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Classic Cars as daily drivers

552 messages,  Last post on May 11, 2009 at 8:03 AM

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#5 of 552 Comfort... by andre1969 Mar 19, 2001 (9:44 am)
really depends on the person and how well they fit the car. I don't think most old cars are too bad for relatively short trips, although longer trips might be a problem. Back in '95, I drove my Dart from DC to Oklahoma, about a 1300 mile trip. A couple months ago, I drove the Intrepid from DC to Houston, about 1500 miles. Now this might be an extreme test for any car, but I think the Dart and the Intrepid were about the same in terms of comfort.   My biggest problem with newer cars is if they're FWD, the front wheel well protrudes too far into the footwell area, and there's just no foot room. And I find those "dead pedals" just about useless. They put my size 13 foot at too awkward of an angle.   I'd say the biggest annoyance on the Dart, versus the Intrepid, was engine and wind noise. A Dart has the aerodynamics of an outhouse, and a Dart with nearly 300K miles will tend not to be very well-sealed. And a 318 with a dual exhaust is a bit noisier than a 2.7 with smog controls out the wazoo. All I can say is Thank God for loud stereos!   The Dart would wander around the road a bit more than the Intrepid, and need constant minor steering corrections. But it's hard to say how much of this is due to the car's age and mileage, and the fact that their used to be a hill on our street where you could go airborne, as well as a couple of railroad crossings!   As for gas bills, if you're driving a full-size Chevy pickup right now, you won't notice much of a change with a Chevelle, unless you get a big-block!   As for the new Malibu, versus an old Chevelle, I think the Chevelle might actually win out in comfort! I found the current Malibu's seats to be too firm and thinly padded, and just too small (not saying that I have a big butt!) Also, if I sit in the back seat, my head will hit the ceiling. Most new cars also have the gas tank right under the back seat, which is safer from a safety standpoint, but it also makes for a back seat that feels like...well, a gas tank with some thin cloth stretched over it! Now comparing a Chevelle to a current Impala, the Impala may have an advantage. Your experience may vary, depending on your build and what you're used to.   -Andre
#6 of 552 by rea98d Mar 19, 2001 (12:45 pm)
Also, as long as you're not a stickler for keeping everything original, you can probably retrofit things like stereo/cd player a/c, power windows, maybe even fuel injection? to an older car to make it more livable. A friend of mine has a 1974 Chevy full size truck with an engine from a 1994 chevy, seats from a Triumph, a real nice stereo, and a bright purple paint job he uses as a daily driver. I'm sure the 1994 engine is much easier on gas than a 74 would be, and probably makes as much, if not more, power.
#7 of 552 I am by chevytruck_fan Mar 19, 2001 (1:18 pm)
I am a sticlker for original, but it doesn't effect me too much, because I hate power windows (of course there are cars of this era with them), negative on fuel injection, I want a #'s matching car, and you can buy stereos that fit in properly and usually have like a 6 disc changer somewhere in the car connected so that you don't have to cut the dash. A/C was on a lot of these cars, I don't really care about it either way, never owned a car with it.
#8 of 552 My 62 Impala SS by carnut4 Mar 19, 2001 (1:32 pm)
drives like a new car. Actually, it is. 41000 original miles. The things I notice right away is the seat is not adjustable, but is still pretty comfortable. No tilt wheel-but again, the position for me seems perfect [I'm 5'10"] I replaced the shocks with modern gas ones, and that along with the radial tires make a huge difference. AS it is now, this car is incredibly smooth, quiet, comfortabele, and with the 327 and Powerglide even, quite responsive. It handles well for its size, and seems well balanced-not nose heavy at all. I drive it every day, but not to work. The worst thing is the slow steering. But then, there are kits for that, and the brakes too. Otherwise, it's a real kick to drive this new car everyday!
#9 of 552 My '62 Impala SS by isellhondas Mar 19, 2001 (2:52 pm)
I remember had the COLDEST air conditioning!   Nothing like it. My '65 Riviera was the same way. Must have been those hugh compressors and the "good" R-12 freon.
#10 of 552 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Mar 19, 2001 (4:00 pm)
There were THREE things American car makers did better in those days than anyone else in the world, it was a/c, automatic transmissions and cheap V-8 power that was reliable. European a/c was laughable, Japanese cars couldn't get out of their own way, and most foreign car automatics were either a) terrible or b) made in America anyway. Can't say American styling was very mature, or its technology or build quality very advanced, but for the "native land", these 60s cars were pretty darn rugged. You see a lot more 60s American cars alive today than anybody else's.
#11 of 552 by speedshift Mar 19, 2001 (4:33 pm)
Yeah, when I was in Italy a while back I didn't see anything on the road that looked more than a few years old. They didn't have any old beaters, just new beaters.
#12 of 552 Air conditioning by andre1969 Mar 19, 2001 (5:52 pm)
I've had pretty good luck with Mopar air conditioners over the years. Well, my '57 DeSoto doesn't have air conditioning, but all the others did. Both of my Darts still had functioning A/C, although the fan motor shorted out on the '68 I now have, so it just won't blow. It didn't work on my '79 Newport, but I only paid $250 for the car, and at least it was one of the rare cars that by '79 still had rear windows that rolled down most of the way, so I didn't complain.   One thing that did surprise me, though. In '99, a friend gave me a beat up old '67 Newport that used to be his grandmother's. It was literally rusting and rotting away, except for the sturdy 383/727/8.75 drivetrain. I was shocked to find the A/C was still functioning, and blowing cold!   The 60's Mopars I had heavy little V-2 compressors...maybe those things were just more reliable. The Newport had a more conventional looking modern type compressor, like my Gran Fury (which still works, too)   -Andre
#13 of 552 car lift at home? by roxreps1 Mar 20, 2001 (10:53 am)
Does anyone know anyone who has a car lift in their home garage? It's for a national commercial. Please contact me at roxrepsaol.com
#14 of 552 by rea98d Mar 20, 2001 (11:11 am)
I don't know if 1978 counts as a classic, but until a couple of years ago, a 1978 Grand Marquis was my daily driver. Tough as a sherman tank, with most of the modern conveniences such as power seats, remote operated mirrors (I think they were cable driven rather than electric, but they work better, faster and quieter than any electric mirrors I've ever seen), tilt steering, almost every option you could get.. It did have an 8-track rather than a CD, and the AC leaked out all the freon, which got too expensive to keep adding, but other than that, (and the 12 miles per gallon) it was a great car. I've still got her, and when I get out of college, I'm going to have a body shop hammer out all the evedence of my learning how (not) to drive, replaced the past-dead transmission, and rapidly aging 400 V-8 with new ones, (mabye a 428 or 460), and once again use her as a daily driver. I'm thinking of replacing the old radio with one that has a clock, so that I can replace the clock with some guages to tell me what the engine is doing. As you can see, I don't really care about keeping her bone stock, matching numbers, or anything else. All she's got to be is a practical, 4-door, good looking car, that will hopefully be around to haul the family I want to have in a few years. And just maybe my grandmother's car will pass down to a new generation.

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