Mark Huston Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 Can I rant for a minute? This past week I have been working on getting my 1929 Studebaker President ready for the final car show of the season. For me the only car show of the season. I have neglected the car this past year and have not had it out of the garage for about 8 months. After rebuilding the fuel pump (how does a fuel pump go bad just sitting it the garage when it was running when I parked the car?). I had the Studebaker cleaned and running and took off for a test drive. Now for the rant, I was driving at the speed limit of 45 mph on a 4 lane divided main drag in our neighborhood. I was cruising along in the right hand lane when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a women driving a little foreign car talking on a cell phone come up on my ear bumper. She proceeded to tailgate me until she got tired of the view then pasted me on the left. Just as she got ahead of me on the left she started to change lanes again cutting in front of me at the same time she was breaking to make a right turn. I had to hit the brakes to keep from rear-ending her as she made her right turn. There are times when I wonder if intelligence tests should be administered in order to obtain a drivers license. Now I know why I have not driven my Studebaker for the last 8 months. After next weekends car show I might now have it out of the garage for another year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 Mark, this may be a little crude, and I certainly don't recommend it, butttt....A friend (used loosely) used to drive his truck to the New York City area each week trying to navagate the traffic problems up there to get to his destination. He could never get anyone to let him into the right lane, so he could use the exit he needed. Soooo, he started to drive like them, weaving back and forth, like a drunk(sometimes, he may have in fact been that way <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) and it was amazing how other drivers started paying attention to the "nut" in the big truck. He always got respect using these tactics. Like I said, I don't condone this, but it does ease your pain when you think of it. "Drive like a nut, everyone else does!" <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 In this day and age I am stunned that she did not flip you off for good measure.Now, I know you can't do this with your antique car, but I had a Ford truck that had belonged to a construction company and they had put a pipe bumper on the back of it and painted it black. For some reason people wanted to tail-gate that truck. So I took one of the paint pens with white paint and wrote this on that bumper.Bumper (hash marks to indicate seven) Tailgaters 0 Funny thing, all of the sudden NOBODY wanted to tailgate the truck anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_PackardV8 Posted September 11, 2005 Share Posted September 11, 2005 WHat day of the week and what TIME of day did this incident occur??? (humor me, i'm getting at a point here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Huston Posted September 11, 2005 Author Share Posted September 11, 2005 The incident occurred yesterday, Saturday at about 3pm in the afternoon. There was very little traffic and at the time, she went around me and cut me off making a right turn there were no other cars in sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buicks Rule Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Mark,Glad you came out OK and didn't hit her. That may have been what she was going for. It's called a swoop and squat-tailgate, dash by on left, dart in and stop. Then sue the insurance company because YOU failed to stop.....Unfortunately no matter the age of the collector car, behavior like this often turns a pleasant drive into an ordeal. It's one of the reasons mine don't get out more often too. The time, energy and $$ it takes to get something back into the shape it was in before any damage is precious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sixpack2639 Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">"Drive like a nut, everyone else does!" Wayne </div></div>Now Wayne, You know two wrongs don't make a right! But three lefts do. LOL Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6219_Rules Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Sorry to hear about your close call, Mark. I doubt that your Studebaker made one whit of difference to the indifferent ... eh ... witch (my apologies to all Wise Women for that). That happens frequently now in Denver where people run hither and yon, yacking on the cell phones in their cars or SUVs barely aware that there are other idiots flying around them in the same condition of incompetence. Its scary. No thought to speed, momentum, braking distance, road rules or laws ... certainly no thought to the Polite Driving Standards. Heck, its the same in Target<span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> when the Mom with her exponetially increasing child load in a red plastic cart runs you over because she is too harried to notice the fat old man with a cane. Apology? You'd be lucky to get off with a 'screw you' look. Ain't modern life grand? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /><span style="font-weight: bold">*</span> [color:"red"]<span style="font-style: italic">I won't even drive by a Wal-mart!!!!</span> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Hee-hee-hee....Wayne, I've been tempted to try this trick on a number of occasions just to see if it would work...Shop Rat, I like that idea too...my Grandad's '54 Chevy 3/4 has a 6" wide channel-iron bumper welded to the rear frame (was on the truck when he got it in '68...)... it has its share of "victories" too !Mark,I'm sorry that your drive was less than pleasant; it seems that it's always the "nice, polite, law-abiding citizens" who suffer...I hope future outings are better ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PelicanNotDuck Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Go ahead and "rant" - Mark - good to see your "post" - was starting to worry that it was just me thinking most other drivers are crazy and getting worse each year..! I was worried I was becoming a curmedgeon - you know - getting old and thinking "everyone else is crazy but me". My own case is a bit different than most old car buffs, in that my own "baby" is a 30's era big Packard with both a high-gear rear axle ratio and radial tires, so I can cruise at high speeds with the craziest of them.But this "tail-gating" thing - wandering all over the place - no "lane discipline" makes me very nervous, and, as you note, "hiding" in the far right lanes dosn't keep em away.So I agree - best thing to do to avoid an accident, is just wander in your own lane so they think you are drunk or even crazier then they are. That seems to work. (It also got a laugh out of a policeman, who stopped me cause my "drunk act" was TOO good !). