TTR Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) Hi, I’m new here but not to antique/classic/vintage vehicles. I also wish to apologize if any of my content in this topic offends some members/readers here. Actually I’ve been seriously involved with them for over 40 years as an enthusiast/hobbyist/owner (of dozens) and professionally +/-35 years. More than anything, including rebuilding or restoring them or their components, I’ve always loved driving classic/vintage cars, a lot, and have probably racked up at least 200.000-300.000 miles between all I’ve driven and/or driven in past 4+ decades. I’ve driven 10 or so trips across the continental U.S. and maybe another 10 or more with half that distance in vintage cars from early ‘30s to early ‘70s, although latter I view more like a “modern” cars. When younger (late teens-to-forties), I preferred cruising in large ‘50s/’60s American “land yachts”, but in past ten or so years I’ve gone back to my original, early teen years interests of ‘50s and older sports cars and early Hot Rods, driving them “spiritedly” on scenic, twisty countryside back roads or 2-lane mountain highways, etc. for which my “weapon of choice” has been my ‘32 Plymouth PB Sports Roadster I built to a “period correct*" early-‘50s Hot Rod close to 30 years + tens of thousands of miles ago. In past few years I’ve also done several long distance leisure road trips with it, including a 15 day/2750 mile (SoCal to Yellowstone and back) vacation with the wife and we’re now preparing for another +/- 3 weeks/3000+ mile trip this summer. So my question is, are there many members here that actually enjoy to drive their early-‘50s or older, especially pre-war cars extensively for private leisure travel, i.e. without participating in some organized antique/classic car event, show or tour, etc. ? *Pretty much every component or technological feature in this car is something that was or would’ve been available in the early ‘50s, incl. 6Volt electrical system, bias-ply tires w/tubes, no creature comforts or power assist of any kind, etc. Only noticeable deviation from “period correct” might be a pair of (lap-type) seat belts, although those too existed in period and before.. Other “period correct Hot Rod” modifications include ‘52 DeSoto 276, ‘49/‘52 Dodge 3-spd, ‘51 Dodge rear axle, ‘37(?) Plymouth(?) steering gear + wheel, custom-/hand-built (by yours truly) alloy-bucket seats and (hydraulic) telescopic shocks. Edited January 6, 2020 by TTR Added and refined details (see edit history) 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 C Carl, aka Cadillac Carl, has been driving his 27 Cadillac all over the place! I’m sure he will join in the discussion. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 I'm waiting for Tinindian to get here ..... 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwells Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 You should talk to the Antique Automobile editor's dad, Donald R. Peterson. That guy will drive anything anywhere and has for decades. So will most of his sons... I'm with you. With a cellphone and access to the internet, all you have to do is let the right folks know you need a little help and people in the old car hobby with fall out of the trees to assist. Ask me how I know... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Licespray Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 So, how do you know? 😁 Don’t own any old cars myself but intend on getting a 1920s vehicle to do long drives in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 (edited) 400,000 miles as a daily driver since 1959 in my Grandfathers 6-30B Pontiac that had 99,000 when I started to drive it. Been in every state west of the Mississippi. Two engine and differential overhauls, original wheel and axle bearings. Two break downs; one in 1947 when my Grandfather was driving. He broke an axle, had an old, old blacksmith hammer weld it and it's still working okay. One in 1988 on a flat level road my clutch pressure plate fell apart, the day after I was using the car to pull out shrubs. I cruise on the main highways at 50-55 mph, change the oil every 3 or 4,000 miles and have never had to add oil since my first overhaul (usually it is down a quart when it is time to change). Always run 50/50 antifreeze and tap water in the crossflow rad (manual says to half fill to allow for expansion) and have never had to add coolant (even in Nevada and Death Valley in July) between 2 or 3 year changes. Edited May 31, 2019 by Guest spelling (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 There are a couple of fascinating stories of people who recently took cross-country vacations in brass-era cars. Joe and Betty Swann spent the summer of 2016 driving their 1912 E-M-F from Pennsylvania to the west coast and back. The E-M-F website, emfauto.org, has their blog, and it's a great read. Separately, a past national president of HCCA, Don Rising, set out to travel from California to Virginia with two of his sons and two of his grandsons in 1910 and 1911 Model T Fords. One made it; the other broke an axle. Their blog is ca2vabyt. In both blogs, they tell about what precautions they took, what went well, and what didn't. And they both thoroughly enjoyed the adventures. It can be done! