Long distance driving/traveling with vintage cars

[Paul Dobbin]

 Get AAA Towing coverage and fix the flaws and keep driving them until you gain some confidence.

 

There is a wonderful world out there at 45 MPH and you'll meet really friendly people. Your local  club  may have local rides you can join in with others, there is safety in numbers.

[John_Mereness]

Make sure you have a jack that will work regarding a fully deflated tire - interestingly, many are too tall for such (or at least are when you want to put them in a safe location under car verses risking). 

[Grimy]

Absolutely! Especially for rear wheel flats on skirted fender 1930s cars. I now carry one scissors jack and one bottle jack in each car, plus one or two 15" square pieces of plywood as a base. The scissors jack gets the axle off the ground, and the bottle jack lifts the adjoining portion of the frame to get clearance between tire and fender.

[47Monarch]

Havr owned my 47 monarch Canadian made for a!most two years and I have put amost three thousand miles on it looking forward to to an early summer and more rides

On 5/30/2019 at 6:44 PM, TTR said:

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.

 

[TTR]

3 hours ago, 47Monarch said:

Havr owned my 47 monarch Canadian made for a!most two years and I have put amost three thousand miles on it looking forward to to an early summer and more rides

 

Please consider sharing here any and all long distance travel experiences/stories you've done and/or will do with it in the future.

[TTR]

As it has now become clear we have to (AGAIN ! 😞) postpone our +/- 3 week, 3000+ mile vintage road trip originally planned to start in June, I'm going to take more opportunities with local/shorter excursion, like the one I enjoyed yesterday. Had invited three friends, 2 with vintage cars, 1 with a H.D. to join me, but all wu**ied out at the last minute. 

Racked up 120+ miles, half of which was on very scenic, superbly enjoyable (= twisty) mountain roads of CA SR243 & SR74, former having recently been re-opened after major repairs + long stretch of re-pavement, providing for smoother climbing for spirited efforts. 😉

 

Got on the road right at dawn and after few pit stops (for “fluid exchange” and/or photo-ops) reached the trailhead parking at  +/-6000 ft elevation about 1.5 hours later, spent few hours enjoying peace & quiet on hiking trails, then drove to Idyllwild town center area for a pick-nick lunch in a park + leisurely stroll around the town, enjoying a tasty cigar before heading down the other side of the mountain and back home. 
 

On the way back, narrowed the scale of distancing by stopping by a (vintage car) wrecking yard couple of friends own & operate to see if by any chance they would have a 64 year old “ hens teeth” transmission I need for a clients project. After discovering they actually had one and will deliver to my shop in a week or two, spent couple of more hours chatting with them about the current state of world we live in and trying to predict what future it'll have.

Roadside pit stop (for “fluid exchange” + photos) up on the mountains: 

Snack break view, on the trail, at 6500-7000 ft elevation:

On a (fairly steep) hillside trail:

Edited May 5, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

BSA 441 Victor land.

[TTR]

1 hour ago, padgett said:

BSA 441 Victor land.

While I didn’t see any BSAs, there was (as always) a fair amount of motorcycles up on those roads and even now with the town of Idyllwild mostly shut down, many groups of riders were taking a break there.
 

Only real sad thing I notice on these excursions is the lack of other vintage cars being seriously driven around.
One would think in the place like SoCal, with its climate, great network of cool roads and alleged “car culture” there’d be more, but...
 

Edited May 5, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[Linus Tremaine]

Late to this topic, but its close to home for me. I probably am repeating others but I thought I would weigh in. 

 

I have been trying to get into a position for some time that allows me to drive my old car wherever and whenever I want. I bought an "expensive" car hoping it would help with that only to have a serious engine issue develop shortly after. It has been 5 years since then and the car is apart and money has been spent and with luck it will be back together in a few months. In the mean time, I purchased a second cheap car hoping to use that one for the same job but it has been stuck in Indiana due to the virus. Previously I was not able financially to take on another antique car and when I finally could .... you get the picture. 

