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I'd like to know what everyone does with their DB's or other antique cars . If you go on tours how often and how far? If you show what type of show, judged or not. Use for dinner transportation or just ice cream? etc. I usually drive about 500-700 collectively, hit about half dozen cruise-ins, and show a few times as a do not judge. Drive them lots on Saturdays and Sundays. Some of you seem to want to dictate what others do with their cars, so let's hear what you do with yours. The only Nat'l DB meet mine have been to is G-burg, because I don't trailer and 40ish is too slow to drive real far.

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When my car is running, I drive it as an every day driver, rain or shine.....to the store, diner, friend's homes, tours and meets. I don't drive it at night, yet. Until I get better lighting going, I will only do daytime stuff. I don't do parades with my cars as parades can be rough on clutches. I don't show my cars because they are not show worthy in my opinion. I enjoy the heck out of them because I am 59 for a few more days and I don't want them to sit languishing in the garage. If the car is just going to sit, you may as well collect stamps. Of course, my income or my lack of income dictates on whether I can fix my car, give it gas or whatever it needs. Still gathering parts for the primer red car.

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Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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Don't tour or show my 1919 Dodge or 1972 Cad Eldo Conv. Neither is show quality in my opinion and I would feel somewhat embarrassed to have either judged even though I try to keep them as original as possible. I use to like working on them but that is loosing its luster lately. I mainly just take the wife an kids out for spins in the neighborhood and around a historic part of town nearby with the Dodge. The caddy can go anywhere, but the family just doesn't enjoy it as much. When we host family events one usually just pulled out for short runs. My 84 yr old father really enjoys the Dodge so I take him when-ever I can get it working properly. I travel a good deal world-wide and work is an around the clock job these days so time to fix an enjoy is very limited.

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I'd like to know what everyone does with their DB's or other antique cars . If you go on tours how often and how far? If you show what type of show, judged or not. Use for dinner transportation or just ice cream? etc. I usually drive about 500-700 collectively, hit about half dozen cruise-ins, and show a few times as a do not judge. Drive them lots on Saturdays and Sundays. Some of you seem to want to dictate what others do with their cars, so let's hear what you do with yours. The only Nat'l DB meet mine have been to is G-burg, because I don't trailer and 40ish is too slow to drive real far.

Ive got a few cars and sometimes I will take one to a show and educate people on the facts concerning the car and try and influence them to get into the vintage automobile hobby and if need be restore their car as an original car.

This normally only happens twice a month as their are only the two shows that I am interested in and fit my schedule.

Most people I have found are drawn toward an original car, they are getting tired of seeing the same old same old I.E muscle cars or store bought street rods or the rat rods, intelligent/educated people ( unlike myself in many respects) recognize that it doesn't take a whole lot of skill/ patience/determination to put together some of these defunct models of cars.

I don't care for the shows that promote awards and judging as from what I have seen the people judging the cars have no business doing this since their knowledge of automobiles may be at best general in nature.

Also we see judging all day long in our ordinary lives outside of our hobbies and enough is enough, give the guy a break, he prob. doing the best he can and appreciate his car for what it is.

Not saying their is no room for judging but in my opinion it is getting way out of hand.

Normally I like to drive my cars to the shows, this usually means though no more than 56 miles round trip which is the furthest that I have dared to go in my car and even then I sometimes will put it up on the trailer, parts are becoming too difficult to find and I will not modify my car just to make it more drivable because whats the point, if I'm gonna do that than I might as well just jump in my modern driver and go for a ride.

People understand that and appreciate that I think, when I do drive it any distance and it is mentioned in the on-going conversation I am having with the spectator that I did drove it here today from ...... they often look at me with question and wonderment at how could I have possible done that.

I am also involved with a program indirectly with all children's hospital to make a kid smile and believe me letting some of these little scrappers sit in the car and feel the air against their faces running down the road wide open at 35 miles an hour is enough to make any adult smile.

I am not able to do this often because I still work full time and have my own family to take care of but I do the best I can juggling things around to make time for the wee ones :)

Unfortunately none of this has been done in the old Dodge lately, I just have too many other projects/cars to upkeep so the old Dodge just sits in my garage collecting dust ( being worked on from time to time )

I spend on average 15-25 hours a week on my early D.B research, I have several projects going on at one time, trying to put together facts and figures on these old cars and trucks.

Alot of the material I read is ( much incorrect data ) difficult for me to understand ( Im not the brightest star in the sky ) and it is seldom known to me the original source of the facts and I need to know. So with that in mind I am trying to piece together easily understood reference tables for our future D.B owners to use so that they can more easily understand what was avail. for their particular vehicle.

