don't know if this thread is appropriate for this forum but here we go ...... i haven't been able to drive my 53 effie as she is apart and being worked on as my schedule allows . well , this past sunday i got the 52's brakes bled out , and the clutch quited down { throwout bearing is bad and hammering away when the clutch is pushed in , and it really needs a new clutch etc, anyway }. well sunday if we went anywhere it was in ironsides , and monday i ran all the errands , appointments , etc. all day long in her . ironsides has been down for a year as the oe wiring fried itself and caused some other issues , go figure it sat for 40 plus in a garage ..... i put , no kidding , 200 miles on her in two days time . i forgot just how remarkable it is to drive around in a time machine , and the looks , thumbs up and conversations started when stopped somewhere , and the multitude of offers to buy said machine . i still got lil' bugs in the gauges , and such to fix , and i gotta get the headers ordered and a new exhaust on her but needless to say the bird has kinda went into semi retirement , except on rainy days ,. vacuum wipers suck !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I think this thread is totally appropriate! My '67 Mustang has been in hibernation since about August of last year, and even then I only drove it about three times last year. This year I'm going to drive it a lot more. Not because it drives all that great, either. The brakes are not great, the steering is typical '60's Ford power steering, it's loud and has minimal leg and head room and the seats aren't comfy. So why do I love driving it? Because when I was about 12 in '74,and all the cool car guys hung out at Dean's Shell station, this is exactly the kind of car I dreamed of owning. It took a few years, but every time I get it out of the garage, and look over that hood, it's like 1974 all over again.

 

yep my grandma had a 56 mainline 2 door that was sage green and the 52 reminds me of riding in it . now all i gotta do is find a 70 torino scj drag pack like my unk bud had brand new ... that car left a LASTING impression !!!!!!!!!! the 52 drives like a tank , the drum brakes are ok , and it sure as hades ain't fast with a flathead under it , which means i'm goin' slow so everyone can see me or more like the big a-- grin i can't wipe off !!!!!!!!! nothing better than to have a daily ride that does not conform to what society today deems appropriate ! yeah i wish i could go back and hang out on the strip with some of the cool **** cars from the day and not have the idiots of today who ruined it , and the law hassling us . pick each other off and go out on route 4 and have at it !!!!!!!!!!!! damn i miss those days !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I always loved those '70 Torinos myself. A few years ago there was a '70 Torino GT with a 429/4 speed and hideaway headlights for sale locally. It ran and drove but was all original, right down to the paint, and needed maybe a cosmetic restoration and some minor mechanical work to be a really nice, solid car. The guy wanted $12K for it and I begged my wife to let me buy it and we could use it for a daily driver. Gas was cheaper at the time, and my thinking waas that since I can paint and do interior work myself, we could have a really sharp, really comfy daily driver that would increase in value, not get lost in a parking lot of Toyotas and that I could fix easily and cheaply if something broke. She wasn't buying it and I missed out on what I still think would have been a great car. Always loved those things in red with the laser stripe.

 

bud's was light mettallic blue with black interior , 429 scj , 4 speed , dragpack , with 4.30 gears laser stripes , rear window louvres , shaker hood , hideaway lights , it was a nicely optioned **** kicker . i had a 70 bird with a 429 in it and it did not like the cheap gas of nowadays at all . i had to mix racing gas with the premium and some booster . at 11.0:1 compression i wonder why .... and it was a pig on fuel and the ex always complained about it .....

 

It always makes me smile to see someone restore a classic and keep the tradition alive. Congrats and many happy miles to you.

 

I was hoping to pick up a 53 Olds and drop in a Cummins 6BT with 5speed this spring, but all my money went to legal fees this year. Those 50s cars were great, mechanically scary, but cool looking just the same.

 

mechanically scary ? no that old ford is so simple to work on and keep running it's almost unbelievable . the worst part of it is the fact that it completely fried it's 6 volt electrical system , and it took awhile and a little customization of a wiring kit here , to convert to 12 volt . i hopped on i 55 today and was running 65 down to farmersville to look at some parts and back and no problems outta her or the flatty under the hood . picked up one of my granddaughters in it from daycare too . i trust it as i did my 53 whilst it was still driveable . the one thing for sure that has to go is the bias ply tires . i forgot how squirrelly they make a vehicle . i can fix this and the 53 on the side of the road with a pair of pliers a screwdriver , duct tape and bailing wire and get home ,and i know as i have done it many times in a lot of the 50's and 60's cars i have had . you are not gonna do that with my 95 bird or her new van . those electronic nightmares break ya gotta call nasa to send over a rocket scientist to deduce whats wrong . they might appear scary or weird to the uninitiated but they were built to take an enormous amount of punishment as the roadways back then were not worth a dain . you get 'em in shape they can and will run right along with anything new . just don't have all the gee gaws and bull , and glad they don't as that takes away from the experience in my book . i'd rather drive the 53 effie or the 52 than any new or newer car here .