 

I also have a 1956 vehicle. It has been extensively rebuilt and I drive it all over. Its a land rover and I have a small group of friends and we take old land rovers all over. Baja, death valley, black rock deserts, eastern oregon high desert, moab, sierras, anywhere. We have some issues, but overall they just go and go and often make it home even when severely broken. My goal is cross country antique auto camp trip. Antique cars to baja, antique cars to death valley, antique car anywhere I want to go. I am a lousy mechanic and I am lazy. I dont really like working on old greasy rust piles but as Matt says, the frustrations of this hobby are small compared to the reward. I have found that getting a slightly beat up car that is reliable is the best option for me. You can drill holes in it, you can bonk it on rocks and hang things on it and crack the paint and its ok. You will grow to love a car that has wear and tear from your trips. 

 

I have a "cheap" old car now that cost me 7,000 dollars. My other car friends and I realized that the guy in the 1928 dodge who comes on our tours has just as much fun as the guy in the 350,000 dollar KB lincoln. Just get in it and drive. The worst possible thing is that you have to come home in a different car. Thats not so bad and its quite a good memory to solve your own problems. 

 

Here are a few pics of the lincoln getting put to work before it had to come apart. I hope to get back to it soon. Also one of the land rover broken in eastern oregon on our winter camp trip. Just go. 

 

[TTR]

15 hours ago, Linus Tremaine said:

Late to this topic, but its close to home for me. I probably am repeating others but I thought I would weigh in. 

 

I have been trying to get into a position for some time that allows me to drive my old car wherever and whenever I want. I bought an "expensive" car hoping it would help with that only to have a serious engine issue develop shortly after. It has been 5 years since then and the car is apart and money has been spent and with luck it will be back together in a few months. In the mean time, I purchased a second cheap car hoping to use that one for the same job but it has been stuck in Indiana due to the virus. Previously I was not able financially to take on another antique car and when I finally could .... you get the picture. 

 

I also have a 1956 vehicle. It has been extensively rebuilt and I drive it all over. Its a land rover and I have a small group of friends and we take old land rovers all over. Baja, death valley, black rock deserts, eastern oregon high desert, moab, sierras, anywhere. We have some issues, but overall they just go and go and often make it home even when severely broken. My goal is cross country antique auto camp trip. Antique cars to baja, antique cars to death valley, antique car anywhere I want to go. I am a lousy mechanic and I am lazy. I dont really like working on old greasy rust piles but as Matt says, the frustrations of this hobby are small compared to the reward. I have found that getting a slightly beat up car that is reliable is the best option for me. You can drill holes in it, you can bonk it on rocks and hang things on it and crack the paint and its ok. You will grow to love a car that has wear and tear from your trips. 

 

I have a "cheap" old car now that cost me 7,000 dollars. My other car friends and I realized that the guy in the 1928 dodge who comes on our tours has just as much fun as the guy in the 350,000 dollar KB lincoln. Just get in it and drive. The worst possible thing is that you have to come home in a different car. Thats not so bad and its quite a good memory to solve your own problems. 

 

Here are a few pics of the lincoln getting put to work before it had to come apart. I hope to get back to it soon. Also one of the land rover broken in eastern oregon on our winter camp trip. Just go. 

 

 

Thank you for contributing to this thread.

If you have anything else you care to share, especially experiences/stories of travels with your Lincoln, I'm sure there are many of us who'd love to read more details about them.

 

P.S. Damn, the selection of that camp site bar makes me want to run into you for long evening of newly minted friendships and tall stories next to a camp fire... 

... I'll bring cigars and additional adult beverage varietals. 😁

Edited May 5, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[Linus Tremaine]

yes, the car bar is an important part of my camp. 

 

When I got the lincoln it had not really been run in about 5 years. I cleaned out the crank case and fiddled with the vacuum tank and it was pretty simple to get going. I drove it around town quite a lot before any long distance. The first place I went was over a really badly deteriorated paved road and along dirt. It started dying constantly due to all the rust and junk in the tank shaking free as I drove over all the bumps.  Fortunately  it has a screen filter under the drivers seat that you can unscrew and clean out. It was just annoying. 

[TTR]

11 hours ago, Linus Tremaine said:

yes, the car bar is an important part of my camp. 

 

When I got the lincoln it had not really been run in about 5 years. I cleaned out the crank case and fiddled with the vacuum tank and it was pretty simple to get going. I drove it around town quite a lot before any long distance. The first place I went was over a really badly deteriorated paved road and along dirt. It started dying constantly due to all the rust and junk in the tank shaking free as I drove over all the bumps.  Fortunately  it has a screen filter under the drivers seat that you can unscrew and clean out. It was just annoying. 

