VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION What did you do with your vehicle today? Pleasant Dinner Trip

This last Saturday I drove the ”˜37 Master coupe to a private dinner party with live music on a farm near Lome Tree, IA.

I followed the same route we had used on the Southern Fall Tour last October. That included the mandatory ice cream stop at the Candy Kitchen in Wilton, IA.

The trip was about 60 miles each way. The car ran great as I rode through the farmlands on a pleasant July afternoon. Plus you knew it was farmland from the many interesting smells. You do miss that experience in a modern air conditioned car. As I expected lots of people at the party were surprised to see the car.

I did leave there around 8:00 PM so I just got back to the city limits when the sun went down. Even though the car has a sealed beam headlamp conversion they are not the greatest lights for night driving in the country. Plus the original 3 brush generator cannot produce enough current to keep up with the headlights even on low beam.

This was the first time I had driven the car at night at higher speeds using the headlights. At first I thought something was wrong with the generator because it was showing a greater than normal discharge when I was driving about 55 to 60. When I would slow down to 35 to 45 in the smaller towns the discharge was less than what I normally see at night around town. . Then I remembered that the shop manual showed this decrease in output at higher speeds.

Another great adventure a classic car!

Smiles per miles. That's what it's all about.

;-) Dean

That sounds like a fun trip! My 37 was converted to sealed beam headlights and a later 30 amp generator when I got it back in 1966. Not original but I like it that way, the generator keeps up with the lights just fine.

I like that!
Smiles per miles.
Doesn't matter what my expression might be on the outside, when I'm driving the '46 around the city, I'm grinning on the inside!

Rusty...
Were you driving "black top" highway all the way?
It's surprising how much of your lights black pavement will soak up as compared to driving non paved roads.

Thanks for the encouraging replies.

I have considered getting an early 50’s generator and regulator to handle the lighting deficit. Obviously I could go to a 6 volt alternator but I like the idea of being more traditional.

Old Highway 6 is mainly concrete so that does help with the light absorption issue. I agree that is significant on black top.

I only saw one deer on the shoulder right about dusk. That was a major concern driving home during that time period.

Since it's not a trip you do often and you like to mess with things, I often think about temporary solutions.
What about a couple of aftermarket modern 12v LED fog lamps with wing nuts for easy R&R. You could run them off a full charged 12v deep cycle battery tossed in the back.

If you follow Tim's suggestion a single battery not connected to a charging system will only last a few hours.
Tony