I wish there were more time in the day to show the cars.

One day when I am retired I do plan to finish the Dodge to its former glory.

So for the time being I use the Dodge to educate thousands of people all over the world with photographs and facts and any knowledge that I have and can be garnished from the old girl.

I know of too many vintage car owners that have these cars and have knowledge they could very well be sharing and yet have nothing to say other than to occasionally try and do their best to stir up trouble on this forum and other like it with snide comments.

They just dont seem to be bright enough I guess to see that they are only hurting their hobby and especially the particular make of car in which they are trying to represent by their actions or lack thereof.

I have never been to a meet, I will one day and do look forward to it but as can maybe be understood with all I am juggling it just doesn't work for me right now.

Thanks for starting this post, I have clicked on the like symbol with a thumbs up at the top of the page and have enjoyed responding very much.

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Edited by 1930 (see edit history)
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I enjoy driving my '25 DB Coach typically on Saturday or Sunday mornings. I run it at least every other week and try to put about 15 miles on it each time out. The only show I attend is Das Awkscht Fescht at Macungie, PA every August (weather permitting). It is a 48 mile round trip for me. Also FYI, Dodge Brothers will be the featured car at Das Awkscht Fescht in two years. I also enjoy driving it through the historic area of Bethlehem, PA which always attracts attention.

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Edited by FMF (see edit history)
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Like John K, when the car was running, I drove my '16 just about every day around town. On almost every trip someone would approach

with "Model T?" I love explaining the DB/Ford history as well as the 12V electrical system, unleaded gas, split rims, vacuum fuel tank, etc.

Everyone loves the hand operated windshield wiper. The most amusing comment was "Must be worth around $50,000." The only shows I have attended have been showcases for muscle cars/hotrods and 50's/60's cars. That seems to be where the local interest lies. Just wish

some of you guys lived closer.

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I am also a little surprised by the lack of feedback on this topic. I always thought I was one of the few that just worked an drove my cars as a personal endevour. I always though I was in the minority and hoped this would either confirm this or open my eyes to how others use their cars.

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I am also a little surprised by the lack of feedback on this topic. I always thought I was one of the few that just worked an drove my cars as a personal endevour. I always though I was in the minority and hoped this would either confirm this or open my eyes to how others use their cars.

Give it a few days. A lot of guys are going to Hershey.

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I read the DB threads/posts here most every day but seldom reply to them as I'm sure not an expert on a lot of things to be offfering advise. I also read the banter that occures now and again which just enforces my decision to not reply at times. Even in this example all my cars are used pretty much as ground cover for my garage floor so I can't talk about where I drive them, let along to take any of them to a show. Some of you may have followed my thread/post on my activities redoing my '69 Dodge A100 in the Restoration forum towards the top of the AACA forums above but as I'm not currently working on my '31 DB there is no first hand experience to question and/or share. By the way I am just for information I'm both an AACA member and a DB Club member but have yet to make it to a meet although the 2014 DB meet will be basically in my backyard and I do plan to attend it. I'm not speaking for anyone else here but I would guess that the activity a thread/post gets is not always related to AACA or DB members as it includes many general visitors too that visit the AACA site and its forums and they can not post a reply unless that at least have signed up on the AACA site. I hope that provides some insite as to why many may view a thread/post but not always contribute. Scott...

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Hi guys

I call our car at times the ice cream car because it just can't drive by the Dairy Queen. we drive our DB all the time. Our local group id great we like to tour. today we called it the fall colours tour. there were only three cars but what the heck it was great. We had a 20 yr old and a17 yr old driving today so lets get thme interested. we go on 1000 mile tours as well over 7 days each spring. Did a 400 mile tour and a overnight in July. I did 2 car shows and 2 parades this year as this is the first year I have had the car finished after 6 year resto. I do also like the car as a people magnet in the parking lots of the grocery stores or gas stations. You can visit and talk about the history and hopefully get them interested in the hobby.

Today we stopped for lunch after the tour. Our friends where there with there parents 53rd wedding anniversary. I took them for a little spin. I was traveling on a main street at 30 mph and this guy pulls out from a stop sign and hits me in the back left fender with his jacked up full size 4x4. His big steel bumper opened up my fender like a can opener . Every body is ok but poor MIss Vicky now has a war wound. I was not pleased of course but I though there was going to be more damage.

Now will i still drive our lovely car ? You bet we will. We are planning on driving to Detroit in 2014 - 2500miles one way. It is the journey not the destination.

