Long distance driving/traveling with vintage cars

[padgett]

Could take 7 of the herd to LaLa town tomorrow. Besides clothes,sundries, & standard equipment just need four things::

AmEx card

AAA Platinum

DVM

Disposable HF toolbox (have several).

 

oh and if a non-ALDL car would probably toss in a scan tool, they are small. Do have most service manuals (inc 70 Judge) on my cell phone.

Edited November 29, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[TTR]

16 hours ago, padgett said:

Disposable HF toolbox (have several).

???

Are they meant to be disposed after or during each trip ?

Edited November 29, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Sorry if this is a re-post, but here is my somewhat "typical" tool arsenal for longer (200+ miles from home ?) trips.

Closer to home and day drives, etc I just keep a smaller basic set in an old Military ammo case.

And with exception of spare tires, previously mentioned service kit/parts + AAA/Credit cards I carry all the time.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

Excellent basic assortment, just needs a piece of wire or a very long #6 bolt to keep the drawers closed.

"Are they meant to be disposed after or during each trip ?" No means I would not consider it a loss if disappeared since have more than one. Junk yard toolset.

[TTR]

46 minutes ago, padgett said:

...just needs a piece of wire or a very long #6 bolt to keep the drawers closed.

Being high (industrial) quality, well designed, European-made (+/-60 years ago) with self-latching cover lids, no bolts or wires needed, but a small padlock can be added (for security) if desired/needed.

Edited November 30, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

Yes but I have four of them.

[Stooge]

@TTR i started reading this thread this morning and for the first page or 2, i was thinking 'this reminds me of that thread on the Hamb of a guy and his wife in their early '30s plymouth roadster from a few years ago"  then a page later, lo and behold! From the dates of that thread, it was posted in late September 2017, a few weeks after i bought my rusty pile of a 1937 Buick Century coupe, and i have to thank you for it as it really gave me the bug and pointed me in the direction of what i want to do with it, build it to take on some extended drives and road trips while keeping it an old car. I still have a considerable amount of work before it will be out on the road, but with the thinking of 'how can i make this easier to service for the sake of my future 'stuck on the side of the road' self' and plan accordingly. 

 

Keep  posting your travels, (along with everyone else and their travels), they're great motivation for those still building their own 'touring' car!

[TTR]

9 hours ago, Stooge said:

@TTR i started reading this thread this morning and for the first page or 2, i was thinking 'this reminds me of that thread on the Hamb of a guy and his wife in their early '30s plymouth roadster from a few years ago"  then a page later, lo and behold! From the dates of that thread, it was posted in late September 2017, a few weeks after i bought my rusty pile of a 1937 Buick Century coupe, and i have to thank you for it as it really gave me the bug and pointed me in the direction of what i want to do with it, build it to take on some extended drives and road trips while keeping it an old car. I still have a considerable amount of work before it will be out on the road, but with the thinking of 'how can i make this easier to service for the sake of my future 'stuck on the side of the road' self' and plan accordingly. 

 

Keep  posting your travels, (along with everyone else and their travels), they're great motivation for those still building their own 'touring' car!

Thanks Stooge, for your kind words.

 

I'm glad you're enjoying my ramblings and although they at times may come across a bit self-centered, one of the main reasons I'm posting them is in hopes of inspiring others (like you) to follow suit and enjoy their antique/classic/vintage cars by not only driving them more, but also travel in them and make those travels in them adventures they are.

 

I'm also very glad to read my stories have provided direction and some inspiration for you and hopefully someday (soon ?) we get to read about your vintage car adventures here. 

[Stooge]

It's the best kind of motivation, especially after my last project got a little side tracked and in the end, while it looked good and the part, it wasn't something i wanted to take on any long roadtrips, ( i currently have it ripped apart to rebuild and remedy that a little bit at least). Hoping to have the '37 Buick making noise and be shiny black by this time next yr, hopefully sooner if i can get my act together, and judging from Mchinson's posts in this thread, with his 1937 Buick century, it should make for a good long distance driver.

A few deviations from stock with a multi carb intake and homespun exhaust/ header, but still a Buick 320 straight 8, stock big series transmission, Century rear end, and 6 volt, etc. 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Stooge (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

Our 1937 Special on the 2017 BCA PRE WAR after tour.