While I haven’t camped since I got done with military duties nearly 40 years ago and tend to prefer a nice, comfy bed and indoor plumbing for overnight accommodations, I have to say your gear and set-up sure looks inviting enough to consider spending a night or two “roughing it”.😉

[TTR]

While (again) not a “long distance travel” experience, i managed another great +/-150 mile social isolation (vintage) drive and terrific 3 hour nature hike in Cleveland National Forest today.
Got on the road at dawn, first heading to Ortega Hwy (by Lake Elsinore) for some hill climb exercises, then to little further south to  Tenaja Falls area trails for a hike and peaceful stream side lunch comprised of Nordic style rye bread sandwiches and a bottle of very tasty weiß bier from München, before heading back.
Once home, snacked on some grilled chicken & brie, accompanied by another weiß bier. Anejo Tequila & Oliva MB3 for dessert.

 

Note the flock of Vultures on the tree behind. Waiting for their breakfast to appear on the fields below ?

 

Close-up. Actually, there were several flocks on several nearby trees.

 

Several miles of super cool, old hillside roads leading to/from Tenaja Falls parking area, at times barely

wide enough for two cars, growth obscured & twisty enough to force speed being kept below 20MPH

(mainly due to potential encounters with other traffic).

Could easily be much more fun (and dangerous ?) if closed for other traffic. 😉

 

 

 

“Look Mom, Top of the World !”. Road and trailhead parking far in the distance, in the valley below .

 

Lunch break (rye bread & wheat beer😞

Edited June 1, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Next weekend will likely be dedicated to test drives with couple of old Italian 4-cam V12s, so more like work than play.  😞

[jaxops]

My wife and I drove from VA Beach up to Hershey, stopping overnight near DC on I-495West.  We toured the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield in the car and stayed with my brother in Carlisle until the show (blissfully driving, not thinking of the miracle that a 50 year old car was doing so well).  I didn't know until we got to the show that the car developed a power steering leak...and all of the vendors had left by Saturday.  My brother bandaged it up tightly, and we added fluid all of the way home.  I was on edge but we made it home safely where I could order and wait 2 weeks for another P/S line to come in. 

It was an enjoyable ride though, driving these cars the way you are supposed to.  I think the next time I'll have the wife in her car in case we run into an issue.  I guess we were lucky on that trip!

[TTR]

3 hours ago, jaxops said:

My wife and I drove from VA Beach up to Hershey, stopping overnight near DC on I-495West.  We toured the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield in the car and stayed with my brother in Carlisle until the show (blissfully driving, not thinking of the miracle that a 50 year old car was doing so well).  I didn't know until we got to the show that the car developed a power steering leak...and all of the vendors had left by Saturday.  My brother bandaged it up tightly, and we added fluid all of the way home.  I was on edge but we made it home safely where I could order and wait 2 weeks for another P/S line to come in. 

It was an enjoyable ride though, driving these cars the way you are supposed to.  I think the next time I'll have the wife in her car in case we run into an issue.  I guess we were lucky on that trip!

Thanks for sharing.

Just out of curiosity, care to share the length (in miles) of that trip and (average) length of daily legs of it ?

 

I also hope you won't mind me taking this generalizing opportunity to iterate (again 🙄) the importance of keeping ones old/vintage car(s) adequately maintained/serviced with good record keeping reflecting it to help prevent any unexpected/unnecessary roadside failures and providing confidence in roadworthiness of that ride, regardless of intended distance.

While I know from 40+ years & 100s of 1000s of miles driving/traveling with vintage cars, that there's only so much one can reasonably prepare for and 50+ year old (& even younger) cars have a lot of things that can break/fail in use, I also believe (and know) if everything is properly kept up, thought of using a back-up vehicle (or worse, a trailer) shouldn't even enter ones mind when planning a road trip.

And consumables, like belts, hoses, filters, tires, etc all are (or should be considered) inexpensive enough to replace periodically (every 5 or so years and fluids, lubricants annually), even if they haven't seen much use and/or still look "fine" or "like new". 

