Antique cars,~1929-earlier...

[cfz2882]

Anyone else around here like antique cars? I especially like those from ~1914-25,when cars had became common in every town.BY 1914 most cars had electric lights and starting-at least as an option,but still usually brakes on rear wheels only.I found an antique Dodge locally and going to look at it tomorrow,very likely to buy it.Seems ~1915-54 are"soft"in the market right now,so some good deals to be had...

 

[rp2813]

I appreciate all varieties of antique cars, but personally would only go back as far as what I have experience with.  I think mid '30s would be my limit.  My '50 GMC is mechanically very similar to GM products from the mid '30s, so I'd be comfortable with something like that.  If I'm going to take a vintage vehicle out on the roadways, I want it to have basics like hydraulic brakes on all four wheels and stuff like that.

 

Keep us posted on the Dodge.  It sounds like you've made up your mind, so be sure to put up some pictures here!

 

[cfz2882]

indeed, mid 1930s is about as old as you can go and easily drive in modern traffic without fuss.i'll post pics of the Dodge when I get it to the yard-1917 roadster with a few option:steel disc wheels,spotlight,cowl lights.Has a long stroke 212 CI 4 cyl of about 35 HP,non-syncro 3 on the floor.Motor driven "ahoogah"Klaxon horn is there too

 

[sudsmaster]

I'd go for a 1925-30 Chrysler product. They were ahead of their time in many engineering details. Or a '34 DeSoto Airflow Coupe. Kind of pricey and rare, though.

 

[maytag85]

I do like the Ford Model Ts from the 1920’s that’s for sure. I didn’t grow up in the 60’s and 70’s era but I do remember seeing a few cars from that era that were still on the road in the mid 2000’s when I was little. Looking back, a car from 1969 would have only been 36 years old in 2005.

 

[circlew]

Doris Day had a 1930 Ford Model A that recently sold for $96,000. She frequently was seen driving it on her "Best Friends" show from the mid 80's.

 

[rp2813]

Doris Day's Ford

I wonder if she drove it around Pebble Beach.  That's a very laid back, exclusive enclave where privacy is paramount and the two-lane roads in the forest are all but deserted except for the scenic 17-Mile Drive, which the locals avoid unless they happen to live on it, and even if they do, it's practically a given that they have staff to go fetch things.

 

[hobbyapocalypse]

Oldest car I ever drove

was a 1919 Dodge. But I'm not nearly that old -- it was around 1990. The car was in really rough shape, bad brakes, smashed dashboard, torn seats, pieces of wood stuck in the engine block to plug leaks, etc. I doubt that we ever went over 5 MPH, but WOW what fun it was driving down Front Street!

 

[wayupnorth]

My brother in law had a '27 Willis Knight and the steering column had a lever marked Advance and Retard instead of a gas pedal, Totally bad taste for today.

 

[rp2813]

Oldest car I ever drove was a friend's 1927 Lincoln with only 7,500 original miles on it.  This was back in the early '80s.  It handled beautifully and I really liked that it had so much torque that you could slow way down to less than 10 MPH and not have to shift down from cruising gear to resume speed.  With its huge wheels you barely noticed when driving over a railroad crossing.  I felt honored that he trusted my driving skills enough to offer me the driver's seat.  To say it was his baby would be a major understatement.

 

 

 

[Ultramatic]

Cruise-O-Matic

 

 

You might find this series of vintage cars, trucks and automobilia enjoyable. I'm currently up to my 9th part.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?77027

 

[askolover]

I'd love to find a red 1958 Plymouth Fury.....yes, like Christine.  Beautiful car!

 

[circlew]

Ralph, when Doris was younger - and Terry still living - she would sometimes go over to the Cypress Inn. You likely know they owned the Carmel hotel, which is a pet friendly establishment.

She reportedly also liked to shop at the local supermarket, and other shops nearby.

