I got invited to participate in this year’s Christmas Parade

[Mark Huston]

Today, I drove up to the weekly Friday retired old guys gap fest at the rural Wilton Store, Wilton, CA.      This is a farming area and the Wilton Store was the place, when I grew up, where we got our mail, gas, and groceries.    I drove my 1929 Studebaker President Brougham and my brother drove his 1929 Studebaker President Cabriolet.   The organizer for the Wilton Christmas parade saw our Studebaker’s and invited us to include our cars in this year’s Christmas parade.   I have never driven my President in a parade.  Have any of you used your antique in a parade and how hard is it on a 20s car?   Or, am I being overly concerned?

Edited September 30, 2022 by Mark Huston (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

Parades are a torture test for cooling systems and clutches. I stopped doing them in anything but newer cars with automatics or trucks with ultra-low creeper gears.

[CChinn]

Nice cars!  I have a 1940 Chevy and drove it in this years 4th of July parade. Issues for our cars in parade are lots of stop and go, low speeds, overheating if it is warm, having to watch out for dogs/young children, etc. despite all of that, I enjoyed it. Others on the forum swear to never do it again 

[mrspeedyt]

The only way I would consider driving an old car in a parade is if the parade route is slightly downhill all the way.

[John_S_in_Penna]

31 minutes ago, Mark Huston said:

Have any of you used your antique in a parade and how hard is it on a 20s car?  

Congratulations on the invitation!  They must have

admired your cars.  In what state or province are you?

There's no indication by your user-name.

 

Within the last year, there was a long topic on driving

in a parade.  I tried to find it using the "search" feature,

but the software didn't locate it.  Many insights there

might be helpful to you.  Can anyone find that topic?

[Phillip Cole]

Depends on three things:

Your radiator,

Your clutch,

Your left knee.

I've driven my 40 Buick in several parades. It has never run hot, even at slow speeds for extended time. But I have taken good care of the radiator.

The Buick has good torque even in third gear. I reworked my transmission when I first got the car. 

The most questionable item in my equation is my left knee...

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Phillip Cole (see edit history)

[Mark Huston]

34 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Congratulations on the invitation!  They must have

admired your cars.  In what state or province are you?

There's no indication by your user-name.

 

Within the last year, there was a long topic on driving

in a parade.  I tried to find it using the "search" feature,

but the software didn't locate it.  Many insights there

might be helpful to you.  Can anyone find that topic?

California.   Don’t hold it against me.   

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Mark, neat cars. 

 I have driven mine in parades.  No problem.  Christmas time should be cool, so less probability of overheating. As Phillip noted the clutch knee gets a workout.  Less so , I would think the older the car due to rear end ratios.   Mine is a 3.4.    It idles along real well, just a little fast usually. Yours is probably much slower.  Go for it and ENJOY.

 

  Ben

[Walt G]

I have used my 1930 Packard, 41 Packard, 31 Franklin and 40 Buick in parades . Agree, you left leg/knee will take a beating. Move a few feet then throw it into neutral was the way I did it and I usually waited until the crowd in the parade in front of me ( marching band or ?) were about 200 feet ahead before I would move up . Alll my cars had new clutches in them as well.  Fun to see people look at your car but something I don't want to do any longer.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Well, I found the other thread devoted to driving in a parade.

 

I think the forum's "search" feature is very deficient.

It didn't turn up in my search that used the word "parade,"

despite that word being used throughout the topic.

I found it by remembering one other word that I used

in a response.

 

 

[Flivverking]

Why are you being punished in this way.  

[Mikefit]

10 yrs ago I was ask t o setup the antique, cars, for a parade I told the that 

We would have to be 2nd  or 3rd  unit out so as to able to keep moving

Fire trucks and Police in front   cars ran cool very little stop and go 

Works great, for the last ten years 

Was a win win for everyone 

[Twisted Shifter]

This will be my next parade. I don't plan to drive.

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I remember years ago the Lake County, Il. Model A club used to begin our local Labor Day Parade.  They went first and usually had about 20 cars. No stop and go just drive at a moderate speed.  They stopped that years ago and no it seems the Parade is gone as well.

[Paul Dobbin]

10 hours ago, Twisted Shifter said:

This will be my next parade. I don't plan to drive.

 

    While not as fancy as Elizabeth II' s last parade, more appropiate for a old car guy.   Reminds me of an old friend who was a disheveled     

    looking  character who loved old cars.  He always told everyone that when he died he was going to the cemetary in my Boo Bros. truck.

    When he died I called the undertaker and was told that insurance would not allow that, but I could carry the flowers.   

    I went to the funeral and staged the truck in the precession and before we could get out of the Chapel, they whisked the floweres out to

    their truck and billed the widow $450.

    

      Another quote from John McNally,  "Paul, that truck looks a lot more like me than it does you".   I think he was right.  RIP.

[Max4Me]

I drove my 1925Maxwell/Chrysler in Christmas parades in  two local cities. The first was uphill for 1/2 mile, across a relatively flat side street then across a slightly downhill main street. It moved so slowly (stopped for bands to play, cheerleaders to cheer, gymnasts to gym (huh?), etc., etc.) that I was constantly on and off the clutch. First time was the last time! The other town was a mile across a flat street (able to cruise in 2nd), then downhill on the main street for about two miles. Steep enough that I left it in neutral and once I got rolling it only required a periodic touch of the brake or a side-to-side path to dissipate some inertia. A perfect route for older cars. Have done it several times and will do it again.