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">witch (my apologies to all Wise Women for that</div></div>You don't even want to know how I feel about females that drive like that. I cut them no slack when it comes to stupid driving. They get into their vehicles and steer from point A to point B and do everything but actually drive. I have always wondered what would happen if they had no radio, no mirrors to primp and put make-up on with, no food or drinks and no cellphone to talk into. Would they actually NOTICE what is going on around them if they had nothing "better" to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 De Soto Frank,Glad you liked that. If you have any of the flexible magnet material you can put the writing on them and then you can just strip them off when you get back home. It really did work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Green Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 We have the same problem here with this type of driving. I stated the same thing regarding an intelligence test a few months back. The newer vehicles are fast, handle great and give many confidence that they can handle driving at any speed along with IRL type weaving. Years ago we used to have an accident once every 3 to 4 weeks on the expressway I use to get to work. Now it is typically 2 to 3 a day between Monday and Friday.I took an old car out yesterday with a maximum speed of 63 MPH wide open and screaming. Had to jump on the expressway for a few miles and it was downright treacherous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuhner Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Pretty much why I quit driving my motorcycle on the street. I really got tired of the close calls. Motorcycles are hard to see to begin with, but add all the other distractions inside a car and it scares me.The two times I was hit by a car was because of drunk drivers. Dont want to try for strike three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 Unfortunately, this is nowadays S.O.P. everywhere no matter what vehicle you are driving. I think for and aft guns mounts would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 On women drivers...I remember reading an anecdote about Calvin Coolidge (President from 1923-28) about to cross a street near Capitol Hill, when a Senator who was with him grabbed his coat sleeve and pulled him back onto the sidewalk, just as a small car sped by, driven by a young lady in a hurry.The President is said to have remarked: "Dangerous combination: woman and a Ford!"This book on Silent Cal ("Coolidge: Wit and Wisdom") was published in 1933, so the "dim view" of "women drivers" goes back at least 70 years... Blame Chuck Kettering...if we still had to crank our cars to life, there'd probably be fewer "loose nuts behind the wheel"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skyking Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 I'm finding now that I'm looking more in my mirror than what's in front of me. Today, 9 out of 10 women are on cell phones.........it is scary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted September 12, 2005 Share Posted September 12, 2005 I saw a guy once in a B'Mer eating a bowl of cereal (sitting in the crook of his arm, holding the phone to his ear). speaking on his phone AND taking notes! He was steering with his knee. I did my best to try to get him to dump his cereal, but was unable to get ahead of him. That should be a careless ticket for him if I ever saw one!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Can't you just picture him standing by the side of the road with his pants soaked in milk and Fruit Loops stuck to them, trying to explain that one to a cop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Green Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Quote; "I saw a guy once in a B'Mer eating a bowl of cereal"Years ago I witnessed a lady folding her laundry while stopped at a red light here in town. Seems she didn't notice the lights had changed (isn't that a Beatles song?) when people started honking for her to move. She had it down to an art using the steering wheel for the folding table.Has anyone noticed how many people try to drive and read a newspaper or book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Saw a trucker reading a book just the other day. And I love when I look over and they have a map spread across the steering wheel. And don't you just love the people with the dog in their lap? Especially when it keeps moving around and sticking it's head out the window over or under the arm of the driver? I love my dog, but she is chained in the back of the station wagon where she belongs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 What? No seatbelt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 I did try putting her harness on her and clipping the chain to that. It was dangerous because she kept getting her legs tangled in it and a broken leg would be a big problem.And she gets very nervous if I put her in a seat rather than in the back, so one of the new seatbelt harnesses for dogs would not work. So I just clip the chain to her collar and pray for the best. It keeps her from coming over the back of the seat if she were to become scared, and from jumping out of the back when the lift/gate is opened. If she has to ride in the truck we put her crate in the back and Bill ties it off to the cargo rings. I actually would rather have her more securely fastened in.(P.S. I do realize you were ribbing me.