 We did close to 2,700 miles on this trip. The engine now has over 113,000 original miles and is still going. All systems are stock including the Marvel BD-1 Carb. Only upgrade concessions were for turn signals.

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by dibarlaw
Added content (see edit history)

[TTR]

3 hours ago, dibarlaw said:

Our 1937 Special on the 2017 BCA PRE WAR after tour.

 We did close to 2,700 miles on this trip. The engine now has over 113,000 original miles and is still going. All systems are stock including the Marvel BD-1 Carb. Only upgrade concessions were for turn signals.

 

2700 sounds like a great adventure and if you haven’t done it yet, please share details of it here.

 

I gave up tracking “0000” odometer reading in my Roadster couple of decades ago since it seems to occur every 2-3 years and anymore usually goes by unnoticed.
I mainly track it for service & fuel refill intervals (fuel gauge slightly unreliable at low end) and overall mileage accumulation of each day-drive or longer trip.

[TTR]

On 12/1/2020 at 3:59 AM, Stooge said:

It's the best kind of motivation, especially after my last project got a little side tracked and in the end, while it looked good and the part, it wasn't something i wanted to take on any long roadtrips, ( i currently have it ripped apart to rebuild and remedy that a little bit at least). Hoping to have the '37 Buick making noise and be shiny black by this time next yr, hopefully sooner if i can get my act together, and judging from Mchinson's posts in this thread, with his 1937 Buick century, it should make for a good long distance driver.

A few deviations from stock with a multi carb intake and homespun exhaust/ header, but still a Buick 320 straight 8, stock big series transmission, Century rear end, and 6 volt, etc. 

 

Looks and sounds like a good, solid project and while I don’t have experience with ‘30s Buicks per se, I believe I have enough with other makes/models of prewar cars to say that by mid-thirties and on, most manufacturers  had chassis and running gear technology good enough for comfortable and reliable long distance travel and can’t see why your would be different, especially if properly sorted.

 

Also, due to your mentioning that other forum, some (hot rod ?) upgrades and my lack knowledge of your experience, I hope you won’t mind my inserting couple of suggestions based on mine. 
1. Unless you’re well enough off to hire the entire project to be done by a professional shop that can handle all aspects simultaneously, I always recommend spending the first part of the time & money to get all mechanical/technical things fully sorted (but one at a time), before thinking exterior or interior cosmetics or aesthetics.

 

2. Similar approach should be considered with any “hot rod” modifications/upgrades, especially with slightly uncommon subjects, like your Buick. Unless you’re or someone you can trust is experienced and sure about the compatibility of the intended upgrades, it’s usually best (& smart) to get it all running & drivable with stock components before introducing out of the ordinary ones, no matter how cool they may appear or sound on paper.

P.S. Best of luck and perseverance with your project.

Edited December 2, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[Stooge]

1 hour ago, TTR said:

Looks and sounds like a good, solid project and while I don’t have experience with ‘30s Buicks per se, I believe I have enough with other makes/models of prewar cars to say that by mid-thirties and on, most manufacturers  had chassis and running gear technology good enough for comfortable and reliable long distance travel and can’t see why your would be different, especially if properly sorted.

 

Also, due to your mentioning that other forum, some (hot rod ?) upgrades and my lack knowledge of your experience, I hope you won’t mind my inserting couple of suggestions based on mine. 
1. Unless you’re well enough off to hire the entire project to be done by a professional shop that can handle all aspects simultaneously, I always recommend spending the first part of the time & money to get all mechanical/technical things fully sorted (but one at a time), before thinking exterior or interior cosmetics or aesthetics.

 

2. Similar approach should be considered with any “hot rod” modifications/upgrades, especially with slightly uncommon subjects, like your Buick. Unless you’re or someone you can trust is experienced and sure about the compatibility of the intended upgrades, it’s usually best (& smart) to get it all running & drivable with stock components before introducing out of the ordinary components, no matter how cool they may appear or sound on paper.