Happy motoring Kevin

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Kevin...sorry to hear of the mishap with your fender. I have had many close calls while using my '31 as a daily driver. People always ask me what I would do if my car was hit. I just tell them "I will fix it". Enjoy them while you can.

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My '26 Coupe is nothing more than a "Rolling Chassis" at this point. I have, however, been pulled around the back acreage of my property (My wife on the garden tractor) with my grandson driving. It's a sight to see! I have photos of that which I will NOT post here! I take enough abuse from the guys I work with let alone a worldwide forum......:D

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My '36 Dodge is still collecting dust as I try to finish the restoration;sometimes I wonder if I'll live long enough! Back in the '80's an '90's when I had my Model A Ford RP we used to drive it all the time. Sometimes I'd take it to work,we'd go for Sunday afternoon rides and for ice cream in the evenings. For a while it was the only truck I had so a few times I took it to the lumber company to pick up materials. You should have seen the looks on the faces of the yardmen when I pulled in! We went to many local shows in those days ,I think the farthest was 2 hrs. away. Never had any trouble and we cruised about 45 mph all day! Scariest ride I ever had was when my buddy and I took the truck to the 40th anniversary of the PA turnpike at the Sidling Hill rest stop. Driving 45 on an interstate can test the nerves of the strongest folks. We got a lot of looks but to my surprise no unfriendly gestures , except when we hit a German Shepard that ran into the road last minute. Can't stop a Model A at 50 on a dime! The dog survived but I think the owner had a heart attack! But my favorite thing was to stop at friend's houses and ask if they wanted a ride, then I would say "you drive". That put the fear in them but most accepted. It's always exciting to be able to drive a vintage vehicle and all of them got a kick out of it,especially the older folks who grew up with these cars. They had a little trouble shifting and the sound of grinding gears brought many a red face and a quick apology but I'd always say "hey,it's a car,if it breaks we'll fix it" "just have fun". At the shows I would encourage folks ,especially kids to feel free to sit in it and experience a piece of motoring history. Too many folks just want you to look from afar ,and I can understand that, but what a thrill it is to really share your car! I sold that truck in 2000 and kick my self every day for it! Jim

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My collection offers me more than a car for every day of the week. So it is not uncommon for me to show up at the parts store several times a day with a different car each time.

We are experiencing an uncommon long dry spell here in Oregon this year so I am putting more miles than usuall on all of my collection.

If I need to hit the freeway the flathead six will handle it as I now have the overdrive working well.

As for shows, I do like to go hang out with other enthusiests on a weekend afternoon, or there is a well established meet every Wednesday afternoon during the summer.

I show up to these gatherings with different cars as well;. I may drive the Imperial one week and the Hemi powered rat rod the next and maybe the 36 Dodge the following, then maybe the Suburban wagon.

Its fun to have the whim at any time to go burn some rubber or plug along in the old flat head. Or maybe ride the Harley, or take out one of the old boats.

Some weekends I drag out the Dirt Late model and go beat the hell out of it just for grins.

I dont join clubs or formal associations, I am just a lone guy doing his thing.

As long as we are having fun I always say.

My Dakota gets almost no miles on it during nice weather.

As long as it is American I will have fun with it. I rarely use my metric tools. (Although I do occasionally restore an old British bike, so I have the British standard tools as well)

ENJOY !!!

Edited by JACK M (see edit history)
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My 34 is still under restoration. I did say to my friends and family at the start of the year that this is the Year Of The Dodge. I plan on finishing the body, getting her painted, fitting some of the restored parts back on her including guards, running boards, roof insert, doors etc... This would be a big step for me. Often I am asked what am I going to do with it once I'm finished. I think Jason hit the nail on the head when he said you take people for a drive in it and the smile on their face tells the story. You can put an old car next to a Ferrari and I'll bet they are looking at the old car ! When mine is finished I'll probably do a few club runs and I've always wanted to drive my car to the Crown ( google it ) and park it out the front where the expensive cars are parked while I have dinner there ( our son is the Head Chef at a restaurant at Crown). I'm not into shows that much but rather historic shows so I'm not much of a trophy hunter rather its my hobby and I enjoy doing it ( until a bolt snaps then I don't ). I do enjoy the banter on this site and some comments can be a bit abrupt but we are all different and converse in different ways. Help at this site too is terrific and I enjoy feedback on my progress of my car and often people have asked how I've done things so even if I have helped one person then I'm happy. I hope everyone , including me, is around to see the finished product.