 

Amen Brother! Old cars rule! Back when my early Mustang was stock, I drove it every day. It got 20+ mpg, it was lots of fun, and just "aged " enough that I didn't mind parking it in a parking lot. Here's another thing to think about: when it was stock, my points ignition, carbed 289 Mustang was the picture of reliable. Never, and I mean never did I worry about it breaking down and even if it had I could get it running with next to no tools for next to no money. By contrast, we had our Suburban at the same time and hardly a month went by when that damn thing wasn't sucking another $1,000 or more out of my bank account due to breakdowns. Fuel pump for the 'burb: $500, for the Mustang: $30 and I did it myself. Intake gasket replacement for the 'burb: $600, for the Mustang: $16 and I did it myself. It goes on and on and on. Modern cars (including our beloved Super Duys) are throwaway vehicles. You will never, ever be able to buy restoration parts for our trucks. Why? Because rebuilding much of anything on them is beyond the guy working by himself in his garage on weekends. Modern vehicles are so complex that Joe Average (or even Joe Above-Average) simply cannot diagnose, repair or restore them. Hey I love my truck, it does everything I could ever want, and I fully plan to keep it as long as it's reliable, once it's more trouble than it's worth, it's gone. We just bought a Fusion and it's a great car, but it's no different than any other appliance. Convenient while it works, but when it doesn't, bye-bye.

 

Oh, I'm plenty initiated, I just mean as far as trying to drive like a modern car. No sway bars, soft suspension, bias ply tires, drum brakes, single circuit brakes, 6v system, and generally an engine that can scoot them pretty quick. You need to drive very defensively in modern traffic, problem is people now drive offensively so keeping a good looking old car good looking might be a bit of an issue. You might win the drag race, but you'd likely blow through the red light at the end of the block.
I've driven plenty of old vehicles, and I know the value of modern upgrades over what was standard in that day.

 

funny my 52 has a front sway bar , and as you mentioned as an upgrade the arrangement from a newer ford truck could easily be added to the rear . hades i'm putting front discs on my 53 . the drums will stop if you don't overuse them . they have a mechanical advantage over discs as i was once reminded myself . i don't drive defensively , i just i geuss from being a cdl driver for years , and just finally getting it , aka why do i need to rush / i take it easy , i am not in the hurry the rest of the world is . they don't like it theres the passing lane . what does speed and handling gonna do in the real world ? here not much , and if i am so inclined that beat up 95 isn't a slouch in those departments . in traffic , in this day and age you just don't have the room to use it , or just gonna get hammered by john law for it . i'm no angel as i have gotten in a speed contest with the bird many times . point is old vs. new one is more relaxed and enjoys the experience more . yep you got those with six figure plus cars that are afraid of using them , but why ? they were built to be driven ! oh yeah sand man i'm ditching the points in her for a petronix unit . it seems to have that nasty ford tendency of "slipping" the points if she gets wound up too tightly .................. oh yeah the old girl and the 53 , have a calming zen like effect on my driving style in the work truck too . i have noticed i don't get as wound up at idgits as much do too the slower pace in the other vehicles .and the flatty has enough tourque to give a newer car a suprise off the line , ain't gonna win the race but she can get moving quite easily .... i agree with bias ply's , but love the soft ride . i ain't 20 no more so ..............we agree to disagree and we enjoy them all don't we

 

or you could just see how much of a challenge it is too drive an oldie hard and fast ................ whats the worst that can happen ??????????????? REALLY WHAT ????????????

 

So what do yall this is the most recent generation trucks and cars that you see being able to be rebuilt and restored? or would even want to? the ford trucks up to 96 are decent, theyhave tried and true somewhat old school engines under the hood, likewise for the chevies up to 98... i can definetly see myself restoring a 92-96 ford truck in 20 years ya know? i wonder how many people will bother with anything newer than that? maybe in 15 or 20 years the modular engine mustangs will be classics to the people my age.(im 25) i personally already like older stuff better. My 84 f150 with straight i limped her home more than once with duct tape and buublegum and redneck ingenuity when most modern cars would have shut down and made ya get a tow truck.
Just somethin i been thinking about. im interested in yall's opinions?

 

Around here, there are a few classic car clubs and owners who drive their trucks/cars on a regular basis. There has been talk in Lake Havasu City about holding some Friday/Saturday Night "Cruises" too.

 

each has their own merits , but i'll stick with the old stuff . and i mean like pre 75 if i can get it and use it . save for the trucks till they went electronic . my bird is what 17 years old , a dain good car and fun but when something goes wrong it can be a nightmare to figure out , and i will not work on any of the wifes or kid's new cars period . i'll keep the bird as a backup , and prolly project no.3 as i have grown fond of it as it has done things it should not be capable of , but i'll drive the 52 till the 53 effie is back together , then drive it again year round day in and day out . old cars that are so called unsafe gas guzzlers , etc. are fun just for the reason that they tick off all the da^^ tree huggers and i don't look like all the self centered sheoples in their shiny new korean pos's or whatever they have . plus as i said it is too cool to wheel something from the past and a much more enjoyable experience to me . i like the mod motors though as i thought long and hard 'bout putting the birds in my effie , but my love for my flathead's won out . sorry but the mod just doesn't have the charm of my experimental briggs and stratton performance v8 mower motors in my two oldies !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!