1931 Daily Driver

2

26or27

Junior Member
Is a stock 1931 ford an OK daily driver. Why and Why not??

I go by what Popeye says: I only know what I know, and that's all what I know:):)
 
I believe there is a great posting on Utube about a young man who drove a stock Model A for one year. I think he worked for an insurance company for which sponsored the event? I know it took place in the snowy north. One may learn a bit from that video. Good luck!
 
Back in the day, stock 1931 Fords took people everywhere they needed to go. Model A's, if properly restored and maintained, are very reliable cars. I have driven tens of thousands of miles in Model A's but I don't know if I'd give up my F150 as a daily driver. 80+ years of comfort and safety improvements are hard to give up for anything more than a few weeks.
 
I drive my car on a regular, almost daily, basis. I don't drive freeways unless absolutely unavoidable, and I don't like to drive in the rain, but sometimes I do it anyway. My car is all stock. The biggest hazard is other cars with dumb drivers and smart phones. :rolleyes:

Seriously, I worry much more about careless drivers than I do about my car's reliability.
 
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The story he was referring to was a young man who lived in Michigan, and he drove his Model A for a solid year...trips, through snow, and whatever. He had a great time and very few problems as I remember. If the A is in decent condition and running well there is no reason it can't function as a daily driver, given some limitations........
 
In 1931 they were used as daily drivers, it was what they were built for, as mentioned. Most folks here drive them daily during good weather, just to try and preserve them. As long as I can keep the top down and not drown or freeze to death, I'm in it.
 
I agree with all of the above

I like to drive mine as much as I can!!! If it is restored properly it should be very reliable also cheaper to repair and better parts availability than some modern cars !!

But a lot depends on you . Where you live , how busy are the roads, do you get impatient or in a hurry?

I find if you are in a hurry it is better to use a modern car .

John Cochran
 
From 1968 until about 1978, our 1929 Tudor was our daily driver. If I wasn't driving it, my wife was using it to haul the kids to school or to get groceries. Then we stepped up to our 1946 Ford pick up which I am still using as a daily driver. The model A is a perfect car for a daily driver unless you want to drive 60 mph or faster. Our model A Fords are happiest at about 50 mph. During the winter months, it gets down to the 20 F degrees for weeks at a time here in Sedro-Woolley. Our model A Fords have the best heaters of any of our cars. We have heat coming into the passenger compartment with in 1/4 of a mile. Try that with your modern iron. Gas mileage is better too. We always get over 20 mpg. Easily 200+ miles to a tank of gas. We drive our Tudor rain or shine. We also park it in a heated garage. We have a pull down curtain in the back window that we use for night driving. Without the shade pulled down, the reflection from other headlights in our window glass will disorient you. And just think about how much money there is to be saved by doing your own tune-ups? Most shops charge $750 and up for tuning up modern cars. No on board computers to go down, and every year your Model A will appreciate in value! License and insurance is less money too.
 
Yea thats the thing, in the model A era it was alot slower paced lol. Todays traffic i dunno. If you feel safe and are a very defensive driver id say go for it. I would at the least install seatbelts if i were to daily drive.

A why not? Are you prepared to do roadside fixes if need be? Do you understand all the principles of the model A like electrical, mechanical, engine, etc. Do you have a jack and a spare tire with you? Do you have AAA already? Does everywhere you go have cellphone coverage?

I dont mean to sound like "Debbie Downer" but he is asking good and bad.
 
I try to drive my roadster every day. I took the top off. its more fun with out the top. I just bundle up and good to go.
 
I drive my Model A almost every day. Not all day long, but I take it to go to my coffee break and on the weekend I take it home. (My cars and bikes are stored in a warehouse.) The top never goes up, and after dark when it even here in SoCal gets down to 48 or so right now, I drive it with a warm jacket. Wonderful experience, like in the old days. I get nothing but thumbs up and wonderful comments, and unlike my Model T, which require mental preparation and a couple of minutes of meditation before I can take off without stepping on the wrong pedal, my Model A is perfectly suited for daily driving chores.

When not driving my Model A, I drive my 1962 Volvo PV544, sun or shine. The car is somewhat of an icon in the Volvo world and has its own 7-page Webpage:
http://www.californiaclassix.com/Bernard/P544-1.html
 
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I think that back in the day Model As were driven daily at 35-40 mph and valve jobs were needed every 10-15 thousand miles. Today it's hard to get anywhere without getting on a freeway and driving at 60 mph+.
 
In use my 31 SW daily and put approx 8500 mikes on a year. They drove them in 31 daily so why not today. Have fun and good luck.
 
If you follow the maintenance intervals as stated in the owners manual you can use the car just as they did in the day, a daily driver.

Double check your insurance and registration. Some states have restrictions on historic plates and some insurance has limits on mileage.

Good luck and please let us know how it goes.
 
I drive mine a lot not every day but almost the only worry is in the rain being cut in front of just before a stop light by a modern car with abs brakes and modern tyres even really with good brakes it is hard to match the braking of modern cars driven by idiots I live in a big city with lots bad drivers who think every car made has abs
 
From 1961 to about 1968 my 29 tudor was my daily driver. It did great including -25 one morning in Wisconsin, and later Watterson Expressway in Louisville. It did great. I have one or another of the antiques out every day I can but not now as daily drivers. Now I would be concerned about being rear ended at night.
 
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