I made it home!

1934

1934

Senior Member
Drove the '34 to a car show today. 137 miles round trip. I was a bit nervous heading out because that is definitley the furthest I've ever gone with this car. I've had lots of issues with it but it performed beautifully all the way there and back! I must give credit to CharlieNY, (rebuilt carb), KenCT, (fuel pump), Skip Haney, (coil), Fun Projects, (regulator), etc. etc. It was about 85 F. and no over heating issues at 55 to 60 mph. I felt pretty good when I got home knowing the car can handle that and more!
The only glitch was a huge down pour of rain when I was about 10 minutes from home! my feet got a little wet but that's ok. LOL!
These cars were made to be driven- the more the better!
Doug.
 
Yep They are made to be driven
Since I brought mine 2 or 3 years ago I have done over 10000 miles
One trip was over 2000 miles -Apart from a broken fan blade and the carnage that caused
No problems and its all stock including the brakes -Which I can lock up at any speed on a sealed road. Karl
 
The wiper worked great. I managed to get it working a couple of years ago by filling the wiper motor with aut. trans. fluid and letting it sit for a week or two, (FB advice). It's been working perfectly since.
BTW, this was the second time I've been caught in a huge downpour of rain and was impressed at how well the car handled it. There were even some 'regular' cars parked on the side of the road waiting for a let-up! I drove right along at 40-45 mph with no issues. Not even a hint of hydro-planing or anything. Im guessing it's the narrow tires that help stabilize it through the water?
 
One of the big hazards in driving in rain is the visibility of the lights, both to see and be seen. Usually the old stock lamps are not bright enough to be safe today in any situation, including after dark. On my '47 I made and installed relay panel to feed the lighting. It is now better than new. The coming of LED bulbs should also be a big improvement.
 
1934 said:
The wiper worked great. I managed to get it working a couple of years ago by filling the wiper motor with aut. trans. fluid and letting it sit for a week or two, (FB advice). It's been working perfectly since.
BTW, this was the second time I've been caught in a huge downpour of rain and was impressed at how well the car handled it. There were even some 'regular' cars parked on the side of the road waiting for a let-up! I drove right along at 40-45 mph with no issues. Not even a hint of hydro-planing or anything. Im guessing it's the narrow tires that help stabilize it through the water?
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I've certainly have had the rear end of my car get slidey in the wet when I hit the brakes to hard - I backed off the rears a little which helped. Yesterday I had some idiot turn in front of me at traffic lights when I was doing about 20 mph . Locked every thing up and stopped in a few feet . Karl
 
Karl said:
I've certainly have had the rear end of my car get slidey in the wet when I hit the brakes to hard - I backed off the rears a little which helped. Yesterday I had some idiot turn in front of me at traffic lights when I was doing about 20 mph . Locked every thing up and stopped in a few feet . Karl
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Yeah, we need to be especially careful when driving our old Fords! Some people just aren't paying attention and they can be dangerous. I'm really impressed with the amount of driving you do with your '34! I think that's fantastic and I hope to be driving mine more and more in the future,(of course it gets a long rest in the garage during the winter months!).
 
1934 said:
Yeah, we need to be especially careful when driving our old Fords! Some people just aren't paying attention and they can be dangerous. I'm really impressed with the amount of driving you do with your '34! I think that's fantastic and I hope to be driving mine more and more in the future,(of course it gets a long rest in the garage during the winter months!).
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Soon after I brought the car I used it virtually as my daily driver One of our local car club members approached me and asked me if I realized that "every time I used it would be one less time I could use it later" Didn't make sense to me then and still doesn't . They are made to be driven . If it breaks down I will fix it -If I can't afford to fix it I can't afford to own it.

The guy who gave me the advice has two well sorted vintage cars which he drives perhaps once every 3 months I consider that really sad ! Interestingly enough he has much more mechanical issues than I do -I don't believe prolonged periods of sitting are good for anything mechanical.

I have applied the same principle to my current Model A (and the previous 3 I have owned) and my 1910 Hupmobile so far with minimal problems -Karl
 
Jay in Mass said:
It is my opinion that driving them keeps them in working condition. Not driving them is what makes things go bad.
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I agree, if I drive it regularly, (2 or 3 times a week), it seems to perform well. Let it sit for a week or 2 and it acts a bit 'grumpy' at first, like I woke it up from a short nap. LOL!
 
Karl said:
Soon after I brought the car I used it virtually as my daily driver One of our local car club members approached me and asked me if I realized that "every time I used it would be one less time I could use it later" Didn't make sense to me then and still doesn't . They are made to be driven . If it breaks down I will fix it -If I can't afford to fix it I can't afford to own it.

The guy who gave me the advice has two well sorted vintage cars which he drives perhaps once every 3 months I consider that really sad ! Interestingly enough he has much more mechanical issues than I do -I don't believe prolonged periods of sitting are good for anything mechanical.

I have applied the same principle to my current Model A (and the previous 3 I have owned) and my 1910 Hupmobile so far with minimal problems -Karl
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You are so RIGHT Karl... Older cars need to be driven at least once a week.. if not daily!.. Whoever told you that driving it now means less driving later.. is obviously not a "driver" but only a vehicle "operator"... Keep em moving.. I actually love driving my car in the rain.. when & if it rains in Southern California!

WALT :cool:
 
Great report . . . glad you're out having some fun! What is the point of owning these cool old Fords if we don't get them out on the road. I'm not in the 'museum business' . . . and I don't get paid to let them sit . . .

B&S
 
We are going to whats called the red centre nats in Alice springs for a week, then a side trip down to Ayers rock, and Kings canyon,
all I have to do now on the 33 is wash it.
I put some water bottle holders in yesterday .
Lawrie
 
Yes towing the caravan,looking forwards to the trip,
I will post some pics along the way,
Lawrie
 
Lawrie, I imagine it's pretty hot where you are. Do you ever have over-heating issues on these long trips? (Especially pulling a trailer).
 
None, last year while away, we towed in the hills some in 2nd gear,the temp was 42 and somedays 44c,the only things that overheated was us,all the windows down ,front screen opened,(wasp got in and stung wife Carol) we also drove a couple days with out the caravan,at 47C,but that was in the town we stayed for a week so was just driving around,no overheating then either.but that was hot ,even the wind was hot.
You need a clean radiator and block,good water pumps and timing correct.
Lawrie
 
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