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Moepar Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Awww! What a cute pooch! Wish my stupid cats liked to ride-one sorta tolerates a short trip down the driveway, but that's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shop Rat Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Thank you so much. She is a second-hand dog. I got her from a guy when she was a year and half old. She is a very good girl.My cat hated riding in the car. It was always a toss-up as to whether to put her on top of the car or Bill since he hated to listen to her yowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skyking Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Has anyone noticed how many people try to drive and read a newspaper or book? </div></div>I witnessed a guy using his laptop while driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Philo Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 The really annoying part is - even if there are no other drivers around, someone will still tailgate rather than pass. And the speed does not matter. I have had people tailgate me at 70mph. Once, a person was so close at that speed I could not see any of the front of his car in the rear view mirror - just the top of the hood and the windshield. So now, when someone tailgates, I try two things. First, I glare at them in the rear view mirror. That works about half the time. And second, I just gradually slow down until they get the message and go on by. But I refuse to stop driving my special car because of these drivers. They are not going to ruin my fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Green Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Two major pile ups this morning before 7 AM coming to work. Tractor trailer and a car going south on the bridge and then minutes later a 4 car pile up from the rubber neckers going north looking at the first accident. Can't wait for the drive home as that is typically the time the major accidents happen. Only 10 or 12 more to go this week as tomorrow is Thursday already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Another warning to real close tailgaters is to pull on your lights quickly. They think the tail light is the brake light and hit their brakes. You're not in danger cause you're still cruising along at the same speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 That won't work around here. Even really putting on the brakes has no affect, other than to ensure the finger when they finally decide to pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 This is one of the reasons I prefer mechanical (pedal-arm) brakelight switches over hydraulic pressure switches: you can move the pedal enough to activate the brake lights w/o actually applying the brakes and slowing the vehicle...( Also, my DOT-5 equipped De Soto kept "eating" hydraulic brake switches...)Most drivers these days are "uninvolved" at best, and just plain jerks otherwise...It's sad when the "good people" are the exception... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 The wife, being the short little thing she is keeps having trouble with the idiots following her closely with thier highbeams on (night driving). Her remedy is to turn the center rear view mirrow ever so slightly to the right until she can see the "pupils" of their eyes. It has good effects at times. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Hey, I like that! I'm gonna give that a try! My morning commute is in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxnard Montalvo Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 I hooked up my accelerator pedal in my car to my brake lights. I hit the gas, people behind me stop, and I'm gone. Steven Wright Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel88 Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 I don't really enjoy driving my old cars in todays traffic and super aggressive drivers. My favorite time to drive them is early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and staying on country roads which fortunately are close by my house. Woody Michel'40 Buick Roadmaster'51 Ford Woodie'63 Buick Riviera (This is what I drive during normal traffic times!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 Woody,I had a '63 Wildcat about 15 years ago...that would definitely wage war with anything out on the road today ! I love my '60 Windsor for its "git-up 'n'go", but oh, those painful stops for fuel... I try to "hide in the right-hand lane" with my older iron; most of the time, I can find a speed where I cruise in an "empty spot" or the folks in a hurry go on by, leaving plenty of space when they pass...Rush-hour driving is definitely the worst time !I would not want to try to drive my '41 De Soto around a major metropolitan beltway ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 Well there's always the Aston Marton oil sprayer and tire spike layer that 007 used......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlier Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't really enjoy driving my old cars in todays traffic and super aggressive drivers. My favorite time to drive them is early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and staying on country roads which fortunately are close by my house. Woody Michel</div></div>I too do not enjoy driving my older cars in today's traffic. I usually take mine out on a Sunday morning just after sunrise before most of the idiot drivers are on the road. I have been doing this for a few years now and have noticed more and more classic and antique vehicles out and about early on Sundays. I have a 30 mile, mostly highway, loop I travel that allows me to go 50-55 mph. This gets all the fluids and the exhaust good and warm.Up until the end of last year I used to drive my cars to the shows I attended. It finally got to the point that driving them to the shows was simply not enjoyable any longer (tailgaters, road debris, aggressive drivers, etc - ie too stressful). Late last fall I bought a Toyota 4Runner Tow Vehicle. Early this spring I bought an enclosed car trailer. Traveling to car shows this year is much less stressful. I usually get in the right lane of most highways, drive the posted speed limit (sometimes less if conditions warrant) and most people simply pass me. I have found that very few people tailgate me when I am towing the trailer.I have noticed that some drivers do not know what a "YIELD" sign means on an on ramp. Some of them have learned the hard way especially when they realize that I am not changing lanes (when towing) just to let them out. In most cases, the left lane is occupied so changing lanes is not an option even if I wanted to.Anyway, to the original poster I suggest you take your vehicle out early on a Sunday morning. Hopefully, you will have a more enjoyable, less stressful drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxops Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 The Sunday idea is a great idea. Getting into an accident with a classic is no fun, and sets you back so far....and you may never get it fixed the way it should be again. I never thought that I was old-fashioned, but I use my turn signals even on deserted roads at 0400 in the morning. Both daughters, if they desire to continue to drive, so far, do the same. I taught both in the 70 Buick and the 89 Ford. It's harder to zip around with that size of a car!Stay safe, keep "training" the idjits, they will either learn or pay the ticket (or worse). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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