 

Only reason we've "entertained" alternative methods of transportation for my wife is because my roadster does not have any creature comforts and we keep that option, be it by bus, rental car, plane, train or whatever, open for her to switch into, should she grow tired of riding in the roadster during days/weeks long trip(s).

OTOH, she keeps hinting that she wouldn't mind trying my other, little more modern (post-war) rides, but I keep telling her to wait, because once we've done a trip with such, she'll be liable to refuse to go back to (my favorite) roadster and I'm not quite ready to give up on her (i.e. the car) yet.🙄

So far, she's been a good sport (fingers crossed 😉).

 

Edited June 1, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

Although my car is not nearly as old as most here, I am afraid to travel too far from home. That is something I really need to get over. Fresh off of the restoration the starter went out and left me stranded at a cruise night. Not Fun. So, I am a bit gun shy now. Havent had any other problems but every time I go someplace I quietly pray to the car gods that it will start after I turn it off. Thing is, the motor has been completely rebuilt so its essentially new, and I'm still afraid to take it far, however I would not hesitate to drive my pickup truck with nearly 300k miles half way across the country and back.

 

I would love to take a weekend trip in it.

[padgett]

I have AAA  Premier. It runs about $130/yesr and includes 1 Tow up to 200 miles; up to 3 Tows up to 100 Miles Each. Plus the usual stuff. Since all have AC could take anywhere.

[jaxops]

TTR- a 6 hour drive normally (about 306 miles) going around Washington, DC and then up Route 15 through Gettysburg to Carlisle/Hershey. 

[TTR]

2 hours ago, jaxops said:

TTR- a 6 hour drive normally (about 306 miles) going around Washington, DC and then up Route 15 through Gettysburg to Carlisle/Hershey. 

Thanks.

[SC38dls]

There are a group of guys with 48-54 or so Ford pickups that have been getting together regually sice 2012 in the KY TN area. They call the get together TRUCKSTOCK. I fellow in KY called DOC just wanted to meet some of the characters on the FORD forum so he invited them to spend a weekend on his farm. No competition, no booze, no bragging, families welcome, bring your truck or not,  just good old truck stories and fun. They have come from FI, GA, MD, WI, KY, TN and one even comes in regulary from NEW MEXICO.. He usually wins the longest trip award.  Takes two or three days and tries to stay off the interstates as much as possible. Great guy, even a better machanic and has a very good running truck.  Ross is one of those guys that helps everyone. 

[TTR]

5 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

There are a group of guys with 48-54 or so Ford pickups that have been getting together regually sice 2012 in the KY TN area. They call the get together TRUCKSTOCK. I fellow in KY called DOC just wanted to meet some of the characters on the FORD forum so he invited them to spend a weekend on his farm. No competition, no booze, no bragging, families welcome, bring your truck or not,  just good old truck stories and fun. They have come from FI, GA, MD, WI, KY, TN and one even comes in regulary from NEW MEXICO.. He usually wins the longest trip award.  Takes two or three days and tries to stay off the interstates as much as possible. Great guy, even a better machanic and has a very good running truck.  Ross is one of those guys that helps everyone. 

Thanks for sharing, although I would like to see this thread focused on individual/personal (driving/road trip) experiences and I’m sure any such you or anyone else care to share here will be well appreciated. 

[John_Mereness]

This Auburn has had multiple restorations over the years and on its last engine rebuild went 40K miles  - done under ownership of Don Wohlend of Camino Island, Washington (Don crossing the United States 2 times on various tours) - now, it has a fresh engine rebuild and is a couple thousand miles into that one.   And there has been plenty go wrong too, but It is rarely ever on a trailer and has deceived a few people in thinking it is maintenance free - no, I spend a lot of time working on it in the garage so you can see it out driving on the road.  AAA Card is in the glove box.   And to be blunt, it just takes dedication, time, engineering smarts, and money. 

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

As a sidenote, with rare exception having a "collection" of pre-WWII cars in my experience means there is one or two that are roadworthy at any given time and most people I know that successfully tour have one or two "tour car(s)" or have a small number of cars in their "collection" (ex. 3 or less). 

 

Also, no offense to restoration shops, but few really know what it takes to successfully "tour" with a car.  