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I have had the Dodge for exactly a year and as soon as the vacuum tank is finished and fitted I shall be driving it. I will need to toughen up a bit though, because a touring car with no side screens (yet) in the British winter weather could be a challenge in itself! Still, it could be worse. There are colder and wetter places to live.

I have always wanted a tourer but for various reasons I have only driven sedans - what we call saloons. With heaters. And windows. And four wheel brakes! Two wheel brakes in the wet will be a novel experience !

I have three old cars and a Range Rover and if I want to frighten myself; my wife's ridiculously quick new Vauxhall (G.M.); which is both uncomfortable and ugly with warp drive depreciation.

I used to take my 1930 Austin Swallow to shows but not to be judged for trophies because pot hunting is not my style but with the expectation of meeting interesting people. My present business makes it difficult to commit to the hours which show organisers demand these days so I don't enter an old car now. I quite like driving along the country lanes with a village pub as the destination. An old car will usually draw a small group of guys who are sometimes knowledgeable and sometimes not.

If I am honest, though, the thing I like most is actually working on my cars. I used to work in a garage (repair shop) but although the job was interesting, I was not quick enough for the boss who expected his mechanics to work fast. With our own cars, we can do what needs doing but in our own time. I wouldn't like to have to work on today's computer cars.

Ray.

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My interest in DB vehicles has been the company's contribution to the war effort during ww 1. I bring my vehicles to parades , veteran's events, air shows, living history events , and my favorite the historical reenactments. I hope to do as many of these as I can for as long as I can. Kinda hard to use my 1918 DB truck as a daily driver as visibility is poor. Also no electric lights. . I have a 16 touring car but the truck is my favorite.

bob

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While my DA is a gazillion miles from being anywhere near drivable, I do plan on getting maximum enjoyment out of it when that day finally comes. I guess I am lucky in the sense that I am not starting with an original complete vehicle, but a total wreck, because then I can not have the worry of breaking some part that is irreplaceable to the originality of the vehicle.

When I was a kid we used to spend a week or two and hundreds of miles of our school holidays on rallies in my dad's '30 Chev and I loved every minute of it. If I can pass on some of those sort of experiences to my kids I will be very happy.

Mine may never be a show car, (but who knows where the resto will end...), but I will display it whenever possible I guess.

:)

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Quote......... If I can pass on some of those sort of experiences to my kids I will be very happy.........in the end thats all thats gonna matter anyway

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Mine is definitely a work in progress! I was hoping to have her running 2 springs ago, but job loss and lack of funds have me doing little tasks on my '29 when I get a chance...anyway, when I get her running she'll definitely be a driver as it's too much fun! Even if I will be enjoying the ride I'll be checking on the forum here as there will always be maintenance issues, parts issues and I'd be thinking "I wish I'd done that" when someone has a good restoration method!

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The guys who are up and running are enjoying their cars and may not be reading this.

Well that would make sense, as I usually turn to the forum when I get stumped, need or want a second opinion about a fix or proper approach to an issue. If I did not have any work to be done on my car I would not spend as much time on the forums. This is true for my other cars that are on the back-burner. When I get to a point that I can turn my attention to them, I will be less active on this board.

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Two weeks ago Kerry and I went on a run about 250 miles.We never took our vintage 1927 Chev (my 2249 aint finished) as the trip was fairly hilly but we did travel in my 1963 "S" Series Chrysler Valiant This car is a 144000 miler and very original. During the course of our trip my friends 1929 Plymouth Suffered serious engine problems A club member trailered the crippled car back to Collie 15 miles then I volenteered to tow it back to Mandurah a distance of about 80 miles The old 225 slant 6 done a stirling job towing around 2 1/2 ton even though it was a 40 to 50 mph trip On a sad note for Jim he is going to have a bit of work to to but on a brighter note I scored for free a motor for another friends 1927 4 cylinder Chrysler so Jack is over the moon Getting back to the original queery we can only use the Chev on club organised events (this is a condition of our concessional registration which is only about $60.00 per year) and the Valiant is our weekender I am very lucky having a wife that is also very fond of old cars Cheers Ron