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwells Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 43 minutes ago, Licespray said: So, how do you know? You must not be an AACA member or you'd recall my story from the Antique Automobile magazine. PM sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Licespray Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Thanks, Yeah am in Australia so not a member and didn’t see it. Thanks for the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 Thanks for all replies so far. I look forward to more and hopefully get details of the trips and vehicles they were done in. I also hope to meet or run into (pun intended) all you like minded vintage travelers. While we’re not full-on vintageophiles, we often try to incorporate overnight stays in some old/vintage hotels, if any happens to be conveniently located on our route, although some have proven less than ideal. Vintage style roadside diners, OTOH, while they often feature cool architecture and decor, we try to stay away from altogether as they mostly serve type and quality of food I abused myself enough with when younger and knew there’s a difference...😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Welcome to the forum. I look forward to reading the responses. I'm not a long road trip vintage vehicle person, but as I put several thousand trouble-free local miles on vehicles I've refurbished, I entertain the notion of doing maybe a thousand mile trip sometime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelroadster Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 What would you think would offend anybody Here? Telling people that you like to drive your cars should not offend any reasonable person. Drive on. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I drive this 36 Pontiac a lot..... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 A few years ago when the Pierce Arrow Society National Meet was in New York, a member drove his 1932 Pierce Arrow from the San Diego area to the meet in NY and back home again. The Great Race is another example of owners driving their antique cars great distances. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 1 hour ago, zepher said: A few years ago when the Pierce Arrow Society National Meet was in New York, a member drove his 1932 Pierce Arrow from the San Diego area to the meet in NY and back home again. zepher. to pick a small nit but primarily to amplify your statement, that was the 2015 Buffalo Meet, when Sean McN drove his **1931** Pierce-Arrow coupe from San Diego to Buffalo. Long before that, a (now deceased) member Henry "Gene" Becker drove his 1917 Pierce-Arrow 66 touring from his homes in NJ and (after retirement) FL to *40 CONSECUTIVE MEETS** scattered all over the Continental US--and return, including to the Pacific Northwest. Our annual Long Distance Award is named after Gene and his wife Pauline. Our Long Distance award is weighted by year model to reflect the accomplishment of driving an early car long distances. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdarrunt Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 When we think long trip we think 37 Buick. A 1,000 to 2,000 mile trip is routine. After the 1937 engine wore out I put in a 1952 263 straight eight and automatic transmission so wife can help with the driving but it's pretty much original except for 12v and radial tires. It WILL get front disc brakes after our episode in Kansas City where the drum brakes went on strike during a monsoon. The usual question from men is "what year/make" while women ask "you drove that all the way from Texas?" Modern car is just a road trip while the 37 is a conversation at every gas pump, restaurant, motel, etc. Nearly everybody has a father or grandfather that had one "just like it". 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john hess Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 My 53 Chieftain 4 door is soon to be done,(mid summer) and that is my intention for this car... Long distance, cross country travel... straight 8, 3 speed manual, as built in 1953...... No extras... And a paper map, if I can find them ... Hope to meet like enthusiasts on the road.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwells Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 The paper maps are going to be tough to find except in the collector arena. I've been forced to go to a Rand-McNally atlas and GPS when traveling in congested areas, like the Northeast, in recent years. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Last year I was going to trailer my 1937 Buick Century from North Carolina to Indiana for the 36-38 Buick Club tour and the Auburn Meet that followed it. The borrowed 2014 tow vehicle died while still in NC. I offloaded the Buick and drove it for from Cary, North Carolina to Auburn, Indiana. The trip was a lot more fun driving than it would have been to trailer it. We had lots of nice conversations at every stop. Next month, I plan to drive it from North Carolina to Ohio for the 36-38 Buick Club tour. The car still runs on a 6 volt system and has bias ply tires. They were made to be driven. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 A hearty WELCOME to you, TTR. I have follower you on the "other" forum. Will there or here, or both. My 1950 Buick has seen NC from Mo since he was refurbished. Now resides in TX. I have been back to Mo several times. Denver last year. I have done 15,000+. Hope to do many more. Ben 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md murray Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 8 hours ago, Grimy said: zepher. to pick a small nit but primarily to amplify your statement, that was the 2015 Buffalo Meet, when Sean McN drove his **1931** Pierce-Arrow coupe from San Diego to Buffalo. Long before that, a (now deceased) member Henry "Gene" Becker drove his 1917 Pierce-Arrow 66 touring from his homes in NJ and (after retirement) FL to *40 CONSECUTIVE MEETS** scattered all over the Continental US--and return, including to the Pacific Northwest. Our annual Long Distance Award is named after Gene and his wife Pauline. Our Long Distance award is weighted by year model to reflect the accomplishment of driving an early car long distances. -I'm sorry but it must be said -that's just incredible -40 times?!!? There's a gentleman who must have had considerable faith in his own mechanical abilities-God bless him. Aside from that though this reminds me of a recent topic on here talking about how these old guys used to just bomb around all over in old cars relatively easily. It was pointed out that there are now many prohibitive factors facing the modern enthusiast between ethanol laden gas, pot metal components breaking down, etc. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Do you know why your daily driver is reliable? Because you drive it every day. Do the same with an old car and you, too, can have the confidence to drive it anywhere. As you service it in daily use, you'll get more and more familiar with it, you'll have a better understanding of what it requires, and repairs will be easier. The more you drive it, the more items you'll repair, and pretty soon you'll have a bulletproof car that you can trust. Taking a car out once or twice a year and hoping that it will be 100% is a fallacy--cars that are used are always healthier than cars that are stored and protected and babied. Cars are meant to be driven. It's what they were designed to do, it's what they want. Oblige them! 19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 13 hours ago, nickelroadster said: What would you think would offend anybody Here? Telling people that you like to drive your cars should not offend any reasonable person. Drive on. No problem, but being this is a AACA forum I, perhaps mistakenly, thought some here may find hot rodding/modifying a PB Roadster objectionable. 😉 OTOH, I'm also an avid "preservationist" and while I make a living restoring vintage cars and their parts, I love and personally prefer well maintained, unrestored examples, but in the end I also feel that any and every car deserves to and should be driven/used as intended and as much as possible, no matter how rare or valuable. Keeping them inanimately stashed away in collections/garages/museums or even more so, letting them rot away in back yards/barns/fields/etc is something I never quite understood nor appreciated. If I didn't have to work for living, I'd probably spend most of my time driving/traveling around the world in my vintage cars and if money was no object, probably get couple more. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 5 hours ago, john hess said: My 53 Chieftain 4 door is soon to be done,(mid summer) and that is my intention for this car... Long distance, cross country travel... straight 8, 3 speed manual, as built in 1953...... No extras... And a paper map, if I can find them ... Hope to meet like enthusiasts on the road.... Many states still offer paper maps, and they are usually free! Look at a rest area or welcome center when you cross a state line. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcvs Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I have to give y'all credit. I have two vintage cars, 1930 and before, and, admittedly, it's with great trepidation I wander more than 5 miles from home in either of them. For fear of breaking down or overheating, which has happened, and the inability to be able to get my car home if not running, before the weather breaks, which is of concern in an open touring car. I don't know how to overcome this fear, which has actually been realized. The Model A had a crack in the engine which was there but not evident when I bought it (between 2 cylinders). Fortunately, the car was parked after a trip and wouldn't start at home. Then after this I broke down a mile from home. Turns out a replacement coil was defective. The Maxwell had a Johnson carburetor that dumped gas due to a gas logged cork float that wouldn't float. Replaced with an original A-D carburetor. Success TBD as now no spark which seems to be points and condenser. Have fear of being in the middle of nowhere with no gas as carburetor was dumping it unbeknownst to me. Also a few overheating issues, increasing rpms seem to have resolved. Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 In this nice weather I drive a different car every day of the week if I can. Most of my cars are ready to drive just about anywhere. I am stupid about flying off somewhere to buy a car sight unseen and drive it home. I haven't had any major breakdowns doing that, but I carry tools. I have learned that the journey is much more fun than the destination in most cases. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 11 minutes ago, mrcvs said: Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? Triple A. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTR Posted May 31, 2019 Author Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) On 5/31/2019 at 9:36 AM, Bloo said: Many states still offer paper maps, and they are usually free! Look at a rest area or welcome center when you cross a state line. You can also get them from AAA, either free or paid, depending on your membership level. Funny thing happened to me few years ago: On one of my many trips with the Roadster, I got slightly lost or disoriented in City of Palmdale, CA and decided to pull over to a strip mall where there was a (national chain) Auto Parts Store. Walked in with a map in my hand and was greeted by an employee, a young man (I'm guessing) in his mid-to-late twenties, with a "How can I help you, Sir ?" soon followed by a comment "Wow, is that a real map in your hand, Sir ? I've never seen one before !" to which I replied "Yes it is, but apparently you are not able to offer much help then" and since everyone else inside that store either appeared busy or just stared at me like deers in the headlights, I pretty much just turned around and walked out. Edited June 1, 2019 by TTR (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) I get the same distance anxiety as mrcvs bellow with my truck and trailer. I only have my 1987 Ford 150 with near 200,000 on the clock and my wife's Ranger with about 130 ,000 on the clock as tow vehicles. I have lost out on a couple of deals recently because they were too far to retrieve with either truck and still have piece of mind I won't be broken down in the middle of nowhere with my trailer and a load. In short up S**t creek. New or even newer trucks are way out of my reach and commercial hauling on the usually sub $10,000.00 range cars I am looking at makes the whole deal unfeasible. A definite catch 22. Greg in Canada Edited May 31, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 13 minutes ago, mrcvs said: I have to give y'all credit. I have two vintage cars, 1930 and before, and, admittedly, it's with great trepidation I wander more than 5 miles from home in either of them. For fear of breaking down or overheating, which has happened, and the inability to be able to get my car home if not running, before the weather breaks, which is of concern in an open touring car. I don't know how to overcome this fear, which has actually been realized. The Model A had a crack in the engine which was there but not evident when I bought it (between 2 cylinders). Fortunately, the car was parked after a trip and wouldn't start at home. Then after this I broke down a mile from home. Turns out a replacement coil was defective. The Maxwell had a Johnson carburetor that dumped gas due to a gas logged cork float that wouldn't float. Replaced with an original A-D carburetor. Success TBD as now no spark which seems to be points and condenser. Have fear of being in the middle of nowhere with no gas as carburetor was dumping it unbeknownst to me. Also a few overheating issues, increasing rpms seem to have resolved. Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcvs Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I should state that some trepidation could (not saying would) disappear if I didn't work so much. I think being retired and breaking down isn't as bad when you only have this problem as your concern vs breaking down far from home and having to worry about making it to work at 5:30 am the next day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) Definitely time pressure makes a bad situation worse. Nearly any longer distance drive I take involves crossing a mountain range. If you are going to break down with an older truck ,trailer and load you have pretty good odds it's going to be on a long ,steep mountain slog. And usually narrow road on these stretches just for added entertainment. Less blacktop to clear snow off of, and less material to move after a rock slide. Living somewhere like Kansas starts to look a lot better over time. Greg Edited May 31, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepher Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 35 minutes ago, mrcvs said: I have to give y'all credit. I have two vintage cars, 1930 and before, and, admittedly, it's with great trepidation I wander more than 5 miles from home in either of them. For fear of breaking down or overheating, which has happened, and the inability to be able to get my car home if not running, before the weather breaks, which is of concern in an open touring car. I don't know how to overcome this fear, which has actually been realized. The Model A had a crack in the engine which was there but not evident when I bought it (between 2 cylinders). Fortunately, the car was parked after a trip and wouldn't start at home. Then after this I broke down a mile from home. Turns out a replacement coil was defective. The Maxwell had a Johnson carburetor that dumped gas due to a gas logged cork float that wouldn't float. Replaced with an original A-D carburetor. Success TBD as now no spark which seems to be points and condenser. Have fear of being in the middle of nowhere with no gas as carburetor was dumping it unbeknownst to me. Also a few overheating issues, increasing rpms seem to have resolved. Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? I have an unrestored '29 Pierce Arrow. The engine has never been apart. While I don't drive it more than a 100 miles from home, I do put around 300 miles on it when I attend a Pierce Arrow Society Meet and participate in the tours. My '26 Rickenbacker has been all over the southern part of Calif, from just north of Santa Barbara to below San Diego. They were meant to be driven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ply33 Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 1 hour ago, mrcvs said: Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? Don't know about 300 miles, but AAA has a platinum level membership that has 200 miles of free towing. Knowing you have a reasonable amount of free towing available does give you a bit of a different view on things. For example: In March while returning from a camping trip in our '33 a tube