 

Completely agree with you, and what i try to steer the direction of any of the cars i am involved with, keep it simple and get it to make noise first and figure out where to go from there, ( i have done several ground up cars myself from start to driving with shiny paint) . Unfortunately, (fortunately because i was looking for a several yr personal project) this car was picked pretty clean of everything outside of the sheet metal body and the frame, no running gear, interior, wiring, steering, brakes, etc. just a rusty old body with a lot of rust holes in it, sitting on a frame. Engine came out of a running car that was being parted out that i witnessed running,  so while collecting the many missing parts to make a complete car, i've been going through doing the sheet metal repairs, body off the frame, chassis stripped down and rebuilt, painted etc. The vast majority of the car will be stock components, Correct engine bolted to the correct transmission, stock pedals, torque tube, stock rear end. i am just lucky that the Century series of that time used the sought after combination of big engine, stout transmission, and highway gears. A few 1940s Carter W-1 single barrels replace the stock 2 barrel and the crumbling stock intake, and a sweeping exhaust header to replace the very crumbling stock exhaust manifold, so nothing really ground breaking.  i'll pm you a pic since its a little off topic  

Edited December 2, 2020 by Stooge (see edit history)

[TTR]

Well, our annual New Years adventure tradition got slightly deflated.

 

As I’ve mentioned before, we’ve taken a habit to welcome a New Year by driving to Joshua Tree National Park on the January 1st. before sunrise, and with exception of our first such event about 9 or 10 years ago and the forced closure of all such venues due to (idiotic/political) funding cuts couple of years ago, we’ve always done it in the Roadster.

 

As luck(?) would have it, this year we were “forced”(?) to do the trip in my daily driver “appliance”, which definitely made it far less enjoyable/interesting (even my wife agreed on that).
Cause: Apparently the make/model/size of new tires for the Roadster are nationally out-of-stock and being that the existing ones on it, while only three and half years old, are almost completely worn out, I didn’t want to chance a tire failure or mishap in case of frozen or snowy roads in the dark (although the roads were clear and weather just perfect). I felt I was already pushing their limits on that Thanksgiving week trip.

 

One thing, though, remained same as every year we’ve done this tradition before. We didn’t encounter/see any (other) vintage (read interesting) vehicles cruising/driving around in the park.
Just modern "appliances" and far too many in some kind of hurry(!?!) to get through with it quickly, which OTOH was somewhat understandable as the traffic was getting pretty heavy by the time we were heading out right before Noon.

Edited January 3, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Up to the mountains, with “fresh” set of tires (+ chains ?) and service !
See you all up there or on the road, buckaroos !

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

With some reference to another current topic, while my experiences of spirited drives with pre-war cars are admittedly quite limited and comparison to Duesenbergs or lesser grand cars of the era could be considered apples-to-roofing tiles or perhaps even blasphemous, but I just had another absolutely thrilling* +/- 30 minute hill climb experience with 5K ft. elevation gain on CA 243 in my ‘32 PB Roadster “Hot Rod” (& all captured with onboard camcorder). 😀

And what a difference the “fresh” new tires made. 👍

 

*Perhaps best way to describe would be “a closest thing to sex on 4 wheels”. 😉
 

Edited February 7, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

TTR unless you have a backseat I think you are a little mixed up on your activities. 
 

[TTR]

Well, perhaps my description is/was not quite adequate, but basically driving "her" spiritedly on twisty mountain roads gives me pleasure, both mental & physical, that can only be topped by sex, when on the other hand, driving my daily driver or modern vehicles in general equates to something like washing dishes or scraping off old undercoating. 😉

 

Anyway, another great 120 mile day in paradise. 👍

Started the drive wearing insulated Carhartt overalls, finished in shorts & T-shirt.

 

 

 

Tomorrow, back to rebuilding/restoration of a '56 Torque-Flite and fabrication of custom exhaust sections for a '71 V12 Ferrari, etc. 🙄

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Heading out for a day drive shortly. Packing pic-nic lunch right now. Hoping to get on the road at sunrise, in about 30+ minutes and reach 8000 ft elevation (near Big Bear Lake) later in the morning. Temperature up there should be in the 20’s-40’s. Dress accordingly.

See you all on the road. 