Dad use to always tell whoever was doing whatever to "put a thousand miles on it and then drop it off to the house."  And the reply was usually something like - "that will make a mess of it and chip the paint up."  His response back was usually "I do not think you want to be dealing with me after I am stuck on the road for some avoidable problem." By the way, they are correct in that the thousand miles does chip up the paint and make a mess of things via getting oil all over and ...   

[padgett]

Just an observation but cars from about 1950 to 1980 are the easiest to work on and mostly still have parts available. Form 1981 to 1986 we have the early days of computers. I find them as easy to work on as earlier just the tools are different. Unlike earlier cars they will tell you what hurts. 1996-on we have the OBD-II era when the diagnostics tell you mainly what expensive part you need to replace. Maybe.

 

So prewar cars mostly require specialized training and devotion. Millenium cars require specialized training and lots of money. Other than the Judge from a maintenance standpoint I prefer interesting cars from the late '80s and early '90s. Much is still available from recycling centers and specialized vendors.

 

There are outliers. I find my '12 Grand Cherokee easy to work on - best tow car I've had, the '11 CTS Coupe (Sedan-Coupe ?) not so (part of the reason I decided against an XLR (also the owners are too proud of them).

 

So "yer pays yer money and yer takes yer chancet". I just always travel with tools and a manual and AAA Premier.

 

ps most of my cars have bras. Lovebugs come twice a year.

[John348]

6 hours ago, padgett said:

There are outliers. I find my '12 Grand Cherokee easy to work on - best tow car I've had, the '11 CTS Coupe (Sedan-Coupe ?) not so (part of the reason I decided against an XLR (also the owners are too proud of them)

 

Mr P

I thought the topic was driving vintage cars, not used cars? Or is that Grand Cherokee a 1912? or the CTS a 1911? 

Edited June 5, 2020 by John348 (see edit history)

[TTR]

10 hours ago, John348 said:

 

Mr P

I thought the topic was driving vintage cars, not used cars? Or is that Grand Cherokee a 1912? or the CTS a 1911? 

Thank you, John.

 

While I can appreciate padgett's passion for his cars, the era or vintage(?) they represent and his enthusiastic efforts to contribute, my hope is/was to keep this discussion focused on long distance driving and travel with older vintage, let's say those manufactured 50-60+ years ago or should we perhaps consider defining it as "6-Volt era" cars/motor cycles/trucks/etc.

 

Also, while there is a fair amount passion for variety of mass produced "modern" cars/trucks/etc, most makes and models manufactured within last 20-25 years can still be seen in daily use, at least around here, and not necessarily considered uncommon experience or sight.

Edited June 5, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[Walt G]

I owned a 1931 Franklin Airman for 40+ years. I had the engine ( which I removed from the car in pieces on my own ) rebuilt by a great old Franklin mechanic in Pa. named Dutch Kern.  The only time the car saw a trailer to haul it was 1) when there was no motor in it 2) when I broke a rear main spring leaf and didn't think it wise to drive it from long island where I live to Matamoras, Pa. to a friends shop to be fixed.

I drove it to and from the Franklin club annual meet for decades , usually put between 1,100 to 1,200 + miles on in a week as just to get the car there and back was 600+ miles round trip. In all that time/miles I think once or twice I had to adjust the carburetor, and had to change one headlamp bulb that popped and went out because I hit a deer with the car on the way home in the dark early in the a.m. .

I feel if you "do the car right" do everything first, it is just normal maintenance to check everything over before and after and during a trip or tour. Pre war cars don't have all the government regulated hoses, belts etc that need to be contended with and replaced due to drying out of rubber etc. insulation.   I always do and did a bumper to bumper rewire on all my old cars as well - just because a wire looks good doesn't mean that the 80+ year old insulation in cloth isn't dried out.

When I sold the car , the friend that bought it still drives it on tours and also shows the car at concours ( which I never did because I really am not interested in any trophies or awards) It was at Hershey in 2019 on the show field. A silver and blue Derham bodied victoria brougham , which was a custom body salon show car in NY and Chicago in December of 1930 when new which was confirmed by Enos Derham.

DRIVE YOUR CARS! they have wheels and were made to be driven. Take local 50 mile trips to start out with then just expand that until you are confident.