failed. Spare tire is on the back of the car inside a metal cover. But the tools are behind the rear seat back and the whole back of the car was loaded up to the windows with camping gear. Choice was between calling AAA and unloading everything by the side of the road to dig out the tools. I took the easy path and called AAA. Once the truck arrived, I again had two choices: Have the fellow change the tire (putting the filthy metal spare tire cover in the car on top of all of our gear and then making the remaining miles home with no spare). Or have the car loaded on the back and having it hauled home. I opted for the easy way out and had the car hauled home. Once home I looked into things at could find nothing on or in the tire to cause the problem so I suspect it was a matter of the tube itself failing. Since all the tubes were the same brand installed at the same time I decided to play it safe and replaced all five of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J3Studio Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) It's all relative, I guess. My wife and I do long road trips alone, but the only one where we actually worried was the Lincoln Highway "big trip" with the 1985—which I realize many on this thread will consider a "late model." A few paragraphs from the book I eventually wrote: In spite of the many preparations I have described, both Ivelis and I were quite aware that there were many unknowns on this trip, including whether we would even complete it successfully. This situation was something that had not been true of our two previous “Big Trips” back and forth across the United States. The possibility of a catastrophic failure of some essential system in this particular Corvette was part of an honest and realistic assessment of our plans. A few of our friends heightened this awareness: they were quite enthused by our trip—until they figured out that we were driving it on our own. … (basically the entire travelogue) … Ivelis and I arrived home safely but quite spent at our house in Bryn Mawr on May 31, 2014, at roughly 3:40 pm. We had traveled approximately 6,314 miles, and we had (amazingly) made it in our 29 and a half-year-old car. I felt like both we and Lauren should have received some kind of medal! For all of my worries and concerns about our ability to successfully complete this trip in this car, we ended up having only two major issues—the passenger door and the stalls [in awful San Francisco Memorial Day weekend traffic]. For the final eight days of our journey, I remained quite concerned that the passenger door would disintegrate even further than it had in Ely, Nevada. However, Ivelis and I were able to use both the manual door lock and the inside door handle all the way back home. Despite these problems, I’m very glad that we took this excursion in Lauren—I think that this choice of vehicle made the experience more special. … A few days after our trip was complete, Ivelis casually informed me that her request for a list of Chevrolet dealers situated along our route was not for a set of good repair locations, but rather so we could purchase a brand new C7 Corvette if Lauren suffered some catastrophic mechanical failure. “I brought my checkbook!” she stated rather forcefully. No wonder poor old Lauren managed to make it! … In the middle of September 2015, we had a 200-mile jaunt planned in Lauren (we had been invited to show her at the lovely and historic Ephrata Cloister). Only 15 miles into the trip, Lauren completely keeled over in the town of Malvern, Pennsylvania—the fuel pump that was original to the car had failed at about 78,000 miles and 31 years. Why it made it through our entire Lincoln Highway trip, I’ll never know—but I am grateful that it did. Perhaps our somewhat astounding fuel mileage on the journey could be attributed to the fact that the fuel pump was giving the engine a little less fuel than it was designed to! Edited May 31, 2019 by j3studio (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. Ballard 35R Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Don't forget in 1946 early AACA member George Green of Lambertville NJ drove his 1904 curved dash Oldsmobile to 30 states plus Canada and Mexico. Mr. "Curved Dash Olds" as he was known drove 269 miles in one day - not bad for a vehicle that at best could do 40 MPH. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, mrcvs said: I have to give y'all credit. I have two vintage cars, 1930 and before, and, admittedly, it's with great trepidation I wander more than 5 miles from home in either of them. For fear of breaking down or overheating, which has happened, and the inability to be able to get my car home if not running, before the weather breaks, which is of concern in an open touring car. I don't know how to overcome this fear, which has actually been realized. The Model A had a crack in the engine which was there but not evident when I bought it (between 2 cylinders). Fortunately, the car was parked after a trip and wouldn't start at home. Then after this I broke down a mile from home. Turns out a replacement coil was defective. The Maxwell had a Johnson carburetor that dumped gas due to a gas logged cork float that wouldn't float. Replaced with an original A-D carburetor. Success TBD as now no spark which seems to be points and condenser. Have fear of being in the middle of nowhere with no gas as carburetor was dumping it unbeknownst to me. Also a few overheating issues, increasing rpms seem to have resolved. Believe me, I'd love to drive both of these 300 miles and back, but what do you do if you even