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Another great vintage driving day yesterday. Got on the road little later than I had hoped for, but the “back road” (= long way) up to Big Bear was nearly nearly deserted and the fresh, new tires made the experience even better/enjoyable than usual. 
Heck, they, along with rest of car, felt so good I didn’t want to make any of my usual (photo-op or relief) stops until I reached the top (at 8K+ elev.) and actually got there sooner than anticipated. And yes, I'm glad I wore my insulated overalls, as it was below 30* F when I got up there.

Hopefully, my onboard video footage came out as good as the drive itself felt.

 

Once up in the Big Bear City/Lake area, went to visit a recent new acquaintance (& potentially a future client) to check out, test drive and offer (requested) advise/opinions on his recently acquired ‘67 4-liter Ferrari.

The departure/return drive was anything but exciting as there must’ve been more people up in the area (ski resorts, etc) than I’ve ever seen, so the roads through town and leading down the mountain were almost parking lots, but at least I wasn’t stuck in that jamb with an appliance-/boredom-mobile.

 

Overall, great day again with +/-150 miles of vintage driving pleasures between both cars, although my Roadster appeared to have developed some electrical charging "issue" (up in the mountains), which I'll look into later today or tomorrow, but at least I managed back without roadside repairs or tow required.

 

 

 

P.S. The photos appear in reversed timeline order and I don’t seem to be able to re-arrange them, sorry.

Edited February 22, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

On 2/22/2021 at 6:24 AM, TTR said:

 ...my Roadster appeared to have developed some electrical charging "issue"...

This ^^ turned out to be some form of overcharging, leading to armature failure, likely caused by some  internal problem with the battery.
Now with a new battery, rebuilt generator and re-adjusted/tested voltage regulator, she’s again ready for further adventures.

 

If anyone here in SoCal cares or dares to join us for few hours of driving pleasures tomorrow (Sunday), raise you hand and pack your lunch. 

Departure at around sunrise and is intended for real (preferably vintage) driving enthusiasts only.

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

4 hours ago, TTR said:

If anyone here in SoCal cares or dares to join us for few hours of driving pleasures tomorrow (Sunday), raise you hand and pack your lunch. 

Departure at around sunrise and is intended for real (preferably vintage) driving enthusiasts only.

 

^^ POSTPONED ! 🙁

A client called with some "urgent"(?) issues needing to be addressed and wants to come to see me about them tomorrow, so the drive will have wait. 

Oh well, maybe we'll do the drive next Sunday. 🤞

[TTR]

I’ve finally managed couple of good 100+ mile day drives recently.

Today’s was about +/-120 miles and included some quite scenic 15 or so miles through Cleveland Nat’l Forest on this fairly rough and twisty access/back/fire road with some pretty severe pot holes,, some of which were 2-3 ft. in wide and 10+ inches deep. 

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[ply33]

34 minutes ago, TTR said:

Have managed couple of good 100+ mile day drives recently.

Today’s was about +/-120 miles and included some quite scenic 15 or so miles through Cleveland Nat’l Forest on this fairly rough and twisty road with some pretty severe pot holes,, some of which were 2-3 ft. in diameter and 10+ inches deep. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What road(s) were you on in the Cleveland National Forest?

[TTR]

Looks like its called "7501"(?) on google map. Starts West of communities of La Cresta & Wildomar, heading North off Tenaja Road with some camping sites and trailheads along the way, including one to Tenaja Falls (my hike this morning) and ends up North on Ortega Hwy above Lake Elsinore. 
 

I've driven on this rugged road with the Roadster on several occasions before over the years, but only back-n-forth through South entrance, as the portion of the road heading North at the Falls trailhead parking has usually been closed. 

 

Once you’re in this beautiful and majestic scenery just couple of miles from the South entrance, it's hard to believe you're in the middle of hugely (over)populated and vast suburbia’s of SoCal.

 

Another perfect little road for old-school, pre-war car travel adventures, especially when much of the time road conditions won't allow speeds exceeding 10-15 MPH, although not for the cars built only for display/show nor drivers/owners with faint heart and afraid of any little chip/nick/scratch or speck of dirt/dust on the undercarriage, let alone top of their car.

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

On 4/11/2021 at 5:09 PM, TTR said:

Looks like its called "7501"(?) on google map. Starts West of communities of La Cresta & Wildomar, heading North off Tenaja Road with some camping sites and trailheads along the way, including one to Tenaja Falls (my hike this morning) and ends up North on Ortega Hwy above Lake Elsinore. 
 