[Bharper]

Greetings All,

      I am quite late to this party as I have only now found this thread, but have read each entry; some with enjoyment and approval and others with a bit of sorrow or pity (mrcvs is near the top of that list).

      I envy those of you who have completed thousand mile (and longer) journeys. Various responsibilities and the lack of adequate funding keep me on a short leash and trips requiring multiple days away from home have not been possible, but I DO relish getting behind the wheel of my antiques and savoring a day long motor trip along the bucolic rural back roads of New England. 

           As many posters have stated above, one must have supreme confidence in their vehicle (no matter its age) to embark on long journeys and that confidence can only be had by firsthand knowledge of the condition of every part and system of the vehicle. You need to be "handy with tools" AND have pretty good diagnostic skills. 

 

          Most of us limit our use of our vintage cars to the warm and pleasant weather and store them away when Old Man Winter arrives. I don't take mine out when the roads are white with road salt and certainly not during a snow storm, but I have been known to excersize them during the cold part of the year. 

 

         In February of 2017 I drove my '24 Ford Model T runabout from my home in Keene, NH to Tamworth, NH for a meet held by the Model T Ford Snowmobile Club. The little car ran with out a problem. The round trip was about 225 miles. It was a hoot. "Did you drive that here?"

"I had to, its too hard to steer and push at the same time."

 

 

 

[Buffalowed Bill]

I haven't taken the time to go through all the posts but I plan to. I'm struck by the fact what we in the old car community take for granted, the rest of the world might make us ready for institutionalization (19 letters, look at that). 

 

I've bee driving cross country since I was seventeen (1961) never in a new car. It's amazing how when you start young you loose your fear quickly. Maybe it was because I didn't know what to be afraid of, but as I learned what to fear, I also learned how to cope with the problems. Age of the car or high mileage is not a problem as long as I have reasonable assurance that all systems are in reasonable condition. Some of my cars have become vintage vehicles while I driven them, over the last fifty five years.

 

Today's automotive technology is wonderful, as long as you don't have a breakdown. Two things are as close to a certainty as anything that I know, first is that if you have a breakdown, with a newer car, you are probably not going to be able to troubleshoot the problem by the side of the road, second is that repairs are going to be costly.

 

I've always liked to take the roads less traveled. In the old days, before cell phones it could be a real challenge on a road with no traffic. you were left to your own devices if you had a breakdown. In the old days you could almost always expect a good Samaritan to help. Today in the West there are still roads that are less traveled, but there maybe no cell phone service, in addition fewer of the occasional traffic is willing to help. But life's a challenge travel is easy, nothing to it but to do it, you only live once. 

 

Bill

 

 

[padgett]

Must of the later post's cars have been post-WW2, if want to limit to 6V is fine (my XK150s had two 6v batteries one behind each front tire). However the concept of long distance driving (over say 500 miles) is much the same challenge as it was back in the 60s, just the logistics are better.

 

Biggest difference is back then a car was worn out at 100k miles, now 150k, 200k "like new" miles is not uncommon. That mine are on a more sliding scale (until 1970 I thought for GM the odd numbered years were the beast) and right now seems like cars of the '80s are underappreciated (e.g. cheap), easy to work on/tune, & parts are available.

 

Remember having a coil die on a Westphalia just east of Meteor Crater in AZ on a warmish July day. Fortunately off in the desert was a carcass of a 62 Chevvy that still had the coil. Got us back to TFt. Worth. Today being a bit less adventurous, I'd call AAA.

 

ps to me "post-war" means after 'nam. AACA says "over 25". Am about to buy (90%) an 89 that is 31. It is a moving target.

[SC38dls]

I’ve taken three or four 350-400 mile round trips in my 83 year old 38 Studebaker ( mfg date Aug 27, 1937) With the only problem being a flat tire as I pulled in the driveway at home. Took a small tool box for just in case minor problems. I also checked with the insurance company I have my towing with if they would cover out of state problems just to be on the safe side. 
The shortest trip was to Indianapolis for a run on the Indy  track!  I’ve posted that story before but I waited to be the last car behind Porsche’s, Vet’s, Mustang’s, Chargers, Ferraris basically all kinds of muscle cars. The first lap (they had control cars up front and behind) was at 50 , then 60-65, the third lap was 70+ and I was falling behind. Soon we were a half lap behind. Finally the trail car passed me and soon we were the lead car but the pack was coming up on me fast!  When we got off the track the 38 was the only car that never lifted the whole time on the track!  No one else could say that!  
A great time and the Studebaker ran  great, drove it back home that night About 150 mile trip. 
dave s 

Edited June 5, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[TTR]

1 hour ago, padgett said:

Must of the later post's cars have been post-WW2, if want to limit to 6V is fine (my XK150s had two 6v batteries one behind each front tire). However the concept of long distance driving (over say 500 miles) is much the same challenge as it was back in the 60s, just the logistics are better.