 

[ea56]

The oldest car I’ve ever driven was the 1939 Chevrolet Flat Bed Pickup that belonged to our neighbors.  When I was 15 in 1966 I learned to drive stick in this truck.  The starter pedal was on the floorboard to the right of  the accelerator.  You had to keep your right foot on both the gas and the starter to start it.  The clutch was very forgiving and a perfect car to learn stick on.  There was also a throttle knob on the dash so you could drive it with your foot off the gas, by adjusting the gas from the dash.

 

I love vintage cars and have had a subscription to Hemmings Classic Cars and Hemmings Special Interest Autos for over 25 years.  I look forward to each issue.  My particular favorite years are from 1937 thru 1955, all American cars, but especially Buicks, Cadillacs, Chryslers and Mercurys.  I would love to have a ‘39 Buick 2 dr coupe or convertible, ‘47 Cadillac Convertible or a ‘55 Mercury Monterey 2 dr HT. But really, if I was rich I’d have one of each.

 

And Louie, I really love your Cruise-O-Matice postings.  Those old auto ads have a wealth of information about how the automobile has evolved.  I have a special interest in how transmissions evolved over the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s in the quest to make driving more effortless.

 

Ralph your description of driving your friends ‘27 Lincoln and being able to take it down to 10 mph in high gear and then accelerate back to cruising speed without lugging it was indicative of all the higher end makes.  They purposely geared them this way as a selling point, especially for women drivers so you could drive all over town in 3rd and never have to shift.  You could even start out in 3rd on many of these old Packards, Lincolns and Cadillacs if you weren’t in any rush, and just keep it in 3rd.

 

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, your '39 Chevy experience matches my '50 GMC, but when my dad first tried to teach me a stick in that truck, I couldn't get it.  I tried my sister's '65 Chevy Biscayne with column shift and got that down right away.  After that, I was driving the GMC fine (column shift also).

 

I had always held my foot on both the starter and gas pedals until about 15 or so years ago after an expert mechanic fine tuned the GMC and instructed me to keep my foot off the gas when starting.   I've been starting it that way ever since, with help from the choke and throttle just slightly engaged on cold starts.

 

I'll take the GMC's clutch action any day over the sloppiness of my 2003 Subaru Baja, where everything seems to happen in the last half inch of upward pedal travel.  There is just no contest.

 

[firedome]

my oldest...

were a '36 Olds and a '37 Dodge, however love every era from the dawn of autos to '70s. My latest desire is for a Brass era car, currently have my eye on a '13 Model T, the next to last year for brass radiator and trim and colors other than black.
Driving a T is unique, and a great deal of fun. My 94 year old uncle here has 2 of them.

 

[twintubdexter]

Oh boy! Another car-oriented topic.

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">I belong to a couple of classic car clubs and enjoy reading their various posts, but I always seem to enjoy those that pop up on here the most. I've never driven anything older than 1950. I assume a car from the early 1900's requires both a great deal more work and skill than any modern vehicle. Even cars much newer can be a challenge to someone of my age and "slipping" physical ability. The last time I had my '65 Buick (which has power everything) at a car show one of the participants, an older guy like myself, said "you know, driving a car like that's a lot of work." The more I though about it the more I realized he was right. My first car, a '62 Buick Electra coupe, wasn't that much different than my Wildcat, yet I drove that car effortlessly like it was a Corvette. Age, a person's, not necessarily the car's, has everything to do with it. I hope to see a lot more contributions here as well as many more photos...so much more enjoyable that discussing dead squirrels. </span>

 

<span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #008000;">PS...I sold my Corvette 3 years ago because it became very difficult to get into, and even more difficult to get out of. People would stare at me in parking lots like they were watching a white sperm whale give birth.</span>

 

[cfz2882]

looked at the Dodge...

..told the guy I would buy it will be an interesting and fun experience I am sure.Will have to practice shifting the non-syncro tranny and get used to the feel of the multi-disc clutch and mechanical rear-only brakes.once in my yard,will get some pics up.Very pretty model T in reply 15!

 

[rp2813]

LOL Joe! 