I've driven on this rugged road with the Roadster on several occasions before over the years, but only back-n-forth through South entrance, as the portion of the road heading North at the Falls trailhead parking has usually been closed. 

 

Once you’re in this beautiful and majestic scenery just couple of miles from the South entrance, it's hard to believe you're in the middle of hugely (over)populated and vast suburbia’s of SoCal.

 

Another perfect little road for old-school, pre-war car travel adventures, especially when much of the time road conditions won't allow speeds exceeding 10-15 MPH, although not for the cars built only for display/show nor drivers/owners with faint heart and afraid of any little chip/nick/scratch or speck of dirt/dust on the undercarriage, let alone top of their car.

 

 

 

P.S. Bringing a Picnic basket/cooler also recommended for roadside lunch or snack stops if hiking is not an option.

 

Here’s a calendar shot from my last excursion on the same road little over a year ago.

This was my snack break view from the top of Tenaja Falls. The Roadster is parked down in the valley below, right at nearest visible end of the road in the distance.

Edited April 13, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[ply33]

On 4/11/2021 at 5:09 PM, TTR said:

Looks like its called "7501"(?) on google map. Starts West of communities of La Cresta & Wildomar, heading North off Tenaja Road with some camping sites and trailheads along the way, including one to Tenaja Falls (my hike this morning) and ends up North on Ortega Hwy above Lake Elsinore. 
 

I've driven on this rugged road with the Roadster on several occasions before over the years, but only back-n-forth through South entrance, as the portion of the road heading North at the Falls trailhead parking has usually been closed. 

 

Once you’re in this beautiful and majestic scenery just couple of miles from the South entrance, it's hard to believe you're in the middle of hugely (over)populated and vast suburbia’s of SoCal.

 

Another perfect little road for old-school, pre-war car travel adventures, especially when much of the time road conditions won't allow speeds exceeding 10-15 MPH, although not for the cars built only for display/show nor drivers/owners with faint heart and afraid of any little chip/nick/scratch or speck of dirt/dust on the undercarriage, let alone top of their car.

 

I thought so but wasn't sure as that road was only reopened a few months ago and I haven't been on the section between Rancho Capistrano and the Tenaja Falls trailhead. It was closed for years to allow some burned areas to heal. The upper section is called South Main Divide road and the lower part is Cleveland Forest road. Not sure where the name changes from one to the other but think it is at the gate by the Tenaja Falls trailhead.

 

For what it is worth, I've helped with trail maintenance on the Tenaja Falls trail. Hand tools only as it is a designated wilderness area.

[TTR]

1 hour ago, ply33 said:

For what it is worth, I've helped with trail maintenance on the Tenaja Falls trail. Hand tools only as it is a designated wilderness area.

👍

Thanks for volunteering.  
Looked like there had been some recently implemented “healing” efforts on the trail. 

I don’t seem to have enough time to get involved with organized trail maintenance or similar volunteering, but whenever I’m out on them, I do carry bags and haul out trash, especially plastic bags/bottles etc, some idiots feel necessary to discard in to the wilderness.
 

 

[TTR]

On 4/11/2021 at 1:14 PM, TTR said:

 

Forgot to mention cool comments/compliments(?) I received when briefly pulling over at this ^ spot.
Soon after stopping, a couple in a small SUV packed with all kinds of camping/outdoors gear pulls up from behind and stops right next to me.
With their windows down and both smiling ear-to-ear, the driver leans over to yell “Man, that... smells... so... good !” and his passenger nods her head in apparent agreement and adds loudly “Yeesss !!”

 

I assumed they had been following behind me for awhile and proves that some of the best comments often come from (presumable) "outsiders" one  encounters "in the wild". 😉 

Most enthusiasts/hobbyists, i.e. "insiders", seem to almost always present same and quite predictable comments or questions.

 

 

Edited April 14, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

Castrol R ?

[TTR]

3 minutes ago, padgett said:

Castrol R ?

Valvoline VR1 20W-50 + 91 octane. 

Yes, smells like a real vintage car.

