am sure those were pretty rough miles with the descriptions of road conditions in the other posts being very accurate for the time. Also, keep in mind that the warranty stated in my owners manual was 4,000 miles or 90 days. LOL but probably pretty good for the time.sodomojo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Cant say that I have ever owned an import, except for a Bentley once, and Oh yea, I guess the TC Maserati is Italian.This should stir it up a bit !! HA! Thats not stirring things up a bit Jack, if you really want to stir things up than follow my lead and pronounce that we are all driving imports because there is NO SUCH THING as an American built car any longer and there hasnt been for MANY years, they are all Frankensteins of parts built outside this country by non-American workers with non Amercan famillies to support.You simply cannot buy a mass produced American built automobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpage Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Ditto that! I was looking in Wal-mart for something that they didn't have,so I said to the clerk "Sorry ,it must be made in America!"...she didn't laugh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amigo Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 I think the big 3 did it to them selves they turned out total junk then launched an advertising campaign that all but called you UN American if you didn't buy their junk. Then guys like me that had daughters and didn't want them breaking down in the middle of the night some where or their car catching on fire started buying Honda's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1930 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I think the big 3 did it to them selves they turned out total junk then launched an advertising campaign that all but called you UN American if you didn't buy their junk. Then guys like me that had daughters and didn't want them breaking down in the middle of the night some where or their car catching on fire started buying Honda's I couldnt agree with this more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amigo Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 but seriously if you have a 1936 dodge and see how this thing was put together for its time their was a great deal of thought on being efficient and well made , heck they used almost the exact engine up until 1959 . Some where along the line they lost balance between making money and making improvements USA was miles ahead and fell behind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 It's so true about the saying, "They don't make them like that anymore". To me it's amazing these old cars are still around so many decades later. I'd like to see how the junk made these days hold up on unpaved roads like the Dodge in this story did. And in rebuttal to you Honda lovers, my '05 Civic is on its 4th set of front brakes at just over 55K miles. I've even tried OEM pads and they don't last any longer than generic aftermarket ones. If it wasn't getting better than 30 MPGs, I'd get rid of it in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 D2 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 How many Ford Pintos, AMC Pacers and Chevy Novas do you see running around the highways. Up here in WI - NONE! And haven't seen them for maybe a decade. Could be different in CA or the desert areas, but not here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 This should stir it up a bit !! HA!Told ya ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1936 D2 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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