Alas, there are no dead squirrels to discuss.  Yet.

 

[goatfarmer]

Oldest one I've driven is a 53 Stude Commander HT I had years ago. Would love to drive something from the 20's or earlier.

 

[rp2813]

Kenny, did it have Studebaker's peanut butter action automatic transmission?  I've always liked those Raymond Loewy Studebakers, but I like the '60s GTs best of all. 

 

[ea56]

The car that was my Moms when my Dad passed away in 1962 was a ‘62 Studebaker Gran Turisimo Hawk.  It was a light metallic brown with tobacco colored upholstery.  Since Mom was only 4’9” the clutch and brake pedals were built up with blocks and the lever for 4 speed transmission was a longer extension from a Volvo (the Studebaker dealer also sold Volvo’s).

 

It was a really nice car.  My Mom hated it at first when Dad drove it home.  She said, “It looks like a GD Edsel Jimmie, and I won’t drive it!”  She had her heart set on a ‘62 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible with four on the floor.  But she grew to like the GT Hawk.  Sadly, it rolled down a hill and crashed into a house in the early spring and was replaced with a’63 Chevrolet Impala 2 dr HT with a 327 and Powerglide.  I learned to drive in that car.

 

Eddie

[this post was last edited: 11/2/2020-21:38]

 

[goatfarmer]

Peanut butter?

When I bought it, it had no motor or trans. I bought a 64 Stude Commander, and pirated the 259/3 speed OD out of it for the 53.

 

[cfz2882]

got it.

brought the Dodge home on nov 3-runs good,but will need to rework the water pump packing as it leaks quite a little.clutch is oil fouled and grabby.Has Jaxon disc wheels of the type optional on a 1919-25 Chevy,while a downdraft 1932-36 Chevy carb takes place of the original updraft carb.Pics will appear once I get some underhood picks

 

[rp2813]

Great News!

I have always admired disc wheels.  I think Chevy nailed the Machine Age look with that optional treatment.  Standard wheels looked ancient in comparison.

 

I'm looking forward to pictures!

 

 

 

[mit634]

Congratulations on buying the Dodge ! I see the fun has already begun with a leak and a clutch issue to sort out.

I currently own 13 old cars ranging from 1935 through to the 1990s, although I plan to downsize the collection in the new year. I actually don't own a newer car.

I've found that with old cars there is never a point where they are "finished". There always seems to be one more restoration task to do and/or another maintenance task. But at least they were built so that they could easily be worked on in the home garage.

The older the car too, the more connected with the vehicle and the driving the driver needs to be.

Enjoy !

 

[cfz2882]

disc wheels...

...were a huge durability improvement over the wooden spoke wheels that could get loose spokes and wobble etc-and the discs look good too It was thought that the wood wheels cushioned road shock better than steel discs,so disc took a couple years to catch on.Dodge started to offer Budd steel discs about 1917,and they were convex while the Jaxon on the Chevy were concave and I think look cooler than the Budd discs.

 

[cfz2882]

Re.reply 25:thanks!,yep lots of work to be done-might add turn signals in as "period correct"of a manner as possible-digging into my supply of antique light sockets,cloth insulated wire,etc.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

#3

Yes, Airflows had a nice line to them. Some 37 & 38 Hudsons had flowing proportions as well. After that Hudson started getting a bit 'blocky', IMO. But for pre-WWII nothing gets my tail wagging like a 36 or 37 Cord.

Post-WWII design did little for me (except for the Tucker, of course) until things started getting sleek in the mid-50's.....but that's another story.

 

[rp2813]

Agreed.  I think Hudson produced some of the best looking cars of the 1930s. 

 

Even before I could drive -- around 1970 or so -- I wanted to buy a 1934 Hudson Terraplane with money from my paper route (I can't remember its price but was likely well below $500) but my dad talked me out of it, saying parts would be difficult to find.  They probably were by then, but I think it was more about him not wanting an old beater sitting on our driveway.