Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Hi Everyone. I had a great drive today in my worn-out '35 Fordor Touring. I'm encouraging all y'all to get out and drive your cars (and trucks, and gun carriers, and diggers, but leave that Half-Safe where it is...) Logged about 175 miles.

Went to breakfast with my Mom and wife up in Urbana, MD. There was a '34 Fordor sitting in the Waffle House lot when we pulled up. Hmmm, I looked it over for quite a while while the laides stalked a table. I shoulda recognized it because it turns out it was my new friend Jimmy Y. and his teenage son, I wanna say Nathan, but I may be wrong.

I met Jimmy briefly at Chantilly, I sorta blew him off when I met him because I was having so much fun and didn't wanna discuss why his car was being bitchy. But I agreed to get in touch because he lives about ten miles from me. After the meet I helped him get is car started after it was crapped out in his garage. Turns out his fuel pickup doesn't go all the way to the bottom of his tank, so he can run out and still have fuel in the tank!

I said the the wife when I saw the gas can in his car after I started looking at it but before he'd come out, "Hey, his gas gauge works just as good as ours!" Jimmy has joined the V-8 club and my local Regional Group and I've seen him at both meetings since Chantilly. Cool coincidence. Nice guy, nice son.

After some eggs, and grits, and waffles, I dropped Mom back at her house and ran up the countryside to Gettysburg looking for a Military Surplus store I stopped in twenty years ago and the wife wanted me to take her back to. Great. Yes Honey, I'm sure we can find it. Well after a bit of searching, horay. It's on the south side of town on Steinwehr Ave. Closed because they have another joint on the square.

Along the way, in quaint Union Bridge, MD, we got a twenty-five cent car wash, that cost three bucks. A bargain vs. back home in the big city! Clean car, cool! Add some water to the rad and let's keep rolling.

Later as I was driving at about 35mph, I spied an open garage and pulled over. Had to listen to some squeaking from the passenger seat, but finally pulled down the driveway. Dude was out mowing, and he said he was hoping we didn't just drive off. He had a 33 and a 34 Chevy, and a 30 Model A tucked in the back. Had a nice chat. Car guy, even if a little misguided.

Then on the way back I caught a '32 coupe out of the corner of my eye sitting along PA 97. Didn't stop to check it out cuz it looked like I'd be disappointed at the 'mill,' but it looked like a steel body.

So, out and about today, I had three cool-car encounters. Burned a bunch of fuel. And some oil. And sadly put some coolant on the road too. But the wife and I had great fun. It was her longest ride in a flathead ever, from about 8am to 5pm with lotsa stops at orchards, and markets, surplus stores, and even a coin-op laundromat. Went three different times through the square in Gettysburg (which is a real pleasure on a Sunday afternoon, by the way).

My Dad had a buddy who'd say, 'There oughta be a law that everyone leaves their garage open on Sundays.' Saw four or five 'Vettes, Mustangs, and Harleys that way today.

Get 'em out. Fuel 'em up. Point 'em down the road!

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Yep...my 'A' (Willow) needed to get out from under her cover and have her battery charged while we tooled around town, soaking up the warm CA sun and tooting "Ahooga" at the folks in their front yards :)

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Jeff,

You just missed the MARC Model A meet in Gettysburg. We were there all week and headed back yesterday. A few hundred Model As in town. I put 250 miles on my Town Sedan on the trip up and back and around town.

Adams County, PA is a great area for a tour. Lots of apple orchard and nice roads. Rte. 97 is a great route to take. I live about three blocks from it on the DC line and can take it all the way to Gettysburg if I want. Now to take my V8s out for a ride.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Hi Alan, I go back to A's. When I was a kid, '65-'67, my Mom's daily driver was a 31 Roadster. Us kids rode the rumble seat to the Grand Union, which was the grocery store of the day. We got crap from the other kids in the neighborhood for riding in the 'trunk.'

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Hi msprecher! I was just at the Takoma Park campus of Montgomery College on Friday. Gotta be close by because it's right on 97 and just above the DC line! We both know another name for that road is Georgia Avenue. It ends about a block from the White House and continues well beyond Gettysburg. Westminster MD, and Littlestown PA are along the way.