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My DL looks pretty good and even though it will probably never be finished, I take it to 6-8 shows all within 45 miles of home. All the shows except one feature loud 50's and 60's music and street rods and customs, so mine is the odd ball and is a curiosity, and I like to point out the features of the Dodge.The older attendees usually have memories to share. The one show I enjoy the most is for all unmodified cars up to 1948 and features hand crank hurdy-gurdy monkey grinder music provided by an antique organ group walking the street. I drive this car around once or twice a week depending on the weather - I try to keep it dry, but want to make sure everything works and the gas doesn't get stale. I guess I might put 500 to 600 miles 0n it in a year. The DK is still being put back together after the engine rebuild, and it needs a lot of other stuff too (like a new roof), but my time is really limited due to some family issues. I plan to drive the nuts off this car when I get it running, just because it is taking so long and I really enjoy is size and power. I don't go on tours with the cars. they are always far away take more than a day and I don't trailer. I also don't drive in the dark after the DL was sideswiped by a hit and run driver in the dark. As far as having the cars "judged", the shows I go to, IF they have awards, they are awarded to cars that the award sponsor likes. I really enjoy my cars and hope I'll be able to keep on driving and working on them for a long time.

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Just got the '36 on the road this spring. Went to one local show, then took the car to Salem, Or. for the WPC Regional Meet. Almost 600 miles. That was an experience because my resto work was only cosmetic, I figured if it ran, don't fix it. Started the trek on backroads only, finished it on the freeway at 60 MPH! I was nervous as a new father, but the further we went, my confidence in the machine grew. Then on the road to the next out of town show, the motor developed a nasty tick. Compression was low too, so out went the engine to the rebuilder. Hopefully be back on the road for Turkey day. Winters in the Northwest are mild enough to drive and we don't use salt on the roads either.

Our ultimate goal would be to go to Detroit for the 100 anniv!:o in '14. We'll see.

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  • 1 month later...

Good observation Keiser31. I just logged in to catch up and found that I hadn't been on in 6 months. I typically remember to catch up when I encounter a problem too. My 15 touring is still not complete after 23 years. Thanks to Joe in SD, I was able to get my car finally off my own street earlier this year. I like most, work full time + and have limited funds. Further aiding in the delays are people in the restoration business who say they can help and really just want to help you loose some weight in your bank account. I long for the day that I can take my car out to breakfast on the weekend and drive to car shows, not for judging but for the fun of it. I also know of the temptation to modernize my restoration from time to time. I have kept my car completely original, with the exception of installing an air pump from an aquarium into the fuel air line so that I can prime the air pressure in the fuel tank without relying on the worn out hand pump. That is it, but the thought has sure crossed my mind out of desperation in wanting to drive this. If my car was not so old, I most likely would have yielded to the ease of new and better parts in order to finish and enjoy but I just can't.

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We have a choice of 3 cars to drive a 1927 Chevrolet Tourer a 1962 Chrysler Valiant and I have just purchaseda 1913 Mors.It is a french car with a 2.2 litre 15hp motor I helped my Father in-law with the restoration of this car in the 1970s &80s I felt very proud to drive her on its first outing last Sunday to our annual Club Christmas lunch The Valiant is an every day driver and the Chevrolet is used for club runs and displays We (my wife and I) enjoy our old cars and use them to the fullest We are going on a 300 mile run at the end of January in the Chev Any way guys no more time for chatting gotta get down to the shed and get some more done on the 2249 Cheers and A MERRY CHRISTMAS to all Ron

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For my 1919 Dodge, I've been collecting information about what needs to be done to replace its broken starting chain and getting access to the main gear that the chain runs on because a few of its teeth were slightly marred when the chain broke. I think I'm ready to get started, all I need now is at least dedicated long weekend to complete this project.

For my 1930 Dodge, I'm having the starter rebuilt because a short occurred in the field windings. I've also been restoring the hub caps and door handles by removing the pitted chrome and polishing. I also found a more authentic looking tail light and installed it. I wasn't able to actually check it electrically because with the starter removed, it appears that this condition opens the car's main electrical circuit. In addition, because my hand brake lever pawl was so worn down that it would not stick into any of the ratchet serrations, I had the pawl reconditioned with a little weld and filed. The hand brake seems to work well in the static mode, but after I get the car rolling again, I will need to test it again on a grade.

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Guest rayjay1902

now that im living in florida i get to drive my 1917 touring just about every day. i usually put on about 15 to 25 miles a dya. going to the beach and cruise nights. i havent been to a show yet...but i will get to one in the next few months. the first 2 months of driving i had to put up with a bad vacume tank , bad tires, a short in the electrical system....but now that everything is working perfectly im going to get alot of use out of the old girl. she has been completly restored so now im just keeping her running and on the road. i wont take her out if i know we are getting alot of rain, but i intend to put as many miles on her as i can until i can no longer drive her, then pass her down to my kids.

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