make it 300 miles and are that far from home and broken down? Welcome to my childhood. My father never owned cars that could reliably be driven any significant distance. As a result, our usage was limited to driving from the place where he stored the cars back home, then back to the storage garage. Tours? Forget it. Drives longer than 10 miles? No way. Every terrible moment of my childhood is related to one of those piece of crap cars stranding us and watching my father lose his mind. It is why even though I have reliable, fast, powerful, proven cars, I still have great concerns about traveling long distances in my old cars. I do it anyway and hope that I will be able to overcome history. To date, I have yet to be stranded save for coming back from Allentown, PA a few years ago in the Limited, which suffered a flat tire on a brand new Coker. But that was hardly the car's fault. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. What you're asking is how do you build confidence and the answer is only this: Drive. Drive the cars. You don't have to go far if you drive frequently, and as you become more confident you can go farther. It sounds like your cars still have multiple issues and that's a significant part of the problem. If it's flooding or overheating or the ignition is failing, then you still have lots of sorting to do. The sorting process is something that most restoration shops skip and many owners don't understand, but I personally find it to be the most rewarding part of owning an old car. Fix one thing and the car gets better. Fix the next thign and it gets better still. Eventually, you have a reliable car that you can trust. But as many people here will say, the sorting process is not easy. There will be temptations along the way to cut corners and say, "Well, good enough." If you want to drive your cars with confidence, "good enough" is never good enough. The car is either right or it is not, and I have learned over the years to trust the original engineers rather than trying to out-think them with modern ideas. There are upgrades that make sense (electric fuel pumps for back-up, stronger batteries, modern spark plugs, etc.) and some that do not (electronic ignitions, different carburetors, "creative" electrical systems). If you put the car back the way it was built, it will get more reliable. As you tune it and get to know the various parts and ensure they are in top condition, your confidence will grow. But it takes time. There's no magic solution. Right now, you sound like my father, who expected these ancient cars with questionable care and maintenance over the years to be reliable right out of the box. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Reliable cars only get that way through many hours of hard work and finicky tuning. It will take some dedication to learn what you have to learn. But it really matters if you want to drive. There really is no substitute. I feel your pain, having spent the most miserable moments of my life sitting on a curb watching my father turn into a monster. I know the terror of a car that suddenly and unexpectedly goes silent at a red light. I know the sphincter-tightening you feel when the engine starts to stutter. I know the fear of wondering how I'll get home. Just remember that a flatbed ride isn't expensive, cell phones will bail you out, and anything can be fixed. Get started on sorting and driving the car regularly to shake out the bugs and it can only get better. Edited May 31, 2019 by Matt Harwood (see edit history) 13 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 I understand one's concern about "what if car breaks down far from home", but Matt is correct, drive the car a lot and you won't be as worried. Even if the car breaks down, my philosophy is that I've never seen a broken down car on the side of the road with a skeleton in it. Thus, people, and the car, will make it home, one way or the other. Reminds me of my '31 Pierce. The fellow I bought it from NEVER owned a trailer. He restored it in 1960, and over the next 20 years put well over 50,000 miles on the car, going on tours in Louisiana and the surrounding states. I bought it in 1984, and one of the first tours we were going to (which was about 250 miles away from home), I chickened out and put it on a trailer towed behind a Ford van I had at the time. 15 miles from home, the distributor drive shaft broke on the Ford. Getting the rig moved to a friend's place about a mile from where we broke down, my wife (and four kids) asked "what now?". Well, hop in the Pierce, we'll just drive it there....and we did, and back! Nothing builds confidence in a car like using it, sorting out any issues, and being able to hop in it and drive with little worry. Will you always have trouble free touring? No, but that's all part of the adventure of old cars..... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Licespray Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 Love the big slots in the hood on that car. Plenty of good stories, but there’s nothing worse than having doubt in your equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 12 minutes ago, Licespray said: Love the big slots in the hood on that car. Plenty of good stories, but there’s nothing worse than having doubt in your equipment. Agreed. Those "slots" are actually doors, open for summer and closed for winter driving.....if you look closely you can see the little handles which operate a locking rod to hold closed.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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