[Michaewh]

Thank you for this topic.  I’ve read through most of the entries and have found it quite helpful and encouraging.  But, I have the wrong story, which I’m working to change.  I have had in my “care” for the last 35 years a one-family car that my Great Grandfather bought new.  This last year I nearly convinced myself to sell it.  But, digging into my records, I realized that if my Grandfather and his Dad can drive this car over 130,000 miles between 1920 and 1932, I should be able to do it more justice and get it back on the road.  My Grandfather had it fully restored in the 1970’s and I’ve had various things addressed over the years for a couple of shows.  But the sad fact is that the car has only seen a couple hundred miles on the road.  This I plan to change.  And it will be a story worth sharing! Thanks for further inspiration!

Edited April 24, 2021 by Michaewh (see edit history)

[TTR]

@Michaewh You’re welcome.

I just got back from yet another 100+ mile drive with the Roadster, although it was mostly on “conveyor belts” due to main objective being few hours of hiking at Whitewater Preserve, North of Palm Springs, but I take any excuse to drive her.

Attached pictures do not feature vintage cars, but the second one shows where the Roadster was resting down below in the shade while I was up on the ridge enjoying the trails.

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

Just noticed this mornings odometer reading, which I have a habit of photo-documenting at the beginning of every extended (few hour and/or 100+ mile ?) drive.

Order of the digits were just a funny coincidence, but they also revealed that I’ve managed to rack up only 700 some odd miles on these day excursions since I replaced the tires in early February.

 

 

I also heard back from a (new) client for whom, in last few weeks, I performed some chassis and suspension repairs + tuning on his recently acquired 54 year old Italian V12 Grand Touring Coupe. Apparently, after picking it up a week ago, he decided to take it for 3 day, 500+ mile test drive, including couple of extended 100+ MPH stints, in Death Valley area.
He sounded quite exited and pleased with the car’s performance & handling.

Edited April 25, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[TTR]

10 hours ago, Jack Bennett said:

I drive my old car wherever, whenever possible, and I like to put about 400 miles on it during a nice summer month. I do have a spare and carry a jack and lug wench as well as some pliers and crew drivers. But I also carry a Hagerty roadside recovery policy and have a car hauler trailer ready at home. I enjoy driving the car, not because it is so dependable, and I trust it to not break down. To the contrary, there is always something breaking on it, and it is a adventure to see how far I can go without it needing another repair. And, I have worked on literally every inch of the car, and every sound, or lack of, is confirmation my work is, at least temporarily, effective. I only wish people were as nice in regards to their interest in the car while I’m actually on the road as they are in the parking lot.

Thanks for contributing and I’m glad to read you’re enjoying old car adventures, but wouldn’t mind reading more detailed accounts of them and if possible see photos taken during any such trips. 👍

[padgett]

Interesting that a '67 is now considered an "old" car. Am curious, how many remember '67 cars being new (and a vintage year) ?

[JACK M]

2 hours ago, padgett said:

how many remember '67

 

High school graduation. I remember very little.

[TTR]

23 hours ago, padgett said:

Interesting that a '67 is now considered an "old" car. 

Perhaps, but not as strange as some considering 25 year old an “Antique”, but hey, if someone wishes to consider their ‘95 Xxx Xxxxxx as such, that’s their prerogative.

 

I always thought only cars made before WWI would qualify as such and usually consider everything else, regardless of their makes, models or era/year (= vintage) just “old”.

[padgett]

" some considering 25 year old an “Antique”," Don't really care except for difference in tag fees and insurance cost. Frankly age does not matter as much as "does it suit me".

[Michaewh]

Question:  I understand that a "restomod" would not be following the true intent of this topic, but are there mods that are reasonable for things like safety?  For example, if the color is right, is it acceptable to upgrade bulbs to led lights for reliability/safety? (Any leads/links on the best ways to do this with a 6V system?). My 1920 car did have tail/brake lights fitted in 1974 (removable), which I intend to keep in use. Also, what about seat belts?  Are lap belts worth fitting?  In todays modern standards, would I be unreasonably putting my 8-year old at risk by taking him on a longer trips with me?  I generally know what I will be doing on these, but appreciate any of your input/perspectives...  THANK YOU