 

ps to me "post-war" means after 'nam. AACA says "over 25". Am about to buy (90%) an 89 that is 31. It is a moving target.

Yes, we all have different perception of what constitutes a vintage or pre-/post-war era cars and that's why offered guidance in my initial post "...early-‘50s or older, especially pre-war..."  (= 6-Volt era ?) and I believe majority of "vintage" car enthusiasts consider the "pre- " or "post-war" referencing to WWII.

 

As for "modern" cars, I personally consider anything built at or after the time carburetors disappeared from production cars (= late-'70s/early-'80s ?) or put it differently, cars that have been daily drivers and/or at least somewhat regularly seen on the roads throughout my adult or driving life.

All the cars older than that I consider "vintage".

 

And as for the "challenge" of logistics, etc, I prefer to take it on as part of the fun by choosing/mapping out a (scenic) route without any or at least minimal use what I consider conveyor belts for boredom & commerce, i.e. Freeways and Interstates. I believe these are why I hear so many people needing radios or other artificial "entertainment"(?) equipment in use while driving. Or is it the boring vehicle they're driving ?

 

Anyway, back to our original program and thanks a million to ALL who have contributed so far !

Don't be shy boys and girls, keep 'em wonderful stories (& any related pictures) coming !

 

Oh, and don't forget to go out and make more great road memories !!!

 

There's a wonderful car guy/gal anecdote or quote I heard/read long ago and I'm just paraphrasing it here:

Nobody's ever laid on their deathbed saying "I wish I would've driven my ***** less"

 

Edited June 5, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

BTW (and this is year-irrelevant), my spares usually include a jump box with air compressor, wiring diagrams (most on cell phone), tube and tire iron, bottle jack, points/cap/couple of plugs, jug of coolant , duct tape, and a four drawer HF tool box (usually at least 20% off) I consider disposable. Toss in a few specialty sockets and a DVM. Doesn't matter what car, just any time I go over 100 miles.

[TTR]

Time for another cool & exhilarating vintage day drive up to the mountains. Packing lunch, refreshments (& a cigar) right now, taking off in about 30 minutes. Anyone else heading out ?

[TTR]

Idling, ready, set, ...

Another 30-40 minutes to get to the interesting/intriguing roads leading up to the mountains seen far in the background.
Should reach 8000 ft elevation in couple hours...

Edited June 14, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Well, due to few small fun/exciting/intriguing detours, couple of “let’s-turn-around-&-drive-that-great-section-again” experiences and numerous wonderful photo-op breaks, it took a little longer (almost 3 hours) to reach that 8000 ft. elevation spot, but overall the +/-160 mile drive turned out great, again.
Topped it off by huge takeout order of Riverside’s greatest Steak & Shrimp Fajitas enjoyed with “Eldorados” (<-my own “upgrade” invention of Cadillac Margarita) + cigar by/in the pool at my SIL’s new digs (built in 1925).

Exhilarating twsties:

 

Yeah, there’s that (8000 ft.) marker:

 

At/near one of the 6000 ft markers:

 

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

I drove my Chevrolet from Santa Monica to Eugene Oregon on it's maiden Trip after rebuilding it. 

[padgett]

Ah yessss. No guard rails so it is easy to push the snow off.

[Tommy Zimmerman Sr]

1912Staver; explosion engines???? I've been in this game a long time but that's a new one on me. Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.    LOL.....

Is it safe for me to think that explosion engines cover both internal combustion engines & diesel engines? I want to be sure I'm right before I start using that terminology because I can't hardly wait to tell someone tomorrow; "hey Rocky, I'm pretty sure your explosion engine has a problem with the dyflucouse valve."    LOL...   I learned a new terminology today.