We went up there on a lark. But I was bummed about missing the A show which I just found out about today. Went to the Gateway Marriott, but all cars were cleared out.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Jeff,

My house is a 5 minute walk from the campus. Stop by the next time you are there.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Jeff sounds like you are enjoying the car! Before my wife and I had our kid we would go riding in a old car every weekend.

When you mentioned the fuel issue it reminded me of my first early ford. When I bought my 1935 2 door 13 years ago when I was 18. I was so excited to drive it, but every time I would break down after 40 miles. The fuel sending unit pickup has broken. I just started carrying a can of gas as I was so excited to drive it everyday I didn't want to miss a day driving it to fix it! Sadly that car hasn't been driven in three years now.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

I agree, had both out today. Took the 41 to church and the 49 had to work (drove it about 60 miles round trip to pick up some 100 year old wood flooring for my shop). They're automobiles not trophies.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

I plan on driving my 41 coupe as soon as I get it back running. Waiting on the coil and distributor back and installed. Al

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Jeff, I enjoyed reading your post and text message yesterday. I'm glad you are having a great time with the '35. Even with all of it's "quirks" I enjoyed the hell out of driving it in Chantilly. It really was a pleasure. The weather cooled off here but our oldest daughter was down with a flu virus, I have the radiator out of the '47 for repair and as you know from my thread we are in the engine rebuild phase of project '40 tudor. I gassed up the '39 pickup and the Model A with intentions of a short drive but with everything going on it never happened. I can't wait for the '40 tudor to be on the road but I am a long way off.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Around this part of the Midwest it seems like Car Cruise-Ins are more popular than actual car SHOWS. You can come and go as you please, stay as long as you want, and have a lot of fun for no entry fee. Plus you aren't sitting there from 8 A.M. until 4 P.M.

Went to Monmouth, Ill. Car Cruise last Friday nite. They say it is the biggest in Illinois. Averages from 1500-1800 cars and they estimate the crowds at 20,000 people. Neat thing is, there is a little of everything for all tastes. Antiques, muscle cars, street rods, live music all kinds of good chow and you always see car friends that you don't get to see enough thru the year:) Two years ago I spoke with a fellow that drove his '30 Ford Model A Coupe all the way from Joliet, Ill. that is way over by Chicago and we are in NW Ill. near the Mississippi! Nice car, nice guy. I was impressed!!

Almost always the first Friday in August.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

It is a wonderful thing to be able to drive your Antique car after spending all those hours getting it to work. I love to drive my car, even though I am still worried about breaking down. Last week, after a 20 mile drive and about 5 miles from home the car started to sputter in power, seemed almost like it was out of gas, I prayed, and pumped the gas , worked the choke a little and the car had more get up and go that it ever had. Made it home safely. Exciting...though. Checked the gas when go home and had plenty.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Hi Everyone. FrankWest, I'm a very lucky guy. The '35 I bought last year from a 52 year owner who wasn't really a Ford nut, he'd just got it as a young man and never stopped using it on occasion. It's an amazing example of Henry's design. He didn't change any mechanical things in the time he owned it, I don't think. It's got the original tranny and I don't think it's ever been redone. He was unaware/surprised when I pointed out it had a '37 block as he'd never changed the engine either.

It's worn out, but still chugs along in any condition I've tried to throw at it so far.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

What... Drive your Flatheads??? What a concept... LOL Glad you are enjoying the car Jeff. ;)

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

If it doesn't have quirks it isn't as much fun!

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Flatheads don't wear out! They just "clearance themselves" to where everything stays nicely lubricated, and then they just keep on keepin' on!

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

I drive mine 3 or 4 times a week . Often drive it to work .
When I brought my first vintage car (Model A) I was informed by someone in our club that every time I drove my car was one less time I could use it before it broke down. Didn't understand him then don't understand him now. I drive them as much as I can. Over that last 10 years I have probably done 50000 miles spread over 3 of them. If they are not driven they are just lumps of pretty metal. If they break I will fix them- but they actually break less if they are used and serviced regularly. If I can't afford to fix them I can't afford to own them

Karl

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

Yep, I would rather be sitting behind the wheel of my 1937 Ford V-8 doing 45 mph than sitting next to it in a lawn chair.

Re: Keep your car shows, I like to drive mine!
 

I agree Tony ! Would rather take nice back road putt!